Avian nest success, mammalian nest predator abundance, and invertebrate prey availability in a fragmented landscape

Canadian Journal of Zoology

Volumn 89, Issue 6, 2011, Pages 517-528

  Richmond, S ^a   Nol, E ^b   Burke, D ^c  

^a UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO   (Canada)

^b TRENT UNIVERSITY   (Canada)

^c ONTARIO MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES   (Canada)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ABUNDANCE; BIOMASS; HABITAT FRAGMENTATION; HABITAT MANAGEMENT; INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE; LANDSCAPE CHANGE; NESTING SUCCESS; PREY AVAILABILITY; SILVICULTURE; SONGBIRD;

AVES; HYLOCICHLA; HYLOCICHLA MUSTELINA; INVERTEBRATA; MAMMALIA; PASSERI; SEIURUS; SEIURUS AUROCAPILLUS;

EID: 79958800523     PISSN: 00084301     EISSN: 14803283     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1139/z11-017     Document Type: Article

References (94)

1. Askins, R., and Philbrick, M.J. 1987. Effect of changes in regional forest abundance on the decline and recovery of a forest bird community. Wilson Bull. 99: 7-21.
2. Barbosa, O., and Marquet, P.A. 2002. Effects of forest fragmentation on the beetle assemblage at the relict forest of Fray Jorge, Chile. Oecologia (Berl.), 132(2): 296-306. doi:10.1007/s00442-002-0951-3.
3. Batáry, P., and Báldi, A. 2004. Evidence of an edge effect on avian nest success. Conserv. Biol. 18(2): 389-400. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2004.00184.x.
4. Bayne, E.M., and Hobson, K.A. 1997. Comparing the effects of landscape fragmentation by forestry and agriculture on predation of artificial nests. Conserv. Biol. 11(6): 1418-1429. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1997.96135.x.
5. Bayne, E.M., and Hobson, K.A. 1998. The effects of habitat fragmentation by forestry and agriculture on the abundance of small mammals in the southern boreal mixedwood forest. Can. J. Zool. 76(1): 62-69. doi:10.1139/cjz-76-1-62.
6. Bayne, E.M., and Hobson, K.A. 2002. Effects of red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) removal on survival of artificial songbird nests in boreal forest fragments. Am. Midl. Nat. 147(1): 72-79. doi:10.1674/0003-0031(2002)147[0072:EORSTH]2.0.CO;2.
7. Beauvais, G.P., and Buskirk, S.W. 1999. Modifying estimates of sampling effort to account for sprung traps. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 27: 39-43.
8. Bellows, A.S., Pagels, J.F., and Mitchell, J.C. 2001. Macrohabitat and microhabitat affinities of small mammals in a fragmented landscape on the upper coastal plain of Virginia. Am. Midl. Nat. 146(2): 345-360. doi:10.1674/0003-0031(2001)146[0345:MAMAOS]2.0.CO;2.
9. Boulton, R.L., Richard, Y., and Armstrong, D.P. 2008. Influence of food availability, predator density and forest fragmentation on nest survival of New Zealand robins. Biol. Conserv. 141(2): 580-589. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2007.12.007.
10. Bowman, J., Forbes, G., and Dilworth, T. 2000a. The spatial scale of variability in small-mammal populations. Ecography, 23(3): 328-334. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0587.2000.d01-1641.x.
11. Bowman, J., Sleep, D., Forbes, G., and Edwards, M. 2000b. The association of small mammals and coarse woody debris at log and stand scales. For. Ecol. Manage. 129(1-3): 119-124. doi:10.1016/S0378-1127(99)00152-8.
12. Bowman, J., Forbes, G., and Dilworth, T. 2001. Landscape context and small-mammal abundance in a managed forest. For. Ecol. Manage. 140(2-3): 249-255. doi:10.1016/S0378-1127(00)00315-7.
