Habitat associations of woodcreeper (Aves: Dendrocolaptidae) assemblage in selectively logged areas of Southern Amazonia

Abstract

Abstract:The Brazilian Amazon rain forest has lost c. 17% of its originally forested portion, due to deforestation and selective logging. Forest degradation caused by logging contributes to loss of animal species that require specialized habitats to survive, such as woodcreepers that inhabit understorey areas. Habitat associations of woodcreeper species can be important for identifying species that have restricted distribution and/or habitat specialization. Our study investigates the effects of spatial variation in forest structure and some landscape features (canopy openness, altitude, distance to stream and exploited basal area) on the abundance and composition of woodcreeper assemblage in selectively logged tropical forests in Southern Amazonia. We used mist-nets and points count to quantify the composition and abundance of woodcreepers in 32 plots in three sites. Plots were spatially arranged in PPBio LTER sites (long-term ecological research plots, systematically spaced at 1-km intervals) in Southern Amazonia. A total of 240 individuals (captured, observed and/or heard) belonging to 11 woodcreeper species were detected. Mantel tests showed that there is no spatial autocorrelation among woodcreeper assemblage and distance between plots. Altitude and canopy openness were significantly associated with the composition of the woodcreeper assemblage. Altitude was negatively associated with species richness, and the abundance of the two dominant species (Glyphorynchus spirurus and Xiphorhynchus elegans). The negative relationship with canopy openness suggests that woodcreeper assemblages that inhabit understorey are likely to be indirectly affected by selective logging which reduces canopy cover. The selective logging indirectly changes bird species assemblages, and depending on the intensity, may result in the local extinction of some insectivorous species. Short- and long-term studies addressing different intensities of selective logging are needed to determine the impacts on the bird species and forest structure.

Diversification history in the Dendrocincla fuliginosa complex (Aves: Dendrocolaptidae): Insights from broad geographic sampling

“…Throughout the Amazon Basin, D. fuliginosa occurs in sympatry with D. merula, a taxon restricted to the region. However, while D. merula favors the understory of mature forests, D. fuliginosa is also common in second growth and forest edges (Cintra et al, 2006;Rodrigues et al, 2016;Marantz et al, 2018a;Marantz et al, 2018b). Accordingly, both taxa have contrasting biogeographical patterns within Amazonia.…”

Impacts of selective logging on avian phylogenetic and functional diversity in the Amazon

“…We found higher abundances of some generalists in our logged sites, such as Monasa morpheus ( P = 0.0202), and found significantly more abundant ant‐swarm followers Willisornis poecilinotus ( P = 0.002) and Dendrocincla merula ( P = 0.0002), the mixed‐flock specialist Thamnomanes saturninus ( P = 0.0116) and bark‐dwelling specialist Xiphorhynchus elegans ( P = 0.0106) in unlogged sites. The abundance of bark‐dwelling specialist woodcreepers in the southern Amazon is negatively associated with canopy openness, suggesting sensitivity to selective logging (Rodrigues et al ., 2016).…”

Environmental structure affects taxonomic diversity but not functional structure of understory birds in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon

“…canopy cover, density of trees) affects food availability, nesting sites, microclimate characteristics, vulnerability to predators and bird dispersal ability (Johns 1991;Mason and Thiollay 2001). These conditions can influence the use of habitats by Amazonian birds, affecting the number of individuals, the number of species and compositional change among assemblages (Johns 1991;Cintra et al 2006;Rodrigues et al 2016). The depth of leaf litter, for example, can affect the utilisation of the forest floor by many species of insectivorous birds (Pearson 1975), while canopy cover is crucial to the occurrence of birds that depend on a shaded understory (Banks-Leite and .…”