Species Library Profiles 12 December 2013 Final
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EPA/600/R-14/009 Avian Life-History Profiles for Use in the Markov Chain Nest Productivity Model (MCnest) Version: 12 December 2013 Richard S. Bennett and Matthew A. Etterson Mid-Continent Ecology Division National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory Office of Research and Development U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Duluth, MN 55804 Species Life-History Profiles – 12 December 2013 Blank Page 2 Species Life-History Profiles – 12 December 2013 Table of Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................................5 Approach ..........................................................................................................................................5 Required parameters ................................................................................................................... 7 a. Initiation probability .......................................................................................................... 8 b. Daily background nest failure rate during laying and incubation (m 1) ............................ 8 c. Daily background nest failure rate during nestling rearing (m 2) ...................................... 9 d. Date of first egg laid in first nest of season (T 1) ................................................................ 9 e. Date of first egg laid in last nest of season (T last ) .............................................................. 9 f. Length of rapid follicle growth period in days for each egg (rfg) .................................... 10 g. Length of eggshell formation period in days for each egg (ef) ........................................ 10 h. Mean clutch size (clutch) ................................................................................................. 10 i. Mean inter-egg laying interval in days (eli) ..................................................................... 10 j. Egg on which female typically begins incubation – penultimate vs ultimate (penult) ..... 10 k. Duration in days from start of incubation to hatch (I) ..................................................... 11 l. Duration in days from hatch to fledging of nestlings (N) ................................................. 11 m. Duration in days since nest failure due to non-pesticide reasons until female initiates new nest (W e) ........................................................................................................................ 11 n. Duration in days since nest failure due to pesticides until female initiates new nest (W p) ............................................................................................................................................... 12 o. Duration in days since successful fledging until female initiates new nest (W f) ............. 12 p. Mean female body weight and diet composition during breeding season ....................... 13 q. Mean number of fledglings per successful nest (fpsn) ..................................................... 13 Additional parameters ............................................................................................................... 14 r. Mean number of nest attempts per female per season ..................................................... 14 s. Mean number of successful broods per female per season .............................................. 14 t. Mean number of fledglings per female per season ........................................................... 15 Species Profile Database ................................................................................................................16 Using Default Species Profiles in MCnest.....................................................................................17 References ......................................................................................................................................18 Appendix A. Typical values for life history parameters and the rationale for their selection for each species in the Species Profile Database. ................................................................................19 3 Species Life-History Profiles – 12 December 2013 Acknowledgments – We wish to thank Dr. Jill Awkerman and Elyssa Arnold for their review of the process for developing and documenting the default species profiles presented in the 11 December 2013 edition of the Species Library for the basic version of MCnest. We also wish to thank Mary Ann Starus for the editorial review of this report. This technical support manual has been reviewed in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency policy and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. 4 Species Life-History Profiles – 12 December 2013 Introduction The Markov Chain nest productivity model, or MCnest, quantitatively estimates the effects of pesticides or other toxic chemicals on annual reproductive success of avian species (Bennett and Etterson 2013, Etterson and Bennett 2013). The Basic Version of MCnest was developed as a generalized model requiring a limited number of life-history parameters that can be applied to a broad range of species with limited life-history data. Also, the model treats avian nesting in a manner consistent with the way in which nesting parameters are typically estimated in the field, thus reducing the potential for currency mismatch between the model and available ecological data for the species of interest. The suite of life-history parameters is used to describe the typical series of events during a breeding season of a species. The database of life-history parameters is being developed specifically for use in the Basic Version of MCnest, and the content of the database reflects the specific needs of the model. This document describes the approach used in creating a database of default life-history profiles for various avian species and an initial list of life-history profiles. The goal is to increase consistency among model users by providing a database of default life-history profiles developed using consistent approaches for selecting parameter values. The MCnest user can choose a default life-history profile from the list of species available in the database, modify an existing profile, or create a new species profile by providing all of the input parameter values. At present, both MCnest and the species profile database focus primarily on altricial species (i.e., species with chicks characterized as hatching with eyes closed, with little down, incapable of immediately departing the nest, and fed by parents); however, a few precocial species (i.e., species with chicks characterized as hatching with eyes open, downy, and capable of leaving the nest soon after hatch) have been included. The current suite of species represents a range of life-history strategies. It is recognized that as the MCnest model evolves in the future, it may become necessary to modify the contents of the species profile database. Approach The species profile database is based on information found in existing literature. The primary literature source for determining values for life-history parameters is The Birds of North America (BNA) series consisting of 716 species accounts written by experts on each species (Available from: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/). If a BNA species account lacks information on specific parameters or additional information is needed to clarify information on a parameter, additional published literature from journal articles, books, and/or reports is reviewed. The goal for each required life-history parameter is to determine a single typical value that is representative of that parameter for that species. It is recognized that there is variation in the values for each of the parameters among individuals at a specific time and location, among locations, among breeding seasons, and among techniques and study designs used to collect data. Also, some parameters may vary over the course of a breeding season within a population (e.g., clutch size, daily nest mortality rates). Despite this variation in parameter estimates, we have chosen in the Basic Version of MCnest to select a single typical value rather than try to describe a distribution of values for each parameter. There are several reasons for this decision. First, for most species, there is insufficient information to understand the extent to which factors such as 5 Species Life-History Profiles – 12 December 2013 location, season, and study methods truly affect the distribution of parameter values for a species. Many studies do not report sufficient information to define a distribution (e.g., they report a range, the mode, or the earliest egg laying date), and if they do report a mean and variance term, there typically is no attempt to determine the appropriate distribution for the dates. Also, most studies report on observations at a point in space and time, but it may be unclear to what extent those observations represent values for the species as a whole. Consequently, describing parameters as a distribution would require many additional assumptions based on limited or no empirical data. Second, the two parameters that describe the start and end of egg laying can vary significantly with latitude, altitude, or other geographic attributes. If these parameters were to be described as distributions, it would be more appropriate to do it on the basis of a specific location