Wildlife : Advancing the successional process and Cover construction.

Advancing the successional process :

Succession is a periodic process from nudation to climax community in a particular area. It depends upon various abiotic factors to achieve the colonization stage. The colonise species is called ‘Pioneer’ species. Suppose a species invasion is occured in existing one and if that alien species reached to climax by defending the early existing pioneer species then it would be in advanced stage of succession process and it considered that existing environmental condition favoured or facilitate the invade species to reach in its advance stage of succession, because the new alien species is much advanced than pioneer by utilising existing species’s environment.

Cover Construction :

Cover is the essential elements which provides space for living. All types of vegetation and any other physical entities present in habitat may considered as cover, through which the requirement of shelter for animals fulfilled.

The position, height and shape may influence the habitat quality wheather it is more suitable or not. Cover is different for different species in wildlife, so according to the species types the cover would be specific. To maintain the wildlife with balanced equilibrium cover construction is necessary.

There are various ways through which cover construction can be made easy.

i) Permanent Openings :

These are the area where ground is covered with grasses as well as herbaceous plants that are helpful for escape, nesting and brood rearing. These area provides food for birds and mammals like cottontail rabbits, turkey and songbirds. Silviculture is one of the technique which create the openings by planting annuals or perennials accordingly with the soil character and need of wildlife.

ii) Brush Piles :

After logging, placing the wooden log having 6-10 inches diameter and 6-8 feet long placed parallel to each other with 8-12 inches gap between them, then by placing more poles above it perpendicularly, loose stems can also be placed on second layer. Making dense at middle by twigs and looser near edge became piles last longer.

Below the piles, there having a plenty of space for quail, rabbit, turkey etc, the tunnel present in piles helps them to escaping from predators.

iii) Shrub :

Allowing the tress and shrubs to grow more densely which will ultimately helps in cover construction.

iv) Edge :

Edges are the areas where two vegetations coincides and provide food resources. This type of cover can be construct by planting in area having 20 feet wide, which should contain taller plants near to other small vegetation. Near to the meeting site of two vegetation trees are gets dropping down by hinge cutting where the droped trees provide escape points or shelter for animals and songbirds, deer, turkey etc.

Other methods of cover construction includes nest cavities for birds in trees, dead branch sites, dead portions of trees, artificial best sties like nest boxes which can be placed in trees or around ponds and marshes; travel corridors provide securely travel of animal which requires large habitat for inhabiting in search of food, the travel corridors may be streams, drains or rivers and over fence line.