Poster

Title: Avian Biodiversity in Midwestern Biofuel Cropping Systems

Authors:
Bruce Robertson, Postdoctoral Fellow, Michigan State University, Douglas Schemske, Professor, Michigan State University, and Patrick Doran, The Nature Conservancy, Michigan Field Office

Abstract:
Increasing demand for energy coupled with reduced oil availability has resulted in rapid and dramatic increases in the price of petroleum and spurred increased interest in the development of biofuels as alternative fuel sources. Cellulosic ethanol production promises greatly increased energy efficiency and could be a win–win for farmers, soil and water conservation, wildlife, and the environment. To date, there is limited published scientific information available linking changes in biodiversity to agricultural land-use associated with biofuel crops. Michigan State University and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center have begun a research program including an investigation of the biodiversity consequences of contemporary (corn) and potential cellulose-based (switchgrass) biofuel crops on the abundance and diversity of bird species that are able to exploit these habitats. Species exploiting biofuel crops as breeding habitat are primarily those associated with native grasslands which have experienced large-scale habitat loss over the last century. Preliminary results suggest that switchgrass may support as diverse an avian community as native mixed-grass prairie and that switchgrass or prairie as potential cellulosic biofuel crops may have substantial benefits to avian biodiversity over corn-based ethanol, especially when cultivated in large patches. Results also suggest that widespread conversion of corn to switchgrass acreage will be relatively unimportant to the maintenance of populations of rare and declining grassland bird species in this region given that three of the four listed species were only detected in native prairie.