Projected long-term response of Southeastern birds to forest management

Numerous studies have explored the influence of forest management on avian communities empirically, but uncertainty about causal relationships between landscape patterns and temporal dynamics of bird communities calls into question how observed historical patterns can be projected into the future, particularly to assess consequences of differing management alternatives. We used the Habplan harvest scheduler to project forest conditions under several management scenarios mapped at 5-year time steps over a 40-year time span. We used empirical models of overall avian richness, richness of selected guilds, and probability of presence for selected species to predict avian community characteristics for each of the mapped landscapes generated for each 5-year time step for each management scenario. We then used time series analyses to quantify relationships between changes in avian community characteristics and management-induced changes to forest landscapes over time. Our models of avian community and species characteristics indicated habitat associations at multiple spatial scales, although landscape-level measures of habitat were generally more important than stand-level measures. Our projections showed overall avian richness, richness of Neotropical migrants, and the presence of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and Eastern Wood-pewees varied little among management scenarios, corresponding closely to broad, overall landscape changes over time. By contrast, richness of canopy nesters, richness of cavity nesters, richness of scrub-successional associates, and the presence of Common Yellowthroats showed high temporal variability among management scenarios, likely corresponding to short-term, fine-scale changes in the landscape. Predicted temporal variability of both interior-forest and early successional birds was low in the unharvested landscape relative to that in the harvested landscape. Our results also suggested that early successional species can be sensitive to both availability and connectivity of habitat on the landscape. To increase or maintain the avian diversity, our projections indicate that forest managers need to consider landscape-scale configuration of stands, maintaining a spatially heterogeneous distribution of age classes. Our findings suggest which measures of richness or species presence may be appropriate indicators for monitoring effects of forest management on avian communities, depending on management objectives.     

Effects of habitat type, vegetation structure, and proximity to forests on bird species richness in a forest–agricultural landscape of West Java, Indonesia

To halt biodiversity loss in the humid tropics of developing countries, it is crucial to understand the roles and effects of human-modified landscapes with fragmented forest remnants in maintaining biodiversity while fulfilling the demands of local communities and reducing poverty. To implement appropriate landscape planning for conserving biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, appropriate information is required about parameters of habitat suitability among various anthropogenic habitats with a range of distances to forests and vegetation characteristics, but such information is limited. We examined differences in avian communities between a remnant forest and four types of man-made forest (two mature plantations and two agroforests) in a forest–agricultural landscape of West Java, and we analyzed the effects of both local and landscape factors on various types of species richness in this landscape. The results from non-metric multidimensional scaling revealed avifauna in the two types of agroforest was clustered separately from that in the remnant forest, mainly because drastic declines in the abundance of forest specialists (including IUCN red-listed species) and their replacement with open-habitat generalists. The mixed-tree agroforests were colonized by 30 % of forest specialists and forest-edge species found in the remnant forest, and maintained the highest richness of species endemic to Indonesia among man-made forests, implying that some forest specialists and endemics might have adapted to ancient landscape heterogeneity. High proportion of insectivorous birds was found in the remnant forest (more than 50 %) and drastically decline in man-made forests, although the species richness of insectivores did not decline significantly in broad-leaved plantations. We concluded that protection of remnant forests should be prioritized to conserve forest bird diversity. However, as different environmental factors affected the richness values of different ecological groups, appropriate landscape design and habitat management could improve functional diversity in forest–agricultural landscapes in the tropics.     

Biodiversity response to intensive biomass production from forest thinning in North American forests - A meta-analysis

Demand for alternative energy sources has led to increased interest in intensive biomass production. When applied across a broad spatial extent, intensive biomass production in forests, which support a large proportion of biodiversity, may alter species composition, nutrient cycling and subsequently biodiversity. Because forest thinning and fuels treatment thinning are viewed as possible wide-spread biomass harvest options, it is important to understand what is known about forest biodiversity response to these practices and what additional information is needed by forest managers and policymakers. Therefore, we summarized documented relationships between forest thinning treatments and forest biodiversity from 505 biodiversity effect sizes (incl. taxa and guild abundance and species richness measures) from 33 studies conducted across North America. We used meta-analysis to summarize biodiversity response by region, taxa and harvest treatments. Biodiversity responses included species richness, diversity, abundance of taxa or groups of species (guilds) and abundance of individual species for birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. Forest thinning treatments had generally positive or neutral effects on diversity and abundance across all taxa, although thinning intensity and the type of thinning conducted may at least partially drive the magnitude of response. Our review highlights the need for more research to determine effects of thinning on amphibians and reptiles and manipulative experiments designed to test the effects of biomass removal on biodiversity.     

