Drivers of Variation in Reproductive Success of Migratory Golden Eagles
Faculty Mentor Information
Todd E. Katzner
Abstract
Variation in fecundity underpins aspects of demography and evolution. Fecundity in turn can be driven by a suite of factors, including diversity in individual and habitat quality and in environmental fluctuation. However, because of logistical constraints, many studies of fecundity variation are local in scale. We evaluated continental-scale relationships between environmental variation and variation in fecundity of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). We used baited motion-sensitive trail cameras to collect 698,539 images of scavengers over three years, of which >146,000 were bald or golden eagles wintering. All eagles were aged and ratios of hatch-year:all eagles estimated for each year and we used regression models to link age ratios to environmental parameters measured at weather stations on Canadian summer breeding grounds. This work demonstrates the utility of remote trigger trail cameras to studies of avian ecology and the linkages between large-scale patterns in demography and environmental fluctuations.
Drivers of Variation in Reproductive Success of Migratory Golden Eagles
Variation in fecundity underpins aspects of demography and evolution. Fecundity in turn can be driven by a suite of factors, including diversity in individual and habitat quality and in environmental fluctuation. However, because of logistical constraints, many studies of fecundity variation are local in scale. We evaluated continental-scale relationships between environmental variation and variation in fecundity of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos). We used baited motion-sensitive trail cameras to collect 698,539 images of scavengers over three years, of which >146,000 were bald or golden eagles wintering. All eagles were aged and ratios of hatch-year:all eagles estimated for each year and we used regression models to link age ratios to environmental parameters measured at weather stations on Canadian summer breeding grounds. This work demonstrates the utility of remote trigger trail cameras to studies of avian ecology and the linkages between large-scale patterns in demography and environmental fluctuations.
Comments
Poster #W67