Discovery Day Mertes
description
Transcript of Discovery Day Mertes
Species-environment relationships of East African
birds along a body size gradient
K. Mertes Schwartz* and W. JetzDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Yale University
Spatial scale
Spatial scale or grain: breaking up our knowledge of the environment into units of a known, equal size
Spatial scale is important to mobile animal species
Home<10 km2
AcreageSecurity# bedrooms
SizeSecurityNearby resources
Home range<100 km2
Mix of required resources
Mix of required resources
Region<1000
km2
Food Critical resourcesFamily nearby
DispersalMate-searching
Seasonal resources
…but which environmental conditions are important at which scales?
Study species
Von der Decken’s hornbill
• 160-250g• omnivorous
(may consume more fruit)
• Forages on ground & in trees
Fork-tailed drongo • 40-50g• Pursues insects from
open perches• Highly vigilant
Kori bustard• 8-18kg• Consumes insects,
small animals (lizards, mammals), seeds, leaf material
Environmental data at different spatial scales
Predicted occurrence: Von der Decken’s hornbill
10m 100m 1000m
10m
Predicted occurrence: Drongo1000m100m
1 4km2
10m
Predicted occurrence: Kori bustard1000m100m
1 4km2
Summary
Large scales - Drongos: variable shrub density: minimal distance to roads- Von der Decken’s hornbills: restricted land cover classes- Kori bustards: restricted elevations and black cotton soils
Small scales- Drongos selected areas with low shrub density & variable elevation and distance to roads- Von der Decken’s hornbills selected areas with complex vegetation and dense shrubs- Kori bustards selected areas with variable shrub density and soil types
Species responses to environmental conditions were consistent with diet and body size
Take-home messages: Habitat managers make decisions at several spatial scales:
- land use planning issues at broad spatial scales- planning for stands, plots, and land cover types within
properties
Information on environmental patterns and species responses at multiple scales can be incorporated into land use planning to support the habitat requirements of multiple wildlife species.
With many thanks…Yale UniversityOs Schmitz, Karen Seto, David Vasseur, Anne Trainor, Larry Bonneau, Giuseppe Amatulli, Adam Wilson, Frank LaSorte, Jennie Miller, Kevin McLean
Max-Planck-Institut für Ornithologie, RadzolfellMartin Wikelski, Bruno Erne, Georg Heine
Mpala Research CentreMargaret Kinnaird, Korir Elkana, Hellen Koech, Morgan Pecora-Saipe, Stephanie Siller
Movebank Team
Questions?
Potential T. deckeni characteristic grains
RoadsWaterClouds &shadowBare soilsGrassShrubsHuman useRock
0162
0127
0170
119
347
345
0150 186
Study area: ecological zones
Black cotton, tall grass & shrubs
Black cotton, grass cover & trees
Red soil, few shrubs, high grass cover
Red soil, freq shrubs, high grass cover