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Habitat interactions structuring songbird communities across forest-urban edges
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Habitat interactions structuring songbird communities across forest-urban edges
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MacDonald-Beyers
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Kristi
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Kristi MacDonald-Beyers
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author
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Ehrenfeld
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David
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Advisory Committee
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David Ehrenfeld
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chair
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Ehrenfeld
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Joan
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Joan G. Ehrenfeld
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internal member
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Lockwood
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Julie
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Advisory Committee
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Julie Lockwood
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internal member
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Morin
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Peter
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Advisory Committee
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Peter J. Morin
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internal member
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Wilcove
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David
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Advisory Committee
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David Wilcove
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outside member
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Rutgers University
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degree grantor
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Graduate School - New Brunswick
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theses
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2008
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2008-01
Language
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English
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electronic
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viii, 142 pages
Abstract
Urban habitats vary greatly in the resources they provide for birds and other wildlife. Few species entirely avoid either human or forest habitats and for species that regularly utilize both, the two habitat types (forest and urban) may interact in complex ways to shape the animal communities at the forest-urban ecotone. I studied habitat relations to songbird community structure across the urban-forest edge in a heavily urbanized watershed in the New York metropolitan region. My research was designed to provide specific knowledge about the natural and human-built habitat components that maintain avian richness and abundance. I found that mature, intact forests with large trees and greater vertical complexity were the most valuable to birds breeding in and migrating through urban forests. Also, shrubby habitats along forest edges bolstered bird richness because they provide habitat for specialized shrub-nesting species. In my study, urban forests of a broad range of sizes and habitat conditions were associated with increased bird diversity in adjacent human habitats up to at least 0.2 Km from their edges. A high density of large trees in the urban matrix was related to increased avian richness outside the forest in urban neighborhoods. Also, a high density of large trees in the urban matrix was associated with higher richness and abundance of breeding and migrating birds inside adjacent forests. Because residential areas have the highest density as well as variety of large trees relative to other types of urban land use, they also contain the greatest richness of birds.
This study demonstrates that local habitat is very important in structuring the bird community both inside forests as well as in the urban matrix but adjacent habitat also affects bird community structure. Forest area and isolation are relatively unimportant in shaping bird communities at the forest-urban ecotone. These findings suggest a wide-range of conservation practices, including forest preservation, management of shrubby edges, and planting and caring for a variety of long-lived trees in urban neighborhoods, that would maintain a rich bird community in urban regions.
This study demonstrates that local habitat is very important in structuring the bird community both inside forests as well as in the urban matrix but adjacent habitat also affects bird community structure. Forest area and isolation are relatively unimportant in shaping bird communities at the forest-urban ecotone. These findings suggest a wide-range of conservation practices, including forest preservation, management of shrubby edges, and planting and caring for a variety of long-lived trees in urban neighborhoods, that would maintain a rich bird community in urban regions.
Note
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Ph.D.
Note
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Includes bibliographical references (p. 132-140).
Subject
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Topic
Ecology and Evolution
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Topic
Bird communities
Subject
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Topic
Songbirds--Ecology
Subject
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Topic
Birds--Ecology
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Graduate School - New Brunswick Electronic Theses and Dissertations
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rucore19991600001
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http://hdl.rutgers.edu/1782.2/rucore10001600001.ETD.17158
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doi:10.7282/T3VH5P6W
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ETD doctoral
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Rights
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Copyright protected
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Open
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Kristi MacDonald-Beyers
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Rutgers University. Graduate School - New Brunswick
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Author Agreement License
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I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.
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