scholarly journals Dynamic multi-species occupancy models reveal individualistic habitat preferences in a high-altitude grassland bird community

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6276 ◽  
Author(s):  
David H. Maphisa ◽  
Hanneline Smit-Robinson ◽  
Res Altwegg
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Grass Cover ◽  
Occupancy Models ◽  
Grassland Bird ◽  
Species Occupancy ◽  
High Altitude Grasslands

Moist, high-altitude grasslands of eastern South African harbour rich avian diversity and endemism. This area is also threatened by increasingly intensive agriculture and land conversion for energy production. This conflict is particularly evident at Ingula, an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area located within the least conserved high-altitude grasslands and which is also the site of a new Pumped Storage Scheme. The new management seeks to maximise biodiversity through manipulation of the key habitat variables: grass height and grass cover through burning and grazing to make habitat suitable for birds. However, different species have individual habitat preferences, which further vary through the season. We used a dynamic multi-species occupancy model to examine the seasonal occupancy dynamics of 12 common grassland bird species and their habitat preferences. We estimated monthly occupancy, colonisation and persistence in relation to grass height and grass cover throughout the summer breeding season of 2011/12. For majority of these species, at the beginning of the season occupancy increased with increasing grass height and decreased with increasing grass cover. Persistence and colonisation decreased with increasing grass height and cover. However, the 12 species varied considerably in their responses to grass height and cover. Our results suggest that management should aim to provide plots which vary in grass height and cover to maximise bird diversity. We also conclude that the decreasing occupancy with increasing grass cover and low colonisation with increasing grass height and cover is a results of little grazing on our study site. We further conclude that some of the 12 selected species are good indicators of habitat suitability more generally because they represent a range of habitat needs and are relatively easy to monitor.

scholarly journals Dynamic multi-species occupancy models of birds of high-altitude grasslands in eastern South Africa

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David H Maphisa ◽  
Hanneline Smit_Robinson ◽  
Res Altwegg
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Grass Cover ◽  
Occupancy Models ◽  
Occupancy Dynamics ◽  
Pumped Storage ◽  
Species Occupancy ◽  
High Altitude Grasslands

Moist, high-altitude grasslands of eastern South African harbour rich avian diversity and endemism. This area is also threatened by increasingly intensive agriculture and land conversion for energy production. This conflict is particularly evident at Ingula, an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area located within the least conserved high-altitude grasslands and which is also the site of a new Pumped Storage Scheme. The new management seeks to maximise biodiversity through manipulation of the key habitat variables: grass height and grass cover through burning and grazing to make habitat suitable for birds. However, different species have individual habitat preferences, which further vary through the season. We used a dynamic multi-species occupancy model to examine the seasonal occupancy dynamics of 12 common grassland bird species and their habitat preferences. We estimated monthly occupancy, colonisation and persistence in relation to grass height and grass cover throughout the summer breeding season of 2011/12. For majority of these species, at the beginning of the season occupancy increased with increasing grass height and decreased with increasing grass cover. Persistence and colonisation decreased with increasing grass height and cover. However, the 12 species varied considerably in their responses to grass height and cover. Our results suggest that management should aim to provide plots which vary in grass height and cover to maximise bird diversity. We also conclude that the decreasing occupancy with increasing grass cover and low colonisation with increasing grass height and cover is a results of little grazing on our study site. We further conclude some of the 12 selected species are good indicators of habitat suitability more generally because they represent a range of habitat needs and are relatively easy to monitor.

scholarly journals Dynamic multi-species occupancy models of birds of high-altitude grasslands in eastern South Africa

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
David H Maphisa ◽  
Hanneline Smit_Robinson ◽  
Res Altwegg
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Grass Cover ◽  
Occupancy Models ◽  
Occupancy Dynamics ◽  
Pumped Storage ◽  
Species Occupancy ◽  
High Altitude Grasslands

