Pierre River Mine Project

TERRESTRIAL AENV SIRS 44 – 78
Section 13.1
Fahrig, L. 1998. When does fragmentation of breeding habitat affect population
survival? Ecological Modelling 105: 273-292.
Schmiegelow, F.K.A., C.S. Machtans and S.J. Hannon. 1997. Are boreal birds
resilient to forest fragmentation? An experimental study of short-term
community responses. Ecology 78(6): 1914-1932.
Schmiegelow, F.K.A. and M. Mönkkönen. 2002. Habitat loss and fragmentation
in dynamic landscapes: avian perspectives from the boreal forest.
Ecological Applications 12(2): 375-389.
Request 60b Provide support for the assertion that these two species (black-throated green
warbler and barred owl) would reflect the entire bird community’s response to
fragmentation. Use peer-reviewed literature to support the discussion.
Response 60b Black-throated green warbler and barred owl would not represent the entire bird
community’s response to habitat fragmentation. Most bird species in the boreal
forest are expected to be relatively insensitive to forest fragmentation as long as
habitat is abundant regionally (Schmiegelow et al. 1997). However, evidence
does suggest that black-throated green warbler (Schmiegelow et al. 1997;
Hobson and Bayne 2000) and barred owl (Russell 2008) may be sensitive to
forest fragmentation. As such, black-throated green warbler and barred owl
function as suitable proxies for the bird communities within the local study areas
(LSAs), which in general should be less sensitive to habitat fragmentation than
these key indicator resources (KIRs). Fragmentation effects are expected to be
most pronounced in agricultural landscapes, where disturbances create habitat
that favours predators and nest parasites (Bayne and Hobson 1997; Schmiegelow
et al. 1997, 2002). Disturbances such as forest clearing are less likely to create
habitat for predators and nest parasites, and therefore should result in reduced
effects of habitat fragmentation on neighbouring bird communities (Schmiegelow
et al. 2002).
References
Bayne, E. M., and K. A. Hobson. 1997. Comparing the effects of landscape
fragmentation by forestry and agriculture on predation of artificial nests.
Conservation Biology 11: 1418–1429.
Hobson, K.A. and E. Bayne. 2000. Effects of forest fragmentation by agriculture
on avian communities in the southern boreal mixedwoods of western
Canada. Wilson Bulletin. 112(3): 373-387.
Russell, M.S. 2008. Habitat selection of barred owls (Strix varia) across multiple
spatial scales in a boreal agricultural landscape in north-central Alberta.
MSc Thesis. University of Alberta, Edmonton.
Schmiegelow, F.K.A., C.S. Machtans and S.J. Hannon. 1997. Are boreal birds
resilient to forest fragmentation? An experimental study of short-term
community responses. Ecology 78(6): 1914-1932.
April 2010 Shell Canada Limited 13-37
CR029