Birds in the web of life: ecology and conservation of nest webs worldwide
Date
2018
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Abstract
Avian communities are comprised of species that interact locally, producing complex networks whose dynamics cannot always be understood or predicted from information at the population level. Globally, more than 1500 species of birds interact around the resource of tree cavities, which they require for nesting or roosting. These cavity-nesting communities are structured in nest webs – interspecific interaction networks that link secondary cavity-nesting species (non-excavators including birds, mammals, and social insects) to the species that provide (trees) or facilitate cavities (woodpeckers and other avian excavators and organisms that promote wood decay). Because the supply of cavities can be limited, and can change dramatically over time and space, nest web structure may determine how cavity-nesting communities respond to perturbation. This symposium will showcase recent progress in the study of cavity-nesting communities as interaction networks, explore how nest webs change across space and time, and propose research and management to improve conservation outcomes for these communities.
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Ornithology, Conservation Biology, Ecology, Forest Ecology