Abstract
The main goals of this study were to investigate the relationships between densities of the breeding population of the middle spotted woodpecker Dendrocopos medius obtained on 19 large-scale plots, and the share of different habitats and age of forest stands. An average crude density based on an area defined arbitrarily by observers was 0.66±0.43 territories/10 ha, while the ecological density based on an area including habitats potentially used by organisms reached 1.09±0.64 territories/10 ha. Stepwise multiple regression indicated that the crude density was negatively affected by the share of coniferous forest thereby explaining 50% of variation. The ecological density was negatively correlated with the percentage of young deciduous stands (0–40 years old). This variable explained 36% of the total variation. These results suggest that on the level of macrohabitat analysis, the share of unsuitable forest stands seem to play a major role in determining the density of the middle spotted woodpecker.
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Acknowledgements
We are most grateful to Jan Bednorz, Karol Drab, Marek Ilków, Marcin Kempa, Paweł Ksit, Roman Kubacki, Maciej Leśniczak, Sylwester Lisek, Krystyna Śliwa, Paweł Śliwa, Dawid Tatarkiewicz, Przemysław Wylegała, Sylwia Wylegała and Jacek Wyrwał for their assistance in collection of data. We wish to express our thanks to the Regional Directorate of the State Forests in Poznań and Piła for forest maps made available to us. We thank Piotr Tryjanowski and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and Robert Kippen who improved the English.
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Appendix
Appendix
Data for the analysed study plots
No. | Name | Area (ha) | Dominating deciduous forest stands | Type of habitat (ha) | Age classes of stands (ha) | Year | No. of territories | No. of censuses | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rough-barked | Smooth-barked | |||||||||||||||
DS | CS | OA | UA | 0–40 | 41–80 | 81–120 | >120 | <121 | ≥121 | |||||||
1 | Zielona Góra | 219.1 | Oak–hornbeam | 211.3 | 3.1 | 4.5 | 0.1 | 17.5 | 25.1 | 64.7 | 100.7 | 3.3 | 0.0 | 2001 | 21–23 | 2 |
2 | Czarnków | 72.5 | Oak-hornbeam | 58.6 | 11.0 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 5.0 | 11.8 | 27.1 | 6.1 | 8.6 | 0.0 | 2001 | 6 | 2 |
3 | Świetlista Dąbrowa | 79.9 | Oak | 59.7 | 15.0 | 0.0 | 5.1 | 7.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 51.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2001 | 13 | 1 |
4 | Góra | 193.0 | Oak–beech | 97.7 | 87.1 | 8.2 | 0.0 | 10.3 | 25.5 | 34.1 | 10.1 | 10.7 | 7.0 | 2002 | 18 | 3 |
5 | Ławica | 143.0 | Beech and alder | 96.2 | 36.1 | 10.9 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 40.8 | 23.8 | 0.0 | 19.0 | 11.1 | 2002 | 5 | 3 |
6 | Łoskoń | 876.2 | Oak and beech | 568.2 | 233.0 | 72.7 | 2.3 | 101.6 | 108.0 | 94.2 | 29.6 | 108.3 | 126.6 | 2001 | 41–43 | 3 |
7 | Nieszawa | 257.4 | Oak | 121.2 | 100.2 | 33.1 | 2.9 | 24.1 | 43.6 | 50.1 | 3.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2002 | 15 | 3 |
8 | Pławno | 304.5 | Oak–hornbeam | 139.1 | 154.3 | 11.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 9.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2001 | 26–27 | 1 |
9 | Promno | 107.8 | Oak–hornbeam | 81.7 | 14.4 | 4.8 | 0.0 | 12.4 | 23.5 | 14.9 | 17.5 | 14.4 | 0.0 | 2003 | 8 | 2 |
10 | Łęgi-WPN | 349.5 | Oak-ash-elm and willow–poplar riverine forest | 61.4 | 222.6 | 65.5 | 0.0 | 28.3 | 16.8 | 3.8 | 0.0 | 12.5 | 0.0 | 2000 | 4 | 3 |
11 | Krajkowo | 154.9 | Oak–hornbeam | 62.1 | 31.0 | 61.1 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 4.4 | 34.8 | 22.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2000 | 14 | 2 |
12 | Miłosław-I | 511.1 | Alder and oak | 161.7 | 334.3 | 15.2 | 10.0 | 75.5 | 48.5 | 18.4 | 9.1 | 10.3 | 0.0 | 2002 | 6 | 2 |
13 | Miłosław-II | 601.1 | Oak, ash and alder | 341.8 | 238.5 | 20.8 | 7.8 | 103.7 | 95.7 | 86.0 | 20.3 | 36.1 | 0.0 | 2002 | 11–12 | 2 |
14 | Miłosław-III | 889.1 | Oak and alder | 349.7 | 418.1 | 121.3 | 3.6 | 155.5 | 105.4 | 63.9 | 6.8 | 18.1 | 0.0 | 2002 | 10–11 | 2 |
15 | Warta | 498.4 | Oak–ash–elm riverine forest, oak–hornbeam | 373.4 | 30.5 | 78.9 | 15.5 | 58.7 | 76.7 | 87.0 | 135.5 | 15.5 | 0.0 | 2000 | 74–81 | 4 |
16 | Franciszków | 274.0 | Oak–ash–elm riverine forest | 150.9 | 52.1 | 56.1 | 14.9 | 28.8 | 77.4 | 43.1 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2000 | 16–18 | 2 |
17 | Bieniszew | 484.4 | Oak–hornbeam | 269.1 | 174.3 | 36.5 | 4.5 | 15.3 | 39.0 | 205.1 | 0.0 | 9.7 | 0.0 | 2001 | 16 | 1 |
18 | Stare Budy | 643.5 | Oak | 614.7 | 13.3 | 15.6 | 0.0 | 44.9 | 46.6 | 92.8 | 430.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2001 | 57–58 | 3 |
19 | Smoszew | 587.7 | Oak | 312.5 | 256.1 | 14.5 | 4.6 | 38.0 | 42.1 | 82.3 | 118.1 | 32.0 | 0.0 | 2001 | 29 | 3 |
Mean | 381.4 | 217.5 | 127.6 | 33.3 | 3.8 | 38.4 | 43.8 | 54.5 | 15.7 | 15.7 | 7.6 | |||||
Me | 304.5 | 150.9 | 87.1 | 15.6 | 2.3 | 24.1 | 40.8 | 43.1 | 10.3 | 10.3 | 0.0 | |||||
SD | 254.7 | 169.7 | 125.1 | 33.5 | 4.9 | 42.8 | 34.2 | 48.2 | 24.8 | 24.8 | 29.0 | |||||
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Kosiński, Z., Winiecki, A. Factors affecting the density of the middle spotted woodpecker Dendrocopos medius: a macrohabitat approach. J Ornithol 146, 263–270 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-005-0088-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-005-0088-3