Effects of surgically implanted transmitters on reproduction and survival in mallards
ABSTRACT Abdominally implanted radiotransmitters have been widely used in studies of waterbird ecology; however, the longer handling times and invasiveness of surgical implantation raise important concerns about animal welfare and potential effects on data quality. Although it is difficult to assess...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2017-09-01
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| Series: | Wildlife Society Bulletin |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.809 |
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| author | Jennifer L. Sheppard Todd W. Arnold Courtney L. Amundson David Klee |
| author_facet | Jennifer L. Sheppard Todd W. Arnold Courtney L. Amundson David Klee |
| author_sort | Jennifer L. Sheppard |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Abdominally implanted radiotransmitters have been widely used in studies of waterbird ecology; however, the longer handling times and invasiveness of surgical implantation raise important concerns about animal welfare and potential effects on data quality. Although it is difficult to assess effects of handling and marking wild animals by comparing them with unmarked controls, insights can often be obtained by evaluating variation in handling or marking techniques. Here, we used data from 243 female mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and mallard–grey duck hybrids (A. platyrhynchos × A. superciliosa) equipped with fully encapsulated abdominally implanted radiotransmitters from 2 study sites in New Zealand during 2014–2015 to assess potential marking effects. We evaluated survival, dispersal, and reproductive effort (e.g., breeding propensity, nest initiation date, clutch size) in response to 3 different attributes of handling duration and procedures: 1) processing time, including presurgery banding, measurements, and blood sampling of unanaesthetized birds; 2) surgery time from initiation to cessation of anesthetic; and 3) total holding time from first capture until release. We found no evidence that female survival, dispersal probability, or reproductive effort were negatively affected by holding, processing, or surgery time and concluded that we collected reliable data without compromising animal welfare. Our results support previous research that techniques using fully encapsulated abdominal‐implant radiotransmitters are suitable to enable researchers to obtain reliable estimates of reproductive performance and survival. © 2017 The Wildlife Society. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-aca8693eb8bb4dda98863dc3669b1e0b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2328-5540 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2017-09-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Wildlife Society Bulletin |
| spelling | doaj-art-aca8693eb8bb4dda98863dc3669b1e0b2025-08-20T01:56:52ZengWileyWildlife Society Bulletin2328-55402017-09-0141359760410.1002/wsb.809Effects of surgically implanted transmitters on reproduction and survival in mallardsJennifer L. Sheppard0Todd W. Arnold1Courtney L. Amundson2David Klee3School of Biological SciencesUniversity of Auckland3a Symonds StreetAuckland1010New ZealandDepartment of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation BiologyUniversity of Minnesota2003 Upper Buford CircleSt. PaulMN55108USAU.S. Geological SurveyAlaska Science Center4210 University DriveAnchorageAK99508USAAuckland/Waikato Fish and Game Council156 Brymer RoadHamilton3289New ZealandABSTRACT Abdominally implanted radiotransmitters have been widely used in studies of waterbird ecology; however, the longer handling times and invasiveness of surgical implantation raise important concerns about animal welfare and potential effects on data quality. Although it is difficult to assess effects of handling and marking wild animals by comparing them with unmarked controls, insights can often be obtained by evaluating variation in handling or marking techniques. Here, we used data from 243 female mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and mallard–grey duck hybrids (A. platyrhynchos × A. superciliosa) equipped with fully encapsulated abdominally implanted radiotransmitters from 2 study sites in New Zealand during 2014–2015 to assess potential marking effects. We evaluated survival, dispersal, and reproductive effort (e.g., breeding propensity, nest initiation date, clutch size) in response to 3 different attributes of handling duration and procedures: 1) processing time, including presurgery banding, measurements, and blood sampling of unanaesthetized birds; 2) surgery time from initiation to cessation of anesthetic; and 3) total holding time from first capture until release. We found no evidence that female survival, dispersal probability, or reproductive effort were negatively affected by holding, processing, or surgery time and concluded that we collected reliable data without compromising animal welfare. Our results support previous research that techniques using fully encapsulated abdominal‐implant radiotransmitters are suitable to enable researchers to obtain reliable estimates of reproductive performance and survival. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.809abdominal‐implantAnas platyrhynchosbreeding propensityholding timemallardnest initiation date |
| spellingShingle | Jennifer L. Sheppard Todd W. Arnold Courtney L. Amundson David Klee Effects of surgically implanted transmitters on reproduction and survival in mallards Wildlife Society Bulletin abdominal‐implant Anas platyrhynchos breeding propensity holding time mallard nest initiation date |
| title | Effects of surgically implanted transmitters on reproduction and survival in mallards |
| title_full | Effects of surgically implanted transmitters on reproduction and survival in mallards |
| title_fullStr | Effects of surgically implanted transmitters on reproduction and survival in mallards |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of surgically implanted transmitters on reproduction and survival in mallards |
| title_short | Effects of surgically implanted transmitters on reproduction and survival in mallards |
| title_sort | effects of surgically implanted transmitters on reproduction and survival in mallards |
| topic | abdominal‐implant Anas platyrhynchos breeding propensity holding time mallard nest initiation date |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.809 |
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