13. Britschgi, A., Spaar, P., and Arlettaz, R. 2006. Impact of grassland farming intensification on the breeding ecology of an indicator insectivorous passerine, the Whinchat Saxicola rubetra: Lessons for overall Alpine meadow management. Biol. Conserv. 130(2): 193-205. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2005.12.013.
14. Burhans, D.E., Dearborn, D., Thompson, F.R., III, and Faaborg, J. 2002. Factors affecting predation at songbird nests in old fields. J. Wildl. Manage. 66(1): 240-249. doi:10.2307/3802890.
15. Burke, D.M., and Nol, E. 1998. Influence of food abundance, nestsite habitat, and forest fragmentation on breeding Ovenbirds. Auk, 115: 96-104.
16. Burke, D.M., and Nol, E. 2000. Landscape and fragment size effects on reproductive success of forest-breeding birds in Ontario. Ecol. Appl. 10(6): 1749-1761. doi:10.1890/1051-0761(2000)010[1749:LAFSEO]2.0.CO;2.
17. Burnham, K.P., and Anderson, D.R. 2002. Model selection and multimodal inference: a practical information-theoretic approach. 2nd ed. Springer-Verlag, New York.
18. Carey, A.B., and Johnson, M.L. 1995. Small mammals in managed, naturally young, and old-growth forests. Ecol. Appl. 5(2): 336-352. doi:10.2307/1942026.
19. Chalfoun, A.D., Ratnaswamy, M.J., and Thompson, F.R., IIII. 2002a. Songbird nest predators in forest-pasture edge and forest interior in a fragmented landscape. Ecol. Appl. 12: 858-867. doi:10.2307/3060994.
20. Chalfoun, A.D., Thompson, F.R., III, and Ratnaswamy, M.R. 2002b. Nest predators and fragmentation: a review and meta-analysis. Conserv. Biol. 16(2): 306-318. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.2002.00308.x.
21. Colombelli-Négrel, D., and Kleindorfer, S. 2009. Nest height, nest concealment, and predator type predict nest predation in superb fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus). Ecol. Res. 24(4): 921-928. doi:10.1007/s11284-008-0569-y.
22. Cottam, M.R., Robinson, S.K., Heske, E.J., Brawn, J.D., and Rowe, K. C. 2009. Use of landscape metrics to predict avian nest survival in a fragmented Midwestern forest landscape. Biol. Conserv. 142(11): 2464-2475. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2009.05.017.
23. Crawford, R.J.M., Barham, P.J., Underhill, L.G., Shannon, L.J., Coetzee, J.C., Dyer, B.M., Leshoro, T.M., and Upfold, L. 2006. The influence of food availability on breeding success in African penguins Spheniscus demersus at Robben Island, South Africa. Biol. Conserv. 132(1): 119-125. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2006.03.019.
24. Dijak, W.D., and Thompson, R.F., III. 2000. Landscape and edge effects on the distribution of mammalian predators in Missouri. J. Wildl. Manage. 64(1): 209-216. doi:10.2307/3802992.
25. Donovan, T.M., Thompson, F.R., III, and Faaborg, J. 1995. Reproductive success of migratory birds in habitat sources and sinks. Conserv. Biol. 9(6): 1380-1395. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1995.09061380.x.
26. Donovan, T.M., Jones, P.W., Annand, E.M., and Thompson, F.R., III. 1997. Variation in local-scale edge effects: mechanisms and landscape context. Ecology, 78(7): 2064-2075. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(1997)078[2064:VILSEE]2.0.CO;2.
27. Driscoll, M.J.L., Donovan, T., Mickey, R., Howard, A., and Fleming, K.K. 2005. Determinants of Wood Thrush nest success: a multiscale, model selection approach. J. Wildl. Manage. 69(2): 699-709. doi:10.2193/0022-541X(2005)069[0699:DOWTNS]2.0.CO;2.
