Predicting the Spatial Distribution of King Rails in an Agricultural Landscape

The condor

Bradley A. Pickens¹ 

关键词: detection probability;    elusive species;    extrapolation;    Rallus elegans;    receiver operator characteristic;    rice;    species distribution model.;   

DOI  :  10.1525/cond.2011.110025

学科分类：动物科学

来源: Central Ornithology Publication Office

【 摘 要 】

Abstract. Species distribution modeling is valuable for assessing rare or elusive species and in landscapes where accessibility is limited, such as agricultural lands. While birds' local habitat associations are often well known, knowledge of broad-scale relationships and the spatial patterns of environmental factors is generally lacking. In this study, we develop and validate a predictive habitat model for the King Rail (Rallus elegans) in the rice-growing region of southwestern Louisiana and identify important areas for this elusive bird. In a previous localized study we found it to be associated with canopy cover and ditches/streams around the perimeter of rice fields. Here, we used a geographic information system (GIS) to extrapolate these habitat associations to the region (>940 000 ha). We determined the proportion of rice fields within a 5-km radius and quantified canopy cover and ditches within a 1-km radius. In repeated call-back surveys from 2007 to 2009 we recorded King Rails at 44 of 155 locat...

【 授权许可】

CC BY