Mediation of area and edge effects in forest fragments by adjacent land use.

Habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation have pervasive detrimental effects on tropical forest biodiversity, but the role of the surrounding land use (i.e., matrix) in determining the severity of these impacts remains poorly understood. We surveyed bird species across an interior-edge-matrix gradient to assess the effects of matrix type on biodiversity at 49 different sites with varying levels of landscape fragmentation in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest-a highly threatened biodiversity hotspot. Both area and edge effects were more pronounced in forest patches bordering pasture matrix, whereas patches bordering Eucalyptus plantation maintained compositionally similar bird communities between the edge and the interior and exhibited reduced effects of patch size. These results suggest the type of matrix in which forest fragments are situated can explain a substantial amount of the widely reported variability in biodiversity responses to forest loss and fragmentation.

Mediación de los Efectos de Área y de Borde sobre los Fragmentos de Bosque Causados por el Uso de Suelo Adyacente Resumen La pérdida del hábitat, la fragmentación y la degradación tienen efectos nocivos generalizados sobre la biodiversidad de los bosques tropicales. A pesar de esto, el papel del uso de suelo de los terrenos adyacentes (es decir, la matriz) en la determinación de la gravedad de estos impactos todavía está poco entendido. Censamos las especies de aves a lo largo de un gradiente de borde interno de matriz para evaluar los efectos del tipo de matriz sobre la biodiversidad en al menos 49 sitios con diferentes niveles de fragmentación del paisaje en el Bosque Atlántico Brasileño - un punto caliente de biodiversidad que se encuentra severamente amenazado. Tanto los efectos de área como los de borde estuvieron más pronunciados en los fragmentos de bosque que limitan con la matriz de pasturas, mientras que los fragmentos que limitan con plantaciones de Eucalyptus mantuvieron comunidades de aves similares en composición con aquellas entre el borde y el interior y mostraron efectos reducidos del tamaño de fragmento. Estos resultados sugieren que el tipo de matriz en el cual están situados los fragmentos de bosque puede explicar una cantidad sustancial de la ampliamente reportada variabilidad de respuestas a la pérdida del bosque y a la fragmentación.

Species-specific responses to habitat conversion across scales synergistically restructure Neotropical bird communities.

Ecologists are increasingly exploring methods for preserving biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Yet because species vary in how they respond to habitat conversion, ecological communities in agriculture and more natural habitats are often distinct. Unpacking the heterogeneity in species responses to habitat conversion will be essential for predicting and mitigating community shifts. Here, we analyze two years of bird censuses at 150 sites across gradients of local land cover, landscape forest amount and configuration, and regional precipitation in Costa Rica to holistically characterize species responses to habitat conversion. Specifically, we used Poisson-binomial mixture models to (1) delineate groups of species that respond similarly to environmental gradients, (2) explore the relative importance of local vs. landscape-level habitat conversion, and (3) determine how landscape context influences species' local habitat preferences. We found that species fell into six groups: habitat generalists, abundant and rare forest specialists, and three groups of agricultural specialists that differed in their responses to landscape forest cover, fragmentation, and regional precipitation. Birds were most sensitive to local forest cover, but responses were contingent on landscape context. Specifically, forest specialists benefitted most when local forest cover increased in forested landscapes, while habitat generalists exhibited compensatory dynamics, peaking at sites with either local or landscape-level forest, but not both. Our study demonstrates that species responses to habitat conversion are complex but predictable. Characterizing species-level responses to environmental gradients represents a viable approach for forecasting the winners and losers of global change and designing interventions to minimize the ongoing restructuring of Earth's biota.

