Calcium, snails, and songbirds

The Adirondack Mountains have experienced decades of acidic deposition, which has left soils deficient in important nutrients, especially calcium. We are investigating bird abundance and diversity patterns along a calcium gradient as part of a larger effort investigating plant, amphibian, invertebrate, and bird populations to determine if locations with high soil calcium levels appear to be more resistant to acidification and support higher biodiversity. The results may guide conservation policy by prioritizing highly buffered sites as refugia within the Adirondacks that retain potential for long-term acidification resistance and recovery.