Managing disturbance regimes to maintain biological diversity in forested ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest

Managing for biodiversity in Pacific Northwest forest ecosystems requires a means to predict the interactive effects of natural, introduced, and altered disturbance regimes. Although disturbances are known to be a determinant of patterns of biological diversity, disturbance and diversity principles have not been consistently applied in management of forest ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest. Here we review disturbance and diversity theory and develop a synthetic conceptual model for use in predicting the effects of disturbances of any origin on biodiversity, focusing on the Pacific Northwest. Disturbance principles have traditionally been applied to understanding patterns of species diversity, but they can also be applied to understanding the broader concept of biodiversity. Our conceptual model integrates these principles, illustrating relationships among mechanisms that limit species diversity and those that enhance it. Diversity-limiting factors are: environmental stress due to high levels of disturbance relative to productivity, and competitive exclusion that can arise where disturbance has been suppressed or managed to favor a particular species’ dominance. Conversely, biological diversity will be enhanced by disturbances that are not too frequent to be stressful, and that create functional heterogeneity (spatial and temporal variation in habitat structure and biological legacies that are vital for post-disturbance reproduction and growth). The three disturbance-related mechanisms that determine diversity operate over local to landscape spatial scales and ecological time scales and thus can be readily influenced by management. By comprehensively evaluating existing disturbance regimes and how they are influencing these factors, managers can help maintain or restore the ecological foundation for biodiversity. We describe management approaches to improve this foundation focusing on forests managed for multiple goals in the Pacific Northwest, where there is considerable potential for and interest in maintaining and enhancing biodiversity.     

物种多样性与生产力研究进展

物种多样性作为生物多样性重要组成之一,与生产力密切相关。文中围绕目前物种多样性与森林生产力存在的4种相关关系展开论述。在大量草地生态系统中物种均匀度和丰富度的增加更有利于促进生产力,而在群落结构和组成起决定作用的自然群落中,生产力不受物种多样性的影响,在人工草地群落中物种多样性甚至会降低生产力,随着森林演替过程物种多样性和生产力呈现非线性关系。样地丰富度、林分结构、环境异质性及尺度被认为是造成不同生态系统物种多样性和生产力相关关系差异的主要因素。然而,目前相关研究主要集中于小尺度、均质生境,忽略了尺度、空间异质性以及优势树种对物种多样性和生产力关系的影响,因此亟待加强大尺度、复杂条件自然群落中物种多样性和生产力之间相关关系的研究。     

Effects of fire disturbance on bird communities and species of mountain Serrano forest in central Argentina

In central Argentina, Serrano forest has a long history of fire disturbance; however, the impact of fire on avifauna remains unknown. We compared the avian–habitat relationships in forest patches with low, moderate, and high fire regimes using a community-level (species richness, abundance, ordination and guilds) and species-level (indicator species analysis) approach. In patches under each fire condition, we recorded bird community composition, richness and abundance, and different vegetation structure variables. The site under high-severity fire regime was structurally poor and had been converted from original forest to dense grassland. There, diversity of bird community was low, retaining approximately 30 % of the species present in the least impacted site. Avian assemblage was dominated by generalist and open area birds. Guilds were underrepresented, showing an important reduction of foliage granivorous, nectarivorous, omnivores, and foliage and bark insectivorous, and absence of fly-catchers. Moreover, low abundance of forest understory, midstory, and canopy species and of birds belonging to open and closed nesting guilds was detected. By contrast, under low and moderate-severity fire regimes highest bird diversity as well as highest representativeness of most guilds was observed. Forest bird species were strongly associated with low fire disturbance, whereas moderate fire disturbance was characterized by the presence of forest and generalist species. Given the critical conservation status of Serrano forest in Córdoba, Argentina, habitat restoration and protection of forest relicts could be suitable measures to promote avifauna preservation.     

景观破碎化及其对生物多样性的影响

景观破碎化是指景观中各生态系统之间的功能联系断裂或连接性减少的现象。景观破碎化引起生物生境的丧失或退化,从而造成生物多样性的丧失。景观破碎化造成的物种多样性变化主要表现为影响物种、遗传和生态系统的多样性。景观破碎化对物种多样性的影响研究是景观生态学的主要研究方向之一,但是目前的研究主要集中于动物种群,研究周期也比较短,而对于植物种群和生态系统受景观破碎化影响的研究开展较少,破碎化对生物多样性的影响机制研究应该更加深入。     

Effect of stand age on bird communities in late-successional Macedonian pine forests in Bulgaria

To gain insight into the question of which vegetation characteristics have the most influence on avian assemblages in late-successional forests, the habitat preferences of bird-guilds in old-growth endemic forests of Macedonian pine were studied over 3 years in the Pirin National Park, Bulgaria. Bird–habitat relationships were investigated by comparing vegetation characteristics, and bird species richness, diversity, abundance, and guild structure of birds (determined according to food type, foraging and nesting sites) between mature (60–100 years old) and over-mature (>120 years old) Macedonian pine forest stands. Studied forest age-classes differed mainly by the density, height and diameter of trees, and the amount of dead wood. The first one of these parameters decreased and the latter two parameters increased with the forest succession. The difference in the vegetation structure affected the abundance of bird-guilds and thus, the overall bird abundance and the structure of avian assemblages within Macedonian pine forests. There was no significant difference in bird diversity among studied forest age-classes, but the overall bird abundance increased with forest maturation. Analyzed by study plots, species richness was higher in over-mature forests, but at cluster level, there was no significant difference between mature and over-mature forest age-classes. Half of the studied (insectivorous, hole- and ground-nesters, bark- and canopy-foraging bird species) guilds were more abundant in over-mature forests, while there was no bird-guild exhibiting a preference for mature forest stands. The abundances of bird-guilds were correlated with tree height, diameter at breast height and the amount of dead wood between the studied forest age-classes and this might explain their preferences for over-mature pine forests. Therefore, for future sustainable management of these endemic forests and the conservation of their avifauna, efforts should focus on protecting the remaining native old-growth forest stands and the importance of the structure of Macedonian pine forests on their bird assemblages should be considered in forestry practices.     

Effects of management options on mammal richness in a Mediterranean agro-silvo-pastoral system

Non-flying mammal richness and distribution were studied in a landscape matrix consisting of a highly managed agro-silvo-pastoral system dominated by a cork oak woodland (montado) to test the predictions of the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis (IDH). Sampling consisted on detection of mammalian signs of presence, along with the use of scent stations and small mammal live-trapping. Results were analyzed using generalized linear models, considering land uses, landscape metrics and grazing intensity and gave support to the predictions of the IDH. Pure forestry and intensive agricultural uses showed lower species richness than the silvopastoral system, whilst landscape heterogeneity and riparian corridors were shown to be most beneficial to mammal species richness, with small mammals being directly and negatively affected by grazing intensity. The increasing use of the montado for raising cattle has led to landscape homogenization by means of grazing and shrub clearance for pasture cultivation and this, combined with incremented stocking rates, constrains species richness. In this landscape context, watercourses assume a relevant role as patches of suitable habitat providing shelter, food, movement corridors and dispersion routes for mammals. Recent options of fencing forest patches with good forest natural regeneration or with a high diversity/density of Mediterranean maquis, and restoring degraded watercourses, both to improve landscape heterogeneity, appear to positively affect the mammal community. This is a current challenge in terms of monitoring and research.     

