I compared the utility of two continuous time-series data measures for applied conservation biology by investigating how well each could predict future local persistence of a diverse set of bird species. I used 37 years of data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey to
calculate abundance from yearly point-counts and permanence (i.e., consistent occupancy over time) from yearly presence-absence data in the early portion of the study period, then used the later portion of data to empirically evaluate how well each measure predicted persistence two decades into the future. I found that permanence could only match the ability of abundance to accurately predict local species persistence if multiple within-year repeated observations
contributed to its calculation. Neither measure was effective at predicting persistence for regionally rarer species. I suggest the yearly and within-year repeated collection of abundance estimating data for use in applied conservation biology to best ensure biodiversity persistence.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/25702 |
| Date | 03 January 2011 |
| Creators | Grouios, Christopher |
| Contributors | Manne, Lisa |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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