Landscape analysis of avian community structure and effects of point count duration of avian detection in northern Michigan
Tenaglia KM. 2004. Landscape analysis of avian community structure and effects of point count duration of avian detection in northern Michigan. Northern Michigan University
Relationships between landscape characteristics, particularly spatial patterns of timber harvest, and breeding bird communities in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore were examined. The effects of point count duration on bird detection, point count assumptions, and sampling efficiency also were examined to determine if bird communities in PIRO were adequately sampled. Variable circular point counts were conducted at 300 points once per year during 2001-2003 consisting of ten-min counts in 2001, and 20-min counts in 2002 and 2003. Logistic regression models were created to assess how bird species presence and abundance were related to habitat characteristics at 3 spatial scales (82, 308, and 1,269 ha). Bird species presence was related to several landscape habitat composition and spatial pattern variables. Twenty-seven of 45 bird species were correlated with at least 1 variable that quantified forest disturbance as a result of timber harvest. Bird species richness was higher in areas with more recent timber harvest activity. Analyses of the effects of count duration revealed that 15 and 20-min counts yielded significantly more species detections that 3, 5, or 10-min counts in most habitat types.
- Type
- Academic
- Authors
- Tenaglia, Karen
- Date of Issue
- 2004
- Publisher
- Northern Michigan University
- Units
- PIRO
- Keywords
- Birds (Aves), Habitat Fragmentation, Logging, Species Richness, Thesis