PARENT SESSION
Poster Session 15: Urban Ecology
Tuesday, August 9, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM, Exhibit Hall 220 A-E, Level 2, Palais des congrès de Montréal
Effects of Predators and Landscaping Type on Avian Ground Foraging Behavior in Phoenix Parks.
Warren, Paige*,1, 2, Adley, Erin3, 1 University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, MA2 Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ3 Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
ABSTRACT- Landscaping and land-use practices of humans have a profound impact on local ecological systems. Urban parks are one of the areas where these impacts are easily monitored. This study focused on two factors affecting bird behavior in urban parks in Phoenix: predator density and landscaping schemes. Ground foraging in open areas places individuals at high risk of predation. Accordingly, longer ground foraging sessions and longer distance from cover are expected with lower predator densities. Four xeric parks and four mesic parks were selected from the Phoenix metro area, controlling for differences in mean park size, neighborhood income level, and human population density. We observed foraging behavior for eight weeks in the summer of 2004. We conducted transects for domestic cats around each park. We compared time spent in the open and distance from cover to numbers of domestic cats as well as to presence of raptors and coyotes. Birds foraged on the ground for longer bouts in xeric parks. Cat presence and presence of two or more raptor species was correlated with a decrease in ground foraging times, while coyote presence was correlated with increased ground foraging periods. These preliminary data suggest that mesic and xeric landscapes may differ in predation rates on birds. All of these factors could be very helpful in understanding how choices in human land use can effect local avian populations.
Key words: urban ecology, trophic dynamics, foraging behavior, human landscaping decisions