A Predation Gradient on the American Prairie Reserve

Predation is one of the leading causes of reproductive failure in birds. The indirect effects of predation also weigh heavily upon the outcome of success. Some of these indirect impacts are regarded as part of the "cost" of fear of predation, more commonly referred to as the "cost of fear." I examined clutch size, clutch mass, and egg mass in Horned Larks and Chestnut-collared Longspurs in eastern Montana along a unique predation gradient.