Title: Spatially explicit network analysis reveals multi‐species annual cycle movement patterns of sea ducks

Abstract

Abstract Conservation of long‐distance migratory species poses unique challenges. Migratory connectivity, that is, the extent to which groupings of individuals at breeding sites are maintained in wintering areas, is frequently used to evaluate population structure and assess use of key habitat areas. However, for species with complex or variable annual cycle movements, this traditional bimodal framework of migratory connectivity may be overly simplistic. Like many other waterfowl, sea ducks often travel to specific pre‐ and post‐breeding sites outside their nesting and wintering areas to prepare for migration by feeding extensively and, in some cases, molting their flight feathers. These additional migrations may play a key role in population structure, but are not included in traditional models of migratory connectivity. Network analysis, which applies graph theory to assess linkages between discrete locations or entities, offers a powerful tool for quantitatively assessing the contributions of different sites used throughout the annual cycle to complex spatial networks. We collected satellite telemetry data on annual cycle movements of 672 individual sea ducks of five species from throughout eastern North America and the Great Lakes. From these data, we constructed a multi‐species network model of migratory patterns and site use over the course of breeding,more » molting, wintering, and migratory staging. Our results highlight inter‐ and intra‐specific differences in the patterns and complexity of annual cycle movement patterns, including the central importance of staging and molting sites in James Bay, the St. Lawrence River, and southern New England to multi‐species annual cycle habitat linkages, and highlight the value of Long‐tailed Ducks ( Calengula haemalis ) as an umbrella species to represent the movement patterns of multiple sea duck species. We also discuss potential applications of network migration models to conservation prioritization, identification of population units, and integrating different data streams.« less

Authors:

Lamb, Juliet S.  ^[1];

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Paton, Peter W. C. ^[2]; Osenkowski, Jason E. ^[3]; Badzinski, Shannon S. ^[4]; Berlin, Alicia M. ^[5]; Bowman, Tim ^[6]; Dwyer, Chris ^[7]; Fara, Luke J. ^[8]; Gilliland, Scott G. ^[9]; Kenow, Kevin ^[10]; Lepage, Christine ^[11]; Mallory, Mark L. ^[12]; Olsen, Glenn H. ^[5]; Perry, Matthew C. ^[5]; Petrie, Scott A. ^[13]; Savard, Jean‐Pierre L. ^[14]; Savoy, Lucas ^[15]; Schummer, Michael ^[16]; Spiegel, Caleb S. ^[7]; McWilliams, Scott R. ^[2]

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+ Show Author Affiliations

1. Department of Natural Resources Science University of Rhode Island Kingston Rhode Island 02881 USA, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management 277 Great Neck Road West Kingston Rhode Island 02892 USA
2. Department of Natural Resources Science University of Rhode Island Kingston Rhode Island 02881 USA
3. Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management 277 Great Neck Road West Kingston Rhode Island 02892 USA
4. Canadian Wildlife Service 335 River Road Ottawa Ontario K1A 0H3 Canada
5. U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center 12100 Beech Forest Road Laurel Maryland 20708 USA
6. Sea Duck Joint Venture U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1011 East Tudor Road Anchorage Alaska 99503 USA
7. Migratory Birds Division U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 300 Westgate Center Drive Hadley Massachusetts 01035 USA
8. U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center 2630 Fanta Reed Road La Crosse Wisconsin 54603 USA, Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory Department of Zoology Southern Illinois University 251 Life Science II, Mail Code 6504 Carbondale Illinois 62901 USA
9. Canadian Wildlife Service Sackville New Brunswick E4L 1G6 Canada
10. U.S. Geological Survey Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center 2630 Fanta Reed Road La Crosse Wisconsin 54603 USA
11. Canadian Wildlife Service 801‐1550 Ave D'Estimauville Quebec City Quebec G1J 0C3 Canada
12. Department of Biology Acadia University 15 University Avenue Wolfville Nova Scotia B4N 3J2 Canada
13. Delta Waterfowl 1312 Basin Avenue Bismarck North Dakota 58504 USA
14. Sciences and Technology, Environment Canada 1141 Route de l’Église Sainte‐Foy Quebec G1V 4H5 Canada
15. Biodiversity Research Institute 276 Canco Road Portland Maine 04103 USA
16. Department of Environmental and Forest Biology State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry 1 Forestry Drive Syracuse New York 13210 USA

Publication Date:

Wed May 29 00:00:00 EDT 2019

Research Org.:

Univ. of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE; US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

OSTI Identifier:

1523309

Alternate Identifier(s):

OSTI ID: 1523311; OSTI ID: 1623526

Grant/Contract Number:  

M12PG00005

Resource Type:

Published Article

Journal Name:

Ecological Applications

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Name: Ecological Applications Journal Volume: 29 Journal Issue: 5; Journal ID: ISSN 1051-0761

Publisher:

Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; connectivity; eider; flyway; long-tailed duck; migration; molt; network analysis; Scoter; sea duck; stopover