Survival of Rio Grande Wild Turkeys on the Edwards Plateau of Texas

Survival of Rio Grande Wild Turkeys on the Edwards Plateau of Texas

The southeastern portion of the Edwards Plateau of Texas, historically a stronghold of Rio Grande wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia), has seen a decline in turkey numbers since the 1970s. Because adult and juvenile survival are key parameters affecting turkey population dynamics, we used...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of wildlife management Vol. 71; no. 1; pp. 82 - 86
Main Authors: COLLIER, BRET A, JONES, DUSTIN A, SCHAAP, JODY N, RANDEL, CHARLES J, WILLSEY, BEAU J, AGUIRRE, RAY, SCHWERTNER, T. WAYNE, SILVY, NOVA J, PETERSON, MARKUS J
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford, UK The Wildlife Society 01-02-2007
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Subjects:
abundance
Adult animals
animal age
animal ecology
animal reproduction
Birds
breeding season
Breeding seasons
Counties
Edwards Plateau
Fisheries science
game birds
Legal proceedings
Life history
males
Managers
Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
Mortality
phenology
Population
population decline
Population dynamics
population size
Population status
radiotelemetry
Research universities
Rio Grande wild turkey
simulation models
Studies
Survival
telemetry
Texas
turkey hens
Turkeys
wild birds
wildlife habitats
Wildlife management
Young animals
Texas
Rio Grande
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Summary:The southeastern portion of the Edwards Plateau of Texas, historically a stronghold of Rio Grande wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia), has seen a decline in turkey numbers since the 1970s. Because adult and juvenile survival are key parameters affecting turkey population dynamics, we used radiotagged individuals to compare Rio Grande wild turkey survival in areas of suspected decline versus stable portions of the Edwards Plateau during 2001–2003. Reproductive period (breeding or nonbreeding) had an impact on survival, but differences in age, sex, or region did not influence survival. Model averaged estimates of monthly survival were 0.97 (SE = 0.005) for nonbreeding periods and 0.96 (SE = 0.007) for breeding periods. Our results indicate juvenile and adult survival in the declining areas was similar to survival in the stable areas of the Edwards Plateau. This suggests causes of the decline might be associated with differences during other life-history stages, such as nest success or poult survival, although we cannot rule out the possibility juvenile or adult survival contributed to the decline in the past. This situation demonstrates why wildlife managers should be cognizant of the implications of initiating long-term monitoring programs after changes in population status occur, rather than initiating them in expectation of such changes.
Bibliography:http://dx.doi.org/10.2193/2005-751
ArticleID:JWMG801
istex:DAF12C31014CFF628902FD7F125E4893E6715B13
ark:/67375/WNG-2SFDRJZS-F
SWCA Environmental Consultants, 4888 Lang‐field, Suite 300, Houston, TX 77040, USA
SWCA Environmental Consultants, 4407 Monterey Oaks Boulevard Building 1, Suite 10, Austin, TX 78749, USA
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 2304 S.W. Main Boulevard Suite 101, Lake City, FL, 32025, USA
Sapphos Environmental, Inc., 133 Martin Alley, Pasadena, CA 91105, USA
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:0022-541X
1937-2817
DOI:10.2193/2005-751