Winter bird distribution in abiotic and habitat structural gradients: A case study with mediterranean montane oakwoods

Carrascal, Luis M.; Díaz, Leticia

doi:10.2980/1195-6860(2006)13[100:wbdiaa]2.0.co;2

Cited by 19 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Nevertheless, and in contrast with other bird guilds for which positive relationships have been found (e.g., Turcotte and Desrochers 2005;Carrascal and Diaz 2006;Godinho et al 2010;Honkanen et al 2010), species richness of ground-foraging birds decreases with maturity and development of the tree layer. Nevertheless, and in contrast with other bird guilds for which positive relationships have been found (e.g., Turcotte and Desrochers 2005;Carrascal and Diaz 2006;Godinho et al 2010;Honkanen et al 2010), species richness of ground-foraging birds decreases with maturity and development of the tree layer.…”

Section: Abiotic Effects Of Temperature and Altitudementioning

confidence: 57%

Thermal, food and vegetation effects on winter bird species richness of Mediterranean oakwoods

Carrascal

Villén‐Peréz

Seoane

2011

Ecological Research

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A better understanding of species–energy relationships needs to be developed using fine‐grained approaches that involve the use of small geographical scales of known characteristics, such as habitat heterogeneity, food availability, direct measures of temperature, and functional groups of species. We carried out a 2‐year study to analyze the effects of the thermal environment and food availability, while controlling for the influence of habitat structure, on winter species richness of birds living in oakwoods of a mountanious region of Central Spain of Mediterranean continental climate. The guild of ground‐foraging birds was selected as model organisms considering its susceptibility to winter conditions associated with unpredictable snowfalls. The spatial variation in species richness of this guild was determined by food availability, but only for those stable and predictable resources not affected by frequent snowfall (shrubs producing fruits; a complete lack of association was found with arthropod abundance on the ground). Thermal effects associated directly with air temperature, and mediated indirectly by vegetation structure providing a mosaic of sun‐shade patches, were also very influential. These patterns were highly repeatable across years. Daytime temperature had no influence on determining spatial variation in species richness, but night (minimum) temperature was a very important predictor (explained considering the lower temperatures at night, the longer duration of night, and the inability of diurnal birds to develop active behavioral thermoregulation during nighttime). This result highlights the need to consider physiological processes mediating species–environment relationships when analyzing the relationship between climatic variables and biodiversity phenomena.

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Section: Abiotic Effects Of Temperature and Altitudementioning

confidence: 57%

Thermal, food and vegetation effects on winter bird species richness of Mediterranean oakwoods

Carrascal

Villén‐Peréz

Seoane

2011

Ecological Research

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“…However, there is increasing evidence that the abundance and distribution of birds are also affected by scale-dependent hierarchical processes that disturb the links between habitat suitability and bird numbers (Wiens, 1989;Kotliar & Wiens, 1990;Brown et al, 1996). These processes are related to various factors affecting migratory bird populations, such as the temporal decoupling between food resources and bird numbers, variable climate harshness in different regions or the inability of individuals to reach isolated areas (Herrera, 1998;Henningsson & Alerstam, 2005;Carrascal & Díaz, 2006). Hence, a full understanding of the factors that affect the numerical evolution of migratory bird populations requires the study of such populations at different spatial and temporal scales (Baillie & Peach, 1992;Sherry & Holmes, 1996;Esler, 2000).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Do migratory pathways affect the regional abundance of wintering birds? A test in northern Spain

