Detection of Mercury Among Avian Trophic Levels at Caddo Lake and Lake Lewisville, TX

Mercury (Hg) is a globally distributed toxicant that has been shown to have negative effects on birds. in the United States, avian taxa have been shown to possess high Hg concentrations in the northeast, Great Lakes and Everglades ecosystems; however, few studies have measured avian Hg concentrations in other geographic regions. Previous studies have documented high Hg concentrations in multiple organisms in east Texas, but birds were not included in these studies. the main objective of the present study was to quantify Hg concentrations in birds in differing trophic levels at Caddo Lake and Lake Lewisville, TX. Results suggest that Hg concentrations may be high enough to negatively impact some bird taxa, particularly those at high trophic levels, residing at both Caddo Lake and Lake Lewisville

Commentary: Research Recommendations for Understanding the Decline of American Kestrels (\u3cem\u3eFalco sparverius\u3c/em\u3e) Across Much of North America

Across much of North America, populations of American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) have been in decline for decades (Farmer et al. 2008, Farmer and Smith 2009, Smallwood et al. 2009a, Paprocki et al. 2014, Sauer et al. 2014). Hypothesized causes of kestrel declines include predation by Cooper\u27s Hawks (Accipiter cooperii; Farmer et al. 2008), pathogens (e.g., Nemeth et al. 2006), habitat loss (Sullivan and Wood 2005, Farmer et al. 2008, Bolgiano et al. 2015), pesticides (Smallwood et al. 2009a, Rattner et al. 2015), and climate change (Steenhof and Peterson 2009b), yet no hypothesized factor has been supported empirically (Farmer et al. 2006, Smallwood et al. 2009a). Despite the effort spent evaluating threats, the lack of a “smoking-gun” to explain the decline of this charismatic species has led many professional and citizen scientists to call for action on several unlikely, and unsupported, threats. Here, we evaluate and build on hypothesized causes of declines considered by other authors (e.g., Sullivan and Wood 2005, Farmer et al. 2008, Smallwood et al. 2009a) to synthesize conclusions and articulate research needs

Phenology Effects on Productivity and Hatching-Asynchrony of American Kestrels (\u3cem\u3eFalco sparverius\u3c/em\u3e) Across a Continent

Optimal reproductive performance occurs when birds time reproduction to coincide with peak food availability. Deviation from optimal timing, or mismatch, can affect productivity, though birds may mediate some mismatch effects by altering their incubation behavior. We studied the consequences of nesting timing (i.e., clutch initiation relative to an index of spring start) on productivity across the breeding range of American kestrels (Falco sparverius) in the United States and southern Canada, and associations between nesting timing, incubation behavior, and hatching asynchrony. We used observations from long-term nest box monitoring, remote trail cameras, and community-scientist-based programs to obtain data on clutch initiation, productivity, incubation, and hatching synchrony. Kestrels that initiated clutches after the extended spring index (SI-x, start of spring estimate) had higher rates of nest failure and fewer nestlings than earlier nesters, and effects of nesting timing on productivity were strongest in the Northeast. In contrast, kestrels in the Southwest experienced a more gradual decline in productivity across the season. Spatial effects may be the result of regional differences in growing seasons and temporal nesting windows (duration of nesting season). Specifically, resource availability in the Northeast was highly peaked during the breeding season, potentially resulting in shorter nesting windows. Conversely, resource curves were more prolonged in the Southwest, and growing seasons are becoming longer with climate change, potentially resulting in longer nesting windows. We found an inverse relationship between nesting timing and the onset of male incubation. Males from breeding pairs that initiated clutches after SI-x began incubation sooner than males from breeding pairs that initiated clutches before SI-x. Early-onset of male incubation was positively associated with hatching asynchrony, creating increased age variation in developing young. In sum, nesting phenology relative to the SI-x has consequences for American kestrels’ productivity, and these consequences vary across space. The early onset of incubation may act as a potential adaptive behavior to advance the average hatch date and spread out energetic demands. Given the effects of nesting timing on productivity, kestrels are likely to be sensitive to climate-driven advances in growing seasons and vulnerable to phenological mismatch, particularly in the Northeast

Characteristics of US-Based STEM Webcams \u3cem\u3eat a Glance\u3c/em\u3e

STEM organizations operate thousands of publicly available webcams, which have the potential to provide rich informal learning opportunities. To date, no research has analyzed the breadth of STEM webcams. In our study, we developed an inventory by performing internet searches for US-based STEM webcams and recorded operator name, organization type, webcam subject, etc. This inventory serves as the basis for a follow-up survey of webcam operators, which seeks to better understand the goals, outcomes, and investments of STEM webcam programs. We characterized nearly 1000 webcams that fit within our inclusion criteria. The majority of the cams fell within the life sciences or geosciences. Of the animal webcams, mammals (60%) and birds (23%) were strongly represented in contrast to reptiles (2%) and insects (4%). Within the mammal subjects, tigers, elephants, otters, and giraffes were most common (5-7% each). Within the 23 different bird webcam subjects, penguins (30%) and osprey (20%) were most common. Other studies have shown the over-representation of charismatic animals (e.g., elephants, giraffes, tigers, bears) in zoos, and our study suggests that webcams may amplify this phenomenon. Further, these preliminary results suggest that life sciences topics dominate STEM webcams, leaving potential for other visually engaging fields to participate

