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Habitat Suitability of the Yellow Rail in South-Central Manitoba: An analysis at multiple spatial scales

Habitat Suitability of the Yellow Rail in South-Central Manitoba: An analysis at multiple spatial scales. Kristen A. Martin 1 , Dr. Nicola Koper 1 , Dr. Micheline Manseau 1,2 , Ron Bazin 3 1.Natural Resources Institute at the University of Manitoba 2.Parks Canada

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Habitat Suitability of the Yellow Rail in South-Central Manitoba: An analysis at multiple spatial scales

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  1. Habitat Suitability of the Yellow Rail in South-Central Manitoba: An analysis at multiple spatial scales Kristen A. Martin1, Dr. Nicola Koper1, Dr. Micheline Manseau1,2, Ron Bazin3 1.Natural Resources Institute at the University of Manitoba 2.Parks Canada 3.Canadian Wildlife Service (Environment Canada)

  2. Yellow Rail Habitat • Typically associated with fine-stemmed vegetation, shallow water, senescent vegetation cover

  3. Yellow Rail Habitat • What are the habitat requirements at larger spatial scales? For example: -wetland size? -composition or configuration of surrounding landscape?

  4. Research Objectives 1) To evaluate the influence of variables from multiple spatial scales on habitat suitability for yellow rails: • Landscape • Patch (wetland) • Plot (survey point) Phil Thorpe, USFWS

  5. Yellow Rails in Manitoba • 26 documented sites (excluding Hudson Bay) • Many areas have not been surveyed • Uncertainty about distribution, abundance, & population trends Map from mgmt plant Map adapted from COSEWIC 2009, in Environment Canada. 2012. Management Plan for the Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis) in Canada [Proposed]. Species at Risk Act Management Plan Series. Environment Canada, Ottawa. iii + 23 pp.

  6. Research Objectives 2) To investigate the distribution of yellow rails in south-central Manitoba

  7. Study Area • Non-random wetland selection • 80 study wetlands: 44 in 2010, 36 in 2011 • 167 survey points Surveyed in 2011 Surveyed in 2010 Basemap layer from ESRI (2010)

  8. Methods – Yellow Rail Surveys • Two night surveys at each survey point: 23 May to 5 July • Call-broadcast: 5 min passive listening, 3 min call-broadcast, 2 min passive listening

  9. Methods – Habitat Data • 3-km radius buffer around study wetland to create each landscape • FRAGSTATS to calculate: • Habitat Amount • Habitat Composition • Habitat Fragmentation • Habitat Configuration

  10. Methods – Habitat Data Photo by D. Furutani • Vegetation Transects – 50 m long or until reached open water • Patch Scale: 3 random transects per wetland; wetland size • Plot Scale: 1 transect at each survey point

  11. Methods – Data Analysis • Generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) used to evaluate the effects of habitat variables on yellow rail presence • Analysis of each spatial scale conducted separately – included year*variable interactions where necessary • Best fitting model selected using Akaike’s Information Criterion corrected for small sample sizes (AICc)

  12. Results – Yellow Rail Detections • Yellow rails detected at: • 47% of survey points • 44% of wetlands Yellow rails not detected Yellow rails detected

  13. Results – Landscape Scale

  14. Results – Landscape Scale Weak, positive relationship between yellow rail presence and the proportion of marsh/fen habitat in the landscape in 2011

  15. Results – Patch Scale

  16. Results – Patch Scale Weak, positive relationship between yellow rail presence and the proportion of rushes at the patch scale in both years

  17. Results – Plot Scale No significant relationships between yellow rail presence and any of the plot scale variables

  18. Discussion • Yellow rail presence was widespread throughout study area: 25 new sites identified • BUT...2010 & 2011 were wet years – unsure if these locations suitable in drier years

  19. Discussion • Importance of wetlands in landscape: - important below certain threshold? 2010: landscapes had mean of 17% marsh/fen habitat 2011: landscapes had mean of 12% marsh/fen habitat - initial habitat selection cue? - use of multiple wetlands?

  20. Discussion • Proportion of rushes at patch scale • No effect of wetland size (<1 ha to >1800 ha) • Lack of significant associations at plot scale - could be related to non-random wetland selection - different in drier years?

  21. Recommendations • Amount of marsh/fen habitat in landscape may be important for identifying suitable yellow rail habitat • Conduct multiple spatial scale study in drier years to see if trends are consistent • “Lots” of yellow rail habitat in south-central Manitoba in wet years....

  22. Thank You! • Dr. Nicola Koper, Dr. Micheline Manseau, Ron Bazin • Manitoba Conservation SDIF Grant • Manitoba Graduate Fellowship • NSERC • Derek Furutani • Manitoba landowners

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