Survival analysis of a critical resource for cavity-nesting communities: patterns of tree cavity longevity

Tree cavities are a vital multi-annual resource used by cavity-nesting birds and mammals for nesting and shelter. The abundance of this resource will be influenced by the rates at which cavities are created and destroyed. We applied the demographic concepts of survival and longevity to populations of tree holes to investigate rates of loss for cavities in three tree species, as well as how characteristics of nest trees, habitat type, and species of excavator affected the persistence of tree cavities in trembling aspen, Populus tremuloides (95% of cavities were in aspen trees), in interior British Columbia, Canada. By modeling survival of 1635 nesting cavities in aspen over a time span of 16 years, we found that the decay stage of the nest tree was the most important factor determining cavity longevity. Cavities in trees with advanced decay had a relatively short median longevity of 7 years (95% CI 6-9 years), whereas those in living trees had a median longevity of more than 15 years. We found that cavity longevity was greater in continuous forest than in aspen grove habitat. Interestingly, cavities formed by weak excavators survived as long as those created by Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus), despite occurring in more decayed tree stems. Thus, weak excavators may be selecting for characteristics that make a tree persistent, such as a broken top. Our results indicate that retention of cavities in large, live aspen trees is necessary to conserve persistent cavities, and that cavity longevity will have a large effect on the structure and function of cavity-using vertebrate communities.