Sustaining habitat variability helps to increase biodiversity. Over the past century, forest clearing has lead to the degradation of native habitats such as grasslands, forests, and shrub lands in the North East. Recently, both grassland and forest communities have received conservation efforts to help to increase and sustain them to pre-colonial times. Despite these efforts, successional habitats, such as shrublands, have largely been ignored. The deterioration of shrubland habitats has lead to a significant decrease in the amount of shrubland bird species in the North East, such as the Golden-winged warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera), Bellís vireo (Vireo bellii), the American woodcock (Scolopax minor), and many others. In order to conserve shrubland bird species, data is being gathered on how vegetation structure and habitat size affect shrubland species diversity. Ultimately, the data will be distributed to wildlife managers so that shrublands can be actively managed to their furthest potential.
|Presenters:||Kristina Klees (Graduate Student)
Christopher Norment (Faculty)
|Time:||1:15 pm (Session III)|