| Northern bobwhite populations are declining throughout their range. Impacts of intensive pine management on quail chick food supplies may influence this decline. Objectives were to determine the effects of such management on arthropod abundance and biomass, and to determine impacts on chick growth. Arthropods were sampled during summers 2001 and 2002. Fourteen to 16 months after treatment, arthropod abundance for sweepnet samples was highest in plots that received herbicide and fertilizer for one growing season, while plots that received herbicide and no fertilizer for two growing seasons supported the least. Twenty-six to 28 months post application, no differences existed among treatments ( P > 0.05). No differences in chick growth rates were found among treatments (P > 0.05), nor were relationships detected between growth rates and arthropods (P > 0.05). Results suggest that effects of herbicides and fertilizers in clearcuts on arthropod abundance and biomass are short-lived. |