Moist, high-altitude grasslands of eastern South African harbour rich avian diversity and endemism. This area is also threatened by increasingly intensive agriculture and land conversion for energy production. This conflict is particularly evident at Ingula, an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area located within the least conserved high-altitude grasslands and which is also the site of a new Pumped Storage Scheme. The new management seeks to maximise biodiversity through manipulation of the key habitat variables: grass height and grass cover through burning and grazing to make habitat suitable for birds. However, different species have individual habitat preferences, which further vary through the season. We used a dynamic multi-species occupancy model to examine the seasonal occupancy dynamics of 12 common grassland bird species and their habitat preferences. We estimated monthly occupancy, colonisation and persistence in relation to grass height and grass cover throughout the summer breeding season of 2011/12. For majority of these species, at the beginning of the season occupancy increased with increasing grass height and decreased with increasing grass cover. Persistence and colonisation decreased with increasing grass height and cover. However, the 12 species varied considerably in their responses to grass height and cover. Our results suggest that management should aim to provide plots which vary in grass height and cover to maximise bird diversity. We also conclude that the decreasing occupancy with increasing grass cover and low colonisation with increasing grass height and cover is a results of little grazing on our study site. We further conclude some of the 12 selected species are good indicators of habitat suitability more generally because they represent a range of habitat needs and are relatively easy to monitor.

scholarly journals Congruence between breeding and wintering biodiversity hotspots: A case study in farmlands of Western Poland

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-83
Author(s):  
Federico Morelli ◽  
Zbigniew Kwieciński ◽  
Piotr Indykiewicz ◽  
Łukasz Jankowiak ◽  
Paweł Szymański ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Complete Representation ◽  
Evolutionary Distinctiveness

Abstract Farmland landscapes are recognized as important ecosystems, not only for their rich biodiversity but equally so for the human beings who live and work in these places. However, biodiversity varies among sites (spatial change) and among seasons (temporal change). In this work, we tested the hypothesis that bird diversity hotspots distribution for breeding is congruent with bird diversity hotspots for wintering season, focusing also the representation of protected areas for the conservation of local hotspots. We proposed a framework based on the use of species richness, functional diversity, and evolutionary distinctiveness to characterize avian communities. Although our findings show that the spatial distribution of local bird hotspots differed slightly between seasons, the protected areas’ representation was similar in both seasons. Protected areas covered 65% of the most important zones for breeding and 71% for the wintering season in the farmland studied. Functional diversity showed similar patterns as did bird species richness, but this measure can be most effective for highlighting differences on bird community composition. Evolutionary distinctiveness was less congruent with species richness and functional diversity, among seasons. Our findings suggest that inter-seasonal spatial congruence of local hotspots can be considered as suitable areas upon which to concentrate greater conservation efforts. However, even considering the relative congruence of avian diversity metrics at a local spatial scale, simultaneous analysis of protected areas while inter-seasonally considering hotspots, can provide a more complete representation of ecosystems for assessing the conservation status and designating priority areas.

scholarly journals The frequency method in studying habitat preferences of common forest birds

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawid Jan Sikora
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Average Frequency ◽  
Occurrence Frequency ◽  
Frequency Method ◽  
Black Alder ◽  
Age Class ◽  
Bird Census

This paper presents the results of a study on the habitat preferences of selected species of the bird community in the Morgi Forest, the Kolbuszowa Forest Division (SE Poland), with the use of the point-stand bird census method. The aim of the study was to test the effectiveness of the method in determining the frequency of colonisation of stands with different habitat parameters by the most abundant bird species. In 270 tree stands of a forest complex with diverse habitats, a bird census was carried out with four counts per each stand. Next, a list of the tree stands and the bird species recorded in the stands was compiled. The stands were divided into categories according to the forest habitat type, dominant species and age class. In the next step, the occurrence frequency of the most abundant bird species was calculated for each stand category. Among the analysed species, the majority showed a positive correlation between the frequency of occurrence and habitat fertility. The influence of the dominant stand species on the occurrence frequency of bird species was largely driven by habitat fertility. The lowest average frequency of the identified avian species was found in stands dominated by pine Pinus sylvestris, birch Betula sp. and black alder Alnus glutinosa. There was generally a positive relationship between age class and the bird community parameters. It is concluded that the point-stand method of bird census provides informative results for research on the habitat selectivity of bird populations.

scholarly journals Bird diversity of tea plantations in Darjeeling Hills, Eastern Himalaya, India

