Yoo Jenny, Koper Nicola
Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
PLoS One. 2017 Mar 29;12(3):e0174243. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174243. eCollection 2017.
Grassland songbird populations across North America have experienced dramatic population declines due to habitat loss and degradation. In Canada, energy development continues to fragment and disturb prairie habitat, but effects of oil and gas development on reproductive success of songbirds in North American mixed-grass prairies remains largely unknown. From 2010-2012, in southeastern Alberta, Canada, we monitored 257 nests of two ground-nesting grassland songbird species, Savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) and chestnut-collared longspur (Calcarius ornatus). Nest locations varied with proximity to and density of conventional shallow gas well structures and associated roads in forty-two 258-ha mixed-grass prairie sites. We estimated the probabilities of nest success and clutch size relative to gas well structures and roads. There was little effect of distance to or density of gas well structure on nest success; however, Savannah sparrow experienced lower nest success near roads. Clutch sizes were lower near gas well structures and cattle water sources. Minimizing habitat disturbance surrounding gas well structures, and reducing abundance of roads and trails, would help minimize impacts on reproductive success for some grassland songbirds.
由于栖息地丧失和退化，北美草原鸣禽的数量急剧下降。在加拿大，能源开发继续使草原栖息地碎片化并受到干扰，但石油和天然气开发对北美混合草原中鸣禽繁殖成功率的影响在很大程度上仍不为人知。2010年至2012年期间，在加拿大艾伯塔省东南部，我们监测了两种地面筑巢的草原鸣禽物种—— Savannah麻雀（Passerculus sandwichensis）和栗领铁爪鹀（Calcarius ornatus）的257个巢穴。巢穴位置因与42个258公顷混合草原地点中传统浅层气井结构及相关道路的距离和密度不同而有所变化。我们估计了巢穴成功率和窝卵数相对于气井结构和道路的概率。气井结构的距离或密度对巢穴成功率影响不大；然而，Savannah麻雀在靠近道路的地方巢穴成功率较低。在气井结构和牲畜水源附近窝卵数较少。尽量减少气井结构周围的栖息地干扰，减少道路和小径的数量，将有助于尽量减少对一些草原鸣禽繁殖成功率的影响。
