Exploration of Loggerhead Shrike Habitats in Grassland National Park of Canada Based on in Situ Measurements and Satellite-Derived Adjusted Transformed Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (ATSAVI)
The population of loggerhead shrike ( Lanius ludovicianus excubutirudes) in Grassland National Park of Canada (GNPC) has undergone a severe decline due to habitat loss and limitation. Shrike habitat availability is highly impacted by the biophysical characteristics of grassland landscapes. This study was conducted in the west block of GNPC. The overall purpose was to extract important biophysical and topographical variables from both SPOT satellite imagery and in situ measurements. Statistical analysis including Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), measuring Coefficient Variation (CV), and regression analysis were applied to these variables obtained from both imagery and in situ measurement. Vegetation spatial variation and heterogeneity among active, inactive and control nesting sites at 20 m × 20 m, 60 m × 60 m and 100 m × 100 m scales were investigated. Results indicated that shrikes prefer to nest in open areas with scattered shrubs, particularly thick or thorny species of smaller size, to discourage mammalian predators. The most important topographical characteristic is that active sites are located far away from roads at higher elevation. Vegetation index was identified as a good indicator of vegetation characteristics for shrike habitats due to its significant relation to most relevant biophysical factors. Spatial variation analysis showed that at all spatial scales, active sites have the lowest vegetation abundance and the highest heterogeneity among the three types of nesting sites. For all shrike habitat types, vegetation abundance decreases with increasing spatial scales while habitat heterogeneity increases with increasing spatial scales. This research also indicated that suitable shrike habitat for GNPC can be mapped using a logistical model with ATSAVI and dead material in shrub canopy as the independent variables.
References
[1]
Burnside, F.L.; Shepherd, W. Population trends of the loggerhead shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) in Arkansas. Proc. Ark. Acad. Sci 1985, 39, 25–28.
[2]
Prescott, D.C.; Collister, D.M. Characteristics of occupied and unoccupied loggerhead shrike territories in southeastern Alberta. J. Wildl. Manag 1993, 57, 346–352.
[3]
Brooks, B.L.; Temple, S.A. Dynamics of a loggerhead shrike population in Minnesota. Wilson Bull 1990, 102, 441–450.
[4]
Bystrak, D.; Robbins, C.S. Bird population trends detected by the North American breeding bird survey. Pol. Ecol. Stud 1977, 3, 131–143.
[5]
Hess, B.K. Summary of the status of shrikes in Delaware. Delmarva Ornitho 1980, 15, 8–9.
[6]
Kridelbaugh, A.L. Population trend, breeding and wintering distribution of loggerhead shrikes Lanius ludovicianus in Missouri. Trans. Missouri Acad. Sci 1981, 15, 111–119.
[7]
Gawlik, D.E.; Bildstein, K.L. Seasonal habitat use and abundance of loggerhead shrikes in South Carolina. J. Wildl. Manag 1993, 57, 352–357.
[8]
National Audubon Society. Announcing the Blue List an “early warning system” for birds. Am. Birds 1971, 25, 948–949.
[9]
Tyler, J.D. Nesting ecology of the loggerhead shrike in southwestern Oklahoma. Wilson Bull 1992, 104, 95–104.
[10]
Chalfoun, A.D.; Martin, T.E. Assessments of habitat preferences and quality depend on spatial scale and metrics of fitness. J. Appl. Ecol 2007, 44, 983–992.
[11]
Willms, W.D.; Dormaar, J.F.; Adams, B.W.; Douwes, H.E. Response of the mixed prairie to protection from grazing. J. Range Manag 2002, 55, 210–216.
[12]
Bjorge, R.R.; Prescott, D.R.C. Population estimate and habitat associations of the loggerhead shrike, Lanius ludovicianus, in Southeastern Alberta. Can. Field Nat 1996, 110, 445–449.
[13]
Jobin, B.T.; Grenier, M.; Laporte, P. Using satellite imagery to assess breeding habitat availability of the endangered loggerhead shrike in Quebec. Biodivers. Conserv 2005, 14, 81–95.
[14]
Penniket, R. Aerial Photography Interpretation and Mapping for Silver Sagebrush, Final Summary Report; Parks Canada Agency: Calgary, AB, Canada, 2004.
[15]
Guo, X.; Wilmshurst, J.F.; Zhang, C.; Sissons, R.; Fargey, P. Measuring Grassland Structure for Recovery of Grassland Species at Risk. Final Report 5P401–04–5002; University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon: Saskatoon, SK, Canada, 2005.
[16]
Li, Z.; Guo, X. A suitable vegetation index for quantifying temporal variation of leaf area index (LAI) in semiarid mixed grassland. Can. J. Remote Sens 2011, 36, 709–721.
[17]
Didiuk, A. Prairie Loggerhead Shrike Habitat Assessments and Surveys on Federal Lands, Grasslands National Park, West Block and East Block 2003–2004Unpublished Progress Report. 2005.
[18]
Jensen, J.R. Introductory Digital Image Processing: A Remote Sensing Perspective, 3rd ed. ed.; Pearson Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA, 2005.
[19]
Chavez, P.S. An Improved dark-object subtraction technique for atmospheric scattering correction of multispectral data. Remote Sens. Environ 1988, 24, 459–479.
[20]
Baret, F.; Guyot, G. Potentials and limits of vegetation indices for LAI and APAR assessment. Remote Sens. Environ 1991, 35, 161–173.
[21]
He, Y.; Guo, X.; Wilmshurst, J. Studying mixed grassland ecosystems I: Suitable hyperspectral vegetation indices. Can. J. Remote Sens 2006, 32, 98–107.
[22]
Wang, K.; Franklin, S.F.; Guo, X.; Collingwood, A.; Stenhouse, G.B.; Lowe, S. Comparison of Landsat multispectral and IRS panchromatic Imagery for landscape pattern analysis of grizzly bear habitat in agricultural areas of western Alberta. Can. J. Remote Sens 2010, 36, 36–47.
[23]
Robinson, T.; Rogers, D.; Williams, B. Mapping tsetse habitat suitability in the common fly belt of Southern Africa using multivariate analysis of climate and remotely sensed vegetation data. Med. Vet. Entomol 1997, 11, 235–245.
[24]
Carter, J.L.; Fend, S.V.; Kennelly, S.S. The relationships among three habitat scales and stream benthic invertebrate community structure. Freshw. Biol 1996, 35, 109–124.
[25]
Ferguson, R.S. Detection and classification of muskox habitat on Banks Island, Northwest Territories, Canada, using Landsat Thematic Mapper data. Arctic 1991, 44, 66–74.
[26]
Joy, M.K.; Death, R.G. Predictive modeling and spatial mapping of freshwater fish and decapod assemblages using GIS and neural networks. Freshw. Biol 2004, 49, 1036–1052.
[27]
Stewart, R.E. Breeding Birds of North Dakota; Tri-College Center for Environmental Studies: Fargo, ND, USA, 1975.
[28]
Brooks, B.L.; Temple, S.A. Dynamics of a loggerhead shrike population in Minnesota. Wilson Bull 1990, 102, 441–450.
[29]
De Geus, D.W. Productivity and Habitat Preference of Loggerhead Shrikes Inhabiting Roadsides in a Midwestern AgroenvironmentM.S. Thesis. Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA, 1990.
[30]
Yosef, R.; Grubb, T.C. Effect of vegetation height on hunting behavior and diet of loggerhead shrikes. Condor 1993, 95, 127–131.
[31]
Crabtree, R.L.; Broome, L.S.; Wolfe, M.L. Effects of habitat characteristics on gadwall nest predation and nest-site selection. J. Wildl. Manag 1989, 53, 129–137.
[32]
Guo, X.; Wilmshurst, J.; McCanny, S.; Fargey, P.; Richard, P. Measuring spatial and vertical heterogeneity of grasslands using remote sensing techniques. J. Environ. Inform 2004, 3, 24–32.
[33]
Cleckner, H.L.; Allen, T.R.; Bellows, A.S. Remote sensing and modeling of mosquito abundance and habitats in Coastal Virginia, USA. Remote Sens 2011, 3, 2663–2681.
[34]
Wondie, M.; Schneider, W.; Melesse, A.M.; Teketay, D. Spatial and temporal land cover changes in the Simen Mountains National Park, a world heritage site in Northwestern Ethiopia. Remote Sens 2011, 3, 752–766.
[35]
Ndegwa Mundia, C.; Murayama, Y. Analysis of land use/cover changes and animal population dynamics in a wildlife sanctuary in East Africa. Remote Sens 2009, 1, 952–970.
[36]
Hands, H.M.; Drobney, R.D.; Ryan, M.R. Status of the Loggerhead Shrike in the North Central US (Unpublished Report). 1989.
[37]
Hellman, S.L. Breeding Habitat, for the Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) in Southwestern ManitobaM.S. Thesis, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. 1994.
