Blair, R. B. 1996. Land use and avian species diversity along an urban gradient. Ecological Applications 6:506–519. http://academic.uprm.edu/~jchinea/cursos/comunidades/refs/blair1996.pdf Questions 1. The author predicts that different bird species will respond differently to urbanization. What are the three response groups the author expects to find and how is each predicted to respond to urbanization? 2. Although not explicitly stated in the text, the author compared bird densities among sites using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Describe the experimental design of the ANOVA: what were the response and predictor variables, and treatment levels? Explain how the author used replication in both space and time. 3. The author presents data on bird densities within sites in both Table 1 and Figure 3. Which presentation do you find more interpretable and why? What information is common to both, what is unique to either one or the other? Could you limit the redundancy of these two presentations by combining them into one table or figure? If so, which would you choose and how would you lay it out? 4. The golf course had the highest bird species richness, density, and biomass (when Rock Doves were excluded from the analysis), and the second highest diversity (Figure 4). Summarize the author’s explanation for this result. 5. Based on the study results, briefly argue the pros and cons of golf courses as they relate to bird diversity and abundance. Solution 1: The author predicts three groups of birds which he called as urban exploiters, urban avoiders and suburban adaptable. The urban exploiters are expected to get adapted to the changes and to reach their highest densities at the developed sites. The urban avoiders are expected to respond in a sensitive way to the anthropogenic changes in their habitat and are expected to have their maximum densities at the natural sites only. The suburban adaptables are expected to exploit some additional available resources leading to their moderate development..

1. Blair, R. B. 1996. Land use and avian species diversity along an urban gradient. Ecological
Applications 6:506–519.
http://academic.uprm.edu/~jchinea/cursos/comunidades/refs/blair1996.pdf
Questions 1. The author predicts that different bird species will respond differently to
urbanization. What are the three response groups the author expects to find and how is each
predicted to respond to urbanization? 2. Although not explicitly stated in the text, the author
compared bird densities among sites using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Describe the
experimental design of the ANOVA: what were the response and predictor variables, and
treatment levels? Explain how the author used replication in both space and time. 3. The author
presents data on bird densities within sites in both Table 1 and Figure 3. Which presentation do
you find more interpretable and why? What information is common to both, what is unique to
either one or the other? Could you limit the redundancy of these two presentations by combining
them into one table or figure? If so, which would you choose and how would you lay it out? 4.
The golf course had the highest bird species richness, density, and biomass (when Rock Doves
were excluded from the analysis), and the second highest diversity (Figure 4). Summarize the
author’s explanation for this result. 5. Based on the study results, briefly argue the pros and cons
of golf courses as they relate to bird diversity and abundance.
Solution
1: The author predicts three groups of birds which he called as urban exploiters, urban avoiders
and suburban adaptable. The urban exploiters are expected to get adapted to the changes and to
reach their highest densities at the developed sites. The urban avoiders are expected to respond in
a sensitive way to the anthropogenic changes in their habitat and are expected to have their
maximum densities at the natural sites only. The suburban adaptables are expected to exploit
some additional available resources leading to their moderate development.