Volume 60, January 2016, Pages 832–844
- a Laboratory of Biological Spatial Informations, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
- b Department of Avian Biology and Ecology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
- Received 9 August 2014, Revised 26 July 2015, Accepted 11 August 2015, Available online 3 September 2015
Highlights
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- We explore the relationship between the presence and the abundance of middle spotted woodpecker, and forest naturalness.
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- Middle spotted woodpeckers’ occurrence and abundance were not related to compositional and functional level of naturalness.
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- Structural elements of forest naturalness positively affect the species’ occurrence and abundance.
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- Structural elements of forest naturalness are associated with wildlife-friendly forest management.
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- Both occurrence and abundance of middle spotted woodpecker may be good indicators of wildlife-friendly forest management.
Abstract
Conservation
biologists often use some specialized species as surrogates for
communicating conservation needs, e.g. to signal states and changes in
ecosystem. This requires a detailed knowledge of a species’ habitat
demands and relationship between its occurrence and abundance, and
certain environmental conditions. This paper explores the relationship
between the occurrence and abundance of middle spotted woodpecker (Leiopicus medius)
and structural, compositional, and functional elements of forest
naturalness in three different forest landscapes in Poland, which
encompass a wide spectrum of species’ habitats. Neither compositional
nor functional elements of forest naturalness seemed to affect species’
distribution. In all studied areas, environmental variables related to
the structural elements of forest naturalness, e.g. the share of old and
uneven-aged stands, number of large living trees, positively influenced
the occurrence and abundance of middle spotted woodpecker. Mature,
unevenly structured forests might occur as a result of sustainable
forest management, aimed at preserving the continuity of old stands and
the maintenance of diverse age and species’ structure, providing
suitable habitat condition for the species. Therefore, both presence and
abundance of middle spotted woodpeckers can serve as indicators of
wildlife-friendly forest management in deciduous forests.
Keywords
- Biological indicators;
- Forest naturalness;
- Middle spotted woodpecker;
- Leiopicus medius
- Corresponding author. Tel.:
+48 61 8295617; fax: +48 61 8295636.
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