Movements and habitat connectivity of New Zealand forest birds: a review of available data

Innes, John L.; Miskelly, Colin M.; Armstrong, Doug P.; Fitzgerald, Neil; Parker, Kevin J.; Stone, Zoë

doi:10.20417/nzjecol.46.25

Cited by 14 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…Ship rats (Rattus rattus) are a major threat to New Zealand's native biodiversity (Towns et al 2006;Innes et al 2010). To protect rat-sensitive species at large spatial scales (> 10 000 ha), aerial control operations using the toxin sodium fluoroacetate (1080) are often used to suppress ship rat populations (Elliott & Kemp 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radio collaring reveals long-distance movements of reinvading ship rats following landscape-scale control

Carpenter¹,

Monks²,

Innes³

2023

NZJE

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Understanding rates of reinvasion is critical for determining what drives ship rat population recovery following large-scale control operations. We radio-tracked 23 adult ship rats on the edge of a forested area where rats had been suppressed by aerial compound 1080 in the Hollyford Valley, Fiordland. Eleven individuals died within two months of collaring and two individuals were never detected again, leaving us with data from 10 rats. Six individuals were recorded moving 70-174 m from their collaring sites over the nine month monitoring period, which is comparable to normal home range movements found by other studies. Four individuals were recorded moving 657-1516 m into the operational area (mean 1172 m). Sex was unrelated to whether individuals moved large distances or not. Our study confirms that ship rats may move large distances when at low density.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radio collaring reveals long-distance movements of reinvading ship rats following landscape-scale control

Carpenter¹,

Monks²,

Innes³

2023

NZJE

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“…The threat of introduced mammalian species persists today and has prompted calls for large-scale management actions (Innes et al 2010). Most prominently, this includes a plan to eradicate some of the archipelago's most damaging predators, namely mustelids, possums, and rats, by the year 2050 (Murphy et al 2019).…”

Section: The Case Of Aotearoa New Zealand and Its Capitalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While research relating to the mammalian threat to endemic birds has been well developed in Aotearoa New Zealand, less is understood about similar dynamics in urban settings (Innes et al 2010;Fea et al 2021) Speaker et al 2022).…”

Section: The Case Of Aotearoa New Zealand and Its Capitalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We determined relative abundance for each surveyed mammal species from "capture rates", defined as the total number of independent detection events (which we determined as an image capture event at least 30 minutes apart from another (Rich et al 2017), at a given site) per device divided by camera trap effort (total number of days active; Burton et al 2015). Of the 10 mammalian species recorded, I considered six for my analysis (Table 8) based on previous information about their threat to forest bird populations (Innes et al 2010;Fea et al 2020).…”

Section: Mammal Surveysmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Introduced mammalian predators have been the cause of numerous native bird species extinctions in Aotearoa New Zealand and continue to threaten the archipelago's avifauna (Innes et al 2010;Doherty et al 2016) These results point towards the well-documented threat posed by ship rats to endemic bird species in Aotearoa New Zealand (Innes et al 2010;Fea et al 2020). As arboreal predators, ship rats commonly exploit the cavity-nesting behaviours of forestdependent native bird species (Parlato et al 2015;Fea et al 2020), which could explain the effects I observe for SESPD.…”

Section: Effects Of Relative Predator Abundancesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Of acoustics and avifauna: An integrative approach to avian ecology across the Southern Hemisphere

