Area sensitivity of North American grassland birds is a significant conservation concern; yet, its causes are not known. I used point count data from 20 tall-grass prairie patches in Southern Manitoba to assess the relative importance of patch size, edge proximity, and landscape composition on the densities and species richness of grassland songbirds. The degree to which the landscape surrounding point count plots was open, as opposed to forested or urban, had a positive effect on species richness and the densities of most focal species, and was more important than patch size, edge proximity, or habitat amount. These results suggest that landscape openness, not patch size (with which it is usually correlated) drives area sensitivity. Small grassland patches embedded in open landscapes are less susceptible to area sensitivity and may be of high conservation value for grassland birds. / February 2017
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:MANITOBA/oai:mspace.lib.umanitoba.ca:1993/32092 |
| Date | 03 February 2017 |
| Creators | McDonald, Laurel |
| Contributors | Koper, Nicola (Natural Resources Institute), Walker, David (Environment and Geography) Manseau, Micheline (Natural Resources Institute) |
| Source Sets | University of Manitoba Canada |
| Detected Language | English |
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