Effects on Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow Demography

Restoration of the Everglades ecosystem not only requires 'getting the water right' but also 'getting the fire right'. The two are intimately linked because over-drying ofthis fire-prone ecosystem tends to favor frequent and large-scale fire events. Such alterations of the natural fire regime have had detrimental effects on native species and habitats of the Everglades. This includes the decline of the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow. This sparrow is endemic to the Everglades, and its life history makes it particularly susceptible to alterations in water flow. Although altered fire regimes have been implicated in the decline of several eastern subpopulations, there has been very little direct examination of the influence of fire on sparrow population numbers or demographic rates (i.e. survival and fecundity). This proposal provides funding for on-going research on the relationship of sparrow demography to an unplanned fire event that occurred in 2001 within subpopulation E. Thus far the project has documented limited use of fire-altered habitat by sparrows. The continuation of the research will allow documentation of the exact year post-fire that sparrows returned to burned habitat, and follow any potential longer-term impacts of fire on sparrow populations (e.g., increased predation pressure). In the process, this project can examine the relationship between vegetation recovery/succession and sparrow occupancy. Beyond the direct information gained from monitoring this study population throughout its recovery, using the field-derived data on demography we will build matrix models that can be used to simulate the fate of sparrow populations given various fire and water resource management options. Funds are also requested to support a statistical analysis of the Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow extensive survey. This analysis will allow managers and researchers to better evaluate the biological meaning of changes in sparrow numbers through time and space, including assessing the role of fire in observed subpopulation declines.