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47 results for “vital rates”
The importance of variation in vital rates and environmental resource availability in predicting demography of a rare understory herb
Plant demography is a function of both the vital rate characteristics of a species (i.e., survival, growth, and reproduction) and the environmental factors that interact with them to create population dynamics. A more detailed understanding of how local-scale environmental factors and variation in individual vital rates shape population-level demographic patterns is needed to improve predictions of population responses to environmental change and implement successful plant conservation strategies. In this study, we examined how individual vital rates for Shortia galacifolia, an endangered, evergreen herb endemic to the southern Blue Ridge Mountains, USA, change as a function of individual size and resource availability and how that variation affects Shortia demography at four sites representing natural and introduced populations using integral projection models (IPMs). We found that Shortia population growth is positively related to individual size and soil moisture. Changes in soil moisture availability altered the importance of survival and growth in predicting Shortia demography but did not affect the contribution of asexual reproduction for most sites. Moreover, changes in vital rate contributions under a low soil moisture scenario were limited to introduced populations growing outside Shortia’s natural climate envelope. Our study underscores the importance of quantifying the influence of individual state characteristics and environmental variables on different vital rates among natural and introduced populations and demonstrates how the combination of these factors can contribute to the success or failure of rare plant populations.
Data from: Host-parasite dynamics shaped by temperature and genotype: quantifying the role of underlying vital rates
<p>1. Global warming challenges the persistence of local populations, not only through heat-induced stress, but also through indirect biotic changes. We study the interactive effects of temperature, competition and parasitism in the water flea <i>Daphnia magna</i>.</p> <p>2. We carried out a common garden experiment monitoring the dynamics of <i>Daphnia</i> populations along a temperature gradient. Halfway through the experiment, all populations became infected with the ectoparasite <i>Amoebidium parasiticum</i>, enabling us to study interactive effects of temperature and parasite dynamics. We combined Integral Projection Models with epidemiological models, parameterized using the experimental data on the performance of individuals within dynamic populations. This enabled us to quantify the contribution of different vital rates and epidemiological parameters to population fitness across temperatures and <i>Daphnia</i> clones originating from two latitudes.</p> <p>3. Interactions between temperature and parasitism shaped competition, where Belgian clones performed better under infection than Norwegian clones, mainly due to higher survival. Infected <i>Daphnia</i> populations performed better at higher than at lower temperatures, mainly due to an increased host capability of reducing parasite loads. Temperature strongly affected individual vital rates, but effects largely cancelled out on a population-level. In contrast, parasitism strongly reduced fitness through consistent negative effects on all vital rates. As a result, temperature-mediated parasitism was more important than the direct effects of temperature in shaping population dynamics. Both the outcome of the competition treatments and the observed extinction patterns support our modeling results.</p> <p>4. Our study highlights that shifts in biotic interactions can be equally or more important for responses to warming than direct physiological effects of warming, emphasizing that we need to include such interactions in our studies to predict the competitive ability of natural populations experiencing global warming.</p>
Widespread variation in functional trait-vital rate relationships in tropical tree seedlings across a precipitation and soil phosphorus gradient
<p>A fundamental assumption of functional ecology is that functional traits are related to interspecific variation in performance. However, the relationship between functional traits and performance is often weak or uncertain, especially for plants. A potential explanation for this inconsistency is that the relationship between functional traits and vital rates (e.g., growth and mortality) is dependent on local environmental conditions, which would lead to variation in trait-rate relationships across environmental gradients. In this study, we examined trait-rate relationships for six functional traits (seed mass, wood density, maximum height, leaf mass per area, leaf area, and leaf dry matter content) using long-term data on seedling growth and survival of woody plant species from eight forest sites spanning a pronounced precipitation and soil phosphorus gradient in central Panama. For all traits considered except for leaf mass per area-mortality, leaf mass per area-growth, and leaf area-mortality relationships, we found widespread variation in the strength of trait-rate relationships across sites. For some traits, trait-rate relationships showed no overall trend but displayed wide site-to-site variation. In a small subset of cases, variation in trait-rate relationships was explained by soil phosphorus availability. Our results demonstrate that environmental gradients have the potential to influence how functional traits are related to growth and mortality rates, though much variation remains to be explained. Accounting for site-to-site variation may help resolve a fundamental issue in trait-based ecology – that traits are often weakly related to performance – and improve the utility of functional traits for explaining key ecological and evolutionary processes.</p>
