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Exploring How Community Dynamics and Habitat

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Exploring How Community Dynamics and Habitat Niches and Nosey Neighbors: Exploring How Community Dynamics and Habitat Characteristics Impact Reproductive Success in Forest Interior Bird Communities A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science Michelle V. Ward December 2018 © 2018 Michelle V. Ward. All Rights Reserved. 2 This thesis titled Niches and Nosey Neighbors: Exploring How Community Dynamics and Habitat Characteristics Impact Reproductive Success in Forest Interior Bird Communities by MICHELLE V. WARD has been approved for the Department of Biological Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences by Willem M. Roosenburg Professor of Department of Biological Sciences Dr. Joseph Sheilds Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 ABSTRACT WARD, MICHELLE V., M.S., December 2018, Biological Sciences Niches and Nosey Neighbors: Exploring How Community Dynamics and Habitat Characteristics Impact Reproductive Success in Forest Interior Bird Communities Director of Thesis: Willem M. Roosenburg Forest fragmentation increases edge habitat and reduces core forest habitat. In some cases, forest-interior breeding birds are displaced following fragmentation, leading to increases in bird density in the remaining habitat and reduced reproductive success. To better understand how similar species occupy that same habitat, we determined how habitat characteristics and arthropod availability affect territory spacing, nest spacing, and reproductive success within a breeding bird community. The focal species included shrub nesting hooded warblers (Setophaga citrina) and wood thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) and ground nesting ovenbirds (Seiurus aurocapilla) and worm-eating warblers (Helmitheros vermivorum). The focal species also separate along foraging guilds: ovenbirds and wood thrushes are ground foragers while hooded warblers and worm- eating warblers are foliage gleaning foragers. We compared nest and territory habitat characteristics within and among species. We used a non-metric multi-dimensional scaling of forest habitat variables (tree and vegetation composition) to plot each species in habitat space to determine what nest and territory habitat characteristics were associated with each species, and if focal species overlapped in habitat space. We also determined if habitat and community variables including territory spacing and density, nest spacing and density, and arthropod availability influenced reproductive success. We found that while the focal species overlapped in habitat space, there were significant 4 differences in habitat space among species. Territory (males/ha) and nesting densities (nests/ha) were positively correlated with arthropod availability, and territory density increased as canopy gaps increased. The reproductive success of all four species collectively decreased as nesting density increased, but foraging or nesting guild densities were not associated with reproductive success. Overall, community dynamics and habitat characteristics play an important role in reproductive success within forest interior communities. Quantifying how community and habitat variables both influence space use and reproductive success can be an informative approach to assessing the ecological niche requirements of forest interior nesting birds. 5 DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to Corvi: the best nest finder, habitat surveyor, and field tech an ecologist could ask for. Rest in Peace little buddy. 6 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge Jake Goldman, Brooke Gollaway, Chance Patznick, Dani Niziolek, Andrew Travers, Brandan Gray, and Paul DeBrosse for their endless entertainment and help in the field. I would also like to thank Dani for her extra help with ArcGIS and other lab duties. I would like to thank Cassie Thompson for her help with processing leaf litter samples and tolerating a Berlese funnel in our living room. I would particularly like to thank Brandan Gray for help with analysis, sample processing, and my fluctuating emotional state throughout this thesis. 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3 Dedication ........................................................................................................................... 5 Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... 6 List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... 9 List of Figures ................................................................................................................... 11 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 13 Defining the Niche ...................................................................................................... 14 The Niche in Community Systems ............................................................................. 16 Species Account ................................................................................................................ 20 Wood Thrush (Hylocichla Mustelina) ........................................................................ 20 Ovenbird (Seiurus Aurocapillus) ................................................................................ 21 Hooded Warbler (Setophaga Citrina) ......................................................................... 23 Worm-Eating Warbler (Helmitheros Vermivorus) ..................................................... 24 Materials and Methods ...................................................................................................... 25 Site Description ........................................................................................................... 25 Nest Searching ............................................................................................................ 26 Territory Mapping ....................................................................................................... 26 Arthropod Transects.................................................................................................... 27 Leaf Litter Samples ..................................................................................................... 27 Malaise Traps .............................................................................................................. 28 Habitat Surveys ........................................................................................................... 29 Canopy Cover. ...................................................................................................... 29 Understory Structure and Composition. ............................................................... 29 Canopy and Mid-Story Structure and Composition.............................................. 29 Geographic Analysis ................................................................................................... 29 Statistical Analysis ...................................................................................................... 30 Arthropods. ........................................................................................................... 32 Nest and Territory Spacing. .................................................................................. 32 Reproductive Success. .......................................................................................... 32 Results ............................................................................................................................... 34 Territory Spacing and the Niche ................................................................................. 38 8 Territory Density. .................................................................................................. 40 Differences Among Sites - Unlinked Variables.......................................................... 43 Differences Among Species - Unlinked Variables ..................................................... 44 Intraspecific Differences Between Nesting Sites and Territory Centers .................... 48 Arthropods .................................................................................................................. 53 Shrub Arthropods. ................................................................................................. 53 Leaf Litter Arthropods. ......................................................................................... 55 Flying Arthropods. ................................................................................................ 57 Habitat and Arthropods ......................................................................................... 58 Nest Fate and The Niche ............................................................................................. 60 Nest Fate Within Guilds.............................................................................................. 63 Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 65 Habitat Differences Among and Within Species ........................................................ 65 Arthropods and Reproductive Success ....................................................................... 66 Nest Spacing and Reproductive Success
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