scholarly journals Climate change causes upslope shifts and mountaintop extirpations in a tropical bird community

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (47) ◽  
pp. 11982-11987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin G. Freeman ◽  
Micah N. Scholer ◽  
Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez ◽  
John W. Fitzpatrick
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Tropical Andes ◽  
Recent Warming ◽  
Upper Limits ◽  
The Tropics

Montane species worldwide are shifting upslope in response to recent temperature increases. These upslope shifts are predicted to lead to mountaintop extinctions of species that live only near mountain summits, but empirical examples of populations that have disappeared are sparse. We show that recent warming constitutes an “escalator to extinction” for birds on a remote Peruvian mountain—high-elevation species have declined in both range size and abundance, and several previously common mountaintop residents have disappeared from the local community. Our findings support projections that warming will likely drive widespread extirpations and extinctions of high-elevation taxa in the tropical Andes. Such climate change-driven mountaintop extirpations may be more likely in the tropics, where temperature seems to exert a stronger control on species’ range limits than in the temperate zone. In contrast, we show that lowland bird species at our study site are expanding in range size as they shift their upper limits upslope and may thus benefit from climate change.

Bird community structure in natural and urbanized habitats along an altitudinal gradient in Pauri district (Garhwal Himalaya) of Uttarakhand state, India

Biologia ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Archana Naithani ◽  
Dinesh Bhatt
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Altitudinal Gradient ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Base Line ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Forest Habitat ◽  
Rarefaction Analysis

AbstractIn the Indian subcontinent there is hardly any study that compares the bird community structure of urban/suburban areas with those of forest habitat. The present survey identified diverse assemblages of birds in the Pauri district at different elevations. A total of 125 bird species belonging to 40 families including two least count species (Lophura leucomelanos and Pucrasia marcolopha) were recorded during this survey in the forest and urbanized habitats of Pauri District (Garhwal Hiamalaya) of Uttarakhand state, India. The high elevation (Pauri 1600–2100 m a.s.l.), mid elevation (Srikot-Khanda 900–1300 m a.s.l.) and low elevation (Srinagar 500–900 m a.s.l.) contributed 88.8%, 63.2% and 58.4% of the total species respectively. Rarefaction analysis and Shannon diversity index showed that the high elevation forest habitat had highest bird species richness (BSR) and bird species diversity (BSD) followed by the mid and then the low elevation forests. BSR and BSD fluctuated across seasons at all elevations but not across habitat types. Present study provides a base line data about avian community composition in urbanized and natural habitats along altitudinal gradient in the study area. This information may be useful to the conservation biologists for the better management and conservation of the avifauna in the Western Himalaya, a part of one of the hot biodiversity spots of the world.

Temperature and vegetation complexity structure mixed-species flocks along a gradient of elevation in the tropical Andes

The Auk ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flavia A Montaño-Centellas ◽  
Harrison H Jones
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Abiotic Stress ◽  
Environmental Gradients ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Tropical Andes ◽  
Mixed Species ◽  
Mixed Species Flocks ◽  
Species Flocks

Abstract Mixed-species flocks constitute community modules that can help test mechanisms driving changes to community composition across environmental gradients. Here, we examined elevational patterns of flock diversity (species richness, taxonomic diversity, species, and guild composition) and asked if these patterns were reflections of the full bird community at a given elevation (open-membership hypothesis), or if they were instead structured by environmental variables. We surveyed both the overall avian community and mixed-species flocks across an undisturbed elevational gradient (~1,350–3,550 m) in the Bolivian Andes. We then tested for the role of temperature (a surrogate for abiotic stress), resource diversity (arthropods, fruits), and foraging niche diversity (vegetation vertical complexity) in structuring these patterns. Patterns for the overall and flocking communities were similar, supporting our open-membership hypothesis that Andean flocks represent dynamic, unstructured aggregations. Membership openness and the resulting flock composition, however, also varied with elevation in response to temperature and vegetation complexity. We found a mid-elevation peak in flock species richness, size, and Shannon’s diversity at ~2,300 m. The transition of flocking behavior toward a more open-membership system at this elevation may explain a similar peak in the proportion of insectivores joining flocks. At high elevations, increasing abiotic stress and decreasing fruit diversity led more generalist, gregarious tanagers (Thraupidae) to join flocks, resulting in larger yet more even flocks alongside a loss of vegetation structure. At lower elevations, flock species richness increased with greater vegetation complexity, but a greater diversity of foraging niches resulted in flocks that were more segregated into separate canopy and understory sub-types. This segregation likely results from increased costs of interspecific competition and activity matching (i.e., constraints on movement and foraging rate) for insectivores. Mid-elevation flocks (~2,300 m) seemed, therefore, to benefit from both the open-membership composition of high-elevation flocks and the high vegetation complexity of mid- and low-elevation forests.

