USGS researchers will examine how hydrology and landscape vegetation changes impact Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow survival and population growth.
The Science Issue and Relevance: The Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow (CSSS; Ammospiza maritima mirabilis) is a federally endangered species endemic to southern Florida and occurs in the freshwater prairies of Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. Estimates of the CSSS population indicate a 63% decline since 1981 across its fragmented range, which is delineated by six, small subpopulations (A-F, Fig. 1). The major threats to the CSSS are attributed to changes in the short-hydroperiod marl prairie habitat, specifically altered hydroperiods, and associated changes in fire frequency. Other threats to the CSSS and its habitat are nest predation and climate change. Over four decades of field research has been conducted on the CSSS, but a statistically robust analysis of the population’s demographic parameters utilizing all available data has yet to be completed. Such an analysis would provide a more accurate assessment of the status of the CSSS population and shed light on the viability of subpopulations considering potential future conditions. Our objectives are to (1) quantify the effects of hydrologic and environmental factors on demographic parameters (population size, individual survival, nest survival) and (2) quantify the relative importance of demographic parameters on population change.
Methodology for Addressing the Issue: To meet our objectives, we will examine how short- and long-term hydrology and landscape vegetation changes impact CSSS survival and population growth. We will use data from range-wide surveys and mark-recapture/resights to estimate yearly population sizes and individual survival and test how population size and survival change in response to hydrologic and vegetation community variables. In addition, we will estimate daily nest survival and test how nesting success changes in response to hydrology, vegetation, and population level parameters. Finally, we plan to employ an integrated population modeling approach to identify the demographic parameters that most impact population change. These results will provide insight into the causes of declines in the CSSS population.
Future Steps: These analyses will directly inform an individual-based model (IBM) that can be used to conduct targeted population viability analyses. The IBM would simulate CSSS populations under different restoration scenarios and population scenarios (such as the sudden extinction of one subpopulation) to support U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recovery planning and land management actions by Everglades National Park.
Related Tools:
Everglades Depth Estimation Network: CSSS Viewer, https://sofia.usgs.gov/eden/csss/
Joint Ecosystem Modeling: EverSparrow, https://jem.gov/Modeling/EverSparrow
Demographic Analysis of the Endangered Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow
Knowledge Synthesis of Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Science
Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN)
Modeling Spatial Habitat Quality for the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow
Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Helper
Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Marl Prairie Indicator
- Overview
USGS researchers will examine how hydrology and landscape vegetation changes impact Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow survival and population growth.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Boundaries of six subpopulations (A-F) of the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow (CSSS) in south Florida. The area denoted as Ax represents an expanded area of subpopulation A containing prospective habitat for the CSSS. Benscoter, A. M., S. M. Haider, K. G. Guilbeau, and S. S. Romañach. 2021. Knowledge synthesis of Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow science. Report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 68 pp. The Science Issue and Relevance: The Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow (CSSS; Ammospiza maritima mirabilis) is a federally endangered species endemic to southern Florida and occurs in the freshwater prairies of Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. Estimates of the CSSS population indicate a 63% decline since 1981 across its fragmented range, which is delineated by six, small subpopulations (A-F, Fig. 1). The major threats to the CSSS are attributed to changes in the short-hydroperiod marl prairie habitat, specifically altered hydroperiods, and associated changes in fire frequency. Other threats to the CSSS and its habitat are nest predation and climate change. Over four decades of field research has been conducted on the CSSS, but a statistically robust analysis of the population’s demographic parameters utilizing all available data has yet to be completed. Such an analysis would provide a more accurate assessment of the status of the CSSS population and shed light on the viability of subpopulations considering potential future conditions. Our objectives are to (1) quantify the effects of hydrologic and environmental factors on demographic parameters (population size, individual survival, nest survival) and (2) quantify the relative importance of demographic parameters on population change.
Methodology for Addressing the Issue: To meet our objectives, we will examine how short- and long-term hydrology and landscape vegetation changes impact CSSS survival and population growth. We will use data from range-wide surveys and mark-recapture/resights to estimate yearly population sizes and individual survival and test how population size and survival change in response to hydrologic and vegetation community variables. In addition, we will estimate daily nest survival and test how nesting success changes in response to hydrology, vegetation, and population level parameters. Finally, we plan to employ an integrated population modeling approach to identify the demographic parameters that most impact population change. These results will provide insight into the causes of declines in the CSSS population.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.A banded Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow at Everglades National Park. (Credit: National Park Service) Future Steps: These analyses will directly inform an individual-based model (IBM) that can be used to conduct targeted population viability analyses. The IBM would simulate CSSS populations under different restoration scenarios and population scenarios (such as the sudden extinction of one subpopulation) to support U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recovery planning and land management actions by Everglades National Park.
Related Tools:
- Science
Everglades Depth Estimation Network: CSSS Viewer, https://sofia.usgs.gov/eden/csss/
Joint Ecosystem Modeling: EverSparrow, https://jem.gov/Modeling/EverSparrow
Demographic Analysis of the Endangered Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow
USGS researchers will examine how hydrology and landscape vegetation changes impact Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow survival and population growth.Knowledge Synthesis of Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Science
WARC researchers have developed a literature review of science on the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow focused on topics relevant to upcoming management decisions.Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN)
In the early 2000s, USGS developed the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) to provide water-level data for scientists, decision-makers, and managers to help monitor and assess Everglades restoration. EDEN is a real-time integrated network of 275 water-level gages, water-surface models, and applications that provides 400 x 400 meter gridded daily water-level data across the freshwater part...Modeling Spatial Habitat Quality for the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow
The Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) team will develop species distribution models that incorporate hydrologic and habitat variables known to influence Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow occurrence.Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Helper
The Sparrow Helper tool allows for the evaluation of water management scenarios by generating, plotting, and mapping hydrologic metrics across a range of time scales to predict impacts of proposed water depth changes to sparrow subpopulations.Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Marl Prairie Indicator
Marl prairie is the most diverse freshwater vegetation community in the Greater Everglades and provides the only suitable habitat for the federally endangered Cape Sable seaside sparrow (CSSS; Ammodramus maritimus mirabilis).