scholarly journals Reconciling the Chicago River for birds and people

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0256733
Author(s):  
Alexis Dyan Smith
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
Point Count ◽  
The North ◽  
Riparian Birds ◽  
Chicago River ◽  
Composition I ◽  
Native Birds ◽  
Breeding Seasons

The Chicago River’s north branch intersects multiple urban land uses, including residential, industrial, commercial, and recreational. The north branch also supports a diversity of birds exploiting a variety of resources and structures along the river as habitat. From three breeding seasons of point count surveys, I assess the breeding bird communities in four different sections, representing four different restoration or management styles. These four river sections are also very different with regards to the surrounding neighborhood demographics. These data serve as both a baseline for future studies to evaluate restoration projects along the Chicago River, and as a snapshot to compare bird diversity and community composition between these river sections given current conditions. Unsurprisingly, the section of the river with the most extensive and longest established restoration effort had the highest species richness (number of species) of native birds. In terms of aquatic and riparian birds, however, that section was comparable to river sections with much less management in measures of both species richness and species composition. I discuss ways that river restoration efforts can be sensitive to demographic context, to avoid contributing to eco-gentrification and displacement.

scholarly journals Altitudinal patterns in breeding bird species richness and density in relation to climate, habitat heterogeneity, and migration influence in South Korea

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-Yong Kim ◽  
Sanghun Lee ◽  
Man-Seok Shin ◽  
Chang-Hoon Lee ◽  
Changwan Seo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Habitat Heterogeneity ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Spring Temperature ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Main Driver ◽  
And Migration

Altitudinal patterns in the population ecology of mountain bird species are useful for predicting species occurrence and behavior. Numerous hypotheses about the complex interactions among environmental factors have been proposed; however, these remain controversial. This study investigated the causes of altitudinal patterns in breeding bird species richness and density in relation to climate, habitat heterogeneity, and migration influence in Jirisan National Park, South Korea. We conducted a field survey of 142 plots at altitudes between 200 and 1400 m above mean sea level in the breeding season. A total of 2771 individuals from 53 breeding bird species were recorded. Altitudinal patterns of species richness and density showed a hump-shaped pattern, indicating that the highest richness and density could be observed at moderate altitudes. Models constructed with 16 combinations of six variables demonstrated that species richness was positively correlated with vertical and horizontal habitat heterogeneity, and that density was positively correlated with vertical, but not horizontal, habitat heterogeneity, and negatively correlated with migrant rate. No significant relationships were found between spring temperature and species richness or density. Therefore, the observed patterns in species richness support the hypothesis that habitat heterogeneity, rather than climate, is the main driver of species richness. And neither habitat heterogeneity nor climate hypotheses fully explains the observed patterns in density. However, vertical habitat heterogeneity does likely help explain observed patterns in density. The heterospecific attraction hypothesis did not apply to the distribution of birds along the altitudinal gradient. Appropriate management of vertical habitat heterogeneity, such as vegetation cover, should be maintained for the conservation of bird diversity in this area.

scholarly journals Altitudinal patterns in breeding bird species richness and density in relation to climate, habitat heterogeneity, and migration influence in South Korea

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-Yong Kim ◽  
Sanghun Lee ◽  
Man-Seok Shin ◽  
Chang-Hoon Lee ◽  
Changwan Seo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Habitat Heterogeneity ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Spring Temperature ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Main Driver ◽  
And Migration

