Functional connectivity and avian population ecology in intensively-managed forest landscapes

集约管理森林景观中的功能连通性和鸟类种群生态

• 批准号: RGPIN-2017-05102
• 负责人: Villard, MarcAndré
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: Université de Moncton
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=632141
• 关键词: Functional; connectivity; avian; population; ecology

Functional connectivity, the relative ease with which organisms move among resource patches, is a critical parameter influencing gene flow and population persistence, especially when habitat is fragmented. This parameter reflects the behavioural response of individuals to landscape structure and it is generally considered to be species-specific. Rapid developments in tracking technology have made it possible to monitor the movements of a wide range of organisms, but small animals remain difficult to track owing to technological limitations. For example, passerine birds, representing ca. 2/3 of all bird species currently known, cannot be tracked daily using currently available GPS tags, except for larger species. Until tracking technology allows documenting the daily movements of smaller organisms, we will need to design field experiments to gain insight into dispersal or habitat selection. In this research program, my students and I will use translocation experiments to create territorial vacancies and monitor the replacement of removed individuals. We will perform 25-km translocations in mixed forest plots surrounded by spruce plantations or similar forest (controls), to determine whether landscape context influences the replacement of temporarily absent males. We hypothesize that intensive forest management will influence the movements of translocated individuals as well as immigration of individuals potentially available to recolonize vacancies. Our previous research has shown that spruce plantations are much less permeable than deciduous forest to the movements of a migratory bird species (the Ovenbird). However, the specific mechanisms underlying this pattern and its consequences for habitat occupancy remain to be discovered. Therefore, we will perform translocations on this and two other migrant bird species to determine whether sensitivity to matrix type reflects the species' foraging niche (foliage gleaning vs ground foraging). Translocations will be performed on territorial males, whose response to matrix type and habitat fragmentation may differ from that of natal dispersers. The latter are thought to play a key role in functional connectivity. Hence, we will also capture individuals prospecting for territories during the post-breeding season and determine whether they return the following spring. This will make it possible to determine whether breeding site selection by first-year individuals takes place in fall or spring. We will also perform short-distance translocation experiments and track birds using radio-telemetry to test the hypothesis that landscape permeability is most strongly influenced by edge crossings rather than by the permeability of matrix types present. We will then use our empirical data to model bird movements using circuit theory and other methods. These models will be used to contrast forest management scenarios on focal species.

功能连通性，即生物在资源斑块之间移动的相对容易程度，是影响基因流动和种群持久性的关键参数，特别是在栖息地破碎化的情况下。这个参数反映了个体对景观结构的行为反应，通常被认为是物种特有的。跟踪技术的迅速发展使人们能够监测各种生物的活动，但由于技术的限制，小动物仍然难以跟踪。例如，雀形目鸟类，约占目前已知鸟类的2/3，不能使用目前可用的GPS标签每天跟踪，除了较大的物种。在追踪技术允许记录较小生物的日常活动之前，我们将需要设计实地实验来深入了解它们的分布或栖息地选择。在这个研究项目中，我和我的学生将使用迁移实验来创造领土空缺，并监测迁移个体的替换情况。我们将在云杉人工林或类似森林（对照）包围的混交林地块进行25公里的易位，以确定景观环境是否会影响暂时缺席的雄性的更替。我们假设，集约化森林管理将影响易位个体的移动以及潜在的可重新定居空缺的个体的移民。我们之前的研究表明，云杉人工林对候鸟（窑鸟）迁徙的渗透性要比落叶林低得多。然而，这种模式的具体机制及其对生境占用的影响仍有待发现。因此，我们将对这种候鸟和另外两种候鸟进行易位，以确定对基质类型的敏感性是否反映了物种的觅食生态位（树叶觅食vs地面觅食）。易位将在领地雄性身上进行，它们对基质类型和栖息地破碎化的反应可能与出生分散者不同。后者被认为在功能连接中起着关键作用。因此，我们还将捕捉在繁殖后季节寻找领地的个体，并确定它们是否会在第二年春天返回。这将使确定第一年个体的繁殖地点选择是在秋季还是春季进行成为可能。我们还将进行短距离迁移实验，并使用无线电遥测技术跟踪鸟类，以验证景观渗透率受边缘交叉而不是现有基质类型渗透率影响最大的假设。然后，我们将利用我们的经验数据，利用电路理论和其他方法来模拟鸟类的运动。这些模型将用于对比焦点物种的森林管理方案。