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Environmental conditions modulate compensatory effects of site dependence in a food-caching passerine.
Sutton, Alex O; Strickland, Dan; Freeman, Nikole E; Norris, D Ryan.
Afiliação
  • Sutton AO; Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada.
  • Strickland D; 1063 Oxtongue Lake Road, Dwight, Ontario, P0A 1H0, Canada.
  • Freeman NE; Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada.
  • Norris DR; Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada.
Ecology ; 102(1): e03203, 2021 01.
Article em En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32970843
ABSTRACT
Although density regulates the abundance of most wild animal populations by influencing vital rates, such as fecundity and survival, the mechanisms responsible for generating negative density dependence are unclear for many species. Site dependence occurs when there is preferential filling of high-quality territories, which results in higher per capita vital rates at low densities because a larger proportion of occupied territories are of high quality. Using 41 yr of territory occupancy and demographic data, we investigated whether site dependence was a mechanism acting to influence fecundity and, by extension, regulate a population of Canada Jays in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. As predicted by site dependence, the proportion of occupied territories that were of high quality was negatively correlated with population density and periods of vacancy were shorter for high-quality territories than for low-quality territories. We also found evidence that per capita fecundity was positively related to the proportion of occupied territories that were of high quality, but only when environmental conditions, which influence the entire population, were otherwise poor for breeding. Our results suggest that site dependence likely plays a role in regulating this population but that environmental conditions can modulate the strength of density dependence.
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Texto completo: 1 Base de dados: MEDLINE Assunto principal: Ecossistema / Aves Canoras Idioma: En Ano de publicação: 2021 Tipo de documento: Article

Texto completo: 1 Base de dados: MEDLINE Assunto principal: Ecossistema / Aves Canoras Idioma: En Ano de publicação: 2021 Tipo de documento: Article