Spruce Beetle outbreaks guide American Three‐toed Woodpecker <i>Picoides dorsalis</i> occupancy patterns in subalpine forests

Kelly, Julia J.; Latif, Quresh S.; Saab, Victoria A.; Veblen, Thomas T.

doi:10.1111/ibi.12596

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Studies in spruce ( Picea spp.) forests affected by spruce beetle ( Dendroctonus rufipennis ) outbreaks, where this species is more common, could valuably complement our results (Kelly et al ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Woodpecker nest survival, density, and a pine beetle outbreak

et al. 2019

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Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreaks in western North American coniferous forests are increasing in size and severity. An understanding of wildlife population responses to pine beetle outbreaks is needed to inform habitat conservation strategies. We monitored 355 nests of 5 woodpecker species during 2 sampling periods, before (2003–2006) and after (2009–2014) the peak of a pine beetle outbreak in dry mixed conifer forest of Montana, USA. Three of 5 woodpecker species represented the beetle‐foraging group: American three‐toed (Picoides dorsalis), hairy (Dryobates villosus), and downy (D. pubescens) woodpeckers. The other 2 species studied were northern flicker (Colaptes auratus), a foraging and habitat generalist, and red‐naped sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis), a sap forager and bark‐gleaning insectivore. We analyzed daily survival rate of nests in relation to pine beetle outbreak (445,000 ha) severity and timing, along with covariates unrelated to the outbreak (temp, nest height, and nest tree diameter). Our results provided stronger evidence for relationships between woodpecker nest survival and the non‐outbreak variables than those associated with outbreaks. Our results indicated limited support for nest survival relationships with beetle severity (annual and cumulative pine tree mortality at 0.81‐ha and 314‐ha scales). Nevertheless, we observed a significant increase in densities of hatched nests for beetle‐foraging woodpeckers following the outbreak. Our results suggest that woodpeckers, particularly beetle foragers, respond numerically to pine beetle outbreaks through increased nesting densities more so than functionally via nest survival. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Wildlife Management Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Wildlife Society.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Woodpecker nest survival, density, and a pine beetle outbreak

et al. 2019

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“…For instance, Bonnot, Millspaugh & Rumble () found that availability and distribution of food explained territory selection of black‐backed woodpeckers Picoides arcticus better than nest site availability. Similarly, American three‐toed woodpecker Picoides dorsalis occupancy was positively related to the number of trees infested by bark beetles, whereas no relationship to the density of old snags or the diameter of healthy or infested trees was found (Kelly et al , ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat selection of an old‐growth forest specialist in managed forests

Ettwein

Korner

Lanz

et al. 2020

Animal Conservation

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Old-growth forest specialists are among the species most affected by commercial forestry. However, it is often unclear whether such species can persist and what their habitat needs are in managed forests. We investigated habitat selection of one such old-growth forest specialist, the white-backed woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos), a species highly dependent on dead wood and typically found in primeval forests. Our aim was to understand factors affecting occupancy probability in managed forests in Central Europe, based on detection/non-detection data in 62 squares of 1 km 2 in 2015 and 2016. We used occupancy models to compare a priori expectations about the relationships between occupancy and habitat characteristics at two spatial scales while accounting for imperfect detection. Occupancy was best explained by a proxy for food availability at a large (1 km 2) scale and increased with the abundance of emergence holes produced by saproxylic beetles on standing and lying dead wood. Furthermore, occupancy was positively related to the mean DBH (diameter at breast height) of live trees and standing dead wood at a small scale (0.25 km 2 with high amounts of dead wood). Detection probability was negatively related to time of day, date, and number of accessible survey points, and positively related to the number of observers. Our results demonstrate that detailed knowledge about a species' foraging ecology is important for its effective conservation as surrogate criteria such as dead wood availability might not reflect the key factors required. For white-backed woodpeckers, it is important that the available dead wood is sufficiently colonized by saproxylic beetles, and for the conservation of the species, the habitat requirements of saproxylic beetles thus have to be taken into account as well.

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“…Forest ecosystems are also directly benefited by birds that eat select species of beetles which destroy DOI: 10.2478/fsmu-2019-0002 certain species of trees. For example, the American three-toed woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis) has been reported to eat the larvae of Spruce beetles (Dendroctonus rufipennis) in the Northwestern United States (Kelly et al, 2018;Fayt et al, 2005). Birds also aid in the pollination of plants and trees, and it is estimated that nearly 33% of bird species help disperse seeds by dropping consumed fruits and coniferous seeds (Wenny et al, 2011;Yoon, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The changing trend in songbirds’ abundance, variety and physical condition in Connecticut’s forestry habitat

Lawlor

Meng

2019

Forestry Studies

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Songbirds are facing rapid population declines in Connecticut due to habitat loss. Man-made habitats such as powerline corridors are one of the few remaining ideal habitats for songbirds in the state. This study aims to determine if the abundance and variety of song-birds in four selected forests (i.e. Naugatuck State Forest, Sharon Audubon Society, Miles Wildlife Sanctuary, and Great Mountain Forest Species Variety) in Connecticut show patterns of decline from 2005 to 2014. This study also compares the physical condition of songbirds captured along a powerline corridor in the Naugatuck State Forest with those captured in the rest three non-fragmented forests in Northwestern Connecticut using Mann-Whitney U tests. Weight and wingspan are used as indicators of bird physical condition. The results demonstrate that the three non-fragmented forests experienced a steady decline in the variety of songbirds between 2005 and 2014. In addition, songbirds’ abundance decreased steadily during the same period, except that of the ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) and wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) in Miles Wildlife Sanctuary. The results from the Mann-Whitney U test have shown that after sex- and age-controlled features, the physical conditions of the three selective songbirds – veery (Catharus fuscescens), ovenbird, and wood thrush – tend to be better in the Naugatuck State Forest than in the three non-fragmented forests – Sharon Audubon Society, Miles Wildlife Sanctuary, and Great Mountain Forest Species Variety. Given are recommendations on how to protect the shrubland habitat along powerline corridors and how to create the shrubland habitat in non-fragmented forests.

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Spruce Beetle outbreaks guide American Three‐toed Woodpecker Picoides dorsalis occupancy patterns in subalpine forests

Cited by 7 publications

References 44 publications

Woodpecker nest survival, density, and a pine beetle outbreak

Woodpecker nest survival, density, and a pine beetle outbreak

Habitat selection of an old‐growth forest specialist in managed forests

The changing trend in songbirds’ abundance, variety and physical condition in Connecticut’s forestry habitat

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