Ecology and Conservation of Birds of Pinyon -Juniper Woodlands

Schlossberg, Scott R.

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Description

Title

Ecology and Conservation of Birds of Pinyon -Juniper Woodlands

Author(s)

Schlossberg, Scott R.

Issue Date

2006

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Brawn, Jeffrey D.

Department of Study

Biology

Discipline

Biology

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

Agriculture, Forestry and Wildlife

Language

eng

Abstract

From 1999 to 2004 the southwestern U.S. experienced a severe drought, leading to a bark-beetle outbreak that killed pinyon pines over several million ha of pinyon juniper woodlands. On 15 study sites in Arizona and Utah, I found no evidence that any bird species had declined in response to pine mortality between 2001 and 2005. In 2004, during the drought, and 2005, a wet year, I studied avian nesting success on study plots with different levels of pine mortality. Nest predation rates were low, and no species showed any difference in nest success rates across the three sites. Grey flycatchers (Empidonax wrightii) had higher nest success during the wet year, 2005, than in the dry year, 2004, but cavity nesters and other cup nesters showed no differences across years. Overall, drought had a negative effect on the nesting success of gray flycatchers, but birds appeared resilient to the effects of tree mortality.

Graduation Semester

2006

Type of Resource

text

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