Space use and movements during egg laying associated with nest fate and female survival in eastern wild turkeys

Reproduction is a fundamental aspect of a species’ life history that is
energetically costly, yet critical for population sustainability and
genetic diversity. Wild turkeys exhibit high rates of nest loss and female
mortality during reproduction, prompting females to make decisions related
to spatial and movement decisions during nesting. Using GPS data from
eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris), we assessed female
movements and space use during laying and evaluated potential impacts of
those metrics on nest success and female survival during incubation. We
used a Bayesian logistic regression to estimate nest success and female
survival based on space use, daily movements, and range overlap with
conspecifics during the laying period. We found that with each increase of
~ 700 m in average daily distance traveled during laying, there was a
1.73% decrease in the probability of nest success. We also found that
having a greater number of conspecific females with overlapping core areas
had a positive influence on nest fate. Specifically, an increase of 1
overlapping female (one standard deviation) was associated with an 4.76%
increase in the probability of nest success. Conversely, we found weak
support that female survival was positively related to increasing average
daily distances traveled. Our findings suggest that female wild turkeys
perceive reproductive advantages to sharing space with conspecifics during
the laying period. Conversely, our findings suggest that movements of
female wild turkeys within their reproductive period may only weakly
influence metrics of reproductive success during both laying and
incubation.