Seasonal Changes in Bird Communities of the Chaparral and Blue-Oak Woodlands in Central California

The Condor ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. Avery ◽  
Charles van Riper III
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Oak Woodlands ◽  
Central California ◽  
Blue Oak

scholarly journals Hotter Drought Escalates Tree Cover Declines in Blue Oak Woodlands of California

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis K. Dwomoh ◽  
Jesslyn F. Brown ◽  
Heather J. Tollerud ◽  
Roger F. Auch
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Land Cover Change ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Quercus Douglasii ◽  
Oak Woodlands ◽  
Vegetation Communities ◽  
Blue Oak ◽  
Climate Risks

California has, in recent years, become a hotspot of interannual climatic variability, recording devastating climate-related disturbances with severe effects on tree resources. Understanding the patterns of tree cover change associated with these events is vital for developing strategies to sustain critical habitats of endemic and threatened vegetation communities. We assessed patterns of tree cover change, especially the effects of the 2012–2016 drought within the distribution range of blue oak (Quercus douglasii), an endemic tree species to California with a narrow geographic extent. We utilized multiple, annual land-cover and land-surface change products from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Land Change Monitoring, Assessment and Projection (LCMAP) project along with climate and wildfire datasets to monitor changes in tree cover state and condition and examine their relationships with interannual climate variability between 1985 and 2016. Here, we refer to a change in tree cover class without a land-cover change to another class as “conditional change.” The unusual drought of 2012–2016, accompanied by anomalously high temperatures and vapor pressure deficit, was associated with exceptional spikes in the amount of both fire and non-fire induced tree cover loss and tree cover conditional change, especially in 2015 and 2016. Approximately 1,266 km2 of tree cover loss and 617 km2 of tree cover conditional change were recorded during that drought. Tree cover loss through medium to high severity fires was especially large in exceptionally dry and hot years. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of the LCMAP products for monitoring the effects of climatic extremes and disturbance events on both thematic and conditional land-cover change over a multi-decadal period. Our results signify that blue oak woodlands may be vulnerable to extreme climate events and changing wildfire regimes. Here, we present early evidence that frequent droughts associated with climate warming may continue to affect tree cover in this region, while drought interaction with wildfires and the resulting feedbacks may have substantial influence as well. Consequently, efforts to conserve the blue oak woodlands, and potentially other vegetation communities in the Western United States, may benefit from consideration of climate risks as well as the potential for climate-fire and vegetation feedbacks.

scholarly journals Fire History in California’s Southern Sierra Nevada Blue Oak Woodlands

Fire Ecology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard B. Standiford ◽  
Ralph L. Phillips ◽  
Neil K. McDougald
Keyword(s):  
Sierra Nevada ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Oak Woodlands ◽  
Blue Oak

scholarly journals Coarse Woody Debris in Oak Woodlands of California

2002 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
William D. Tietje ◽  
Karen L. Waddell ◽  
Justin K. Vreeland ◽  
Charles L. Bolsinger
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Coarse Woody Debris ◽  
Forest Inventory ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Oak Woodlands ◽  
Blue Oak ◽  
Live Oak ◽  
Umbellularia Californica ◽  
Quercus Spp

Abstract An extensive forest inventory was conducted to estimate the amount and distribution of coarse woody debris (CWD) on 5.6 million ac of woodlands in California that are outside of national forests and reserved areas. Woodlands consist primarily of oak (Quercus spp.) types and are defined as forestland incapable of producing commercial quantities of traditional forest products because of adverse site and tree morphophysiology. Approximately 671 million ft3 of CWD were estimated to occur over the study area. Almost 3 million ac of woodland (52% of the sampled area) were estimated to have no CWD. The large-end diameter of CWD was <12 in. on 67% of all logs sampled. Blue oak (Q. douglasii) CWD occurred over the largest area and gray pine (Pinus sabiniana) produced the most volume (164.1 million ft3) of CWD. An average of 115 ft3/ac, 1.2 tons/ac, 21 logs/ac, and 56.8 linear ft/ac were estimated for CWD across all woodland types. The coast live oak (Q. agrifolia) type produced the largest per-acre measure of CWD volume (164.1 ft3/ac). The California laurel (Umbellularia californica) type produced the highest log density (48 logs/ac) and the most linear feet per acre of CWD (131.8 ft/ac). CWD was most abundant in the central coast and least abundant in the northeastern portion of the state. Results of this study suggest that CWD is not common across much of California's woodlands. More detailed research is needed to evaluate the amount and distribution of CWD, affects of land-use, and the implications for wildlife. West. J. Appl. For. 17(3):139–146.

scholarly journals Blue oak enhance soil quality in California oak woodlands

2003 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randy A Dahlgren ◽  
William R Horwath ◽  
Kenneth W Tate ◽  
Trina J Camping
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Oak Woodlands ◽  
Blue Oak

scholarly journals Seasonal changes in avian communities living in an extensively used farmland of Western Poland

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zbigniew Kwieciński ◽  
Federico Morelli ◽  
Marcin Antczak ◽  
Martin Hromada ◽  
Paweł Szymański ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Negative Trend ◽  
Avian Communities ◽  
Farmland Birds ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Bird Richness

Abstract To study the seasonal changes in avian communities, we collected data in an extensively used farmland in Western Poland during 2006-2013. Generalized additive mixed models were used in order to study the effects of seasonality and protected areas on the overall bird species richness. A similarity percentage analysis was also conducted in order to identify the species that contribute most strongly to dissimilarity among each bird according to the phenological season. Furthermore, the differences in bird communities were investigated applying the decomposition of the species richness in season, trend, and remainder components. Each season showed significant differences in bird species richness (seasonality effect). The effect of the protected areas was slightly positive on the overall species richness for all seasons. However, an overall negative trend was detected for the entire period of eight years. The bird community composition was different among seasons, showing differences in terms of dominant species. Greater differences were found between breeding and wintering seasons, in particular, the spatial pattern of sites with higher bird richness (hotspots) were different between breeding and wintering seasons. Our findings showed a negative trend in bird species richness verified in the Polish farmlands from 2006. This result mirrors the same negative trend already highlighted for Western Europe. The role of protected areas, even if slightly positive, was not enough to mitigate this decline process. Therefore, to effectively protect farmland birds, it is necessary to also consider inter-seasons variation, and for this, we suggest the use of medium-term temporal studies on bird communities’ trends.

Spreading the Word: Seasonal Changes Mean New Opportunities for Media Coverage

ASHA Leader ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Media Coverage ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Swimming Pools

Summer kicking into high gear conjures images of swimming pools and barbeques. But before you book your beach house for the weekend, think about what the changing seasons can mean for you professionally.

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