Becker¹

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Ecological monitoring is taking on greater significance as we try to better understand and mitigate anthropogenic impacts on Earth’s ecosystems and species. This has led to the development of more effective avenues of ecological inference and means to inform them. These include birds and their ecology, which often represent wider ecological processes reliably. Birds are also relatively easily observable, and not just visually. Vocalising taxa, like birds, are suitable subjects for acoustic monitoring. This compatibility has drawn increased focus to interdisciplinarity and integrated approaches to ecological research. In this thesis, I aimed to adopt an integrated approach to avian ecology in different ecosystems across the Southern Hemisphere, with an emphasis on (but not restricted to) acoustic monitoring. As an introductory study, I conducted a systematic review of bioacoustics literature from Africa, which, as a continent, is particularly well suited for acoustics-based biodiversity research. I reviewed 727 publications, dating back to 1953. My analyses revealed an overall exponential increase in bioacoustics research output, but notable underrepresentation of non-mammalian, non-terrestrial, conservation/human impact, and African-led studies. My results help illustrate the potential for expanding the field of bioacoustics on several levels across Africa. Following this, I used multi-year data (2013-2018) from bird surveys in a flood-pulsed dryland wetland in southern Africa to assess the responses of seven functional groups of wetland-dependent bird to varying (remotely sensed) inundation levels and fire frequencies. I used generalised additive modelling to help predict these responses, in an attempt to relate hydrological fluctuations to ecological processes along the central channel system of Botswana’s Okavango Delta. My models robustly predicted trait-based responses of wetland-dependent birds in the delta’s interior and showcase an avenue for long-term ecological monitoring in dryland wetland systems, to support management and mitigation efforts. Finally, I used data collected from passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) and camera trap surveys to investigate the determinants of functional, phylogenetic, and taxonomic structures of bird communities in urban forest patches across Wellington City in Aotearoa New Zealand. These determinants were broadly divided into (1) forest patch characteristics and (2) relative predator abundances. I identified older forest stands, distance to a sizable ecosanctuary, and cat, possum, and rat (Rattus spp.) abundances as key determinants of urban forest bird community structures. This study presents further evidence of how functional and phylogenetic community measures can be driven by different determinants compared to taxonomic metrics. I highlight the value of these findings in an urban conservation and ecological restoration context and evaluate the use of acoustically derived bird species richness appraisal tools in urban forest habitats. My thesis demonstrates how an integrated approach to avian ecology can help track ecological integrity and inform conservation strategies in a rapidly changing world.

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Everybody needs good neighbours: movement, habitat use, and conspecific association in a reintroduced mesopredator

Wilson,

Evans,

Rapley

et al. 2024

Biodivers Conserv

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As a reintroduction progresses through the establishment, growth, and regulation phases, density-dependent mechanisms increasingly drive population dynamics. This can complicate efforts to reinforce these populations if the translocated individuals (henceforth reinforcers) are excluded, or existing residents become displaced. This is especially pertinent for islands and fenced havens, where immigration is often only possible by translocation. Conspecific associations offer insights into how these density-dependent mechanisms manifest in space and time. We investigated how movement, habitat use, and conspecific associations differed between eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus) residents and reinforcers at a conservation-fenced haven. We used GPS collars to quantify distances travelled per night, home and core ranges, nocturnal (activity) and diurnal (denning) habitat use and preference, and conspecific associations over three periods: baseline (residents only, days 3–21), release (both cohorts, days 22–32), and settlement (reinforcers only, days 33–52) for ≤ 42 days post-release (depending on GPS unit longevity). Eastern quolls travelled greater mean distances per night (< 2.15 km, x̄ 1.75 km) and had larger home ranges (< 251 ha, x̄ 178 ha) during the release period. Reinforcers had larger home ranges (249 ha) and greater overlap with other collared eastern quolls (115 ha) when compared to residents (range 90 ha, overlap 46 ha). We found a significant preference for grassland habitat across all animals and periods. During the settlement period, we found a preference for nocturnal activity in greater understory and south-west facing aspects, and lower movement correlation, sociality, and den sharing between collared eastern quolls. Finally, we found lower den sharing in reinforcers (29%) compared to residents (52%), and for fawn- animals compared to dark-morphs. Our results revealed short-term movements, habitat use, and conspecific associations at a greater spatiotemporal resolution than has ever been achieved for this species. Our findings offer important insights into the importance of appropriate habitat and conspecific cueing for reintroductions, and highlight the need to monitor density-dependent mechanisms to inform adaptive management to promote positive outcomes for both initial reintroductions and reinforcements.

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Movements and habitat connectivity of New Zealand forest birds: a review of available data

Cited by 14 publications

References 79 publications

Radio collaring reveals long-distance movements of reinvading ship rats following landscape-scale control

Radio collaring reveals long-distance movements of reinvading ship rats following landscape-scale control

Of acoustics and avifauna: An integrative approach to avian ecology across the Southern Hemisphere

Everybody needs good neighbours: movement, habitat use, and conspecific association in a reintroduced mesopredator

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