Declines in Abundance and Species Richness of Birds Following a Major Flood on the Upper Mississippi River

Knutson, Melinda G.; Klaas, Erwin E.

doi:10.2307/4089239

Cited by 37 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…1. These findings differ from those reported by Knutson and Klaus (1997), who indicated that flooding in forests along the Upper Mississippi River had no significant effects on herbaceous cover.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 85%

Effects of white-tailed deer on vegetation structure and woody seedling composition in three forest types on the Piedmont Plateau

Rossell

Gorsira

Patch

2005

Forest Ecology and Management

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 85%

Effects of white-tailed deer on vegetation structure and woody seedling composition in three forest types on the Piedmont Plateau

Rossell

Gorsira

Patch

2005

Forest Ecology and Management

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“…Our observations of between-year changes in both habitat structure and presence of Swainson's warblers suggest the potential for substantial changes in suitability between years. Although some bird species are less-affected by floods, including those that nest and forage in the forest canopy or subcanopy, these results are consistent with negative responses of other ground-or understory-dependent bird species to flooding (Hunter et al 1987;Knopf and Sedgwick 1987;Knutson and Klaas 1997).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…Because flooding can cause mortality of trees and shrubs with small-diameter woody stems (Jones et al 1994;Sparks and Spink 1998;Yin 1998), effects of flooding are generally most pronounced for ground-or understorydependent bird species (Hunter et al 1987;Knopf and Sedgwick 1987;Knutson and Klaas 1997). Indeed, lowelevation sites where flooding may be frequent and prolonged differ structurally and typically have different bird communities, including fewer ground-or understorydependent birds, than higher-elevation areas (Christman 1984;Wakely and Roberts 1996;Sallabanks et al 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Short-Term Effects of Flooding on Understory Habitat and Presence of Swainson’s Warblers

Benson

Bednarz

2009

Wetlands

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Understanding factors that influence changes in habitat occupancy of wetland fauna is important, particularly for species of conservation concern. One such species, the Swainson's warbler (Limnothlypis swainsonii), breeds in bottomland hardwood forests in the southeastern U.S. Because these warblers nest in the shrub layer and forage in leaf litter, they may be negatively influenced by floodinduced changes to their habitat. In 2004, we repeated songbroadcast surveys and vegetation sampling at 42 locations that were occupied by Swainson's warblers in 2000 or 2001 at four study sites in Arkansas. Only nine of 42 previously occupied locations (21%) were determined to be occupied 3-4 years after the original surveys. Occupancy changes were associated with decreases in depth and cover of leaf litter and shrub cover, and increases in cover of bare ground and forbs. These habitat and occupancy changes were associated with flooding that occurred between sample periods at three of four study sites, although detections declined at all four sites. Future conservation efforts for this species should focus on providing relatively high elevation areas that are typically free from the effects of periodic flooding.

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“…In particular, flooding may kill understory vegetation (Christman 1984, Yin 1998 and reduce the diversity and abundance of grounddwelling arthropods (Uetz et al 1979). Given this large influence on the lower strata of forests, understory-dependent and ground-foraging species are especially vulnerable to major floods (Knopf and Sedgwick 1987, Knutson and Klaas 1997, Anich and Reiley 2010. However, when multiple habitat components change simultaneously with flooding, it is often difficult to pinpoint which specific habitat attributes birds assess when selecting habitat.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Understanding the effects of these disturbances may improve our knowledge of birds' ecology and can have important conservation implications (Hunter et al 1987). Studies ofthe effects of disturbance on birds have often focused on population-and community-level changes such as declines or increases in densities of particular species (Knopf andSedgwick 1987, Knutson andKlaas 1997). Less emphasis has been placed on the actual mechanisms leading to these population-and community-level responses, namely, the responses of individual birds to habitat change and their decisions about whether to abandon or occupy a given area.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanisms of Flood-Induced Territory Abandonment in an Obligate Ground-Foraging Bird

2013

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Large-scale disturbances, by affecting habitat suitability, can influence bird populations and communities. Although we know that disturbances can lead to population decreases and shifts in community structure, our understanding of finer-scaled mechanisms leading to these patterns is limited. We focused on why some territories remain occupied by a species following a large-scale disturbance, while others are abandoned. The Swainson's Warbler (Limnothlypis swainsonii) is especially susceptible to flooding because of its preference for nesting in thick understory vegetation and foraging in leaf litter. In 2008, a major flood inundated a study site where we have studied Swainson's Warblers since 2004. In 2008 and 2009, we resurveyed 42 Swainson's Warbler territories that were occupied between 2005 and 2007 and examined changes in habitat structure and composition and prey abundance influencing territory abandonment. Occupancy declined between the preflood and postflood surveys. Territory abandonment was associated with decreases in leaf litter cover, increases in cover of green vegetation, and decreases in density of total understory stems and giant cane (Arundinaria gigantea) between the preflood and flood periods. Despite the partial recovery of habitat structure and prey abundance after the flood, Swainson's Warbler occupancy did not recover in subsequent years. Multiple habitat variables, including leaflitter cover, density of woody stems, understory density, and prey abundance have been identified as important for Swainson's Warblers, and these results suggest that leaf litter may be espeeially important in influencing habitatselection decisions following flood disturbance. Mecanismos de Abandono del Territorio Inducido por Inundaciones en un Ave que Forrajea de Modo Obligado en el SueloResumen. Los disturbios de gran escala, al afectar la aptitud del habitat, pueden influenciar a las poblaciones y comunidades de aves. Aunque sabemos que los disturbios pueden llevar a disminuciones poblacionales y cambios en la estructura comunitaria, nuestro entendimiento de los mecanismos de sintonia fina que llevan a estos patrones es limitado. Nos enfocamos en entender por qué una especie continúa ocupando algunos territorios luego de un disturbio de gran escala, pero abandona otros. Limnothlypis swainsonii es una especie particularmente susceptible a las inundaciones debido a sus preferencias por anidar en la vegetación densa del sotobosque y por forrajear en la hojarasca. En 2008, una gran creciente inundó un sitio de estudio donde hablamos estudiado a L, swainsonii desde 2004. En 2008 y 2009, volvimos a muestrear los territorios de 42 individuos de L. swainsonii que estuvieron ocupados entre 2005 y 2007 y examinamos los cambios en la estructura y composición del habitat y la influencia de la abundancia de presas en el abandono del territorio. La ocupación disminuyó entre los muestreo previos y posteriores a la inundación. El abandono del territorio estuvo asociado con la disminución de la cobertura de la hojarasca, el au...

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Declines in Abundance and Species Richness of Birds Following a Major Flood on the Upper Mississippi River

Cited by 37 publications

References 21 publications

Effects of white-tailed deer on vegetation structure and woody seedling composition in three forest types on the Piedmont Plateau

Effects of white-tailed deer on vegetation structure and woody seedling composition in three forest types on the Piedmont Plateau

Short-Term Effects of Flooding on Understory Habitat and Presence of Swainson’s Warblers

Mechanisms of Flood-Induced Territory Abandonment in an Obligate Ground-Foraging Bird

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