Cross-scale effects of spruce budworm outbreaks on boreal warblers in eastern Canada.

ABSTRACT: Insect outbreaks are major natural disturbance events that affect communities of forest birds, either directly by affecting the food supply or indirectly by changing the vegetation composition of forest canopies. An examination of correlations between measures of bird and insect abundance across different spatial scales and over varying time lag effects may provide insight into underlying mechanisms. We developed a hierarchical Bayesian model to assess correlations between counts of eight warbler species from the Breeding Bird Survey in eastern Canada, 1966 to 2009, with the presence of spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana Clem.) at immediate local scales and time-lagged regional scales, as measured by extent of defoliation on host tree species. Budworm-associated species Cape M

SUBMITTER: Drever MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6106201 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature