Luke L. Powell

Recovery of Understory Bird Movement Across the Interface of Primary and Secondary Amazon Rainforest

ABSTRACT. Amazonia now contains vast areas of secondary forest because of widespread regeneration following timber harvests, yet the value of secondary forest to wildlife remains poorly understood. Secondary forest becomes structurally similar to primary forest after abandonment, and therefore we predicted that avian movement across the interface of primary and secondary forest (hereafter “the interface”) would gradually increase with time since abandonment until recovery to pre-isolation levels. From 1992 to 2011, we captured 2,773 understory birds of 10 foraging guilds along the interface of primary forest fragments and zero- to 30-year-old secondary forest at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project near Manaus, Brazil. Our objectives were to understand the differences in land-use history that affect cross-interface movement and to determine how long it takes each guild to recover to pre-isolation capture rates. Across guilds, age of secondary forest within 100 m of the interface was the most important explanatory variable affecting capture rates; rates increased with age of secondary forest for all guilds except non-forest species. Mean recovery to pre-isolation was 26 years (asymmetric SE = 13 years below and 16 years above estimate) after secondary forest abandonment and 9 of 10 guilds recovered within 13 to 34 years. In the slowest guild to recover, terrestrial insectivores, 6 of 12 species were never caught along the interface, and we projected that this guild would recover in ∼60 years. Our recovery estimates quantify the dynamic permeability of the interface and contribute to a better understanding of the value of secondary forests as corridors among primary forest fragments.

Nest-Site Selection and Nest Survival of the Rusty Blackbird: Does Timber Management Adjacent to Wetlands Create Ecological Traps?

Abstract. Animals are subject to ecological traps when anthropogenic changes create habitat that appears suitable but when selected results in decreased fitness. The Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) breeds in boreal wetlands and has declined by 85–95% over the last half century. We studied nest-site selection and daily nest-survival rate (DSR) of 43 Rusty Blackbird nests in northern New England and evaluated whether regenerating logged areas adjacent to wetlands created ecological traps. Although nesting adults avoided high-canopied forests and selected areas with dense balsam fir (Abies balasmea) 1 to 3 m high, those characteristics were not associated with DSR. Conversely, the frequency of speckled alder (Alnus incana) and sedges (Cyperaceae) in the nest plot varied with DSR, suggesting that the risk of predation of nests within wetlands was lower. DSR also varied with past logging; nests in plots not harvested recently were 2.3× more likely to fledge young than nests in plots harvested within 20 years. When logging extends to the edges of or into wetlands, the subsequent dense regenerating conifers appear to attract Rusty Blackbirds to nest closer to or within these human-altered uplands, exposing their nests to increased predation not typical of unaltered wetlands. Three surrogates for habitat preference did not differ by timber-management history, suggesting that the birds do not prefer habitats that increase their fitness. Rusty Blackbirds nesting in harvested wetlands may be subject to “equal preference” ecological traps, and we suggest that buffers 75 m wide around the perimeter of suitable wetlands should increase DSR.

Island vs. countryside biogeography: an examination of how Amazonian birds respond to forest clearing and fragmentation

Avian diversity in fragmented Amazonian landscapes depends on a balance between extinction and colonization in cleared and disturbed areas. Regenerating forest facilitates bird dispersal within degraded Amazonian landscapes and may tip the balance in favor of persistence in habitat patches. Determining the response of Amazonian birds to fragmentation may be hindered because many species use adjacent second growth matrices thereby limiting the applicability of island biogeography to predict species loss; alternatively, a countryside biogeographic framework to evaluate the value of regenerating forest may be more appropriate. Here, we used point-count and capture data to compare Amazonian bird communities among continuous forest, 100 ha forest fragments with adjacent second growth, young and older second growth plots, and 100 ha forested islands bounded by water, to test the applicability of island biogeography on the mainland and to assess the ecological value of a regenerating matrix. Among foraging guild...

A Loose Colony of Rusty Blackbirds Nesting in Northern Maine

Abstract Euphagus carolinus (Rusty Blackbird) has suffered a steep population decline over the past 40 years, yet we still understand little of the basic biology of the species, particularly its social organization. During the spring of 2007, we located a loose colony of Rusty Blackbirds breeding in Piscataquis County, ME. The core colony consisted of six nests within 6.9 ha. These nests were located within a 70-ha clearcut dominated by regenerating Picea rubens (Red Spruce), P. mariana (Black Spruce), and Abies balsamea (Balsam Fir). Within 1500 m of the core colony, we located two “satellite” nests in young forests regenerating from heavy partial harvests. We observed mobbing behavior by multiple individuals from different pairs, suggesting that coloniality in this species may be an antipredator strategy.