scholarly journals Associations of Breeding Birds With Fire-Influenced and Riparian-Upland Gradients in a Longleaf Pine Ecosystem

The Auk ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 123 (4) ◽  
pp. 1110-1128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer C. Allen ◽  
Sharlene M. Krieger ◽  
Jeffrey R. Walters ◽  
Jaime A. Collazo
Keyword(s):  
Fire History ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Picoides Borealis ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
Habitat Gradient ◽  
Fort Bragg ◽  
Bird Assemblage ◽  
In Fire

AbstractWe determined the effects of fire history and a riparian-upland gradient on the breeding bird community at Fort Bragg Military Installation in North Carolina, one of the largest remnant areas of the endangered longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem. Study sites were classified into two treatments: fire-intense (areas experiencing growing-season burns) and fire-suppressed (areas lacking fires). Within each treatment, bird and vegetation data were recorded at point-count stations positioned at three distances from streamhead pocosins to characterize the riparian-upland habitat gradient: 0, 75, and ≥150 m. Total bird abundance and species richness varied significantly along the riparian-upland gradient, with pocosins contributing greatly to avian biodiversity. Our data revealed strong effects of fire history and riparian-upland gradient on bird species, which we described in terms of breeding-bird assemblages. Members of the open longleaf assemblage (e.g., Red- cockaded Woodpecker [Picoides borealis], Bachman's Sparrow [Aimophila aestivalis]) were most common in fire-intense areas and at upland locations. Members of the fire-suppressed assemblage (e.g., Wood Thrush [Hylocichla mustelina], Ovenbird [Seiurus aurocapilla]) were confined to pocosins in fire-intense areas, but became more abundant in fire-suppressed areas. Members of the pocosin assemblage (e.g., Eastern Towhee [Pipilo erythropthalamus], Common Yellowthroat [Geothlypis trichas]) were largely confined to pocosins and, in some cases, were most abundant in fire-intense pocosins. Fire suppression increased structural diversity of vegetation and promoted one breeding-bird assemblage (fire-suppressed), but at the expense of two others (open longleaf, pocosin). Continued management of Fort Bragg to promote longleaf pine restoration is essential for supporting conservation of the open-longleaf bird assemblage; in addition, it will benefit the pocosin assemblage.Asociaciones de Aves Reproductivas con Áreas Influenciadas por el Fuego y con Gradientes Ribereños-Tierras Altas en un Ecosistema de Pinus palustris

scholarly journals Effects of Hardwood Reduction on Winter Birds in Northwest Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill Forests

The Auk ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 119 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Provencher ◽  
Nancy M. Gobris ◽  
Leonard A. Brennan
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Management ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Picoides Borealis ◽  
Flock Size ◽  
Reduction Techniques ◽  
Fire Exclusion ◽  
Tufted Titmouse ◽  
Red Cockaded Woodpecker ◽  
Northwest Florida

Abstract Reversing decades of fire exclusion by hardwood midstory reduction is now used to recover populations of the federally endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forest ecosystems. The effects of Red-cockaded Woodpecker management on winter birds in longleaf pine sandhill forests are largely unknown. Examining habitat use of winter migrants, some of which are declining, may influence the selection of habitat management techniques used for Red-cockaded Woodpeckers to benefit overwintering migrants. During the winters (December–February) of 1997–1998 and 1998–1999, we tested experimentally the effects of hardwood reduction treatments applied in 1995 on winter birds at Eglin Air Force Base in fire-excluded northwest Florida longleaf pine sandhills. Treatments were (1) prescribed spring burning, (2) herbicide application, (3) mechanical felling and girdling, and (4) a control where decades of fire exclusion was maintained. We also sampled winter bird flocks in frequently burned, nonexperimental reference plots to measure management success. Hardwood reduction techniques had no effect on flock species richness, which averaged 7.9 and 7.2, respectively, during 1997–1998 and 1998–1999. Larger flocks in felling and girdling and in herbicide plots were primarily due to significantly higher numbers of overwintering Chipping Sparrows (Spizella passerina), as well as resident Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and an influx of temperate migrant Pine Warblers (Dendroica pinus). In contrast, flocks in control plots were smaller (flock size and species composition in spring burn plots were intermediate) and composed of hardwood-associated species, such as Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) and Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis). The relative uses of longleaf pines and hardwoods by Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Pine Warblers, and Brown-headed Nuthatches (Sitta pusilla) during both winters best explained that winter birds present in herbicide, felling and girdling, and reference plots were more likely to forage on the same tree species and substrates than birds in spring-burned plots, and least likely to forage on the same species and substrates as birds in the control plots. Those differences corresponded to the following increasing order of hardwood stem mortality among treatments: control, spring burn (41%), felling and girdling (62%), and herbicide (92%). Repeated burning is recommended to restore the reference foraging condition because it was eight times less expensive than other techniques, which favored mostly Chipping Sparrows.

