Bird assemblages of a fragmented agricultural landscape and the relative importance of vegetation structure and landscape pattern

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Johnson ◽  
Paul Reich ◽  
Ralph Mac Nally
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Pattern ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Landscape Context ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Bird Assemblages ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Mosaic Landscapes ◽  
Agricultural Areas

Many of the world’s agricultural areas have greatly reduced levels of natural vegetation. This results in highly fragmented mosaic landscapes with multiple land-use types. We examined the importance of vegetation and landscape pattern by comparing the bird assemblages of riparian zones, non-riparian forest patches, and pasture in a fragmented agricultural landscape in south-eastern Australia. Bird surveys were conducted every four weeks at 27 sites in the Goldfields region of central Victoria for one year. The landscape context (position and shape of patches) and vegetation attributes were measured for each site. We found that bird assemblages strongly differed among these landscape elements. Mean abundance was significantly greater at forested patches, and there was a three-fold reduction in species richness at pasture sites. Bird assemblage structure was influenced substantially more by vegetation than by the landscape context of sites. Our results indicate that riparian vegetation is a key element for avian diversity, even in massively altered landscapes. The restoration of riparian vegetation and its connectivity with adjacent forest types would greatly benefit bird assemblages in agricultural areas.

scholarly journals Determinants of bird assemblage composition in riparian vegetation on sugarcane farms in the Queensland Wet Tropics

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita F. Keir ◽  
Richard G. Pearson ◽  
Robert A. Congdon
Keyword(s):  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Riparian Zone ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Generalist Species ◽  
Assemblage Composition ◽  
Bird Assemblages ◽  
Wet Tropics

Remnant habitat patches in agricultural landscapes can contribute substantially to wildlife conservation. Understanding the main habitat variables that influence wildlife is important if these remnants are to be appropriately managed. We investigated relationships between the bird assemblages and characteristics of remnant riparian forest at 27 sites among sugarcane fields in the Queensland Wet Tropics bioregion. Sites within the remnant riparian zone had distinctly different bird assemblages from those of the forest, but provided habitat for many forest and generalist species. Width of the riparian vegetation and distance from source forest were the most important factors in explaining the bird assemblages in these remnant ribbons of vegetation. Gradual changes in assemblage composition occurred with increasing distance from source forest, with species of rainforest and dense vegetation being replaced by species of more open habitats, although increasing distance was confounded by decreasing riparian width. Species richness increased with width of the riparian zone, with high richness at the wide sites due to a mixture of open-habitat species typical of narrower sites and rainforest species typical of sites within intact forest, as a result of the greater similarity in vegetation characteristics between wide sites and the forest proper. The results demonstrate the habitat value for birds of remnant riparian vegetation in an agricultural landscape, supporting edge and open vegetation species with even narrow widths, but requiring substantial width (>90 m) to support specialists of the closed forest, the dominant original vegetation of the area.

Attenuated post-fire fauna succession: the effects of surrounding landscape context on post-fire colonisation of fauna

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 247
Author(s):  
Angela Simms ◽  
Meaghan Scott ◽  
Simon Watson ◽  
Steve Leonard
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Natural Vegetation ◽  
Landscape Context ◽  
Species Pool ◽  
Dispersal Ability ◽  
Burnt Area ◽  
Critical Determinant ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Faunal Communities ◽  
Surrounding Landscape

Context After fire, immigration from outside burnt areas is important for the recovery of faunal communities. However, for recovery to occur, the matrix around the fire must support source populations of immigrants. Therefore, the landscape context of fires may be a critical determinant of the species pool available for (re)colonisation, hence post-fire community composition. Increasingly, fires occur in fragmented systems, and there is limited knowledge of how the surrounding landscape interacts with post-fire community recovery. Aim The present study aimed to examine how landscape context influences faunal communities after large wildfires. Methods Three reserves burnt by wildfire were examined ~18 months before the study in the Mallee region of south-eastern Australia. In all cases the burnt area consisted of natural mallee woodland. Two fires occurred within a matrix of extensive natural vegetation, while the third fire burnt >80% of a reserve situated within a highly fragmented, largely agricultural landscape. Birds, reptiles and mammals were surveyed at 90 sites inside and outside the fire boundaries, and relationships of species occurrence to reserve location, burnt versus unburnt status and distance from fire edge were all examined. Key results Post-fire faunal communities reflected the species in the surrounding unburnt landscape. Notably, open habitat specialists, invasive species and species that can persist in small habitat patches were prominent within the fragmented system. Post-fire fauna communities were also influenced by variation of the natural vegetation surrounding the fire. The occurrence of species with low dispersal ability (i.e. reptiles) was influenced by local (patch scale) vegetation structure. 2Conclusions The landscape context of fires is a major driver of the composition of post-fire faunal communities. Our results highlight the potential loss of species sensitive to fragmentation from fire-prone natural vegetation within modified landscapes, and that a reduced pool of potential immigrants leads to ‘attenuated succession’, compromising recovery of the pre-fire community. Implications Post-fire colonists reflect the surrounding landscapes species pool, such that reserves surrounded by fragmented or otherwise low quality habitat are at risk of attenuated succession after fire. Landscape context should be incorporated into conservation planning in fire-prone ecosystems, including consideration of surrounding habitat quality and connectivity and protecting long unburnt vegetation.

