scholarly journals Behavior influences range limits and patterns of coexistence across an elevational gradient in tropical bird diversity

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin G Freeman ◽  
Joseph A Tobias ◽  
Dolph Schluter
Keyword(s):  
Interference Competition ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Range Limits ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Basic Question ◽  
Evolutionary Relatedness ◽  
Range Overlap ◽  
Elevational Range ◽  
Close Relatives

AbstractDoes competition influence patterns of coexistence between closely related taxa? Here we address this basic question in ecology by analyzing patterns of range overlap between related bird species (“sister pairs”) distributed along a Neotropical elevational gradient. We explicitly contrast the behavioral dimension of interspecific competition (interference competition) with similarity in resource acquisition traits (exploitative competition). We find that behavioral interactions are generally important in setting elevational range limits and preventing coexistence of closely related species. Specifically, close relatives that defend year-round territories tend to live in non-overlapping elevational distributions, while close relatives that do not defend territories tend to broadly overlap in distribution. In contrast, neither similarity in beak morphology nor evolutionary relatedness was associated with patterns of range limitation. Our main result is that interference competition can be an important driver of species ranges at the scale of entire diverse assemblages. Consequently, we suggest that behavioral dimensions of the niche should be more broadly incorporated in macroecological studies.

scholarly journals Afrotropical montane birds experience upslope shifts and range contractions along a fragmented elevational gradient in response to global warming

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0248712
Author(s):  
Montague H. C. Neate-Clegg ◽  
Simon N. Stuart ◽  
Devolent Mtui ◽  
Çağan H. Şekercioğlu ◽  
William D. Newmark
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Range Limits ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Elevational Range ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Over Time

Global warming is predicted to result in upslope shifts in the elevational ranges of bird species in montane habitats. Yet few studies have examined changes over time in the elevational distribution of species along fragmented gradients in response to global warming. Here, we report on a resurvey of an understory bird community in the Usambara Mountains in Tanzania, along a forested elevational gradient that has been fragmented over the last 200 years. In 2019, we resurveyed seven sites, ranging in elevation from 360 m to 2110 m, that were originally surveyed between 1979 and 1981. We calculated differences in mean elevation and lower and upper range limits for 29 species between the two time periods and corrected for possible differences in elevation due to chance. Over four decades, we documented a significant mean upslope shift across species of 93 m. This shift was smaller than the 125 m expected shift due to local climate warming. Of the 29 focal species, 19 shifted upslope, eight downslope, and two remained unchanged. Mean upslope shifts in species were driven largely by contracting lower range limits which moved significantly upslope on average across species by 183 m, while upper range limits shifted non-significantly upslope by 72 m, leading to a mean range contraction of 114 m across species. Community composition of understory bird species also shifted over time, with current communities resembling communities found historically at lower elevations. Past forest fragmentation in combination with the limited gap-crossing ability of many tropical understory bird species are very likely important contributory factors to the observed asymmetrical shifts in lower and upper elevational range limits. Re-establishing forested linkages among the largest and closest forest fragments in the Eastern Arc Mountains are critical to permitting species to shift upslope and to reduce further elevational range contractions over time.

scholarly journals Elevational pattern and seasonality of avian diversity in Kaligandaki River Basin, central Himalaya

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 16927-16943
Author(s):  
Juna Neupane ◽  
Laxman Khanal ◽  
Basant Gyawali ◽  
Mukesh Kumar Chalise
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Central Himalaya ◽  
Avian Diversity ◽  
Conservation Area ◽  
Point Count ◽  
The Road

This study explored bird diversity, seasonal variation, and associated factors along an elevational gradient in an important biodiversity area (IBA) of central Nepal: the Kaligandaki River basin of Annapurna Conservation Area.  The field survey was carried out in 2019 over two seasons, winter (January and February) and summer (May and June) using the point count method.  A total of 90 sampling plots were set up from elevations of 800m (Beni) to 3,800m (Muktinath).  Data for variables including the number of fruiting trees (indicator of resource availability) and distance to the road (indicator of disturbance) were collected, and their influence on avian diversity were assessed.  The results revealed a diverse assemblage of avian fauna in the study area with consistent species richness over the two seasons.  A decline in species richness and diversity with increasing elevation was observed.  Of the different habitat types within the study area, forest and shrubland habitats showed the strongest association with bird species distribution and richness.  We emphasize the need for long-term monitoring programs with standardized sampling approaches to better understand the avifauna in the central Himalaya.

