Factors that affect migratory Western Atlantic red knots (Calidris canutus rufa) and their prey during spring staging on Virginia’s barrier islands

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dc.contributor.authorHeller, Erin L.en
dc.contributor.authorKarpanty, Sarah M.en
dc.contributor.authorCohen, Jonahan B.en
dc.contributor.authorCatlin, Daniel H.en
dc.contributor.authorRitter, Sharon J.en
dc.contributor.authorTruitt, Barry R.en
dc.contributor.authorFraser, James D.en
dc.date.accessioned2023-04-18T17:54:51Zen
dc.date.available2023-04-18T17:54:51Zen
dc.date.issued2022-07-01en
dc.description.abstractUnderstanding factors that influence a species’ distribution and abundance across the annual cycle is required for range-wide conservation. Thousands of imperiled red knots (Calidris cantus rufa) stop on Virginia’s barrier islands each year to replenish fat during spring migration. We investigated the variation in red knot presence and flock size, the effects of prey on this variation, and factors influencing prey abundance on Virginia’s barrier islands. We counted red knots and collected potential prey samples at randomly selected sites from 2007–2018 during a two-week period during early and peak migration. Core samples contained crustaceans (Orders Amphipoda and Calanoida), blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), coquina clams (Donax variabilis), and miscellaneous prey (horseshoe crab eggs (Limulus polyphemus), angel wing clams (Cyrtopleura costata), and other organisms (e.g., insect larvae, snails, worms)). Estimated red knot peak counts in Virginia during 21–27 May were highest in 2012 (11,959) and lowest in 2014 (2,857; 12-year peak migration x̄ = 7,175, SD = 2,869). Red knot and prey numbers varied across sampling periods and substrates (i.e., peat and sand). Red knots generally used sites with more prey. Miscellaneous prey (x̄ = 2401.00/m², SE = 169.16) influenced red knot presence at a site early in migration, when we only sampled on peat banks. Coquina clams (x̄ = 1383.54/m², SE = 125.32) and blue mussels (x̄ = 777.91/m², SE = 259.31) affected red knot presence at a site during peak migration, when we sampled both substrates. Few relationships between prey and red knot flock size existed, suggesting that other unmeasured factors determined red knot numbers at occupied sites. Tide and mean daily water temperature affected prey abundance. Maximizing the diversity, availability, and abundance of prey for red knots on barrier islands requires management that encourages the presence of both sand and peat bank intertidal habitats.en
dc.description.sponsorshipThis research was supported by the National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the United States Department of Commerce (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/ SMK, JDF), the National Science Foundation (NSF) Virginia Coast Reserve Long Term Ecological Research Grants DEB- 1237733 and DEB-1832221 (https://www.nsf.gov/ SMK), Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (https://dwr.virginia.gov/ SMK, JBC, JDF), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (https://www.fws.gov/ ecological-services/ SMK, JBC, DHC, JDF), Sigma Xi Grants-In-Aid of Research (https://www.sigmaxi. org/programs/grants-in-aid ELH), the Virginia Tech Graduate Resource Development Program (https://gsa.vt.edu/programs/grdp.html ELH), and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship grant DGE-1651272 (https://www.nsf.gov/ ELH).en
dc.description.versionPublished versionen
dc.format.extent31 pgen
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationHeller EL, Karpanty SM, Cohen JB, Catlin DH, Ritter SJ, Truitt BR, et al. (2022) Factors that affect migratory Western Atlantic red knots (Calidris canutus rufa) and their prey during spring staging on Virginia’s barrier islands. PLoS ONE 17(7): e0270224. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. Pone.0270224en
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0270224en
dc.identifier.issue7en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/114543en
dc.identifier.volume17en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherPLOSen
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.titleFactors that affect migratory Western Atlantic red knots (Calidris canutus rufa) and their prey during spring staging on Virginia’s barrier islandsen
dc.title.serialPLOS ONEen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten

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