Metapopulation viability of an endangered shorebird depends on dispersal and human-created habitats: piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) and prairie rivers

Table 1 Estimate of fledged piping plover chicks produced/pair^a from 2008–2012

Estimates were separated by subpopulation: the lower Platte River (HC), the Gavins Point Reach of the Missouri River (M1F), and Lewis and Clark Lake (M2). These values were used to predict survival and transition rates in a multistate mark recapture model
^a We estimated chicks fledged/pair as follows: Clutch size (3.73; DHC, unpublished data) × Female Success (Probability that a female has a successful nest. This value was used to account for repeated nesting following failures) × Chick survival to fledge. These values were estimated using nest survival and chick survival estimates from each of the subpopulations
^b High flows reduced reproductive output to 0 on M1F in 2010 and 2011

ISSN: 2051-3933