OOS 49 - Why Do Birds Matter? Birds’ Ecological Functions and Ecosystem Services.

Thursday, August 9, 2012: 1:30 PM-5:00 PM
B110, Oregon Convention Center
Organizer:
Daniel G. Wenny, Loras College
Co-organizers:
Chris Whelan, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL; and Cagan H. Sekercioglu, University of Utah
Moderator:
Diana Tomback, University of Colorado
Birds are involved in numerous important ecosystem functions that help sustain Earth’s diverse ecosystems, yet few of these functions have been quantified or even studied from an ecosystem service perspective. The current challenge is to obtain meaningful calculations of ecosystem services that can be used to incorporate biodiversity conservation into land use management and policy. Recent work on birds’ ecosystem services has made progress towards this goal, but much remains to be done. Our objectives in this session are to fully describe several main ecosystem services provided by birds, highlight recent progress towards quantifying them, and, finally, to suggest directions for future research. Global efforts to conserve bird populations and sustain avian biodiversity also preserve the diverse ecosystem services provided by birds, thus contributing to human well-being.
1:30 PM
 Seed dispersal by waterfowl
Andy J. Green, Estacion Biologica de Donana, CSIC
1:50 PM
 Seed dispersal by terrestrial frugivorous birds
Daniel G. Wenny, Loras College
2:10 PM
 The effect of complete bird loss on the forests of Guam
Haldre S. Rogers, Rice University; Janneke Hille Ris Lambers, University of Washington; Joshua J. Tewksbury, Future Earth; Ross Miller, University of Guam
2:30 PM
 Anthropogenic noise alters key ecological services provided by birds
Clinton D. Francis, National Evolutionary Synthesis Center; Nathan J. Kleist, University of Colorado; Catherine P. Ortega, Fort Lewis College; Alexander Cruz, University of Colorado
2:50 PM
 Effectiveness of the non-native Japanese white-eye as a novel pollinator of endemic Hawaiian plants
Clare E. Aslan, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; Erika S. Zavaleta, University of California, Santa Cruz; Bernie R. Tershy, University of California, Santa Cruz; Donald A. Croll, University of California, Santa Cruz
3:10 PM
3:40 PM
 Woodpeckers as ecosystem engineers
Chris H. Floyd, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; Kathy Martin, University of British Columbia
4:00 PM
 Incorporating birds into tools for measuring ecosystem services: A case study from Central California
Nathaniel E. Seavy, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Science; Kelli McCune, Sustainable Conservation; Amy Merril, Stillwater Science; Megan Keever, Stillwater Science; Jessa Guisse, Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
4:20 PM
 Reconciliation ecology in urban environments takes advantage of the popularity of birds
Will R. Turner, University of Arizona; Rachel M. White, University of Arizona; Jennifer MacFarland, University of Arizona; Michael L. Rosenzweig, University of Arizona
See more of: Organized Oral Session