Bird assemblages in a small public reserve and adjacent residental area at Wollongong

1996 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 605 ◽  
Author(s):  
KA Wood

A total of 8262 birds of 57 species was counted in a degraded public reserve and adjacent residential area during 61 paired transects in 1990. Most of the reserve was remnant wet sclerophyll forest (5 ha) and subtropical rainforest (0.4 ha), whereas a variety of mature native and introduced trees and shrubs were present in the 55-year-old suburb. Species evenness was similar in the habitats of the reserve and residental area but not species richness, number of individuals or composition of the avifauna. In all seasons, the reserve was richer in species but poorer in absolute numbers of birds. Thirteen native species were reserve specialists, six species (five introduced) were suburb specialists and 17 species showed only slight habitat preference. Excluding silvereyes, which showed little preference for either habitat, there were twice as many regularly occurring species that preferred to use the reserve rather than the residential area but only half the number of individuals. Nine specialist species are at risk of local extinction because their populations in the reserve are critically small [range: 80 (brown gerygone, Gerygone mouki) to 5 birds (eastern whipbird, Psophodes olivaceus)]. Seventeen species have become locally extinct since Europeans arrived in 1816. Conservation of the avifauna is discussed.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Yamile Guidetti ◽  
Sebastian Dardanelli ◽  
Fátima María Lourdes Miño ◽  
Guillermo César Amico

Abstract The lack of seeds represents one of the highest difficulties to overcome for the ecological restoration of areas that have been deforested. This study evaluates the effectiveness of artificial perches in increasing the abundance and species richness of bird-dispersed seeds and the similitude of seed rain composition (origin and habit of plant seeds), of deforested areas with and without artificial perches in relation to woodland remnants that serve as seeds source. The experiment took place in two sites of the Espinal ecoregion, Argentina. We found that in deforested areas, perches increased seed abundance and species richness in the seed rain in comparison with deforested areas without artificial perches. The species composition under artificial perches was similar to the seed rain dispersed in the woodland. However, a decrease in the richness of native species was significant in the deforested area, probably due to behavioral differences between opportunistic and obligate frugivorous. Seed of trees and shrubs species were well represented in the seed rain under artificial perches. Results from this study contribute to the understanding of nucleation and recovery mechanisms used by nature that reflect ecosystem resilience. We recommend using artificial perches in deforested areas with potential for recovery because it is an efficient technique to promote the entry of birds and increase seed rain, preserving features of the original environment. However, using artificial perches should be avoided in sites with potentially invasive non-native species.


NeoBiota ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 55 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Pétillon ◽  
Kaïna Privet ◽  
George K. Roderick ◽  
Rosemary G. Gillespie ◽  
Don K. Price

We assessed how assemblages of spiders were structured in small Hawaiian tropical forest fragments (Hawaiian, kipuka) within a matrix of previous lava flows, over both space (sampling kipuka of different sizes) and time (comparison with a similar study from 1998). Standardized hand-collection by night was carried out in May 2016. In total, 702 spiders were collected, representing 6 families and 25 (morpho-)species. We found that the number of individuals, but not species richness, was highly correlated with the area of sampled forest fragments, suggesting that kipuka act as separate habitat islands for these predatory arthropods. Species richness was significantly lower in the lava matrix outside the kipuka compared to the kipuka habitats, although there was no statistical difference in species composition between the two habitats, largely because of similarity of non-native species in both habitats. Over the last 20 years, the abundance of non-native spider species substantially increased in both kipuka and lava habitats, in marked contrast to the vegetation that has remained more intact. With endemicity of terrestrial arthropods reaching over 95% in native forests, non-native predatory species present a critical challenge to the endemic fauna.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 1615-1621 ◽  
Author(s):  
WIRYONO . ◽  
YANSEN . ◽  
ADITYA . ◽  
DAVID JUARA LAMHOT ◽  
JURIAH HUTAHAEAN

Wiryono, Yansen, Aditya, Lamhot DJ, Hutahaean J. 2018. Short Communication: The species diversity and composition ofroadside trees in five cities in Sumatra, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 19: 1615-1621. Roadside trees make living in a city more enjoyable dueto their aesthetic values and ecosystem services. The ecological benefits of roadside trees may be enhanced by increasing the speciesdiversity and the proportion of native species. The objective of this study was to know the species diversity and composition of roadsidetrees in the cities of Palembang, Bengkulu, Curup, Pematang Siantar and Argamakmur, in Sumatra Island, Indonesia, varying in size andaltitude. Data of trees were collected from selected streets and analyzed to determine the species richness (S), Shannon-Wiener index ofdiversity (Hʹ) and Ellenberg index of community similarity (ISE). The results showed that the species richness in a city ranged from 7 to26, with the diversity index between 1.05 and 2.08. The large and medium cities had higher S and Hʹ. More introduced species werefound, both in number of species and number of individuals, than the native ones. The similarity among cities in species compositionranged from 47 to 82%. Overall, Swietenia macrophylla, an introduced species, was the most abundant species. The S and Hʹ values ofall cities were considered low and the composition of tree species did not support the conservation of native species. It is, therefore,essential to increase the species diversity of street trees, especially by planting native species.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiří Skuhrovec ◽  
Alois Honek ◽  
Zdenka Martinkova

We evaluated the differences in frequency (percentage of sampling sessions where the species was recorded) and abundance (mean number of individuals per 100 sweeps) of native species of ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in the center of Prague, Central Europe, and in its outskirts. Between 2016 and 2019, coccinellids were sampled on Tilia stands using a standardized sweeping method. Twenty-one species were identified in the total sample of 2,761 adults that were collected in 504 sampling sessions. Species richness was significantly higher in the outskirts than in the center, where seven species were absent and two species were found only once. In contrast, only five species were more abundant in the center than in the outskirts. Communities of native coccinellids were poorer in species, and most species were less abundant in the center than in the outskirts.


2007 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 1033-1042 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yzel Rondon Súarez ◽  
Sabrina Bigatão Valério ◽  
Karina Keyla Tondado ◽  
Alexandro Cezar Florentino ◽  
Thiago Rota Alves Felipe ◽  
...  

The influence of spatial, temporal and environmental factors on fish species diversity in headwater streams in Paraguay and Paraná basins, Brazil was examined. A total of 4,605 individuals were sampled, distributed in 60 species. The sampled streams in Paraná basin presented a larger total species richness (42) than Paraguay streams (40). However the estimated richness was larger in Paraguay basin (53) than Paraná streams (50). The streams of Paraná basin had a greater mean species richness and evenness, while more individuals per sample were found in the Paraguay basin. Difference between the sub-basins were found in the Paraguay basin, while for the basin of Paraná, richness and evenness vary significantly between the sub-basins, but the number of individuals varied seasonally. The most important environmental factors to species diversity and abundance were altitude, water temperature, stream width and stream depth for both the basins.


Web Ecology ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Elek ◽  
T. Magura ◽  
T. Tóthmérész

Abstract. The impacts of non-native Norway spruce plantation on the abundance and species richness of carabids were studied in the Bükk National Park in Hungary, central Europe. Pitfall catches from recently established (5 yr old), young (15 yr after planting), middle-aged (30 yr after planting), old Norway spruce Picea abies plantation (50 yr after planting), and a native submontane beech forest (Fagetum sylvaticae) as a control stand were compared. Our results showed that deciduous forest species decreased significantly in abundance in the plantations, and appeared in high abundance only in the native beech forest. Furthermore, open habitat species increased remarkably in abundance in the recently established plantation. Carabids were significantly more abundant and species rich in the native forest than in the plantations, while differences were not significant among the plantations. Multiple regression between the abundance and species richness of carabids and twelve environmental measurements showed that pH of the soil, herb cover and density of the carabids’ prey had a significant effect in determining abundance and species richness. Our results showed that plantation of non-native Norway spruce species had a detrimental effect on the composition of carabid communities and no regeneration could be observed during the growth of plantations even 50 yr after the establishment. This emphasises the importance of an active nature management practice to facilitate the recolonization of the native species.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jukka Suhonen ◽  
Jukka Jokimäki

Abstract Temporal dynamics of local assemblages depend on the species richness and the total abundance of individuals as well as local departure and arrival rates of species. We used urban bird survey data collected from the same 31 study plots and methods during three winters (1991–1992; 1999–2000 and 2009–2010) to analyze the temporal relationship between bird species richness and total number of individuals (abundance). We also evaluated local departures and arrivals of species in each assemblage. In total, 13,812 individuals of 35 species were detected. The temporal variation in bird species richness followed the variation in the total number of individuals. The numbers of local departure and arrival events were similar. Also, the mean number of individuals of the recently arrived species (8.6) was almost the same as the mean number of individuals of the departed species (8.2). Risk of species departure was inversely related to number of individuals. Local species richness increased by one species when the total abundance of individuals increased by around 125 individuals and vice versa. Our results highlight the important role of local population departures and arrivals in determining the local species richness-abundance dynamics in human-dominated landscapes. Local species richness patterns depend on the total number of individuals as well as both the departure-arrival dynamics of individual species as well as the dynamics of all the species together. Our results support the more individuals hypothesis, which suggests that individual-rich assemblages have more species.


Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4496 (1) ◽  
pp. 562 ◽  
Author(s):  
GERUSA PAULI KIST STEFFEN ◽  
RICARDO BEMFICA STEFFEN ◽  
MARIE LUISE CAROLINA BARTZ ◽  
SAMUEL WOOSTER JAMES ◽  
RODRIGO JOSEMAR SEMINOTTI JACQUES ◽  
...  

The knowledge regarding earthworm species richness in subtropical Brazil is limited, particularly in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), where only a few sites have been sampled. In this study we assessed earthworm richness in different ecosystems of RS, prioritizing un-sampled regions. Fifteen ecosystems, including native vegetation and other ecosystems with variable levels of disturbance were sampled in 30 counties in RS, totaling 77 sampling points, mainly in the Pampa biome. Qualitative sampling was performed by handsorting soil monoliths and fixing the earthworms in 4% formalin solution. Species identification was based on morphological characters, and species richness and Shannon (H) and McIntosh (U) diversity indices were calculated for each ecosystem. Twenty-one earthworm species were identified, belonging to seven families: Glossoscolecidae (8), Rhinodrilidae (2), Ocnerodrilidae (4), Megascolecidae (4), Acanthodrilidae (1), Lumbricidae (1) and Criodrilidae (1). From these, ten are new species belonging to the genera: Glossoscolex (6), Fimoscolex (1), Kerriona (1), Eukerria (1), and one aquatic species of the Criodrilidae family, belonging to a new genus. Most of the native species (Urobenus brasiliensis, Fimoscolex n.sp.1 and the Glossoscolex spp.) predominated in ecosystems little altered by human activity, while exotic (Amynthas gracilis, Amynthas rodericensis, Metaphire californica, Aporrectodea trapezoides) and peregrine species (Pontoscolex corethrurus) predominated in areas with more human disturbance. Native ecosystems with lower disturbance, particularly forests and native pastures had higher diversity than disturbed sites. This is the first record of A. rodericencis for Brazil and most sites represent new collection records for the known species in RS.


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