Effects of mast seeding on forest bird communities

Effects of mast seeding on forest bird communities

Forest habitats are frequently characterized by synchronized and intermittent production of a large seed crop (mast seeding). These “resource pulses” trigger a cascade of direct and indirect effects that permeate throughout forest ecosystems and have critical consequences for forest communities, including birds. We investigate how ecological and life-history traits affect the way birds respond to mast seeding, and how mast seeding affects nest predation in forest songbirds.

Projects

Selected publications

Szymkowiak J., Thomson R.L. 2019. Nest predator avoidance during habitat selection of a songbird varies with mast peaks and troughs. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 73:91, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-019-2702-z

Szymkowiak J., Kuczyński L. 2015. Avoiding predators in a fluctuating environment: responses of the wood warbler to pulsed resources. Behavioral Ecology, 26: 601-608, DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru237