Do bird species richness and community structure vary with mistletoe flowering and fruiting in Western Australia?

Habitat complexity is an important factor governing species richness and habitat selection in birds. The present study examined this relationship in a large wandoo woodland in Western Australia. Habitat complexity (comprising canopy, shrub, ground vegetation, log and leaf litter cover) and bird species richness was recorded in 48 sites, each ~3 ha in size. We found no significant correlation of habitat complexity with species richness. We propose that the absence of such a relationship results from the resource-poor environment of the woodlands of south-western Australia. The relative scarcity of food resources results in a species richness threshold beyond which there are insufficient niches and resources to support additional species with increasing habitat complexity. Only two species exhibited significant associations with habitat complexity, with the western yellow robin (Eopsaltria griseogularis) occupying sites with higher habitat complexity, and the restless flycatcher (Myiagra inquieta) occupying sites with lower habitat complexity. Although some species may respond specifically to habitat complexity, management of avian biodiversity within Australian woodlands should take into account the potentially greater role that productivity and resource availability play in influencing species richness, rather than habitat complexity per se. Furthermore, the individual components comprising habitat complexity may be of equal importance in assessing relationship of species richness to overall habitat complexity.

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The effect of recent chaining on birds in the eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia

Pacific Conservation Biology ◽

10.1071/pc060168 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 168 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Graham R. Fulton ◽

Jonathan D. Majer

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Habitat Fragmentation ◽

Western Australia ◽

Threatened Species ◽

Bird Species ◽

Native Vegetation ◽

Ecological Consequences ◽

Bird Species Richness ◽

Woodland Birds ◽

Near Threatened

The decline of woodland birds that follows from habitat fragmentation, degradation and loss of connectivity is well reported in the literature. However, reports of immediate responses by birds to these events are scant. This study, in the eastern whealtbelt of Western Australia, detected that when half of a 10 ha remnant of Allocasuarina shrubland was chained (vegetation knocked over and largely killed), birds responded quickly; increaser species apparently benefited and decliner species became restricted to the remaining unchained remnant of shrubland. There was some correspondence between the trends in variety and/or abundance of arthropods with those of bird species richness. Two Near-threatened species, the White-browed Babbler Pomatostomus supercilious and the Crested Bellbird Oreoica gutturalis, were only detected in the non-chained part of the remnant. These findings clearly highlight the immediate ecological consequences of clearing of native vegetation, and highlight the importance of conserving even the smallest remaining fragments.

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Short-term logging and burning impacts on species richness, abundance and community structure of birds in open eucalypt forest in Western Australia

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr02058 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 321 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Ian Abbott ◽

Amanda Mellican ◽

Michael D. Craig ◽

Matthew Williams ◽

Graeme Liddelow ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Community Structure ◽

Western Australia ◽

Bird Species ◽

The Other ◽

Short Term ◽

Eucalyptus Marginata ◽

External Reference ◽

One Year ◽

The Impact

In 1985 new silvicultural prescriptions for managing jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest in south-west Western Australia came into operation. The most extreme logging treatment (gap release) involved removal of most of the overstorey from patches no larger than 10 ha, followed by a regeneration fire. In the other logging treatment (shelterwood), less wood was removed from a larger area, also followed by a fire. This study examined the impact of these disturbances on the avifauna by monitoring species richness and abundance of birds one year before logging, one year before burning, and for five years after burning. Although 68 bird species were recorded during the seven years of the study, 29 of these were detected fewer than 15 times. Of the other 39 bird species recorded, only two (Gerygone fusca and Acanthiza apicalis) showed a statistically significant treatment effect over time on their abundance. The abundance of G. fusca initially declined in the disturbed treatments and by Year 7 of the study (5 years post-fire) in the gap-release treatment had not recovered its original abundance. A. apicalis increased its abundance in both shelterwood and gap-release treatments. By Year 7, both species in the logged treatments had abundances similar to those in the unlogged treatments. Total abundance of all species varied little across treatments. Species richness was highest by Year 7 in the shelterwood and lowest in the gap-release treatment. In some years community structure varied more at the external-reference sites (not recently logged or burnt) than at the gap-release sites. In particular, there was little overlap in community structure in the external-reference treatment between the first and final years, whereas the pre-logging and final year in the gap-release treatment showed a high degree of overlap. These differences are suggestive of overriding short-term annual variation in broad-scale factors rather than local factors. Yearly variation in rainfall and temperature was documented; during low rainfall periods, populations of foliage arthropods may have been reduced.

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Functional evenness of bird communities varies along the elevational gradient in Europe: Conservation implications

10.32942/osf.io/sx9n8 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Federico Morelli ◽

Yanina

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Elevation Gradient ◽

Bird Species ◽

Elevational Gradient ◽

Negative Association ◽

Bird Communities ◽

Breeding Bird ◽

Bird Species Richness ◽

Large Spatial Scale ◽

Functional Evenness

ContextThe negative association between elevation and species richness is a well-recognized pattern in macro-ecology. ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate changes in functional evenness of breeding bird communities along an elevation gradient in Europe. MethodsUsing the bird data from the EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds we estimated an index of functional evenness which can be assumed as a measure of the potential resilience of communities.ResultsOur findings confirm the existence of a negative association between elevation and bird species richness in all European eco regions. However, we also explored a novel aspect of this relationship, important for conservation: Our findings provide evidence at large spatial scale of a negative association between the functional evenness (potential community resilience) and elevation, independent of the eco region. We also found that the Natura2000 protected areas covers the territory most in need of protection, those characterized by bird communities with low potential resilience, in hilly and mountainous areas.ConclusionsThese results draw attention to European areas occupied by bird communities characterized by a potential lower capacity to respond to strong ecological changes, and, therefore, potentially more exposed to risks for conservation.

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Patterns of bird species richness explained by annual variation in remotely sensed Dynamic Habitat Indices

Ecological Indicators ◽

10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107774 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 127 ◽

pp. 107774

Author(s):

Martina L. Hobi ◽

Laura S. Farwell ◽

Maxim Dubinin ◽

Dmitrij Kolesov ◽

Anna M. Pidgeon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Annual Variation ◽

Bird Species ◽

Remotely Sensed ◽

Bird Species Richness ◽

Dynamic Habitat

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Can clearcuts increase bird species richness in managed forests?

Journal of Forest Science ◽

10.17221/787-jfs ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 54 (No. 4) ◽

pp. 189-193

Author(s):

M. Żmihorski

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Bird Species ◽

Bird Communities ◽

Cumulative Number ◽

Managed Forests ◽

Managed Forest ◽

Bird Species Richness ◽

Forest Interior ◽

Transect Counts ◽

The Difference

Clearcuts are one of the results of forest management. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of clearcuts on bird communities in a managed forest in Western Poland. I applied the method of point transect counts. 20 points were located near clearcuts (less than 100 m from the nearest clearcut) and 25 points in the forest interior. In total, 36 bird species were recorded. On average, I found 9.20 bird species at points located near clearcuts and 6.72 species at points situated in the forest interior, and the difference was significant. The cumulative number of bird species for a given number of sampling points in the vicinity of clearcuts was higher than in the forest interior. The obtained results indicate that in managed, even-aged forests the generation of clearcuts can lead to an increase in local bird species richness.

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