Find research datasets worth reusing

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2024View details →

Data from: Habitat suitability models reveal extensive distribution of deep warm water coral frameworks in the Red Sea

Deep-sea coral frameworks are understudied in the Red Sea, where conditions in the deep are conspicuously warm and saline compared to other basins. Habitat suitability models can be used to predict the distribution pattern of species or assemblages where direct observation is difficult. Here we show how coral frameworks, built by species within the families Caryophylliidae and Dendrophylliidae, are distributed between water depths of 150 m and 700 m in the northern Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba. To extrapolate the known (ground-truthed) positions of these deep frameworks, we use environmental and geomorphometric variables to inform well-performing maximum entropy models. Over 250 km2 of seafloor in our study area are identified as suitable for such frameworks, equivalent to at least 35% of the area of photic-zone coral reefs in the same region. We hence contend that deep-water coral frameworks are an important and underappreciated repository of Red Sea biodiversity.

opencc-by-4.0Oct 2024View details →

Data from: "Imprinted habitat selection varies across dispersal phases in a raptor species"

Natal Habitat Preference Induction (NHPI) plays a significant role in shaping settlement decisions in dispersive animals. Despite its importance, limited research has explored how NHPI varies during natal dispersal phases and across different types of natal habitats. In this study, we examined NHPI in 77 GPS-tagged juvenile red kites (Milvus milvus) originating from different natal habitats along an elevational gradient in Switzerland. We applied individual-based step selection analysis to investigate habitat selection from independence to settlement. We found that during the prospecting phase, individuals predominantly selected habitats similar to their natal environments. However, this pattern changed in the settlement phase: individuals fledged from habitats at higher elevations or closer to urban areas mostly avoided similar habitats (negative NHPI), while those from areas with more farmlands or pastures (combined with forests) showed a preference for similar habitats (positive NHPI). Moreover, the magnitude and individual variation in NHPI differed depending on the natal habitat types from which individuals originated. These findings highlight that strength, direction, and individual variation in NHPI differ between natal habitat types and dispersal phases. Natal habitats therefore can have pervasive legacy effects on subsequent habitat selection, likely affecting population and range dynamics.

opencc-by-4.0Aug 2021View details →

Dataset from: Small-scale patches of detritus as habitat for invertebrates within a Zostera noltei meadow

This dataset is related to "Small-scale patches of detritus as habitat for invertebrates within a Zostera noltei meadow" (Valentina Costa, Renato Chemello, Davide Iaciofano, Sabrina Lo Brutto, Francesca Rossi)

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2020View details →

Data from: Moth species richness and diversity decline in a 30-year time series in Norway, irrespective of species' latitudinal range extent and habitat

Data from: Burner, R., V. Selås, S. Kobro, R. Jacobsen, A. Sverdrup-Thygeson. 2021. Moth species richness and abundance decline in a 30-year time series, irrespective of species’ latitudinal range extent and habitat. Journal of Insect Conservation   Current contact info for corresponding author: Ryan C. Burner, rburner[at]usgs.gov   These data consist of a 30-year time series (1984 to 2013) of moth captures from a single site in southeast Norway, along with trait data for many of the species and climate data for the site. The moths were collected and identified by Sverre Kobro for the entire 30-year period and we are grateful for his efforts.    Abstract from manuscript: Introduction Insects are reported to be in decline around the globe, but long-term datasets are rare. The causes of these trends are elusive, with land use change and climate change among the top candidates. Yet if species traits can predict rates of population change, this can help identify underlying mechanisms. If climate change is important, for example, northern species may decline as southern species expand. Land use changes, however, may impact species that rely on certain habitats. Aims and Methods We present 30 years of moth captures (comprising 85,149 individuals of 885 species) from a site in southeastern Norway to test for population trends that are correlated with species traits. We use time series analyses and joint species distribution models combined with local climate and habitat data. Results and Discussion Species richness and abundance declined by 10.1% and 13.8% per decade, respectively. Capture rates declined for 19% of species during this time as well, though 6% have increased. Annual summer weather is correlated with annual rates of abundance change for many species. But, opposite to a general expectation, many species in our study responded negatively to increasing summer temperatures. Surprisingly, neither species’ northern range limits nor the habitat in which their primary food plants grow are strong predictors of their rates of change, or their responses to climatic factors. However, species with more southerly distributions are less likely to be declining. Complex and indirect effects of both land use and climate change may play a role in these declines. Implications for insect conservation Our results provide additional evidence for long-term declines in insect abundance. The multifaceted causes of population changes may limit the ability of species traits to reveal which species are most at risk.     ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks to J. Fjelddalen, who helped with geometrid moth identifications. This project was supported by internal funding from the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

