nest microhabitat & reproductive success of the mountain white-crowned sparrow brett klaassen...
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![Page 1: Nest Microhabitat & Reproductive Success of the Mountain White-crowned Sparrow Brett Klaassen Van Oorschot, Ondi Crino, and Creagh Breuner University of](https://reader035.vdocument.in/reader035/viewer/2022070412/56649d2f5503460f94a06ec7/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Nest Microhabitat & Reproductive Success of the Mountain White-crowned Sparrow
Brett Klaassen Van Oorschot, Ondi Crino, and Creagh BreunerUniversity of Montana
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Mountain White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys oriantha)
Mountain White-crowned Sparrows as a study system
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Question:Does nest microhabitat affect the reproductive success of these birds?
Brand-new fledgling
Context for Research
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(Google 2009)
Tioga Pass: the field site
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• Nests are built in a wide range of microhabitats.
• Over half of all nests fail, but ecological consequences are unknown.Specific Questions:
1. Does the vegetation surrounding the nest affect fledging success?
2. Does the vegetation surrounding the nest affect nestling condition?
Background
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Belding’s Ground Squirrel(Spermophilus beldingi)aka “Sage Rat” or “Picket-pin”
Fearsome and elusive predator of the Mountain White-crowned Sparrow.
Background
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• Nests are built in a wide range of microhabitats.
• Over half of all nests fail, but ecological consequences are unknown.
Specific Questions:1. Does the vegetation surrounding
the nest affect fledging success?
2. Does the vegetation surrounding the nest affect nestling condition?
Background
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Nest Searching….
Tioga Pass Meadow A well-hidden nest
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Morphological Measurements
Ondi Crino taking chick measurements Six-day-old nestling
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Habitat Assessment
Nest location
Short-hand sampling
• Measured 2m in each direction • Vegetation type and structure• Ground water availability• Nest height and aspect• 1777 individual samples with
over 26,665 possible datapoints for 37 nests.
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•Does the environment surrounding the nest affect fledging success?
•Does it affect individual nestling condition?
Nestlings waiting for lunch
Questions, revisited
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Principal Component Analysis
• Four main components in nest microhabitat
•PCA reduces variables to a few key factors
•Components inferred from correlations among variables (e.g. height & density)
•Relationships between vegetation were also common: More Lodgepole Pine means less Yellow Willow
Results
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No significant effect of vegetation on fledging success
p=0.40 p=0.97
p=0.93 p=0.70
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Nestlings raised in tall vegetation are lower condition
Results, cont.
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Nestling condition improves as season goes on
(June 14) (July 14)
Results, cont.
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Nest vegetation height causes decrease in conditionregardless of date
p=.03
Results, cont.
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• No effect of nest habitat on fledging success.
• Nests habitat is a poor predictor of fledging success.
• Sparrows on the ground and in willows or pines are equally likely to experience abandonment or predation.
• This data supports the idea that predation is random.
Discussion
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Discussion
• Nests built in tall vegetation have lower-condition nestlings.
• Difficult for parents to get into nests?
• Foraging occurs away from tall vegetation, leading to less provisioning?
• More time spent guarding or thermoregulating?
• Nestling condition increases with date.
• Food availability (bugs & open ground) increases over breeding season.
• Indicates trade-off between early mating and nestling condition.
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Ending Thoughts
•Mountain White-crowned Sparrows offer a unique opportunity to explore the consequences of nest ecology.
•Understanding ecology will help explain life-history, behavior, and physiology.
•Future directions include looking at generational effects on nesting behavior and ecology at other nesting sites.
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Ondi CrinoCreagh BreunerThe Breuner LabDoug EmlenBill HolbenPaul AlabackArt WoodsTom BassettJen SmithBret TobalskeUniv. of Montana MILES ProgramHHMI
Questions?
Acknowledgements & Questions
US FWS