TITLE:
Evaluation of habitat quality for selected wildlife species associated with island back channels
AUTHORS:
James T. Anderson, Andrew K. Zadnik, Petra Bohall Wood, Kerry Bledsoe
KEYWORDS:
Habitat Suitability Index; Island Back Channel; Model Validation; Ohio River; Riparian Wildlife
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Ecology,
Vol.3 No.4,
July
23,
2013
ABSTRACT: The islands and associated back channels on the Ohio
River, USA, are believed to provide critical habitat features for several
wildlife species. However, few studies have quantitatively evaluated habitat
quality in these areas. Our main objective was to evaluate the habitat quality
of back and main channel areas for several species using habitat suitability
index (HSI) models. To test the effectiveness of these models, we attempted to
relate HSI scores and the variables measured for each model with measures of relative abundance for the model species. The
mean belted kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon)
HSI was greater on the main than back channel. However, the model failed to
predict kingfisher abundance. The mean reproduction component of the great blue
heron (Ardea herodias) HSI, total
common muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus)
HSI, winter cover component of the snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) HSI, and brood-rearing component of the wood
duck (Aix sponsa) HSI were all
greater on the back than main channel, and were positively related with the
relative abundance of each species. We found that island back channels provide
characteristics not found elsewhere on the Ohio River and warrant conservation
as important riparian wildlife habitat. The effectiveness of using HSI models
to predict species abundance on the river was mixed. Modifications to several
of the models are needed to improve their use on the Ohio River and, likely,
other large rivers.