Altitudinal patterns in the population ecology of mountain bird species are useful for predicting species occurrence and behavior. Numerous hypotheses about the complex interactions among environmental factors have been proposed; however, these remain controversial. This study investigated the causes of altitudinal patterns in breeding bird species richness and density in relation to climate, habitat heterogeneity, and migration influence in Jirisan National Park, South Korea. We conducted a field survey of 142 plots at altitudes between 200 and 1400 m above mean sea level in the breeding season. A total of 2771 individuals from 53 breeding bird species were recorded. Altitudinal patterns of species richness and density showed a hump-shaped pattern, indicating that the highest richness and density could be observed at moderate altitudes. Models constructed with 16 combinations of six variables demonstrated that species richness was positively correlated with vertical and horizontal habitat heterogeneity, and that density was positively correlated with vertical, but not horizontal, habitat heterogeneity, and negatively correlated with migrant rate. No significant relationships were found between spring temperature and species richness or density. Therefore, the observed patterns in species richness support the hypothesis that habitat heterogeneity, rather than climate, is the main driver of species richness. And neither habitat heterogeneity nor climate hypotheses fully explains the observed patterns in density. However, vertical habitat heterogeneity does likely help explain observed patterns in density. The heterospecific attraction hypothesis did not apply to the distribution of birds along the altitudinal gradient. Appropriate management of vertical habitat heterogeneity, such as vegetation cover, should be maintained for the conservation of bird diversity in this area.

scholarly journals Using a large-scale biodiversity monitoring dataset to test the effectiveness of protected areas at conserving North-American breeding birds

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Cazalis ◽  
Soumaya Belghali ◽  
Ana S.L. Rodrigues
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
North American ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Biodiversity Monitoring ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
The North ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Declining Species

AbstractProtected areas currently cover about 15% of the global land area, and constitute one of the main tools in biodiversity conservation. Quantifying their effectiveness at protecting species from local decline or extinction involves comparing protected with counterfactual unprotected sites representing “what would have happened to protected sites had they not been protected”. Most studies are based on pairwise comparisons, using neighbour sites to protected areas as counterfactuals, but this choice is often subjective and may be prone to biases. An alternative is to use large-scale biodiversity monitoring datasets, whereby the effect of protected areas is analysed statistically by controlling for landscape differences between protected and unprotected sites, allowing a more targeted and clearly defined measure of the protected areas effect. Here we use the North American Breeding Bird Survey dataset as a case study to investigate the effectiveness of protected areas at conserving bird assemblages. We analysed the effect of protected areas on species richness, on assemblage-level abundance, and on the abundance of individual species by modelling how these metrics relate to the proportion of each site that is protected, while controlling for local habitat, altitude, productivity and for spatial autocorrelation. At the assemblage level, we found almost no relationship between protection and species richness or overall abundance. At the species level, we found that forest species are present in significantly higher abundances within protected forest sites, compared with unprotected forests, with the opposite effect for species that favour open habitats. Hence, even though protected forest assemblages are not richer than those of unprotected forests, they are more typical of this habitat. We also found some evidence that species that avoid human activities tend to be favoured by protection, but found no such effect for regionally declining species. Our results highlight the complexity of assessing protected areas effectiveness, and the necessity of clearly defining the metrics of effectiveness and the controls used in such assessments.

Bird use of native trees retained in young eucalypt plantations: species richness and use of hollows

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amelia J. Koch ◽  
Sarah A. Munks ◽  
Chris Spencer
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Breeding Site ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Eucalypt Plantations ◽  
The Common ◽  
Breeding Seasons ◽  
The Relationship

Context. The retention of mature eucalypts in plantation areas is expected to have biodiversity benefits, especially for animals with specific requirements such as hollow-using species. Aims. The aim of the current study was to examine the degree to which retained trees embedded in young (≤3 years old) eucalypt plantation provide habitat for birds, whether as a perching/foraging resource for all bird species or as a potential shelter/breeding site for hollow-using species. Methods. We examined bird use of remnant trees in young eucalypt plantations at five sites in northern Tasmania. Four 20-min surveys were done on 214 trees (101 of these had visible hollows) over two breeding seasons (2007 and 2008). Bird activity at a hollow was recorded during all four surveys, whereas the number of bird species observed in a tree was only recorded during two surveys in the first breeding season. The relationship between both species richness and hollow use with site and tree variables was explored using hierarchical partitioning. Key results. Bird species richness at a tree was most strongly related to which of the five properties the tree was located on. This may be due to differences in soil fertility and/or the amount of forested area within and around the property. Birds were observed investigating 50 hollows on 36 trees. More than one hollow was used in 10 trees and hollow use was most strongly related to hollow abundance in a tree. High re-use of particular trees (n = 15) and hollows (n = 16) indicates that retained trees vary in the type and quality of habitat they provide for hollow-using birds. The most common hollow users observed were the common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) and the striated pardalote (Pardalotus striatus). Conclusions and implications. Retaining trees in plantation areas, particularly trees with special features such as hollows, should be encouraged to provide habitat for birds and help contribute to the maintenance of bird diversity in an area.

