Files in this item
Files | Description | Format |
---|---|---|
application/pdf ![]() | (no description provided) |
Description
Title: | Making the most of what remains: Examining the quality of urban grasslands for birds in Illinois |
Author(s): | Buxton, Valerie |
Advisor(s): | Benson, Thomas J. |
Department / Program: | Natural Res & Env Sci |
Discipline: | Natural Res & Env Sciences |
Degree Granting Institution: | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
Degree: | M.S. |
Genre: | Thesis |
Subject(s): | grassland birds
urban-to-rural gradient habitat use nest predation |
Abstract: | Grassland bird populations have experienced steep declines across North America, with especially precipitous declines in the Midwest. The primary cause of these declines is thought to be loss and fragmentation of grassland habitat. Illinois alone has lost >99% of its native prairie, and has steadily lost agricultural grasslands over the past 50 years. Despite this statewide decline in grassland availability, there are >12,000 ha of grassland in the Chicago region that may provide valuable habitat for imperiled grassland bird species. However, little is known about the value of grasslands located in an urban matrix. To investigate whether grassland birds are using these grasslands and whether they support viable populations, I examined grassland bird habitat use, reproductive success, and nest predator identities along an urban-to-rural gradient in the greater Chicago metropolitan region. Of the seven obligate grassland species I studied, only Sedge Wrens (Cistothorus platensis) displayed a strongly negative association to the amount of development in the landscape. I found that nest predation rates decreased in more developed landscapes, as did the probability of brood parasitism. I also found that coyotes (Canis latrans) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were the dominant nest predators in this study system. This research contributes to an ongoing effort to define what factors are important for designing grassland bird conservation areas in urban landscapes. |
Issue Date: | 2014-05-30 |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/2142/49612 |
Rights Information: | Copyright 2014 Valerie Buxton |
Date Available in IDEALS: | 2014-05-30 |
Date Deposited: | 2014-05 |
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
-
Theses and Dissertations -- Illinois Natural History Survey
-
Dissertations and Theses - Prairie Research Institute
Dissertations and Theses by Institute staff or students advised by Institute staff -
Dissertations and Theses - Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
-
Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois