scholarly journals Winter bird abundance, species richness and functional guild composition at Delhi’s ponds: does time of day and wetland extent matter?

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prakhar Rawal ◽  
Swati Kittur ◽  
Murali Krishna Chatakonda ◽  
K S Gopi Sundar
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Bird Abundance ◽  
Functional Guilds ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Functional Guild ◽  
Guild Composition

Abstract Urbanisation can limit species persistence and bias composition of functional guilds with serious consequences for ecosystem functioning and conservation planning. Standardised biodiversity surveys are missing at most tropical urban cities where biodiversity levels are high alongside rapidly increasing rates of urbanisation. We explored the utility of time-bound surveys to document winter birds at ponds (wetlands ≤ 5 ha) in Delhi, India at two different times of the day (morning and evening) and in areas with varying extents of wetlands. Systematic surveys at 39 ponds during January–March 2020 yielded an estimated 173 ± 22 bird species (∼37% of Delhi’s birds). The total bird species assemblage at ponds did not vary significantly with time of day, but β-diversity increased marginally with increasing extent of wetlands. Total bird abundance and species richness varied substantially with time of day, with differences apparent across several species rich functional feeding and habitat guilds. Abundance and species richness of some guilds, including species-poor guilds, varied in ponds located in areas with differing extent of wetlands. Reliable and comparable measures of species abundance and species richness (both total and across functional guilds)— metrics commonly used to set research and conservation priorities—in urban habitats can be obtained after appropriately standardising field effort. Such standardised efforts can help underscore the importance of maintaining and improving erstwhile-ignored habitats such as unprotected ponds that are providing refugia to hundreds of bird species in mega-cities like Delhi.

scholarly journals Avian species–area relationships indicate that towns are not different from natural areas

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
SIMONE FATTORINI ◽  
GIULIA LIN ◽  
CRISTINA MANTONI
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Avian Species ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Natural Areas ◽  
Bird Richness ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Species Area ◽  
Human Density

SUMMARYUrban areas host many bird species, and urban species richness can be compared with that in natural areas using species–area relationships (SARs). We used a multimodel selection approach to investigate the influence of area, human population, elevation and climatic variables on species richness of breeding birds from 34 towns and 54 nature reserves in Italy. Using the linearized power function, area was identified as the most important correlate of avian species richness in both urban and natural areas. The SARs did not differ significantly between towns and reserves, although human density had a negative effect on bird richness. These findings underline the possible importance of urban areas in biodiversity conservation, but also stress that human density is a factor reducing species richness. However, species richness alone cannot inform conservation priorities because it does not take into account the different conservation values of species.

scholarly journals Fire effects on the composition of a bird community in an amazonian Savanna (Brazil)

2005 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 683-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Cintra ◽  
T. M. Sanaiotti
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Fire Effects ◽  
Bird Abundance ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Byrsonima Crassifolia ◽  
Mist Net

The effects of fire on the composition of a bird community were investigated in an Amazonian savanna near Alter-do-Chão, Pará (Brazil). Mist-net captures and visual counts were used to assess species richness and bird abundance pre- and post-fire in an approximately 20 ha area. Visual counts along transects were used to survey birds in an approximately 2000 ha area in a nearby area. Results using the same method of ordination analysis (multidimensional scaling) showed significant effects of fire in the 20 ha and 2000 ha areas and strongly suggest direct effects on bird community composition. However, the effects were different at different spatial scales and/or in different years, indicating that the effects of fire vary spatially and/or temporally. Bird community composition pre-fire was significantly different from that found post-fire. Using multiple regression analysis it was found that the numbers of burned and unburned trees were not significantly related to either bird species richness or bird abundance. Two months after the fire, neither bird species richness nor bird abundance was significantly related to the number of flowering trees (Lafoensia pacari) or fruiting trees (Byrsonima crassifolia). Since fire is an annual event in Alter-do-Chão and is becoming frequent in the entire Amazon, bird community composition in affected areas could be constantly changing in time and space.

scholarly journals Avian Species Abundance and Richness in a  Variably Urbanised Landscape in Wellington City,  New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jennifer Glynn Vinton
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Patch Size ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Habitat Patch ◽  
Avian Community ◽  
Patch Structure ◽  
Avian Biodiversity ◽  
Species Richness And Abundance ◽  
Species Ecology

<p>Avian community composition fluctuates across the landscape at different scales of space and time. These fluctuations may be modified at the broader scale of landscape and at the local scale of habitat patch. A species' ecology also influences its occurrence and abundance in the landscape. This thesis investigates the spatial and temporal distribution of the avian community in Wellington. Wellington is an interesting case study because it has a diverse range of landscapes influenced by the proximity of hills to the coast (see Appendix 3). I assess the effect of landscape classification on the richness and abundance of birds and the role of fine patch structure in shaping this distribution. My study was located within a 5-km radius of Wellington City's central business district (41 degrees 16' S, 174 degrees 46' E). I used six strip-transects divided into 400m length segments that traversed through high to lower density residential suburbs and green space inter-digitated with built habitat, and established five-minute count (FMBC) points at each segment interval along these routes for a total of 49 points. I used ArcGIS to analyse the habitat patch types in the 100-m areas surrounding the FMBC. I recorded avian species type and abundance along the strips and at the FMBC during the morning and evening. A total of 35 bird species and 10966 individuals were recorded along the strip-transects and 34 bird species and 5960 individuals at the FMBCs. House sparrow, then starling and blackbacked gull, rock pigeon, blackbird and silvereye were the most common and widely spread species. Results indicated that landscape type modified avian biodiversity with the highest number of species (S) recorded in green landscapes (n = 10, S = 15.9) and the lowest in wharf littoral (n = 2, S = 7.5) and low-density commercial sites (n = 3, S = 6.67). The diversity of the landscape within an area did not influence avian biodiversity. I found that total species abundance did not change across the landscape but that the species' ecology did influence where it occurred and its abundance in the landscape. Dietary diversity particularly influenced a species' abundance. Both season and time of day altered species richness and abundance, with lower values of richness recorded in autumn (morning period = 13.5, evening period = 10.7). I found that avian communities in the Wellington urban area were dominated by six common species but that many more species were present in much lower numbers at fewer sites. Results showed an inverse relationship between species richness and abundance - while the greater biomass (abundance) of birds concentrated at FMBC within the built commercial centre and surrounding higher density housing areas, richness increased with distance from the built centre to residential and green sites. I found no relationship between species richness and the total number of individuals present at any point, and the total biomass and abundance of birds was also independent of patch size. Neither habitat patch diversity nor average patch size influenced species diversity across the community of birds, but the effect of average patch size was less at patches between 300 and 1500 metres. The abundance of some individuals in their favoured patch type did vary in response to patch structure with the strongest relationships seen for blackbird and house sparrow. These results suggest that birds are responding to cues at the larger scale of landscape first rather than to fine patch structure within the urban setting, and therefore that landscape is a more important influence in driving bird biodiversity.</p>

Vegetation on and around large-scale buildings positively influences native tropical bird abundance and bird species richness

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard N. Belcher ◽  
Keren R. Sadanandan ◽  
Emmanuel R. Goh ◽  
Jie Yi Chan ◽  
Sacha Menz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Abundance ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Tropical Bird

scholarly journals Towards Modelling Future Trends of Quebec’s Boreal Birds’ Species Distribution under Climate Change

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 335
Author(s):  
Jonathan Gaudreau ◽  
Liliana Perez ◽  
Saeed Harati
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Species Distributions ◽  
Cold Season ◽  
Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Adaptation To Climate Change ◽  
Bioclimatic Variables

