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Conclusions: The proportion of wetlands in the watershed at different scales affects dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in downstream lakes and rivers. Thresholds/Learnings: Synopsis: This study quantifies how the proportion of wetlands in the watershed at different scales affects dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in downstream lakes and rivers. Whether the watershed influence varies with season or hydrologic type of lake was also examined. The scaling and modelling approach used offered a useful way to examine heterogeneity of land cover types within the watershed and spatial arrangements, while allowing generality of conclusions with a large sample size. Zones of increasing distance from...
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Conclusions: Seismic cutline proportion did not explain landscape use by grizzly bears, but secondary effects of cutlines on landscape structure did. Declining use was mainly associated with increasing proportions of closed forest, and increasing variation of inter-patch distances, while use was mainly increasing with increasing mean patch size. Thresholds/Learnings: Bears appear to use areas more when landscape patches tend to be larger, and mean patch size is generally reduced with additional seismic cutlines. Also, bears appear to use areas more when landscape patches are consistently spaced, and the spacing between landscape patches becomes more variable with additional seismic cutlines. Synopsis: This study...
Conclusions:The paper describes the development and use of the Forest Water Quality Index (FWQI), an index to capture, evaluate and communicate the impact of forestry activities on water quality. The index is used to predict the water quality in watersheds anticipating future forestry activities by comparing data from similar watersheds that have already experienced forestry activities.Thresholds/Learnings:
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Conclusions: Increasing seismic line density from 0 to 8 km/km2 resulted in a 38% decline and an 82% decline in bird abundance when individuals used lines as territory boundaries or avoided edges by 50 m, respectively. When tested with ovenbirds, male ovenbirds showed a distinct use of one side of the seismic line, suggesting lines acted as territory boundaries. Ovenbirds declined with seismic line density when a threshold seismic line density of 8.5 km/km2 was reached. Above the threshold, Ovenbirds declined 19% for each 1 km/km2 increase in seismic line density. Thresholds/Learnings: Synopsis: In the boreal plains of Alberta, Canada, energy sector exploration has resulted in extensive dissection of the landscape...
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The study examined the effects of forest harvest practices that approximate natural disturbance processes to evaluate whether these practices help conserve biodiversity. Past research has shown that management practices that mimic natural disturbance events such as forest fires is a successful habitat conservation strategy, particularly for boreal forest bird communities. The study investigated how bird communities differed between postharvest and postfire stands in the mid-boreal region of Alberta. The research found that the most significant difference between postfire and postharvest landscapes is the amount and orientation of residual live and dead trees. Postfire stands consist largely of standing dead trees...
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Synopsis: Resource managers confronted with preserving ecosystems for prairie wetland birds in fragmented landscapes require landscape studies that direct conservation efforts over broad geographic regions. We investigated the role of local and landscape factors affecting habitat suitability by integrating remotely sensed wetland and land-cover data with wetland bird habitat models. We linked habitat models with locations of easement and fee-title wetlands to evaluate spatial location and extent of protected, suitable habitat. We also simulated impacts of the loss of small wetlands on suitability of larger wetlands for mobile species that use multiple wetlands. Lastly, we evaluated the efficacy of waterfowl habitat...
Synopsis: This book is the foundational text for understanding landscape ecology in terms of pattern/process relationships. Forman introduces the concept of “indispensible patterns” of habitat and habitat linkages that, if protected, can conserve the majority of important ecological function in a landscape. While all or specific attributes of an ecosystem may not be protected by these measures, the most important assets will retain their integrity if the essential general patterns are maintained. Forman’s Indispensable Landscape Patterns are related to both configuration and connectivity and fragmentation (figure 1). Forman suggests that the following patterns are indispensable in maintaining an ecologically viable...
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Synopsis: Species status assessments are often hindered by a paucity of demographic, abundance, or distributional data. Although extinction-risk correlates have been identified, their wide applicability may be compromised by differences in the variables examined, modeling technique, and phylogenetic or distributional scale. Here, we apply a common analytical approach to examine 14 possible extinction-risk correlates for mammals, fishes, and birds throughout Canada. Among mammals, risk is positively and strongly correlated with road density and age at maturity for land animals and weakly with body size for sea dwellers. Delayed maturity is of primary importance to predicting risk status in fishes, with small body...
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Synopsis: Large-scale patterns of land use and fragmentation have been associated with the decline of many imperiled wildlife populations. Lesser prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) are restricted to the southern Great Plains of North America, and their population and range have declined by > 90% over the past 100 years. Our objective was to examine scale-dependent relationships between landscape structure and change and long-term population trends for lesser prairie-chicken populations in the southern Great Plains. We used a geographic information system (GIS) to quantify landscape composition, pattern and change at multiple scales (extents) for fragmented agricultural landscapes surrounding 10 lesser...
map background search result map search result map Modeling and field-testing of Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus) responses to boreal forest dissection by energy sector development at multiple spatial scales. Changes in bird communities in boreal mixedwood forest: harvest and wildfire effects over 30 years. Landscape indictors of human impacts to riverine systems Seismic cutlines, changing landscape metrics, and grizzly bear landscape use in Alberta A landscape approach to conserving wetland bird habitat in the prairie pothole region of eastern South Dakota. Multi-scale effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on lesser prairie-chicken populations in the US souther Great Plains. Correlates of Vertebrate Extinction Risk in Canada. Seismic cutlines, changing landscape metrics, and grizzly bear landscape use in Alberta Multi-scale effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on lesser prairie-chicken populations in the US souther Great Plains. A landscape approach to conserving wetland bird habitat in the prairie pothole region of eastern South Dakota. Changes in bird communities in boreal mixedwood forest: harvest and wildfire effects over 30 years. Modeling and field-testing of Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus) responses to boreal forest dissection by energy sector development at multiple spatial scales. Correlates of Vertebrate Extinction Risk in Canada. Landscape indictors of human impacts to riverine systems