Forest birds respond to the spatial pattern of exurban development in the Mid-Atlantic region, USA.
Forest birds respond to the spatial pattern of exurban development in the Mid-Atlantic region, USA.
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DOI：
10.7717/peerj.2039
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发表时间：
2016
期刊：
影响因子：
2.7
通讯作者：
Lookingbill TR
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Suarez-Rubio M;Lookingbill TR
城市边缘以外的住房开发（即郊区开发）是美国土地利用变化增长最快的形式之一。郊区发展对自然和娱乐设施的吸引力引起了对保护的关注，并代表了对野生动物的潜在威胁。虽然已发现依赖森林的物种对低住房密度特别敏感，但尚不清楚房屋的空间分布如何影响森林鸟类。本研究的目的是评估森林鸟类对郊区发展空间格局变化的反应，以及在考虑森林损失和森林破碎化的情况下物种的反应。通过建立紧凑度指数来评估1986 - 2009年北美鸟类繁殖调查站点周边景观的组成，以评估郊区发展的空间格局随时间的变化。紧凑性被定义为衡量每个时间段内每个调查站点周围区域的集群式郊区发展情况。采用阈值指标分类群分析方法，在400 m和1 km半径缓冲带两个空间尺度上，检测了森林和林缘物种在密实度梯度上的发生率和相对丰度响应。结果表明：在更大的空间尺度上，大多数森林鸟类和一些森林边缘物种与高密实度呈正相关；当考虑到森林损失和森林破碎化时，森林在周围景观中的比例也有显著影响。相比之下，在较小的空间尺度上，远郊发展的空间格局是少数物种发生和丰度的重要预测因子。在更大尺度上，森林鸟类对紧凑性的积极反应可能代表了一种系统性的下降轨迹，如果郊区的增长继续下去，并造成更紧凑的发展，可能对鸟类多样性造成严重损害。
Housing development beyond the urban fringe (i.e., exurban development) is one of the fastest growing forms of land-use change in the United States. Exurban development’s attraction to natural and recreational amenities has raised concerns for conservation and represents a potential threat to wildlife. Although forest-dependent species have been found particularly sensitive to low housing densities, it is unclear how the spatial distribution of houses affects forest birds. The aim of this study was to assess forest bird responses to changes in the spatial pattern of exurban development and also to examine species responses when forest loss and forest fragmentation were considered. We evaluated landscape composition around North American Breeding Bird Survey stops between 1986 and 2009 by developing a compactness index to assess changes in the spatial pattern of exurban development over time. Compactness was defined as a measure of how clustered exurban development was in the area surrounding each survey stop at each time period considered. We used Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis to detect the response of forest and forest-edge species in terms of occurrence and relative abundance along the compactness gradient at two spatial scales (400-m and 1-km radius buffer). Our results showed that most forest birds and some forest-edge species were positively associated with high levels of compactness at the larger spatial scale; the proportion of forest in the surrounding landscape also had a significant effect when forest loss and forest fragmentation were accounted for. In contrast, the spatial configuration of exurban development was an important predictor of occurrence and abundance for only a few species at the smaller spatial scale. The positive response of forest birds to compactness at the larger scale could represent a systematic trajectory of decline and could be highly detrimental to bird diversity if exurban growth continues and creates more compacted development.