Population abundance and trends of Saltmarsh (Ammodramus caudacutus) and Nelson’s (A. nelsoni) Sparrows: influence of sea levels and precipitation

Shriver, W. Gregory; O’Brien, Kathleen; Ducey, Mark J.; Hodgman, Thomas P.

doi:10.1007/s10336-015-1266-6

Cited by 11 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…This species is declining at a rate of 9.0% annually (Shriver et al. ), a rate confirmed at smaller spatial scales across our study area. Assuming a global population estimate of 53,000 individuals in 2012 (Wiest et al.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…2c). This species is declining at a rate of 9.0% annually (Shriver et al 2015), a rate confirmed at smaller spatial scales across our study area. Assuming a global population estimate of 53,000 individuals in 2012 (Wiest et al 2016) and a constant rate of decline, the Saltmarsh Sparrow population could be about 5000 individuals in 25 years, and 500 individuals in 50 years, which means that extinction risk in this century is high.…”

Section: Conservation Strategy For Tidal Marshessupporting

confidence: 75%

“…All data were collected between sunrise and 1100, when birds are most active. We then assumed constant detection probability within (but not across) each species across years, an assumption supported quantitatively by data from Shriver et al (2015) who show unvarying detection probabilities in the Saltmarsh Sparrow across these same years (Supporting Information). We further accounted for differences in detection probability by including number of visits per year as a covariate in all models.…”

Section: Species Trendsmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Predictors of specialist avifaunal decline in coastal marshes

Correll

Wiest

Hodgman

et al. 2016

Conservation Biology

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Coastal marshes are one of the world's most productive ecosystems. Consequently, they have been heavily used by humans for centuries, resulting in ecosystem loss. Direct human modifications such as road crossings and ditches and climatic stressors such as sea-level rise and extreme storm events have the potential to further degrade the quantity and quality of marsh along coastlines. We used an 18-year marsh-bird database to generate population trends for 5 avian species (Rallus crepitans, Tringa semipalmata semipalmata, Ammodramus nelsonii subvirgatus, Ammodramus caudacutus, and Ammodramus maritimus) that breed almost exclusively in tidal marshes, and are potentially vulnerable to marsh degradation and loss as a result of anthropogenic change. We generated community and species trends across 3 spatial scales and explored possible drivers of the changes we observed, including marsh ditching, tidal restriction through road crossings, local rates of sea-level rise, and potential for extreme flooding events. The specialist community showed negative trends in tidally restricted marshes (-2.4% annually from 1998 to 2012) but was stable in unrestricted marshes across the same period. At the species level, we found negative population trends in 3 of the 5 specialist species, ranging from -4.2% to 9.0% annually. We suggest that tidal restriction may accelerate degradation of tidal marsh resilience to sea-level rise by limiting sediment supply necessary for marsh accretion, resulting in specialist habitat loss in tidally restricted marshes. Based on our findings, we predict a collapse of the global population of Saltmarsh Sparrows (A. caudacutus) within the next 50 years and suggest that immediate conservation action is needed to prevent extinction of this species. We also suggest mitigation actions to restore sediment supply to coastal marshes to help sustain this ecosystem into the future.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Conservation Strategy For Tidal Marshessupporting

confidence: 75%

Section: Species Trendsmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Predictors of specialist avifaunal decline in coastal marshes

Correll

Wiest

Hodgman

et al. 2016

Conservation Biology

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“…, Shriver et al. ). The only difference between the two species in the top models was that date was the sole predictor of predation probability for Saltmarsh Sparrows.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors that influence vital rates of Seaside and Saltmarsh sparrows in coastal New Jersey, USA

et al. 2017

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As saltmarsh habitat continues to disappear, understanding the factors that influence saltmarsh breeding bird population dynamics is an important step for the conservation of these declining species. Using five years (2011 - 2015) of demographic data, we evaluated and compared Seaside () and Saltmarsh () sparrow apparent adult survival and nest survival at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey, USA. We determined the effect of site management history (unditched vs. ditched marsh) on adult and nest survival to aid in prioritizing future management or restoration actions. Seaside Sparrow apparent adult survival (61.6%, 95% CI: 52.5 - 70.0%) averaged >1.5 times greater than Saltmarsh Sparrow apparent adult survival (39.9%, 95% CI: 34.0 - 46.2%). Nest survival and predation and flooding rates did not differ between species, and predation was the primary cause of failure for both species. Apparent adult survival and nest survival did not differ between unditched and ditched marshes for either species, indicating that marsh ditching history may not affect breeding habitat quality for these species. With predation as the primary cause of nest failure for both species in New Jersey, we suggest that future research should focus on identification of predator communities in salt marshes and the potential for implementing predator-control programs to limit population declines.

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“…Tidal amplitude (average maximum observed tide height; Appendix Table 7) was used as a proxy for site quality differences between estuarine and coastal sites, which experience differences in tidal regime. Finally, we included total precipitation values for 28 days prior to nest initiation because precipitation influences overall habitat conditions, Saltmarsh Sparrow abundance, and likely nesting success (Shriver et al 2016). All models included a random effect of female identity to control for inherent variation among individual females.…”

Section: Statistical Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%