Ecology and Management of Golden-Winged Warblers (Vermivora Chrysoptera) and Associated Avian Species in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the breeding season ecology and management of Goldenwinged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia with implications for other disturbance-dependent avian species. Golden-winged Warblers have a complex life history, requiring dynamic forest landscapes with varying age classes for breeding. Populations breeding in the Appalachian Mountains are among the most rapidly decreasing among vertebrates in eastern North America. For these reasons, much research already has been completed on Golden-winged Warblers. Nonetheless, we still have a limited understanding of the causes of population decreases and these causes may vary regionally. I organized this dissertation into 3 parts (Part 1: Introduction, Part 2: Golden-winged Warbler Ecology, Part 3: Golden-winged Warbler Management) including 6 chapters that follow a progression of accumulating knowledge on Golden-winged Warbler population decreases in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia. Part 1 includes chapter 1 and is an introduction to the dissertation. In chapter 1, I provided a brief introduction and justification for my research, placed the dissertation into the context of ongoing Golden-winged Warbler research across the species' range, and outlined the dissertation content. Through impressive collaborative efforts, our understanding of Goldenwinged Warbler ecology and management grew substantially during 2008-2016, the period during which this research took place. Part 2 includes chapters 2-4 and focuses on Golden-winged Warbler ecology with an overall objective of filling knowledge gaps for the species to enhance conservation efforts and inform future research. In chapter 2, I evaluated variables at multiple spatial scales during 2008-2015 to identify conditions that supported high densities of breeding Golden-winged Warblers and associated avian species. Spatial scales used for analyses represented annual dispersal (5-km radius), extraterritorial movement (1.5-km radius), intra-territorial movement (100-m radius), and local resource utilization (11.3-m radius). Golden-winged Warbler density peaked when the minimum elevation was 804 m at the 1.5-km radius scale but was negatively associated with This study was completed under the auspices of West Virginia University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee protocols 07-0303 and 10-0201. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .

Strong yet incomplete reproductive isolation in Vermivora is not contradicted by other lines of evidence: A reply to Toews et al.

“…1.3 | The findings of strong total reproductive isolation are not compatible with previous work Toews et al (2021) 2021) refer to (Figure 1). We note that the pattern observed by Bennett et al (2017) has been found in other areas of sympatry (e.g., Aldinger, 2018).…”

“…2021) refer to (Figure 1). We note that the pattern observed by Bennett et al (2017) has been found in other areas of sympatry (e.g., Aldinger, 2018).…”

Evaluating Golden‐winged Warbler use of alder and aspen communities managed with shearing in the western Great Lakes

“…This is supported by past research on aspen forests in our study region, where Golden‐winged Warblers only persisted in sapling‐sized stands when patches of shrubby habitat with relatively open canopy occurred within the stand (Roth & Lutz, 2004). The importance of heterogeneous microhabitat conditions (e.g., early‐successional patches within otherwise more advanced successional sites) has also been found in high‐elevation pastures in the Appalachian Mountains, where Golden‐winged Warbler populations persisted for up to 33 years posttreatment, though density peaked much earlier (Aldinger, 2018). Given that monitoring in this study focused only on the first few years after treatment, it is highly likely that we lacked sufficient temporal variation to capture species responses to the effect of growing season progression.…”

Implications for evolutionary trends from the pairing frequencies among golden‐winged and blue‐winged warblers and their hybrids

“…Phenotypic pairing frequencies and pairing success rates were monitored at 14 sites during 2008–2014 in grazed pastures described by Aldinger et al., 2014, Aldinger, 2018. Sites were at 800–1,000 m elevation in Randolph County and at 700–1,250 m in Pocahontas County.…”