Bird Community Assemblage and Distribution in a Tropical, Urban Ecosystem of Puerto Rico

Abstract

Urbanization has profound effects on the presence and distribution of wildlife species. Although numerous studies have been conducted to inform our understanding of the effects of urbanization on wildlife, studies of urban wildlife communities in the tropics are especially rare. Here, we investigated the bird community assemblage and distribution at an urban military installation, Fort Buchanan, located within the San Juan Metropolitan Area on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. Using fixed-radius point count surveys and opportunistic encounters, we documented over 1,700 individual birds of 60 avian species across three sampling periods in March, April, and October 2016 (84 surveys over 12 total sampling days). The species occurring at the highest densities in this urban environment were Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola: 4.58 birds/ha), Antillean Grackle (Quiscalus niger: 3.64 birds/ha), Zenaida Dove (Zenaida aurita: 2.25 birds/ha), and White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica: 2.12 birds/ha). The birds occurring in the lowest densities were one native, imperiled duck species (Dendrocygna arborea), and several neotropical migrants. Most species were not randomly distributed throughout the site but were instead correlated with particular landscape features or habitat types. For instance, migratory warblers were mostly found in remnant forest patches, while Zenaida Doves were associated with open, grassy areas. As human populations continue to expand and urbanization spreads, it will become increasingly important to conserve critical, but often overlooked wildlife habitat-especially forest patches for migratory birds-within urban ecosystems.

Small Things Matter: The Value of Rapid Biodiversity Surveys to Understanding Local Bird Diversity Patterns in Southcentral Mindanao, Philippines

“…Among all habitat types, roads and urban areas showed the lowest species diversity and endemism in Southcentral Mindanao. Several studies have shown a similar pattern from ours where heavily urbanized areas show these patterns (Blair, 1996;Gamalo & Baril, 2018;Gatesire, Nsabimana, Nyiramana, Seburanga, & Mirville, 2014;Wolff, DeGregorio, Rodriguez-Cruz, Mulero-Oliveras, & Sperry, 2018). The presence of green spaces, that is, trees and available foraging sites has higher species richness (Suarez-Rubio et al, 2016).…”

Urbanisation, Bird Species Richness and Abundance Within Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria

“…The importance of understanding the ecological effects of urbanisation cannot be under-emphasised, especially with its rapid conversion of previously wild lands around the world. The process associated with urbanisation has profound effects on the distribution of wildlife species and their habitats (Wolff et al 2018). Urban development is characterised by rapid population growth and profound land use transformation, leading to land conversion, which is a predominant process affecting ecological community structure and population dynamics of living organisms (Hostetler 1997).…”

Vegetation Cover Drives Arthropod Communities in Mediterranean/Subtropical Green Roof Habitats

“…For decades, conservation biologists have focused primarily on the protection of natural ecosystems and have placed little importance on urban areas or urban biodiversity [4]. To date, most studies on wildlife in cities have focused on birds [5,6]. However, few studies have focused on arthropods [7][8][9].…”