Hawaiian gallinule vital rate data from O'ahu and Kaua'i: Reproduction and survival data from an endangered bird
<p>Where stable source populations of at-risk species exist, translocation may be a reasonable strategy for re-establishing extirpated populations. However, the success rates of such efforts are mixed, necessitating thorough preliminary investigation. Stochastic population modeling can be a useful method of assessing the potential success of translocations. Here, we report on the results of modeling translocation success for the Hawaiian Common Gallinule ('alae 'ula; <em>Gallinula galeata sandvicensis</em>), an endangered waterbird endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Using updated vital rates, we constructed a model simulating three existing extant (wild) source populations and a hypothetical recipient site on another island. We then projected the effects of six different translocation scenarios and sensitivity of the results to variation of three important demographic parameters on the probability of extinction (PE) of the reintroduced and donor populations. Larger translocations, of at least 30 birds, had low probability of extinction in the reintroduced population, but raised extinction risk of the smallest source population. Spacing out translocations in time (e.g., 10 birds translocated in total in three installments over nine years), led to lower PE than translocating all individuals at once (i.e., bulk translocations) for both the source and reintroduced populations. Brood size and hatch-year juvenile survival had a disproportionate impact on reintroduced population viability. Importantly, the reported juvenile survival rate is very near the threshold for population failure. This suggests that post-introduction and subsequent management of wetlands, particularly predator control, could be critical to reintroduction success. We recommend that individuals should be translocated from multiple, genetically distinct subpopulations to reduce the possibility of inbreeding depression. Based on this analysis, the recipient wetland should be sufficiently large that it can support at least 25 pairs of gallinules. Based on recent estimates of population densities on O'ahu, such a wetland would need to be between 3.75-74.6 ha.</p> <p>Where stable source populations of at-risk species exist, translocation may be a reasonable strategy for re-establishing extirpated populations. However, the success rates of such efforts are mixed, necessitating thorough preliminary investigation. Stochastic population modeling can be a useful method of assessing the potential success of translocations. Here, we report on the results of modeling translocation success for the Hawaiian Common Gallinule ('alae 'ula; <em>Gallinula galeata sandvicensis</em>), an endangered waterbird endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Using updated vital rates, we constructed a model simulating three existing extant (wild) source populations and a hypothetical recipient site on another island. We then projected the effects of six different translocation scenarios and sensitivity of the results to variation of three important demographic parameters on the probability of extinction (PE) of the reintroduced and donor populations. Larger translocations, of at least 30 birds, had low probability of extinction in the reintroduced population, but raised extinction risk of the smallest source population. Spacing out translocations in time (e.g., 10 birds translocated in total in three installments over nine years), led to lower PE than translocating all individuals at once (i.e., bulk translocations) for both the source and reintroduced populations. Brood size and hatch-year juvenile survival had a disproportionate impact on reintroduced population viability. Importantly, the reported juvenile survival rate is very near the threshold for population failure. This suggests that post-introduction and subsequent management of wetlands, particularly predator control, could be critical to reintroduction success. We recommend that individuals should be translocated from multiple, genetically distinct subpopulations to reduce the possibility of inbreeding depression. Based on this analysis, the recipient wetland should be sufficiently large that it can support at least 25 pairs of gallinules. Based on recent estimates of population densities on O'ahu, such a wetland would need to be between 3.75-74.6 ha.</p>
