Simulation of annual productivity and long-term population trends of white-winged doves in the Tamaulipan Biotic Province
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abstract
We present a model that synthesizes decades of field data on white-winged doves (Zenaida asiatica asiatica; WWDO) in the Tamaulipan Biotic Province. The model is represented as a discrete-time, deterministic compartment model based on difference equations with a one-week time step designed to simulate annual productivity and long-term trends in abundance. We evaluated the model by comparing simulated annual productivity and long-term population trends to field data. Based on simulation results, we identified apparent inconsistencies in the database; we could not generate the observed annual production index with the model parameterized based on field nest success and survivorship data, nor could we generate a stable long-term population trend with the model parameterized based on suggested sustainable harvest rates and empirically-based estimates of migratory return rates. Simulation results suggest that nest success might be closer to 22% (rather than 35%). A similar trend resulted when simulated hunting pressure was increased by 25% (to 31%), or return rates of migrating juveniles and adults were decreased by 5.5 and 5.0%, to 69 and 77%, respectively, with all other values at the baseline level. For these reasons, until better estimates of nest success and migratory return rates are available, model predictions must be viewed with caution. 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