Functional evenness of bird communities varies along the elevational gradient in Europe: Conservation implications

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Morelli ◽  
Yanina
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Large Spatial Scale ◽  
Functional Evenness

ContextThe negative association between elevation and species richness is a well-recognized pattern in macro-ecology. ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate changes in functional evenness of breeding bird communities along an elevation gradient in Europe. MethodsUsing the bird data from the EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds we estimated an index of functional evenness which can be assumed as a measure of the potential resilience of communities.ResultsOur findings confirm the existence of a negative association between elevation and bird species richness in all European eco regions. However, we also explored a novel aspect of this relationship, important for conservation: Our findings provide evidence at large spatial scale of a negative association between the functional evenness (potential community resilience) and elevation, independent of the eco region. We also found that the Natura2000 protected areas covers the territory most in need of protection, those characterized by bird communities with low potential resilience, in hilly and mountainous areas.ConclusionsThese results draw attention to European areas occupied by bird communities characterized by a potential lower capacity to respond to strong ecological changes, and, therefore, potentially more exposed to risks for conservation.

Survey on Bird Species and Analysis on Bird Diversity in the Central Kunlun Mountains in the Early Winter

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-235
Author(s):  
Ming MA ◽  
Bao-wen HU ◽  
Yu MEI ◽  
Thomas McCarthy
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Early Winter ◽  
Kunlun Mountains

scholarly journals Diversity and host assemblage of avian haemosporidians in different terrestrial ecoregions of Peru

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luz Garcia-Longoria ◽  
Jaime Muriel ◽  
Sergio Magallanes ◽  
Zaira Hellen Villa-Galarce ◽  
Leonila Ricopa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
New Host ◽  
Parasite Richness ◽  
Haemosporidian Parasites ◽  
Avian Haemosporidians ◽  
Host Parasite

Abstract Characterizing the diversity and structure of host-parasite communities is crucial to understanding their eco-evolutionary dynamics. Malaria and related haemosporidian parasites are responsible for fitness loss and mortality in bird species worldwide. However, despite exhibiting the greatest ornithological biodiversity, avian haemosporidians from Neotropical regions are quite unexplored. Here, we analyse the genetic diversity of bird haemosporidian parasites (Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) in 1,336 individuals belonging to 206 bird species to explore for differences in diversity of parasite lineages and bird species across five well-differentiated Peruvian ecoregions. We detected 70 different haemosporidian lineages infecting 74 bird species. We showed that 25 out of the 70 haplotypes had not been previously recorded. Moreover, we also identified 81 new host – parasite interactions representing new host records for these haemosporidian parasites. Our outcomes revealed that the effective diversity (as well as the richness, abundance, and Shannon-Weaver index) for both birds and parasite lineages was higher in Amazon basin ecoregions. Furthermore, we also showed that ecoregions with greater diversity of bird species also had high parasite richness, hence suggesting that host community is crucial in explaining parasite richness. Generalist parasites were found in ecoregions with lower bird diversity, implying that the abundance and richness of hosts may shape the exploitation strategy followed by haemosporidian parasites. These outcomes reveal that Neotropical region is a major reservoir of unidentified haemosporidian lineages. Further studies analysing host distribution and specificity of these parasites in the tropics will provide important knowledge about phylogenetic relationships, phylogeography, and patterns of evolution and distribution of haemosporidian parasites.

Does the invasion of Northern Red Oak Quercus rubra in parkland influence the diversity of birds?