scholarly journals Climate change will increase the potential conflict between skiing and high-elevation bird species in the Alps

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (11) ◽  
pp. 2299-2309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mattia Brambilla ◽  
Paolo Pedrini ◽  
Antonio Rolando ◽  
Dan E. Chamberlain
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Potential Conflict ◽  
The Alps

Assessing the impact of deforestation and climate change on the range size and environmental niche of bird species in the Atlantic forests, Brazil

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 1288-1301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bette A. Loiselle ◽  
Catherine H. Graham ◽  
Jaqueline M. Goerck ◽  
Milton Cezar Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Environmental Niche ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Composition and Diversity of Over-Wintering Aquatic Bird Community on Poyang Lake, China

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 308
Author(s):  
Megersa Tsegaye Debela ◽  
Qingming Wu ◽  
Lu Chen ◽  
Xueying Sun ◽  
Zhuo Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Poyang Lake ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Aquatic Bird ◽  
National Nature Reserve ◽  
Study Sites

The present study aimed to investigate the structure, composition and diversity of the over-wintering aquatic bird community of Poyang Lake, including Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve (PNNR), Nanji National Nature Reserve (NNNR) and Duchang Provincial Nature Reserve (DPNR), China. After the preliminary survey, birds surveyed from vantage points at each study site between the years 2016 and 2020 in the winter season. A total of 58 bird species belonging to nine orders and 13 families were observed. The study showed variation in effective species numbers (Species richness, Shannon’s diversity and Simpson’s diversity) among the three study sites and the survey years. Nanji National Nature Reserve had the highest avian diversity, whereas Duchang Provincial Nature Reserve had the lowest. Globally threatened bird species, Siberian Crane (critically endangered), Oriental Stork (endangered), found in our study sites. However, the current management practices of the nature reserve and conservation of this globally threatened bird species are inadequate, especially of Duchang Provincial Nature Reserve. Therefore, for long term conservation of birds in these areas, it needs continuing intentional improvement of the sites and awareness creation to the local community.

scholarly journals Ecological Correlates of Elevational Range Shifts in Tropical Birds

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Montague H. C. Neate-Clegg ◽  
Samuel E. I. Jones ◽  
Joseph A. Tobias ◽  
William D. Newmark ◽  
Çaǧan H. Şekercioǧlu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Range Shifts ◽  
Dispersal Ability ◽  
High Dispersal ◽  
Elevational Shift ◽  
Elevational Range ◽  
The Tropics

Globally, birds have been shown to respond to climate change by shifting their elevational distributions. This phenomenon is especially prevalent in the tropics, where elevational gradients are often hotspots of diversity and endemism. Empirical evidence has suggested that elevational range shifts are far from uniform across species, varying greatly in the direction (upslope vs. downslope) and rate of change (speed of elevational shift). However, little is known about the drivers of these variable responses to climate change, limiting our ability to accurately project changes in the future. Here, we compile empirical estimates of elevational shift rates (m/yr) for 421 bird species from eight study sites across the tropics. On average, species shifted their mean elevations upslope by 1.63 ± 0.30 m/yr, their upper limits by 1.62 m ± 0.38 m/yr, and their lower limits by 2.81 ± 0.42 m/yr. Upslope shift rates increased in smaller-bodied, less territorial species, whereas larger species were more likely to shift downslope. When considering absolute shift rates, rates were fastest for species with high dispersal ability, low foraging strata, and wide elevational ranges. Our results indicate that elevational shift rates are associated with species’ traits, particularly body size, dispersal ability, and territoriality. However, these effects vary substantially across sites, suggesting that responses of tropical montane bird communities to climate change are complex and best predicted within the local or regional context.

scholarly journals Challenges and conservation implications of Polylepis woodlands in the Andean region: Defining actions for sustainable management

Hacquetia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-153
Author(s):  
Juan Pinos
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Environmental Planning ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
Andean Region ◽  
Conservation Measures

AbstractPolylepis species represent one of the most important and endemic woodlands of the mid- and high-elevation regions of the Andean Cordillera. I provide a review of the current situation of Polylepis woodlands, discuss the potential effects of various conservation measures and consider the likely impact of climate change on tree phenology and tree regeneration, aiming to foster the conservation and sustainable management of these woodlands through proper environmental planning. I argue that in addition to the delineation and extension of protected areas, it is essential to incorporate actions such as forestation, forest policies, environmental education and local community participation. To be effective, conservation measures should be implemented in an international transdisciplinary research framework and in harmony with site-specific conditions. Finally, given the likely but uncertain influences of climate change on Polylepis woodlands, further research (and communication of that research) is needed to improve forest management strategies and research priorities for the Andean region.

scholarly journals Montane species and communities track rising temperatures better in the tropics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin G. Freeman ◽  
Yiluan Song ◽  
Kenneth J Feeley ◽  
Kai Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Latitudinal Gradient ◽  
Temperate Zone ◽  
Tropical Tree ◽  
Recent Warming ◽  
Recent Climate Change ◽  
Recent Climate ◽  
Latitudinal Position ◽  
The Tropics

AbstractMany species are responding to recent climate change by shifting their distributions upslope to higher elevations, but the observed rates of shifts vary considerably among studies. Here we test the hypothesis that latitudinal position in part explains this variation, using two independent datasets—resurveys of species’ elevational ranges, and repeatedly surveyed tree plots. We find that communities are shifting 18.6 m per decade upslope, but these upslope shifts are slightly faster in the tropics (25.1 m per decade on average) than the temperate zone (13.1 m per decade on average). Faster upslope shifts in the tropics are surprising because rates of warming are faster in the temperate zone. Consequently, tropical communities are tracking changing temperatures 2.5 times (resurvey dataset) and 10.0 times (tree plot dataset) more than their temperate counterparts. For the amount of warming expected to lead to a 100 m upslope shift, tropical communities have shifted upslope by an average of 81 m while temperate communities have shifted upslope by an average of only 32 m. Similarly, for the amount of warming expected to lead to a 1 °C increase in CTI, tropical tree plots have increased in CTI by an average of 0.44 °C while temperate tree plots have increased by an average of only 0.044 °C. This latitudinal gradient in responsiveness to recent warming suggests tropical montane biotas are disproportionately sensitive to ongoing global warming.

scholarly journals Projected range contractions of montane biodiversity under global warming

2010 ◽  
Vol 277 (1699) ◽  
pp. 3401-3410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank A. La Sorte ◽  
Walter Jetz
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Vertical Range ◽  
Vertical Distributions ◽  
Montane Biodiversity ◽  
Mountain Systems

Mountains, especially in the tropics, harbour a unique and large portion of the world's biodiversity. Their geographical isolation, limited range size and unique environmental adaptations make montane species potentially the most threatened under impeding climate change. Here, we provide a global baseline assessment of geographical range contractions and extinction risk of high-elevation specialists in a future warmer world. We consider three dispersal scenarios for simulated species and for the world's 1009 montane bird species. Under constrained vertical dispersal (VD), species with narrow vertical distributions are strongly impacted; at least a third of montane bird diversity is severely threatened. In a scenario of unconstrained VD, the location and structure of mountain systems emerge as a strong driver of extinction risk. Even unconstrained lateral movements offer little improvement to the fate of montane species in the Afrotropics, Australasia and Nearctic. Our results demonstrate the particular roles that the geography of species richness, the spatial structure of lateral and particularly vertical range extents and the specific geography of mountain systems have in determining the vulnerability of montane biodiversity to climate change. Our findings confirm the outstanding levels of biotic perturbation and extinction risk that mountain systems are likely to experience under global warming and highlight the need for additional knowledge on species' vertical distributions, dispersal and adaptive capacities.

Seasonality of vocal activity of a bird community in an Afrotropical lowland rain forest

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Vokurková ◽  
Francis N. Motombi ◽  
Michal Ferenc ◽  
David Hořák ◽  
Ondřej Sedláček
Keyword(s):  
Rain Forest ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Feeding Guilds ◽  
Lowland Rain Forest ◽  
Mount Cameroon ◽  
Vocal Activity ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Dry And Rainy Seasons

Abstract:Recent observations from the tropics indicate seasonal peaks in breeding and vocal activity of some bird species. However, information about seasonality in vocal activity at the community level is still lacking in the tropics. We examined seasonal variation in the diurnal vocal activity of lowland rain forest birds on Mount Cameroon, using weekly automatic sound recording throughout the whole year and related it to rainfall and temperature. We show that the bird community in lowland rain forest vocalized year-round, but species richness as well as the vocal activity of the community varied greatly during the year. This variation coincided with the seasonality of rainfall. The highest number of species (31.5 on average) sang at the beginning of the driest period, followed by a gradual decrease in singing with increasing rainfall (minimum 14.5 species). This indicates that intensive rainfall indirectly limits the vocal activity of the tropical rain-forest bird community. Temporal turnover of vocalizing species as well as within-day variation in vocal activity was highest during the transition period between dry and rainy seasons. We suggest that this could reflect differing timing in the breeding activity of particular feeding guilds to follow seasonal peaks of their diets.

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