relative importance of patch area of perimeter-area ratio to grassland breeding birds

Habitat fragmentation has been implicated as a major cause of population decline in grassland birds. We tested the hypothesis that a combination of area and shape determines the use of grassland patches by breeding birds. We compared both species richness and individual species presence in 45 wet me...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecological applications 1999-11, Vol.9 (4), p.1448-1458
Main Authors: Helzer, Christopher J., Jelinski, Dennis E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Aves
Aviculture
Bird nesting
Birds
birds, grassland
Breeding
breeding sites
Ecological research
Environmental aspects
flood meadows
Forest ecology
Forest habitats
Grasses
Grassland ecology
Habitat conservation
Habitat fragmentation
landscape ecology
Nebraska
patch area
patch shape
perimeter–area ratio
Platte River, Nebraska
population declines
Population density
Species
species–area relationship
USA, Nebraska
wet meadows
wild birds
wildlife management
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Habitat fragmentation has been implicated as a major cause of population decline in grassland birds. We tested the hypothesis that a combination of area and shape determines the use of grassland patches by breeding birds. We compared both species richness and individual species presence in 45 wet meadow grasslands in the floodplain of the central Platte River, Nebraska. Bird data were collected through the use of belt transects and supplemented by walking and listening outside transects. Our data supported our primary hypothesis that perimeter-area ratio, which reflects both the area and shape of a patch, is the strongest predictor of both individual species presence and overall species richness. The probability of occurrence for all six common species (Grasshopper Sparrows, Bobolinks, Upland Sandpipers, Western Meadowlarks, Dickcissels, and Red-winged Blackbirds) was significantly inversely correlated with perimeter-area ratio. The probability of occurrence of Grasshopper Sparrows, Bobolinks, Upland Sandpipers, and Western Meadowlarks was also correlated with area. We conclude that species richness is maximized when patches are large (>50 ha) and shaped so that they provide abundant interior areas, free from the impacts of edges.
ISSN:1051-0761
1939-5582
DOI:10.1890/1051-0761(1999)009[1448:TRIOPA]2.0.CO;2