Supplementary data for "Influence of prey availability on habitat selection during the non-breeding period in a resident bird of prey"

Abstract Background: For resident birds of prey in the temperate zone, the cold non-breeding period can have strong impacts on survival and reproduction with implications for population dynamics. Therefore, the non-breeding period should receive the same attention as other parts of the annual life cycle. Birds of prey in intensively managed agricultural areas are repeatedly confronted with unpredictable, rapid changes in their habitat due to agricultural practices such as mowing, harvesting, and ploughing. Such a dynamic landscape likely affects prey distribution and availability and may even result in changes in habitat selection of the predator throughout the annual cycle. Methods:  In the present study, we 1) quantified barn owl prey availability in different habitats across the annual cycle, 2) quantified the size and location of barn owl breeding and non-breeding home ranges using GPS-data, 3) assessed habitat selection in relation to prey availability during the non-breeding period, and 4) discussed differences in habitat selection during the non-breeding period to habitat selection during the breeding period. Results: The patchier prey distribution during the non-breeding period compared to the breeding period led to habitat selection towards grassland during the non-breeding period. The size of barn owl home ranges during breeding and non-breeding  were similar, but there was a small shift in home range location which was more pronounced in females than males. The changes in prey availability led to a mainly grassland-oriented habitat selection during the non-breeding period. Further, our results showed the importance of biodiversity promotion areas and undisturbed field margins within the intensively managed agricultural landscape.  Conclusions: We showed that different prey availability in habitat categories can lead to changes in habitat preference between the breeding and the non-breeding period. Given these results we show how important it is to maintain and enhance structural diversity in intensive agricultural landscapes, to effectively protect birds of prey specialised on small mammals. Hereafter we provide the datasets and R script to reproduce the resource selection functions.

Data from: Vegetation change in acidic dry grasslands in Moravia (Czech Republic) over three decades: slow decrease in habitat quality after grazing cessation

