ABSTRACT
Demography is the foundation of conservation directed at influencing population growth. A review of 39 species of plover revealed the disparity in our understanding of their vital rates and population biology. A few species have been well studied (Kentish, Snowy, Piping, and Mountain plovers), which contrasts with the dearth of knowledge for most others. Nest survival is the best-studied vital rate and many species have an approximately 50% chance of producing young from a single nesting attempt. Nest survival patterns vary in response to intrinsic factors such as nest age, season, adult fitness, and egg quality and extrinsic factors such as habitat at the nest site, and anthropogenic influences. Many studies examined the role of predator control and exclusion and found that, while exclosures lead to increased hatching success, the contribution to long-term population growth was less certain. Age-specific survival rates have been well studied in just a few species and reveal a pattern of low chick survival (often <0.10 for some species, but highly variable), moderate juvenile survival (0.20–0.50 for most species), and relatively high adult survival (0.60–0.80 for most species). No strong patterns appear to exist between clutch size and either nest survival or adult annual survival. Detailed population models exist for a few species of plover, providing a valuable conservation planning tool. Future population-level work on plovers should emphasize studies of age-specific annual survival (chicks, juveniles, and adults) and development of population models to address management and conservation concerns.
