Biology subjects

Kortland, K.

Publications and source records attributed to Kortland, K..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Empirical evidence that diversionary feeding increases productivity in ground-nesting birds.

The recovery of predator populations can negatively impact other species of conservation concern, leading to conservation conflicts. Evidence-based solutions are needed to resolve such conflicts without sacrificing hard-won gains for recovering species. Well-designed, large-scale field experiments provide the most rigorous evidence to justify new forms of intervention, but they are notoriously hard to implement. Further, monitoring scarce species without negative impacts is challenging, calling for indirect and non-invasive monitoring methods. Uncertainties remain about whether observational monitoring adequately reflects the true processes of interest. Having conducted a well-designed, large-scale, diversionary feeding field experiment that reduced artificial nest depredation, we evaluated whether this translated to capercaillie productivity in the same area. Using camera traps aimed at dust baths, we non-invasively monitored capercaillie hen productivity over 3 years and in 30 1km2 grid cells under a randomised control (un-fed) and treatment (fed) design. Diversionary feeding significantly increased the probability that a detected hen would have a brood. The impact of diversionary feeding did not change over the brooding season, indicating that hens without a brood had failed due to nest depredation rather than predation of chicks. The probability of detecting a hen with a brood was 0.85 (0.65-0.94) in fed locations, more than double that in unfed locations, which was 0.37 (CI 0.2-0.57). The average brood size was reduced over time, but the change did not differ between fed and unfed sites. This is in line with natural mortality occurring independently of diversionary feeding. Importantly, the increased chance of having a brood in the fed areas and the predicted brood size leads to a substantial increase in overall productivity - the expected number of chicks per hen - at the end of the sampling season. This was just 0.82 (0.35 - 1.29) chicks per hen in the unfed sites and more than double 1.90 (1.24 - 2.55) chicks in fed sites. This study provides compelling empirical evidence that diversionary feeding positively affects productivity, offering an effective non-lethal solution to the increasingly common conservation conflict where both predator and prey are afforded protection.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Genomic insights into red squirrels in Scotland reveals loss of heterozygosity associated with extreme founder effects

Remnant populations of endangered species often have complex demographic histories associated with human impact. This can present challenges for conservation as the genetic status of these populations are often a-typical of natural populations, and may require bespoke management. The Eurasian red squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris (L., 1758), is endangered in the UK. Scotland represents a key stronghold, but Scottish populations have been subjected to intense anthropogenic influence, including wide-spread extirpations, reintroductions and competition from an invasive species. This study examined the genetic legacy of these events through whole genome resequencing of 106 red squirrels. Using SNP and genotype likelihood datasets, previously undetected population structure and patterns of gene-flow were uncovered. One off-shore island, three mainland Scottish populations, and a key east-coast migration corridor were observed. An abrupt historical population bottleneck related to extreme founder effects has led to a severe and prolonged depression in genome-wide heterozygosity, which is amongst the lowest reported for any species. Current designated red squirrel conservation stronghold locations do not encompass all existing diversity. These findings highlight the genetic legacies of past anthropogenic influence on long-term diversity in endangered taxa. Continuing management interventions and regular genetic monitoring are recommended to safeguard and improve future diversity.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2023

Evaluating diversionary feeding as a method to resolve conservation conflicts in a recovering ecosystem

1. The recovery of mammalian predators of conservation concern in Europe is a success story, but their impact on some prey species of conservation concern may cause conservation dilemmas. This calls for effective intervention strategies that mitigate predator impacts without compromising their recovery. 2. We evaluated diversionary feeding as a management intervention tool to reduce depredation on nests of rapidly declining Western capercaillies in Scotland. We studied the influence of diversionary feeding provision on the fates of artificial nests deployed using a replicated and representative randomised landscape-scale experiment. This comprised 30 paired control (no diversionary feeding) and treatment (diversionary feeding applied) sites, 60 in total, each containing six artificial nests distributed across 600 km2. The experiment was replicated over two years, and in the second year, the control-treatment pairs were reversed, yielding 60 treatment and 60 control sites and 720 artificial nests. 3. Diversionary feeding substantially reduced depredation of artificial nests, translating into an 83% increase in predicted nest survival over 28 days of incubation. The increase in survival was mostly accounted for by a reduction in the probability that a pine marten, the main nest predator, consumed or cached eggs. Diversionary food also significantly reduced nest predation by badgers, although the magnitude of this effect varied by year. 4. Diversionary feeding is an easily employable method shown in this study to reduce predator impact (functional) without lethal (numerical) intervention. Managers should proceed with its application for conserving capercaillie in Scotland without delay.

ecology↗