Bird communities and biomass yields in potential bioenergy grasslands

Demand for bioenergy is increasing, but the ecological consequences of bioenergy crop production on working lands remain unresolved. Corn is currently a dominant bioenergy crop, but perennial grasslands could produce renewable bioenergy resources and enhance biodiversity. Grassland bird populations...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2014-10, Vol.9 (10), p.e109989-e109989
Main Authors: Blank, Peter J, Sample, David W, Williams, Carol L, Turner, Monica G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural commodities
Agricultural management
Agricultural production
Alternative energy sources
Andropogon gerardii
Animals
Biodiesel fuels
Biodiversity
Biological diversity conservation
Biology and Life Sciences
Biomass
Biomass energy
Bird populations
Birds
Birds - physiology
Breeding
Climate change
Communities
Conservation
Conservation biology
Conservation of Natural Resources
Corn
Crop
Crop production
Crop yield
Crops
Density
Ecology and Environmental Sciences
Ecosystem
Energy Metabolism
Engineering and Technology
Environmental protection
Grasses
Grassland
Grassland management
Grasslands
Habitats
Landscape preservation
Monoculture
Natural resources
Panicum virgatum
Parcels
Poaceae
Population Dynamics
Raw materials
Renewable energy
Species richness
Studies
Vegetation
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife management
Yield
Zea mays
Zoology
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Summary:Demand for bioenergy is increasing, but the ecological consequences of bioenergy crop production on working lands remain unresolved. Corn is currently a dominant bioenergy crop, but perennial grasslands could produce renewable bioenergy resources and enhance biodiversity. Grassland bird populations have declined in recent decades and may particularly benefit from perennial grasslands grown for bioenergy. We asked how breeding bird community assemblages, vegetation characteristics, and biomass yields varied among three types of potential bioenergy grassland fields (grass monocultures, grass-dominated fields, and forb-dominated fields), and assessed tradeoffs between grassland biomass production and bird habitat. We also compared the bird communities in grassland fields to nearby cornfields. Cornfields had few birds compared to perennial grassland fields. Ten bird Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) were observed in perennial grassland fields. Bird species richness and total bird density increased with forb cover and were greater in forb-dominated fields than grass monocultures. SGCN density declined with increasing vertical vegetation density, indicating that tall, dense grassland fields managed for maximum biomass yield would be of lesser value to imperiled grassland bird species. The proportion of grassland habitat within 1 km of study sites was positively associated with bird species richness and the density of total birds and SGCNs, suggesting that grassland bioenergy fields may be more beneficial for grassland birds if they are established near other grassland parcels. Predicted total bird density peaked below maximum biomass yields and predicted SGCN density was negatively related to biomass yields. Our results indicate that perennial grassland fields could produce bioenergy feedstocks while providing bird habitat. Bioenergy grasslands promote agricultural multifunctionality and conservation of biodiversity in working landscapes.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0109989