![]() ![]() “Each species may have a slightly different range of thermal optima – the range of thermal conditions they feel comfortable with – and it could be the same for the interaction between forest ecosystems and birds.” “To my knowledge, this is the first empirical evidence of any microclimate effect on songbird populations, and of the insurance effect on free-ranging birds,” said Kim, now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Some species also fared better in places where the forest had more compositional diversity, referred to as the “insurance effect” because diversity helps ensure the presence of the insects the birds feed on when they most need nutrition and energy – during breeding season. ![]() They concluded that at locations with cooler microclimates, some bird species tended to do better – a phenomenon they describe as the “buffering effect.” The OSU scientists and collaborators from Oregon State and the United States Forest Service analyzed eight years of breeding bird abundance information from an HJ Andrews watershed as well as subcanopy temperature readings and ground- and LiDAR-based vegetation data. Microclimates tend to be most pronounced in areas of rugged and varied topography such as coastal areas, islands and mountains like Oregon’s Cascade Range, home to the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest where Kim and Betts did their research. The research, published today in Global Change Biology, looked at forest “microclimates.” Microclimates are local atmospheric conditions, in areas ranging from a few square meters to many square kilometers, that differ from those of the surrounding area. The latest findings bear important implications on conservation decisions regarding mature forests, the scientists say, and have even greater relevance because of the new Inflation Reduction Act, which calls for increased resources to map and protect the United States’ remaining old-growth forests. The study led by former Oregon State doctoral student Hankyu Kim builds on earlier research led by co-author Matt Betts, a professor in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, that showed that old forests with big trees and a diversity of tree sizes and species can offer refuge to some types of birds threatened by a warming climate. – Old-growth forests and managed forests with old-growth characteristics can provide relief from climate change for some bird species, research by the Oregon State University College of Forestry suggests. ![]()
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