Distribución altitudinal de la riqueza y composición de "ensamblajes" de aves en una zona montañosa al sur de Nayarit, México / Altitudinal distribution, richness and composition of bird "assemblages" in a mountainous region in Southern Nayarit, Mexico

Resumen:Los estudios sobre gradientes altitudinales han permitido examinar cambios en la riqueza y composición de los ensamblajes de aves, lo que hace posible obtener información sobre las variables ambientales que determinan su distribución y factores que definen la estructura. En este trabajo se describe la variación en la riqueza y composición de los ensamblajes de aves a través de un gradiente altitudinal al sur de Nayarit. Para analizar el comportamiento de la riqueza en el gradiente se obtuvo información mediante puntos de conteo en nueve intervalos altitudinales (separados cada 300 m de altitud) desde el nivel del mar hasta los 2 700 msnm. Se estandarizó el esfuerzo de muestreo y se realizaron curvas de rarefacción, y los cambios en la composición de especies se analizaron mediante análisis de clasificación jerárquica utilizando la técnica TWINSPAN. Para identificar las variables asociadas con los cambios en riqueza se analizó el efecto de la precipitación y de la estructura del hábitat mediante árboles de regresión. Para determinar si los cambios en composición responden a cambios en los tipos de vegetación se realizó un análisis de escalamiento multidimensional no métrico (NMDS). La riqueza de especies varió de forma significativa a través del gradiente: fue alta en las partes bajas del gradiente, alcanzó su valor máximo en la parte media y disminuyó monotónicamente con la elevación. Las especies respondieron a cambios en el gradiente y se agruparon en tres pisos altitudinales. Los análisis sugieren que los cambios en la riqueza y composición de las especies están influenciados por la vegetación, su estructura y precipitación, así como por diversos aspectos relacionados con características del hábitat y la perturbación. Estos aspectos deberán ser tomados en cuenta con el fin de diseñar estrategias adecuadas para la conservación de las aves de Nayarit.

Abstract:Elevation gradient studies have strengthened the evaluation of changes in richness and composition of bird assemblages. They also provide information on environmental variables that determine bird distribution, and the variables that define their population structure. Our aim was to describe their variation through an elevational cline in Southern Nayarit, Mexico. To analyze the behavior of richness across the gradient, we gathered information through point counts in nine elevational intervals (300 m from each other) from sea level to 2 700 m of elevation. With a standardized sampling effort, we produced rarefaction curves and analyzed changes in species composition by hierarchical classification using the TWINSPAN technique. In order to identify variables associated with richness changes, we examined the effect of precipitation and habitat structure via regression trees. An analysis of nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) was implemented with the purpose to determine if the changes in composition correspond to changes in vegetation types. Species richness varied significantly across the gradient: high in the lower parts of the gradient, reached its peak in the middle, and decreased monotonically with elevation. Species responded to changes in the cline and were grouped in three elevational zones. Analyses suggest that changes in richness and species composition are influenced by vegetation, its structure and precipitation regime, as well as various aspects related to habitat features and disturbance. These aspects should be taken into account in order to design appropriate strategies for the conservation of the birds of Nayarit. Rev. Biol. Trop. 64 (4): 1537-1551. Epub 2016 December 01.

Aves de um remanescente florestal do Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Minas Gerais / Birds of a forest remnant in the Iron Quadrangle of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil

O Quadrilátero Ferrífero (QF), localizado em Minas Gerais, é líder mundial na produção de minerais metálicos, principalmente minério de ferro. Essa atividade mineradora é responsável pela modificação da paisagem com impactos ainda pouco estudados sobre a biodiversidade regional. O presente trabalho apresenta a lista de aves de um remanescente florestal da região, a Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Mata Samuel de Paula. A reserva possui 147 ha localizados em área de transição entre a Mata Atlântica e o Cerrado, no município de Nova Lima. Sua vegetação é composta por floresta estacional semidecídua secundária, fitofisionomias campestres de cerrado e campos ferruginosos. O levantamento foi feito por observação em transecções e captura com redes ao longo de um ano. Registraram-se 159 espécies de aves, das quais foram avaliados hábitat e freqüência de ocorrência, sazonalidade e situação de migração, endemismo e conservação. A riqueza foi estimada em 188 espécies. A lista apresenta quatro espécies ameaçadas de extinção, além de 28 espécies endêmicas da Mata Atlântica, três do Cerrado e uma dos topos de montanha do sudeste do Brasil. A análise de inventários de outras cinco Unidades de Conservação do QF mostrou mais 50 espécies endêmicas, além de outras 20 ameaçadas de extinção. Encontrou-se forte relação entre o número de espécies endêmicas da Mata Atlântica, área e longitude das reservas, por regressão múltipla (R² = 0,91; p = 0,03), e entre o número de espécies ameaçadas e a área das reservas, por regressão simples (R² = 0,84; p = 0,01). Constatou-se ainda que grande parte das espécies ameaçadas é encontrada somente nas maiores reservas. A preservação do QF está ameaçada por fortes interesses econômicos e, apesar da destruição de habitat oriunda da exploração de suas qualidades minerais e da urbanização, existe carência de estudos sobre sua biodiversidade, ferramentas básicas para o planejamento de um sistema de reservas eficiente.

