Animals must track resources over relatively fine spatial and temporal scales, particularly in disturbance-mediated systems like grasslands. Grassland birds respond to habitat heterogeneity by dispersing among sites within and between years, yet we know little about how they make post-dispersal settlement decisions. Many methods exist to quantify the resource selection of mobile taxa, but the habitat data used in these models are frequently not collected at the same location or time that individuals were present. This spatiotemporal misalignment may lead to incorrect interpretations and adverse conservation outcomes, particularly in dynamic systems. To investigate the extent to which spatially and temporally dynamic vegetation conditions and topography drive grassland bird settlement decisions, we integrated multiple data sources from our study site to predict slope, vegetation height, and multiple metrics of vegetation cover at any point in space and time within the temporal and spatial scope of our study. We paired these predictions with avian mark-resight data for 8 years at the Konza Prairie Biological Station in NE Kansas to evaluate territory selection for Grasshopper Sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum), Dickcissels (Spiza americana), and Eastern Meadowlarks (Sturnella magna). Each species selected different types and amounts of herbaceous vegetation cover, but all three species preferred relatively flat areas with less than 6% shrub cover and less than 1% tree cover. We evaluated several scenarios of woody vegetation removal and found that, with a targeted approach, the simulated removal of just one isolated tree in the uplands created up to 14 ha of grassland bird habitat. This study supports growing evidence that small amounts of woody encroachment can fragment landscapes, augmenting conservation threats to grassland systems. Conversely, these results demonstrate that drastic increases in bird habitat area could be achieved through relatively efficient management interventions. The results and approaches reported pave the way for more efficient conservation efforts in grasslands and other systems through spatiotemporal alignment of habitat with animal behaviors and simulated impacts of management interventions.

中文翻译：

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木质侵占的长长阴影：草原鸣禽栖息地建模的综合方法


动物必须在相对精细的空间和时间尺度上追踪资源，特别是在草原等干扰介导的系统中。草原鸟类通过在年份内和年份之间在不同地点之间分散来应对栖息地异质性，但我们对它们如何做出分散后的定居决定知之甚少。存在许多方法来量化移动类群的资源选择，但这些模型中使用的栖息地数据通常不是在个体存在的同一地点或时间收集的。这种时空错位可能会导致错误的解释和不利的保护结果，特别是在动态系统中。为了研究空间和时间动态植被条件和地形在多大程度上驱动草原鸟类定居决策，我们整合了研究地点的多个数据源，以预测在空间和时间的任何点上的坡度、植被高度和植被覆盖的多个指标。我们研究的时间和空间范围。我们将这些预测与堪萨斯州东北部康扎草原生物站长达 8 年的鸟类标记重视数据进行配对，以评估蚱蜢麻雀 ( Ammodramus savannarum )、Dickcissels ( Spiza americana ) 和东部草地鹨 ( Sturnella magna ) 的领地选择。每个物种选择不同类型和数量的草本植被覆盖，但所有三个物种都喜欢相对平坦的地区，灌木覆盖率低于 6%，乔木覆盖率低于 1%。我们评估了木本植被清除的几种情景，发现通过有针对性的方法，模拟清除高地中的一棵孤立的树木，就创造了多达 14 公顷的草原鸟类栖息地。 这项研究支持了越来越多的证据表明，少量的木质侵占会破坏景观，增加对草原系统的保护威胁。相反，这些结果表明，通过相对有效的管理干预措施可以实现鸟类栖息地面积的大幅增加。报告的结果和方法通过栖息地与动物行为的时空一致性以及管理干预措施的模拟影响，为草原和其他系统更有效的保护工作铺平了道路。