2005/01/01 by Belinda Whyte, Raphaël K. Didham, Whyte, Belinda I. +3
Environmental Science · #Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies #Avian ecology and behavior #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · doi:10.26021/709
openalex publication_date 2005/01/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Research in many parts of the world suggests avian nest predation may be higher at forest edges. This could have conservation implications for avian communities and may explain why some species are absent or rare in fragments. In the first study of its kind in New Zealand, we tested the generality of edge effects on nest predation in two forest habitat types. First, predation levels were measured in a mountain beech forest using experimentally-placed nests containing wax eggs, which allowed identification of predators by bite-marks. Second, predation levels were measured on natural nests in a kanuka/broadleaf forest fragment. As many of New Zealand’s extinct or threatened birds are ground-nesters, we also compared predation rates on experimentally-placed ground versus arboreal nests. Although predation rates varied significantly with distance from edge in both habitat types, edge effects on nest predation were not detected. Instead, predation was patchy and idiosyncratic, with highest predation rates recorded at intermediate distances from the edge. Possums were the major predator of the experimental nests. Ground nests experienced significantly higher predation rates than arboreal nests. The predation pattern recorded in this study suggests that pest control in fragmented landscapes should extend greater distances into the forest interior to control introduced mammals beyond the edge zone. This study also supports the theory that ground nesting may have been a life history trait that increased the vulnerability of native species to predation by introduced mammals.