Temporal Dimensions of Landscape Ecology (eBook)

John A. Bissonette is a research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, and is a professor in the College of Natural Resources at Utah State University. Ilse Storch is professor of wildlife ecology and management at the University of Freiburg, Germany.

Contents 5
List of Contributors 7
Introduction 10
Time as a Discontinuity 11
The Structure of This Book 13
Objectives 16
References 16
Relevant Temporal Theory 19
Resource Acquisition and Animal Response in Dynamic Landscapes 20
1.1. Introduction 20
1.2. Basic Organism Needs Get Complicated 22
1.3. Temporal Discontinuities 22
1.4. Temporal Explicitness 23
1.5. Two Important Distinctions 24
1.6. Resource Quality: Keeping the Books 27
1.6.1. Ecological Stoichiometry: Another Currency 28
1.6.2. Resource Quality and Population Response 29
1.6.3. Different Predictions 30
1.6.4. Global Warming: An Added Complication 31
1.7. Conclusions: The Truth Is Always Beyond the Perception of Truth 32
References 33
Pulsed Resources and Community Responses 37
2.1. Introduction 37
2.2. The Resource 39
2.3. The Principal Consumer 40
2.4. Synergies Between Resource and Consumer 42
2.5. A Case Study System 42
2.6. Conclusions 47
References 47
Invoking the Ghosts of Landscapes Past to Understand the Landscape Ecology of the Present . . . and the Future 50
3.1. Introduction 50
3.2. Legacy Effects of Landscape Change 53
3.3. Of Time Lags and Extinction Debts 55
3.4. Management and Conservation Implications of Landscape Ghosts 58
3.5. Ghost-Busting and the Exorcism of Landscapes 60
3.5.1. How Can We Detect Lagged Responses to Land Use? 60
3.5.2. What Types of Species Are Most Likely to Exhibit Lagged Responses to Landscape Change? 60
3.5.3. When are Time Lags to Landscape Change to be Expected? 61
3.5.4. Can we Ever Hope to Exorcise the Ghosts of Landscapes Past? 61
References 63
Modeling Adaptive Behavior in Event- Driven Environments 66
4.1. Introduction 66
4.2. Individual-Based Ecology 68
4.3. Individual-Based Models for Event-Driven Environments: Examples 71
4.3.1. Coastal Bird IBMS 71
4.3.2. History of Coastal Bird IBMs 72
4.3.3. Applications of Coastal Bird IBMs 75
4.3.4. Lessons from Coastal Bird IBMs and Future Developments 77
4.4. Other Examples 78
4.5. Discussion 79
References 81
Temporal Scaling in Complex Systems 85
5.1. Introduction 86
5.2. Methods 87
5.2.1. Process Frequencies 87
5.2.2. Biotic Variability 88
5.3. Results 89
5.3.1. Process Frequencies 89
5.3.2. Biotic Variability 91
5.4. Discussion 92
References 94
Statistics of Time 97
Using Statistical Models to Study Temporal Dynamics of Animal- Landscape Relations 98
6.1. Introduction 98
6.2. Objectives 99
6.3. Assessing Temporal Variation in Animal-Landscape Relations Using Independent Observations 101
6.3.1. Independent Data in Landscape Studies 101
6.3.2. Interaction Effects 101
6.3.3. Example of SAS Code and Results 102
6.4. Assessing Temporal Variation in Animal-Landscape Relations Using Dependent Observations 104
6.4.1. Repeated-Measures Data in Landscape Studies 104
6.4.2. Statistical Nature of Repeated-Measures Data 105
6.4.3. Advantages of Using Mixed Models to Analyze Repeated- Measures Data 105
6.4.4. Temporally Dependent Observations, Equally Spaced in Time 106
6.4.5. Temporally Dependent Observations, Unequally Spaced in Time 116
6.4.6. Temporally and Spatially Dependent Observations, Two Dimensions 117
6.4.7. Temporally and Spatially Dependent Observations, Three Dimensions 118
6.4.8. Summary of Mixed Models for Repeated Measures 119
6.4.9. Additional Information About Mixed Models 120
6.5. Conclusions 121
References 121
Multivariate Landscape Trajectory Analysis 124
7.1. Introduction 125
7.1.1. Patterns and Processes Through Space and Time 125
7.1.2. Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics: A Conceptual Framework 125
7.1.3. Trajectory Analysis Approach 126
7.2. Demonstration and Application 131
7.2.1. Methods 131
7.2.2. Results 135
7.3. Discussion 142
References 144
Temporally Focused Case Studies 146
