Effects of Group-Selection Opening Size on Breeding Bird Habitat Use in a Bottomland Forest

Moorman, Christopher E.; Guynn, David C.

doi:10.2307/3061088

Cited by 31 publications

(59 citation statements)

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“…Instead, we measured the vegetation characteristics most affected by fire, namely groundcover structure and composition. We quantified groundcover vegetation during each visit, using an index of vegetation density calculated by recording the number of 0.1-m intervals, or ''scores,'' containing vegetation within 1 cm of a vertical 1-m pole (Mills et al 1989, Dunning and Watts 1990, Plentovich et al 1998, Moorman and Guynn 2001, Tucker et al 2004). We categorized each score by grass, forbfern, woody vine-shrub (hereafter ''shrubs''), switchcane (Arundinaria gigantea), or dead vegetation.…”

Section: Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeking parsimony in landscape metrics

Cunningham

Johnson

2011

J Wildl Manag

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Numerous metrics describing landscape patterns have been used to explain landscape‐scale habitat selection by birds. The myriad metrics, their complexity, and inconsistent responses to them by birds have led to a lack of clear recommendations for managing land for desired species. The amount of a target land cover type in the landscape (percentage cover) often has been a useful indicator of the likelihood of species occurrence or of habitat selection; is it also a more adequate and parsimonious measure for explaining species distributions than patch size or more complex measures of landscape configuration? We examined responses of 6 woodland‐interior bird species to the percentage tree cover within prescribed areas and to patch size, edge density, and other metrics. We examined responses in 2 landscapes: a mixed woodland‐savanna and an eastern deciduous forest. For these 6 species, percentage tree cover explained bird occurrence as well as or better than other measures in both study areas. We then repeated the analysis on a larger group of woodland species, including those associated with woodland edges. The bird species we studied had varied responses to landscape metrics, but percentage tree cover was the strongest explanatory variable overall. Although percentage cover estimated from remotely sensed data is an inexact representation of habitat in the landscape, it does appear to be reliable and easy to conceptualize, relative to other measures. We suggest that, at least for woodland habitat, percentage cover is a broadly useful measure that can be helpful in pragmatic questions of explaining responses to landscapes or in anticipating responses to landscape change. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.

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Section: Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeking parsimony in landscape metrics

Cunningham

Johnson

2011

J Wildl Manag

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“…For instance, freshly cutover stands can attract avian insectivores such as fantail and tomtit that feed on the old growth forest invertebrates that survive for the short term in cutover stands (Pawson et al 2006). Exotic grasses, forbs and fruit-bearing species colonise young stands (Burton 2002), and we counted large flocks (>100 individuals) of ground foraging seedeaters (Moorman & Guynn 2001) such as redpoll, goldfinch, and chaffinch and some fruit-eaters (Burns 2009) such as blackbird (Turdus merula) and silvereye (Zosterops lateralis) in young stands. Even after exotic grasses and forbs in these stands were thinned by forestry herbicide operations, seedeaters seemed to be able to find seeds remaining on the forest floor (CH pers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such structural complexity usually supports a diverse group of bird species (Drapeau et al 2000;Maunder et al 2005;Seaton et al 2010) and plant communities (Ogden et al 1997;Brockerhoff et al 2001). For instance, clearcutting causes a sudden exposure of deep forest insect fauna to open environments and results in the attraction of insectivorous and generalist bird species (Clout & Gaze 1984;Moorman & Guynn 2001;Pawson et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The newly created open fields (clearcut, stands <3 years old or farmland pasture) are colonised by forbs and grasses (Pawson et al 2006), whose seeds are an attraction to introduced small passerine birds (Moorman & Guynn 2001), the preferred prey of falcons (Fox 1977;Seaton et al 2008Seaton et al , 2010Kross et al 2013). An additional benefit of the harvest practices in these plantations is that logging debris left in stands after a harvesting event (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, the size of clearcutting is typically in a unit (stand) of 0.7-1 km 2 . The area of clearcutting increases when a stand is harvested adjacent to an existing open field or two or more stands are harvested at the same time, which may influence the distribution of prey (Moorman & Guynn 2001). Moreover, stands that include <2 year-old trees are subject to herbicide treatments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Winter habitat use of New Zealand falcon (Falco novaeseelandiae ferox) in an intensively managed pine plantation, central North Island, New Zealand

