Multi-directional effects of warming temperatures on the reproductive success of a threatened alpine-endemic bird, and implications for conservation management

Oswald, Krista N; Lee, Alan T K; Diener, John P; Diener, Elizabeth F; Cunningham, Susan J; Smit, Ben

Title: Multi-directional effects of warming temperatures on the reproductive success of a threatened alpine-endemic bird, and implications for conservation management
Creator: Oswald, Krista N
Creator: Lee, Alan T K
Creator: Diener, John P
Creator: Diener, Elizabeth F
Creator: Cunningham, Susan J
Creator: Smit, Ben
Subject: To be catalogued
Date Issued: 2019
Date: 2019
Type: text
Type: article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441624
Identifier: vital:73902
Identifier: https://eco.confex.com/eco/2019/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/78223
Description: Mitigating the current biodiversity crisis requires a better understanding of how species will respond to future climate change and human impacts on habi-tat. Decreased reproductive capability, due to changes in phenology, output, and success, is one of the main indicators of species’ vulnerability. For terres-trial ground-nesting birds, overall reproductive success is often related to nest-site selection (e.g. increased nest concealment), and weather changes (e.g. higher air temperatures alter nest success). We investigated the reproductive success of Cape Rockjumpers (Chaetops frenatus; “Rockjumpers”), a ground-nesting alpine bird, endemic to the Fynbos biome of South Africa, whose popu-lation decline correlates to warmer temperatures. We predicted that breeding success would be positively correlated with increased nest concealment, and negatively correlated with increasing temperature. We collected data over three years, including two full breeding seasons, from 2016 to 2018 (n=5, n=20 and n=43 respectively), which included nest-site selection variables (i.e. vege-tative cover, rock cover, time since fire in years), success or failure (whether nest resulted in ≥ fledgling), and cause if nest failed (i.e. predation events, weather). We tested the overall success in relation to nest-site selection varia-bles, and then examined how nest failure (specifically snake predation) was correlated with air temperature.
Format: 15 pages
Format: pdf
Language: English
Relation: 2019 ESA Annual Meeting
Relation: Oswald, K.N., Lee, A.T., Diener, J.P., Diener, E.F., Cunningham, S.J. and Smit, B., 2019, August. Multi-directional effects of warming temperatures on the reproductive success of a threatened alpine-endemic bird, and implications for conservation management. In 2019 ESA Annual Meeting (August 11--16). ESA
Relation: 2019 ESA Annual Meeting volume 2019 number 1 1 15 2019
Rights: Publisher
Rights: Use of this resource is governed by the authors

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