| Abstract: | We developed and evaluated the performance of a metapopulation model enabling managers to examine, for the first time, the consequences of alternative management strategies involving habitat conditions and hunting on both harvest opportunity and carrying capacity (i.e., equilibrium population size in the absence of harvest) for migratory waterfowl at a continental scale. Our focus is on the northern pintail (Anas acuta; hereafter, pintail), which serves as a useful model species to examine the potential for integrating waterfowl harvest and habitatmanagement in North America. We developed submodel structure capturing important processes for pintail populations during breeding, fall migration, winter, and spring migration while encompassing spatial structure representing three core breeding areas and two core nonbreeding areas. A number of continental-scale predictions from our baseline parameterization (e.g., carrying capacity of 5.5 million, equilibrium population size of 2.9 million and harvest rate of 12% at maximum sustained yield [MSY]) were within 10% of those from the pintail harvest strategy under current use by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. To begin investigating the interaction of harvest and habitatmanagement, we examined equilibrium population conditions for pintail at the continental scale across a range of harvest rates while perturbing model parameters to represent: (1) a 10% increase in breeding habitat quality in the Prairie Pothole population (PR); and (2) a 10% increase in nonbreeding habitat quantity along in the Gulf Coast (GC). Based on our model and analysis, a greater increase in carrying capacity and sustainable harvest was seen when increasing a proxy for habitat quality in the Prairie Pothole population. This finding and underlying assumptions must be critically evaluated, however, before specific management recommendations can be made. To make such recommendations, we require (1) extended, refined submodels with additional parameters linking influences of habitatmanagement and environmental conditions to key life-history parameters; (2) a formal sensitivity analysis of the revised model; (3) an integrated population model that incorporates empirical data for estimating key vital rates; and (4) cost estimates for changing these additional parameters through habitatmanagement efforts. We foresee great utility in using an integratedmodeling approach to predict habitat and harvestmanagement influences on continental-scale population responses while explicitly considering putative effects of climate change. Such a model could be readily adapted for management of many habitat-limited species. |
| Genre: | Article |
| ProdID: | 70005831 |
| Citation Author: | Mattsson, Brady J.; Runge, M. C.; Devries, J. H.; Boomer, G. S.; Eadie, J. M.; Haukos, D. A.; Fleskes, J. P.; Koons, D. N.; Thogmartin, W. E.; Clark, R. G. |
| Citation Contributing Office: | Western Ecological Research Center |
| Citation Datum: | |
| Citation Day: | |
| Citation Edition: | |
| Citation Editor: | |
| Citation End Page: | 158 |
| Citation Issue: | |
| Citation Keywords: | |
| Citation Language: | English |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | Ecological Modelling |
| Citation LatN: | |
| Citation LatS: | |
| Citation LonE: | |
| Citation LonW: | |
| Citation Month: | |
| Citation No Pagination: | |
| Citation Number Of Pages: | |
| Citation Online Only Flag: | |
| Citation Phsyical Description: | 13 p. |
| Citation Projection: | |
| Citation Public Comments: | |
| Citation Publisher: | Elsevier |
| Citation Series: | |
| Citation Series Code: | |
| Citation Series Number: | |
| Citation Search Results Text: | A modeling framework for integrated harvest and habitat management of North American waterfowl: case-study of northern pintail metapopulation dynamics; 2012; Article; Journal; Ecological Modelling; Mattsson, Brady J.; Runge, M. C.; Devries, J. H.; Boomer, G. S.; Eadie, J. M.; Haukos, D. A.; Fleskes, J. P.; Koons, D. N.; Thogmartin, W. E.; Clark, R. G. |
| Citation Start Page: | 146 |
| Citation Volume: | 225 |
| Citation Year: | 2012 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | A modeling framework for integrated harvest and habitat management of North American waterfowl: case-study of northern pintail metapopulation dynamics; 2012; Article; Journal; Ecological Modelling; Mattsson, Brady J.; Runge, M. C.; Devries, J. H.; Boomer, G. S.; Eadie, J. M.; Haukos, D. A.; Fleskes, J. P.; Koons, D. N.; Thogmartin, W. E.; Clark, R. G. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg |
| URL (DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER): | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2011.10.028 |
| Date Other: | Fri, 8 Jun 2012 00:00 -0500 |
| Publisher: | Elsevier |