Assessing Grouse Habitats in the Alps 147
8.1. Introduction 148
8.2. Material and Methods 149
8.2.1. Study Area 149
8.2.2. Capercaillie Population Abundance 150
8.2.3. Capercaillie Habitat Evaluation 150
8.2.4. Analyses 150
8.3. Results 151
8.4. Discussion 153
8.4.1. Implications for Land Use Planning and Conservation 155
References 157
Exploring the Temporal Effects of Seasonal Water Availability on the Snail Kite of Florida 159
9.1. Introduction 159
9.2. Methodology 161
9.2.1. Description of the Snail Kite Model 161
9.2.2. Description of Simulation Scenarios 164
9.3. Results 168
9.3.1. Scenario 1 168
9.3.2. Scenario 2 169
9.3.3. Scenario 3 170
9.3.4. Scenario 4 170
9.4. Discussion 172
9.4.1. Drought Frequencies 172
9.4.2. Drought Duration 173
9.4.3. Limits of the Everkite Model and Perspective for Future Developments 173
9.5. Conclusions and Conservation Implications 174
References 176
Three Axes of Ecological Studies 178
10.1. Introduction 178
10.1.1. Three Axes of Ecological Studies 178
10.1.2. Implications for Study Design 181
10.2. Temporal Scale in Landscape Ecology 181
10.2.1. Incorrect Selection of Temporal Extent 182
10.2.2. Incorrect Selection of Temporal Grain 182
10.3. Habitat Quality and Black Bears 184
10.3.1. Understanding How Timber Harvesting Affects Habitat Quality 184
10.3.2. Temporal Availability of Soft Mast and Hard Mast Within Clear- Cuts 185
10.3.3. Demographic Response of Bears 186
10.4. Synthesizing Results Using Hierarchy Theory 190
10.4.1. Defining Hierarchical Organization for Black Bears 191
10.5. Conclusion 194
References 195
Building and Using Habitat Models for Assessing Temporal Changes in Forest Ecosystems 199
11.1. Introduction 199
11.2. Habitat Types: Ecological Classification Systems to Characterize Spatial and Temporal Variation 202
11.2.1. Methods of Constructing Habitat-Type Classification Systems 203
11.3. Case Studies 204
11.3.1. Modeling Spatial and Temporal Distributions of White-Tailed Deer Habitat 204
11.3.2. Understanding Temporal Variation in Aspen Forests To Assess Management: Effects on Timber Production and Wildlife Habitat 206
11.3.3. Determining Spatial and Temporal Changes in Lynx Habitat 212
11.4. Implications of Understanding Temporal Changes in Forest Ecosystems 217
References 218
Foraging Responses of the Endangered Gouldian Finch to Temporal Differences in Seed Availability in Northern Australian Savanna Grasslands 222
12.1. Introduction 222
12.1.1. Description of Species and Taxonomic Affinities 223
12.1.2. History of the Decline 223
12.1.3. Research History 224
12.1.4. Climate 224
12.1.5. Topography 225
12.1.6. Flora 226
12.1.7. Fire Behavior 226
12.2. Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Resources 227
12.2.1. Rainfall 227
12.2.2. Drinking Water 227
12.2.3. Grasses and Feeding Resources 228
12.3. Gouldian Finch Habitat Usage 232
12.3.1. Wet Season 232
12.3.2. Dry Season 234
12.4. Discussion 234
References 237
Spending Time in the Forest 240
13.1. Introduction 240
13.2. Methods 242
13.2.1. Study Sites 242
13.2.2. Point Counts 243
13.2.3. Habitat Measurements 244
13.2.4. Data Analyses: Temporal Trends 244
13.3. Results 245
13.3.1. Temporal Trends in Resource Availability 245
13.3.2. Temporal Trends in Species Abundance at Point Counts 245
13.3.3. Trends in Community-Level Measures 249
13.4. Discussion 250
References 253
Niche Opportunities and Introduced Birds 256
14.1. Introduction 256
14.1.1. Why Do Some Introduced Species Increase Spectacularly? 256
14.1.2. Successful Introduced Bird Species in New Zealand 257
14.1.3. Relevant Hypotheses 257
14.2. Methods 258
14.2.1. Breeding Yellowhammers 258
14.2.2. Wintering Yellowhammers and Skylarks and their Seed- Food Resources 259
14.3. Results 261
14.3.1. Breeding Yellowhammers 261
14.3.2. Wintering Yellowhammers and Skylarks and their Seed- Food Resources 263
14.4. Discussion 265
14.4.1. Breeding Yellowhammers 265
14.4.2. Wintering Yellowhammers and Skylarks and their Seed- Food Resources 266
14.5. Conclusions 269
References 270
About the Contributors 273
Index 282