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Effects of Fire, Extreme Weather, and Anthropogenic Disturbance on Avian Biodiversity in the United States

This study aims to measure and predict the effects of disturbance on avian biodiversity in the United States. It focuses on the effects of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and droughts, as well as fire and human disturbance. Remote sensing data and bird guild analysis are used to assess the changes in avian species richness, similarity, and abundance.

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Effects of Fire, Extreme Weather, and Anthropogenic Disturbance on Avian Biodiversity in the United States

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  1. Effects of fire, extreme weather, and anthropogenic disturbance on avian biodiversity in the United States Anna M. Pidgeon1, Chad Rittenhouse1, Thomas Albright1,Volker C. Radeloff1, Curtis H. Flather2, Jeffrey G. Masek3Roger B. Hammer4, Murray K. Clayton5, and Susan I. Stewart6 1Department of Forest Ecology and Management, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin 2U.S.Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, Colorado 3NASA Goddard Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 4Department of Sociology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 5Department of Statistics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin6U.S.Forest Service Northern Research Station, Evanston, Illinois

  2. Biodiversity can change substantially within one decade with no obvious pattern of increase or decrease How much doeslocal disturbanceaffect biodiversity? Introduction North American Breeding Bird Survey Avian species richness change 1990 – 2000

  3. Objectives • Our overarching goal is to measure and predict the effects of disturbance on avian biodiversity • Objectives: • Understand the effects of extreme weather (i.e., hurricanes and tornadoes, heat waves, and droughts), on avian biodiversity; • Understand the effects of fire on avian biodiversity • Understand the effects of human disturbance (i.e., specifically clearcuts, fragmentation) on avian biodiversity; and • Test hypotheses regarding the effects of disturbance on bird species richness, similarity, and the abundance of selected common and rare species.

  4. Remote sensing data

  5. Remote sensing data

  6. Year 1 focus: Hurricanes and Drought • Hurricanes • cause substantial changes in local forest vegetation and thus bird habitat • forecast to increase with sea surface warming • regional scale effects on avian biodiversity unclear

  7. Hurricanes • Does bird species richness change in areas affected by hurricanes? • Are changes consistent among guilds?

  8. Habitat type Shrubland Woodland Nest location On or near ground Midstory or canopy Nest type Cavity Open cup Migratory status Resident Short distance Neotropical migrant Breeding Bird Guilds

  9. Landsat Time Series • Annual orbiennial images • from 1984 – 2005 • Data from North American Forest Dynamics Project • Selected 5 scenes with major hurricane events

  10. d1 d2

  11. Disturbed Forest -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5

  12. Woodland Guild

  13. Mean Richness of Woodland Guild -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5

  14. Species Nesting On or Near the Ground

  15. Species Nesting On or Near the Ground -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5

  16. Habitat type Shrubland Woodland Nest location On or near ground Midstory or canopy Nest type Cavity Open cup Migratory status Resident Short distance Neotropical migrant Period (i.e. Hurricane) Effect for 4 of 9 Guilds

  17. Conclusions – Hurricanes • Hurricane effects were statistically significant, but only when accounting for forest cover, and other habitat variables • However, regional effects on avian richness were less than expected, and short in duration

  18. Year 1 focus: Hurricanes and Drought • Droughts • temporally and spatially diffuse • frequency and severity may increase with climate change • effect on birds not well understood

  19. Questions • What indicator of the avian community is most responsive to drought? • Which habitat and migratory guilds are most affected by drought?

  20. Drought metrics Standardized Precipitation Index (“rainfall”) Interpolated from met. stations For specific time period & scale Scaled in terms of standard deviations from averages Standardized seasonal greenness (“greenness”) Integrated growing season greenness from AVHRR NDVI Scaled in terms of standard deviations from averages

  21. rainfall

  22. Avian abundance most correlated with rainfall Similarity

  23. Grassland and water guilds most correlated with rainfall

  24. Neotropical migrants and residents are correlated with greenness

  25. Conclusions – Drought • Full year rainfall and greenness deviations were the most relevant measure of drought for birds • Abundance more sensitive than richness or community similarity • Water and grassland guild most related to rainfall deviations • Among migratory guilds, resident species may be more robust to lower than average greenness.

  26. Conclusions – Overall • We need a better understanding of disturbance effects on biodiversity • Extreme events may be more important than changes in average temperature and precipitation • Our results show that disturbances are important predictors of avian biodiversity patterns • However, effects are context and guild specific

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