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Stream type influences food abundance and reproductive performance of a stream specialist: the Brown Dipper (Cinclus pallasii)

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Abstract

Avian reproduction and population growth are highly dependent on food availability. Consequently, studies on these variables require accurate estimates of food abundance that may vary in space and time. Dippers (Cinclus spp.) are obligate stream predators in freshwater ecosystems. Although it is well known that dippers are affected by aquatic macroinvertebrate density and proportion of riffle habitat, rarely are these two factors combined to estimate their food availability. We developed a new method to estimate food availability and tested the relationship of food availability with reproduction performance of the Brown Dipper (Cinclus pallasii) in Taiwan from 2013 to 2015. We defined three stream types (stony riffles, sandy runs, and pools) with water depth and benthic substrate. Macroinvertebrate biomass was significantly greater in stony riffles than in sandy runs. We then measured the area of the three stream types in a 400-m stream segment centering on each Brown Dipper’s nest. The area of stony riffles was multiplied by average macroinvertebrate density of each stream to represent food availability in stony riffles of each territory. Response variables on reproductive performance (e.g., laying date, clutch size, fledgling number, and territory length) of each nest were recorded. Linear mixed-effects models showed that food availability estimated using the area of stony riffles was significant correlated with all aspects of reproductive performance of Brown Dippers and was a better predictor than food availability estimated in the total water area. This study also demonstrated that summer floods and winter flows (high or low water level) could influence food availability in the dipper’s breeding season by different mechanisms.

Zusammenfassung

Der Flusstyp beeinflusst Nahrungsangebot und Fortpflanzungserfolg eines Fluss-Spezialisten: der Pallaswasseramsel ( Cinclus pallasii )

Fortpflanzung und Wachstum einer Population hängen bei Vögeln sehr stark vom Nahrungsangebot ab. Deshalb müssen sie in der Lage sein, das nach Ort und Zeit oft unterschiedliche Nahrungsangebot möglichst genau einzuschätzen. Wasseramseln (Cinclus spp.) fangen ihre Nahrung ausschließlich in Bächen und Flüssen. Obwohl ein Einfluss der Wirbellosendichte sowie der Riffelung der Flussböden durchaus gut bekannt ist, wurden diese beiden Faktoren für eine Einschätzung ihres Nahrungsangebots bisher nur selten zusammen betrachtet. Wir entwickelten eine neue Methode zur Einschätzung des Nahrungsangebots und testeten dessen Zusammenhang mit dem Fortpflanzungserfolg bei der Pallaswasseramsel (Cinclus pallasii) in Taiwan von 2013 bis 2015. Hierfür definierten wir drei unterschiedliche Flusstypen (steiniger geriffelter Grund, sandiger Grund, Pools) mit Wassertiefe und benthischem Substrat. In geriffeltem Grund war die Biomasse an größeren Wirbellosen wesentlich größer als in sandigem Grund. Danach bestimmten wir die Fläche jeden Typs innerhalb eines 400 m Abschnittes zentriert um jedes Wasseramselnest. Zur Abschätzung des Nahrungsangebotes im steinigen Grund multiplizierten wir dessen Flächenanteil mit der mittleren Wirbellosen-Dichte in steinigem Grund. Weiterhin erfassten wir zu jedem Nest Legedatum, Gelegegröße, Anzahl Flügglinge und Territoriumsgröße. Lineare gemischte Modelle zeigten, dass das Nahrungsangebot in steinigem Grund signifikant mit allen Fortpflanzungsparametern korrelierte und ein besserer Prädiktor für Fortpflanzungserfolg war als das aus der gesamten Gewässerfläche geschätzte Nahrungsangebot. Diese Untersuchung zeigt auch, dass Überflutungen im Sommer oder Niedrigwasser im Winter (hohe oder niedrige Wasserstände) das Nahrungsangebot während der Brutzeit der Wasseramseln über unterschiedliche Mechanismen beeinflussen können.

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Acknowledgements

Our research was supported by Grants from the Shei-Pa National Park and partly by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan. We thank Hans-Uwe Dahms, Steve Ormerod and Christy Morrissey for critically reading and editing the manuscript along with one anonymous reviewer. This study complied with the current Wildlife Conservation Act and other related laws of Taiwan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Institute of Bioresources, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, 912, Taiwan

    Shiao-Yu Hong

  2. Institute of Wildlife Conservation, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, 912, Taiwan

    Tsai-Wei Wang & Yuan-Hsun Sun

  3. Department of Entomology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, 402, Taiwan

    Ming-Chih Chiu & Mei-Hwa Kuo

  4. Department of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan

    Chao-Chieh Chen

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  1. Shiao-Yu Hong
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Correspondence to Chao-Chieh Chen.

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Communicated by F. Bairlein.

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Hong, SY., Wang, TW., Sun, YH. et al. Stream type influences food abundance and reproductive performance of a stream specialist: the Brown Dipper (Cinclus pallasii). J Ornithol 160, 105–115 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-018-1604-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-018-1604-6

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