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Range-wide analysis of eastern massasauga survivorship |
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| Authors: | Peter C. Jones Richard B. King Robyn L. Bailey Nickolas D. Bieser Kristin Bissell Henry Campa III Trisha Crabill Matthew D. Cross Brett A. Degregorio Michael J. Dreslik Francis E. Durbian Daniel S. Harvey Scott E. Hecht Benjamin C. Jellen Glenn Johnson Bruce A. Kingsbury Matthew J. Kowalski James Lee Jennifer V. Manning Jennifer A. Moore Julie Oakes Christopher A. Phillips Kent A. Prior Jeanine M. Refsnider Jeremy D. Rouse Joseph R. Sage Richard A. Seigel Donald B. Shepard Chad S. Smith Terry J. Vandewalle Patrick J. Weatherhead Anne Yagi |
| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA;2. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA;3. Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne, IN 46805, USA;4. Ecological Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Columbia, MO 65203, USA;5. Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859, USA;6. Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA;7. Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Mound City, MO 64470, USA;8. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA;9. Division of Science and Mathematics, McKendree University, Lebanon, IL 62254, USA;10. College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA;11. Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program, Middletown, PA 17057, USA;12. Camp Shelby Field Office, The Nature Conservancy, Camp Shelby, MS 39407, USA;13. Seven Lakes State Park, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fenton, MI 48430, USA;14. Parks Canada, Gatineau, QC, Canada K1A 0M5;15. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Parry Sound, ON, Canada P2A 1S4;16. Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252, USA;17. Center for Biodiversity, Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, IL 61820, USA;18. Stantec, Independence, IA 50644, USA;19. Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign-Urbana, IL 61820, USA;20. Ministry of Natural Resources, Vineland Station, ON, Canada L0R 2E0 |
| Abstract: | Decisions affecting wildlife management and conservation policy of imperiled species are often aided by population models. Reliable population models require accurate estimates of vital rates and an understanding of how vital rates vary geographically. The eastern massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus) is a rattlesnake species found in the Great Lakes region of North America. Populations of the eastern massasauga are fragmented and only a few areas harbor multiple, sizable populations. Eastern massasauga research has typically focused on single populations or local metapopulations but results suggest that demographic parameters vary geographically. We used 21 radiotelemetry datasets comprising 499 telemetered snakes from 16 distinct locations throughout the range of the eastern massasauga to characterize geographic patterns of adult survival using the known-fate model in Program MARK. Annual adult survival ranged from 0.35 to 0.95 (mean = 0.67) and increased along a southwest to northeast geographic axis. Further analysis of 6 datasets indicated no consistent difference in survival between males and females. Our results provide a better understanding of the relationship between survivorship and geography for the eastern massasauga and suggest that such variation should be incorporated into population models as well as local and regional management plans. © 2012 The Wildlife Society. |
| Keywords: | eastern massasauga Great Lakes radiotelemetry rattlesnake Sistrurus catenatus catenatus survival rate |