Showing papers by "William J. McShea published in 2003"
TL;DR: Different needs for Scarlet Tanagers during the postbreeding period (molt, premigratory fattening) differ from those during the breeding period (pair formation, nest placement, rearing of young), which provide a plausible explanation that all tanagers changed focal areas between breeding and postbreeding periods.
Abstract: We investigated movements and habitat use during breeding and postbreeding periods in Scarlet Tanagers (Piranga olivacea) during June-September 1998 in northern Virginia deciduous forest. Nine birds (8 males and 1 female) remained on the same home range during both breeding and postbreeding periods, whereas 11 birds (9 males and 2 females) shifted home range (>300 m) between periods. Breeding season home-range size ranged from 2.6 to 5.6 ha (95% kernel), and core area from 0.61 to 0.93 ha (50% kernel). Postbreeding home ranges were similar in size to home range during the breeding period for birds that remained in the vicinity of nesting areas, but were larger for birds that moved away from the nesting area. Scarlet Tanagers occurred in both mature and successional forest during breeding and postbreeding periods, with some indication of increased use of earlier successional stages during the postbreeding period. Needs for Scarlet Tanagers during the postbreeding period (molt, premigratory fatteni...
36 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined small-mammal populations at 350 sample points across 157 km 2 of forested habitat in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, Virginia, to determine landscape and habitat correlates of species abundance and richness.
Abstract: Forests of Southern Appalachia are critical habitats with respect to biodiversity, with a large portion of these forests residing on public multiuse lands. With pressure to extract timber from maturing forests, there is a need to identify the relative importance of forest types within the larger forest matrix. We examined small-mammal populations at 350 sample points across 157 km 2 of forested habitat in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, Virginia, to determine landscape and habitat correlates of species abundance and richness. A total of 3,955 individuals representing 20 species were captured using live trap and pitfall sampling at each point during 1996 and 1997. Nine species were sufficiently common to examine their abundance relative to landscape and habitat features. We found species abundance and richness to be highest in mesic deciduous forest types, with the exception of Peromyscus leucopus. Soil moisture capacity and the proportion of mesic habitat within 100 m of the sample point were also important for several species. If mesic deciduous forest can be considered patches within a matrix of xeric forest, then the abundance of 4 species and species richness could be predicted based on the distance of the sample point to the nearest mesic patch and the abundance of 3 species inside mesic patches was related to patch size. At least 73% of mesic patches within this forest were ,25 ha and separated from other patches by .100 m. Our results indicate that mesic forest patches contain the bulk of the species richness for small mammals in the Southern Appalachian ecotype. Designing timber harvests that minimize use of mesic deciduous forest type and that does not decrease patch numbers would achieve the largest benefits to small mammals within the region.
28 citations