Metapopulation viability of an endangered shorebird depends on dispersal and human-created habitats: piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) and prairie rivers

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• 作者：Daniel H. Catlin ; Sara L. Zeigler ; Mary Bomberger Brown…
• 关键词：Conservation reliance ; Dispersal ; Disturbance ; Extinction ; Population viability analysis ; Recolonization ; Rescue effect ; Successional processes
• 刊名：Movement Ecology
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：December 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：4
• 期：1
• 全文大小：1,280 KB
• 刊物主题：Nature Conservation;
• 出版者：BioMed Central
• ISSN：2051-3933

文摘

Background Many species are distributed as metapopulations in dynamic landscapes, where habitats change through space and time. Individuals locate habitat through dispersal, and the relationship between a species and landscape characteristics can have profound effects on population persistence. Despite the importance of connectivity in dynamic environments, few empirical studies have examined temporal variability in dispersal or its effect on metapopulation dynamics. In response to this knowledge gap, we studied the dispersal, demography, and viability of a metapopulation of an endangered, disturbance-dependent shorebird. We examined three subpopulations of piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) on the lower Platte and Missouri rivers from 2008–2013. High flow events from an upstream dam on the Missouri River in 2010 and 2011 allowed us to assess the effect of total habitat loss and the subsequent creation of new habitat associated with a large disturbance at one ‘natural’ study location. The other two sites within the metapopulation, which were maintained by anthropogenic activities (e.g., mining, development, habitat restoration), were largely unaffected by this disturbance, resulting in a controlled natural experiment.