Doctoral Dissertation Research: Avian Community Response to Broad-Scale Ecological Disturbances Across Spruce-Fir Forests

博士论文研究：鸟类群落对云杉-冷杉林大规模生态扰动的反应

• 批准号: 1457894
• 负责人: Thomas Veblen
• 金额: $ 1.52万
• 依托单位: University of Colorado at Boulder
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-06-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1457894&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Avian; Community

Shifts in natural disturbance regimes can radically change communities at regional scales and consequently impact ecosystem functions and processes. This doctoral dissertation research project will investigate the impact of broad-scale ecological disturbances on the avian community in sub-alpine conifer forests. The doctoral student will use Bayesian modeling methods to evaluate the community-level impacts of logging treatments and bark beetle epidemics on the common avifauna guilds. The research will quantitatively predict the effects of logging and beetle outbreaks on both future forest dynamics and ecosystem services, including avian diversity. It will provide new perspectives regarding bark beetle-wildlife relationships for aiding ecologists in determining the effects of a warming climate on broad-scale forest disturbance dynamics. The study has important implications for forest and natural resources government and non-government agencies because it will provide insights regarding alternative approaches for improving forest resiliency and conservation. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.The doctoral student will use observational and modeling approaches to understand the ecological consequences of landscape-altering beetle disturbances. The study will be conducted at four sites in the spruce-fir forests of Colorado's San Juan Mountains. Using remote sensing derived products, in-situ data, and Bayesian modeling methods, the student will seek to answer two core sets of questions: (a) How do spruce beetle outbreaks impact avian community composition and abundance, and what forest structure variables are associated with increased diversity? (2) How does avian diversity change as a function of specific forest structure variables in forests that are logged to mitigate spruce beetle infestations? Project results will enhance understanding of disturbance-wildlife relationships and their effects on broad-scale forest disturbance dynamics, thereby helping to preserve future biodiversity more effectively.

自然干扰制度的转变可以从根本上改变区域范围内的社区，从而影响生态系统的功能和进程。本博士论文研究项目将调查大范围生态扰动对亚高山针叶林鸟类群落的影响。这位博士生将使用贝叶斯建模方法来评估伐木处理和树皮甲虫流行对常见鸟类协会的社区层面的影响。这项研究将定量预测伐木和甲虫暴发对未来森林动态和生态系统服务的影响，包括鸟类多样性。它将提供关于树皮甲虫-野生动物关系的新视角，帮助生态学家确定气候变暖对大范围森林干扰动态的影响。这项研究对森林和自然资源、政府和非政府机构具有重要影响，因为它将提供关于改进森林复原力和养护的替代办法的见解。作为博士论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将提供支持，使有前途的学生建立强大的独立研究生涯。博士生将使用观察和建模的方法来了解改变景观的甲虫干扰的生态后果。这项研究将在科罗拉多州圣胡安山脉云杉冷杉林的四个地点进行。使用遥感衍生产品、现场数据和贝叶斯建模方法，学生将寻求回答两组核心问题：(A)云杉甲虫的爆发如何影响鸟类群落的组成和丰度，以及哪些森林结构变量与多样性的增加有关？(2)鸟类多样性如何作为森林中特定的森林结构变量的函数变化，以减轻云杉甲虫的侵扰？项目成果将加强对干扰与野生动物的关系及其对大范围森林干扰动态的影响的了解，从而有助于更有效地保护未来的生物多样性。