TY - JOUR

T1 - Effects of habitat heterogeneity on bird communities in forests of northeastern Germany

AU - Sommer, Robert S.

AU - Fichtner, Andreas

N1 - 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.

PY - 2023/12/1

Y1 - 2023/12/1

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - bird conservation

KW - coniferous forest

KW - Ficedula parva

KW - forest nature reserves

KW - forest specialist birds

KW - Leiopicus medius

KW - old-growth patches

KW - Sustainability Science

KW - Ecosystems Research

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85180503088&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.46490/BF699

DO - 10.46490/BF699

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85180503088

VL - 29

JO - Baltic Forestry

JF - Baltic Forestry

SN - 1392-1355

IS - 2

M1 - 699

ER -