Clearcut logging restricts the movements of terrestrial Pacific giant salamanders (Dicamptodon tenebrosus Good)

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (12) ◽  
pp. 2170-2177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Johnston ◽  
Leonardo Frid
Keyword(s):  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Riparian Buffer ◽  
Movement Behavior ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Buffer Strips ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Dicamptodon Tenebrosus ◽  
Riparian Buffer Strips

Pacific giant salamanders (Dicamptodon tenebrosus Good) in the Chilliwack River valley of southwestern British Columbia are at the periphery of their range, and therefore of conservation concern. Although logging is a potential threat to the species, no studies have examined how clear-cutting affects its terrestrial stage. We used radio telemetry to compare the movements of 35 terrestrial Pacific giant salamanders at sites with three different logging histories: forested, clearcut to the stream margin, and clearcut with riparian buffer strips. The results demonstrate that logging affected movements of the salamanders. Salamanders in clearcuts remained significantly closer to the stream, spent more time in subterranean refuges, and had smaller home ranges than those at forested sites. During a dry year, salamanders in clearcuts were significantly more dependent on precipitation for their movement than salamanders in forested habitats. Salamander movement behavior in riparian buffer strips was not significantly different from that at forested sites but was significantly different from that at clearcut sites. Riparian buffer strips appear to mitigate some of the negative effects of clearcuts on salamander movement.

Elevated numbers of flying insects and insectivorous birds in riparian buffer strips

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
pp. 740-747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darroch M Whitaker ◽  
Allan L Carroll ◽  
William A Montevecchi
Keyword(s):  
Abies Balsamea ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Riparian Buffer ◽  
Buffer Strips ◽  
Insectivorous Birds ◽  
Size Classes ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Flying Insects ◽  
Riparian Buffer Strips ◽  
Capture Rates

We compared the abundances of flying insects along undisturbed lakeshores and riparian buffer strips in balsam fir (Abies balsamea) forests in western Newfoundland. Insects were collected in pan traps placed on the forest floor and tanglefoot (sticky) traps suspended within the live canopy. Significantly greater numbers of insects were captured in riparian buffer strips than in undisturbed shorelines for four of five size classes in the canopy and two of five size classes in the understory. Collections were dominated by adult Diptera and Hymenoptera. Mean capture rates along buffer strips were 120-200% of the mean capture rates along undisturbed shorelines. This increase was greatest for large-bodied insects. A likely explanation for our observations is that buffer strips act as windbreaks, collecting airborne insects blown in from adjacent clearcuts and lakes. This phenomenon has been widely documented in agricultural landscapes. Understory wind speed was generally greater along buffer strips than controls, which is a reflection of increased exposure caused by clear-cutting. A concurrent parallel study conducted at the same sites investigated the effects of riparian buffering on breeding bird assemblages. Ubiquitous insectivorous birds, including the yellow-rumped warbler (Dendroica coronata) and blackpoll warbler (Dendroica striata), were more abundant along buffer strips than undisturbed shorelines, possibly in response to increased prey availability. Increased food availability may in part explain the high numbers of insectivorous birds typically observed in riparian buffer strips in boreal forests.

scholarly journals Movement Patterns of Wintering Grassland Sparrows in Arizona

The Auk ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 117 (3) ◽  
pp. 748-759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caleb E. Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Radio Telemetry ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Movement Pattern ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Movement Behavior ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Mark Recapture ◽  
Mobile Species ◽  
Study Sites

Abstract I used mark-recapture analysis and radio telemetry to characterize winter movement patterns of six grassland sparrows in southeastern Arizona. Mark-recapture data were generated by banding birds captured during repeated flush-netting sessions conducted on a series of 7-ha plots over three consecutive winters. This resulted in 2,641 captures of 2,006 individual sparrows of the six species. Radio telemetry was conducted concurrently on 20 individuals of four of these species. Recapture data and radio telemetry indicated that Cassin's Sparrow (Aimophila cassinii) and Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) were the most sedentary, followed by Baird's Sparrow (Ammodramus bairdii), Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus), Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), and Brewer's Sparrow (Spizella breweri). Grasshopper, Baird's, Savannah, and Vesper sparrows tended to remain within fixed home ranges during winter. With the exception of Savannah Sparrows, whose movement behavior varied among study sites, movement patterns remained constant within species across years and study sites despite radical fluctuations in the absolute and relative abundances of all species. Interspecific differences in movement pattern suggest that species in this system partition niche space according to the regional-coexistence mechanism. Abundances of the most sedentary species, Cassin's, Grasshopper, and Baird's sparrows, were poorly or negatively correlated with summer rainfall at the between-year landscape scale, whereas abundances of the more mobile Savannah, Vesper, and Brewer's sparrows were strongly positively correlated. This is consistent with the theoretical prediction that movement constrains large-scale habitat selection, favoring mobile species in fragmented environments.

Understory plant diversity and biomass in hybrid poplar riparian buffer strips in pastures

New Forests ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Fortier ◽  
Daniel Gagnon ◽  
Benoit Truax ◽  
France Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Hybrid Poplar ◽  
Riparian Buffer ◽  
Buffer Strips ◽  
Riparian Buffer Strips ◽  
Understory Plant

Response to clear-cut logging by northern waterthrushes

2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 755-762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian G Warkentin ◽  
Allison L Fisher ◽  
Stephen P Flemming ◽  
Shawn E Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Riparian Buffer ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Riparian Habitat ◽  
Buffer Strips ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Riparian Buffer Strips ◽  
Treatment Interaction

We examined the distribution and foraging behaviour of northern waterthrushes (Seiurus noveboracensis) in recently harvested and intact landscapes of Newfoundland. Data were collected along six 1-km segments of stream and adjoining upland habitat resulting in four treatments (harvested or intact, upland or stream) with three replicates each. Although known as a riparian specialist, we found waterthrush territories equally distributed across intact upland and riparian habitats. However, few waterthrushes occupied harvested uplands, while large numbers packed into riparian buffer strips adjacent to these 5- to 10-year-old postharvest clearcuts. Arthropod abundance and biomass were highly variable between years and across the four treatments, generating significant year × treatment interaction effects. Riparian habitat (in both intact and harvested areas) had consistently greater numbers of arthropod prey and more biomass than either upland habitat type. Northern waterthrushes foraging in riparian habitat adjacent to harvested uplands had lower attack rates and more frequent long flights than waterthrushes foraging in the intact treatment types. Prolonged packing of individuals into riparian buffer strips, and apparent adverse affects on waterthrush foraging efficiency, raise concerns about the effectiveness of buffer strips for sustaining viable populations of terrestrial riparian habitat specialists.

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