Effects of road construction noise on the endangered golden‐cheeked warbler

Lackey, Melissa A.; Morrison, Michael L.; Loman, Zachary G.; Fisher, Nancy; Farrell, Shannon L.; Collier, Bret A.; Wilkins, R. Neal

doi:10.1002/wsb.6

Cited by 15 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Recording units like the ones used in our study supplemented U.S. Forest Service great gray owl ( Strix nebulosa ) survey data (Rognan et al 2009) and demonstrated vocal recognition of individuals. Audio recorders have also been used to simultaneously record bird vocalization, ambient noise, and noise generated from road construction activities at varying distances from the road right‐of‐way (Lackey et al 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using extended‐duration audio recordings to survey avian species

Tegeler

Morrison

Szewczak

2012

Wildlife Society Bulletin

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Point‐count surveys are widely used to infer avian presence and estimate species richness. Advancements in bioacoustic technology enable automated surveys that can supplement human‐based point‐count surveys with expanded temporal and spatial coverage. We surveyed birds in 13 Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range (CA, USA) montane meadows from May to August 2006 using 8 point‐count surveys and automated audio recorders (ARU) to compare species richness between the 2 methods and evaluate the use of ARUs as a monitoring tool. We analyzed species richness using 30 minutes of ARU data per point and 2 point‐count surveys. Automated audio‐recorder data revealed 14 species per meadow (56 species total) while point counts detected 16 species per meadow (67 species total). Automated audio recorders provided >1,100 additional hours of data with personnel effort similar to 2 point‐count surveys. An asymptote in species richness was reached for every meadow using ARU data and 8 of 13 meadows using 2 point‐count surveys. We detected 81 species during all 8 point‐count surveys. We used SonoBird (DNDesign, Arcata, CA) software to search for 24 species detected by point‐count surveys but not in the manually sampled subset of audio files. We detected 22 additional species, bringing the total audio‐file species detections to 85, 4 more than detected by 8 point‐count surveys. We conclude that audio recordings and analysis provide an alternative to avian point‐count surveys or as a supplement to increase their accuracy, particularly over larger temporal and spatial scales, or for species with low detectability. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using extended‐duration audio recordings to survey avian species

Tegeler

Morrison

Szewczak

2012

Wildlife Society Bulletin

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“…This assumption is reasonable for these species during the breeding season because both species are territorial. Previous research and monitoring has shown that once individuals establish territories early in the breeding season, the territories remain spatially stable throughout the duration of the season (Lackey et al 2011, Marshall 2011, Pope 2011, Smith et al 2012. Observers were randomly allocated to sample locations.…”

Section: Sample Survey Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using LiDAR‐derived vegetation metrics for high‐resolution, species distribution models for conservation planning

et al. 2013

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. Using LiDAR-derived vegetation metrics for high-resolution, species distribution models for conservation planning. Ecosphere 4(3):42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES12-000352.1Abstract. Advances in remotely sensed data for characterizing habitat have enabled development of spatially explicit predictive species distribution models (SDM) that can be essential tools for management. SDMs commonly use coarse-grain metrics, such as forest patch size or patch connectivity, over broad spatial extents. However, species distributions are likely driven in part by local, fine-grained habitat conditions. Conservation and management are often planned and applied locally, where coarse predictions may be uninformative or not sufficiently precise. We investigated the integration of high-resolution LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) with avian point sampling data to develop a detection-corrected occupancy model to quantify habitat-occurrence relationships for two species with different habitats: the endangered golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) and black-capped vireo (Vireo atricapilla) on a military installation in central Texas. We compared occupancy models that used only the more conventional, coarse remotely sensed metrics to models that also incorporated high-resolution LiDAR-derived metrics for vegetation height and canopy cover, to assess their use for predicting distributions. Models including LiDAR-derived vegetation height and canopy cover metrics were competitive for both species, and models without LiDAR-derived vegetation height had substantially lower model weights and explanatory strength. Area under curve estimates for the highest ranked models were high for warblers (0.864) and moderate for vireos (0.746). Using the best supported models for each species, we predicted the occurrence distribution for both species. The resulting predictions provide a decision support tool that enables assessment of the status, impacts, and mitigation of impacts to endangered species habitat on the installation due to land management and military training activities that is more standardized and accurate than current assessment approaches based on visual gestalt of habitat and expert opinion. Additionally, although previous species distribution models have been created for our focal species, most fail to match the grain and extent of most management actions or include local, fine-grained metrics that influence distributions. In contrast, we demonstrate that use of LiDAR with species occurrence data can provide precision and resolution at a scale that is relevant ecologically and to the operational scale of most conservation and management actions.

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“…These factors will likely remain a concern for warblers as human populations grow and their associated infrastructure expands to meet demand (Groce, Mathewson, Morrison, & Wilkins, 2010). Previous research suggests that highway noise does not affect the presence, productivity, density, or behavior of warblers in rural locations (Benson, 1995;Lackey et al, 2011;Mathewson et al, 2013), but warbler responses to anthropogenic noise in louder, urban settings are unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A before–after control–impact assessment to understand the potential impacts of highway construction noise and activity on an endangered songbird

Long

Colón

Bosman

et al. 2016

Ecology and Evolution

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Anthropogenic noise associated with highway construction and operation can have individual‐ and population‐level consequences for wildlife (e.g., reduced densities, decreased reproductive success, behavioral changes). We used a before–after control–impact study design to examine the potential impacts of highway construction and traffic noise on endangered golden‐cheeked warblers (Setophaga chrysoparia; hereafter warbler) in urban Texas. We mapped and monitored warbler territories before (2009–2011), during (2012–2013), and after (2014) highway construction at three study sites: a treatment site exposed to highway construction and traffic noise, a control site exposed only to traffic noise, and a second control site exposed to neither highway construction or traffic noise. We measured noise levels at varying distances from the highway at sites exposed to construction and traffic noise. We examined how highway construction and traffic noise influenced warbler territory density, territory placement, productivity, and song characteristics. In addition, we conducted a playback experiment within study sites to evaluate acute behavioral responses to highway construction noises. Noise decreased with increasing distance from the highways. However, noise did not differ between the construction and traffic noise sites or across time. Warbler territory density increased over time at all study sites, and we found no differences in warbler territory placement, productivity, behavior, or song characteristics that we can attribute to highway construction or traffic noise. As such, we found no evidence to suggest that highway construction or traffic noise had a negative effect on warblers during our study. Because human population growth will require recurring improvements to transportation infrastructure, understanding wildlife responses to anthropogenic noise associated with the construction and operation of roads is essential for effective management and recovery of prioritized species.

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Effects of road construction noise on the endangered golden‐cheeked warbler

Cited by 15 publications

References 37 publications

Using extended‐duration audio recordings to survey avian species

Using extended‐duration audio recordings to survey avian species

Using LiDAR‐derived vegetation metrics for high‐resolution, species distribution models for conservation planning

A before–after control–impact assessment to understand the potential impacts of highway construction noise and activity on an endangered songbird

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