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Effects of disturbance and habitat loss on papyrus-dwelling passerines [An article from: Biological Conservation] | Digital

by I.M.D. Maclean (Author), M. Hassall (Author), R.R. Boar (Author), I.R. Lake (Author)

List Price:

$10.95

Available:

Available for download now

Binding:

Digital

Publisher:

Elsevier

Page Count:

9 Pages

Publication Date:

August 01, 2006

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Product Description
This digital document is a journal article from Biological Conservation, published by Elsevier in 2006. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.Description: Throughout the world, but particularly in tropical regions habitat loss and disturbance are considered detrimental to biodiversity. We examine the effects of disturbance by harvesting, burning and habitat fragmentation on six bird species associated with papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) swamps. The presence or absence of these species was verified in 93 wetlands in southern Uganda between June and August 2003. Disturbance was estimated directly by observation and indirectly from examining vegetation structure. Habitat fragmentation was quantified by delineating swamps on Landsat ETM images and applying 'Fragstats' to calculate relevant patch metrics. The occurrence of all six species was affected positively by increased swamp size, but birds were more likely to occur in small swamps at high altitude. The shape and proximity of swamps to neighbouring wetlands had little effect on occurrence. As altitude, habitat fragmentation and disturbance were correlated, determining avian responses to disturbance was problematic. However, the occurrence of all species was affected by disturbance, often showing unimodal responses, if disturbance was not considered in conjunction with habitat fragmentation. When the effects of habitat fragmentation and disturbance were analysed together, only the occurrences of papyrus yellow warbler and white-winged warbler were affected (positively) by disturbance. Results suggest that papyrus-dwelling passerines, except papyrus gonolek, are tolerant of low intensities of disturbance, a novel finding in the tropics. We recommend that policy-makers do not prohibit harvesting, thus generating good will and encouraging rural householders to comply with additional conservation policy.