10.5061/DRYAD.J46D514
Ellis, Kristen
Colorado State University
Larsen, Randy
Brigham Young University
Koons, Dave
Colorado State University
Data from: The importance of functional responses among competing
predators for avian nesting success
Dryad
dataset
2019
hazard rates
cause-specific mortality
Charadrius nivosus
2011 - 2017
competing risks
remote cameras
snowy plover
2019-11-29T00:00:00Z
2019-11-29T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13460
14852 bytes
4
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
1. The relationship between the rate of predation and prey abundance is an
important component of predator-prey dynamics. However, functional
responses are less straightforward when multiple predators compete for
shared prey. Interactions among competing predators can reduce or enhance
effects of predation on prey populations. Because many avian populations
experience high rates of nest predation, understanding the role of
specific predators on nest mortality will lead to more informed
conservation and management strategies which attempt to increase
productivity by removing certain predators or managing habitat to limit
their impact. 2. Our goal was to evaluate effects of specific predators
and the influence of nest abundance on nest mortality. 3. We monitored
snowy plover Charadrius nivosus nests across 7 years at two study areas in
Utah, USA with remote cameras. We modeled predator-specific hazard rates
for nest mortality in a Bayesian framework to assess relationships between
competing predators and the role of nest abundance on predator-specific
hazard rates. 4. We found that hazard rates for nest mortality by gulls
Larus spp. decreased with increasing nest abundance, whereas nest
mortality by foxes Vulpes spp. and ravens Corvus corax initially
increased, indicating that dietary switching may occur when nests become
more abundant. Nest mortalities of specific predators were often not
independent and ranged between compensatory (e.g., mammalian
mesopredators), and superadditive (e.g., avian predators) across the
breeding season. 5. The non-independence between nest mortalities suggests
that reductions in some predators may not translate to additive increases
in overall nest success. Analyses of cause-specific mortality are rarely
applied to avian nests, but examination of interacting impacts among
competing predators on nest survival may provide insight into specific
drivers of avian population dynamics.
Fates of snowy plover nestsFates of snowy plover nests monitored at Great
Salt Lake, Utah and western Utah between 2011 and 2017. Dates correspond
with day of breeding season where day 1 = 21
April.SNPL_Nest_Fates_for_archiving.csv
Utah