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Animal Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Biodiversity

West Virginia University

Theses/Dissertations

Monongahela National Forest

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences

Effects Of Climate Change And Landscape-Scale Forest Management On Avian Communities, Abundance, And Nest Success In The Appalachian Mountains, Hannah L. Clipp Jan 2023

Effects Of Climate Change And Landscape-Scale Forest Management On Avian Communities, Abundance, And Nest Success In The Appalachian Mountains, Hannah L. Clipp

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Birds are integral components of ecosystems and account for billions of dollars in tangible benefits to humans. As such, recent continental declines of bird species have ecological and economic consequences, providing the impetus for my dissertation research. I identified knowledge gaps and proposed novel questions about how birds in the Appalachian Mountains are influenced by changing environmental conditions due to climate change and forest management. The Appalachian Mountains encompass an important biogeographical region with high conservation value due to its myriad habitats and corresponding bird species diversity. Thus, there is a critical need to evaluate the effects of shifting climate …


Avian Occupancy Dynamics And Canada Warbler (Cardellina Canadensis) Environmental Correlates On A Central Appalachian Elevation Gradient In West Virginia, Gordon W. Dimmig Jan 2019

Avian Occupancy Dynamics And Canada Warbler (Cardellina Canadensis) Environmental Correlates On A Central Appalachian Elevation Gradient In West Virginia, Gordon W. Dimmig

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Mountains are important areas for avian diversity and conservation since they have steep elevational and environmental gradients. In the central Appalachian Mountains, several songbird species have trailing edge populations that are restricted to high elevations. Climate change and other factors can cause species distributions to change, which is of particular concern for birds in restricted trailing edge populations. Additionally, the Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis) breeds throughout the Appalachian Mountains and is species of conservation concern due to range-wide population declines. For this project, I used avian point count data from the central Appalachian Mountains to: (1) evaluate the …