南宁市青秀山风景名胜区景观多样性探析

景观多样性是生物多样性研究的主要内容之一,在生物多样性保护方面具有重要作用。本文运用景观生态学原理,借助地理信息系统技术,选取景观多样性、优势度、丰富度密度、均匀度、分离度、分维数等指数,分析了南宁市青秀山风景名胜区不同景观类型的空间分布特征。结果显示:整个研究区域的多样性丰富,各景观类型所占比例相对均匀,常绿阔叶林和马尾松林的破碎化程度较轻,经济林和农田等人工景观较破碎,表明人为干扰十分强烈。     

Effects of multiple factors on plant diversity of forest fragments in intensive farmland of Northern Portugal

The joint and independent effects of dominant tree species, forest patch spatial attributes, and forest structure and management as drivers of plant species richness and composition in small forest patches scattered within an intensive agricultural landscape were addressed.In a landscape with scattered urban and intensive dairy agricultural areas in north-west Portugal, within which small forest patches (dominated by pines, eucalypts, or both) represent semi-natural habitat islands, 50 small forest patches, with areas ranging between 0.3 and 3 ha, were selected and surveyed for vascular plant diversity, within dairy farming landscape mosaics dominated by annual forage crops. Explanatory variables were composed of three datasets derived either from GIS mapping or field observations: forest type (dominant tree species), forest patch spatial attributes (patch area and shape index), and measures of forest management and structure (diameter at breast height, tree density per hectare, and percentage cover of vegetation strata). Variations in these forest patch attributes were assessed across forest types, and related to measures of plant diversity (total, native, alien, woody, and herbaceous species richness). Redundancy analysis with variance partitioning was applied to evaluate the joint and independent effects of the three sets of variables on species assemblages. The recent shift in canopy dominance from pine to eucalypt observed in the region appears to be related to a (nonsignificant) tendency for the increase of patch area and to the decrease of patch complexity, as well as several changes in forest structure and management, expressed as a trend to denser tree canopies and lower cover of understory plants. Dominant tree species and attributes related to forest structure and management were the most important factors determining plant diversity. The joint effect of the dominant tree species and forest structure and management resulted in lower levels of plant species richness in eucalypt plantations. These were also more prone to invasion by alien species, probably due to decreased biotic resistance from unsaturated native plant assemblages. Our results draw attention to the importance of dominant tree species and management practices for the maintenance of plant diversity levels (species richness and composition) in dairy landscape mosaics, highlighting the importance of the remnants of semi-natural forests as refuges for plant diversity in the landscape context. Nonetheless, forest plant diversity could further be fostered by promoting naturalness of pine stands and the regeneration of native oak woodlands in some forest areas. This would also diversify the range of ecosystem services that could be provided by forest areas in these peri-urban farmlands.     

A method for integrating the Breeding Bird Survey and Forest Inventory and Analysis databases to evaluate forest bird–habitat relationships at multiple spatial scales

The limited spatial scales of many bird–habitat studies restrict inference regarding large scale bird–habitat relationships. A potential solution to this challenge is integrating the USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) and USGS Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) databases. We describe a methodology for integrating these databases into a uniform dataset for modeling bird–habitat relationships at multiple spatial scales. We accumulated route-level BBS data for four species guilds (canopy nesting, ground-shrub nesting, cavity nesting, early successional), each containing a minimum of five bird species. We developed 43 forest variables at the county level using FIA data from the 2000 inventory cycle within 5 physiographic regions in 14 states. We examined spatial relationships between the BBS and FIA data at three hierarchical scales: (1) individual BBS routes, (2) FIA units, and (3) physiographic sections. At the BBS route scale, we buffered routes at 100 m, 1 km, and 10 km radii, intersected these buffers with county boundaries, and developed weighted averages for each forest variable within each buffer width. Weights were a function of the percent of area each county had within a buffer. We calculated 29 landscape structure variables from 1992 National Land Cover Data (NLCD) imagery using Fragstats within each buffer width. At the BBS route scale, we developed models relating variations in bird occupancy and abundance to forest and landscape structure within each buffer width using classification and regression trees (CART). We aggregated the FIA variables to the FIA unit and physiographic section scales and recalculated the landscape variables within each unit and section using NCLD imagery resampled to a 400 m pixel size. We used regression trees (FIA unit scale) and general linear models (GLM, physiographic section scale) to relate variations in bird abundance to the forest and landscape variables. At the BBS route scale, 80% of the best CART models accounted for >50% of the variation in bird occupancy and abundance. Among FIA units and physiographic sections, the regression trees accounted for an average of 54.1% and the GLMs accounted for an average of 66.3% of the variability in bird abundance, respectively. This methodology shows promise for integrating independent databases for evaluating bird–habitat relationships across broad spatial extents, and the hierarchical nature of these models provides a potentially consistent means of evaluating management options at varying spatial scales.     

