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Population responses of a native bird species to rat control
Author(s) -
Armstrong Doug P.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the journal of wildlife management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1937-2817
pISSN - 0022-541X
DOI - 10.1002/jwmg.21202
Subject(s) - wildlife , abundance (ecology) , predator , vital rates , population , biology , invasive species , introduced species , ecology , fishery , statistics , predation , population growth , demography , mathematics , sociology
Invasive‐predator control can be beneficial to native species, but it is important to quantify those benefits to ensure they justify the costs. In a previous study (2005–2011), a modified before‐after‐control‐impact (BACI) design was used to estimate the effect of rat control in farmland forest fragments on vital rates of North Island robins ( Petroica longipes ), a New Zealand native bird species often targeted in private restoration initiatives. Based on the results, continuous rat control was implemented in 5 fragments predicted to have a high probability of subpopulation growth. Here, I report subsequent abundance estimates; the number of robins in those fragments increased from 57 to 134, from 2011–2014, closely matching the prediction of 131 based on the previous vital rate estimates. In comparison, numbers declined or stayed relatively stable over this period in 8 non‐controlled fragments, except for 1 fragment that was adjacent to 1 of the controlled fragments and therefore would have received juveniles dispersing from it. Therefore, the results illustrate that where there is uncertainty about where to conduct control operations, short‐term data on survival and reproduction can be used to predict longer‐term effects, allowing predator‐control efforts to be done strategically. © 2016 The Wildlife Society.