Informing Conservation Management Using Genetic Approaches: Greater Sage-Grouse and Galápagos Short-Eared Owls as Case Studies

Small isolated populations are of particular conservation interest due to their increased extinction risk. This dissertation investigates two small wild bird populations using genetic approaches to inform their conservation. Specifically, one case study investigated a Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) population located in northwest Wyoming near Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park. Microsatellite data showed that the Jackson sage-grouse population possessed significantly reduced levels of neutral genetic diversity and was isolated from other Wyoming populations. Analysis with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and microsatellite data provided further evidence that the population's timing of isolation was relatively recent and most likely due to recent anthropogenic habitat changes. Conservation recommendations include maintaining or increasing the population's current size and reestablishing gene flow with the nearest large population. The second case study investigated the genetic distinctiveness of the Floreana island population of the Galápagos Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus galapagoensis). Mitochondrial DNA sequence data did not detect differences across nine island populations, yet microsatellite and morphometric data indicated that limited gene flow existed with the population and surrounding island populations, which appeared asymmetric in direction from Floreana to Santa Cruz with no indication of gene flow into Floreana. These results have important conservation implications and recommend that the Floreana Short-eared Owl population be held in captivity during the rodenticide application planned for an ecosystem restoration project in 2018. The population is less likely to receive immigrants from surrounding island populations if negatively effected by feeding on poisoned rodents

Evaluating Citizen Science Outreach: A Case-Study with The Peregrine Fund’s American Kestrel Partnership

Citizen science programs can be powerful drivers of knowledge and scientific understanding and, in recent decades, they have become increasingly popular. Conducting successful research with the aid of citizen scientists often rests on the efficacy of a program’s outreach strategies. Program evaluation is increasingly recognized as a critical practice for citizen science practitioners to ensure that all efforts, including outreach, contribute to the overall goals of the program. The Peregrine Fund’s American Kestrel Partnership (AKP) is one such citizen science program that relies on outreach to engage participants in effective monitoring of a declining falcon species. Here, we examine whether various communication strategies were associated with desired outreach goals of the AKP. We demonstrate how social media, webcams, discussion boards, and newsletters were associated with perception of learning, agreement with our conservation messaging, and participation in our box monitoring program. Our results thus help us to improve our outreach methodology, suggest areas where other citizen science programs might improve their outreach efforts, and highlight future research priorities

Webcams as an untapped opportunity to conduct citizen science: Six years of the American Kestrel Partnership's KestrelCam

Hundreds of zoo-based or wildlife webcams have become available during the past twenty years, mostly with the goal of educating the public. However, there has been virtually no peer-reviewed research that evaluates the education, conservation, or scientific impact of webcams. Here, we provide one of the few examples of a webcam used for citizen science, and the only test of efficacy for crowd-sourced data collection using webcams. The Peregrine Fund streamed six seasons of American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) nests using the same nest box from 2012 through 2017 and viewers input observations into an online portal. We analyze trends in participant and kestrel behavior and test for sources of bias in this citizen scientist-generated dataset by independently reviewing a subset of recordings to determine accuracy of viewer-logged data. Citizen scientists logged a maximum of approximately 5.25% of all footage, but with an accuracy of 88%. Although number of participants declined yearly, on average, participants became more engaged. Sources of bias were related to people's daily activity periods (i.e., less participation at night) and activity within the nest box (i.e., less participation when there were no birds in the box). This citizen scientist-generated dataset generally corroborated the literature regarding American Kestrel biology. Researchers may be cautiously optimistic that datasets generated by citizen scientists can provide valuable information on a given system or study species. Given the ubiquity of webcams and their potential competition for conservation dollars, more research evaluating any aspect of their impact or application is sorely needed. Keywords: Webcam, Nest cam, Wildlife, Citizen science, American Kestrel, Falco sparveriu

A Methodology for Systematic Mapping in Raptor Biology

Current knowledge from peer-reviewed research in raptor biology is based primarily on a small handful of raptor species, while a large portion are virtually unstudied or understudied. With over 500 raptor species globally, this limited knowledge base is a chief impediment to conservation efforts. Here we introduce a systematic mapping protocol for raptor species that expedites the literature review process to better inform stakeholders of the current species-specific research. Using the RepOrting standards for Systematic Evidence Syntheses (ROSES) protocol guidelines, we constructed a methodology for systematic information mapping for raptor conservation that encompasses: stakeholder engagement; objective of the review; methods; searches; screening and inclusion criteria; critical appraisal; data extraction; data synthesis and presentation; and declarations. This method provides a comprehensive synthesis of objective evidence that features repeatable standards for information extraction that will ultimately contribute to a centralized raptor conservation database. Initial efforts involving the California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) as a conceptual model to demonstrate the methodology has identified 255 literature items of which 165 were extracted as PDFs, while the screening process remains ongoing