A dataset to study the relationship between species abundance of birds and habitat features.
Source:R/data-forest.birds.R
forest.birds.RdContains a subset of the variables from a larger 1987 study analyzing the effect of habitat fragmentation on bird abundance in the Latrobe Valley of southeastern Victoria, Australia. Habitat fragmentation is the process in which land development disrupts the native habitat of certain species. The dataset has variables on forest bird abundance in a forest patch (typically the response of interest) and features of patch.
Format
A tibble with 56 rows and 8 variables:
abundanceNumeric vector. Average number of forest birds observed in the patch, as calculated from several independent 20-minute counting sessions.
patch.areaNumeric vector. The area of the patch. Areas were measured in hectares; 1 hectare is 10,000 square meters and approximately 2.47 acres.
year.of.isolationThe year the patch was isolated by fragmentation of local environment.
dist.nearestNumeric vector. Distance to the nearest patch, measured in kilometers.
dist.largerNumeric vector. Distance to the nearest patch that is larger than the current patch, measured in kilometers.
grazing.intensityFactor. A score indicating the extent of livestock grazing. The categories are: "light", "less than average", "average", "moderately heavy", "heavy".
altitudeNumeric vector. Altitude of the patch, measured in meters.
yrs.isolationNumeric vector. Number of years of isolation at the time study was conducted (1983).Computed as 1983 - year.of.isolation
References
Loyn R.H. 1987 Effects of patch area and habitat on bird abundances, species numbers and tree health in fragmented Victorian forests." In Nature Conservation: The Role of Remnants of Native Vegetation. Saunders DA, Arnold GW, Burbridge AA, and Hopkins AJM eds. Surrey Beatty and Sons, Chipping Norton, NSW, 65-77, 1987. Logan, M 2011 Biostatistical Design and Analysis Using R. Wiley-Blackwell, Chapter 9