Effects of snowpack on avian abundance and species richness in Sierra Nevada forests
Stuart TH. 2016. Effects of snowpack on avian abundance and species richness in Sierra Nevada forests. University of Colorado
This study examined avian population dynamics over a four year span (2011-2014) in four forest types in Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Yosemite National Parks, California. The author related each year’s population values to the preceding season’s snowpack, specifically focusing on spring snowpack (April monthly mean). According to the California Department of Water Resources, the snowpack on April 1 each year has particular hydrologic significance because snow tends to accumulate “up to April 1, and then melts thereafter” (Cunningham, 2009). In addition, many of the bird species that breed in the Sierra Nevada begin to arrive from wintering grounds and establish territories during April. In this study, the author focused on the bird species of four forest habitat types: Sierran mixed conifer, red fir, lodgepole pine, and subalpine conifer. The research question is: do bird populations show fluctuations in abundance and species richness depending on early spring snowpack levels in various forest types of the Sierra Nevada?
- Type
- Academic
- Authors
- Stuart, Tyler
- Date of Issue
- 2016
- Publisher
- University of Colorado
- Units
- SEKI , YOSE
- Keywords
- avian abundance, avian population dynamics, bird monitoring, birds, conifer forests, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Sierra Nevada, species richness, spring snowpack, thesis, Yosemite National Park