Food Shortage in Small Fragments: Evidence from an Area-Sensitive Passerine

Zanette, Liana; Doyle, Paul; Tremont, Steve M.

doi:10.2307/177314

Cited by 125 publications

(169 citation statements)

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“…breeding locations) and foraging (e.g. insects) and thereby an increased capacity to support more species and breeding pairs [77]. This will clearly increase the detection of at least one territory of a species with greater likelihood in large compared to smaller patches (c.f.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Spatial Variation in Areal Extent and Configuration of Labile Vegetation States Affect the Riparian Bird Community in Arctic Tundra

et al. 2013

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The Arctic tundra is currently experiencing an unprecedented combination of climate change, change in grazing pressure by large herbivores and growing human activity. Thickets of tall shrubs represent a conspicuous vegetation state in northern and temperate ecosystems, where it serves important ecological functions, including habitat for wildlife. Thickets are however labile, as tall shrubs respond rapidly to both abiotic and biotic environmental drivers. Our aim was to assess how large-scale spatial variation in willow thicket areal extent, configuration and habitat structure affected bird abundance, occupancy rates and species richness so as to provide an empirical basis for predicting the outcome of environmental change for riparian tundra bird communities. Based on a 4-year count data series, obtained through a large-scale study design in low arctic tundra in northern Norway, statistical hierarchical community models were deployed to assess relations between habitat configuration and bird species occupancy and community richness. We found that species abundance, occupancy and richness were greatly affected by willow areal extent and configuration, habitat features likely to be affected by intense ungulate browsing as well as climate warming. In sum, total species richness was maximized in large and tall willow patches of small to intermediate degree of fragmentation. These community effects were mainly driven by responses in the occupancy rates of species depending on tall willows for foraging and breeding, while species favouring other vegetation states were not affected. In light of the predicted climate driven willow shrub encroachment in riparian tundra habitats, our study predicts that many bird species would increase in abundance, and that the bird community as a whole could become enriched. Conversely, in tundra regions where overabundance of large herbivores leads to decreased areal extent, reduced height and increased fragmentation of willow thickets, bird community richness and species-specific abundance are likely to be significantly reduced.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Spatial Variation in Areal Extent and Configuration of Labile Vegetation States Affect the Riparian Bird Community in Arctic Tundra

et al. 2013

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“…Research in forests has shown that habitat quality, as determined by vegetation structure or food availability, often differs between the interiors and edges of woodlots (Burke and Nol 1998, Zanette et al 2000, Van Wilgenburg et al 2001. Research in forests has shown that habitat quality, as determined by vegetation structure or food availability, often differs between the interiors and edges of woodlots (Burke and Nol 1998, Zanette et al 2000, Van Wilgenburg et al 2001.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are Shrubland Birds Edge Specialists

Schlossberg

King

2008

Ecological Applications

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In studies of forest fragmentation, birds of scrubby, early-successional habitats are considered edge specialists. Because these birds are assumed to thrive in fragmented, edge-dominated areas, their landscape ecology has received little attention from ecologists. With populations of shrubland birds declining throughout the eastern United States, the question of whether or not these birds really prefer edge habitats has important conservation implications. We used a meta-analysis to test how edges affect the abundance of shrubland birds in early-successional habitats. We analyzed data for 17 species from seven studies that compared the abundances of birds in the interiors and edges of regenerating clearcuts surrounded by mature forest. The meta-analysis clearly showed that shrubland birds avoid edges. All 17 species tested had higher abundances in patch centers than along edges, and edge effects were significant for 8 of 17 species. The key implication of this result is that small or irregular patches, dominated by edge, are unlikely to provide suitable habitat for shrubland birds. Thus, management for these declining species should involve providing large patches and minimizing edges. These findings demonstrate the importance of testing widely accepted ecological classifications and the need to view landscape ecology from the perspective of non-forest wildlife.

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“…Similarities in bird species richness on sites within the same farm might arise due to farm-level management practices such as levels of fertilizer or pesticide application (Barrett, 2000;Gabriel et al, 2010). see Zanette 2000) are required to quantify whether source-sink dynamics are operating in the ecosystems that we investigated. a hiatus in poison-baiting programmes that result in increased numbers of wide-ranging exotic predators such as the introduced Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) (Shapira et al, 2008)].…”

Section: Patterns Of Spatial Dependencementioning

confidence: 99%

The law of diminishing returns: woodland birds respond to native vegetation cover at multiple spatial scales and over time

Cunningham

Lindenmayer

Crane

et al. 2013

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim To quantify at multiple spatial scales: (1) spatial dependence in several measures of aggregate bird biodiversity, (2) the role of native vegetation cover in explaining variation in aggregate bird biodiversity and (3) relationships between change over 8 years in bird diversity and changes in native vegetation.Location South-eastern Australia.Methods We gathered data on birds between 2002 and 2010 on 184 (2 ha) sites nested within 46 (1000 ha) farms nested within 23 (10,000 ha) landscapes. We statistically estimated spatial and temporal components of variation at the landscape, farm and site scale for several composite indices of bird diversity. Second, we modelled the relationships between aggregate bird biodiversity and log % of native vegetation cover at each spatial scale and over time.Results Variation in bird biodiversity at the landscape, farm and site scale exhibited significant, intrinsic scale-specific effects. This dependence was largely accounted for by native vegetation cover with aggregate biodiversity increasing with increasing native vegetation cover at each spatial scale and over time. Every doubling of % cover resulted in an increase of 3.1, 2.3 and 0.7 species per landscape, farm and site, respectively. Similar statistically significant positive relationship between proxy abundance and richness of species of conservation concern and % cover of vegetation were also found. Species richness at the site scale also was related to vegetation cover in the surrounding landscape. Over the period of study, relationships between changes in bird biodiversity and changes in vegetation cover were not statistically significant.Main conclusions We used 'diminishing returns' response curves to model relationships between measures of bird biodiversity and vegetation cover at all spatial scales. Absolute gains in biodiversity per unit increase in vegetation cover were greatest at relatively low amounts of vegetation cover. These results can help prioritize investment strategies such as replanting native vegetation under agri-environment schemes.

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Food Shortage in Small Fragments: Evidence from an Area-Sensitive Passerine

Cited by 125 publications

References 0 publications

How Spatial Variation in Areal Extent and Configuration of Labile Vegetation States Affect the Riparian Bird Community in Arctic Tundra

How Spatial Variation in Areal Extent and Configuration of Labile Vegetation States Affect the Riparian Bird Community in Arctic Tundra

Are Shrubland Birds Edge Specialists

The law of diminishing returns: woodland birds respond to native vegetation cover at multiple spatial scales and over time

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