Fire mediated patterns of population densities in mountain big sagebrush bird communities

Holmes, Aaron L.; Robinson, W. Douglas

doi:10.1002/jwmg.540

Cited by 18 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Although our surveys were not well suited to detecting them, greater sage-grouse also occur in the study region and depend on relatively large, dense stands of sagebrush (Connelly et al 2011, Knick andHanser 2011). These species have been shown to decline in response to a wide range of factors that reduce the extent and connectivity of sagebrush shrublands, especially anthropogenic disturbances associated with energy extraction (Gilbert and Chalfoun 2011, Hess and Beck 2012, LeBeau et al 2014) and cultivation (Smith et al 2016), as well as wildfire (Knick et al 2005, Hess and Beck 2012, Holmes and Robinson 2013. These species have been shown to decline in response to a wide range of factors that reduce the extent and connectivity of sagebrush shrublands, especially anthropogenic disturbances associated with energy extraction (Gilbert and Chalfoun 2011, Hess and Beck 2012, LeBeau et al 2014) and cultivation (Smith et al 2016), as well as wildfire (Knick et al 2005, Hess and Beck 2012, Holmes and Robinson 2013.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Sagebrush-associated birds rely on sagebrush for both nesting and foraging substrate (Rotenberry andWiens 1998, Connelly et al 2011), and in the case of sage-grouse, for food (Peterson 1970, Wallestad et al 1975). These species have been shown to decline in response to a wide range of factors that reduce the extent and connectivity of sagebrush shrublands, especially anthropogenic disturbances associated with energy extraction (Gilbert and Chalfoun 2011, Hess and Beck 2012, LeBeau et al 2014) and cultivation (Smith et al 2016), as well as wildfire (Knick et al 2005, Hess and Beck 2012, Holmes and Robinson 2013.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Disturbance shapes avian communities on a grassland–sagebrush ecotone

Duchardt

Porensky²,

Augustine³

et al. 2018

Ecosphere

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Ecotones, or transitional zones between ecosystems, are often hotspots for biodiversity and targets for conservation. Where the Great Plains meet the sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe, an opportunity exists to conserve habitat for the two most imperiled avian guilds in North America, grassland and shrubsteppe birds. This ecotone creates a unique challenge with respect to the management of disturbance processes, such as fire and grazing, because grassland and sagebrush-shrubland birds respond quite dissimilarly to disturbance. To address this management challenge and maximize conservation opportunities, we examined the responses of grassland and sagebrush bird communities to disturbance at a grasslandsagebrush ecotone in northeast Wyoming, USA. Specifically, we surveyed bird communities on active black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies and burned areas, as well as on paired undisturbed points in 2016 and 2017. Bird community structure varied in response to both the presence and type of disturbance. Although alpha diversity of avian species was highest on undisturbed sites and burned areas, only prairie dog colonies provided breeding habitat for the imperiled shortgrass-obligate mountain plover (Charadrius montanus), and species turnover (beta diversity) was greatest between on-colony and off-colony points. Furthermore, bird communities were shaped by both disturbance-dependent (e.g., disturbance age) and disturbance-independent (e.g., topography and soils) landscape features. Managers must balance the benefits of high species diversity in undisturbed sagebrush with habitat requirements of other imperiled species like the mountain plover. This may entail prioritizing the amount and distribution of disturbances in relation to population goals for species of conservation concern while simultaneously maintaining a mosaic of all three patch types in this landscape.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disturbance shapes avian communities on a grassland–sagebrush ecotone

Duchardt

Porensky²,

Augustine³

et al. 2018

Ecosphere

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“…The result is that sagebrush steppe is now one of North America’s most imperiled ecosystems (Dobkin and Sauder 2004, Chambers and Wisdom 2009). It continues to be threatened by altered fire regimes resulting from invasions of exotic grasses (Brooks et al 2004, Holmes and Robinson 2013), which accelerate the effects of other anthropogenic factors (Leu et al 2008) and may compound the effects of climate change (Bradley 2010, Schlaepfer et al 2012). Over 100 species of birds either forage or nest in sagebrush steppe, some of which are threatened by the habitat degradation (Baker et al 1976).…”

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confidence: 99%

Contrasting Habitat Associations of Sagebrush-Steppe Songbirds in the Intermountain West

