|
|
|
Gates, J. E. and J. E. McKearnan. 2003. Artificial nest predation across riparian-upland forest ecotones. Southeastern Naturalist 2((2)): 301-312. In a Nutshell: Problem - Birds nesting near anthropogenic edges, e.g., forest-agricultural field edges, are often impacted by higher predation and brood parasitism. However, there has been a lack of studies looking at natural edges, e.g., forest-stream edges. This research investigated whether birds nesting near forest-stream edges in the central Appalachian mountains might also have higher predation rates. What - We used artificial nests strategically placed within the environment during the breeding season to evaluate our hypothesis. Using replicated trials at two study sites over a two year period, we placed artificial nests containing one Japanese quail egg at increasing 50 m intervals from small streams. Proceeding upslope, vegetation changed from Rhododendron- Hemlock-Northern hardwoods. Findings - We found that our nests generally were more highly depredated closer to the streams, i.e., success was lower. Potential Applications - Although leaving buffer zones adjacent to streams following logging may have a beneficial effect on water quality, it may not provide secure nesting habitat for forest birds and in fact may increase edge effects and lower nest success. Further research is needed to determine the generality of our results. |
|
