%0 Journal Article %J PLoS ONE %D 2013 %T Carnivore Use of Avocado Orchards across an Agricultural-Wildland Gradient %A Nogeire, Theresa %A Davis, Frank W. %A Duggan, Jennifer M %A Crooks, Kevin R. %A Boydston, Erin E. %X

Wide-ranging species cannot persist in reserves alone. Consequently, there is growing interest in the conservation value of agricultural lands that separate or buffer natural areas. The value of agricultural lands for wildlife habitat and connectivity varies as a function of the crop type and landscape context, and quantifying these differences will improve our ability to manage these lands more effectively for animals. In southern California, many species are present in avocado orchards, including mammalian carnivores. We examined occupancy of avocado orchards by mammalian carnivores across agricultural-wildland gradients in southern California with motion-activated cameras. More carnivore species were detected with cameras in orchards than in wildland sites, and for bobcats and gray foxes, orchards were associated with higher occupancy rates. Our results demonstrate that agricultural lands have potential to contribute to conservation by providing habitat or facilitating landscape connectivity.

%B PLoS ONE %V 8 %G eng %U http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0068025 %N 7 %& e68025 %0 Thesis %B Bren School of Environmental Science and Management %D 2011 %T Wildlife Habitat Use in Agriculture-Dominated Landscapes %A Nogeire, Theresa %K http://gradworks.umi.com/3482016.pdf %B Bren School of Environmental Science and Management %I University of California %C Santa Barbara, California %V Ph.D. %8 2011 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Ecology Letters %D 2009 %T Loss of functional diversity under land use intensification across multiple taxa %A Flynn, Dan F. B. %A Gogol-Prokurat, Melanie %A Nogeire, Theresa %A Molinari, Nicole %A Richers, Bárbara Trautman %A Lin, Brenda B. %A Simpson, Nicholas %A Mayfield, Margaret M. %A DeClerck, Fabrice %K ecosystem services %K functional diversity %X Land use intensification can greatly reduce species richness and ecosystem functioning. However, species richness determines ecosystem functioning through the diversity and values of traits of species present. Here, we analyze changes in species richness and functional diversity (FD) at varying agricultural land use intensity levels. We test hypotheses of FD responses to land use intensification in plant, bird, and mammal communities using trait data compiled for 1600+ species. To isolate changes in FD from changes in species richness we compare the FD of communities to the null expectations of FD values. In over one-quarter of the bird and mammal communities impacted by agriculture, declines in FD were steeper than predicted by species number. In plant communities, changes in FD were indistinguishable from changes in species richness. Land use intensification can reduce the functional diversity of animal communities beyond changes in species richness alone, potentially imperiling provisioning of ecosystem services. %B Ecology Letters %V 12 %P 22-33 %8 2009 %G eng %U http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121460362/abstract