Biologia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilia Grzędzicka ◽  
Katarzyna Kowalik ◽  
Barbara Bacler-Żbikowska
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Coal Industry ◽  
Alien Plants ◽  
Forest Birds ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Red Oak ◽  
Northern Red Oak ◽  
Alien Plant Species ◽  
Alien Plant

AbstractInvasive plants are non-native, but in most cases naturalised, species that have successfully spread outside of their native range. Aliens invaded all habitats, are competing with native plants, thus, after the direct destruction of habitats, invasions are recognised as the second largest danger for biodiversity. Northern Red Oak is one of the most common invasive tree species dispersed primarily by birds, but new studies have shown that it is also spread continuously in a forest stand. The main aim of our research was to check how strong is the invasion of Northern Red Oak in Silesia Park, where it was introduced together with other alien plant species, and how this invasion interacts with bird diversity. Silesia Park was created 65 years ago on the surface largely ravaged by coal industry. Because many studies indicate birds as vectors of alien plants invasion, we examined the bird fauna in a described area, looking for species that can contribute to spreading oaks. Research showed the diversity of 50 bird species. Surface with a presence of Northern Red Oak was characterised by greater participation of alien plant species than the patch of natural forest, which existed there long before the park creation. The greatest bird diversity was found in the most natural part of Silesia Park, and the lowest in the area of invasion, especially in the case of species classified as “forest birds”. The presence of alien plants increased number of “non-forest” birds, mostly synanthropic species. We also found that Northern Red Oak spreads by spontaneous seed dispersal.

Spring Bird Community Structure in Response to Habitat Heterogeneity in a Subtropical Hilly Landscape

2014 ◽  
Vol 1010-1012 ◽  
pp. 121-125
Author(s):  
Wen Bin Li ◽  
Zhi Ming Mo ◽  
Xing Ting Chen ◽  
Chun Huang ◽  
Ming Feng Xu
Keyword(s):  
Indicator Species ◽  
Habitat Heterogeneity ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Indicator Species Analysis ◽  
Heterogeneous Habitats ◽  
Species Analysis ◽  
The Impact

To examine the impact of habitat heterogeneity on the bird communities, we investigated the structural differences of various bird communities occurring in heterogeneous habitats in the subtropical hilly areas of southern China. We used indicator Species Analysis (ISA) to test the association of specific bird species to particular habitats. We performed Two-way Cluster Analysis to find species patterning in response to habitat fragmentation. Our results demonstrated that heterogeneous habitats promoted bird diversity and human activities affected bird behavior. Indicator Species Analysis demonstrated that similar habitats had similar bird communities, while different habitats supported various bird indicator species. Although habitat diversity increased bird diversity of a region, it was unfavorable for the maintenance of specialized birds in the forests of the subtropical hilly area.

scholarly journals Interference competition between an invasive parakeet and native bird species at feeding sites

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marine Le Louarn ◽  
Bertrand Couillens ◽  
Magali Deschamps-Cottin ◽  
Philippe Clergeau
Keyword(s):  
Interference Competition ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Feeding Sites

scholarly journals Using Bioacoustics to Examine Vocal Phenology of Neotropical Migratory Birds on a Wild and Scenic River in Arizona

Birds ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-274
Author(s):  
Heather L. Bateman ◽  
Sidney B. Riddle ◽  
Erin S. Cubley
Keyword(s):  
Sonoran Desert ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Yellow Warbler ◽  
Habitat Features ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Vocal Activity

Passive acoustic recorders have been used successfully as automated survey tools to detect terrestrial wildlife. However, few studies have monitored Neotropical migratory bird use of riparian forest habitat using this technology. Within dryland ecosystems, the forests along rivers support high bird diversity. Many bird species of conservation concern require these floodplain forest habitats for foraging, migration stop-overs, and breeding. Few studies have explored the use of acoustic records in riverine systems designated for conservation for their natural resource value via the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in the USA. Using acoustic recorders, we document vocal activity of four riparian-obligate species (Bell’s Vireo, Vireo bellii; Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra; Yellow Warbler, Setophaga petechial; and Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus) to determine species occurrence along a Wild and Scenic River. We established three study reaches along the perennial Lower Verde River, in the Sonoran Desert of central Arizona, USA. Nine acoustic recorders were used over the period of 80–120 days during the summer of 2018. We measured vegetation composition and structure in 100 m2 plots paired with acoustic recorders. Visualizing vocal activity showed that three species were calling and singing at each reach; whereas, one species, the cuckoo, had fewer recordings and occurred later in the summer. We demonstrate the utility of acoustic monitoring even when applied to rare birds in complex riparian habitats. This information is important for land management and conservation efforts concerning these species of interest and identifying important habitat features in Southwestern US riparian woodlands.

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