This dataset contains the original data used in the article: Harásek M., Klinkovská K. & Chytrý M. (2023) Vegetation change in acidic dry grasslands in Moravia (Czech Republic) over three decades: slow decrease in habitat quality after grazing cessation. Applied Vegetation Science, 26, e12726. https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12726 The data contain plant species composition data from resurveyed vegetation plots in southwestern and central Moravia (Czech Republic). The plots were first surveyed by Milan Chytrý in 1986–1991 (“old plots”) and resurveyed by Martin Harásek, under the supervision of Milan Chytrý, in 2018–2019 (“new plots”). Of the old plots, 86 were sampled between 26 June and 16 September and 8 in May. Their size ranged from 5 to 49 m2 (mean 33 m2). These plots were subjectively selected at different sites to document maximum variation in species composition and environmental conditions of the grasslands and heathlands studied. In each plot, all vascular plant species were recorded, and their covers were estimated using the nine-grade Braun-Blanquet scale (van der Maarel 1979). Plot locations were recorded in the form of text descriptions. Geographic coordinates of approximate location were added for each plot prior to the resurvey by the original surveyor using georeferenced aerial photographs and various information recorded in the field during the first survey, including slope, aspect and elevation. Location uncertainty (mean = 139 m) was indicated as the possible distance of the actual location from the given coordinates. The resurvey was conducted between 4 June and 16 August. Care was taken to select the most likely location of the original plot based on the coordinates of the approximate location, the original site description, and the occurrence of the species recorded during the first survey. New plots always had the same plot size as in the original sampling. Each old plot was resurveyed using 1–3 new plots depending on the uncertainty of the location of the old plot. A total of 94 old plots were resurveyed at 47 sites with 153 new plots. Of these, 71 old plots at 32 sites were in current protected areas, while 23 old plots at 15 sites were outside protected areas. All new plots were located using GPS with a location uncertainty of approximately 5 m. For each old plot resurveyed with more than one new plot, the most similar new plot (based on Bray-Curtis dissimilarity in species composition) was selected, resulting in a dataset of 94 old and 94 new plots (“best-fit dataset”). To test the robustness of the results, we created another dataset (“validation dataset”) that included the least similar of the corresponding new plots for each old plot. This dataset also included the 94 old and 94 new plots. If the old plot was resurveyed using a single new plot, that new plot was included in both the best-fit and validation datasets. The header data structure follows that of the ReSurveyEurope Database (<a href="http://euroveg.org/eva-database-re-survey-europe">http://euroveg.org/eva-database-re-survey-europe</a>). In addition, fields are added to indicate whether the new plot was used in the best-fit dataset (Best_fit) or the validation dataset (Validation). The information about location within or outside the protected area is given in the field Protection. The data on species composition and environmental variables are provided in two formats: <ul> <li>Turboveg 2 database (see <a href="https://www.synbiosys.alterra.nl/turboveg/">https://www.synbiosys.alterra.nl/turboveg/</a>) – file TurbovegDbBackup_SW_moravia_acidgrass.zip. For using this dataset in Turboveg, the database dictionary (TurbovegDdBackup_Default dictionary.zip) and the species list (TurbovegSlBackup_Czechia_slovakia_2015.zip) must be installed.</li> <li>Three TXT files with columns separated by tabs: <ul> <li>SW_moravia_acidgrass_species.txt contains the percentage covers of plant species in the plots, which are mid-values for cover-abundance categories of the Braun-Blanquet scale. Plant nomenclature was harmonised according to Danihelka et al. (2012).</li> <li>SW_moravia_acidgrass _head.txt contains information on the number of species in each plot (number_species), the number, proportion and relative cover of threatened species (IUCN categories CR, EN, VU, NT, columns CR_NT_number, CR_NT_perc_number and CR_NT_perc_cover), alien species (alien_number, alien_perc_number, alien_perc_cover), species characteristic of dry grasslands (TH_number, TH_perc_number, TH_perc_cover), sand and rock-outcrop grasslands (TF_number, TF_perc_number, TF_perc_cover), mesotrophic grasslands (TD_number, TD_perc_number, TD_perc_cover) and herbaceous ruderal vegetation (XA_XC_number, XA_XC _perc_number, XA_XC _perc_cover) and unweighted means of Ellenberg-type indicator values for light (light), temperature (temperature), moisture (moisture), soil reaction (reaction) nutrients (nutrients) and salinity (salinity) used to test changes in these variables through time.</li> <li>SW_moravia_life_forms.txt contains information about the assignment of individual species to the life form, which was used to analyse changes in frequency and cover of the life forms.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> These data are also stored in the Czech National Phytosociological Database (Chytrý & Rafajová  2003; <a href="https://botzool.cz/vegsci/phytosociologicalDb">https://botzool.cz/vegsci/phytosociologicalDb</a>) and the ReSurveyEurope database (Knollová et al. 2023; <a href="http://euroveg.org/eva-database-re-survey-europe">http://euroveg.org/eva-database-re-survey-europe</a>).

Distribution of functionally distinct native and non-indigenous species within marine urban habitats

This data file (.xls) is composed of 5 sheets: <ol> <li>The “Taxon labels”: Taxon code, full name, authority and status/type (Abiotic, Unassigned, Native, Cryptogenic, Non-Indigenous Species)</li> <li>The “Trait labels”: Trait modality and labels and correspondences.</li> <li>The “Taxon-by-Trait matrix”: Fuzzy coded scores for each trait modality and taxon</li> <li>The “Taxon-by-sample matrix”: Abundance data of retained taxa in samples</li> <li>The “Sample labels and description”: Site and experimental factors (Habitat, Age, Experimental Unit, Replicate, nested within site) corresponding to each sample.</li> </ol> Sheets 4 and 5 are extracted from a published dataset, which cannot be shared at this stage of revision without revealing the name of several of the manuscript authors. This is done in respect with the journal guidelines about data storage.

