Survival and Lifetime Reproductive Success in Birds

University Of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia MO

Investigators

Abstract

0108373 Blums This project utilizes one of the largest datasets ever assembled for free-living birds, a dataset based on a long-term study of three migratory duck species in which young ducklings and their mothers are individually marked and then located later in life. Advanced statistical procedures will be used to assess lifetime reproductive success (LRS), the best available estimate of biological fitness in wild animals. LRS combines two key measures, the number of full-grown young produced from each breeding attempt and adult survivalrates, into a single measure of individual lifetime reproductive performance. This study is an exciting extension of a previously-funded NSF project. Results will elucidate variation in LRS and trade-offs between survival and reproductive effort. A critical part of the project is the combined application of modern survival analysis techniques with other advanced statistical procedures, providing simultaneous evaluation of the relative importance of numerous possible predictors of LRS. These findings are likely to have practical management implications for adjusting the timing, length, and bag limits for hunting seasons of harvested migratory waterfowl. Furthermore, gauging the relative impact on LRS of an individual's characteristics versus external environmental variation will greatly assist the design of successful bird conservation programs.