Post-fire vegetation change and bird use of a salt marsh in coastal Argentina

Vegetation structure is an integral component of avian habitat selection. Therefore, structure changes caused by management practices can influence avian communities. The salt marshes of the pampas region of Argentina have experienced an increase in fire use as a management tool to improve cattle fo...

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Autor principal: Holz, Silvia Cristina
Publicado: 2004
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Acceso en línea:https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_02775212_v24_n2_p235_Isacch
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_02775212_v24_n2_p235_Isacch
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spelling paper:paper_02775212_v24_n2_p235_Isacch2023-06-08T15:26:01Z Post-fire vegetation change and bird use of a salt marsh in coastal Argentina Holz, Silvia Cristina Argentina Burn Management Salt marsh Wildlife avifauna habitat management habitat use prescribed burning vegetation structure wetland Argentina Buenos Aires [Argentina] Mar Chiquita Biosphere Reserve South America Western Hemisphere World Aves Bos taurus Juncus Juncus acutus Spartina Spartina densiflora Spartonoica maluroides Troglodytes troglodytes Vegetation structure is an integral component of avian habitat selection. Therefore, structure changes caused by management practices can influence avian communities. The salt marshes of the pampas region of Argentina have experienced an increase in fire use as a management tool to improve cattle forage and to avoid accidental fires. A spring burn of 200 ha of salt marsh in Mar Chiquita Biosphere Reserve, Argentina, in September 1995, allowed us to compare the response of birds associated with two vegetation communities, one dominated by Spartina densiflora (Spartina marsh) and another dominated by Juncus acutus (Juncus marsh) from one month to one year post-burn. We recorded changes in plant species composition and vegetation structure (height and cover) at 40 days after the burn and every season for the subsequent year. Fire reduced total cover of both plant communities. Juncus marsh recovered pre-burn structure and bird community by one year post-fire. However, Spartina marsh recovery was incomplete in that period. Relative abundances of bird species that used unburned Juncus marsh were similar to those in burned Juncus marsh in the spring period one year after the burn. Plant height at the burned Spartina marsh did not reach that of the unburned Spartina in 12 months; red-capped wren-spinetail (Spartonoica maluroides), a rare tall-grass-dependent species, settled burned parcels at lower relative abundances than in unburned habitat. Because species that first use the burned patches are very common and widespread in other habitats, and excessive burning may reduce available habitat for endangered or rare species, prescribed burns should be avoided in this region. © 2004, The Society of Wetland Scientists. Fil:Holz, S. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. 2004 https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_02775212_v24_n2_p235_Isacch http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_02775212_v24_n2_p235_Isacch
institution Universidad de Buenos Aires
institution_str I-28
repository_str R-134
collection Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA)
topic Argentina
Burn
Management
Salt marsh
Wildlife
avifauna
habitat management
habitat use
prescribed burning
vegetation structure
wetland
Argentina
Buenos Aires [Argentina]
Mar Chiquita Biosphere Reserve
South America
Western Hemisphere
World
Aves
Bos taurus
Juncus
Juncus acutus
Spartina
Spartina densiflora
Spartonoica maluroides
Troglodytes troglodytes
spellingShingle Argentina
Burn
Management
Salt marsh
Wildlife
avifauna
habitat management
habitat use
prescribed burning
vegetation structure
wetland
Argentina
Buenos Aires [Argentina]
Mar Chiquita Biosphere Reserve
South America
Western Hemisphere
World
Aves
Bos taurus
Juncus
Juncus acutus
Spartina
Spartina densiflora
Spartonoica maluroides
Troglodytes troglodytes
Holz, Silvia Cristina
Post-fire vegetation change and bird use of a salt marsh in coastal Argentina
topic_facet Argentina
Burn
Management
Salt marsh
Wildlife
avifauna
habitat management
habitat use
prescribed burning
vegetation structure
wetland
Argentina
Buenos Aires [Argentina]
Mar Chiquita Biosphere Reserve
South America
Western Hemisphere
World
Aves
Bos taurus
Juncus
Juncus acutus
Spartina
Spartina densiflora
Spartonoica maluroides
Troglodytes troglodytes
description Vegetation structure is an integral component of avian habitat selection. Therefore, structure changes caused by management practices can influence avian communities. The salt marshes of the pampas region of Argentina have experienced an increase in fire use as a management tool to improve cattle forage and to avoid accidental fires. A spring burn of 200 ha of salt marsh in Mar Chiquita Biosphere Reserve, Argentina, in September 1995, allowed us to compare the response of birds associated with two vegetation communities, one dominated by Spartina densiflora (Spartina marsh) and another dominated by Juncus acutus (Juncus marsh) from one month to one year post-burn. We recorded changes in plant species composition and vegetation structure (height and cover) at 40 days after the burn and every season for the subsequent year. Fire reduced total cover of both plant communities. Juncus marsh recovered pre-burn structure and bird community by one year post-fire. However, Spartina marsh recovery was incomplete in that period. Relative abundances of bird species that used unburned Juncus marsh were similar to those in burned Juncus marsh in the spring period one year after the burn. Plant height at the burned Spartina marsh did not reach that of the unburned Spartina in 12 months; red-capped wren-spinetail (Spartonoica maluroides), a rare tall-grass-dependent species, settled burned parcels at lower relative abundances than in unburned habitat. Because species that first use the burned patches are very common and widespread in other habitats, and excessive burning may reduce available habitat for endangered or rare species, prescribed burns should be avoided in this region. © 2004, The Society of Wetland Scientists.
author Holz, Silvia Cristina
author_facet Holz, Silvia Cristina
author_sort Holz, Silvia Cristina
title Post-fire vegetation change and bird use of a salt marsh in coastal Argentina
title_short Post-fire vegetation change and bird use of a salt marsh in coastal Argentina
title_full Post-fire vegetation change and bird use of a salt marsh in coastal Argentina
title_fullStr Post-fire vegetation change and bird use of a salt marsh in coastal Argentina
title_full_unstemmed Post-fire vegetation change and bird use of a salt marsh in coastal Argentina
title_sort post-fire vegetation change and bird use of a salt marsh in coastal argentina
publishDate 2004
url https://bibliotecadigital.exactas.uba.ar/collection/paper/document/paper_02775212_v24_n2_p235_Isacch
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_02775212_v24_n2_p235_Isacch
work_keys_str_mv AT holzsilviacristina postfirevegetationchangeandbirduseofasaltmarshincoastalargentina
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