Riparian vegetation has disproportionate benefits for landscape‐scale conservation of woodland birds in highly modified environments

Abstract

Summary1. Identifying landscape patterns that allow native fauna to coexist with human land use is a global challenge. Riparian vegetation often persists in anthropogenic environments as strips of natural or semi-natural vegetation that provide habitat for many terrestrial species. Its relative contribution to landscape-scale conservation is likely to change as environments become increasingly modified. We used a 'whole of landscape' approach to test the hypothesis that riparian vegetation offers disproportionate benefits, relative to nonriparian vegetation, for the conservation of woodland birds in highly modified agricultural landscapes. 2. We selected 24 landscapes, each 100 km 2 , along a gradient of landscape change represented by decreasing cover of native vegetation (from 60% to <2%), in an agricultural region in SE Australia. Bird species were systematically surveyed at three riparian and seven nonriparian sites in wooded vegetation in each landscape. 3. Riparian sites supported a greater richness of woodland-dependent species, a group of conservation concern, than did non-riparian sites. The composition of assemblages also differed between site types. 4. At the landscape scale, the pooled richness of bird assemblages at riparian and nonriparian sites, respectively, decreased with overall loss of tree cover despite constant sampling effort. Within landscapes, the b-diversity of woodland species among non-riparian sites increased (composition became less similar) as landscape tree cover declined. In contrast, riparian assemblages were relatively stable with no change in b-diversity. Importantly, as landscape tree cover declined, the proportion of woodland species uniquely present at riparian sites increased and made a greater contribution to overall landscape diversity. 5. Synthesis and applications. Landscape-scale richness of woodland species declines as landscape tree cover is lost. In highly depleted landscapes, riparian vegetation retains a relatively rich, stable assemblage compared with that in heterogeneous remnants of non-riparian vegetation and consequently contributes disproportionately to landscape-scale diversity. These observations, together with the diverse benefits of riparian vegetation for aquatic ecosystems, mean that protection and restoration of riparian vegetation is a high priority in anthropogenic environments. Importantly, such actions are directly amenable to individual land managers, and the benefits will accumulate to enhance the persistence and conservation of species at landscape and regional scales.

Riparian Partial Harvesting and Upland Clear Cutting Alter Bird Communities in a Boreal Mixedwood Forest

“…Riparian forests are recognized as having unique ecological value [1][2][3][4]. In many boreal forest locations, bird communities have higher diversity and abundance in riparian habitats than in upland habitats, e.g., balsam fir-northern white cedar in Quebec [5], spruce, birch, fir mixedwoods in Ontario [6], aspen, poplar spruce mixedwoods in Alberta [7], but not in balsam fir forests in Newfoundland [8].…”

Complex species distribution models of Goldcrests and Firecrests densities in Poland: are remote sensing‐based predictors sufficient?

“…The alteration of forest landscapes, driven by agriculture and the needs of economy, has been identified as a primary factor affecting populations of forest-dwelling species at regional and local scales (Saunders et al 1991;Fahrig 2002;Ewers and Didham 2006;Mazgajski et al 2010;Bennett et al 2014). Certain key forest birds species e.g.…”

Implications of vegetation clearing biases for the interpretation of landscape-scale species-area relationships

“…For example, species that preferentially inhabit productive woodlands may be more severely affected by habitat loss in a non-random clearing scenario (Lindenmayer & Luck, 2005;, yet this is not borne out in an average value of species richness among multiple landscapes across an entire region because other species may benefit from a more open mosaic (De Camargo & Currie, 2015). Indeed, the loss of woodlands on fertile soils has been implicated in the decline of species including the hooded robin (Melanodryas cucullata) and the regent honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia) (Kvistad et al, 2015), while the importance of these productive habitats for a broader ensemble of declining woodland species in south-east Australia has been widely reported (Watson, 2011;Stevens & Watson, 2013;Bennett et al, 2014). Moreover, non-random habitat loss may indirectly act on woodland birds via the domination of fertile remnants by Manorina honeyeaters, which have a strong effect on the composition of bird communities in modified environments (Maron & Kennedy, 2007;Mac Nally et al, 2014a;Thomson et al, 2015).…”

“…For example, site attributes such as the occurrence of woody debris (Antos et al, 2008;Ikin et al, 2015), leaf litter (MontagueDrake et al, 2009;, and the occurrence of hemiparasitic mistletoe plants (Bowen et al, 2009a;Watson & Herring, 2012) variously influence the occurrence of birds in modified landscapes. Moreover, geomorphological features such as creek lines, and associated riparian vegetation have been shown to be a disproportionately important driver of bird occurrence (Bennett et al, 2014;Haslem et al, 2015;Nimmo et al, 2015). Indeed, this may in part relate to an association between creeks, riparian/floodplain vegetation and enhanced soil fertility and vegetation productivity (Bennett et al, 2014).…”

“…Moreover, geomorphological features such as creek lines, and associated riparian vegetation have been shown to be a disproportionately important driver of bird occurrence (Bennett et al, 2014;Haslem et al, 2015;Nimmo et al, 2015). Indeed, this may in part relate to an association between creeks, riparian/floodplain vegetation and enhanced soil fertility and vegetation productivity (Bennett et al, 2014). Fire is an important driver of the occurrence of birds in Australian woodlands and forests, given its influence on the age and structure of vegetation Burgess & Maron, 2015;Haslem et al, 2016).…”