Open AccessNumber and proportion of southern bird species in Norway in relation to latitude, spring temperature and respiration equivalent
Author(s) -
Heggberget Thrine Moen
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
ecography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.973
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1600-0587
pISSN - 0906-7590
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0587.1987.tb00742.x
Subject(s) - wader , passerine , ecology , latitude , habitat , species richness , wetland , biology , spring (device) , respiration , geography , botany , geodesy , mechanical engineering , engineering
Numbers and proportions of southern bird species in Norway were analyzed, mainly using data from the literature. Southern, regularly breeding, bird species constituted 18% of water/wetland birds and 45% of landbirds. This difference is related to the opposing latitudinal gradients in species richness. Also, the majority of southern water/wetland bird species in Norway are associated with a habitat type that covers small areas, in contrast to southern landbird species. Correlation analysis showed that May temperature and respiration equivalent (a measure of potential for plant growth and ripening) each could account for about 85% of the variation in proportion of southern passerine species, and about 75% in proportion of southern wader species. Significant second‐order, partial correlations were found between proportion of southern passerines and latitude. May temperature and respiration equivalent. It is suggested that the northern distributional limits of passerines, may be indirectly causally related to May temperature and respiration equivalent, and also directly causally related to May temperature. Evidence of causal relationships between northern distributional limits of waders and May temperature or respiration equivalent was not found. For May temperature this may be because of insufficient number of wader censuses.