28. Duguay, J.P., Wood, P.B., and Miller, G.W. 2000. Effects of timber harvests on invertebrate biomass and avian nest success. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 28: 1123-1131.
29. Dunford, W., and Freemark, K. 2005. Matrix matters: effects of surrounding land uses on forest birds near Ottawa, Canada. Landsc. Ecol. 20(5): 497-511. doi:10.1007/s10980-004-5650-5.
30. Dunn, J.C., Hamer, K.C., and Benton, T.G. 2010. Fear for the family had negative consequences: indirect effects of nest predators on chick growth in a farmland bird. J. Appl. Ecol. 47(5): 994-1002. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01856.x.
31. Falk, K.J., Nol, E., and Burke, D. 2011. Weak effect of edges on avian nesting success in fragmented and forested landscapes in Ontario, Canada. Landsc. Ecol. 26(2): 239-251. doi:10.1007/s10980-010-9543-5.
32. Farnsworth, G.L., and Simons, T.R. 1999. Factors affecting nesting success of wood thrushes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Auk, 116: 1075-1082.
33. Farnsworth, G.L., and Simons, T.R. 2000. Observations of Wood Thrush nest predators in a large contiguous forest. Wilson Bull. 112(1): 82-87. doi:10.1676/0043-5643(2000)112[0082:OOWTNP]2.0.CO;2.
34. Fauth, P. 2000. Reproductive success of wood thrushes in forest fragments in northern Indiana. Auk, 117(1): 194-204. doi:10.1642/0004-8038(2000)117[0194:RSOWTI]2.0.CO;2.
35. Filliater, T.S., Breitwisch, R., and Nealen, P.M. 1994. Predation on Northern Cardinal nests: does choice of nest site matter? Condor, 96(3): 761-768. doi:10.2307/1369479.
36. Fitzgibbon, C.D. 1993. The distribution of grey squirrel dreys in farm woodland: the influence of wood area, isolation and management. J. Appl. Ecol. 30(4): 736-742. doi:10.2307/2404251.
37. Flaspohler, D.J., Temple, S.A., and Rosenfield, R.N. 2000. Relationship between nest success and concealment in two ground-nesting passerines. J. Field Ornithol. 71: 736-747.
38. Flaspohler, D.J., Temple, S.A., and Rosenfield, R.N. 2001. Speciesspecific edge effects on nest success and breeding bird density in a forested landscape. Ecol. Appl. 11(1): 32-46. doi:10.1890/1051-0761(2001)011[0032:SSEEON]2.0.CO;2.
39. Ford, A.T., and Fahrig, L. 2008. Movement patterns of eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) near roads. J. Mammal. 89(4): 895-903. doi:10.1644/07-MAMM-A-320.1.
40. Fournier, E., and Loreau, M. 1999. Effects of newly planted hedges on ground-beetle diversity (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in an agricultural landscape. Ecography, 22(1): 87-97. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0587.1999.tb00457.x.
41. Freedman, B., Zelazny, V., Beaudette, D., Fleming, T., Flemming, S., Forbes, G., Gerrow, J.S., Johnson, G., and Woodley, S. 1996. Biodiversity implications of changes in the quantity of dead organic matter in managed forests. Environ. Rev. 4: 238-265.
42. Glennon, M.J., and Porter, W.F. 2007. Impacts of land-use management on small mammals in the Adirondack Park, New York. Northeast. Nat. 14(3): 323-342. doi:10.1656/1092-6194(2007)14[323:IOLMOS]2.0.CO;2.
43. Haas, J.P., and Heske, E.J. 2005. Experimental study of the effects of mammalian acorn predators on red oak acorn survival and germination. J. Mammal. 86(5): 1015-1021. doi:10.1644/1545-1542(2005)86[1015:ESOTEO]2.0.CO;2.
44. Hames, R.S., Lowe, J.D., Swarthout, S.B., and Rosenberg, K.V. 2006. Understanding the risk to neotropical migrant bird species of multiple human-caused stressors: elucidating processes behind the patterns. Ecol. Soc. 11(1): 24. Available from http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss1/art24/ [accessed 25 February 2009].
