Effects of forest fragmentation on genetic variation in endemic understory forest birds in central Madagascar

2000 ◽  
Vol 141 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aristide Andrianarimisa ◽  
Lutz Bachmann ◽  
Jörg U. Ganzhorn ◽  
Steven M. Goodman ◽  
Jürgen Tomiuk
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Forest Fragmentation ◽  
Forest Birds

scholarly journals Forest birds respond to the spatial pattern of exurban development in the Mid-Atlantic region, USA

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcela Suarez-Rubio ◽  
Todd R. Lookingbill
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Spatial Scale ◽  
Forest Fragmentation ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
The United States ◽  
Forest Edge ◽  
Forest Birds ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
Exurban Development

Housing development beyond the urban fringe (i.e., exurban development) is one of the fastest growing forms of land-use change in the United States. Exurban development’s attraction to natural and recreational amenities has raised concerns for conservation and represents a potential threat to wildlife. Although forest-dependent species have been found particularly sensitive to low housing densities, it is unclear how the spatial distribution of houses affects forest birds. The aim of this study was to assess forest bird responses to changes in the spatial pattern of exurban development and also to examine species responses when forest loss and forest fragmentation were considered. We evaluated landscape composition around North American Breeding Bird Survey stops between 1986 and 2009 by developing a compactness index to assess changes in the spatial pattern of exurban development over time. Compactness was defined as a measure of how clustered exurban development was in the area surrounding each survey stop at each time period considered. We used Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis to detect the response of forest and forest-edge species in terms of occurrence and relative abundance along the compactness gradient at two spatial scales (400-m and 1-km radius buffer). Our results showed that most forest birds and some forest-edge species were positively associated with high levels of compactness at the larger spatial scale; the proportion of forest in the surrounding landscape also had a significant effect when forest loss and forest fragmentation were accounted for. In contrast, the spatial configuration of exurban development was an important predictor of occurrence and abundance for only a few species at the smaller spatial scale. The positive response of forest birds to compactness at the larger scale could represent a systematic trajectory of decline and could be highly detrimental to bird diversity if exurban growth continues and creates more compacted development.

scholarly journals Gamebird responses to anthropogenic forest fragmentation and degradation in a southern Amazonian landscape

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernanda Michalski ◽  
Carlos A. Peres
Keyword(s):  
Forest Fragmentation ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Forest Disturbance ◽  
Selective Logging ◽  
Forest Birds ◽  
Line Transect ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Forest Patch ◽  
Species Persistence ◽  
Gamebird Species

Although large-bodied tropical forest birds are impacted by both habitat loss and fragmentation, their patterns of habitat occupancy will also depend on the degree of forest habitat disturbance, which may interact synergistically or additively with fragmentation effects. Here, we examine the effects of forest patch and landscape metrics, and levels of forest disturbance on the patterns of persistence of six gamebird taxa in the southern Brazilian Amazon. We use both interview data conducted with long-term residents and/or landowners from 129 remnant forest patches and 15 continuous forest sites and line-transect census data from a subset of 21 forest patches and two continuous forests. Forest patch area was the strongest predictor of species persistence, explaining as much as 46% of the overall variation in gamebird species richness. Logistic regression models showed that anthropogenic disturbance—including surface wildfires, selective logging and hunting pressure—had a variety of effects on species persistence. Most large-bodied gamebird species were sensitive to forest fragmentation, occupying primarily large, high-quality forest patches in higher abundances, and were typically absent from patches <100 ha. Our findings highlight the importance of large (>10,000 ha), relatively undisturbed forest patches to both maximize persistence and maintain baseline abundances of large neotropical forest birds.

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