The Influence of Habitat on Nest Survival of Snowy and Wilson's Plovers in the Lower Laguna Madre Region of Texas

摘要: Snowy Plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus) and Wilson's wilsonia) are two shorebird species that nest along the Gulf Coast of US. We modeled daily survival both in lower Laguna Madre region Texas during 2003 2004 breeding seasons as a function age, year, day season, maximum temperature, precipitation, habitat features at three spatial scales (microhabitat, 25-m radius nest, landscape). Daily Plover nests increased with age (β Age = 0.03, 95% confidence limits were -0.01, 0.07, on logit scale), but did not vary between years. Nests inland had substantially than coast Inland -0.18, -1.03, 0.67, scale). The presence conspicuous object site survival. A quadratic trend occurred coefficient variation (CV) for low vegetation (CV used an index heterogeneity) scale nests. was best explained by combination metrics microhabitat scale. Less immediate veg -1.35, -2.28, -0.42, scale) while higher contagion Contagion -0.87, -1.65, -0.10, found no evidence yearly differences or effect weather either species. Our results illustrate role selected play plovers further our understanding their nesting ecology. anticipate will assist identification protection habitats critical to populations these other