scholarly journals Altitudinal patterns in breeding bird species richness and density in relation to climate, habitat heterogeneity, and migration influence in a temperate montane forest (South Korea)

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e4857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-Yong Kim ◽  
Sanghun Lee ◽  
Man-Seok Shin ◽  
Chang-Hoon Lee ◽  
Changwan Seo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Habitat Heterogeneity ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Spring Temperature ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Heterospecific Attraction

Altitudinal patterns in the population ecology of mountain bird species are useful for predicting species occurrence and behavior. Numerous hypotheses about the complex interactions among environmental factors have been proposed; however, these still remain controversial. This study aimed to identify the altitudinal patterns in breeding bird species richness or density and to test the hypotheses that climate, habitat heterogeneity (horizontal and vertical), and heterospecific attraction in a temperate forest, South Korea. We conducted a field survey of 142 plots at altitudes between 200 and 1,400 m a.s.l in the breeding season. A total of 2,771 individuals from 53 breeding bird species were recorded. Altitudinal patterns of species richness and density showed a hump-shaped pattern, indicating that the highest richness and density could be observed at moderate altitudes. Models constructed with 13 combinations of six variables demonstrated that species richness was positively correlated with vertical and horizontal habitat heterogeneity. Density was positively correlated with vertical, but not horizontal habitat heterogeneity, and negatively correlated with migratory bird ratio. No significant relationships were found between spring temperature and species richness or density. Therefore, the observed patterns in species richness support the hypothesis that habitat heterogeneity, rather than climate, is the main driver of species richness. Also, neither habitat heterogeneity nor climate hypotheses fully explains the observed patterns in density. However, vertical habitat heterogeneity does likely help explain observed patterns in density. The heterospecific attraction hypothesis did not apply to the distribution of birds along the altitudinal gradient. Appropriate management of vertical habitat heterogeneity, such as vegetation cover, should be maintained for the conservation of bird diversity in this area.

scholarly journals Hotspot prioritizations show sensitivity to data type

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari EA Norman ◽  
Ethan P White
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Rare Species ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Data Type ◽  
Data Types ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
The North ◽  
Total Species Richness ◽  
Map Data

ABSTRACTPrioritizing regions for conservation is essential for effectively allocating limited conservation resources. One of the most common approaches to prioritization is identifying regions with the highest biodiversity, or hotspots, typically using global range map data. Range maps are readily available at large scales for an array of taxa, but are also known to differ from local-scale survey data in the same regions. We examined how prioritizations may differ between range map and survey data using the North American Breeding Bird survey (BBS) and BirdLife International range maps as a case study. Hotspot prioritizations were generated for species richness and the richness of rare species at two scales.Total species richness patterns differed substantially between data types with at most a 41% overlap in identified hotspots. Some regions had few or no hotspots for one data type and a significant number for the other. Hotspots for rare species were more similar across the data types with 44% overlap at the larger scale. Future efforts to prioritize areas for conservation should consider differences between local-scale survey data and range maps, match data to the scale of interest, and develop methods to better downscale range map-based prioritizations to the scale of conservation decisions.

scholarly journals Elevational pattern and seasonality of avian diversity in Kaligandaki River Basin, central Himalaya

