Climate Change Habitat Model Forecasts for Eight Owl Species in the Southwestern US
DBS&A Biologist and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) team leader Jean-Luc E. Cartron, PhD, and GIS Manager, Kenny Calhoun, GISP, and seven others recently co-published the article, “Climate Change Habitat Model Forecasts for Eight Owl Species in the Southwestern US” in the journal Animals.
In the article’s conclusion, the co-authors “… project severe, region-wide breeding habitat losses for most montane owls in the Southwestern US by 2090. The near complete loss of current breeding habitats is projected in particular for known flammulated owl populations in Western New Mexico, while the projected boreal owl habitat distribution will only consist of isolated areas perhaps too small to sustain the regional persistence of the species. Three more species, the northern pygmy-owl, long-eared owl, and northern saw-whet owl, are projected to lose at least 60% of their current breeding habitats. The whiskered screech-owl is predicted to lose all its current habitat and will only persist in the region if it can track areas that become suitable to the north of its current range. More uncertainty exists for two species with distributions that extend down to lower elevations.”
Animals is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal devoted entirely to animals, including zoology and veterinary sciences, published semimonthly online by MDPI. The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), European College of Animal Welfare and Behavioural Medicine (ECAWBM), and Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations (FELASA) are affiliated with Animals.
Contributors
Jean-Luc E. Cartron 1,*,F. Jack Triepke 1,2,Dale W. Stahlecker 3,David P. Arsenault 4,Joseph L. Ganey 5,†,Charles D. Hathcock 6ORCID,Hunter K. Thompson 7,Matthieu C. Cartron 8 and Kenneth C. Calhoun 9
1 Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
2 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Albuquerque, NM 87102, USA
3 Eagle Environmental, Inc., Santa Fe, NM 87508, USA
4 American Valley Environmental, LLC, Quincy, CA 95971, USA
5 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA
6 Chiricahua Desert Museum, Rodeo, NM 88056, USA
7 Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, USA
8 Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
9 Daniel B. Stephens & Associates, Albuquerque, NM 87109, USA
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†Retired.