Nam Texas là một trong số các vùng sinh thái đa dạng nhất tại Bắc Mỹ. Thật vậy, số lượng cây trồng và các loài động vật có xương sống trên 365-km2 Lower Rio Grande Valley NationalWildlife Refuge có thể so sánh hoặc vượt quá số lượng loài thực vật và động vật có xương sống được tìm thấy trong cả hai 6102-km2 Everglades National Park và 9034-km2 Công viên quốc gia Yellowstone (Fulbright và Bryant 2001). | 2 Avian Ecology at the Landscape Scale in South Texas Applying Metapopulation Theory to Grassland Bird Conservation William P Kuvlesky Jr. Leonard A. Brennan Bart M. Ballard and Tom M. Langschied CONTENTS Grassland Birds. 22 South Texas Grassland Birds. 23 Habitat Fragmentation. 24 Breeding Grounds. 24 Wintering Grounds. 26 South Texas. 27 Applying Metapopulation Theory to Birds Occupying Fragmented Landscapes . 27 The Source-Sink Paradigm. 28 The Balanced Dispersal Paradigm. 30 Other Metapopulation Systems in Fragmented Landscapes. 31 Applying Metapopulation Theory to South Texas Grassland Birds. 32 Northern Bobwhite Research A Model for Grassland Birds. 33 Landscape Management Opportunities. 34 Traditional Land Management Activities. 34 Ecological Traps. 34 Supplemental Feeding. 34 Linking Metapopulation Theory to Management of Grassland Birds . 35 Conclusion. 36 Acknowledgments. 38 References. 38 South Texas is among the most ecologically diverse regions in North America. Indeed the number of plant and vertebrate species on the 365-km2 Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge is comparable to or exceeds the number of plant and vertebrate species found in both the 6102-km2 Everglades National Park and the 9034-km2 Yellowstone National Park Fulbright and Bryant 2001 . 21 2008 by Taylor Francis Group LLC 22 Wildlife Science Linking Ecological Theory and Management Applications The tremendous diversity of wildlife in South Texas reflects the extraordinary diversity of vegetation communities that results from the spatially and temporally variable environmental conditions characterizing the region. Moreover the unique land ownership patterns of South Texas ranchers also contribute to the continued preservation of South Texas biodiversity. Unlike numerous rural landowners in Texas many South Texas landowners are third- and fourth-generation ranchers who have resisted commercial development of their family properties and have thereby minimized the landscape .
