Hybrid poplar plantations in a floodplain have balanced impacts on farmland and woodland birds

Hybrid poplar plantations are increasing worldwide and are often accused of impoverishing bird communities. We conducted 124 bird point counts in a landscape where plantations, semi-natural forests and farmland occupied similar surface areas. As expected, birds occurred at higher densities in areas dominated by forests than dominated by plantations, mostly due to the scarcity of late-successional forest birds in plantations. Contrary to expectations, bird communities were the poorest in farmland dominated areas and the most specialised in areas dominated by young plantations. Indeed, many grassland species, including some of conservation concern in Europe, frequently used young plantations. However, plantations have probably depleted grassland bird communities by fragmenting open areas, while playing a limited positive role on forest species. Total length of unpaved roads had a positive effect on community specialisation index, while total length of paved roads and mean forest/plantation patch size played no role. Bird density increased with the development of the understory vegetation in mature poplar plantations. We conclude that poplar should not be planted at the expense of areas of high conservation value; in other cases, they may increase the overall diversity of bird communities. At the plantation scale, we advocate stopping understory removal as soon as possible and maintaining old trees and hedgerows alongside or within plantations to provide suitable breeding habitats for bird species that may be foraging in the plantations.     

Boreal bird community response to jack pine forest succession

The objective of this study was to examine bird communities in regenerating (5–25 years) and mature (40–100 years) jack pine (Pinus banksiana) forest in boreal Ontario. The study area was located near White River in north central Ontario with an area of 187,800 ha. We explored the response of bird community structure to stand age, and the influence of stand age on the distribution of individual species. We were interested in two principal questions. The first was how unique are the bird communities to specific age classes. If bird communities are highly specific to age classes then alterations to the age class distribution of the forest can have important impacts on the overall bird community composition and structure. The second question was how specific are individual species to age classes. Species that are highly specific to a single age class are expected to be highly sensitive to the amount and potentially the configuration of that age class on the landscape. We sampled birds for three breeding seasons. The number of bird species increased with stand age. Tree species composition did not change as stands aged, but there were distinctive changes in vegetation structure through succession. For example, the total amount of vertical vegetation structure increased significantly with age. More than half of the bird species examined were significant indicators of individual age classes. Blue-headed vireo, brown creeper, black-throated green warbler, golden-crowned kinglet, ovenbird and red-breasted nuthatch were all significant indicators of the mature age class. The bird assemblage of mature stands was significantly different from that of regenerating forest and within regenerating forest, 3–5-year-old stands contained a significantly different bird assemblage to that of 8–25-year-old regenerating forest. These results suggest that the distribution of forest age classes on the landscape is a critical element in determining habitat availability and therefore the viability of boreal bird populations in managed forests.     

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.     

Avian population and community processes in forest ecosystems: Long-term research in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest

Long-term studies in relatively undisturbed forest ecosystems, such as occur in many of the USFS’ Experimental Forests, provide valuable insight into bird population and community processes, information pertinent to forest management and bird conservation. Major findings from 40 years of research in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in north-central New Hampshire reviewed here show that the distributions and abundances of bird species are dynamic, even within well-developed and mature forests, and that species respond differently to habitat (vegetation) structure, food availability, and other features of the forest environment. At the local scale, bird population demography is most affected by factors that influence fecundity and recruitment, mainly food availability, weather, nest predators, and density dependent processes. Fecundity is strongly correlated with subsequent recruitment and is critical for maintaining breeding population size. Events in the non-breeding season, however, also influence the abundance and demography of breeding populations, indicating the need to assess factors operating throughout the species’ annual cycle. At the landscape scale, populations in temperate forests are spatially structured by each species’ response to habitat and environmental patterns, but also by social interactions such as competition and conspecific attraction. Settlement patterns and ultimately reproductive performance depend on habitat quality, based on vegetation structure, food availability and nest predator effects that vary across the landscape. Results from these long-term studies centered at Hubbard Brook provide a mechanistic understanding of avian population dynamics and community responses. The results provide a framework for predicting how future changes in habitat quality, climate, and other environmental threats may influence bird populations and communities in north-temperate forests.     

