thumbnail

Estimating annual survival and movement rates of adults within a metapopulation of roseate terns

Ecology
By: , and 

Links

  • The Publications Warehouse does not have links to digital versions of this publication at this time
  • Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core

Abstract

Several multistratum capture—recapture models were used to test various hypotheses about possible geographic and temporal variation in survival, movement, and recapture/resighting probabilities of 2399 adult Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii) color—banded from 1988 to 1992 at the sites of the four largest breeding colonies of this species in the northeastern USA. Linear—logistic ultrastructural models also were developed to investigate possible correlates of geographic variation in movement probabilities. Based on goodness—of—fit tests and comparisons of Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) values, the fully parameterized model (Model A) with time— and location—specific survival, movement, and capture probabilities, was selected as the most appropriate model for this metapopulation structure. With almost all movement accounted for, on average >90% of the surviving adults from each colony site returned to the same site the following year. Variations in movement probabilities were more closely associated with the identity of the destination colony site than with either the identity of the colony site of origin or the distance between colony sites. The average annual survival estimates (0.74—0.84) of terns from all four sites indicate a high rate of annual mortality relative to that of other species of marine birds.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Estimating annual survival and movement rates of adults within a metapopulation of roseate terns
Series title Ecology
Volume 76
Issue 8
Year Published 1995
Language English
Publisher Ecological Society of America
Contributing office(s) Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Description 14 p.
First page 2415
Last page 2428
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details