U.S.-Chile Cooperative Research: Reproductive Success of Endemic Birds in South-Temperate Fragmented Forests

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9602917 Willson This Americas Program award will fund a collaborative research project between Dr. Mary Willson, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland and Dr. Juan Armesto, Universidad de Chile , to examine the effects of forest fragmentation on density and reproductive success of two endemic bird species in the Chilean forest, the chucao and the huet-huet. The fundamental working hypothesis of this study is that population densities and/or reproductive success of the species are lower in smaller, more disturbed forest fragments. After documenting these patterns in relation to forest size, the focus will be on the possible ecological mechanisms by which fragmentation affects the breeding of the birds. The south-temperate rainforests of southern Chile and far- western Argentina are being cut at a very rapid rate and are rapidly disappearing. Conservation planning requires an understanding of the ecological mechanisms that influence population viability in order to determine the most effective measure for minimizing the risks of regional extinction. The long-term goal of this work includes the development of a landscape-level model for biodiversity conservation in an agricultural landscape. ***