The effects of partial harvest on the understory vegetation of southern Ontario woodlands

We studied the effects of partial cutting on understory vegetation communities within 19 mixed maple forests in an agriculture-dominated landscape in southwestern Ontario. Woodlots that had been recently harvested were grouped according to provincial silviculture guidelines (standard and heavy cuts) and compared to woodlots that had been uncut for at least 24 years (reference stands). We found significant differences in richness, diversity, and quality of understory vegetation in response to harvest indices. More intensive harvesting resulted in increased richness and diversity, but mostly through the addition of habitat generalists and weedy species. However, partial harvest does not appear to drive vegetation community composition, as ordination methods found no clear community differences between the treatments. Use of the single-tree selection system based on basal area and harvest intensity targets will have an effect on the understory plants, but other factors including past management, disturbance history, and site level microclimate features will also play an important role in shaping vegetation communities. We caution against the removal of large volumes of trees ≥38 cm in diameter, and large reductions in canopy cover, as this can reduce the presence of “conservative” (forest dependent specialist) species, despite a general increase in species richness and diversity. Furthermore, we recommend additional research to investigate the potential for incremental degradation to occur on sites with a long-term history of harvesting, as we found that richness of exotics increased on sites with a history of forest management.     

The confluence of landscape context and site-level management in determining Midwestern savanna and woodland breeding bird communities

Species distributions are determined by complex interplays between multi-scale factors. Conservation management, however, often occurs at a single scale of the site level. This is true for bird communities of restored savannas and mixed woodlands in the central U.S. In this region, many historic open-canopy oak savanna habitats have become closed canopy mixed woodlands due to loss of landscape-scale disturbance from fire and grazing. Site-level management efforts return some mixed woodland habitats back to savanna through fire and mechanical thinning. Savanna and woodland historically formed complex mosaic landscapes at the ecotone between prairies and Eastern deciduous forests and now exist within landscapes that vary in amount of open (e.g., perennial grassland and row crop agriculture) and woodland habitat. To understand the interplay between site and landscape level factors in savanna restoration, we sampled the breeding bird community in four combinations of site and landscape: restored savanna in open landscapes, restored savanna in woodland landscapes, and closed canopy woodland in both landscapes. We found that the outcome of site-level savanna restoration depended on the surrounding landscape. Compared to other treatment types, restored savannas in open landscapes supported a distinctive bird community characterized by high species richness, bird abundance, and percent of ground feeders, shrub nesters, and edge species. Both savanna and woodland sites in the open landscape had a higher percent of species of conservation concern, while at both site and landscape levels, woodland was associated with a higher percent of area sensitive species and habitat specialists. Our results suggest savanna restoration efforts should focus on sites that exist either in open country or on edges where closed canopy forest meets open country. This strategy would combine site and landscape level benefits of savanna restoration for avian diversity, while also preserving the conservation benefits of large tracts of intact forest.     

Breeding bird community composition in different successional vegetation in the montane coniferous forests zone of Taiwan

To examine the relationship between forest succession following fire and the composition of bird communities, we investigated the vegetation structure, bird population density, foraging behavior and guild structure in bamboo grasslands (11 years since the last fire), pine savanna (41 years), pine woodland (58 years), old-growth hemlock forest (never burned), and old-growth spruce forest (never burned) in the Tatachia area of central Taiwan. Canopy height, total foliage cover, tree density, total basal area of tree, total basal area of snags, foliage height diversity, and tree species richness all increased with successional age. However, shrub cover peaked in intermediate successional stages. The vertical profile of foliage cover was more diverse in later successional forests, which had more breeding bird species and ecological guilds. All the breeding bird species recorded in early and intermediate stages were also found distributed in the late successional forests. Because Taiwan has high precipitation and humidity, and most forest fires in Taiwan are caused by human activities, forest fires and large areas of early successional vegetation were probably rare in the mountain areas of Taiwan prior to the arrival of humans. Therefore, bird species have not had enough time to adapt to areas with early or intermediate successional vegetation. Moreover, late successional forests host all the major plant species found in the early and intermediate stages and have higher foliage height diversity index, which was positively correlated with the bird species richness and bird species diversity index in this study. As a result, all breeding bird species and guilds in the area can be found in late successional forests. Efforts for conserving avian diversity in Taiwan should focus on protecting the remaining native old-growth forests.     

Response of bird communities to selection harvesting in a northern tolerant hardwood forest

We investigated the responses of forest birds to habitat changes following timber harvest by selection cutting in three northern tolerant hardwood forest stands using a before–after control-impact (BACI) type of experimental design. We observed only minor effects on the bird community associated with mature forests. Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) abundances declined by about 80–90% in two of the three harvested blocks. Black-throated blue warblers (Dendroica caerulescens) declined in abundance by about 70% on a single block 2 and 3 years post-harvest. Mechanical disturbance of the shrub layer [primarily Canada yew (Taxus canadensis)] was coincident to this decline. Several bird species that prefer early successional or shrubby habitats, such as veery (Catharus fuscescens), cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum), chestnut-sided warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica), magnolia warbler (Dendroica magnolia), American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), mourning warbler (Oporornis philadelphia) and white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis), benefited from selection cutting, with the timing of individual species’ responses related to changes in habitat structure and composition. Effects in one block were still evident 7 years after harvest. Guidelines that support a residual stocking target of 20 m²/ha should promote the retention of mature forest bird communities, including ovenbird, while still providing habitat for early successional bird species.     

