Date of Award
Spring 5-10-2019
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Biology
First Advisor
Dr. Andrew George
Second Advisor
Dr. Neil Snow
Third Advisor
Dr. Ananda Jayawardhana
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Paul Porneluzi
Abstract
Over the past 50 years, significant declines in 47% of Neotropical migrant bird species have been documented in North America. Declines are most likely due to the loss and fragmentation of breeding, wintering, and stopover habitat mainly caused by agriculture and urban development. This loss of critical habitat results in population sinks that need to be maintained by immigration from a population source found in continuously forested landscapes. However, in landscapes harvested for timber, forest management practices alter the landscape and as a result, affect breeding bird abundances and nest success. The objective of our study was to determine the effects that forest management has on the densities and nest success of breeding birds. Territory density and nest success data were compiled from nine landscape-scale experimental forest plots in the Ozark Highlands region of southeast Missouri. We fit linear mixed models of the relationships between territory densities and predictor variables that represented habitat structure, silvicultural treatment type, and time period. We also fit generalized linear models of the relationship between nest success and predictor variables that represented edge density, silvicultural treatment type, time period, nest stage, and day of season. For territory densities, we fund support for models that included habitat structure, time period, and silvicultural treatment as predictors of 7 focal species. Mature-forest species typically responded to habitat structure, whereas shrubland species responded to prescribed silvicultural treatment. For nest success, We found support for models that included edge density, time period, nest stage, and day of season for Acadian flycatcher and indigo bunting nest success. Acadian flycatcher nest success decreased with increases in edge density. Our findings demonstrate that forest management affects abundances and nest success and that habitat structure variables and edge effects should be considered when managing breeding birds in upland hardwood forests.
Recommended Citation
Barnes, Michael, "EFFECTS OF FOREST MANAGEMENT ON DENSITIES AND NEST SURVIVAL OF BREEDING BIRDS IN UPLAND HARDWOOD ECOSYSTEMS" (2019). Electronic Theses & Dissertations. 273.
https://digitalcommons.pittstate.edu/etd/273
Included in
Forest Management Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Population Biology Commons