Wildlife Communities Associated with Even-Aged Reproduction Stands in Two State Forests of Pennsylvania

Abstract The effects of even-aged forest management on wildlife have been studied extensively in the northeastern United States. The Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry recently adopted a new forest management practice termed "even-aged reproduction stands with reservation guidelines," hereafter termed EAR stands, which is intended to replace clearcutting as the primary method of even-aged forest management. We examined wildlife communities (breeding birds and small mammals) in 16 stands (8 EAR stands and 8 reference) in central Pennsylvania from February to October 1995. Species richness and abundances of total birds, foraging guilds, and individual species did not differ (P > 0.05) between large (> 30) and small (< 20 ha) EAR stands. Bird species richness was similar between EAR and reference stands, but abundances of total birds, ground-shrub foragers,common yellowthroats (Geothylpis trichas), and chipping sparrows (Spizella passerina) were significantly higher in EAR than in reference stands. Conversely, abundances of canopy-sallier foragers and red-eyed vireos (Vireo olivaceus) were considerably higher (P < 0.05) in reference than EAR stands. Abundance of the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) was significantly (P < 0.01) higher in small compared to large EAR stands but was similar between EAR and reference stands. Because of the concerns about forest fragmentation, we recommend that EAR stands be less than 40 ha in size, which is typical of those created by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry. Overstory trees and snags in EAR stands serve as important substrates for breeding birds. Furthermore, EAR guidelines promote regeneration and growth of a dense layer of vegetation near ground level which is beneficial to wildlife. North. J. Appl. For. 16(2):89-95.

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Habitat heterogeneity drives bird species richness, nestedness and habitat selection by individual species in fluvial wetlands of the Paraná River, Argentina

Austral Ecology ◽

10.1111/aec.12375 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 41 (7) ◽

pp. 829-841 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Rodrigo E. Lorenzón ◽

Adolfo H. Beltzer ◽

Pamela F. Olguin ◽

Ana L. Ronchi-Virgolini

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Habitat Selection ◽

Habitat Heterogeneity ◽

Bird Species ◽

Paraná River ◽

Individual Species ◽

Bird Species Richness ◽

Parana River ◽

Fluvial Wetlands

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Bushland modification and styles of urban development: their effects on birds in south-east Queensland

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr96078 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 41 ◽

Cited By ~ 100

Author(s):

Sven R. Sewell ◽

Carla P. Catterall

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Native Species ◽

Bird Species ◽

Individual Species ◽

Bird Abundance ◽

Bird Species Richness ◽

Forest Clearing ◽

Major Response ◽

Forest Remnants ◽

High Species Richness

Variation in bird assemblages associated with forest clearing and urbanisation in the greater Brisbane area was assessed by counting birds in sites within six habitat categories: large remnants, small remnants, no- understorey remnants, canopy suburbs (original trees present), planted suburbs, and bare suburbs. Total bird abundance and species richness were generally highest in canopy suburbs. Individual species showed many significant abundance differences among the habitat types, and were classified into three major response categories: bushland species (3 in summer, 13 in winter), tolerant species (13 in summer, 13 in winter), and suburban species (12 in summer, 11 in winter). The commonly proposed notion that urbanisation results in lowered bird species richness and increases in introduced species is broadly consistent with the observed differences between bare suburbs and large remnants. However, it does not adequately describe the situation in the planted and canopy suburbs, where there was high species richness and extremely high abundance of some native species (including noisy miners, lorikeets, friarbirds, and butcherbirds) but low abundance of a majority of the species common in the original habitats (including fantails, wrens, whistlers, and other small insectivores). Retained forest remnants are essential for the latter group. Urban plantings of prolifically flowering native species do not reverse the effects of deforestation, but promote a distinctive group of common native suburban bird species. Origins of the urban bird assemblage are discussed.

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The terrestrial vertebrate fauna of Litchfield National Park, Northern Territory: monitoring over a 6-year period and response to fire history

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr03077 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 31 (6) ◽

