Rangewide Occupancy and Post-Fire Recovery of California Gnatcatchers in Southern California (ver 2.0, March 2023)
Dates
Publication Date
2021-10-27
Start Date
2015
End Date
2020
Revision
2023-03-13
Citation
Kus, B.E., and Houston, A., 2021, Rangewide occupancy and post-fire recovery of California gnatcatchers in southern California (ver 2.0, March 2023): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7PC30JX.
Summary
This project has two goals: Goal 1: The goal of this project is to conduct a statistically rigorous study of occupancy to determine the post-fire recovery of gnatcatchers and coastal sage scrub vegetation with the goal of informing management before, during, and after fire. Goal 2: The goal of this project is to conduct rangewide surveys to determine California Gnatcatcher occupancy at a regional scale. Because California Gnatcatchers will be managed through management of coastal sage scrub rather than through species-specific actions, it is necessary to determine the current status of gnatcatchers on protected lands in southern California to understand how gnatcatcher occupancy is related to coastal sage scrub plant composition, cover, [...]
Summary
This project has two goals:
Goal 1: The goal of this project is to conduct a statistically rigorous study of occupancy to determine the post-fire recovery of gnatcatchers and coastal sage scrub vegetation with the goal of informing management before, during, and after fire.
Goal 2: The goal of this project is to conduct rangewide surveys to determine California Gnatcatcher occupancy at a regional scale. Because California Gnatcatchers will be managed through management of coastal sage scrub rather than through species-specific actions, it is necessary to determine the current status of gnatcatchers on protected lands in southern California to understand how gnatcatcher occupancy is related to coastal sage scrub plant composition, cover, and structure. This in turn will provide information on where and how coastal sage scrub could be managed and restored to benefit California Gnatcatchers and other inhabitants.
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Rangewide occupancy of CAGN in southern California.xml Original FGDC Metadata
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RevisionHistory_F7PC30JX.txt
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Purpose
In 2016, the first of an intended series of surveys was conducted following a standardized protocol designed to address two broad objectives. First, we sought to determine gnatcatcher occupancy at the regional scale, including habitat from throughout the species’ range in southern California. We also determined occupancy in two subregions: Orange County and San Diego County, to address specific management objectives within those jurisdictions. In addition to documenting occupancy, we collected vegetation data to better understand gnatcatcher-habitat associations that influence occupancy, which when combined with data collected in future years would allow an evaluation of factors influencing extinction (sites occupied in one year but not the next) and colonization (sites unoccupied in one year and occupied the next). In a parallel objective, we evaluated the effect of fire on gnatcatchers and their habitat by comparing occupancy and vegetation characteristics across sites varying in the length of time since the last fire.
Revision 2.0 by Erika Sanchez-Chopitea on March 13, 2023. To review the changes that were made, see “RevisionHistory_F7PC30JX.txt” in the attached files section.