45. Haskell, D. 2000. Effects of forest roads on macroinvertebrate soil fauna of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Conserv. Biol. 14(1): 57-63. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.2000.99232.x.
46. Heske, E.J., Robinson, S.K., and Brawn, J.D. 2001. Nest predation and neotropical migrant songbirds: piecing together the fragments. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 29: 52-61.
47. Hoover, J.P., Brittingham, M.C., and Goodrich, L.J. 1995. Effects of forest patch size on nesting success of Wood Thrushes. Auk, 112: 146-155.
48. Howe, F.P., Knight, R.L., McEwen, L.C., and George, T.L. 1996. Direct and indirect effects of insecticide application on growth and survival of nestling passerines. Ecol. Appl. 6(4): 1314-1324. doi:10.2307/2269609.
49. Jokimäki, J., and Huhta, E. 2000. Artificial nest predation and abundance of birds along an urban gradient. Condor, 102(4): 838-847. doi:10.1650/0010-5422(2000)102[0838:ANPAAO]2.0.CO;2.
50. Jokimäki, J., Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki, M.-L., Sorace, A., Fernández- Juricic, E., Rodriguez-Prieto, I., and Jimenez, M.D. 2005. Evaluation of the "safe nesting zone" hypothesis across an urban gradient: a multi-scale study. Ecography 28(1): 59-70. doi:10.1111/j.0906-7590.2005.04001.x.
51. Kenward, R.E., and Holm, J.L. 1993. On the replacement of the red squirrel in Britain: a phytotoxic explanation. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci. 251(1332): 187-194. doi:10.1098/rspb.1993.0028.PMID:8097326.
52. Kilgo, J.G., Sargent, R.A., Chapman, B.R., and Miller, K.V. 1996. Nest-site selection by Hooded Warblers in bottomland hardwoods of South Carolina. Wilson Bull. 108: 5-60.
53. Kirkland, G.L., Jr. 1990. Patterns of initial small mammal community change after clearcutting of temperate North American forests. Oikos, 59(3): 313-320. doi:10.2307/3545141.
54. Klug, P., Wolfenbarger, L.L., and McCarty, J.P. 2009. The nest predator community of grassland birds responds to agroecosystem habitat at multiple scales. Ecography, 32(6): 973-982. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0587.2009.05857.x.
55. Klug, P.E., Wolfenbarger, L.L., and McCarty, J.P. 2010. Snakes are important nest predators of Dickcissels in an agricultural landscape. Wilson J. Ornithol. 122(4): 799-803. doi:10.1676/09-203.1.
56. Kupfer, J.A., Malanson, G.P., and Franklin, S.B. 2006. Not seeing the ocean for the islands: the mediating influence of matrix-based processes on forest fragmentation effects. Glob. Ecol. Biogeogr. 15(1): 8-20. doi:10.1111/j.1466-822X.2006.00204.x.
57. Lloyd, P., Martin, T.E., Redmond, R.L., Langner, U., and Hart, M.M. 2005. Linking demographic effects of habitat fragmentation across landscapes to continental source-sink dynamics. Ecol. Appl. 15(5): 1504-1514. doi:10.1890/04-1243.
58. López-Flores, V., MacGregor-Fors, I., and Schondube, J.E. 2009. Artificial nest predation along a Neotropical urban gradient. Landsc. Urban Plan. 92(2): 90-95. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2009.03.001.
59. Luck, G.W. 2003. Differences in the reproductive success and survival of the rufous treecreeper (Climacteris rufa) between a fragmented and unfragmented landscape. Biol. Conserv. 109(1): 1-14. doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(02)00085-X.
60. Martin, J.-L., and Joron, M. 2003. Nest predation in forest birds: influence of predator type and predator's habitat quality. Oikos, 102(3): 641-653. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0706.2003.12040.x.
