@article{2dee046684b5401a9d9e77c8dd3aa4d3,
title = "Increasing temperatures increase the risk of reproductive failure in a near threatened alpine ground-nesting bird, the Cape Rockjumper Chaetops frenatus",
abstract = "A major cause of reproductive failure in birds is nest predation. Predation risk depends on predator type, as predators vary in their ecology and sensory modalities (e.g. visual vs. olfactory). Snakes (generally olfactory predators) are a major nest predator for small birds, with predation strongly associated with higher temperatures. We investigated nest survival in a ground-nesting alpine species, the Cape Rockjumper Chaetops frenatus, endemic to alpine fynbos in southwestern South Africa. We collected 3 years of nest data, testing whether nest survival was related to (1) habitat stage (early post-fire vs. late post-fire habitat, ≤ 3 and ' 3 years since fire respectively), (2) nest concealment and (3) temperature. We found that nests had better survival at lower temperatures, with snake predation (our main source of predation) increasing in higher temperatures.",
keywords = "landscape ecology, nest concealment, predator landscape, predator–prey interactions, reproductive success",
author = "Oswald, {Krista N.} and Diener, {Elizabeth F.} and Diener, {John P.} and Cunningham, {Susan J.} and Ben Smit and Lee, {Alan T.K.}",
note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by a Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Research Themes Grant (B.S.), a post-doctoral research grant from the South African National Biodiversity Institute (A.T.K.L.) and a grant from the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute for African Ornithology (S.J.C.). Funding was also provided by an Animal Behavior Society: student research grant (K.N.O.), and the Tygerberg Bird Club (K.N.O.). We would like to thank the Lee family for allowing the research to occur on their property in the Western Cape, South Africa. We would also like to thank our field assistants, without whom this work could not have occurred: Cameryn Brock, Ceili Peng, Olivia Venter and Jo Balmer. Lastly, we would like to give special thanks to Dr Tom E. Martin and Dr Zen J. Czene for commenting on an earlier draft and providing key insight and suggestions to improve our manuscript. All applicable institutional and/or national guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. Bird handling, welfare and observations procedures were approved by the University of Cape Town Animal Ethics Committee (2014/V19/AL; Dec-2014 to Dec-2016); the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Research Ethics Committee (Animal; A15-SCI-ZOO-007; Jun-2014 to Feb-2016) and the Rhodes University Animal Ethics Committee (RU-DZE-2017-10-028; Jun-2014 to Feb-2016). Birds were captured with permission from the Western Cape Province: Cape Nature (permit #AAA041-00565). Funding Information: This work was supported by a Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Research Themes Grant (B.S.), a post‐doctoral research grant from the South African National Biodiversity Institute (A.T.K.L.) and a grant from the DST‐NRF Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute for African Ornithology (S.J.C.). Funding was also provided by an Animal Behavior Society: student research grant (K.N.O.), and the Tygerberg Bird Club (K.N.O.). We would like to thank the Lee family for allowing the research to occur on their property in the Western Cape, South Africa. We would also like to thank our field assistants, without whom this work could not have occurred: Cameryn Brock, Ceili Peng, Olivia Venter and Jo Balmer. Lastly, we would like to give special thanks to Dr Tom E. Martin and Dr Zen J. Czene for commenting on an earlier draft and providing key insight and suggestions to improve our manuscript. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 British Ornithologists' Union",
year = "2020",
month = oct,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1111/ibi.12846",
language = "English",
volume = "162",
pages = "1363--1369",
journal = "Ibis",
issn = "0019-1019",
publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd",
number = "4",
}