Is the risk of nest predation heterospecifically density-dependent in precocial species belonging to different nesting guilds?

摘要: Nest predation is a key source of mortality and variation in fitness, but the effect co-occurring species belonging to different nesting guilds have on each other’s nest success poorly understood. By using artificial nests, we tested if cavity nests Common Goldeneyes (Bucephala clangula (L., 1758)) increased presence ground Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos L., 1758) vice versa. Specifically, by adding vicinity hypothesis that heterospecifically density-dependent. A shared predator, pine marten (Martes martes 1758)), was intensively hunted one study areas, not other, leading most individuals former being naive immigrants. Cavity-nest fate affected addition nests. Similarly, ground-nest survival did decrease when nearby were depredated. Fate given highly predictable between years area with minimal removal martens, intensive removal. Predation rate higher than lower martens. We conclude there neither apparent competition nor heterospecific density-dependence risk.