Effects of dominant tree species on insectivorous birds breeding in Mediterranean oak woodlands
Capsule Differences in Cork Oak Quercus suber and Holm Oak Quercus rotundifolia dominance had little influence on bird communities though bark-gleaners showed a foraging preference for Cork Oak. Aims Examine the use of Cork and Holm Oak trees by insectivorous birds in Mediterranean oak woodlands. Me...
Saved in:
Published in | Bird study Vol. 63; no. 1; pp. 115 - 127 |
---|---|
Main Authors | , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Thetford
Taylor & Francis
02.01.2016
British Trust for Ornithology |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
Cover
Loading…
Summary: | Capsule Differences in Cork Oak Quercus suber and Holm Oak Quercus rotundifolia dominance had little influence on bird communities though bark-gleaners showed a foraging preference for Cork Oak. Aims Examine the use of Cork and Holm Oak trees by insectivorous birds in Mediterranean oak woodlands. Methods Point-counts were used to compare species abundance among Cork Oak-dominated, Holm Oak-dominated and mixed woodlands. Focal foraging observations were used to evaluate the use of Cork and Holm Oaks in the three habitats and to relate tree characteristics with the foraging time of foliage- and bark-gleaners. Results Bird densities in the three habitats were not different for most foliage- and bark-gleaners. Tree preference index values and foraging time per tree showed no significant differences between tree species and foraging guilds, however bark-gleaners had positive index values for Cork Oak in the three habitats. The foraging time of foliage- and bark-gleaners on both tree species showed a positive relationship with characteristics associated with arthropod abundance. Conclusion Cork and Holm Oak trees are equally preferred by foliage-gleaners but bark-gleaners moderately preferred Cork Oak. Characteristics regarding morphology, phenology and physiological condition of trees can be used to predict habitat quality for insectivorous forest birds in Mediterranean oak woodlands. |
---|---|
Bibliography: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2015.1136264 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 1944-6705 0006-3657 1944-6705 |
DOI: | 10.1080/00063657.2015.1136264 |