Conspecific and not performance-based attraction on immigrants drives colony growth in a waterbird

The Journal of Animal Ecology
Simone TenanGiacomo Tavecchia

Abstract

Local recruitment and immigration play an important part in the dynamics and growth of animal populations. However, their estimation and incorporation into open population models is, in most cases, problematic. We studied factors affecting the growth of a recently established colony of Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) and assessed the contribution of local recruits, i.e. birds born in the colony, and immigrants, i.e. birds of unknown origin, to colony growth. We applied an integrated population model that accounts for uncertainty in breeding state assignment and merges population surveys, local fecundity and individual longitudinal data of breeding and non-breeding birds, to estimate demographic rates and the relative role of recruitment and immigration in driving the local dynamics. We also used this analytical framework to assess the degree of support for the 'performance-based' and 'conspecific attraction' hypotheses as possible mechanisms of colony growth. Among the demographic rates, only immigration was positively and significantly correlated with population growth rate. In addition, the number of immigrants settling in the colony was positively correlated with colony size in the previous and current year, but was...Continue Reading

References

Dec 24, 2002·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Thomas J Valone, Jennifer J Templeton
Apr 10, 2009·The American Naturalist·Giacomo TavecchiaTim H Clutton-Brock
Jul 17, 2009·Biology Letters·Ben L Phillips
Aug 1, 1997·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·E Danchin, R H Wagner
Feb 1, 1998·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·J M GaillardN G Yoccoz
Jan 28, 2014·The Journal of Animal Ecology·K Lesley SzostekPeter H Becker
Jun 10, 2016·Global Change Biology·Giacomo TavecchiaDaniel Oro

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