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Area-Dependent Changes In Bird Densities In Iowa Marshes, Mike Brown, James J. Dinsmore

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Species richness and density of Iowa marsh birds were positively correlated with marsh area, but area accounted for 69% of the variation in species richness and only 19% of the variation in density. Although densities of five of nine species examined correlated with marsh area, total density was not significantly correlated with area when the effects of species richness were eliminated. Area was the most frequent significant variable in regression equations for species richness, total density, and the densities of nine individual species on six variables. Unlike species-area relationships, density-area relationships are relatively weak, and knowledge of other ecological factors …