内蒙古红花尔基鸟类群落与植被类型相互关系研究

调查了内蒙北部红花尔基夏季鸟类群落,一共记录了28种鸟类。在每个实验地取5个10m×10m的样方进行植被调查。利用线性回归方程来确定植被郁闭度和鸟类数量和鸟类密度的关系。分析结果显示鸟类数量和鸟类密度的变化及鸟类群落的形成是随着森林类型和总植物量而变化。鸟类数量和密度都随总植物量的降低而减少。鸟类群落的相似性在繁殖时期非常低,在同一分类簇中,最大相似性不超过0.65。这表明鸟类群落间种类的构成存在着显著差异。鸟类的繁殖密度与森林的生长阶段具有密切的关系,一般情况下,从稀疏的草原生态系统到顶级生态系统鸟类的密度呈现逐渐增加的趋势。图3表4参21。     

Effects of artificial afforestation and successional stage on a lowland forest bird community in southern China

To examine the relationship between forest succession after severe logging forestry practices and the composition of avian communities, we investigated how forest bird composition and guild structure change as a function of structural properties along a successional gradient, including a climax mature forest (>400 years), a rehabilitated mixed forest (50-70 years), and a disturbed Masson pine forest (70 years) of the Dinghushan Nature Reserve, Guangdong Province, China. Of a total of 51 resident species recorded, mixed forests hosted the highest numbers of individuals and species, reflecting the high species richness of both forest and non-forest species. For forest-dependent species, however, mature stands had the highest observed and estimated species richness. Of 6 habitat-use guilds identified, vertical-profile generalists and understory-birds formed the two dominant guilds, accounting for 54.0% and 38.7% of all individuals respectively. The results of canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) clearly showed that most forest-dependent species were associated with high proportions of native canopy cover and the mean density of dead trees and large trees, which are characteristic of old-growth mature forests (horizontal heterogeneity) at stand level. Accordingly, conservation efforts should focus on the specialized requirements of the most habitat-restricted species in the future, especially for understory insectivores (Babblers) and large-tree users in mature subtropical monsoon forests of southern China. Moreover, since regenerating mixed forests are very similar to mature forests in both vegetation structure and bird community composition, we recommend that logging cycles (>50 years) be increased to a minimum of 50 years in southern China, so that a balance between economic and ecological interest can be reestablished.     

Identification and description of forested vegetation communities available to woodland caribou: relating wildlife habitat to forest cover data

Multivariate analyses were applied to forest canopy and understory data collected in 70 forest stands in the Mid-Boreal Upland Ecoregion in Saskatchewan. Random sampling of various types of forest focused on vegetation strata shown elsewhere to be of importance to woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou Gmelin). Cluster analyses revealed seven community types based on summer vegetation, and six community types when considering vegetation present during winter. Ordination by nonmetric multidimensional scaling suggested that two of the seven summer communities be combined, and that six community types be recognized in each season. Stands dominated by Populus tremuloides Michx. were all placed in one community type as were those dominated by Picea glauca (Moench) Voss. Young stands of Pinus banksiana Lamb. were placed in one community type, while the division of older stands was related to degree of canopy closure. The primary division among Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P. dominated stands was also based on the degree of canopy closure. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed strong relationships between the vegetation communities and data on canopy characteristics contained in the provincial forest inventory. In general, the techniques we employ provide a framework for objectively deriving vegetation communities relevant to wildlife species, and measuring their correspondence with readily available forest cover data. Specifically, we describe community types available to woodland caribou in our study area and their relationship to the provincial forest inventory.     