Rapid assessment of biological richness in a part of Eastern Himalaya: an integrated three-tier approach

Biodiversity conservation necessitates not only preservation of single or multiple species but also the habitat as a whole along with its environment. Biological richness (BR) is a cumulative property of an ecological habitat and its surrounding environment, which has emerging implications in terms of management and planning. Six biodiversity attributes (i.e., spatial, phytosociological, social, physical, economical and ecological) were linked together based on their relative importance to qualitatively stratify biological richness of forest vegetation in Subansiri district of Eastern Himalaya using customized software, Bio_CAP. Higher biological richness was assigned to the habitats with (i) high species diversity, (ii) high degree of ecosystem uniqueness (EU), (iii) high economical value, (iv) complex terrain and (v) low disturbance level. This simple idea of integrated ‘three-tier modeling approach’ of (i) utilization of geospatial tools, (ii) limited field survey and (iii) landscape analysis; formed the basis of rapid assessment of biological richness.Satellite image interpretation using hybrid classification approach provided spatial distribution of vegetation types (corresponding to ecological habitats), with 89% accuracy. Landscape analysis was done using various quantitative indices that measured the heterogeneity and evaluated the patch characteristics. A methodology was developed for deriving relative adjacency weights from field data for calculation of juxtaposition of vegetation types. Biotic disturbance buffers (i.e., proximity zones around roads and human settlements) along with landscape parameters were combined to calculate disturbance index (DI), which in turn became an intermediate surrogate for BR assessment. Species diversity patterns along fragmentation and biotic disturbance gradients were adjudged to derive relative weights for DI computation. Species diversity (Shannon's index), ecosystem uniqueness (endemism status) and biodiversity value (BV) (total importance value (TIV)) were enumerated quantitatively that provided relative weights for BR computation. Terrain complexity (TC) was generated by calculating variance of the elevation image. Fifty-nine of total 764 species were found endemic to Eastern Himalaya with over all species endemism of 13 per ha. Shannon's index increased with decrease in fragmentation levels and increase of distance from sources of disturbance. BR index of the district was presented in five qualitative levels. Subtropical forests claim highest degree of biological richness as well as high disturbance index. This methodology has implications for rapid biodiversity assessment. Forest managers can use the DI and BR maps for gap analysis and prioritization of conservation activities viz., introduction of locale-specific species, thus protecting the forest habitats in situ.     

Expert and novice group differences in eye movements when assessing biodiversity of harvested forests

The European Landscape Convention encourages everyone to be part of the management and perception of the landscape. In Swedish forestry today, however, it is experts in biodiversity who are responsible for the management policies used when planning tree retention as a biodiversity conservation strategy. This gives the forest a certain structure, but it is uncertain whether this structure is felt to represent the same biodiversity when assessed by novices rather than biodiversity experts. Using eye tracking and subjective assessment scales, the present study investigates whether biodiversity expertise has an effect on biodiversity rating and its certainty, fixation durations, and dwell times in the field layer in the foreground when assessing images of recently logged forest that has some degree of tree retention. The results show no significant difference in the assessments of the images between the two groups; however, the certainty assessments and the eye-tracking data suggest that there are differences in strategies and behaviour. The findings have implications for the interpretation of self-reported data corresponding to measured behaviour when judging the biodiversity of a forest landscape. The study suggest that there could be differences between user groups that previous studies miss out on, and that eye tracking as a method could help detect these differences.     

At which spatial scale are plant species composition and diversity affected in beech forests?

• Context  

Landscape structure is crucial for forest conservation in regions where the natural forest is fragmented. Practical conservation is currently shifting from local stands to a landscape perspective, although few studies have tested the relative effects of different spatial scales on plant species composition and diversity in forests.     

