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Nest Site Selection in Arctic-Breeding Shorebirds: Effects Of NEST SITE SELECTION IN ARCTIC-BREEDING SHOREBIRDS: EFFECTS OF HABITAT, SOCIAL FACTORS, AND EXPERIENCE A Thesis presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science by JENNY A. CUNNINGHAM Dr. Dylan C. Kesler, Thesis Supervisor JULY 2014 © Copyright by Jenny A. Cunningham 2014 All Rights Reserved The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the thesis entitled NEST SITE SELECTION IN ARCTIC-BREEDING SHOREBIRDS: EFFECTS OF HABITAT, SOCIAL FACTORS, AND EXPERIENCE presented by Jenny A. Cunningham, a candidate for the degree of Master of Science, and hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. Professor Dylan C. Kesler Dr. Richard B. Lanctot Professor John Faaborg Professor Joshua Millspaugh Dr. Matthew Johnson ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks to the many individuals who contributed to this project and my growth as a wildlife biologist. My advisor Dylan Kesler provided the incredible opportunity to take on this project, and offered steady encouragement, guidance, and helped me learn to ‘think outside the box’. Rick Lanctot provided a great depth of shorebird knowledge, life advice, and kept our field crew veritably sugared-up with his signature cavity-on-a-plate bars. John Faaborg offered valuable insight in literature review, and provided opportunities for me to de-stress via pet-sitting for his dogs and chickens. Josh Millspaugh offered clear guidance on statistical analysis techniques, and Matthew Johnson provided thoughtful viewpoints for development of my manuscript. Rich Stanton was an incredible office-mate and friend with his steady guidance, thorough draft reviews, moral support, and sense of humor. Andrew Cox, Chris Rota, Ann McKellar, William Beatty, Bill Dijak, and numerous grad students in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife patiently helped me learn and understand various statistical and spatial analysis techniques and programs. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided funding for this project. Thanks to the numerous members of the shorebird and other research crews in Barrow whose enthusiasm for the Arctic landscape, wildlife, and adventure made the long, cold, windy, snowy, mosquito-y, 10-mile-foot-numbing-tundra-hike days worth it. Special thanks to Brooke Hill, Patrick Herzog, Kirsten Grond, and Nathaniel Wilder for their incredible friendship and support throughout and beyond the field season. Denver Holt was a source of academic and life advice, as well as delightful Snowy Owl chick encounters. Finally, thanks to my parents who fostered my fascination with nature. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ II LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... V LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ VI ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... VII THESIS FORMAT ........................................................................................................... IX CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1 LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................................... 3 CHAPTER 2 HABITAT AND SOCIAL FACTORS INFLUENCE NEST SITE SELECTION IN ARCTIC-BREEDING SHOREBIRDS .............................................. 6 ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... 6 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 7 METHODS ................................................................................................................... 11 Study Area ................................................................................................................ 11 Shorebird monitoring ................................................................................................ 12 Data ........................................................................................................................... 13 Models....................................................................................................................... 16 RESULTS ..................................................................................................................... 18 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................... 20 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... 27 LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................................. 27 FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... 35 iii TABLES ....................................................................................................................... 39 CHAPTER 3 DIVORCE INFLUENCES BREEDING DISPERSAL BY DUNLIN (CALIDRIS ALPINA) IN BARROW, ALASKA ........................................................... 50 ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. 50 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 51 METHODS ................................................................................................................... 54 Study area .................................................................................................................. 54 Shorebird monitoring ................................................................................................ 54 Analyses .................................................................................................................... 55 Correlates of breeding dispersal .......................................................................... 55 Effects of mate and site fidelity ............................................................................. 58 Effects of hatching success on greater breeding area fidelity .............................. 59 RESULTS ..................................................................................................................... 59 Correlates of breeding dispersal .......................................................................... 60 Effects of mate and site fidelity ............................................................................. 61 Effects of hatching success on greater breeding ground fidelity .......................... 62 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................... 62 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... 67 LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................................. 68 FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... 73 TABLES ....................................................................................................................... 75 CHAPTER 4 SUMMARY ................................................................................................ 81 LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................................. 84 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page Chapter 2 1. Study area map showing locations of Barrow and 600 x 600 m study plots ................ 35 2. Clip of Land cover Classification map ......................................................................... 36 3. Predicted probability of a nest site being present for shorebird species in relation to the value of variables from averaged models ................................................................... 38 Chapter 3 1. Predictions of female and male Dunlin breeding dispersal by status ........................... 73 2. Predictions of male Dunlin breeding dispersal by shorebird population density, and by the number of chicks hatched during the previous season .......................................... 74 v LIST OF TABLES Table Page Chapter 2 1. Land cover classifications and soil moisture definitions .............................................. 39 2. Variables investigated in explaining nest-site selection in six shorebird species at Barrow, Alaska between 2005 and 2012 .................................................................... 41 3. Summary of shorebird nests located on Barrow study plots ......................................... 44 4. Model selection results for predicting the presence of shorebird nests in Barrow, AK ..................................................................................................................................... 45 5. Parameter estimates of averaged models describing probability of nest site selection by shorebirds in Barrow, AK ...................................................................................... 47 6. Mean values with standard deviations for habitat and social features of nests and random
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