61. Martin, T.E., and Roper, J.J. 1988. Nest predation and nest-site selection of a western population of the Hermit Thrush. Condor, 90(1): 51-57. doi:10.2307/1368432.
62. Mattsson, B.J., and Niemi, G.J. 2006. Factors influencing predation on Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) nests in northern hardwoods: interactions across spatial scales. Auk, 123(1): 82-96. doi:10.1642/0004-8038(2006)123[0082:FIPOOS]2.0.CO;2.
63. Mazerolle, D.F., and Hobson, K.A. 2004. Territory size and overlap in male Ovenbirds: contrasting a fragmented and contiguous boreal forest. Can. J. Zool. 82(11): 1774-1781. doi:10.1139/z04-175.
64. Morton, E.S. 2005. Predation and variation in breeding habitat use in the Ovenbird, with special reference to breeding habitat selection in northwestern Pennsylvania. Wilson Bull. 117(4): 327-335. doi:10.1676/04-135.1.
65. Newbury, R.K., and Nelson, T.A. 2007. Habitat selection and movements of raccoons on a grassland reserve managed for imperiled birds. J. Mammal. 88(4): 1082-1089. doi:10.1644/06-MAMM-A-192R2.1.
66. Niemi, G.J., Hanowski, P., Helle, P., Howe, R., Monkkonen, M., Venier, L., and Welsh, D. 1998. Ecological sustainability of birds in boreal forests. Conserv. Ecol. (now known as Ecol. Soc.) 2: 17. Available from http://www.consecol.org/vol2/iss2/art17/ [accessed 25 February 2009].
67. Ostfeld, S., and Keesing, F. 2000. Pulsed resources and community dynamics of consumers in terrestrial ecosystems. Trends Ecol. Evol. 15(6): 232-237. doi:10.1016/S0169-5347(00)01862-0.PMID:10802548.
68. Peach, W.J., Vincent, K.E., Fowler, J.A., and Grice, P.V. 2008. Reproductive success of house sparrows along an urban gradient. Anim. Conserv. 11(6): 493-503. doi:10.1111/j.1469-1795.2008.00209.x.
69. Pearse, A.T., Cavitt, J.F., and Cully, J.F., Jr. 2004. Effects of food supplementation on female nest attentiveness and incubation mate feeding in two sympatric wren species. Wilson Bull. 116(1): 23-30. doi:10.1676/0043-5643(2004)116[0023:EOFSOF]2.0.CO;2.
70. Pedlar, J.H., Fahrig, L., and Merriam, H.G. 1997. Raccoon habitat use at two spatial scales. J. Wildl. Manage. 61(1): 102-112. doi:10.2307/3802419.
71. Phillips, J. 2003. Matrix land-use and the nesting success of three species of forest-breeding birds. M.Sc. thesis, Watershed Ecosystems Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, Ont.
72. Phillips, J., Nol, E., Burke, D., and Dunford, W. 2005. Impacts of housing developments on Wood Thrush nesting success in hardwood forest fragments. Condor, 107(1): 97-106. doi:10.1650/7560.
73. Prokop, P. 2004. The effect of nest usurpation on breeding success of the black-billed magpie (Pica pica). Biologia (Bratisl.), 59: 213-217.
74. Quinn, G.P., and Keough, M.J. 2002. Experimental design and data analysis for biologists. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
75. Robinson, S.K., Thompson, F.R., III, Donovan, T.M., Whitehead, D. R., and Faaborg, J. 1995. Regional forest fragmentation and the nesting success of migratory songbirds. Science (Washington, D.C.), 267(5206): 1987-1990. doi:10.1126/science.267.5206.1987. PMID:17770113.
76. Rodewald, A.D. 2002. Nest predation in forested regions: landscape and edge effects. J. Wildl. Manage. 66(3): 634-640. doi:10.2307/3803130.
