Article
Forestry
Eric Henderson, Howard Hoganson
Summary: This study presents a spatially explicit management strategy for Kirtland's Warbler habitat in the Hiawatha National Forest. The research highlights the high financial cost of managing habitat and the additional financial trade-offs associated with aggregating habitat into large patches. It also emphasizes that the marginal cost of habitat increases as more habitat is added to the management system.
Article
Ornithology
Ashley Olah, Christine A. Ribic, Kim Grveles, Sarah Warner, Davin Lopez, Anna M. Pidgeon
Summary: The Kirtland's Warbler is a species that breeds in young jack pine forests in northern Lower Michigan and depends on habitat management. While the species also breeds in red pine plantations in central Wisconsin, it was found that the low pine densities in these plantations led to low fledgling survival rates. Thus, it is recommended to include red pine as a component in managed Kirtland's Warbler habitat only if tree densities approach optimal levels.
ORNITHOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Ashley M. Olah, Christine A. Ribic, Kim Grveles, Sarah Warner, Davin Lopez, Anna M. Pidgeon
Summary: The reproductive success of Kirtland's Warblers in red pine-dominated plantations is similar to that of the warblers breeding in typical jack pine habitat. The red pine-dominated habitat appears to approximate the quality of young jack pine for the warblers, providing flexibility in habitat maintenance for this conservation-reliant species.
AVIAN CONSERVATION AND ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Edith Rivas-Alonso, Cristina Martinez-Garza, Marines de la Pena-Domene, Moises Mendez-Toribio
Summary: Restoration interventions aim to accelerate forest recovery by skipping early succession stages and promoting the growth of late-successional tree species with large seeds. Different restoration treatments were evaluated in terms of forest structure, with planted areas showing higher richness and abundance of late-successional trees compared to natural succession.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Carly N. Lapin, Nicholas M. Anich, Laura L. Jaskiewicz, Amber J. DeValk, Michele P. Woodford
Summary: We report the first documented observation of a male Kirtland's Warbler feeding nestlings in a Yellow-rumped Warbler nest, adding to the known species that exhibit interspecific feeding behavior.
NORTHEASTERN NATURALIST
(2022)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Kaitlyn Oliphant, Mehneez Ali, Mark D'Souza, Patrick D. Hughes, Dinanath Sulakhe, Annie Z. Wang, Bingqing Xie, Rummanu Yeasin, Michael E. Msall, Bree Andrews, Erika C. Claud
Summary: The study investigated the association between gut microbiome succession and head circumference growth in preterm infants, finding that depletion of Bacteroidota and Lachnospiraceae was associated with suboptimal neurodevelopment. Early integration of these core taxa is crucial for optimal neurodevelopment.
Article
Forestry
D. Scridel, S. Tenan, M. Brambilla, R. Celva, A. Forti, I Fracasso, G. Volcan, E. Dorigatti, M. Anderle, A. Marchesini, B. Crestanello, C. Vernesi, P. Pedrini, P. Partel
Summary: Compared to old-growth forests, early-successional stands have been understudied in terms of species of conservation interest. This study focused on hazel grouse and found that early-successional secondary-growth forests formed after the abandonment of agropastoral activities benefited the bird species. Additionally, forest arthropods were identified as an important food source.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Eric L. Margenau, Nathan W. Cooper, Donald J. Brown, Deahn M. Donner, Peter P. Marra, Pat Ryan
Summary: This study estimated the abundance of brown-headed cowbirds and nest parasitism rates in the breeding range of Kirtland's warbler. It also determined the maximum sustainable parasitism rate for Kirtland's warblers under different cowbird removal scenarios. The findings suggest that adaptive cowbird removal programs may be necessary in the long term to sustain Kirtland's warbler populations.
Article
Ecology
Hannah M. Meister, Rene X. Valdez, Dustin Martin, Lesley P. Bulluck
Summary: The study surveyed private landowners in Virginia to understand their intention to carry out early successional habitat (ESH) management strategies, revealing that factors such as landowner values, past wildlife management experience, and perceived barriers play a role in their decision-making. The results suggest that expanding outreach efforts to include pasture management options could engage a broader set of landowners in creating ESH, especially if highlighting the benefits to pollinator species, water quality, and recreational opportunities.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Icaro Menezes Pinto, Carine Emer, Eliana Cazetta, Jose Carlos Morante-Filho
Summary: The study shows that forest cover positively affects the number of interactions in understory bird seed-dispersal networks, with a significant decrease in interaction quantity in highly deforested areas. The lack of significant network structure in these highly modified landscapes is attributed to the pervasive impoverishment of bird and plant communities.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Frederick W. Rainsford, Luke T. Kelly, Steve W. J. Leonard, Andrew F. Bennett
Summary: Understanding how factors like climate, plant regeneration traits, and fire characteristics affect post-fire habitat change is crucial for fire management and biodiversity conservation. Different bird species respond to habitat attributes in different ways, with regeneration traits playing a significant role in habitat recovery for birds after fire. Most species studied respond to different habitat attributes in each ecosystem, indicating that species-habitat relationships are not necessarily transferable between ecosystems.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Juan Manuel Morales, Teresa Moran Lopez
Summary: Modeling seed dispersal by animals involves complex mathematical models and agent-based models, which help us better understand the key mechanisms of seed dispersal. However, current models suffer from overparameterization and poor predictive capacity, requiring the establishment of more complex hierarchical model structures to enhance the ability to understand and predict seed dispersal.
Article
Forestry
Cindy Perkovich, David Ward
Summary: Periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) in deciduous forests of the eastern United States partition resources and use specific host-tree species and life stages to minimize competition. In this study, measurements of tree size, emergence holes, oviposition scar bundles, and chorusing center abundances were conducted to understand host-tree use. The results revealed that periodical cicadas preferentially used Quercus species, with more emergence holes, chorusing centers, oviposition scar bundles, and nymphs found on Quercus compared to other tree species. These findings suggest that periodical cicada species strategically utilize specific host species and life stages to reduce competition and efficiently use resources.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Anders Hedenstrom, Susanne Akesson, Staffan Bensch, Dennis Hasselquist, Ake Lindstrom
Summary: Seasonal timing of moult in migratory birds is an adaptation to cope with time constraints in the annual cycle, possibly largely under endogenous control. The researchers argue that previous analyses were flawed and overlooked key facts, such as the performance of juveniles in moult and the differences in moult sequences among different species.
Article
Environmental Sciences
T. Stoffers, F. P. L. Collas, A. D. Buijse, G. W. Geerling, L. H. Jans, N. van Kessel, J. A. J. Verreth, L. A. J. Nagelkerke
Summary: The study evaluated the nursery function of restored floodplain channels for rheophilic fish in the lower river Rhine by analyzing 30 years of monitoring data from 12 restoration projects. It found that the nursery area suitability was higher in two-sided connected channels, with rheophilic fish abundance reaching optimal conditions at 13 to 14 years post-restoration. However, rheophilic species richness showed a decreasing trend with channel age, indicating aging channels became less suitable as nursery areas for most rheophilic fish species.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)