Indicator guilds representing forest composition and configuration in the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence forest region – A nationally replicable selection methodology

Hart, Michael W.; Bush, Peter G.; Malouin, C.

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2012.04.018

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Birds are considered important indicators of ecosystem health because their diversity and varied requirements for habitat features that provide for nesting, foraging, and escape cover make them sensitive to a broad range of stressors (O'Connell et al , Hart et al , Rae et al ). A prerequisite to using birds as indicators is a survey technique that accurately quantifies abundance or relative abundance and distribution.…”

Section: Candidate Set Of Models Provided By Mitchell and Donovan () mentioning

confidence: 99%

Variable effect of playback of chickadee mobbing calls on detection probability of boreal forest birds

2015

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Modification of the point count survey method to include playback of songbird mobbing calls in an attempt to increase detection probabilities has met with mixed success. We compared detection probabilities for boreal forest songbirds using traditional point count methods and counts using broadcasts of the mobbing calls of Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in an attempt to increase detection probability. We conducted 594 point counts during the 2010 breeding season in Newfoundland, Canada. Each point count consisted of an 8-min silent observation period followed by an 8-min broadcast of Black-capped Chickadee mobbing calls. Occupancy model results showed that response to playback broadcast varied across species, with detection probabilities higher for seven of 17 species during the silent portions of point counts and three species more likely to be detected during playback intervals. For all species, the number of visual detections increased during periods of playback and, averaged across species, individuals were >6 times more likely to be seen during the playback period than during the silent period. Differences in detection probability among observers were apparent during both silent and playback periods. We suggest that using playback of chickadee mobbing calls during point count surveys of common boreal forest songbird species may be most beneficial when visual detection is important. However, playback may also be useful for species-specific surveys during periods when birds are less likely to be vocal or for studies of less common species with chronically low detection probabilities. A combined silent and playback approach could also be useful, although observer and species differences should be accounted for if comparing data across species or studies. RESUMEN. Efecto variable de las grabaciones de conducta de turbas en Poecile atricapillus, en la probabilidad de detectar aves en un bosque borealModificaciones en los conteos de puntos, para incluir grabaciones de llamadas de turbas, en el intento de incrementar las probabilidades de detección de aves han tenido resultados mixtos. Comparamos la probabilidad de detección para aves en bosques boreales, utilizando conteos de puntos tradicionales y llamadas de turbas del Carbonero Cabecinegro (Poecile atricapillus), en un intento de incrementar la probabilidad de detección de aves. Se condujeron 594 conteos de puntos durante el periodo reproductivo del 2010, en Newfoundland, Canadá. Cada punto consistió de 8 minutos de observación en silencio, seguido de 8 minutos de una grabación de la llamada de turba del Carbonero Cabecinegro. El modelo utilizado mostró que la respuesta a las grabaciones varía entre especies, con una alta probabilidad de detección de siete de 17 especies durante los periodos de silencio y de tres especies adicionales durante la exposición a grabaciones. Para todas las especies, el número de detecciones visuales incrementó durante los periodos de uso de grabaciones y el promedio entre todas estas, resultó con una probabilidad seis...

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Section: Candidate Set Of Models Provided By Mitchell and Donovan () mentioning

confidence: 99%

Variable effect of playback of chickadee mobbing calls on detection probability of boreal forest birds

2015

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“…Birds are an excellent group to study the effects of habitat disturbance, as they are biologically diverse and have wide functional trait variability (e.g. body mass, dietary guilds, foraging strategies and nesting requirements) and thus provide a broad framework from which to test hypotheses framed around fragmentation effects (Hart, Bush, & Malouin, ; Juutinen & Mönkkönen, ). Quantifying effects of anthropogenic patch size and habitat‐structure alteration on avian functional α‐ and β‐diversity may be useful in providing a broader framework in which to understand the impact of fragmentation on biodiversity in general (Sekercioğlu, ; Si et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of avian diversity across a decreasing patch‐size gradient in a critically endangered subtropical forest system