Habitat use of remnant forest habitats by the threatened arboreal marsupial Dromiciops gliroides (Microbiotheria) in a rural landscape of southern Chile

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Smith-Ramirez ◽  
Juan L. Celis-Diez ◽  
Erik von Jenstchyk ◽  
Jaime E. Jimenez ◽  
Juan J. Armesto
Keyword(s):  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Rural Landscape ◽  
Riparian Forests ◽  
Southern Chile ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Rural Landscapes ◽  
Remnant Forest ◽  
Forest Habitats

Context. Remnant forest patches in rural landscapes may be important sites for maintaining viable populations of restricted forest species, especially when these remnant habitats maintain some connectivity, for instance through riparian vegetation strips and other forest patches. Aims. We assessed the use of remnant forest habitats in a rural landscape of southern Chile (40°S) by the ‘near threatened’ arboreal marsupial Dromiciops gliroides (Microbiotheria), in relation to habitat type (riparian strips, forest fragments and continuous forests), width of the riparian forests, and the presence and abundance of the hemiparasite Tristerix corymbosus, whose fruits are readily eaten by D. gliroides. Methods. In two summers, 2004 and 2008, we set up grids of 96 live traps for three consecutive nights at each of 16 sites along two riparian forest strips, four additional sites in remnant, non-riparian forest patches, and four more within continuous pre-Andean forest. We counted hemiparasites on trees in the trapping grid area, and estimated their individual volumes. Key results . In total, 48 individuals of D. gliroides were captured at all sites during the 2 years. We documented a significant positive relationship between the width of riparian vegetation and the number of individuals captured (r s = 0.78, P = 0.02, n = 8) for one riparian strip, but not for the second one. Neither habitat type nor the frequency of hemiparasites related statistically to D. gliroides abundance. Key conclusions. We conclude that in the rural landscape of the Chilean Lake District, narrow riparian forest strips, in a highly inter-connected mosaic of remnant forest patches may be as important as large patches and continuous Andean forests to sustain viable populations of this threatened, strictly arboreal, marsupial. Implications. The present study reports, for the first time, the presence in narrow riparian forests immersed in a pasture-dominated agricultural matrix of this forest-specialist marsupial, which was previously known only from continuous pre-Andean forests.

scholarly journals Pollination Potential of Riparian Hardwood Forests—A Multifaceted Field-Based Assessment in the Vistula Valley, Poland

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 907
Author(s):  
Andrzej N. Affek ◽  
Edyta Regulska ◽  
Ewa Kołaczkowska ◽  
Anna Kowalska ◽  
Katarzyna Affek
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Threshold Value ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Hardwood Forests ◽  
Floral Resources ◽  
Vistula River ◽  
Pollinator Abundance ◽  
Nesting Sites

Riparian forests with oaks, ashes and elms, now highly fragmented and rare in Europe, are considered hotspots for ecosystem services. However, their capacity to provide pollination seems to be quite low, although reports from in-situ research supporting this view are scarce. Our goal was therefore to thoroughly assess their pollination potential based on multifaceted field measurements. For this, we selected six test sites with well-developed riparian hardwood forests, located in the agricultural landscape along the middle Vistula River in Poland. We used seven indicators relating to habitat suitability (nesting sites and floral resources) and pollinator abundance (bumblebees and other Apoidea) and propose a threshold value (AdjMax) based on value distribution and Hampel’s test to indicate the level of pollination potential for this type of riparian forest. The obtained AdjMax for bumblebee density was 500 ind. ha−1, for Apoidea abundance—0.42 ind. day−1, while for nectar resources—200 kg ha−1. We demonstrate that the investigated small patches of the riparian hardwood forest have a higher pollination potential than reported earlier for riparian and other broadleaved temperate forests, but the indicators were inconsistent. As forest islands in the agricultural landscape, riparian hardwood forests play an important role in maintaining the diversity and abundance of wild pollinators, especially in early spring when there is still no food base available elsewhere.

The fractal shape of riparian forest patches

1990 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 249-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. D. Rex ◽  
George P. Malanson
Keyword(s):  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Forest Patches

scholarly journals Associations between fish assemblage and riparian vegetation in the Corumbataí River Basin (SP)

2007 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Cetra ◽  
M. Petrere JR.
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Sugar Cane ◽  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
The State ◽  
Multivariate Techniques

This work intends to examine if there are associations between fish species and the state of conservation of the riparian forest in the Corumbataí River Basin. Four main rivers were chosen for this study with three sites on each. Collections were carried out from March to June and from September to December 2001. Multivariate techniques were applied to determine the correlation between species richness and the order of the rivers, preservation level of the riparian forest, shade level, presence or absence of Eucalyptus, sugar cane and pastures, and surrounding declivity stability of the sites. Species richness was highest at locations with greater vegetation cover and preserved riparian forest.

scholarly journals Longitudinal dimensions of land-use impacts in riverine ecosystems

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Feijó-Lima ◽  
Eugenia Zandonà ◽  
Bruna Suelen da Silva ◽  
Flavia Tromboni ◽  
Timothy Peter Moulton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Atlantic Rainforest ◽  
Fragmented Landscape ◽  
Macroinvertebrate Communities ◽  
Buffer Strips ◽  
Land Use Impacts ◽  
Stream Flows ◽  
Riverine Ecosystems ◽  
Forest Remnants

Abstract: Aim Rivers are linked longitudinally via the flow of water and the spatial dimensions of the changes in local riparian vegetation are still poorly understood. Recent modifications to the Native Vegetation Protection Law allow reduction of lateral buffer strips and amnesty for riparian vegetation removal, which might increase the fragmentation of native riparian vegetation, especially for Atlantic Rainforest streams. Methods We present two case studies conducted in a stream draining a fragmented landscape in the Atlantic Rainforest. The stream flows through two abrupt transitions (forest-pasture-forest) and we investigated how far the upstream effects of a given riparian condition could be detected in the downstream reach for a suite of variables. Results We show that the effects of land cover propagate downstream for both algal and macroinvertebrate communities. For some variables of interest, these effects might extend up to a km downstream from the transition. Conclusions There is a need to understand how the distribution of riparian forest remnants contribute to maintaining watershed-scale resilience to impacts.

Changes in streamside riparian forest canopy and leaf litter nutrient flux to soils during an emerald ash borer infestation in an agricultural landscape

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 1865-1878 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Kreutzweiser ◽  
David Dutkiewicz ◽  
Scott Capell ◽  
Paul Sibley ◽  
Taylor Scarr
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Emerald Ash Borer ◽  
Nutrient Flux

The Search for a Solution to Australian Locust Outbreaks: How Developments in Ecology and Government Responses Influenced Scientific Research

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. D. Deveson
Keyword(s):  
Research Approach ◽  
Outbreak Area ◽  
Mass Migration ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
Upper Level ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Entomological Research ◽  
Agricultural Areas

A national research approach to the ?grasshopper problem' began following a plague of the Australian plague locust (Chortoicetes terminifera Walker) in inland south-eastern Australia in the 1930s. After the plague of the 1950s, the role of arid inland areas as a source of migrations into agricultural areas received greater attention. In the 1960s and 1970s, international collaborative experimental research with the CSIRO advanced the knowledge of locust lifecycles and population ecology. Studies of nocturnal mass migration on upper-level winds brought a new understanding of Australian locust population dynamics. This paper traces Australian research into locust ecology within the contexts of locust infestations and government responses to them. Investigations on Australian locusts reflected many contemporary ideas and methods in entomological research and contributed to the development of international ecological theory during the twentieth century. International locust research based on the phase change and outbreak area model of Uvarov particularly influenced work carried out in Australia.

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