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Spatial heterogeneity in mortality and its impact on the population dynamics of Eurasian woodcocks

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Population Ecology

Abstract

Spatial heterogeneity, especially in mortality risk, is a major factor shaping population dynamics. Here we study the impacts of spatial heterogeneity in hunting pressure on the demography of Eurasian woodcock Scolopax rusticola, a relatively long-lived migratory game bird. We develop capture–recapture–recovery models in which both seasonality and spatial variation in hunting pressure are accounted for, and fit them to individual-based data collected across the French wintering range (>44000 banded individuals) as well as recoveries from spring stopovers and breeding grounds in Europe. Our results quantify spatial variation in survival probability in the wintering areas. They highlight the role of source-sink dynamics involving juvenile settlement decisions, as well as the importance of mortality outside the winter quarters. We also discuss the impact of spatial heterogeneity for demographic parameter estimation and data collection at the range scale.

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Acknowledgments

Nothing would have been possible without the important field work and dynamism of the banders of the ONCFS/FNC/FDC Woodcock Network. This research was supported in part by a Quinney post-doctoral fellowship at Utah State University to G.P. and a Grant ANR-08-JCJC-0088-01 from Agence Nationale de la Recherche to O.G. We are grateful for the contribution of an anonymous reviewer, as well as to O. Duriez and D. Koons for commenting on previous drafts.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre d’Ecologie Evolutive et Fonctionnelle UMR 5175, CNRS, 1919 Route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Guillaume Péron, Rémi Choquet, Roger Pradel & Olivier Gimenez

  2. Department of Wildland Resources, Utah State University, 5230 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322, USA

    Guillaume Péron

  3. Direction des Etudes et de la Recherche, Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Saint-Benoist, 78610, Auffargis, France

    Yves Ferrand

  4. Direction des Etudes et de la Recherche, Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, 39 boulevard Albert Einstein, CS 42355, 44323, Nantes Cedex 3, France

    François Gossmann, Claudine Bastat & Michel Guénézan

  5. Restauration et Suivi des Populations, UMR 7204 MNHN-CNRS-UPMC Conservation des Espèces, CP 51, 55 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France

    Isabelle Bauthian & Romain Julliard

Authors
  1. Guillaume Péron
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  2. Yves Ferrand
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  3. Rémi Choquet
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  4. Roger Pradel
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  5. François Gossmann
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  6. Claudine Bastat
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  7. Michel Guénézan
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  8. Isabelle Bauthian
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  9. Romain Julliard
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  10. Olivier Gimenez
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Correspondence to Guillaume Péron.

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Péron, G., Ferrand, Y., Choquet, R. et al. Spatial heterogeneity in mortality and its impact on the population dynamics of Eurasian woodcocks. Popul Ecol 54, 305–312 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10144-012-0309-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10144-012-0309-6

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