Bird community response to fruit energy

The eastern spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana Clem., (hereafter budworm) is responsible for the largest areas of insect-caused disturbance in North America, and as such, is an important part of spruce–fir forest change and succession. The insectivorous forest bird community shows large and rapid responses to budworm outbreaks. There is good evidence that there are budworm-linked species (bay-breasted, Cape May, and Tennessee warblers) that respond to budworm outbreak much more strongly and consistently than other species, probably through increased productivity of local populations when budworm are abundant. There also appears to be a more widespread positive bird community response to budworm outbreak that involves many more species. The response is evident in local and regional scale studies, but individual species’ responses across studies are not always consistent, probably because of the relatively small number of studies conducted in a wide variety of contexts. Budworm outbreaks provide a short-term increase in food supply for birds, but also result in longer-term habitat change due to budworm-induced defoliation and tree mortality. Birds appear to influence budworm cycles, mostly at endemic population levels, through predation of large larvae and pupae. There are good arguments suggesting that bird predation is not the primary cause of budworm oscillations, but may play a role in determining the mean level of oscillations. Climate change is expected to change the bird–budworm relationship through changes in fire regimes, spruce–fir distributions, bird distributions, and budworm and bird phenology.

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Bird community response to Marcellus shale gas development

Journal of Wildlife Management ◽

10.1002/jwmg.21117 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 80 (7) ◽

pp. 1301-1313 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Ethan P. Barton ◽

Sarah E. Pabian ◽

Margaret C. Brittingham

Keyword(s):

Shale Gas ◽

Marcellus Shale ◽

Bird Community ◽

Community Response

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Identifying Avian Community Response to Sagebrush Vegetation Restoration in Grand Teton National Park

The UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports ◽

10.13001/uwnpsrc.2013.3979 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 36 ◽

pp. 36-45

Author(s):

Tracey Johnson ◽

Anna Chalfoun

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Grassland Birds ◽

Bird Community ◽

Community Response ◽

Sagebrush Steppe ◽

Native Grasses ◽

Shrub Cover ◽

Bare Ground ◽

Breeding Bird ◽

Grand Teton National Park

Approximately 50-60% of native sagebrush steppe has been lost to non-native grasses, which has contributed to population decreases for sagebrush-associated songbirds. Removal of non-native grasses and restoration treatments may return structure and function of sagebrush steppe and ultimately benefit songbirds, but their responses must be evaluated. To determine breeding songbird community responses to sagebrush restoration treatments, in 2013 we conducted bird surveys at restored plots at the Kelly Hayfields restoration area in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. We compared bird communities and vegetation characteristics in restored plots to plots that were unrestored and to areas of native sagebrush steppe as starting and endpoints for restoration, respectively. Unrestored plots were dominated by non-native grasses; restored plots were dominated by forbs and bare ground and had very little shrub cover (< 0.1%). Native sagebrush plots were dominated by shrubs and native bunchgrasses. Bird community composition was distinct among the three types of plots. Abundance of grassland birds was highest in unrestored plots, and was positively related to cover of non-native grass and litter depth. Abundance of shrubland birds was highest in native sagebrush, and was positively associated with shrub cover. There were very few detections of birds in restored plots, and most species were negatively associated with the high levels of bare ground that characterized these plots. Restored areas may initially (â¤5 yrs) provide little breeding bird habitat, which should be accounted for when determining schedules of restoration treatments at Kelly Hayfields.

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Bird Community Response to Timber Stand Improvement and Snag Retention

Northern Journal of Applied Forestry ◽

10.1093/njaf/7.1.35 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 35-38 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

H. Lee Stribling ◽

Harvey R. Smith ◽

Richard H. Yahner

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Bird Community ◽

Community Response ◽

Insectivorous Birds ◽

Bird Populations ◽

Cavity Nesting ◽

Forest Managers

Abstract Avian surveys were conducted from May-July, 1985 on four study areas in the Moshannon State Forest, Clearfield Co., PA. We compared bird populations and communities in Timber Stand Improvement areas to Timber Stand Improvement areas with snags retained (TSI vs. TSI + SNAG, respectively). Bird numbers averaged 1.7 times higher on the TSI + SNAG area than on the TSI area. Average species richness also was significantly higher on TSI + SNAG. Retention of snags was important to bark-gleaning and cavity-nesting birds. During TSI operations, forest managers can improve habitat for cavity-nesting and bark-gleaning birds by leaving snags. The costs of leaving snags is low, and the long-term benefits provided by insectivorous birds outweigh the costs. North. J. Appl. For. 7(1):35-38, March 1990.

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Metrics for conservation success: using the ‘Bird-Friendliness Index’ to evaluate grassland and aridland bird community resilience across the Northern Great Plains ecosystem

10.1101/868356 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Nicole L. Michel ◽

Curtis Burkhalter ◽

Chad B. Wilsey ◽

Matt Holloran ◽

Alison Holloran ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Great Plains ◽

Habitat Management ◽

Management Practices ◽

Temporal Trends ◽

Bird Community ◽

Community Resilience ◽

Community Response ◽

Bird Communities ◽

Northern Great Plains ◽

Management Plans

AbstractAimEvaluating conservation effectiveness is essential to protect at-risk species and to maximize the limited resources available to land managers. Over 60% of North American grassland and aridlands have been lost since the 1800s. Birds in these habitats are among the most imperiled in North America, yet most remaining habitats are unprotected. Despite the need to measure impact, conservation efforts on private and working lands are rarely evaluated, due in part to limited availability of suitable methods.LocationNorthern Great PlainsMethodsWe developed a novel metric to evaluate grassland and aridland bird community response to habitat management practices, the Bird-Friendliness Index (BFI), consisting of density estimates of grassland and aridland birds weighted by conservation need and a functional diversity metric to incorporate resiliency. We used the BFI to inform three assessments: 1) a spatial prioritization to identify ecologically significant areas for grassland and aridland birds, 2) estimation of temporal trends in grassland and aridland bird community resilience, and 3) evaluation of the effects of land management practices on grassland and aridland bird communities.ResultsThe most resilient bird communities were found in the Prairie Potholes region of Alberta, Saskatchewan, northern Montana, and North Dakota, and the lowest BFI values in the southern and western regions of the Northern Great Plains. BFI values varied little over time on average, but trends varied regionally, largely in response to interannual relative variability in grassland and aridland bird densities.Main conclusionsBFI values increased in response to simulated habitat management, suggesting that practices recommended for use in bird-friendly grassland habitat management plans will increase the abundance and resilience of the grassland and aridland bird community, and will be detected using the BFI. The BFI is a tool by which conservationists and managers can carry out accountable conservation now and into the future.

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