The effects of experimental irrigation on plant productivity, insect abundance and the non-breeding season performance of a migratory songbird.

ABSTRACT: Migratory bird populations are often limited by food during the non-breeding season. Correlative evidence suggests that food abundance on territories varies among years in relation to rainfall, which affects plant productivity and arthropod biomass. At the Font Hill Nature Preserve in Jamaica, we used an irrigation experiment to test the hypothesis that rainfall affects the condition of wintering American redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla) via intermediate effects on plant productivity and arthropod abundance. Experimental plots were irrigated in late February and early March to simulate a mid-season pulse of 200 mm of rain. Irrigation maintained soil moisture levels near saturation and had immediate effects on plant productivity. Cumulative leaf abscission over the dry season was 50% lower o

SUBMITTER: Wilson S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3555873 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature