A review of the interaction between forest birds and eastern spruce budworm

2010 ◽  
Vol 18 (NA) ◽  
pp. 191-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.A. Venier ◽  
S.B. Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Community Response ◽  
Good Evidence ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Forest Change ◽  
Eastern Spruce Budworm

The eastern spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana Clem., (hereafter budworm) is responsible for the largest areas of insect-caused disturbance in North America, and as such, is an important part of spruce–fir forest change and succession. The insectivorous forest bird community shows large and rapid responses to budworm outbreaks. There is good evidence that there are budworm-linked species (bay-breasted, Cape May, and Tennessee warblers) that respond to budworm outbreak much more strongly and consistently than other species, probably through increased productivity of local populations when budworm are abundant. There also appears to be a more widespread positive bird community response to budworm outbreak that involves many more species. The response is evident in local and regional scale studies, but individual species’ responses across studies are not always consistent, probably because of the relatively small number of studies conducted in a wide variety of contexts. Budworm outbreaks provide a short-term increase in food supply for birds, but also result in longer-term habitat change due to budworm-induced defoliation and tree mortality. Birds appear to influence budworm cycles, mostly at endemic population levels, through predation of large larvae and pupae. There are good arguments suggesting that bird predation is not the primary cause of budworm oscillations, but may play a role in determining the mean level of oscillations. Climate change is expected to change the bird–budworm relationship through changes in fire regimes, spruce–fir distributions, bird distributions, and budworm and bird phenology.

Monitoring indicates greater resilience for birds than for mammals in Kakadu National Park, northern Australia

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 397 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Z. Woinarski ◽  
A. Fisher ◽  
M. Armstrong ◽  
K. Brennan ◽  
A. D. Griffiths ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Bird Abundance

Context A previous study reported major declines for native mammal species from Kakadu National Park, over the period 2001–09. The extent to which this result may be symptomatic of more pervasive biodiversity decline was unknown. Aims Our primary aim was to describe trends in the abundance of birds in Kakadu over the period 2001–09. We assessed whether any change in bird abundance was related to the arrival of invading cane toads (Rhinella marina), and to fire regimes. Methods Birds were monitored at 136 1-ha plots in Kakadu, during the period 2001–04 and again in 2007–09. This program complemented sampling of the same plots over the same period for native mammals. Key results In contrast to the decline reported for native mammals, the richness and total abundance of birds increased over this period, and far more individual bird species increased than decreased. Fire history in the between-sampling period had little influence on trends for individual species. Interpretation of the overall positive trends for bird species in Kakadu over this period should be tempered by recognition that most of the threatened bird species present in Kakadu were unrecorded in this monitoring program, and the two threatened species for which there were sufficient records to assess trends – partridge pigeon (Geophaps smithii) and white-throated grass-wren (Amytornis woodwardi) – both declined significantly. Conclusions The current decline of the mammal fauna in this region is not reflected in trends for the region’s bird fauna. Some of the observed changes (mostly increases) in the abundance of bird species may be due to the arrival of cane toads, and some may be due to local or regional-scale climatic variation or variation in the amount of flowering. The present study provides no assurance about threatened bird species, given that most were inadequately recorded in the study (perhaps because their decline pre-dated the present study). Implications These contrasting trends between mammals and birds demonstrate the need for biodiversity monitoring programs to be broadly based. The declines of two threatened bird species over this period indicate the need for more management focus for these species.

scholarly journals Avian Community Response to Midrotation Herbicide Release and Prescribed Burning in Conservation Reserve Program Plantations

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 111-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon Sladek ◽  
L. Burger ◽  
Ian Munn
Keyword(s):  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Conservation Reserve Program ◽  
Volume Growth ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Community Response ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Avian Community ◽  
Disturbance Regimes ◽  
Pinus Spp

Abstract Former agricultural lands converted to pine (Pinus spp.) plantations in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) have potential to provide early successional (ES) habitat for many regionally declining pine/grassland and shrub-successional bird species if actively managed with appropriate disturbance regimes. One such regime is use of the selective herbicide Imazapyr (Arsenal Applicators Concentrate) and prescribed burning, which is permitted on CRP lands and cost share payments are available. This study quantified combined effects of Imazapyr and prescribed fire on the breeding season avian community characteristics and pine volume growth in thinned, midrotation afforested loblolly pine (Pinus taedaL.) plantations in Mississippi. Herbicide treatments were applied in fall of 2002 and winter burns were conducted during winter and early spring of 2002–2003. ES bird species richness was significantly greater in the treated plots compared with controls for both 2003 and 2004. Ten individual species exhibited treatment effects. These responses by ES bird species indicate that midrotation CRPplantations can provide needed ES habitat if treated with appropriate disturbance regimes.

FACTORS AFFECTING ADULT EMERGENCE AND MATING BEHAVIOR OF THE EASTERN SPRUCE BUDWORM, CHORISTONEURA FUMIFERANA (LEPIDOPTERA: TORTRICIDAE)

1975 ◽  
Vol 107 (9) ◽  
pp. 967-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Adult Emergence ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Field Conditions ◽  
Continuous Illumination ◽  
Degree Days ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Eastern Spruce Budworm ◽  
Duration Of Copulation

AbstractLaboratory and field experiments indicate that the female spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.)) pupal stadium requires approximately 122C degree-days above a threshold of 7.2 °C (45°F), the male 124. Emergence time on any given day depends on temperature but is independent of photoperiod. Under field conditions male and female budworm mate only once per 24-h period. In the laboratory under continuous illumination females mate repeatedly and males readily mate a second time within a few hours, but the duration of the second copulation is abnormally long. The probability of multiple matings under field conditions is reduced by the restricted period of sexual activity coupled with the duration of copulation and the lower competitiveness of mated insects. Antennae are essential to the male for successful copulation.

A METHOD FOR REARING THE LARVAL STAGES OF THE EASTERN SPRUCE BUDWORM, CHORISTONEURA FUMIFERANA CLEMENS (LEPIDOPTERA: TORTRICIDAE), FOR PHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES

1990 ◽  
Vol 122 (6) ◽  
pp. 1271-1272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hemendra Mulye ◽  
Roger Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
North America ◽  
Choristoneura Fumiferana ◽  
Insect Pest ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Forest Pest ◽  
Forest Insect ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Eastern Spruce Budworm ◽  
Physiological Studies

The eastern spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana Clemens, is the most widely distributed and destructive forest insect pest in North America. Although much is known about the ecology, population dynamics, and impact of C. fumiferana on tree growth (Sanders et al. 1985), there is very little information available on the physiology of this forest pest. Physiological studies are crucial to the development of novel strategies for spruce budworm control.

scholarly journals Phenological synchrony between eastern spruce budworm and its host trees increases with warmer temperatures in the boreal forest

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 576-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepa S. Pureswaran ◽  
Mathieu Neau ◽  
Maryse Marchand ◽  
Louis De Grandpré ◽  
Dan Kneeshaw
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Eastern Spruce Budworm ◽  
Host Trees ◽  
Phenological Synchrony

scholarly journals Fire and Its Interactions With Other Drivers Shape a Distinctive, Semi-Arid ‘Mallee’ Ecosystem

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael F. Clarke ◽  
Luke T. Kelly ◽  
Sarah C. Avitabile ◽  
Joe Benshemesh ◽  
Kate E. Callister ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regional Scale ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Arid Ecosystems ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Animal Communities ◽  
Semi Arid

Fire shapes ecosystems globally, including semi-arid ecosystems. In Australia, semi-arid ‘mallee’ ecosystems occur primarily across the southern part of the continent, forming an interface between the arid interior and temperate south. Mallee vegetation is characterized by short, multi-stemmed eucalypts that grow from a basal lignotuber. Fire shapes the structure and functioning of mallee ecosystems. Using the Murray Mallee region in south-eastern Australia as a case study, we examine the characteristics and role of fire, the consequences for biota, and the interaction of fire with other drivers. Wildfires in mallee ecosystems typically are large (1000s ha), burn with high severity, commonly cause top-kill of eucalypts, and create coarse-grained mosaics at a regional scale. Wildfires can occur in late spring and summer in both dry and wet years. Recovery of plant and animal communities is predictable and slow, with regeneration of eucalypts and many habitat components extending over decades. Time since the last fire strongly influences the distribution and abundance of many species and the structure of plant and animal communities. Animal species display a discrete set of generalized responses to time since fire. Systematic field studies and modeling are beginning to reveal how spatial variation in fire regimes (‘pyrodiversity’) at different scales shapes biodiversity. Pyrodiversity includes variation in the extent of post-fire habitats, the diversity of post-fire age-classes and their configuration. At regional scales, a desirable mix of fire histories for biodiversity conservation includes a combination of early, mid and late post-fire age-classes, weighted toward later seral stages that provide critical habitat for threatened species. Biodiversity is also influenced by interactions between fire and other drivers, including land clearing, rainfall, herbivory and predation. Extensive clearing for agriculture has altered the nature and impact of fire, and facilitated invasion by pest species that modify fuels, fire regimes and post-fire recovery. Given the natural and anthropogenic drivers of fire and the consequences of their interactions, we highlight opportunities for conserving mallee ecosystems. These include learning from and fostering Indigenous knowledge of fire, implementing actions that consider synergies between fire and other processes, and strategic monitoring of fire, biodiversity and other drivers to guide place-based, adaptive management under climate change.

scholarly journals Constant and seasonal drivers of bird communities in a wind farm: implications for conservation

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zuzanna M. Rosin ◽  
Piotr Skórka ◽  
Paweł Szymański ◽  
Marcin Tobolka ◽  
Andrzej Luczak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Wind Farm ◽  
Environmental Planning ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Field Size ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Bird Populations

Background.One of the most difficult challenges for conservation biology is to reconcile growing human demands for resources with the rising need for protecting nature. Wind farms producing renewable energy have been recognised to be a threat for birds, but clear directives for environmental planning are still missing.Methods.Point counts were performed to study the relationship between eight environmental variables and bird populations in different parts of a year on the largest Polish wind farm between March 2011 and February 2013. Variables potentially related to species richness (Chao 1 estimator) and the abundance of the entire bird community as well as five selected farmland species were analysed with the use of generalized linear mixed models.Results.Some associations between the studied variables and bird populations were season/year specific, while others had a constant direction (positive or negative) across seasons and/or years. The latter were distance to the nearest turbine, field size, number of wind turbines, proximity of settlements and water bodies. Spatial autocorrelation and counting time were significantly correlated with bird population estimates but the directions of these relationships varied among seasons and years. Associations between abundance of individual species and environmental variables were species-specific.Conclusions.The results demonstrated a constant negative relationship between wind turbine proximity and bird numbers. Other environmental variables, such as field size, proximity of settlements and water bodies that also had constant associations with bird populations across seasons may be taken into account when minimizing adverse effects of wind farm development on birds or choosing optimal locations of new turbines.

Paradigms in Eastern Spruce Budworm (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) Population Ecology: A Century of Debate

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1333-1342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepa S. Pureswaran ◽  
Rob Johns ◽  
Stephen B. Heard ◽  
Dan Quiring
Keyword(s):  
Population Ecology ◽  
Spruce Budworm ◽  
Eastern Spruce Budworm

A Social-Ecological Analysis of Urban Tree Vulnerability for Publicly Owned Trees in a Residential Neighborhood

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Steenberg ◽  
Andrew Millward ◽  
David Nowak ◽  
Pamela Robinson ◽  
Sandy Smith
Keyword(s):  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Bivariate Analysis ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Forest Change ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Residential Neighborhood ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Vulnerability Indicators

The urban forest is a valuable ecosystem service provider, yet cities are frequently degraded environments with a myriad of stressors and disturbances affecting trees. Vulnerability science is increasingly used to explore issues of sustainability in complex social-ecological systems, and can be a useful approach for assessing urban forests. The purpose of this study was to identify and explore drivers of urban forest vulnerability in a residential neighborhood. Based on a recently published framework of urban forest vulnerability, a series of indicators of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity that describe the built environment, urban forest structure, and human population, respectively, were assessed for 806 trees in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Tree mortality, condition, and diameter growth rates were then assessed using an existing 2007/2008 inventory. A bivariate analysis was first conducted to test for significant relationships of vulnerability indicators with mortality, condition, and growth. A multivariate analysis was then conducted using multiple linear regression for the continuous condition and growth variables and a multilayer perceptron neural network for the binary mortality variable. Commercial land uses and commercial buildings adjacent to trees consistently explained higher mortality rates and poor tree conditions. However, at finer spatial scales it is important to differentiate between different causes and correlates of urban forest decline within commercial land uses. Tree species, size, and condition were also important indicators of vulnerability. Understanding the causes of urban forest change and decline are essential for developing planning strategies to reduce long-term system vulnerability.

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