Document: LIS-3-76-1

Riparian and upland breeding bird and small mammal communities of sub-boreal spruce forests in the central interior of British Columbia.

MAHON, C.L.* ¹, M.TODD ² and K.GRAINGER ³

Wild For Consultants Ltd., Smithers, B.C. Canada ¹
Houston Forest Products, Houston, B.C. Canada ²
Babine Forest Products, Burns Lake, B.C. Canada ³

Abstract:
Breeding bird and small mammal community composition and structure was compared between riparian habitats along small streams (<5 m) and upland areas in nine mature coniferous forest stands in the central interior of British Columbia, Canada. We expected higher bird species richness and diversity at riparian areas, but found species richness and diversity higher at upland transects in 1997 (p<0.05) or the same between transects in 1998 (p>0.05). Bird abundance was higher at upland transects in both years (all p values <0.05). Species overlap between transects was high in both years (72.5% in 1997 and 69.4% in 1998). Similarly, we expected higher small mammal species richness and diversity at riparian areas, but found inconsistent trends between seasons and years. In 1998, small mammal species richness was higher at riparian transects in summer (p<0.05), while diversity was higher at riparian transects during both summer and fall (all p values <0.05). In 1999, riparian transects had higher species richness in summer and higher diversity in fall (all p values <0.05). Species overlap between transects was 87.5% for both summer and fall in 1998, and 88.9% for both periods in 1999. Vegetation structure and composition did not differ between riparian and upland transects. Stand and landscape level forest retention strategies that consider both riparian and upland habitat may be needed to maintain breeding bird and small mammal communities in coniferous forests in British Columbia's central interior.

Keywords: riparian, upland, forest birds, small mammals

This abstract is being presented at: 10:30 AM in session:
AVIAN ECOLOGY