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- Title
Annual energy expenditure by the avifauna of a northern hardwoods ecosystem.
- Authors
Holmes, R. T.; Sturges, F. W.
- Abstract
The avian standing crop of the Hubbard Brook northern hardwoods watershed. ecosystem in central New Hampshire (USA) was determined during two years. The numbers and biomass vary seasonally, with peak abundances avenging 325 individuals of 25-26 species/10 ha and 6535 g/10 ha in early July and lows of 22 individuals of 6 species/10 ha and 441 g/10 ha during the long cold winters. Combining these data on standing crop with estimates of respiratory metabolism derived front laboratory studies gives an estimate of avian respiratory metabolism in the Hubbard Brook forest of 5 kcal m-2 yr-1. Avian production is calculated at 0.06 kcal m-2 yr-1. Since 80 per cent of the annual diet of the avifauna is considered to be at the secondary consumer level, the total energy flow estimate for secondary consuming birds is 4.04 kcal m-2 yr-1. This represents 0.1 per cent of the net primary production in the forest ecosystem, a figure which fits closely with values predicted from the literature.
- Subjects
BIRD surveys; HARDWOODS; BIOTIC communities; FORESTS &; forestry; ECOLOGY; BIOMASS
- Publication
Oikos, 1973, Vol 24, Issue 1, p24
- ISSN
0030-1299
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2307/3543249