大围山国家级自然保护区自然因素对生物多样性影响的评估

大围山国家级自然保护区是云南省最重要的保护区之一,生物多样性的管理十分重要。研究对生物多样性和影响生物多样性的因子进行评估。研究所采用的第一手自然和生物多样性的第一手数据,如海拔、土壤类型、坡度、森林覆盖率、植物物种、鸟类物种等从大围山保护区的28个样点中获得。用CurveExpert统计软件对这些数据进行数理统计分析,分析的结果显示鸟类物种的多样性与植物物种的多样性呈明显的正相关,说明生境对动物区系多样性保护的关键作用。该研究还分析了关键景观特征与生物多样性的相关性,并对如何测度生物多样性和增强保护和管理该区域的生物多样性提出了建议。本研究的结果不仅对大围山自然保护区的生物多样性保护和管理策略的制定有重要的意义,而且对中国其他自然保护区的保护和管理也有积极地作用。     

Biodiversity Values and Measures Applied to Forest Management

Abstract

With the new emphasis in land management agencies (particularly the USDA Forest Service) on ecosystem management, new attention is being paid to measurements of biological diversity (biodiversity). Forest managers faced with incorporating the maintenance of biodiversity into their analyses, plans, and decisions need reliable, quantitative biodiversity measures. Deciding which measures to use requires land managers to understand why biodiversity is valued, which components of diversity are of most value, and how to measure these components feasibly. In this paper, the values associated with biodiversity and the principal indices available to forest managers are reviewed. Attention is drawn to the differing emphases of biodiversity indices-species richness, heterogeneity, and evenness-and to how diese differences address different values. Potential applications for these indices in forest management plans-including ways to use habitat models to approximate biodiversity-are also discussed.     

基于GIS的森林景观格局研究——以桃山林场红塘沟流域为例

以2009年森林资源二类调查数据为基础,结合GIS分析软件,运用相关景观异质性指数和景观格局指数,系统地分析了红塘沟流域森林景观格局。结果表明:研究区森林景观以有林地为主体,其面积和斑块数的比例分别为73.48%和40.79%,优势度达到3.0338,为研究区景观基质;综合分析景观多样性指数、均匀度指数以及优势度指数表明,研究区景观异质性较低,景观各要素斑块交互镶嵌;景观斑块规模最大的为有林地,各景观斑块形状差异较大。     

Effects of landscape patterns on species density and abundance of trees in a tropical subdeciduous forest of the Yucatan Peninsula

Most studies of the effects of fragmentation and landscape patterns on plant communities focus on particular patches and on local species richness (α-diversity), while few studies examine different patch-types at the whole landscape level and address effects on abundance and composition of species or functional groups. The present study aims to identify and characterize relationships between patch-type metrics and species density and abundance of trees using four tropical subdeciduous forest landscapes in the Yucatan Peninsula considering the entire landscape as the unit of study. Species density and abundance of different groups of tree species resulting from hierarchical clustering were related to landscape patterns of patch-types (area, edge, shape, similarity and contrast) using regression analysis and Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). The abundance of tree species in the oldest stages of succession was associated with percentage of land of a patch-type. Total area may favor the establishment of shade-tolerant tree species in the study area because as the area of forest patches increases, the area of forest interior conditions also increases. Conversely, the abundance of species at early and intermediate stages was related to total edge contrast and edge density, respectively. Fragmentation increases the proportion of edge zones of a patch-type, creating contrasting microclimate conditions that could promote the establishment of pioneer and light-demanding species. Thus, the combined effect of total area and edge length of a patch-type may enhance total tree species richness in the study area by favoring species with different life-history strategies. The appearance of area, shape, edge and contrast in most of the regression models suggests that some generalization can be made about the effects of spatial geometry of patch-types on species composition and abundance of tropical trees. Understanding associations between landscape metrics and species density and abundance of objectively derived groups or guilds of species can provide important insights on the effects of fragmentation and landscape pattern on these guilds and on overall α-diversity, as well as guidelines for their conservation and management.     

景观网络结构在株洲市城市绿地系统建设中的应用研究

景观网络结构侧重于反映景观功能,是描述景观生态过程的参数之一。将景观网络结构应用于城市绿地系统建设中,对于生物多样性的保护具有重要的意义。介绍了景观网络结构在株洲城市绿地系统中的应用,认为在城市绿地系统建设中,不仅要注重提高城市绿地景观的多样性,还应注意发挥城市绿地景观网络结构的作用,以确保城市绿地系统真正发挥维持城市生态系统生态平衡的作用。