Abstract
McKinnon, L., L. Schmaltz, Y. Aubry, Y. Rochepault, C. Buidin, and C. Juillet. 2022. Female migration phenology and climate conditions explain juvenile Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa) counts during fall migration. Avian Conservation and Ecology 17(1):9. https://doi.org/10.5751/ACE-02021-170109
Highlights
In birds, successful recruitment of juveniles into the breeding segment of a population requires that adults experience environmental conditions conducive to breeding attempts, that breeding attempts are successful, and that hatchlings survive to a reproductive age
We explored whether interannual variation in the number of juveniles observed during counts could be explained by (1) phenology of male and female migration, (2) the observed time lag between male and female migration, (3) indices of environmental conditions experienced on the breeding grounds, and (4) an index of environmental conditions experienced during the southbound migration
We found that the timing of female migration, along with our index of environmental conditions on the breeding grounds and during migration, best described the proportion of juveniles present during migration
Summary
Successful recruitment of juveniles into the breeding segment of a population requires that adults experience environmental conditions conducive to breeding attempts (high breeding propensity), that breeding attempts are successful (high nest success), and that hatchlings survive to a reproductive age (high juvenile survival). Arcticnesting shorebird populations across North America have experienced drastic declines in population size in recent decades (Andres et al 2012); there is urgency to better understand factors affecting adult survival, reproductive success, and recruitment. Rufa population has experienced a dramatic 70% decline in population size over the past 15 years (Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) 2016) with latest estimated population size at approximately 42,000 (Andres et al 2012). They are currently listed as endangered in Canada (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) 2007) and threatened in the USA (U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) 2014). Other factors that may affect the survival of both adults and juveniles and limit recruitment include toxic red tide events (Baker et al 1998, van Deventer et al 2012), raptor population recovery (Lank et al 2003, Ydenberg et al 2004), and shifts in cyclone intensity and habitat deterioration (Convertino et al 2011)
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