Increasing demand for energy coupled with reduced oil availability has spurred increased interest in the development of biofuels as alternative fuel sources. Cellulosic ethanol production from perennial crops such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) promise greatly increased energy efficiency and enhanced ecological sustainability, yet there is limited published information available linking changes in biodiversity to agricultural land-use associated with biofuel crops. We examined the abundance and diversity of birds exploiting contemporary (corn) and second generation cellulosic feedstocks (switchgrass and mixed-grass prairie) as breeding habitat in southern
Results/Conclusions Results illustrate switchgrass fields will support an avian community richer than that associated corn-based ethanol, but less diverse than that of native prairie. We demonstrate area-sensitivity in grassland birds in both prairie and switchgrass patches and show that avian species richness in these crops increases with patch size, while it declines with patch size in corn. While widespread conversion of corn to switchgrass acreage may have benefits for some grassland birds, our results suggest it will be relatively unimportant to the maintenance of populations of rare and declining grassland bird species in this region.