Crude vital rates and indirect estimates of life expectancy at birth for the Nordic countries, 18th and 19th centuries
<p>This file provides the necessary input data (crude vital rates) and shows the calculations for the indirect estimation of life expectancy at birth (e0) for males and females combined, using the method developed in McCann, J. 1976. 'A Technique for Estimating Life Expectancy with Crude Vital Rates', Demography, 13(2): pp. 259-272.</p> <p>Coverage: Sweden (1736-1750), Norway (1735-1845), Denmark (1800-1834), Iceland (1735-1837), and Finland (1751-1877).</p> <p>The annual estimates end in the year before estimates in the Human Mortality Database become available.</p> <p>For a detailed description see Torres, C. and Oeppen, J. 2019. The Health Transition in the Nordic Countries (Working paper, available upon request: ctorres@sdu.dk). </p>
Data from: Integrating vital rates explains optimal worker size for resource return by bumble bee workers
1. Size-number trade-offs in reproduction are commonly observed in nature. Bumble bee (Bombus spp.) colonies produce workers that vary considerably in size. This variation suggests that colonies face potential size-number trade-offs when producing workers. 2. Here, we estimated size-based vital rates of Bombus vosnesenskii workers using colonies reared from wild caught queens. We conducted a mark-recapture study to estimate worker survival as a function of body size. We also collected data on pollen and nectar loads as well as foraging trips using a radio-frequency identification system to estimate daily resource return as a function of body size. We integrated survival and daily resource return to estimate lifetime resource collection and offset these estimates by the size-based worker production costs. 3. We found size-based trade-offs among workers of different sizes. Smaller workers had higher survival, but larger workers returned with more resources per day. The largest workers made slightly fewer foraging trips per day. 4. Overall, larger workers made the greatest lifetime contribution to both nectar and pollen collection. However, once the benefits of larger workers are offset by their higher production costs, intermediate-sized workers were the optimal for net resource contribution according to our models. Many previous studies have found that larger workers outperformed smaller workers with foraging and in-nest tasks, yet these studies have not integrated multiple fitness components or worker production costs to quantify net resource contribution towards colony growth. 5. Accounting for tradeoffs between costs and performance changed our conclusions about optimal body size from being large to being near the observed average. Similar approaches of integrating multiple vital rates may resolve apparently suboptimal life histories in other taxa.
Vital rate estimates for the common eider Somateria mollissima, a data-rich exemplar of the seaduck tribe
<p>This database contains estimates of the following vital rates (as required to parameterise matrix population models), for the common eider (<em>Somateria mollissima</em>): 1st year survival (measured either from hatching, or from fledging, to 1 year old); 2nd year survival; adult annual survival; first breeding (both age-specific recruitment probability, and breeding propensity across potential recruitment ages); breeding propensity of established female breeders; clutch size; hatching success; and fledging success. These estimates are drawn from 134 studies, across the scientific and grey literature – including three previously inaccessible datasets on clutch size that were contributed in response to a call for data through the IUCN Species Survival Commission's Duck Specialist Group (IDs 127, A and B). This is a relational database, linking estimates and associated metadata to the relevant study (or unique unpublished combination thereof) by a unique ID number in the 'MASTER' sheet. For further information, refer to the associated publication, and/or explanatory notes on the column headings of each sheet (.xlsx version only, but provided in the dataset README .txt file).</p>
Is green the new black? Black-backed Woodpecker vital rates do not differ between unburned and burned forests within a pyrodiverse landscape
<p>Woodpeckers can reflect rapid changes to forest health and often serve as indicator species to help guide forest management decisions. The Black-backed Woodpecker (<em>Picoides</em> <em>arcticus</em>) is known for its strong association with recently burned forests and is a species of conservation concern due to habitat loss stemming from post-fire management of burned forest. Recently, several studies have found the Black-backed Woodpecker occupying extensive areas of unburned (i.e., green) forests in the western part of its range during the breeding season, raising questions about whether green forests can support viable nesting populations in this region. We studied breeding Black-backed Woodpeckers in southern Oregon, USA to evaluate whether two vital rates critical to population recruitment – nest survival and post-fledging survival – differed between green and burned forests. During 2018, 2019, and 2021, we monitored 91 Black-backed Woodpecker nests (<em>n</em> = 34 in green forest, <em>n</em> = 57 in burned