Harris Jonathan, Smith Loren, McMurry Scott
Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States.
PeerJ. 2021 Nov 9;9:e12477. doi: 10.7717/peerj.12477. eCollection 2021.
Understanding the interactions between behavior and habitat characteristics can have important implications for species of conservation concern. Gray vireos () are one example of a species of conservation concern that is understudied in terms of nest survival probabilities and the habitat characteristics that influence them. Our objective was to determine if habitat features such as juniper density, juniper foliage density, or tree height influence nest survival probabilities, and if gray vireo nest placement can mitigate habitat risks. Based on previous work, we expected daily nest survival probabilities to be associated with nest height and surrounding vegetation. We monitored 89 nests in central New Mexico from 2016-2018 to estimate daily nest survival probabilities. We compared variation in nest placement, nest tree characteristics, and surrounding vegetation between failed and successful nests using logistic exposure models and Akaike Information Criteria. Daily and cumulative nest survival probability were 0.983 (95% CI [0.973-0.989]) and 0.575 (95% CI [0.444-0.702]), respectively. Top models predicting nest survival included a negative interaction between nest-tree foliage density and the distance of the nest from the edge of the nesting tree. This suggests that gray vireos can mitigate risks associated with low nest concealment by nesting closer to the interior of the nesting tree.
了解行为与栖息地特征之间的相互作用对于受保护关注的物种可能具有重要意义。灰绿鹃（）就是一个受保护关注的物种的例子，在巢穴存活率以及影响它们的栖息地特征方面，该物种的研究较少。我们的目标是确定杜松密度、杜松枝叶密度或树高等栖息地特征是否会影响巢穴存活率，以及灰绿鹃的巢穴位置是否可以减轻栖息地风险。根据之前的研究，我们预计每日巢穴存活率与巢穴高度和周围植被有关。我们在2016年至2018年期间监测了新墨西哥州中部的89个巢穴，以估计每日巢穴存活率。我们使用逻辑暴露模型和赤池信息准则比较了失败巢穴和成功巢穴在巢穴位置、筑巢树特征和周围植被方面的差异。每日和累积巢穴存活率分别为0.983（95%置信区间[0.973 - 0.989]）和0.575（95%置信区间[0.444 - 0.702]）。预测巢穴存活率的顶级模型包括筑巢树的枝叶密度与巢穴到筑巢树边缘的距离之间的负相互作用。这表明灰绿鹃可以通过在离筑巢树内部更近的位置筑巢来减轻与巢穴隐蔽性低相关的风险。