Tellería

Ramírez

Galarza³

et al. 2009

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim The abundance distribution of organisms at regional scales is commonly interpreted as the result of spatial variation in habitat suitability. However, the possibility that geography itself may affect patterns of distribution has received less attention. For example, the abundance of wintering bird populations might be influenced by the cost of reaching areas located far away from the main migratory pathways. We studied the abundance distribution of three common migratory passerines (meadow pipits, Anthus pratensis; common chaffinches, Fringilla coelebs; and European robins, Erithacus rubecula) wintering in farmlands located in the 600‐km long Cantabrian coastal sector of northern Spain, roughly perpendicular to the west Pyrenean migratory pathway that drives European migrant birds into the Iberian Peninsula. Location The study area occupies a belt located between the Atlantic coast and the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain. Methods We counted wintering and breeding birds and measured the structure of vegetation and environmental variables (altitude, rainfall, temperature) in 68 farmlands distributed at different distances from the west Pyrenean migratory flyway. We also studied the distribution of birds ringed in central and northern Europe and recovered in the study area between October and February. Analyses were based on single univariate statistics (chi‐square tests), ordination by principal components analysis and multiple regression. Results Controlling for the effects of climate, vegetation structure and local abundance of breeding conspecifics, the winter abundance of all three species decreased with the distance from their main migratory route in the western Pyrenees. Such patterns fitted well to the observed distribution of ringing recoveries. Main conclusions Our results support a link between the movements of birds along the Pyrenean migratory pathway and their winter abundance in northern Spain. According to this view, the sectors located near the migratory pathway seem to be more easily occupied by migrants, supporting the idea that proximity to passage areas may explain the fine‐grain regional patterning of species abundance in wintering grounds.

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“…Coastal bird communities are an excellent example of this, with many species exploiting both terrestrial resourcessuch as nesting or roosting sites (Burger et al, 2010) and aquatic resources, such as prey species (Janssen et al, 2011). With the additional effects of microclimate on birds' thermoregulatory capabilities (Carrascal & D ıaz, 2006;Guti errez et al, 2012), it becomes apparent that many different environmental variables may govern the assemblage of coastal birds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing coastal species distribution models through the integration of terrestrial, oceanic and atmospheric data

Rickbeil

Coops

Drever

et al. 2014

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim When considering multiple species in distribution models, environmental variables should be selected that describe the group of species' environmental requirements. This can, however, be challenging in locations such as coastal areas, where different species may respond to terrestrial, oceanic and/or atmospheric conditions. Here, we evaluate the use of remotely sensed (RS) terrestrial, oceanic and interpolated climate variables, as well as a more detailed shore‐zone data set, as a means of modelling the distributions of coastal bird species with diverse habitat requirements. Location Coastal British Columbia, Canada. Methods Boosted regression trees were used to model the distributions of 60 species of coastal birds using each environmental variable group, run individually and in combination. Models were assessed for their predictive ability and model fit, as well as for model overfitting. Results Models that incorporated terrestrial data were found to produce the highest model fit and predictive ability of the broad‐scale environmental groups. Incorporating the fine‐scale shore‐zone data offered little improvement, as did selecting the best model in terms of predictive ability by species. Model fit and predictive ability were also found to vary by functional feeding group, with insectivores and benthivores being the best‐modelled. Main conclusions Having access to both broad‐scale RS environmental data and more detailed coastal shore‐zone data produced modest improvements over employing RS environmental data alone. Models using only the terrestrial data set, however, performed similarly to the best single model type (terrestrial + shore‐zone), indicating that broad‐scale environmental data also offer an effective means of estimating coastal bird distributions. Testing multiple environmental variable groups in different combinations and selecting the best model allowed models to be optimized by species; conversely, the results of a ‘one model fits all’ approach were comparable to those of the best models, indicating that a single‐model approach is also valid.

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Winter bird distribution in abiotic and habitat structural gradients: A case study with mediterranean montane oakwoods

Cited by 19 publications

References 59 publications

Thermal, food and vegetation effects on winter bird species richness of Mediterranean oakwoods

Thermal, food and vegetation effects on winter bird species richness of Mediterranean oakwoods

Do migratory pathways affect the regional abundance of wintering birds? A test in northern Spain

Assessing coastal species distribution models through the integration of terrestrial, oceanic and atmospheric data

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