The Iron Quadrangle (IQ) is a region of southeastern Brazil known for having good-quality mineral deposits of worldwide economic importance. The iron extraction process causes large scale landscape transformations with unknown impact on the local biodiversity. This paper presents a bird list of a remnant forest fragment in the IQ. The surveyed area named "Mata Samuel de Paula" is a 147 ha conservation unit located in a transitional area between two large biomes: the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado. Its vegetation is a mix of second-growth semi-deciduous forest, scrublands, and ferruginous rocky fields. Bird censuses were carried out during a one year period using observational transects and mist-net captures. A total of 159 species were recorded and richness was estimated to be about 188 species. Information on habitat, frequency of occurrence and seasonality, migratory, endemic, and conservation status were also obtained for each species. Four species recorded are threatened; twenty-eight species are endemic to the Atlantic Forest, three to the Cerrado, and one to particular mountain tops in southeastern Brazil. An analysis of bird lists from five other protected areas in IQ suggests that additional 50 endemic and 21 threatened species may exist in the region. Multiple regression showed a strong relationship between number of Atlantic Forest endemic species, area and longitude of natural reserves, a result also suggested by comparing the number of threatened species with the area of the reserves through simple regression. Results also indicate that a number of the threatened species are restricted to bigger reserves. The IQ is a valuable region for avian conservation efforts, but faces significant disturbance pressures from highly antagonistic economic interests. Despite the enormous threats the region faces, there are still large gaps in the baseline information yielded by biodiversity surveys, which is a basic tool for implementing effective conservation plans.

The influence of vegetation on bird distribution in dry forests and oak woodlands of western Mexico

The bird species distribution along a dry forest-oak woodland vegetation gradient was studied in autumn and spring in two consecutive years. Intra-seasonal comparisons showed that bird species had similar distributions in each of the two years. Inter-seasonal changes were mainly due to compositional differences even though resident species generally used similar habitats in both seasons. Ordination analyses, based on the first year bird species abundances, showed a clearly segregated distribution between forest and woodland birds. Within these two vegetation types, the distribution tended to be more individualistic. Nevertheless further habitats could be identified according to groups of birds having similar distributions. These habitats did not correspond to the plant associations which resulted from a previous classification of the vegetation. Observations of the plant use by the birds during the study period showed that, in most cases, the plant variables associated with ordination analyses are unlikely to be very important for the bird species life cycles.

Se estudió la distribución de especies de aves a lo largo de un gradiente de vegetación bosque seco – bosque de encino en el otoño y primavera de dos años consecutivos. Las comparaciones intra-estacionales mostraron distribuciones similares de las especies de aves en ambos años. Los cambios inter-estacionales se debieron principalmente a diferencias en la composición, aunque las especies residentes normalmente usan hábitats similares en ambas estaciones. Los análisis de ordenación, basados en las abundancias de las aves en el primer año de muestreo, mostraron una distribución claramente segregada entre aves del bosque seco y del bosque de encino. Aunque la distribución de las especies fue más azarosa dentro de cada tipo de vegetación, se pudieron identificar ciertos hábitats en base a grupos de aves con distribuciones similares. Estos hábitats no correspondieron con las asociaciones vegetales identificadas. Las observaciones del uso de las plantas durante el período de estudio sugieren, en la mayoría de los casos, que las variables vegetales asociadas con los ejes de ordenación no serían muy importantes para el ciclo de vida de las especies de aves. Sin embargo, se requiere investigación adicional para comprender su verdadera función.