Investigating the effect of environmental variables on distribution of three woodpecker species (Black woodpecker, Great spotted woodpecker and Green woodpecker) in Shast Kolateh Forest, Gorgan
Subject Areas :
environmental management
Soroor Karimi
1
,
Hossein Varasteh Moradi
2
,
Hamid Reza Rezaei
3
,
Mojtaba Ghadim
4
1 - MSc Graduated Student of Environmental, Faculty of Fisheries and Environment, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.Gorgan, Iran. *(Corresponding Author
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental, Faculty of Fisheries and Environment, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.Gorgan, Iran.
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental, Faculty of Fisheries and Environment, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources.Gorgan, Iran.
4 - MSc Graduated Student of Environmental, Faculty of Natural Resources, Esfahan University of Technology. Esfahan, Iran.
Received: 2012-01-10
Accepted : 2012-09-04
Published : 2019-03-21
Keywords:
Woodpeckers,
distribution,
environmental variables,
Shast Kolateh Forest,
Abstract :
Background and Objective: Forests are considered as important sources of biodiversity around the world. Nowadays, forest ecosystems have the most important protective role. The forest ecosystems are the main habitat for many wildlife species that among them we can refer to the diverse species of the birds, including woodpeckers. Woodpeckers are considered as the indicator of the forest bird biodiversity. The elevation and forest structure are the most important environmental variables that affecting the woodpecker distribution. Method: In this study, three elevation classes were selected in the Shast Kolateh forest, namely 0-400 m containing parottia- carpinus- quercus forest type, 400-700 m including carpinus- parottia and parottia carpinus forest type, and 700-1000 m wherein beech trees were considered as the dominant species. The bird sampling was conducted using point count sampling procedure. The woodpecker species and the number of all observations in relation to each species in each of 103 sampling plots were recorded in summer and autumn. Findings: The results of CCA ordination graph for three different woodpecker species with environmental variables and elevation showed that the most abundance of Black and Green woodpecker was occurred in 700-1000 m and 400-700 m a.s.l, respectively. Furthermore, there was no significant relationship between the abundance of Great spotted woodpecker and elevation. Discussion and Conclusion: The results revealed that the Great spotted woodpecker and Green woodpecker are more flexible in habitat selection and Black woodpecker unlike to the other woodpecker species is a dependent species to the forest habitats with beech cover type and mature forest structure, so it is essential to control severe exploitation of such habitats.
References:
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Mazgajski., T. D., 1998. Nest-site characteristic of Great spotted woodpecker Dendrocopos major in central Poland. Polish journal of ecology, Vol. 56, pp. 33-41.
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Roberge, J. M., Angelstam, P., Villard, M. A., 2008. Specialized woodpeckers and naturalness in hemiboreal forests - deriving quantitative targets for conservation planning. Biological conservation, Vol. 141, pp. 997-1012.
Hagan, J. M., and Whitman, A. A., 2006. Biodiversity Indicators for Sustainable Forestry: Simplifying Complexity. Forest ecology, Vol. 104, pp. 203-210.
Fernandez, C., and Azkona. P., 2010. Influence of forest structure on the density and distribution of the Whitebacked Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos and Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius in Quinto Real (Spanish western Pyrenees). Bird Study, Vol. 43, pp. 305-313.
Drever, M. C., and Martin, K., 2010. Response of woodpeckers to changes in forest health and harvest: Implications for conservation of avian biodiversity. Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 259, pp. 958-966.
District no. 1 book of Dr. Bahramnia Forestry Plan, 2006 (In Persian).
District no. 2 book of Dr. Bahramnia Forestry Plan, 2006 (In Persian).
Michakek, K. G., and Miettined, J., 2003. Dendrocopos major Great Spotted Woodpecker. BMP Update, Vol. 5(2), pp. 101- 184.
