Effects of habitat heterogeneity on bird communities in forests of northeastern Germany

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

Habitat heterogeneity is a key factor for regulating biodiversity in temperate lowland forests. Specifically, stands associated with late forest development phases provide important habitat structures for many rare and threatened forest bird species. However, how forest stands that differ in their structural complexity, canopy conditions and tree species composition affect forest bird assemblages both at the local and landscape scale remains largely unclear. In a young moraine lake landscape of northeastern Germany, we assessed correlations of bird diversity and bird composition with stand properties. We used data from 48 transects (400 m) established in (1) unmanaged, closed-canopy, mature stands that were dominated by Fagus sylvatica (UDS), and (2) diverse managed, mixed coniferous stands with a mosaic of open and closed canopy patches (MCS). We found that bird communities of the UDS strongly differed from those in the MCS, with open habitat species being more frequent in the MCS. By contrast, differences in diversity measures were less distinct. Moreover, we identified nine indicator species for the UDS (Columba oenas, Cyanistes caeruleus, Muscicapa striata, Leiopicus medius, Certhia brachydactyla, Ficedula parva, Dryobates minor, Sturnus vulgaris, Ficedula hypoleuca) and seven indicator species for the MCS (Periparus ater, Pyrrhula pyrrhula, Regulus regulus, Prunella modularis, Lophophanus cristatus, Emberiza citronella, Anthus trivialis). Several famous ancient beech forest patches in Müritz National Park and the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve “Schorfheide-Chorin” were found to harbour the set of our UDS indicator species. UDS support bird coenosis typical for old mature broadleaved forests and can be considered as an effective tool for bird conservation. Our results further indicate that the combination of unmanaged and managed stands associated with different habitat complexities would benefit forest bird assemblages at the landscape scale.

Original languageEnglish
Article number699
JournalBaltic Forestry
Volume29
Issue number2
Number of pages10
ISSN1392-1355
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.12.2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We are grateful to Müritz National Park for providing bird count data. Special thanks to Matthias Schwabe and staff members of Müritz National Park, as well as ornithologists from the NABU-Group of Waren for bird surveys in Müritz National Park. Thanks to Ingo Nadler and Mathias Regenstein (State Forest Agency of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) for support with information on the forest structure of investigation areas. Thanks to the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) and local nature conservation authorities of Ludwigslust-Parchim and Landkreis Rostock for permitting bird counts in nature reserves. We thank the State Agency for Environment, Nature Conservation and Geology Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (LUNG M-V) for financial support in 2016 and 2017. We are grateful to Pascal Ertzinger for assistance in preparing Figure 1. We thank Thilo Storm for improving the English version of the manuscript. Many thanks to two anonymous reviewers for very helpful comments on an ear-lier version of our manuscript.

Funding Information:
We are grateful to Müritz National Park for providing bird count data. Special thanks to Matthias Schwabe and staff members of Müritz National Park, as well as ornithologists from the NABU-Group of Waren for bird surveys in Müritz National Park. Thanks to Ingo Nadler and Mathias Regenstein (State Forest Agency of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) for support with information on the forest structure of investigation areas. Thanks to the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) and local nature conservation authorities of Ludwigslust-Parchim and Landkreis Rostock for permitting bird counts in nature reserves. We thank the State Agency for Environment, Nature Conservation and Geology Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (LUNG M-V) for financial support in 2016 and 2017. We are grateful to Pascal Ertzinger for assistance in preparing Figure 1. We thank Thilo Storm for improving the English version of the manuscript. Many thanks to two anonymous reviewers for very helpful comments on an earlier version of our manuscript.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, Institute of Forestry LAMMC. All rights reserved.

DOI

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Landfills as sources of polyfluorinated compounds, polybrominated diphenyl ethers and musk fragrances to ambient air
  2. Deutsch als Zweitsprache in der Sekundarstufe
  3. Das Konzept
  4. Eco-Control para la Gestión Ambiental
  5. Article 67 CISG
  6. Still some way to go
  7. Where is paradise? The EU's navigation system Galileo - Some comments on inherent risks (or paradise lost)
  8. Zuhause statt Hörsaal
  9. Friction analyses in twisted and helical profile extrusion of aluminum alloys
  10. "Do Green Parties matter"
  11. Mathematik 1
  12. Multi-trophic communities re-establish with canopy cover and microclimate in a subtropical forest biodiversity experiment
  13. Variation revisited: A corpus analysis of offers in Irish English and British English
  14. Ende des Sozialen? / End of the Social?
  15. Publicly Mediated Inter-Organizational Networks
  16. Charting the Emerging Business Ecosystem of Fintechs and Banks
  17. Development from the Margins
  18. Analyzing non-linear dynamics of organic growth: evidence from small german new ventures
  19. The development and function of anger in childhood and adolescence
  20. Interactive Sustainability Reporting
  21. Future-oriented higher education
  22. Tiefen der Täuschung
  23. The Lawless Vitality of Sculpture, c. 1960-80. Formalism’s Monsters, Cybernetic Breakdowns and the Joys of Deviation
  24. Nachwort
  25. Die neue Parallelgesellschaft
  26. Academic discipline and risk perception of technologies
  27. Ehrenbaum-Degele, Hans
  28. Biochar decreased rhizodeposits stabilization via opposite effects on bacteria and fungi
  29. Walter Benjamin
  30. Dual Kalman Filters Analysis for Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors
  31. Funktionsbereich Krankenhäuser
  32. Adopters build bridges: Changing the institutional logic for more sustainable cities
  33. The Truth Games of Radical Net Cultures