scholarly journals Use of Forested Habitat by Breeding Birds in the Gulf Coastal Plain

1998 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey E. Hill
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Slash Pine ◽  
Forested Wetland ◽  
National Forest ◽  
Forest Types ◽  
Gulf Coastal Plain ◽  
Bird Species Richness

Abstract I compared birds present during the breeding season in four forest types in the Conecuh National Forest located on the Gulf Coastal Plain in Alabama: (1) longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) that had been subject to several recent burns, (2) longleaf pine that had been subject to few or no recent burns, (3) planted slash pine (P. elliottii), and (4) various forested wetland habitats ranging from stream-side riparian habitat to cypress (Taxodium distichum) ponds. I found significantly higher total individuals and significantly higher bird species richness in the two natural forest types—burned longleaf pine and riparian habitats—than either unburned longleaf or slash pine. To maintain greatest diversity and abundance of birds, managers of forests on the Gulf Coastal Plain should (1)preserve wetland habitat, (2) not convert stands of longleaf pine to stands of slash pine, and (3) regularly burn longleaf pine stands. South. J. Appl. For. 22(3):133-137.

scholarly journals Effect of Time Elapsed after Prescribed Burning in Longleaf Pine Stands on Potential Prey of the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker

1998 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 175-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten C. New ◽  
James L. Hanula
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Picoides Borealis ◽  
Litter Layer ◽  
Prescribed Burns ◽  
Arthropod Diversity ◽  
Pine Trees ◽  
Red Cockaded Woodpecker

Abstract The effects of dormant and growing season prescribed burns on the potential arthropod prey of the red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) were studied in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) stands on the upper Coastal Plain of South Carolina. Sampling was conducted 0, 1, 2, or 3 yr post-burn. Stands were burned once during the winters of 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994 or in the summer of 1992. Four types of traps sampled arthropods in the litter layer, the herbaceous understory, and on the bole of pine trees. Woodpecker prey abundance and biomass were sampled continuously from June 30, 1993 to June 30, 1994. Overall arthropod diversity was sampled seasonally in June, October, January, and April of the same year. The different trap types had similar arthropod diversity and evenness, but most had low faunal overlap which indicates that they effectively sampled different parts of the arthropod community. When captures from all trap and prey types were combined for each plot no significant differences were found among winter burned plots or between winter and summer burned plots. However, certain prey types were affected by burning. Among stands burned in winter, spider abundance was highest in samples from the soil/litter layer of stands burned 3 yr prior to sampling. Comparison of stands burned in winter 1992 to those burned in the summer showed that the winter 1992 burns had higher spider and ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) biomass on the tree boles. Spiders appeared to be the only group affected by winter burning while spiders and ants were affected by the summer burning. In general, time elapsed after the prescribed burns were applied had little effect on the primary arthropod prey of the red-cockaded woodpecker. South. J. Appl. For. 22(3):175-183.

Structure of the breeding bird assemblage of a primeval alder swamp in the Šúr National Nature Reserve

Biologia ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Korňan
Keyword(s):  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Total Density ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
National Nature Reserve ◽  
Study Plot ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Bird Assemblage

