<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> Changes in life history traits can reveal adaptations to changing environments. Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (Picoides borealis) are cooperative breeders that have specific reproductive habitat needs. We examined three separate sites in the southeastern United States to see how life history traits differed among isolated populations of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers from 1980 to 2013. We examined the life history traits group size, partial brood loss, number of fledglings, lay date, clutch size, and lifespan. Traits differed among sites, suggesting that populations were adapted to local conditions and different life history trade-offs were important under different environmental conditions at each site. At the two coastal sites in Florida and North Carolina, the family group sizes, lifespans, and partial brood loss were higher when compared to the inland site in North Carolina. Clutch size and number fledged were higher at the two northernmost sites when compared to the southern site. Identifying the differences in life history traits can allow more specific and effective management practices.</p></abstract>

Changes in life history traits can reveal adaptations to changing environments. Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (Picoides borealis) are cooperative breeders that have specific reproductive habitat needs. We examined three separate sites in the southeastern United States to see how life history traits differed among isolated populations of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers from 1980 to 2013. We examined the life history traits group size, partial brood loss, number of fledglings, lay date, clutch size, and lifespan. Traits differed among sites, suggesting that populations were adapted to local conditions and different life history trade-offs were important under different environmental conditions at each site. At the two coastal sites in Florida and North Carolina, the family group sizes, lifespans, and partial brood loss were higher when compared to the inland site in North Carolina. Clutch size and number fledged were higher at the two northernmost sites when compared to the southern site. Identifying the differences in life history traits can allow more specific and effective management practices.

Life history trait differences in isolated populations of the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker

Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA

Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, 23529, USA

Ornis Hungarica

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Changes in life history traits can reveal adaptations to changing environments. Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (Picoides borealis) are cooperative breeders that have...

Life history trait differences in isolated populations of the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker

Published Online: Jul 14, 2016

Page range: 55 - 68

Received: Jan 26, 2016

Accepted: Mar 25, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/orhu-2016-0003

Keywords
clutch size, cooperative breeder, endangered, lay date, life history, Red-cockaded Woodpecker

© 2016

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Life history trait differences in isolated populations of the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker

Published Online: Jul 14, 2016

Page range: 55 - 68

Received: Jan 26, 2016

Accepted: Mar 25, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/orhu-2016-0003

Keywordsclutch size, cooperative breeder, endangered, lay date, life history, Red-cockaded Woodpecker

© 2016

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
clutch size, cooperative breeder, endangered, lay date, life history, Red-cockaded Woodpecker