Adaptation to climate change requires prediction of its impacts, especially on ecosystems. In this work we simulated the change in bird species richness in the boreal forest of Quebec, Canada, under climate change scenarios. To do so, we first analyzed which geographical and bioclimatic variables were the strongest predictors for the spatial distribution of the current resident bird species. Based on canonical redundancy analysis and analysis of variance, we found that annual temperature range, average temperature of the cold season, seasonality of precipitation, precipitation in the wettest season, elevation, and local percentage of wet area had the strongest influence on the species’ distributions. We used these variables with Random Forests, Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines and Maximum Entropy models to explain spatial variations in species abundance. Future species distributions were calculated by replacing present climatic variables with projections under different climate change pathways. Subsequently, maps of species richness change were produced. The results showed a northward expansion of areas of highest species richness towards the center of the province. Species are also likely to appear near James Bay and Ungava Bay, where rapid climate change is expected.

scholarly journals Avian Reporting Rates in Chugcheongnam Province, South Korea Depend on Distance from Forest Edge, Size of Trees, and Size of Forest Fragments

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 364
Author(s):  
Jang ◽  
Seol ◽  
Chung ◽  
Sagong ◽  
Lee
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Forest Edge ◽  
Forest Area ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Bird Abundance ◽  
Forest Condition ◽  
Abundance And Diversity

Forests provide bird communities with various resources, including food and habitats. Thus, forest attributes, such as size, structure, and species composition, influence the distribution and dynamics of bird species. This study was conducted to examine the association between forest condition, bird species abundance, and diversity within Chungcheongnam Province, South Korea. Zero-inflated binomial regression models were used to analyze a total of 1646 sampling points of abundance and diversity. Forest area, distance to forest edge, and tree size class were selected as covariates. Negative associations between forest area and overall bird abundance and species richness were indicated, whereas distance to forest edge was not a significant factor. This insignificance may be attributed to the relatively small, fragmented, and homogenous forest areas across the studied region. Results for individual bird species indicated that six out of the 35 major bird species had significant associations to the forest edge and three species showed a preference for the interior of the forest. The results of this study imply that other factors, such as food availability and biotic interaction, are more important when determining habitat preference in a relatively homogenous area with a long history of human disturbance.

Species richness and biodiversity conservation priorities in British Columbia, Canada

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn E Freemark ◽  
Mark Meyers ◽  
Denis White ◽  
Leanna D Warman ◽  
A Ross Kiester ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
British Columbia ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Programming Algorithm ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Species At Risk ◽  
Distribution Ranges ◽  
Species Groups

Patterns in the geographic distribution of seven species groups were used to identify important areas for conservation in British Columbia, Canada. Potential priority sites for conservation were determined using an integer programming algorithm that maximized the number of species represented in the minimum number of sites. Sweep analyses were used to determine how well the set of priority sites identified for each species group represented the other species groups. Although areas of highest species richness were different for each species group, they all included sites in the southern interior of British Columbia, where there is limited protection. Furthermore, less than 13% of the distribution ranges for 23 of 25 bird species of special conservation concern were located within existing protected areas. Species at risk of extinction were poorly represented (26%–42%) in priority sets of sites selected for amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, since these sites were generally scattered throughout the province. However, priority sites for species at risk represented 72%–91% of the species in other groups. Therefore, conservation activities in sites identified for such species have the potential to benefit many other species. These sites could be investigated in more detail to augment existing conservation and protection efforts in British Columbia.

Does post-mining rehabilitation restore habitat equivalent to that removed by mining? A case study from the monsoonal tropics of northern Australia

2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan F. Gould
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Bird Abundance ◽  
Detection Rates ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Bird Assemblages ◽  
Mine Rehabilitation ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Mining Rehabilitation

Context Rehabilitation is increasingly being promoted as a strategy for minimising and even reversing biodiversity loss. Many rehabilitation strategies that aim to provide habitat focus entirely on establishing vegetation. Successful vegetation establishment, however, does not necessarily provide habitat that is ecologically equivalent to that removed by vegetation clearing. Quantitative understanding of faunal responses to rehabilitation is required if rehabilitation techniques are to be refined and deliver desired biodiversity outcomes. Aims I aimed to assess the extent to which post-mining rehabilitation restores bird habitat equivalent to that removed in the mining process on the Weipa bauxite plateau. Methods The composition, abundance and richness of bird assemblages were compared between native forest sites and a 23-year chronosequence of post-mining rehabilitation sites. Native forest sites were made up of three Weipa bauxite plateau land units, including the land unit that represents pre-mining native forest, and two land units that are considered to be potential analogues for the post-mining landscape. Key results Bird abundance and bird species richness increased with rehabilitation age. Bird species richness in the two oldest age classes of mine rehabilitation was similar to values obtained from pre-mining native forest and post-mining landscape analogue sites. The composition of bird assemblages, however, was significantly different. Of all the bird species observed, 25% occurred exclusively in native forest sites, 19% occurred exclusively in mine-rehabilitation sites, and the remaining 56% were recorded in both native forest and mine-rehabilitation sites. Site bird-detection rates were significantly related to site vegetation structure, with inter-specific differences in bird response. Conclusions Post-mining rehabilitation at Weipa has partially made up for the loss of habitat caused by clearing for mining. Twenty-three years after rehabilitation commenced, however, a clear residual impact on biodiversity remains, with a third of native forest birds absent from mine rehabilitation, including several native forest specialists. Implications Rehabilitation can partially make up for biodiversity losses caused by the initial loss of habitat. There is no evidence, however, that rehabilitation can achieve ‘no net loss’. Reliance on rehabilitation to achieve conservation outcomes does not address the fact that many fauna species require resources that are found only in mature forest.

Roadside Birds in Punjab (India): Relation to Mortality from Vehicles

1988 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 303-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manjit S. Dhindsa ◽  
Jaswinder S. Sandhu ◽  
P.S. Sandhu ◽  
H.S. Toor
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Passer Domesticus ◽  
Bird Abundance ◽  
Common Myna ◽  
Bird Mortality ◽  
On The Road

Roadside bird mortality is a new environmental dimension in developing countries. With the recent increase in the number of high-speed cars and the simultaneous improvement of roads in India, bird-car strikes and the resultant bird mortality are becoming important. To know how many species frequent roads in Punjab and thus may be prone to be killed by fast vehicles, we censused birds along 420 km of roads of different widths and traffic volumes from a vehicle moving at 50–60 km per hour. We also counted birds along transects c. 1 km away from roads, for comparison.In all, 35 species of birds were recorded on the road proper or within 3 m of either edge. Common Myna (Acridotheres trisitis) was the most abundant species (34.8% of all birds), followed by House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) (29.5%), Ring Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) (13.1%), and House Crow (Corvus splendens) (9.7%). These four species together accounted for c. 87% of the total of all bird species. The off-road community consisted of 68 species. The species-richness of granivorous, insectivorous, omnivorous, and some other birds, was less on or near roads than in the off-road transects, but within each community, species having different feeding habits were in similar proportions. About 93% of the total birds on or near roads (as against 66% off-road) were either granivorous or omnivorous.Our results suggested that granivorous birds are attracted, but insectivorous and other birds are repelled, by roads. Omnivores were equally abundant on and off roads. Food (such as spilled grain) seemed to be the main factor attracting birds to roads. Species diversity and equitability of the bird community on roads (1.82 and 0.51, respectively) were less than those off-roads (3.11 and 0.74, respectively). Wider roads had lower species-diversity and equitability, probably because of the greater volume of traffic on them compared with narrower roads. Species richness and bird abundance seemed not to be affected by roadwidth. Bird mortality on roads is discussed, along with the possibility of roads acting as “ecological traps” for foraging birds.

scholarly journals Avian survey in tourist sites near Putao in northern Myanmar

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 13377-13384
Author(s):  
Alexey E. Scopin ◽  
Vladimir N. Sotnikov ◽  
Dmitry V. Skumatov ◽  
Alexey A. Sergeyev
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Mountain Forests ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Bird Monitoring ◽  
Relative Scale

We present the results of short ornithological observations conducted in November–December 2014 and December 2015 in the territory near Putao in northern Myanmar at elevations below 1,500m.  We recorded 105 species, which were mostly resident birds, and evaluated the species abundance with a relative scale along tourist walking routes in the area.  The bird species richness in the Mali Hka River Valley was observed to be less than in the adjacent virgin mountain forests.  Our results could be used for future bird monitoring fieldworks.

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