Songbird response to experimental retention harvesting in red pine (Pinus resinosa) forests

Traditional harvesting practices frequently result in simplification of the structure and composition within managed forest stands in comparison to their natural counterparts. In particular, loss of heterogeneity within stands may pose a problem for maintaining biodiversity in perpetuity. In this study, we survey breeding bird diversity and abundance in response to different spatial harvesting patterns in mature red pine forests located on the Chippewa National Forest of northern Minnesota, USA. Treatments are designed to increase structural complexity over time and include three overstory manipulations (dispersed retention, aggregate retention with small gaps, and aggregate retention with large gaps), one understory manipulation (brush removal), and controls (no harvesting, and/or no brush removal). In 2003, the first breeding season following the harvest, we found little difference in bird community composition between control and treatment stands. In 2005, the third breeding season following harvest, avian abundance, richness, and diversity were all greater within treatments. Species associated with edge, shrub, and early successional habitats generally show positive response to treatments (e.g. Chestnut-sided Warbler [Dendroica pensylvanica], Mourning Warbler [Oporornis philadelphia], Chipping Sparrow [Spizella passerine]), as do some species associated with mature forest (e.g., Pine Warbler [Dendroica pinus], Rose-breasted Grosbeak [Pheucticus ludovicianus]). Ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla) and Black-throated Green Warblers (Dendroica virens) were more abundant in control stands. There are, as of yet, no discernable differences in avian community composition among the three overstory treatments or between the single understory treatment and the understory control, but differences are expected as the treatments diversify due to understory development. While overstory retention harvests provide habitat for a diverse and abundant bird community, the temporal divergence in avian community composition that we observed between treatment and control stands reveals the importance of uncut, mature red pine forest as a component of a biodiverse landscape.     

A preliminary study on the effects of line and selective thinning on bird communities in Hokkaido, northern Japan

In Japan, selective thinning is a common thinning method, though line thinning receives much attention because of its economic merits. In this study, we examined effects of the two thinning methods on bird communities in Todo fir (Abies sachalinensis) plantations in Hokkaido, Japan. We surveyed bird species in forests under four different management types — unthinned, selectively thinned, line-thinned plantation, and naturally regenerated forest (here after referred to as natural forest) stands — using a line-transect method. We also investigated vegetation structure (canopy tree and understory) of these stands. Bird species richness did not differ between natural forests and plantations, while bird total abundance was greater in plantations than in natural forests. Bird species richness and total abundance were comparable among the three management types for plantations. Abundances of 10 bird species were different among the four management types, and five species were more abundant in line-thinned plantations. However, two species were more abundant in selectively thinned stands than in line-thinned stands, and they frequently appeared in natural forests. There were no distinct differences in vegetation structure among the management types for plantations. Our results suggest that line thinning could be beneficial for some bird species in plantations.     

Live fences as tools for biodiversity conservation: a study case with birds and plants

Live fences may act as tools for biodiversity conservation by providing habitat for native species and increasing connectivity in the landscape. We studied the influence of live fence characteristics on species richness and fence use by birds by examining both local and landscape factors. We studied three types of live fences: planted fences of a native tree, planted fences of an exotic, and spontaneous. They were either connected to forest fragments or isolated, and were all within a pasture matrix. Spontaneous and planted live fences maintain a diverse plant (77 shrub and tree species) and bird communities (98 species). Fence types strongly differed in vegetation composition and structure. We found that by analyzing each fence characteristic independently, there was no difference in bird richness or abundance. However, there was a significant correlation when plant richness, structure, and connectivity were analyzed together. This could be the result of some variables counterbalancing each other. Birds used fences for a variety of purposes including foraging, breeding, and moving across the landscape. Native birds and plants used live fences as habitat and refuge in a landscape where large forest tracts have been lost for decades. Live fences in conjunction with small forest fragments maintain a diverse array of plant and birds species that are a subsample of the species originally found in the landscape before extensive deforestation. We recommend the establishment of live fences, allowing growth of spontaneous understory.     

Canopy vs. understory: Does tree diversity affect bee and wasp communities and their natural enemies across forest strata?

Bees and wasps provide important ecosystem services such as pollination and biocontrol in crop-dominated landscapes, but surprisingly little information is available on hymenopteran communities in temperate forest ecosystems. Species richness and abundance of bees and wasps can be hypothesised to increase with plant diversity, structural complexity, and availability of food and nesting resources. By experimentally exposing standardised nesting sites, we examined abundance and species richness of cavity-nesting bees (pollinators), wasps (predators) and their associated parasitoids across a tree diversity gradient in a temperate deciduous forest habitat. In addition, spatial distribution of individuals and species across forest strata (canopy vs. understory) was tested. Abundance and species richness was high for predatory wasps, but generally low for pollinators. Species-rich forest stands supported increased abundance, but not species richness, of pollinators and predatory wasps, and also increased abundance and species richness of natural enemies. In addition, the forests showed a distinct spatial stratification in that abundance of bees, wasps and parasitoids as well as parasitism rates were higher in the canopy than understory. We conclude that particularly the canopy in temperate forest stands can serve as an important habitat for predatory wasp species and natural enemies, but not bee pollinators. Enhanced tree diversity was related to increased hymenopteran abundance, which is likely to be linked to an increase in nesting and food resources in mixed forest stands.     