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 1066-1073 ◽  
Author(s):  
ABHISHEK CHETTRI ◽  
KISHOR SHARMA ◽  
SAILENDRA DEWAN ◽  
BHOJ KUMAR ACHARYA
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Eastern Himalaya ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Effective Strategy ◽  
Insectivorous Birds ◽  
Tea Plantations ◽  
Tea Production ◽  
Agro Forestry

Chettri A, Sharma K, Dewan S, Acharya BK. 2018. Bird diversity of tea plantations in Darjeeling Hills, Eastern Himalaya,India. Biodiversitas 19: 1066-1073. The biodiversity wealth and conservation potential of agro-ecosystems including cash cropplantations is gaining significance in recent years. Agro-forestry provides ecosystem services similar to forest and, hence, support a highdiversity of flora and fauna. This study was undertaken to explore the bird community in different tea gardens of Kurseong Hill,Darjeeling, Eastern Himalaya, India. Darjeeling is globally known for its extent and magnificent tea production. We sampled birds usingpoint count methods along transects during August 2015-January 2016. A total of 581 individual birds comprising 48 species wererecorded during the study. Amongst the guild types, insectivorous birds were the most dominant both in terms of species andabundances. Depending on their habitat preferences most of the birds were forest generalists followed by forest specialists. This studyhighlights that tea plantations have a great potential in harbouring and conserving birds and other associated life forms. Thus, propermanagement of these landscapes would be an effective strategy to conserve biodiversity of the Himalayas.

scholarly journals Tropical forest remnants as shelters of avian diversity within a tourism development matrix in Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 799
Author(s):  
Jorge E. Ramírez-Albores ◽  
Marlín Pérez-Suárez
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Tourism Development ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Quintana Roo ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Point Counts ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Forest Remnants

Tropical forests have undergone extensive transformation because of increasing tourism development, in addition to historic clearing for agricultural and cattle grazing activities. Altogether, these activities have had an important effect on bird diversity, reducing the habitat available to many species. In this study, the role of tropical forest remnants located between different land use types was evaluated for species diversity, composition, and distribution of the bird community at Akumal region in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Point counts were used to quantify the avifauna by habitat, and Shannon´s and Simpson´s diversity index were used to determine bird diversity. Additionally, bird species were classified according to seasonality and trophic guild by type of habitat. A total of 160 species and 50 families was recorded, of which 100 species were permanent residents, 47 winter visitors and 11 transients. Mature tropical forest and tropical forest remnants had higher species richness than those of modified environments. This study supports the importance of tropical forest remnants as shelters for bird species in landscapes with tourism developments, and the relevance of these remnants to maintaining high bird diversity. Rev. Biol. Trop. 66(2): 799-813. Epub 2018 June 01.  

scholarly journals Bird Diversity Unconsciously Increases People’s Satisfaction with Where They Live

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 153
Author(s):  
Lauren Hepburn ◽  
Adam C. Smith ◽  
John Zelenski ◽  
Lenore Fahrig
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Neighbourhood Satisfaction ◽  
Tree Canopy Cover

There is growing evidence that exposure to nature increases human well-being, including in urban areas. However, relatively few studies have linked subjective satisfaction to objective features of the environment. In this study we explore the links among objective environmental features (tree cover, water, and bird diversity) and subjective judgements of satisfaction. We surveyed residents of Ottawa, Canada (n = 1035) about their satisfaction with their local neighbourhoods. We then compared the survey responses to measures of nature near their homes, including bird diversity (number of bird species), tree canopy cover, and distance to water. After controlling for effects of income and subjective happiness, residents’ neighbourhood satisfaction was positively related to the number of bird species nearby, even before participants were prompted to consider nature. Residents’ appreciation of their local neigbourhood relative to others also increased with tree canopy cover and nearness to water. Unsolicited comments from participants following the survey indicated that while residents consciously appreciate trees and water, the relationship between bird diversity and neighbourhood satisfaction appears to be unconscious; very few of the participants mentioned birds. Based on these results, we speculate that a diverse local bird community may provoke feelings of satisfaction through their presence, activity, and songs. Our results create a compelling argument for city planners and individual residents to maintain bird-friendly spaces in urban areas.

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