The spatial dynamics of White-browed Babbler groups in a fragmented agricultural landscape

Title
The spatial dynamics of White-browed Babbler groups in a fragmented agricultural landscape
Publication Date
2003
Author(s)
Cale, Peter
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Surrey Beatty & Sons
Place of publication
Australia
UNE publication id
une:3359
Abstract
White-browed Babbler 'Pomatostomus superciliosus' groups occupying linear strips of vegetation had breeding territories that were smaller in area and had longer linear dimensions than those occupying patches. A group's non-breeding home range was larger than its breeding territory. Groups occupying linear/patch home ranges expanded the linear extent and area of their home ranges more than those within other home range configurations. Some groups moved during the non-breeding season and this was more likely to occur if the group occupied a remnant with a low abundance of invertebrates during the summer. Some groups that moved returned prior to the next breeding season, but the majority were never seen again. New groups moved into the study sites and established in vacant home ranges. This suggests that those groups that left the study sites may have established new home ranges elsewhere. Breeding site fidelity was lower in groups that had failed in previous breeding attempts. Therefore, group movements were influenced by the feeding and breeding quality of the habitat. However, the configuration of the local population also influenced group movements with those groups on the edge of a local population being more likely to move than those in the interior. New groups were formed by two processes; group dispersal, where groups generally filled a vacant home range, and group budding, which involved the splitting of a large group. Group dispersal maintained group densities while group budding increased the density of groups in a local population. These two processes were common, producing localized fluctuations in the density of groups. Since babbler groups contain only one breeding pair, changes in group density represent changes in effective population size. Therefore, group dynamics may be important to the persistence of local populations of White-browed Babblers, especially in landscapes that have suffered from habitat loss and fragmentation.
Link
Citation
Pacific Conservation Biology, 8(4), p. 271-280
ISSN
2204-4604
1038-2097
Start page
271
End page
280

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