77. Rodewald, A.D. 2003. The importance of land uses within the landscape matrix. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 31: 586-592.
78. Roth, R.R., Johnson, M.S., and Underwood, T.J. 1996. Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina). In The birds of North America online. Edited by A. Poole. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. Available from http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/246.
79. SAS Institute Inc. 1999. SAS release 8.2 for Windows. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, N.C.
80. Sauer, J.R., Hines, J.E., and Fallon, J. 2008. The North American breeding bird survey, results and analysis 1966-2007. Verson 5.15.2008. U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Md.
81. Schmidt, K.A., and Whelan, C.J. 2005. Quantifying male Wood Thrush nest-attendance and its relationship to nest success. Condor, 107(1): 138-144. doi:10.1650/7582.
82. Schmidt, K.A., Ostfeld, R.S., and Smyth, K.N. 2006. Spatial heterogeneity in predator activity, nest survivorship, and nest-site selection in two forest thrushes. Oecologia (Berl.), 148(1): 22-29. doi:10.1007/s00442-005-0340-9. PMID:16425046.
83. Shaffer, T.L. 2004. A unified approach to analyzing nest success. Auk, 121(2): 526-540. doi:10.1642/0004-8038(2004)121[0526:AUATAN]2.0.CO;2.
84. Smith, R.K., Pullin, A.S., Stewart, G.B., and Sutherland, W.J. 2010. Effectiveness of predator removal for enhancing bird populations. Conserv. Biol. 24(3): 820-829. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01421.x. PMID:20067492.
85. Sperry, J.H., Cimprich, D.A., Peak, R.G., and Weatherhead, P.J. 2009. Is nest predation on two endangered bird species higher in habitats preferred by snakes? Ecoscience, 16(1): 111-118. doi:10.2980/16-1-3198.
86. Strong, A.M., Rimmer, C.C., and McFarland, K.P. 2004. Effect of prey biomass on reproductive success and mating strategy of Bicknell's thrush (Catharus bicknelli), a polygynandrous songbird. Auk, 121(2): 446-451. doi:10.1642/0004-8038(2004)121[0446:EOPBOR]2.0.CO;2.
87. Taylor, R.L., Maxwell, B.D., and Boik, R.J. 2006. Indirect effects of herbicides on bird food resources and beneficial arthropods. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 116(3-4): 157-164. doi:10.1016/j.agee.2006.01.012.
88. Thompson, F.R., III, Dijak, W.D., and Burhans, D.B. 1999. Video identification of predators at songbird nests in old fields. Auk, 116: 259-264.
89. Trumbo, S.T., and Bloch, P.L. 2000. Habitat fragmentation and burying beetle abundance and success. J. Insect Conserv. 4(4): 245-252. doi:10.1023/A:1011390215088.
90. Van Horn, M.A., and Donovan, T.M. 1994. Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus). In The birds of North America online. Edited by A. Poole. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y. Available from http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/088.
91. Weatherhead, P.J., Carfagno, G.L.F., Sperry, J.H., Brawn, J.D., and Robinson, S.K. 2010. Linking snake behaviour to nest predation in a Midwestern bird community. Ecol. Appl. 20(1): 234-241. doi:10.1890/09-0059.1. PMID:20349843.
92. Weldon, A.J., and Haddad, N.M. 2005. The effects of patch shape on indigo buntings: evidence for an ecological trap. Ecology, 86(6): 1422-1431. doi:10.1890/04-0913.
93. Zalik, N.J., and Strong, A.M. 2008. Effects of hay cropping on invertebrate biomass and the breeding ecology of Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis). Auk, 125(3): 700-710. doi:10.1525/auk.2008.07106.
94. Zanette, L., Smith, J.N.M., van Oort, H., and Clinchy, M. 2003. Synergistic effects of food and predators on annual reproductive success in song sparrows. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci. 270(1517): 799-803. doi:10.1098/rspb.2002.2311. PMID:12737657.