pp. 587 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

J. C. Z. Woinarski ◽

M. Armstrong ◽

O. Price ◽

J. McCartney ◽

A. D. Griffiths ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Species Composition ◽

National Park ◽

Fire History ◽

Type I Error ◽

Bird Species ◽

Individual Species ◽

Sampling Effort ◽

Type I ◽

Bird Species Richness

Forty-seven 50 m × 50 m quadrats were sampled systematically for vertebrates at Litchfield National Park, northern Australia, in both 1995–96 and 2001–02. A total of 184 vertebrate species was recorded from this sampling, of which 92 species were recorded from five or more quadrats. There was substantial change in the reported species composition of these quadrats between these two periods: the mean Bray–Curtis index for similarity in species composition from the baseline to subsequent sampling of a quadrat was only 22.1 (for an index that varies from 0 for complete turnover in species to 100 for unchanged composition). For individual species, correlations across quadrats in the abundance scores from baseline to resampling varied from –0.12 to 0.85. Matched-pairs testing showed that there was significant change in abundance for 18 species from the baseline to repeat sampling, and significant increase in total bird species richness and total native mammal abundance, but significant decrease in reptile species richness. Fire history was recorded biannually for 40 of the 47 quadrats. Fire was very frequent, with quadrats being burnt in an average of 3.65 years of the six years between fauna samples. Three aspects of this fire history (total number of years of fires, number of fires in the late dry season, and interval from the last fire to the date of resampling) were related to change in the fauna composition of quadrats. Neither the similarity in species composition, nor change in richness or total abundance of all vertebrates or of the four taxonomic classes considered (frogs, reptiles, birds and mammals) were significantly correlated with these components of the fire history of sampled quadrats. This lack of association was possibly because the monitoring period was too short to show pronounced directional change, because the system was responding to many factors other than fire, because the variations in abundance were too large and the number of samples too small to detect true associations, or because fire histories preceding baseline sampling were not considered. The apparent instability of fauna species and communities in this system provides a considerable challenge for broad-brush (that is, vertebrate community–wide) monitoring. Power analysis demonstrated that, for most species, more than 1000 sample sites are needed to be 90% certain of detecting a 20% change in abundance, and with a 10% chance of accepting a Type I error. This level of sampling effort is commensurate with the current level of vertebrate sampling in this region. Broad-brush monitoring approaches such as described here are valuable, but need also to be complemented by more targetted monitoring for individual threatened species or species of particular management interest.

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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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Bird species richness and abundance in riparian vegetation invaded by exotic Reynoutria spp.

Biologia ◽

10.2478/s11756-013-0296-x ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 69 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Lenka Hajzlerová ◽

Jiří Reif

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Plant Species ◽

Riparian Vegetation ◽

Bird Species ◽

Plant Invasions ◽

Alien Plant ◽

Bird Species Richness ◽

River Bank ◽

Management Actions ◽

Acrocephalus Palustris

AbstractImpacts of invasive alien plant species are threatening biodiversity worldwide and thus it is important to assess their effects on particular groups of organisms. However, such impacts were studied mostly in case of plant or invertebrate communities and our understanding the response of vertebrate species to plant invasions remains incomplete. To improve our knowledge in this respect, we studied bird communities in riparian vegetation along the rivers with different levels of Reynoutria spp. invasion in the Czech Republic. These findings will be interesting for basic ecology enhancing our knowledge of consequences of plant invasions, as well as for conservation practice. We surveyed understory bird species in 26 vegetation blocks along parts of three rivers running from the Beskydy Mountains in spring 2011. We used principal component analysis to assess vegetation structure of particular blocks and the first axis ordinated the blocks according to the degree of invasion by Reynoutria spp. Using generalized linear mixed-effects models we found that counts of Motacilla cinerea, Cinclus cinclus and Sylvia borin, as well as the total bird species richness, significantly decreased with increasing degree of Reynoutria spp. invasion, while Acrocephalus palustris showed the opposite pattern. These results suggest that Reynoutria spp. impacts negatively on the species strictly bond with river banks and habitats specialists, whereas habitat generalist species like Sylvia atricapilla were not affected. Preference of Acrocephalus palustris for Reynoutria spp. corroborates affinity of this species to large invasive herbs observed also in other studies. Our study showed that Reynoutria spp. invasion can reduce species richness of understory birds in riparian communities. Although the distribution of this plant species is still quite limited in central Europe, our results suggest that its more widespread occurrence could potentially threat some river bank bird species. Therefore, we urge for development of management actions that will act counter the Reynoutria spp. invasion.

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Modelling avian biodiversity using raw, unclassified satellite imagery

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2013.0197 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 369 (1643) ◽

pp. 20130197 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Véronique St-Louis ◽

Anna M. Pidgeon ◽

Tobias Kuemmerle ◽

Ruth Sonnenschein ◽

Volker C. Radeloff ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Habitat Heterogeneity ◽

Bird Species ◽

Image Texture ◽

Spectral Mixture Analysis ◽

Mixture Analysis ◽

Bird Species Richness ◽

Habitat Composition ◽

Avian Biodiversity ◽

Spectral Mixture

Applications of remote sensing for biodiversity conservation typically rely on image classifications that do not capture variability within coarse land cover classes. Here, we compare two measures derived from unclassified remotely sensed data, a measure of habitat heterogeneity and a measure of habitat composition, for explaining bird species richness and the spatial distribution of 10 species in a semi-arid landscape of New Mexico. We surveyed bird abundance from 1996 to 1998 at 42 plots located in the McGregor Range of Fort Bliss Army Reserve. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index values of two May 1997 Landsat scenes were the basis for among-pixel habitat heterogeneity (image texture), and we used the raw imagery to decompose each pixel into different habitat components (spectral mixture analysis). We used model averaging to relate measures of avian biodiversity to measures of image texture and spectral mixture analysis fractions. Measures of habitat heterogeneity, particularly angular second moment and standard deviation, provide higher explanatory power for bird species richness and the abundance of most species than measures of habitat composition. Using image texture, alone or in combination with other classified imagery-based approaches, for monitoring statuses and trends in biological diversity can greatly improve conservation efforts and habitat management.

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