Scott, D. A., and Adhami, A., 2006. An updated checklist of the birds of Iran. Podoces, Vol. 1, pp. 1-16.
Peterson, R. T., Mountfort. G., Hollom. P. a. d., 1993. Birds of Britain and Europe. Houghton Mifflin Company. 280p.
Mollet, P., Zbinden, N., Schmid, H., 2009. An increase in the population of woodpeckers and other bird species thanks to an increase in the quantities of deadwood. Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Forstwesen, Vol. 160, pp. 334-340.
Wiktander, U., Olsson, O., Nilsson, S. G., 2001. Seasonal variation in home-range size, and habitat area requirement of the lesser spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos minor) in southern Sweden. Biological Conservation, Vol. 100, pp. 387-395.
Zhen-biao, j., Tao, w., Jun-bao, w., Jia-fu, H., You-qing, l., Lin-ju, F., Lin-sheng, L., 2008. Seasonal diet of the Great Spotted Woodpecker (Picoides major) in shelterwood plantations of Wulate Qianqi County Inner Mongolia. China, Vol. 10, pp. 119-124.
Mori. S., 2005. Foraging habitat use by the Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major in a fragmented forest landscape. Ornithological Science, Vol. 4, pp. 179-182.
Bibby, C. J., Burgess, N. D., Hill, D. A., 2000. Bird Census Techniques. London: Academic Press. 302 p.
Watson, J. E. M., Whittaker, R. J., Dawson, T. P., 2004. Habitat structure and proximity to forest edge affect the abundance and distribution of forest-dependent birds in tropical coastal forests of southeastern Madagascar. Biological Conservation, Vol. 120, pp. 311-327.
Marsden, S. J., Whiffin, M., Galetti, M., 2001. Bird diversity and abundance in forest fragments and Eucalyptus plantations around an Atlantic forest reserve, Brazil. Biodiversity and Conservation, Vol. 10, pp. 737-751.
Antongiovanni, M., and Metzger, J. P., 2005. Influence of matrix habitats on the occurrence of insectivorous bird species in Amazonian forest fragments. Biological Conservation, Vol. 122, pp. 441-445.
Castelletta, M., Thiollay, J. M., Sodhi, N. S., 2005. The effects of extreme forest fragmentation on the bird community of Singapore Island. Biological conservation, Vol. 121, pp. 135-155.
Mahoro, S., Yanagihara, C., Fujii, T., Yui, M., 2008. Nest and roost tree characteristics of the Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius in northern Honshu, Japan. Tohoku Journal of Forest Science, Vol. 13, pp. 1-17.
Rolstad, J., Majewski, P., Rolstad, E., 1998. Black woodpecker use of habitats and feeding substrates in a managed Scandinavian forest. Journal of Wildlife Management, Vol. 62, pp. 11-23.
Bocca, M., Carisio, L., Rolando, A., 2007. Habitat use, home ranges and census techniques in the Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius in the Alps. Ardea, Vol, 95. pp, 17-29.
Kosinski, Z., 2006. Factors affecting the occurrence of middle spotted and great spotted woodpeckers in deciduous forests -a case study from Poland. Ann. Zool. Fennici, Vol. 43, pp. 198-210.
Smith, K. W., 1997. Nest site selection of great spotted woodpecker Dendrocopos major in two oak woods in southern England and its implications for woodland management. Biological Conservation, Vol. 80, pp. 283-288.
Pasinelli, G., 2007. Nest site selection in middle and great spotted woodpeckers Dendrocopos medius & D. major: implications for forest management and conservation. Biodiversity Conservation, Vol. 16, pp. 1283-1298.
Smith. K. W., 2007. The utilization of dead wood resources by woodpeckers in Britain. Ibis, Vol. 149, pp. 183-192.
Mazgajski., T. D., 1998. Nest-site characteristic of Great spotted woodpecker Dendrocopos major in central Poland. Polish journal of ecology, Vol. 56, pp. 33-41.
