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  • Habitat complexity explains species-specific occupancy but not species richness in a Western Australian woodland

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    Author(s)
    Cousin, Jarrad
    D. Phillips, Ryan
    Griffith University Author(s)
    Cousin, Jarrad
    Year published
    2008
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    Abstract
    Habitat complexity is an important factor governing species richness and habitat selection in birds. The present study examined this relationship in a large wandoo woodland in Western Australia. Habitat complexity (comprising canopy, shrub, ground vegetation, log and leaf litter cover) and bird species richness was recorded in 48 sites, each ~3 ha in size. We found no significant correlation of habitat complexity with species richness. We propose that the absence of such a relationship results from the resource-poor environment of the woodlands of south-western Australia. The relative scarcity of food resources results in a ...
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    Habitat complexity is an important factor governing species richness and habitat selection in birds. The present study examined this relationship in a large wandoo woodland in Western Australia. Habitat complexity (comprising canopy, shrub, ground vegetation, log and leaf litter cover) and bird species richness was recorded in 48 sites, each ~3 ha in size. We found no significant correlation of habitat complexity with species richness. We propose that the absence of such a relationship results from the resource-poor environment of the woodlands of south-western Australia. The relative scarcity of food resources results in a species richness threshold beyond which there are insufficient niches and resources to support additional species with increasing habitat complexity. Only two species exhibited significant associations with habitat complexity, with the western yellow robin (Eopsaltria griseogularis) occupying sites with higher habitat complexity, and the restless flycatcher (Myiagra inquieta) occupying sites with lower habitat complexity. Although some species may respond specifically to habitat complexity, management of avian biodiversity within Australian woodlands should take into account the potentially greater role that productivity and resource availability play in influencing species richness, rather than habitat complexity per se. Furthermore, the individual components comprising habitat complexity may be of equal importance in assessing relationship of species richness to overall habitat complexity.
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    Journal Title
    Australian Journal of Zoology
    Volume
    56
    Issue
    2
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO07065
    Copyright Statement
    © 2008 CSIRO. This is the author-manuscript version of this paper. Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Please refer to the journal's website for access to the definitive, published version.
    Subject
    Conservation and Biodiversity
    Community Ecology (excl. Invasive Species Ecology)
    Terrestrial Ecology
    Environmental Sciences
    Biological Sciences
    Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
    Publication URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10072/23544
    Collection
    • Journal articles

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