Distribution of functionally distinct native and non-indigenous species within marine urban habitats

opencc-zeroApr 2023View details →

Assessment of current and future invasive plants in protected dune habitats of the Atlantic coastal region for the LIFE DUNIAS project (LIFE20 NAT/BE/001442)

This .csv file contains the raw data from the risk screening supplementing the LIFE DUNIAS horizon scan for (invasive) alien species in protected habitats of Atlantic coastal dune ecosystems (<a href="https://doi.org/10.21436/inbor.86703335">Adriaens et al. 2022</a>). We gladly refer to the annexes and methods section in this report for more explanation about the fields and their contained values. The file contains the following fields: TaxonName: original taxonomic name of the considered alien species WorkName: taxonomic name of the considered alien species after lumping of subspecies, closely related species of a complex, functionally similar species of the same genus (see chapter 3.1) hab_xxxx (1110, 1130, 1140, 1210, 1230, 1310, 1320, 1330, 2110, 2120, 2130, 2140, 21A0, 2150, 2190, 2160, 2170, 2180): susceptibility of habitat for the alien species (4-digit code refering to the Annex I habitat under the Habitats Directive)  occ_XX (BE, FR, IE, NL, ES, UK, DK, DE, PT, ALL): occupancy of the alien species in different countries of the Atlantic European region (as the number of 10km2 squares per country). Country codes: BE = Belgium, FR = France, IE = Ireland, NL = Netherlands, ES = Spain, UK = United Kingdom, DK = Denmark, DE = Germany, PT = Portugal, ALL = total for all countries. scor_XXX_xxxx: score of the assessment per criterium (INT = introduction, EST = establishment, SPR = spread, IMP = ecological impact, ALL = overall score) and per habitat group (salt = salties, sand = sandies, shru = shrubbies) conf_XXX_xxxx: confidence on the scores of the assessment per criterium (INT = introduction, EST = establishment, SPR = spread, IMP = ecological impact, ALL = overall score) and per habitat group (salt = salties, sand = sandies, shru = shrubbies) scor_ALL_MAX: maximum ecological impact score of the alien taxon across all habitats

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2023View details →

Dataset (81 forest parcels) supplementing the publication "Owner attitudes and landscape parameters drive stand structure and valuable habitats in small-scale private forests of Lower Saxony (Germany)"

The dataset about 81 small-scale private forest parcels contains the answer variables and predictors used in the publication "Owner attitudes and landscape parameters drive stand structure and valuable habitats in small-scale private forests of Lower Saxony (Germany)".

openCC (other)Jul 2024View details →

University of Michigan Biological Station cumulative food web data for terrestrial habitats, 1909-2023.

Here, we present species and interaction lists for a food web of the aboveground terrestrial habitats at the University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS). The site is composed predominantly of dry-mesic, northern hardwood forests with patches of wooded wetlands (hardwood conifer swamp). Taxa were sourced from lists provided by UMBS, from resident biologists’ personal observations, museum specimens, online databases, historical censuses, and BioBlitz events. Only those that could be resolved to species-level or were genera with < 20 species in the Nearctic were included. We also excluded species that do not have a significant lifestage or feeding behavior in aboveground terrestrial habitats. Our focal taxonomic groups include vascular plants, arthropods, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians. The majority of arthropods are insects; non-insect arthropods were highly underrepresented in our lists. Interactions were sourced from online databases, naturalist observations, and field guides and accumulated into a “metaweb” of all potential interactions between local species. Interactions were checked by experts to plausibly occur in the aboveground terrestrial environments at UMBS, given species’ phenology, traits, and habitat usage. Interactions at any taxonomic level were included, so long as they were approved to potentially occur between all species by our experts. To study the effect of taxonomic resolution on food web structure, in this dataset, we retained records at coarser taxonomic groupings even if more highly resolved records were also approved. We included all direct interactions among species in our system with a bioenergetic flow (i.e., one species consuming another), differentiated by their focal resource. We broadly categorized the resources as animal tissues, either (1) live tissues and as prey, or (2) scavenged as carrion, carcasses, or other decaying animal remains, or as plant tissues, grouped as (3) leaves and stems, including grasses, exudates, et

openCC (other)Jan 2024View details →

Habitat fragmentation mite data, South Carolina, 2018

These csv files contain mite abundance and richness data, fungal abundance data, and leaf characteristics used in the paper "The impact of habitat fragmentation on domatia-dwelling mites and a mite-plant-fungus tritrophic interaction" published in Landscape Ecology in 2022. The project was conducted at the Savannah River Site, near Aiken, South Carolina, United States during the summer of 2018. The goal of the project was to assess the impacts of landscape-level habitat fragmentation on communities of mites and fungi on leaf surfaces growing on Quercus nigra oak trees within landscape patches. To investigate this, we counted and morphotyped mites found on leaves taken from oaks located in habitat patches manipulated to have different edge-to-area ratios and connectivity statuses. We also manipulated mite access to domatia on oak leaves using a tar treatment, and assessed whether mite exclusion and landscape fragmentation variables influenced levels of fungal hyphae on oak leaves. We found a significant positive effect of patch edge proximity on mite abundance and richness, as well as fungal hyphae abundance, indicating that landscape-level habitat fragmentation can impact microscopic foliar communities.

