Effects of Predator Exclusion on the Reproductive Success of the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)....
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Transcript of Effects of Predator Exclusion on the Reproductive Success of the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)....
Effects of Predator Exclusion on the Reproductive Success of the Piping
Plover (Charadrius melodus).
By Krista Schmidt
The Piping Plover Breeds in summer along the
Atlantic Coast, in the Great Lakes, and in the northern Mid-West
Listed as endangered in 1985 Main threats to continued
survival include: loss and degradation of breeding and wintering habitat, disturbance by beach goers and their pets, motorized vehicles, beach cleaners, pollution, and...
Predation!!! Human introduced predators
such as dogs, and cats and human practices that increase predator populations, blackbirds and gulls for instance, are a major problem.
Nests and young are particularly vulnerable to predation
To combat this, different types of predator control, mainly by predator exclusion, are used in piping plover recovery plans.
The Question
• Are predator exclusion devices effective for increasing the reproductive rate of piping plovers?
Methods
Collected findings from predator exclusion studies on piping plover nesting success
Compared nesting success, fledge, daily survival rate of different predator exclusion methods:
No protection
Exclosure only
Electric fence only
Exclosure and electric fence
Used a fledge rate of at least 1.5 chicks/pair for predator exclusion method to be successful
Types of Predator Exclusion Devices
Exclosures (with electric fence as well in this case)
Electric fencing
Chick shelters
Results• From 11 different studies
analyzed, there were 20 different mean nest success values, 22 fledge rates and 9 mean daily survival rates were reported
• No protection: 6 failures• Exclosure only: 3 successes, 4
failures• Electric fence only: 4 failures• Exclosure and electric fence: 6
successes• Chick shelters were not used by
chicks
Discussion Using predator exclusion devices has both pros
and cons Pro: better nesting success and fledge rates Con:cost of materials and labor to create, time
and labor to set up, maintain and take down, higher risk of predation of adults at exclosures, small predators can still get in
The use of electric fences and exclosures has mixed results
It is important to know the predator community of the area to make predator management decisions
Conclusion Using electric fences along with
exclosures is the best option for protecting piping plover nests and chicks
Some caution that using exclosures and electric fences is only a temporary solution
Others say that with increases in conservation efforts, it is possible to reverse the downward population growth trend of the piping plover
Knowing the predator community is key!