AbstractThe structure of a breeding bird assemblage of a primeval alder swamp in the Šúr National Nature Reserve (the Danube Basin) was studied in the period 1992–1995. A 16 ha forest interior study plot was established for bird censusing. Population abundances were estimated by a combined version of the mapping method from the end of March to the beginning of July. Altogether, 42 breeders were recorded and the mean total density of species total across years was 125.15 ± 12.73 pairs/10 ha (CV = 10.17%). Two species were eudominant (≥ 10%): Sturnus vulgaris and Anas platyrhynchos, and six species were dominant (5% ≤ 10% <): Ficedula albicollis, Fringilla coelebs, Phylloscopus collybita, Parus major, Sylvia atricapilla, Erithacus rubecula. The Shannon diversity index (H′) varied between 3.98–4.10 bites. The evenness index (J′) reached values between 0.79–0.81. Expected species diversity in a random sample of 100 pairs calculated by rarefaction [E (S 100 pairs)] was 21.35 ± 0.92 species derived as a mean value from the years 1992–1995. The mean rarefaction estimate on the area [E (S 10 ha)] was 22.75 ± 1.58 species. Bird species richness and diversity were significantly higher in the study plot in comparison to the mean value of European wet alder forests. These results are comparable with the values of structural assemblage parameters of the primeval stands dominated by alder within the Białowieża National Park, Poland.

Response of Six-Lined Racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineata) to Habitat Restoration in Fire-Suppressed Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) Sandhills

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Steen ◽  
Lora L. Smith ◽  
Gail Morris ◽  
L. Mike Conner ◽  
Andrea R. Litt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Restoration ◽  
Longleaf Pine ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
In Fire

scholarly journals Clearcut Stand Size and Scrub-Successional Bird Assemblages

The Auk ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 913-924 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Krementz ◽  
Jeffrey S. Christie
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Pinus Palustris ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Bird Assemblage ◽  
Mist Net

Abstract We investigated the effects of clearcut stand size on species richness, reproductive effort, and relative abundance of scrub-successional birds and the entire bird assemblage at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. We used standardized mist-net grids to mark and recapture birds in clearcuts replanted with longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) in stands of 2 to 57 ha that were two to six years old. Species richness for the entire bird assemblage was not explained by stand size (P = 0.67), stand age (P = 0.95), or the interaction of these two variables (P = 0.90). Similarly, species richness of scrub-successional birds was not explained by stand size (P = 0.63), stand age (P = 0.55), or the interaction of stand size and stand age (P = 0.35). Regressing species richness on clearcut stand size, we found a significant negative relationship between these variables for the entire bird assemblage (P = 0.01) and for scrub-successional birds (P = 0.02). The ratio of juveniles to adults in mist-net samples varied by year (P = 0.04), but neither clearcut size (P = 0.23) nor the interaction of clearcut size and year (P = 0.25) was related to the ratio of juveniles to adults in the sample. We found no relationship between the frequency of capture of any category of birds and stand size (scrub-successional, P = 0.52; woodland, P = 0.77; combined sample, P = 0.55). Neither bird-species richness, reproductive effort, nor relative abundance differed across clearcut stand sizes. Clearcut stand size does not appear to be an important management variable if variation in species richness, reproductive effort, or relative abundance are objectives. We suggest that even-aged forestry is a useful tool for managing birds in the southeastern United States.

scholarly journals Interannual dynamics of breeding bird assemblage within the Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (Minsk)

2020 ◽  
pp. 66-74
Author(s):  
Vital V. Sakhvon ◽  
Karyna A. Fedorynchik
Keyword(s):  
Census Data ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Botanical Garden ◽  
National Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Cyanistes Caeruleus ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
Bird Density ◽  
Interannual Dynamics ◽  
Bird Assemblage ◽  
Academy Of Sciences

We studied the dynamics of the composition and diversity of breeding bird assemblage within the Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus in Minsk during 2016–2019 and compared with census data from breeding seasons of 1982–1985 and 1991–1992. Total 86 species were recorded and the breeding was confirmed for 59 of them. The interannual dynamics of breeding density for 42 species is analysed. Overall bird densities varied from 2.03 pairs/ha to 8.76 pairs/ha during single year; 16 species (Fringilla coelebs, Erithacus rubecula, Turdus merula, T. philomelos, T. pilaris, Parus major, Cyanistes caeruleus, Sylvia atricapilla, S. borin, S. curruca, Phylloscopus sibilatrix, Ph. collybita, Ph. trochilus, Sturnus vulgaris, Pica pica and Columba palumbus) were shown to be the dominants in assemblage during these years. We found that there was increased in species richness (17 new breeding species appeared, 2 breeding species disappeared) and the overall breeding bird density (by almost 3– 4 times) since 1982. The main factors explaining the dynamics of some assemblage characteristics such as synurbization of some bird species and change in habitat structure are discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document