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Landscape characteristics explain large-scale variation in demographic traits in forest grouse

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Abstract

The effects of landscape composition on species and populations have become increasingly important due to large and rapid habitat changes worldwide. In particular, concern is raised for several forest-dwelling species such as capercaillie and black grouse, because their habitats are continuously changing and deteriorating from human development. Conservation of these species is linked to sustainable forest management that seeks to benefit multiple species, which demands knowledge about demographic rates in relation to forest composition and structure. We related the spatial variation in adult density and chick production of capercaillie and black grouse to landscape characteristics from 13 areas within the boreal forest of Norway. Linear mixed effects models showed that black grouse and capercaillie had similar associations to landscape characteristics. Adult density of both species was positively related to the proportion of old forest (>80 years), but only if the area had large proportions of mid to high productive forests. Chick production was negatively related to the proportion of old forest, but positively to habitat diversity and more so for black grouse compared to capercaillie. However, the result for chick production suggest that other forest types also are important, and that forest grouse needs a variety of habitats during their life history stages. Management that seeks to simultaneously conserve populations of black grouse and capercaillie needs to ensure a matrix of various forest types. A special focus must be on the critical life history of local populations to successfully preserve viable populations, for black grouse and capercaillie this implies protection of old and mid to high productive forest while keeping a heterogeneous landscape.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all volunteer personnel involved in the data retrieval, led by Håkon Solvang and Hans Christian Pedersen. We also thank Vidar Grøtan for helpful comments to the analyses and Ingerid Julie Hagen, Dr. Jochen Krauss and two anonymous referees for valuable comments on previous version of the manuscript. Data was retrieved as part of the Grouse Management Project (2006–2011) and funded by the Norwegian research council, Hedmark University College and Norwegian institute for nature research (NINA).

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  1. Unni S. Lande

    Present address: Organic Food and Farming, Bioforsk - Norwegian Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research, Gunnars veg 6, 6630, Tingvoll, Norway

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Hedmark University College, 2418, Elverum, Norway

    Unni S. Lande, Tomas Willebrand & Torstein Storaas

  2. Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83, Umeå, Sweden

    Unni S. Lande & Tomas Willebrand

  3. Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491, Trondheim, Norway

    Ivar Herfindal

  4. Department of Agriculture and Information Technology, North Trøndelag University College, 7729, Steinkjer, Norway

    Pål F. Moa

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Lande, U.S., Herfindal, I., Willebrand, T. et al. Landscape characteristics explain large-scale variation in demographic traits in forest grouse. Landscape Ecol 29, 127–139 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-013-9960-3

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