Date of Award
Fall 12-2013
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Program
Biological Sciences
Department
Biological Sciences
Major Professor
Dr. Jerome J. Howard
Second Advisor
Dr. Peter H. Yaukey
Third Advisor
Dr. Simon Lailvaux
Abstract
There has been a critical decline in grassland bird populations due to habitat fragmentation and deterioration, and suppression of natural fires. Alteration of the disturbance cycle may lead to changes in vegetation structure and thus habitat suitability for breeding grassland birds. Management practices at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, including the use of prescribed fire, are in need of evaluation. My study asked what frequency of prescribed burns is necessary to support breeding grassland birds and whether vegetation structure varies among burn units. In this study, bird abundance and species richness did not differ significantly among burn units and vegetation cover-type was not a strong predictor of these factors either. There was evidence of site utilization by breeding grassland birds immediately following a burn, which suggests that the bird community is able to recovery quickly post-fire and these units may serve as viable habitat for breeding grassland birds.
Recommended Citation
Ruffman, Elizabeth A., "Effects of Prescribed Burns on Grassland Breeding Birds at Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge" (2013). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 1776.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1776
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.