openCC (other)Jun 2024View details →

Data from "Grassland woody plant management rapidly changes woody vegetation persistence and abiotic habitat conditions but not herbaceous community composition"

These files contain microhabitat, soil, vegetation structure, and woody plant species data used in the paper "Grassland woody plant management rapidly changes woody vegetation persistence and abiotic habitat conditions but not herbaceous community composition". The project was conducted at seven publicly accessible remnant (i.e., unplowed or old-growth) tallgrass prairie within 100 miles of Madison, Wisconsin, United States starting in the 2020 growing season and commencing following the 2022 growing season. The goal was to assess the initial effects of different management interventions on woody vegetation persistence, abiotic habitat conditions, and herbaceous community composition, including physical and chemical management interventions and their combination.

openCC (other)Aug 2024View details →

Blarina brevicauda populations in three different habitats in east-central Illinois, 1972 to 1997.

The population demography of the northern short-tailed shrew, Blarina brevicauda, was monitored monthly from 1972-1997 in bluegrass, alfalfa, and tallgrass prairie habitats in east-central Illinois. Blarina brevicauda were incidentally collected as part of a 25-year prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) and meadow vole (M. pennsylvanicus) trapping study. The study sites were located in the University of Illinois Biological Research Area (Phillips Tract) and Trelease Prairie. Animals were trapped with wooden multiple-capture live-traps. Over the span of 25 years, three 3-day trapping sessions monthly were conducted to cover the three habitats. All live shrews were toe-clipped at first capture for individual identification. Animals known to be present on study site, but not captured, were included in totals for that month. While trap mortality of shrews was high in this study (40%), the data obtained were sufficient for analysis of many aspects of the demography of the species.

openCC (other)Aug 2024View details →

A Comparison of Recreational and Survey-Grade Side-Scan Sonar Systems in Mapping Reservoir Fish Habitat in 3 Southwest Ohio Reservoirs

Littoral zone aquatic habitat is thought to play an important driver of aquatic organism population dynamics, but historically has been difficult to obtain at the whole waterbody scale because it is costly and time-consuming to collect with traditional aquatic habitat sampling methods. Here we used side-scan sonar to quantification of habitat features over large areas using two levels of equipment: recreational (consumer-grade) and professional (survey-grade). Our goal was to compare performance of the different side-scan sonars by analyzing their ability to map shoreline habitat features (wood, vegetation, and substrate) in three southwest Ohio reservoirs that contain the range of habitat features of interest to fisheries biologists. We used a low-cost Lowrance Active Imaging 3-in-1 system (≈$2,000 USD) recreational sonar and an EdgeTech 6205 system (≈$150,000 USD) survey-grade sonar to collect imagery along the shoreline of three reservoirs in Ohio. Using imagery from each system, We manually delineated patches of submerged woody debris, standing timber, aquatic vegetation, and benthic substrate in GIS. We also compared the size of uniquely identifiable submerged wood from paired imagery to understand potential biases between the systems.

openCC (other)Nov 2024View details →

American Goshawk habitat data from nest stands and random points within the Minidoka Ranger District, Sawtooth National Forest, USA

This data supported analysis of American Goshawk (Astur atricapillus) nest stand habitat and was collected within the Minidoka Ranger District of the Sawtooth National Forest in southern Idaho and northern Utah from 2017-2020. The central goal of this research was to develop management tools that demonstrate the utility of conducting analyses at multiple spatial scales as well as using both parametric and machine learning approaches. The stand-level dataset includes variables collected by hand in the field at nest stands and paired random forested sites 300 meters away. It also includes some terrain variables based on remote sensing data. Variables included in the stand-level data table include nest, distance to edge, distance to road, distance to water, division, dominant tree species, canopy closure, Stand Density Index (SDI), Trees per hectare, elevation, slope, Topographic Position Index (TPI), northness, eastness, Diameter at Breast Height (DBH), DBH variance, tree height, tree height variance, and crown depth. We recommend that the stand-level data be used to identify relevant variables and their thresholds for forest managers due to its high resolution. The forest-wide dataset includes only variables collected using various remote sensing datasets at nests and random forested points throghout the Minidoka Ranger District of the Sawtooth National Forest. Variables included in the forest-wide data table include nest, canopy closure, elevation, slope, TPI, northness, eastness, distance to road, distance to water, distance to edge, tree height, and crown depth. We recommend that the forest-wide data be used to identify areas of high suitability for goshawk occupancy across the study area along with sites that could become suitable habitat with management intervention. Latitude and longitude data, while used in our analyses, are excluded from the data tables to protect breeding goshawks from disturbance.