forest) and found that neither daily nest survival rate nor reproductive output (i.e., the number of fledglings per successful nest) differed between nests located in green and burned forest; however, nestling body condition was slightly enhanced in green forest. We also quantified survival of recently fledged individuals using VHF radio telemetry and found that the survival rate of birds in green forest was nearly identical to those in burned forest, with most mortalities occurring within 4 weeks of fledging. Taken together, our results indicate that Black-backed Woodpeckers in green forests were equally successful at breeding as conspecifics in recently burned forest, although nesting densities in the green forest we studied were lower than those in burned forest. Our findings indicate certain types of green forest, particularly mature lodgepole pine, can support viable populations of the Black-backed Woodpecker in the western portion of its range. This finding has conservation implications given that green forest occupies the majority of the forested landscape in this region and is often juxtaposed to areas subjected to high-severity fire. Therefore, practices that promote pyrodiversity – landscape-level spatial and temporal variability in fire effects – as well as connectivity between green and burned forest within fire-prone landscapes are likely to provide the greatest conservation benefit for this species. </p>
Data from: Integrating vital rates explains optimal worker size for resource return by bumble bee workers
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Data from: Host-parasite dynamics shaped by temperature and genotype: quantifying the role of underlying vital rates
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Widespread variation in functional trait-vital rate relationships in tropical tree seedlings across a precipitation and soil phosphorus gradient
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Several candidate size metrics explain vital rates across multiple populations throughout a widespread species' range
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Predicting microbially mediated plant coexistence is sensitive to vital rate identity and soil conditioning history
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Hawaiian gallinule vital rate data from O'ahu and Kaua'i: Reproduction and survival data from an endangered bird
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Is green the new black? Black-backed Woodpecker vital rates do not differ between unburned and burned forests within a pyrodiverse landscape
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Vital rate estimates for the common eider Somateria mollissima, a data-rich exemplar of the seaduck tribe
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Data from: An extensive suite of functional traits distinguishes wet and dry Hawaiian forests and enables prediction of species vital rates
1. The application of functional traits to predict and explain plant species' distributions and vital rates has been a major direction in functional ecology for decades, yet numerous physiological traits have not yet been incorporated into the approach. 2. Using commonly measured traits such as leaf mass per area (LMA) and wood density (WD), and additional traits related to water transport, gas exchange and resource economics, including leaf vein, stomatal, and wilting traits, we tested hypotheses for Hawaiian wet montane and lowland dry forests (MWF and LDF respectively): (1) forests would differ in a wide range of traits as expected from contrasting adaptation; (2) trait values would be more convergent among dry than wet forest species due to the stronger environmental filtering; (3) traits would be inter-correlated within "modules" supporting given functions; (4) relative growth rate (RGR) and mortality rate (m) would correlate with a number of specific traits, with (5) stronger relationships when stratifying by tree size, and (6) RGR and m can be strongly explained from trait-based models. 3. The MWF species' traits were associated with adaptation to high soil moisture and nutrient supply and greater shade tolerance whereas the LDF species' traits were associated with drought tolerance. Thus, on average, MWF species achieved higher maximum heights than LDF species and had leaves with larger epidermal cells, higher maximum stomatal conductance and CO2 assimilation rate, lower vein lengths per area, higher saturated water content and greater shrinkage when dry, lower dry matter content, higher phosphorus concentration, lower nitrogen to phosphorus ratio, high chlorophyll to nitrogen ratio, high carbon isotope discrimination, high stomatal conductance to nitrogen ratio, less negative turgor loss point, and lower WD. Functional traits were more variable in the MWF than LDF, were correlated within modules, and predicted species' RGR and m across forests, with stronger relationships when stratifying by tree size. Models based on multiple traits predicted vital rates across forests (R2 = 0.70-0.72; P < 0.01). 4. Our findings are consistent with a powerful role of broad suites of functional traits in contributing to forest species' distributions, integrated plant design, and vital rates.