Horikohi¹,

Battley²,

Seaton³

et al. 2017

NZ J Ecol

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Deforestation and conversion to intensive agriculture historically caused a large reduction in abundance of the New Zealand falcon, resulting in its current classification as At Risk. Many New Zealand falcons occur in managed plantation forests, but little is known about their winter use of the mosaic of different aged stands present in these forests. We radio tracked adult falcons (n = 36) during three winters (2012)(2013)(2014) in Kaingaroa Forest, an intensively managed pine plantation located in the Central Plateau of the North Island of New Zealand. We used tracking data to establish the extent and habitat composition of winter home ranges, and transect surveys to assess the availability of potential prey (passerine birds). We also investigated whether falcon habitat use was related to weather. Open fields created by clearcutting were the primary hunting ground of falcons. Falcons occupied young pine stands (30.4%) and the ecotone between young and mature pine stands (31.2%) most frequently despite its limited availability (20.1% and 3.7%, respectively). Total prey abundance was similar across all habitats and sizes of open fields, but the species composition of potential prey differed significantly between habitats. Thus, the dynamic changes to forest structure created by clearcutting and its effects on prey accessibility are the most important factors influencing falcon space use. We observed that falcons used the mature portion of the forest edge area as a vantage point for hunting or for territorial defence and as a shelter from heavy rain, and interiors of mature tree stands as a shelter from strong winds. Females had a larger home range size (95% KDE, 32 km 2 ) than males (15 km 2 ). The availability of mature/young edge within a home range may be the key factor determining home range size during winter. Maintaining the availability of ecotones of young stands adjacent to mature trees in plantation forests can assist in supporting falcon populations in this novel habitat and hence the conservation of this endemic raptor.

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Effects of forest management on vertebrates: synthesizing two decades of data from hardwood forests in Missouri,USA

Kellner

Renken

Millspaugh

et al. 2019

Ecological Applications

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Modern forest management seeks to balance multiple social, economic, and ecological goals. Different management approaches create different types of disturbances in a forest ecosystem and thus also differ in their impacts on plants, animals, and insects. Understanding these impacts is important for conservation of forest ecosystem function, but challenging due to the large spatial and temporal scale over which management occurs. Most past research has focused on relatively small areas, short time scales, and/or a small number of species. To address this, we examined the effects of two common silvicultural systems (even and uneven aged) on abundance and richness of three vertebrate taxa (birds, small mammals, and herpetofauna) over a two-decade period in a temperate hardwood forest in Missouri, USA. The two systems removed a similar amount of biomass overall, but differed in the intensity, number, and configuration of harvests applied. We found that vertebrate population responses varied by taxa, occurred at multiple spatial scales, and were concentrated in the period following the first harvest entry. Birds generally had the largest changes in relative abundance, both positive and negative, following management. Small mammals and reptiles had smaller, but generally positive, responses; amphibians were mixed. Bird species tended to respond in the same way to both silvicultural systems, while small mammals and herpetofauna did not respond consistently. Thus, for birds, the total amount of harvest disturbance across the landscape drives population responses, while for others the size and configuration of individual harvests is likely more important. Synthesizing results across the vertebrate community at large spatial and temporal scales allows managers to better understand trade-offs when making decisions that will affect wildlife in contrasting ways.

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Effects of Group-Selection Opening Size on Breeding Bird Habitat Use in a Bottomland Forest

Cited by 31 publications

References 0 publications

Seeking parsimony in landscape metrics

Seeking parsimony in landscape metrics

Winter habitat use of New Zealand falcon (Falco novaeseelandiae ferox) in an intensively managed pine plantation, central North Island, New Zealand

Effects of forest management on vertebrates: synthesizing two decades of data from hardwood forests in Missouri,USA

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