Interacting effects of canopy gap, understory vegetation and leaf litter on tree seedling recruitment and composition in tropical secondary forests

We experimentally investigated interacting effects of canopy gaps, understory vegetation and leaf litter on recruitment and mortality of tree seedlings at the community level in a 20-year-old lowland forest in Costa Rica, and tested several predictions based on results of previous studies. We predicted that experimental canopy gaps would greatly enhance tree seedling recruitment, and that leaf litter removal would further enhance recruitment of small-seeded, shade-intolerant seedlings in gaps. We created a large (320–540 m²) gap in the center of 5 out of 10 40 m × 40 m experimental plots, and applied the following treatments bimonthly over a 14-month-period in a factorial, split–split plot design: clipping of understory vegetation (cut, uncut), and leaf litter manipulations (removal, addition, control). As expected, experimental gaps dramatically increased tree seedling recruitment, but gap effects varied among litter treatments. Litter addition reduced recruitment in gaps, but enhanced recruitment under intact canopy. Species composition of recruits also differed markedly between gap treatments: several small-seeded pioneer and long-lived pioneer species recruited almost exclusively in gaps. In contrast, a few medium-to-large-seeded shade-tolerant species recruited predominantly under intact canopy. Leaf litter represents a major barrier for seedling emergence and establishment of small-seeded, shade-intolerant species, but enhances emergence and establishment of large-seeded, shade-tolerant species, possibly through increased humidity and reduced detection by predators. Periodic clipping of the understory vegetation marginally reduced tree seedling mortality, but only in experimental gaps, where understory vegetation cover was greatly enhanced compared to intact canopy conditions. Successful regeneration of commercially valuable long-lived pioneer trees that dominate the forest canopy may require clear-cutting, as well as weeding and site preparation (litter removal) treatments in felling clearings. Management systems that mimic natural canopy gaps (reduced-impact selective logging) could favor the regeneration of shade-tolerant tree species, potentially accelerating convergence to old-growth forest composition. In contrast, systems that produce large canopy openings (clear-cutting) may re-initiate succession, potentially leading to less diverse but perhaps more easily managed “natural plantations” of long-lived pioneer tree species.     

福建青冈天然林种群结构特征和物种多样性

采用相邻格子法,对闽北建瓯福建青冈天然林进行群落调查,分析了福建青冈群落的种类组成、群落物种多样性.结果表明:建瓯福建青冈群落有明显的乔木层,郁闭度较大,林下植被较少;综合分析多样性各个指数,可知建瓯福建青冈群落的单一性较强,多数种群的扩展受到限制,虽然该群落目前是以福建青冈为优势树种的进展演替阶段,但如果一旦生境改变...     

Bird use of logging gaps in a subtropical mountain forest: The influence of habitat structure and resource abundance in the Yungas of Argentina

Selective logging is one of the main economical activities in tropical and subtropical forests. While most of the effects of this activity on bird communities have been studied by comparing exploited vs. non-exploited areas; the use of human-created treefall gaps by birds is relatively unknown. We studied habitat structure, resource abundance (fruits, flowers and arthropods) and bird activity in logging gaps of different age (1-year-old and 10- to 20-year-old) in a mountain forest (Yungas) of northwest Argentina in both dry and wet seasons. In less than a year after creation, short herbs colonize logging gaps increasing the abundance of arthropods in the ground and the activity of understory insectivores. During dry seasons recently created gaps become an important source of resources for understory frugivores-insectivores. Later on in succession logging gaps are invaded by exotic graminoid vegetation and tall herbs (dispersed through extraction tracks) which can impede the colonization and development of pioneer trees and natural regeneration. Probably as a consequence of a high abundance of fruits and flowers in the understory and a very low abundance of these resources in the canopy, old gaps were mainly used by understory frugivores-insectivores while arboreal frugivores were rare. Because arboreal frugivores disperse most tree seeds in tropical and subtropical forests, the low activity of this guild in logging gaps contribute to the low observed regeneration. Sustainable timber harvest in tropical and subtropical forests should include gap and logging track management to minimize the invasion by exotic graminoid vegetation and facilitate natural succession.