Combining point counts and autonomous recording units improves avian survey efficacy across elevational gradients on two continents ...

• Main Authors: Drake, Anna, De Zwaan, Devin R., Altamirano, Tomás A., Wilson, Scott, Hick, Kristina, Bravo, Camila, Ibarra, José Tomás, Martin, Kathy
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2021
• Subjects: Ecology; FOS Biological sciences; subalpine; biodiversity monitoring; avian diversity; high mountain biodiversity; bird surveys; ARUs; British Columbia; Canada; Kitimat; Nechako; Stikine; First Nations; Tsimshian; Tsimshian*
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.s4mw6m96d; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.s4mw6m96d

Accurate biodiversity and population monitoring is a requirement for effective conservation decision-making. Survey method bias is therefore a concern, particularly when research programs face logistical and cost limitations. We employed point counts (PCs) and autonomous recording units (ARUs) to survey avian biodiversity within comparable, high elevation, temperate mountain habitats at opposite ends of the Americas: 9 mountains in British Columbia (BC), Canada and 10 in southern Chile. We compared detected species richness against multi-year species inventories and examined method-specific detection probability by family. By incorporating time costs, we assessed the performance and efficiency of single vs. combined methods. Species accumulation curves indicate ARUs can capture ~93% of species present in BC but only ~58% in Chile, despite Chilean mountain communities being less diverse. The avian community, rather than landscape composition, appears to drive this dramatic difference. Chilean communities ... : Survey Locations In Canada (2019), we surveyed nine mountains in the D'ze Kant (Bulkley)-Nechako and Kitimat-Stikine regions of British Columbia (BC; 1000–1801 m elevation; Fig. 1). In Chile (2018), we surveyed 10 mountains in La Araucanía and Los Ríos regions (1000–1700 m elevation). These mountains fall within the traditional unceded lands of the Wet'suwet'en, Gitxsan, and Tsimshian First Nations in BC and the Mapuche people in Chile. The farthest latitudinal and longitudinal distance among survey locations was 117 km and 106 km, respectively, in BC, and 178 km and 60 km, respectively, in Chile. Surveyed habitats across elevation gradients in both regions were classified as: montane habitat (≥50% tree cover, 1000 – 1557m a.s.l.); subalpine (≥5 – 50% tree cover, 1169 – 1658m a.s.l.); and alpine (0 – 5% tree cover, 1319 – 1801m a.s.l; Boyle & Martin, 2015). All point count locations are listed in the associated file: "PointCountLocations_BC_CH.xlsx" BC survey sites fall within five biogeoclimatic zones: ...