Important Findings from Analyses of MAPS Data

Here, the Institute for Bird Populations (IBP) provides a synthesis of the important findings of research and monitoring studies conducted on Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) bird banding data for two regional sets of species of conservation concern.  These resulted in regional species-landscape models describing complex relationships between avian demographics and the pattern and structure of the surrounding landscape.  A third study reported on demographic analyses of 37 species at both the continental scale and multiple Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs).  These are defined by the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) as “ecologically distinct regions in North America with similar bird communities, habitats, and resource management issues.”  We also report on analytical methodologies designed to detect relationships between avian demographics and climate/weather and the nature of those relationships.  Although all IBP publications can be accessed online via a searchable database (IBP Publications Database) that populates web pages (test database only) the following pages attempt to place selected publications in a framework of research themes.

The results of these analyses contribute to the monitoring, research, and management requirements for species of conservation concern as listed in the North American Landbird Conservation Plan (NALCP), online species accounts provided by Natureserve, and priorities for research presented in species accounts provided by Cornell’s Birds of North America Online database.  Results presented in the first two projects listed below follow IBP's adaptive Monitoring, Modeling, and Management strategy.

1.      Managing Landbird Populations in National Forests of the Pacific Northwest (LINK)

This study involves banding data collected since 1992 for 13 species of conservation concern from 36 stations distributed among 6 national forests of Washington (2) and Oregon (4). The operation of this network of stations is funded by the US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region 6.  This study has also resulted in a major report (Nott et al. 2005) and a peer-reviewed publication (Nott et al. 2002).

2.      Management Strategies for Reversing Declines in Landbirds of Conservation Concern on Military Installations (LINK)

This study involves banding data for ten species of conservation concern collected from 78 constant-effort monitoring stations sponsored by the Department of Defense supported Legacy Resources Management Program.  These stations were equally distributed among 13 installations (or groups of neighboring installations) in the eastern and south-central United States.  This study has produced a number of reports and a manuscript is currently in a late draft form.

Both projects adhere to a conceptual conservation strategy involving the Adaptive Management Cycle of monitoring, modeling, and management.

3.      Identifying Causes of Population Change in Migratory Birds (LINK)

An interim project report summarizes MAPS productivity indices, adult apparent survival-rate estimates, and North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) population trend estimates for 183 landbird species at the continental scale over the period 1992-2003.  MAPS vital rate indices and estimates and BBS trend estimates are also provided for 39 target species at smaller spatial scales (Bird Conservation Regions and BBS Physiographic Strata).  We summarize spatial and temporal patterns in MAPS data and report results of exploratory analyses linking vital rates and population trends.  A manuscript reporting these findings is under review in a peer-reviewed journal.

4.      Investigating Relationships between Landbird Demographics and Climate/Weather (LINK)

Evidence of strong relationships between spatio-temporal patterns in avian demographics and corresponding patterns of climate and weather is accumulating (REFS).  Analyses of a subset of data from the Pacific Northwest study (Nott et al. 2005) revealed strong regional-scale relationships between two oceanic influences and annual productivity (Nott et al. 2002).  More recently techniques were developed for detecting finer-scaled relationships using data from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP), and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index.

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This page was last updated 12/29/2006