A Nationwide Map of Predicted Avian Biodiversity

Patrick Culbert, University of Wisconsin-Madison, pdculbert@wisc.edu (Presenter)
Volker Radeloff, University of Wisconsin-Madison, radeloff@wisc.edu
Nicholas Coops, University of British Columbia, nicholas.coops@ubc.ca
Josef Kellndorfer, Woods Hole Research Center, josefk@whrc.org
Tom Loveland, USGS, loveland@usgs.gov
Anna Pidgeon, University of Wisconsin-Madison, apidgeon@wisc.edu

Avian biodiversity is under threat, primarily from human influences. With limited resources for habitat conservation, the accurate identification of high-value bird habitat is crucial. A nationwide map of avian biodiversity would greatly assist planners and resource managers in the decision-making process. We calculated avian species richness for the period 1998-2002 from 2,546 Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) routes across the conterminous United States for all birds, three migratory guilds (Neotropical migrants, short-distance migrants, and permanent residents), and three habitat guilds (forest birds, grassland birds, and shrubland birds). For each BBS route, we also calculated environmental variables associated with biodiversity. Vertical and horizontal habitat structure were represented by measures of canopy height and biomass from the National Biomass and Carbon Dataset 2000, landscape composition metrics derived from the National Land Cover Database 2001, and numerous measures of texture calculated from Landsat TM imagery. As measures of climate and seasonality, the average, minimum, and seasonal variation in canopy light absorbance were calculated for each BBS route using MODIS-derived fraction of photosynthetically active radiation. Lastly, the mean elevation from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission and ecoregion province were also calculated for each route. After removing correlated environmental variables, stepwise selection methods were used to derive final models relating avian species richness within each guild to the environmental variables. Adjusted R² values of the final models ranged from 0.35 to 0.74, with four of the seven models explaining ≥ 60% of guild richness variation. These models were then used to produce a nationwide map of predicted avian species richness with a 35 km spatial resolution, as well as maps for smaller, selected areas at 7 km resolution. The resulting maps provide important baseline information about avian biodiversity for natural resource managers, land use planners, and biodiversity scientists alike since no biodiversity maps at comparable resolution and extent had been available previously.

Presentation Type:  Poster

Session:  Science in Support of Decision Making   (Wed 10:00 AM)

Associated Project(s): 

• Radeloff, Volker: Remote Sensing and Avian Biodiversity Patterns in the United States ...details

Poster Location ID: 133