Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis Invicta) Depredation of Black-Capped Vireo (Vireo Atricapillus) Nests at Fort Hood, Texas
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Submit to: U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center USACERL, CN-C ATTN: Mike Denight, P.O. Box 9005 Champaign, IL 61826-9005 Final Report RED IMPORTED FIRE ANT (SOLENOPSIS INVICTA) DEPREDATION OF BLACK-CAPPED VIREO (VIREO ATRICAPILLUS) NESTS AT FORT HOOD, TEXAS Adult male Black-capped Vireo on nest. See video clip 22 on enclosed CD. Illinois Natural History Survey Technical Report 2002(24) Submitted by: Jennifer E. Smith, Steven J. Taylor and Christopher J. Whelan Illinois Natural History Survey 607 East Peabody Drive Champaign, IL 61820 Ph. (217) 333-5702 Fax (217) 333-4949 CONTENTS Cover .................................................................................................................1 Table of Contents..........................................................................................................2 List of Tables .................................................................................................................4 List of Figures................................................................................................................4 Introduction .................................................................................................................6 Objectives .................................................................................................................9 Methods .................................................................................................................9 Database and video analyses................................................................10 Seasonal patterns in RIFA activity at BCVI nests ..................................11 Nest site characteristics.........................................................................11 Effects of time-of-day and temperature..................................................11 Duration of RIFA activity ........................................................................12 RIFA activity at the egg and nestling stages of the BCVI nest cycle.........................................................................12 Mortality response time..........................................................................12 Nest defense behavior...........................................................................13 Interspecific interactions among BCVI nest predators ...........................14 Results ...............................................................................................................14 Seasonal patterns of RIFA activity at BCVI nests ..................................17 Effects of nest site characteristics..........................................................18 Effects of time-of-day and temperature..................................................18 Duration of RIFA activity ........................................................................18 RIFA activity at the egg stage ................................................................23 RIFA activity at the nestling stage..........................................................23 Mortality response time..........................................................................26 Nest defense behavior...........................................................................27 Interspecific interactions among BCVI nest predators ...........................30 Discussion ...............................................................................................................33 Seasonal patterns of RIFA activity at BCVI nests ..................................33 BCVI nest site characteristics ................................................................33 Effects of time-of-day and temperature..................................................34 Duration of RIFA activity ........................................................................34 Mortality response time..........................................................................35 2 Nest defense behavior...........................................................................36 Interspecific interactions among BCVI nest predators ...........................37 Future research .....................................................................................38 Acknowledgements .....................................................................................................39 Literature Cited............................................................................................................39 Appendices ...............................................................................................................48 Appendix 1. Criteria for evaluating the film quality of video tapes used in the analysis of RIFA predation of BCVI nests......................................................................................48 Appendix 2. The criteria used to evaluate the visibility of focal nests on the video monitor .....................................................49 Appendix 3. Behaviors observed for BCVI adults at focal nests...........................................................................................50 Appendix 4. Status of entire clutch of eggs in focal BCVI nest............................................................................................52 Appendix 5. Behaviors collectively observed for entire brood of nestlings......................................................................52 Appendix 6. Behavior changes observed collectively for all RIFA observed at focal nest......................................................53 Appendix 7. Calculations of energetic expenditure of adult Black-capped Vireo defense behaviors......................................54 Appendix 8. Selected literature relating to the impact of RIFA on wildlife, including evidence of avian predation and disturbance ..................................................................55 Appendix 9. Summary of video clips on enclosed CD ..........................59 3 TABLES Table 1. Video tapes of Black-capped Vireo nests with Red Imported Fire Ant activity..........................................................................................15 Table 2. Date of initial arrival of Red Imported Fire Ants at Black-capped Vireo nests, nest substrate and height...........................................19 Table 3. Time and energy (in kilojoules, kJ) expended in various behaviors associated with defense of nests of Black-capped Vireos against Red Imported Fire Ants..............................................31 FIGURES Figure 1. Current breeding range of Black-capped Vireo in the United States..............................................................................................................6 Figure 2. Red Imported Fire Ant depredated Black-capped Vireo nests (Red) and nests not visited by the ants (Blue) at Fort Hood (Coryell and Bell Counties, Texas) included in the endangered species video-monitoring project..........................................................10 Figure 3. The effect of season on the number of Black-capped Vireo nests depredated by Red Imported Fire Ants by nest stage (egg, nestling, and post-outcome) and the total number of nests depredated. Data are pooled for 1998 – 2001.........................................................17 Figure 4. The number of Black-capped Vireo nests depredated by Red Imported Fire Ants at different nest heights .................................................20 Figure 5. BCVI nest fate or outcome in relation to height of nest above ground ...........................................................................................................20 Figure 6. Fate of Black-capped Vireo nests in relation to plant species in which nest is placed ................................................................................21 Figure 7. Box and whisker plot of time of initial onset of Red Imported Fire Ants at Black-capped Vireo nests in h before (-) and after midnight for all nests depredated by the ants (1998 - 2001) ...............................................................................................................21 Figure 8. Daily temperature variations for May 15, June 15, and July 15 in 1999, 2000, and 2001 (reported by Killeen Airport, 2002) ...............................................................................................................22 Figure 9. Mean and standard error of duration of Red Imported Fire Ant visits at Black-capped Vireo nests according to of the nest cycle ...............................................................................................................22 Figure 10. The minimum observed duration (h) of Red Imported Fire Ants visits at each of the observed focal Black-capped Vireo nests by nest stage (egg, nestling, and post-outcome ....................................23 Figure 11. Impacts of Red Imported Fire Ant activity on Black- capped Vireo incubation behavior for nests in the egg stage ...................................24 4 Figure 12. The proportion of time adult Black-capped Vireos incubated their clutch of eggs and proportion of time the clutch was exposed for the six nests attacked by Red Imported Fire Ants at the egg phase of the nest cycle............................................................................25 Figure 13. The mean (±standard error) proportion of time allocated by adult Black-capped Vireo to incubation (parent incubating clutch) and exposure (parent not incubating clutch) for nests (N = 6) at which there was Red Imported Fire Ant activity at the egg stage