Abstract

We evaluated the influence of landscape composition on bird use of rowcrop (corn and soybean) fields in 6 watersheds in Iowa from mid-May to late July 1993 and 1994. We counted birds within 50-m-radius circular plots positioned randomly within rowcrop fields and determined coverages for 21 habitats within 800-m-radius circles centered on each bird census plot. We evaluated the relationships between bird abundances in rowcrop fields and the habitat coverages in the landscape by using 2 multivariate procedures. We derived 3 landscape scenarios from a cluster analysis of the original habitat variables; the abundances of 7 bird species differed significantly among the 3 scenarios. Species abundances in rowcrop fields were greater in landscapes with more grassland block-cover and/or more wooded block-cover and strip-cover. Principal component analysis illustrated the responses of bird species to landscape composition; species responses depended upon the relative use (ranging from resident to occasional) that the birds made of the rowcrop fields. Habitat selection and use in birds is a multiscale phenomenon, and the landscape context should be considered when evaluating bird use of rowcrops.

Keywords

Composition (language)GeographyEcologyBiologyArt

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Publication Info

Year
2001
Type
article
Volume
65
Issue
3
Pages
442-442
Citations
68
Access
Closed

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Louis B. Best, Timothy M. Bergin, Kathryn E. Freemark (2001). Influence of Landscape Composition on Bird Use of Rowcrop Fields. Journal of Wildlife Management , 65 (3) , 442-442. https://doi.org/10.2307/3803096

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DOI
10.2307/3803096