Data from: Functional traits as predictors of vital rates across the life cycle of tropical trees
The 'functional traits' of species have been heralded as promising predictors for species' demographic rates and life history. Multiple studies have linked plant species' demographic rates to commonly measured traits. However, predictive power is usually low – raising questions about the practical usefulness of traits – and analyses have been limited to size-independent univariate approaches restricted to a particular life stage. Here we directly evaluated the predictive power of multiple traits simultaneously across the entire life cycle of 136 tropical tree species from central Panama. Using a model-averaging approach, we related wood density, seed mass, leaf mass per area and adult stature (maximum diameter) to onset of reproduction, seed production, seedling establishment, and growth and survival at seedling, sapling and adult stages. Three of the four traits analysed here (wood density, seed mass and adult stature) typically explained 20–60% of interspecific variation at a given vital rate and life stage. There were strong shifts in the importance of different traits throughout the life cycle of trees, with seed mass and adult stature being most important early in life, and wood density becoming most important after establishment. Every trait had opposing effects on different vital rates or at different life stages; for example, seed mass was associated with higher seedling establishment and lower initial survival, wood density with higher survival and lower growth, and adult stature with decreased juvenile but increased adult growth and survival. Forest dynamics are driven by the combined effects of all demographic processes across the full life cycle. Application of a multitrait and full-life cycle approach revealed the full role of key traits, and illuminated how trait effects on demography change through the life cycle. The effects of traits on one life stage or vital rate were sometimes offset by opposing effects at another stage, revealing the danger of drawing broad conclusions about functional trait–demography relationships from analysis of a single life stage or vital rate. Robust ecological and evolutionary conclusions about the roles of functional traits rely on an understanding of the relationships of traits to vital rates across all life stages.
Data from: Interactions between rainfall, fire and herbivory drive resprouter vital rates in a semi-arid ecosystem
1. Global change is threatening ecosystems and biodiversity worldwide, creating a pressing need to understand how climate and disturbance regimes interact and influence the persistence of species. We quantify how three ecosystem drivers– rainfall, fire and herbivory – influence vital rates in the perennial resprouting graminoid, Triodia scariosa, a foundation species of semi-arid Australia. 2. We used an 11 year data set from a fire and herbivore exclosure experiment, to model flowering, post-fire recruitment and the post-fire survival of seedlings and resprouting plants. Regression modelling quantified the effect of rainfall, inter-fire interval, fire type (wildfire or prescribed fire), grazing by herbivores (native and feral) and an interaction between fire type and herbivory on T. scariosa populations. 3. Rainfall, fire and herbivory had significant effects on post-fire recruitment and the survival of seedlings and resprouting plants, including strong interactions between these drivers. Herbivory following wildfire had a minor effect, but in years of below-average rainfall herbivory following prescribed fire had a large effect, reducing the survival of seedlings and resprouting plants by 20% and over 50% respectively, relative to post-fire survival under average rainfall conditions. 4. Variation in rainfall underpinned significant variation in post-fire resprouting and seedling survival, thus we postulate rainfall primarily drives the dynamics of T. scariosa populations. 5. Synthesis. This study highlights the importance of modelling interactions between key ecosystem drivers when predicting how changes in global climate and disturbance regimes influence plant vital rates. Relatively small changes to disturbance regimes can substantially alter population processes, even in perennial resprouting species. This work suggests that conservation of foundation species, such as T. scariosa, will benefit if fire management decisions are better integrated with inter-annual weather forecasts and herbivore management.
Data from: Linking vital rates of landbirds on a tropical island to rainfall and vegetation greenness
Remote tropical oceanic islands are of high conservation priority, and they are exemplified by range-restricted species with small global populations. Spatial and temporal patterns in rainfall and plant productivity may be important in driving dynamics of these species. Yet, little is known about environmental influences on population dynamics for most islands and species. Here we leveraged avian capture-recapture, rainfall, and remote-sensed habitat data (enhanced vegetation index [EVI]) to assess relationships between rainfall, vegetation greenness, and demographic rates (productivity, adult apparent survival) of three native bird species on Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands: rufous fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons), bridled white-eye (Zosterops conspicillatus), and golden white-eye (Cleptornis marchei). Rainfall was positively related to vegetation greenness at all but the highest rainfall levels. Temporal variation in greenness affected the productivity of each bird species in unique ways. Predicted productivity of rufous fantail was highest when dry and wet season greenness values were high relative to site-specific 5-year seasonal mean values (i.e., relative greenness); while the white-eye species had highest predicted productivity when relative greenness contrasted between wet and dry seasons. Survival of rufous fantail and bridled white eye was positively related to relative dry-season greenness and negatively related to relative wet-season greenness. Bridled white-eye survival also showed evidence of a positive response to overall greenness. Our results highlight the potentially important role of rainfall regimes in affecting population dynamics of species on oceanic tropical islands. Understanding linkages between rainfall, vegetation, and animal population dynamics will be critical for developing effective conservation strategies in this and other regions where the seasonal timing, extent, and variability of rainfall is expected to change in the coming decades.
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