TY - JOUR
T1 - Small isolated aspen stands enrich bird communities in southwestern ponderosa pine forests
AU - Griffis-Kyle, Kerry L.
AU - Beier, Paul
PY - 2003/4
Y1 - 2003/4
N2 - Small aspen stands are disappearing from the landscape in the Southwest, so it is important to understand their contribution to the avian community. We sampled birds in 53 small, isolated aspen stands and 53 paired plots within the ponderosa pine forest in northern Arizona, during the 1996 and 1997 breeding seasons. Bird species richness and abundance were higher in aspen than in pine. However, bird species richness and abundance did not vary with size of the aspen patch or isolation index. In addition, direct ordination of species distributions with habitat factors suggested no distinct avian communities. This suggests that aspen stands do not harbor separate populations, but rather are locations where the regional avifauna reaches high local density and richness and may be crucial to birds in years of resource scarcity. Thus it is important for avian conservation to maintain many aspen stands across the landscape, encompassing a diversity of vegetation structure and composition.
AB - Small aspen stands are disappearing from the landscape in the Southwest, so it is important to understand their contribution to the avian community. We sampled birds in 53 small, isolated aspen stands and 53 paired plots within the ponderosa pine forest in northern Arizona, during the 1996 and 1997 breeding seasons. Bird species richness and abundance were higher in aspen than in pine. However, bird species richness and abundance did not vary with size of the aspen patch or isolation index. In addition, direct ordination of species distributions with habitat factors suggested no distinct avian communities. This suggests that aspen stands do not harbor separate populations, but rather are locations where the regional avifauna reaches high local density and richness and may be crucial to birds in years of resource scarcity. Thus it is important for avian conservation to maintain many aspen stands across the landscape, encompassing a diversity of vegetation structure and composition.
KW - Area
KW - Birds
KW - Habitat
KW - Isolation
KW - Pinus ponderosa
KW - Populus tremuloides
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0037399858&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0006-3207(02)00237-9
DO - 10.1016/S0006-3207(02)00237-9
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0037399858
VL - 110
SP - 375
EP - 385
JO - Biological Conservation
JF - Biological Conservation
SN - 0006-3207
IS - 3
ER -