Collaborative Research: MRA: Elucidating the multi-dimensionality and scaling of avian diversity-vegetation relationships

This project will study the impacts of habitat structure on biodiversity; that is, the variety of forms of life. Habitat structure is the spatial arrangement of plants and resources in natural communities. This structure is important for biodiversity because it affects where organisms can live. The goal of this project is to effectively plan for the future of ecosystems in the face of human impacts. To date, studies have focused on one small aspect of habitat structure—tree canopy height—and have only done studies at small spatial scales. But, habitat structure is more complex than tree canopy height and might change at larger spatial scales when considering local communities up to entire continents. To address this knowledge gap, this project will use bird sightings and data collected from airplanes and satellites to test how habitat structure affects biodiversity at local to continental scales. Findings from this research will help understand the impacts of human disturbance and natural disturbance on habitats and biodiversity. The project will provide results and data for the scientific and educational communities. The project will also train a diverse workforce in ecological research by training middle- and high-schoolers and postdoctoral researchers from groups typically underrepresented in science. This project will provide new insights into the mechanistic underpinnings of avian diversity-vegetation associations through the exploration of the relationships between taxonomic and functional facets of avian diversity and three-dimensional (3-D) vegetation structure across spatial scales from local to continental. This project will expand on existing studies by recognizing the multi-dimensionality of vegetation structure, including both its vertical and horizontal heterogeneity of vegetation. To do so, the project will use air-borne and space-borne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors. Second, this research will identify traits that mediate the associations of avian diversity with 3-D vegetation structure through the exploration of trait-environment relationships. As such, the project will provide a basis for identifying traits that consistently respond to changes in vegetation structure and might hold the strongest potential for predicting future states of avian diversity in the face of habitat modification and loss. Finally, by exploring multiple spatial scales, the project will advance the theoretical foundation of scale dependence in biodiversity-vegetation relationships. Ultimately, the findings will have implications for understanding the impacts of environmental change on biodiversity. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.