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Long-Term Community Dynamics of Small Landbirds with and Without Exposure to Extensive Disturbance from Military Training Activities

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Abstract

Military training activities are known to impact individual species, yet our understanding of how such activities influence animal communities is limited. In this study, we used long-term data in a case study approach to examine the extent to which the local small landbird community differed between a site in northeast Kansas that experienced intensive disturbance from military training activities (Ft. Riley Military Installation) and a similar, nearby site that experienced minimal human disturbance (Konza Prairie Biological Station). In addition, we characterized how the regional pool of potential colonizers influenced local community dynamics using Breeding Bird Survey data. From 1991 to 2001, most species of small terrestrial landbirds (73%) recorded during breeding surveys were found at both sites and the mean annual richness at Ft. Riley (39.0 ± 2.86 [SD]) was very similar to that of Konza Prairie (39.4 ± 2.01). Richness was maintained at relatively constant levels despite compositional changes because colonizations compensated local extinctions at both sites. These dynamics were driven primarily by woodland species that exhibited stochastic losses and gains and were present at a low local and regional abundance. Our results suggest that military training activities may mimic natural disturbances for some species in this area because the small landbird community did not differ markedly between sites with and sites without extensive human disturbance. Although our results suggest that military training is not associated with large changes in the avian community, additional studies are needed to determine if this pattern is found in other ecological communities.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this research was provided by the U.S. Army through the Land Condition Trend Analysis program at Fort Riley and the Division of Biology at Kansas State University. Data from Konza Prairie were collected as part of the Konza Prairie Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program (NSF Grant DEB-9632851). We thank J. Zimmerman, C. Smith, and B. Sandercock for conducting bird surveys at Konza Prairie; J. Keating, K. Cherry, and G. Suleiman for conducting bird surveys at Fort Riley; and B. Brock and P. Woodford for providing logistical support of this research. We thank M. Smith for her extensive assistance with this project and M. Betts, J. Goheen, S. Yelenik, and two anonymous reviewers for valuable feedback on an early version of the manuscript. This paper is dedicated to the memory of J. S. Pontius—an exceptional scientist, educator, and friend.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, 321 Richardson Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    James W. Rivers

  2. Department of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA

    Philip S. Gipson

  3. School of Sciences, University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande, OH, 45764, USA

    Donald P. Althoff

  4. Department of Statistics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA

    Jeffrey S. Pontius

Authors
  1. James W. Rivers
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  2. Philip S. Gipson
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  3. Donald P. Althoff
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  4. Jeffrey S. Pontius
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to James W. Rivers.

Additional information

Jeffrey S. Pontius was Deceased.

Appendix

Appendix

Classification (following AOU [1998] and subsequent supplements) of species observed at Konza Prairie Biological Station and Ft. Riley Military Installation during annual surveys conducted in 1991–2001

Family/species

Scientific name

Cuculidae

 Black-billed cuckoo

Coccyzus erythrophthalmus

 Yellow-billed cuckoo

Coccyzus americanus

Picidae

 Red-headed woodpecker

Melanerpes erythrocephalus

 Red-bellied woodpecker

Melanerpes carolinus

 Downy woodpecker

Picoides pubescens

 Hairy woodpecker

Picoides villosus

 Northern flicker

Colaptes auratus

Tyrannidae

 Eastern wood-pewee

Contopus virens

 Acadian flycatcher

Empidonax virescens

 Willow flycatcher

Empidonax traillii

 Eastern phoebe

Sayornis phoebe

 Great crested flycatcher

Myiarchus crinitus

 Western kingbird

Tyrannus verticalis

 Eastern kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

 Scissor-tailed flycatcher

Tyrannus forficatus

Laniidae

 Loggerhead shrike

Lanius ludovicianus

Vireonidae

 Bell’s vireo

Vireo bellii

 Warbling vireo

Vireo gilvus

 Red-eyed vireo

Vireo olivaceus

Corvidae

 Blue jay

Cyanocitta cristata

Paridae

 Black-capped chickadee

Poecile atricapillus

 Tufted titmouse

Baeolophus bicolor

Sittidae

 White-breasted nuthatch

Sitta carolinensis

Troglodytidae

 Carolina wren

Thryothorus ludovicianus

 Bewick’s wren

Thryothorus bewickii

 House wren

Troglodytes aedon

 Marsh wren

Cistothorus palustris

Sylviidae

 Blue-gray gnatcatcher

Polioptila caerulea

Turdidae

 Eastern bluebird

Sialia sialis

 Wood thrush

Hylocichla mustelina

 American robin

Turdus migratorius

Mimidae

 Gray catbird

Dumetella carolinensis

 Northern mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

 Brown thrasher

Toxostoma rufum

Sturnidae

 European starling

Sturnus vulgaris

Parulidae

 Northern parula

Parula americana

 Yellow warbler

Dendroica petechia

 Black-and-white warbler

Mniotilta varia

 American redstart

Setophaga ruticilla

 Worm-eating warbler

Helmitheros vermivorus

 Louisiana waterthrush

Seiurus motacilla

 Kentucky warbler

Oporornis formosus

 Common yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichas

 Yellow-breasted chat

Icteria virens

Thraupidae

 Summer tanager

Piranga rubra

Emberizidae

 Eastern towhee

Pipilo erythrophthalmus

 Field sparrow

Spizella pusilla

 Lark sparrow

Chondestes grammacus

 Grasshopper sparrow

Ammodramus savannarum

 Henslow’s sparrow

Ammodramus henslowii

Cardinalidae

 Northern cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

 Rose-breasted grosbeak

Pheuticus ludovicianus

 Blue grosbeak

Passerina caerulea

 Indigo bunting

Passerina cyanea

 Dickcissel

Spiza americana

Icteridae

 Red-winged blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

 Eastern meadowlark

Sturnella magna

 Common grackle

Quiscalus quiscula

 Brown-headed cowbird

Molothrus ater

 Orchard oriole

Icterus spurius

 Baltimore oriole

Icterus galbula

Fringillidae

 American goldfinch

Carduelis tristis

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Rivers, J.W., Gipson, P.S., Althoff, D.P. et al. Long-Term Community Dynamics of Small Landbirds with and Without Exposure to Extensive Disturbance from Military Training Activities. Environmental Management 45, 203–216 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-009-9421-6

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