Smith

et al. 2018

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim:We investigated habitat heterogeneity and patterns of avian taxonomic and functional diversity change across a decreasing patch-size gradient in a critically endangered, fragmented forest-system to elucidate: (1) habitat patch-size and structural drivers of avian diversity change, (2) potential patch-size thresholds at which avian diversity and habitat heterogeneity changes occurred and (3) avian species/ communities within thresholds that indicated distinct patch-size categories.Location: Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, South Africa. Methods:We conduced habitat-structure and fixed-radius point-count surveys during the avian breeding season across 123 habitat patches (range 0.06-386.9 ha).We calculated taxonomic and functional diversity/patch (a) using a distance matrix of all traits present in the avian community (c) and described community change across the patch-size gradient (b). We compared linear regressions of patch-size effects on avian functional a-diversity and habitat-structural heterogeneity to segmented regression at five bands, determined by mean patch sizes responsible for provisioning avian functional a-diversity at <50%, 50%-62.5%, 62.5%-75%, 75%-87.5% and 87.5%-100% of avian functional c-diversity to explore patch-size thresholds, and tested for significant avian indicator species of categories identified.Results: Avian taxonomic and functional a-diversity significantly decreased with decreasing patch size and habitat heterogeneity; correlations between taxonomic and functional diversity declines and a positive significant influence of habitat heterogeneity on avian functional diversity indicated selective extinction pressure on niches and concomitant functional traits. Species turnover significantly increased in smaller patches. Segmented regressions of patch size-effect on avian functional diversity and habitat heterogeneity out-performed linear regressions at three patchsize thresholds (157, 96 and 9 ha). Forest-dependent specialists were significant indicators of high-diversity patches >90 ha. Species characterizing small patches <9 ha were generalists, but many were also present in larger patches, highlighting nested-community subsets of c-diversity.Main conclusions: Specialized niches and concomitant species became locally extinct at patch-size thresholds. We present replicable methodology and recommendations for conservation of forest systems using a critically endangered biome containing disproportionately high avifauna.

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“…However, in northeastern North America the consequences of burning on avian communities are poorly understood. This lack of knowledge is of concern because bird communities are often used as indicators of biodiversity and overall health of ecosystems (Hart et al, 2012). In addition, in an era of increasing climate variability (Marcott et al, 2013) it is critical to understand how fire interacts with climate events to shape ecosystem health.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of forest management and habitat change on declining avian species in West Virginia

Slover¹

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Understanding the impacts of forest management and severe storms on avian communities can assist decision making for specific wildlife and timber management goals. This is important because even carefully managed forests will be influenced by a combination of anthropogenic activities and non-anthropogenic forces. I studied the effects of prescribed burning and severe storm events on vegetation structure and avian community diversity and structure in the Monongahela National Forest in central West Virginia. I observed dramatic responses from vegetation structure to prescribed burning but few changes in avian abundances. I measured further impacts, particularly understory vegetation structure, in our forest stands after the occurrence of two severe storms. I also was able to measure a greater response by my aerial insectivore species to the combination of management and storm impacts. My results suggested that infrequent low-intensity prescribed burning did not cause dramatic changes to avian abundance. However, when severe storm impacts were added to the management regime, the impacts to vegetation became consequential enough that high priority and aerial insectivore bird species were also impacted. Populations of the eastern whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus) are declining due to a range of potential factors including habitat loss, pesticide use and predation. However, because this species is nocturnal, it is poorly studied and neither its ecology nor its demographic status are well measured by traditional bird surveys like the Christmas Bird Count, Breeding Bird Surveys, and point count surveys. Therefore, I studied habitat associations and distribution of eastern whip-poor-wills, to better understand and contextualize their population status and to provide a framework for future research and management. Transect data were analyzed with occupancy models to associate presence of whip-poor-wills with habitat characteristics. I observed habitat associations of and annual differences in both presence and density of whippoor-wills. Whip-poor-wills most frequently occupied areas lower in elevation and mixed forest, herbaceous, as well as wetland cover types. In contrast, high elevation evergreen forest communities had substantially fewer whip-poor-wills. My results suggest that recent recovery of agricultural fields and clearings to forested habitat may be contributing factors to whip-poor-will declines.

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Indicator guilds representing forest composition and configuration in the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence forest region – A nationally replicable selection methodology

Cited by 4 publications

References 47 publications

Variable effect of playback of chickadee mobbing calls on detection probability of boreal forest birds

Variable effect of playback of chickadee mobbing calls on detection probability of boreal forest birds

Patterns of avian diversity across a decreasing patch‐size gradient in a critically endangered subtropical forest system

Impacts of forest management and habitat change on declining avian species in West Virginia

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