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AUTHOR(S):
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Warren Fleming
University of Alberta
Department of Renewable Resources
Edmonton, AB, Canada
Fiona K.A. Schmiegelow
- fiona.schmiegelow@ualberta.ca
University of Alberta
Department of Renewable Resources
Edmonton, AB, Canada
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There is considerable concern over the
effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on forest birds, particularly neotropical migrants. Resource development in forested
regions may reduce the available habitat for forest-dependent species both
directly, by removing forest, and indirectly, by creating edges and
introducing novel habitat. These factors can further affect the structure of
animal communities by influencing species that compete with, or prey upon,
forest-dependent species. Linear developments, such as roads, seismic
exploration lines, powerline rights-of-way (ROW) and pipeline ROW, may
contribute significantly to forest fragmentation. We studied the local
response of birds to pipeline ROW in the boreal forest of northwestern Alberta by comparing community structure, predation rates
on artificial nests, and willingness to cross ROW in response to playbacks,
at varying ROW widths, and between forest adjacent to and away from ROW.
Total species richness was not affected by the presence or width of ROW,
however overall bird abundance was highest adjacent to narrow ROW.
Differences in the abundance of individual species adjacent to ROW, and
across ROW widths indicated that these features did influence bird community
structure. Nest predation was greater adjacent to wider ROW, but did not
differ with distance from edge across width classes. Tests for willingness to
cross ROW were generally inconclusive, due to low sample sizes. We conclude
that local effects of pipeline ROW might be mitigated by minimizing ROW
width. However, regional planning requires more careful consideration of the
landscape-level implications of creating a greater number of linear
disturbances for an equivalent level of pipeline development, as well as the
cumulative effects of various industrial activities.
Keywords:
Linear development, right-of-way
management, forest songbirds, edge effects, boreal mixedwood forest
Ref#: 6-16
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