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A riverscape perspective on habitat associations among riverine bird assemblages in the Lake Champlain Basin, USA

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Abstract

The riverscape perspective recognizes the heterogeneous habitat types within the stream corridor as a single, integrated ecological unit operating across spatial scales. Although there is ample evidence that the riverscape notion is appropriate in understanding the physical phenomena of stream corridors, significantly less attention has focused on its ecological ramifications. To this end, we surveyed riverscape habitat variables and bird community characteristics in the Champlain Valley of Vermont, USA. From the data collected, we used information theoretic methodology (AICc) to model relationships between bird community attributes and key habitat variables across the riverscape. Our models with the greatest support suggest that riverine bird communities respond to a suite of characteristics; representing a variety of riverscape habitats at the in-stream, floodplain, and riparian levels. Channel slope, drainage area, percent conifers, and in-stream habitat condition were among the most influential variables. We found that piscivores are potentially important indicators of riverscape condition, responding to a host of variables across the riverscape. Our results endorse a holistic approach to assessing and managing the mosaic of patches in the riverscape and suggest that a riverscape approach has significant conservation potential.

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Acknowledgements

Funding for this project was provided by the National Center for Environmental Research (NCER) STAR Program, EPA, grant number R83059501-0. We would like to Dr. Christina Cianfrani, Erin Copeland, Peter Dombrowski, and Kelly McCutcheon for their assistance in the field.

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  1. Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory, University of Vermont, 3 College Street, Burlington, VT, 05401, USA

    S. Mažeika P. Sullivan & Mary C. Watzin

  2. Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, P.O. Box 441136, Moscow, ID, 83844-1136, USA

    S. Mažeika P. Sullivan

  3. Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, 343 Aiken Center, Burlington, VT, 05401, USA

    William S. Keeton

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  1. S. Mažeika P. Sullivan
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Correspondence to S. Mažeika P. Sullivan.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

  Birds surveyed, common and scientific names, and foraging guilds
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Sullivan, S.M.P., Watzin, M.C. & Keeton, W.S. A riverscape perspective on habitat associations among riverine bird assemblages in the Lake Champlain Basin, USA. Landscape Ecol 22, 1169–1186 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-007-9097-3

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