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 16927-16943
Author(s):  
Juna Neupane ◽  
Laxman Khanal ◽  
Basant Gyawali ◽  
Mukesh Kumar Chalise
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Central Himalaya ◽  
Avian Diversity ◽  
Conservation Area ◽  
Point Count ◽  
The Road

This study explored bird diversity, seasonal variation, and associated factors along an elevational gradient in an important biodiversity area (IBA) of central Nepal: the Kaligandaki River basin of Annapurna Conservation Area.  The field survey was carried out in 2019 over two seasons, winter (January and February) and summer (May and June) using the point count method.  A total of 90 sampling plots were set up from elevations of 800m (Beni) to 3,800m (Muktinath).  Data for variables including the number of fruiting trees (indicator of resource availability) and distance to the road (indicator of disturbance) were collected, and their influence on avian diversity were assessed.  The results revealed a diverse assemblage of avian fauna in the study area with consistent species richness over the two seasons.  A decline in species richness and diversity with increasing elevation was observed.  Of the different habitat types within the study area, forest and shrubland habitats showed the strongest association with bird species distribution and richness.  We emphasize the need for long-term monitoring programs with standardized sampling approaches to better understand the avifauna in the central Himalaya.

scholarly journals First assessment of bird diversity in the UNESCO Sheka Forest Biosphere Reserve, southwestern Ethiopia: species richness, distribution and potential for avian conservation

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 13850-13867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mattias Van Opstal ◽  
Bernard Oosterlynck ◽  
Million Belay ◽  
Jesse Erens ◽  
Matthias De Beenhouwer
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Point Count ◽  
Southwestern Ethiopia ◽  
The Rich ◽  
High Degree

The Sheka Zone in southwestern Ethiopia is covered by some of the largest remaining forests in the Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot.  Owing to the rich biodiversity and a high degree of endemism, it was declared as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2012 and is considered a Key Biodiversity Area.  Detailed knowledge on species diversity and distribution in the reserve is, however, severely limited.  From February to April 2016, an assessment of the bird diversity and distribution in the reserve was made for the first time through point count transects, camera-trap recordings and opportunistic observations.  In total, 244 bird species were identified, of which 19% was only found within the reserve’s designated protected zones.  Our study indicates a remarkable bird species richness across the different habitats in Sheka Forest Biosphere Reserve and can be used as a baseline for future monitoring studies and conservation planning.  

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

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.

scholarly journals Spatial Distribution of Lichens in Metrosideros excelsa in Northern New Zealand Urban Forests

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 170
Author(s):  
Gladys N. Benitez ◽  
Glenn D. Aguilar ◽  
Dan Blanchon
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Lichen Species ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Breast Height ◽  
Lichen Community ◽  
The North ◽  
The City ◽  
Lichen Flora

The spatial distribution of corticolous lichens on the iconic New Zealand pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) tree was investigated from a survey of urban parks and forests across the city of Auckland in the North Island of New Zealand. Lichens were identified from ten randomly selected trees at 20 sampling sites, with 10 sites classified as coastal and another 10 as inland sites. Lichen data were correlated with distance from sea, distance from major roads, distance from native forests, mean tree DBH (diameter at breast height) and the seven-year average of measured NO2 over the area. A total of 33 lichen species were found with coastal sites harboring significantly higher average lichen species per tree as well as higher site species richness. We found mild hotspots in two sites for average lichen species per tree and another two separate sites for species richness, with all hotspots at the coast. A positive correlation between lichen species richness and DBH was found. Sites in coastal locations were more similar to each other in terms of lichen community composition than they were to adjacent inland sites and some species were only found at coastal sites. The average number of lichen species per tree was negatively correlated with distance from the coast, suggesting that the characteristic lichen flora found on pōhutukawa may be reliant on coastal microclimates. There were no correlations with distance from major roads, and a slight positive correlation between NO2 levels and average lichen species per tree.

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