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From clearfell coupe to old-growth forest: Succession of bird assemblages in Tasmanian lowland wet eucalypt forests
Citation
Hingston, AB and Grove, S, From clearfell coupe to old-growth forest: Succession of bird assemblages in Tasmanian lowland wet eucalypt forests, Forest Ecology and Management, 259, (3) pp. 459-468. ISSN 0378-1127 (2010) [Refereed Article]
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DOI: doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2009.11.001
Abstract
As forests undergo succession after major disturbance events their assemblages of birds also change.
Thus the frequency and extent of wildfire or clearfelling in the landscape can potentially affect the
species-richness and abundance of forest birds. We used a chronosequence approach to investigate
succession of bird communities in Tasmanian lowland wet eucalypt forest, from shortly after
disturbance through to old-growth forest aged approximately 200250 years. The number of native bird
species recorded per survey per site increased as a linear function of stand-age. However, succession did
not involve a unidirectional transition in assemblage-composition because of differences in successional
responses among individual species and also among guilds of birds that mostly inhabited different strata
of the forest. This was exemplified by the crescent honeyeater, which was observed most frequently in
the youngest (68 years) and oldest (200250 years) forests that we surveyed, and by the superb lyrebird
(introduced to Tasmania from mainland south-eastern Australia) which favoured mid-aged regrowth
(4243 years) after clearfelling. Forests aged 200250 years had the greatest richness-per-survey of
those native species that were observed mostly in the lower layer or mid-layer. However, the greatest
richness-per-survey of canopy-dwelling species and the highest native species-richness across the
survey period were found in forests aged around 150 years. Younger regrowth was generally less rich in
birds, although regrowth in the first decade after clearfelling was the only seral stage inhabited by superb
fairy-wrens. These results suggest that, in the Tasmanian lowland wet eucalypt forest landscape,
species-richness of birds may be greatest when old-growth forest is interspersed with young regrowth
forests. Hence for bird conservation, a challenge is to ensure that old-growth forest continues to prevail
in the production forest landscape.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | Bird communities, clearcutting, Forest management, Silviculture, Stand-age, Wildfire |
Research Division: | Environmental Sciences |
Research Group: | Environmental management |
Research Field: | Conservation and biodiversity |
Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
Objective Group: | Terrestrial systems and management |
Objective Field: | Evaluation, allocation, and impacts of land use |
UTAS Author: | Hingston, AB (Mr Andrew Hingston) |
ID Code: | 62728 |
Year Published: | 2010 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 9 |
Deposited By: | Geography and Environmental Studies |
Deposited On: | 2010-03-19 |
Last Modified: | 2011-03-28 |
Downloads: | 8 View Download Statistics |
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