openCC0Sep 2018View details →

Demographic measures of Liatris ohlingerae (Asteraceae) in 20 populations across multiple habitats and time-since-fire intervals in south central Florida from 1997-2017

Demographic data were collected on 2,858 tagged individually marked plants annually from 1997 to 2017 in 20 populations across three sites on the southern end of the Lake Wales Ridge in south central Florida, USA. Our goal was to understand demographic responses including recruitment, survival, reproduction and mortality of individuals across populations, habitat types and fire-return-intervals. Habitats include rosemary scrub, scrubby flatwoods and human created sandy roadsides. Populations spanned three sites including Archbold Biological Station (18 populations), Florida Forest Service Arbuckle Tract of the Lake Wales Ridge State Forest (1 population), and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Gould Road property (1 population). Annual demographic measures include survival (including plant dormancy), stage, measures of size, reproductive effort and herbivory. Plots were surveyed annually during flowering in August for previously marked plants and searched for newly recruited putative seedlings or previously missed larger adults. This landscape is managed with periodic prescribed fire impacting some populations with additional post-burn censuses completed after the burn. In addition, damage following three hurricanes in 2004 were recorded. Plants were followed through their lifecycle and after four years of no aboveground growth, plants were assumed dead and tags removed from the field.

openCC0Aug 2021View details →

CSM01 Seasonal Summary of Numbers of Small Mammals on 14 LTER Traplines in Prairie Habitats at Konza Prairie (Reformatted to the ecocomDP Design Pattern)

This data package is formatted as an ecocomDP (Ecological Community Data Pattern). For more information on ecocomDP see https://github.com/EDIorg/ecocomDP. This Level 1 data package was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://pasta.lternet.edu/package/metadata/eml/knb-lter-knz/88/8. The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context: Data set contains seasonal summaries (spring and autumn) of the number of individuals of each species of small mammal captured (relative abundance) on each grassland trapline. Each record contains year, season, trapline and number of individuals captured of each species. These live trap records are based on daily captures during two 4-day trapping periods in spring (late February to early April) and autumn (early October to mid-November) for each of 14 permanent traplines established on seven fire-grazing treatments (two traplines per treatment). These seven fire-grazing treatments include three sites that are grazed by bison (1 unburned, 1 annual burn and 1 4-year burn) and four sites that are not grazed by bison (1 unburned, 1 annual burn and 2 4-year burn).

openCC0Apr 2021View details →

Using Biodiversity Data to Assess Species-Habitat Relationships in Glacier National Park, Montana

Biodiversity surveys are becoming increasingly popular. However, standard analysis techniques for these data have not yet been developed. This paper explores the use of multivariate ordination techniques for assessing species-habitat relationships using biodiversity data. The research was conducted in Glacier National Park, Montana, and birds and butterflies were chosen as the taxonomic groups of study. Biodiversity assessment sites were established through a range of habitats and monitored from 1987 through 1989. Presence/absence sampling over the total number of sampling sites was used to classify species commonness and rarity. Approximately 86% of the historically recorded butterflies and 70% of the historically recorded bird species have been observed in the 3 yr of sampling. During the 3 yr of this study there was a striking continuity of species richness per site. There was also a striking overlap between the sites that support high species diversity and sites that support rare species. Principal components analysis and cluster analysis worked well in discerning species-habitat relationships. Elevation, structural diversity of the site, and moisture were the major factors explaining species distributions. A chi-square analysis also provided some insights into species-habitat relationships, showing birds were more habitat specific than butterflies. Habitat diversity analyses demonstrated a positive but non-significant correlation between remotely sense spectral-class diversity of a site and species richness for both birds and butterflies. Aspect, slope and elevation diversity had a negative or negligible relationship with species richness.