Miller

Bond²,

Migas³

et al. 2017

WBirds

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Sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe is one of North America’s most imperiled ecosystems, as the result of many factors including grazing, development, fire, and invasion of exotic plants. Threats to sagebrush steppe are expected to increase because of climate change and further human development. Many songbirds use sagebrush steppe opportunistically, but a few obligate species are dependent on it. To quantify the habitat associations of three sagebrush obligates, the Sage Thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus), Sagebrush Sparrow (Artemisiospiza nevadensis), and Brewer’s Sparrow (Spizella breweri), and nine other songbird species that use this habitat, we surveyed across a broad region of Idaho. At each of 104 sites, we selected three plots, one each in relatively poor, moderate, and good condition, defined qualitatively by the cover of native shrubs. We quantified bird abundance by point counts, described the habitat at these points by a line-intercept method, and at each plot calculated the fraction of a circle (radius 1 km) covered in shrubs or grassland. We compared two-scale occupancy models based on these data by the information-theoretic approach. According to the models, our qualitative assessment of habitat condition within a site distinguished birds’ use of relatively good habitat from their use of poor habitats only, not from those in moderate condition. Thus the sagebrush-obligate species may tolerate some local habitat degradation, at least up to some unidentified threshold. Occurrence of all three sagebrush obligates correlated well with one or more characteristics of sagebrush such as its cover, height, or heterogeneity in height. They differed in the Sage Thrasher being most sensitive to sagebrush cover, the Sagebrush Sparrow being found more often at lower elevations, and the Brewer’s Sparrow being less sensitive to ground cover. The nine other species evaluated were less or negatively associated with attributes of sagebrush. On the basis of these results, we suggest that the three sagebrush obligates are best conserved by promoting shrublands over a broad range of elevations, containing both sagebrush and other shrubs in patches of mixed height, and minimizing invasive annual grasses.

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“…Cheatgrass was not a major component on burned areas, suggesting that wildfire did not increase frequency of this exotic plant species, nor did wildfire appear to have a detrimental effect on native perennial bunchgrasses (Agropyron, Festuca, Elymus, Stipa, Poa, and Oryzopsis spp.). Other authors have noted that cover of perennial bunchgrasses gradually increased following burning (Harniss and Murray 1973, Young and Evans 1978, Wamboldt and Payne 1986, Beck et al 2009, Holmes and Robinson 2013, particularly if there was a high density of native bunchgrasses present before the fire (West and Hassan 1985). Although cheatgrass occurred in Bald Mountain and Catnip Mountain mountain big sagebrush communities, cheatgrass typically does not dominate in more mesic sagebrush cover types (e.g., mountain big sagebrush) above 1,500 m in elevation (Miller and Eddleman 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Case study: Short‐term response of greater sage‐grouse habitats to wildfire in mountain big sagebrush communities

Davis

Crawford

2014

Wildl. Soc. Bull.

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Our case study evaluated the short-term ( 11 yr) implications of wildfire on greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) breeding-season habitat (i.e., nesting and brood-rearing) and ground-dwelling arthropod abundance on Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in northwestern Nevada, USA. Two different-aged wildfire sites were sampled in mountain big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata vaseyana) cover types in 1998 and 1999. Plant communities in burned and associated unburned areas did not differ appreciably in species composition and wildfire did not negatively impact arthropod abundance. Wildfires did not increase the frequency of exotic plant species, such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), nor did wildfire have a detrimental effect on native perennial bunchgrasses. Wildfires were effective at changing the mountain big sagebrush community structure from shrub-dominated to one dominated by native grasses and forbs 2-3 yr post-burn. However, the absence of shrub cover following 2-3 yr of post-fire recovery indicates our overall estimates of vegetation structure were not consistent with published guideline requirements for managing sage-grouse breeding-season habitat. Although burning had little stimulatory effect on total forb cover 10-11 yr post-burn, the vegetation and structural components needed to maintain suitable sage-grouse nesting and brood-rearing habitats were present in the burned site. The short-term habitat response to wildfire suggests prescribed fire can be a useful tool to achieve management objectives by manipulating vegetation structure and composition of shrub-dominated landscapes. However, land managers should be cautious using prescribed fire as a management tool in big sagebrush ecosystems if the goal is to improve sage-grouse habitats. Ó 2014 The Wildlife Society.

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Fire mediated patterns of population densities in mountain big sagebrush bird communities

Cited by 18 publications

References 47 publications

Disturbance shapes avian communities on a grassland–sagebrush ecotone

Disturbance shapes avian communities on a grassland–sagebrush ecotone

Contrasting Habitat Associations of Sagebrush-Steppe Songbirds in the Intermountain West

Case study: Short‐term response of greater sage‐grouse habitats to wildfire in mountain big sagebrush communities

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