Response of California Condor Populations to Reintroductions, Reinforcements, and Reductions in Spent Lead Ammunition Pollution.

ABSTRACT: The California Condor (CACO; Gymnogyps californianus) is a critically-endangered apex scavenger with multiple reintroduction sites providing population reinforcement. Spent lead ammunition pollution in CACO food (i.e., carrion and gut piles) was most likely responsible for the decline of CACO populations in the twentieth century and continues to be the leading source of condor mortality. To aid condor recovery decisions for the California population, numbering approximately 200 in early 2024, we present results from a female-only, individual-based life cycle model. We simulated future CACO population size under each of 25 scenarios representing combinations of 5 levels of reintroductions of captive-bred CACO released in California, and 5 levels of lead reduction, projected over a 25

SUBMITTER: Marcot BG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11977782 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature