ABSTRACT
Climate change is already seen as one of the biggest threats to biodiversity in the 21st century. Not many studies direct attention to its effects on whole communities of threatened hotspots. In this work, we combine climate niche modelling (ENM) with a future climate scenario of greenhouse gases emissions to study the future changes in alpha and beta diversity of birds of the Brazilian Cerrado biome, a hot spot of biodiversity with high velocity of climate change and agricultural expansion. We expected Southern Cerrado (highly modified) to present most negative changes. In general, we found heterogeneous results for changes in species richness, spatial and temporal taxonomic and functional beta diversity, and mean ecological distinctiveness. We analysed 1301 birds, 1115 Least Concern, 83 Near Threatened, 63 Vulnerable, 33 Endangered, five Critically Endangered and two Extinct in the Wild. Contrary to a previous study on Cerrado mammals, species richness is expected to increase in Northern Cerrado, where homogenization of communities (decreasing spatial turnover) is also expected to occur especially through local invasions. We show that biotic homogenization increasing (similarity among communities) will occur in two biological groups but through different subprocesses: local extinctions for mammals and local invasions for birds. Distinct conservation management actions should be directed depending on the outcomes of analyses of alpha and spatial and temporal beta diversity, for example controlling species invasions in Northern Cerrado. We also show species‐level priorities for Cerrado birds. Conservation studies should continue evaluating Cerrado in Brazil even under covid pandemic, as environmental situation in the country is not good and incentives for scientific studies are almost nonexistent. We also consider that Northern Cerrado could be seen as a potential refuge for other organismal groups (bats, butterflies, frogs, etc). Therefore, ambitious conservation actions by decision‐makers are now crucial. [ FROM AUTHOR]
ABSTRACT
The pandemic of COVID -19 has brought many changes to wildlife globally positively or negatively. During lock downs the abundance of many wild species has increased due to decease in human disturbance in area. This study is designed to compare two landfills situated 22 km apart in the Gujranwala, Punjab in terms of avifauna diversity, abundance and foraging behavior during COVID-19 pandemic. The field observations using the total count method of population census revealed the abundance of contrasting avian species at both sites with a very low values of the diversity index (H= 1.146 Chianwali & H=1.697 Gondalawala ) and species evenness (E= 0.423 Chianwali & E= 0.587 Gondalawala). A large variation in bird's population was recorded at both landfills, i.e. N > 17,300 at one landfill (Chianwali) and N> 26,200 at the other (Gondalawala). Time dependent variation in population was also observed. Cattle egret was dominant species (~75% of population) at the Chianwali landfill site while the Black kite (~55% of population) was the dominant species at Gondalawala landfill. House crow was the second dominant species at both sites. Birds were grouped into categories based on ecological behaviors such as dominance, opportunists, insectivory etc. The study finds that each landfill has its own specific character depending upon the geographical location, accessibility of birds to landfills, and management practices such as presence of boundary wall and artificial lights. Moreover, it also finds that COVID -19 lockdown provided an opportunity to wild avian species to exploit human rehabilitated areas abundantly where there presence was very few because of dominance of human beings and their activities.