EVIDENCE OF POSITIVE INDIRECT EFFECTS WITHIN A COMMUNITY OF CAVITY-NESTING VERTEBRATES

Abstract

I I 3 peg spees, e spees ls hve psve dre ee her b sppressg hrd, shred per. We exe he pel r slr ers g Red-kded Wdpekers (Picoides borealis) d w s v klepprses: sher flg sqrrels (Glaucomys volans) d Red-belled Wdpekers (Melanerpes carolinus). We hpheszed h flg sqrrels hve psve dre ee Red-kded Wdpekers b sppressg Red-belled Wdpekers. We red p Red-kded Wdpeker ves 16 errres r e er, d he reglrl reved flg sqrrels r Red-kded Wdpeker ves r e er egh errres, eh pred wh rl. We preded h flg sqrrel revl wld pevel relese Red-belled Wdpekers, whh r wld preep psve p respse b Red-kded Wdpekers. Drg he revl phse, flg sqrrel p deresed 53% he revl errres relve rls (0.46 vs. 0.96 ves ped per err-r), whle Red-belled Wdpeker p resed 46% (1.00 vs. 0.69 ves per errr). Red-belled Wdpeker p resed 103% he revls r Jl Deeber he revl phse, whe s Red-kded Wdpeker fledglgs, pel helpers, d dspersers qre ves. Red-kded Wd-pekers led respd psvel he revls, pprel bese Red-belled Wdpekers rpdl -ped he eved ves. The resls re sse wh he hphess h flg sqrrels drel beefi Red-kded Wdpekers b sppressg Red-belled Wdpekers. Ths dre ee pprxel -erbled he dre egve ee