Landscape forest loss decreases bird diversity with strong negative impacts on forest species in a mountain region

Vargas-Cárdenas, Fredy; Arroyo‐Rodríguez, Víctor; Morante‐Filho, José Carlos; Schondube, Jorge E.; Auliz-Ortiz, Daniel Martín; Ceccon, Eliane

doi:10.1016/j.pecon.2022.10.001

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 41 publications

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“…The observed pattern of increasing proportions of forest species towards the equator may explain the common finding that ecological communities in forests near the equator are less resilient to habitat loss than those nearer the poles (Betts et al., 2019; Melo et al., 2018), since forest species are less likely to be able to persist after deforestation and land‐use change than generalist species (Hansen & Urban, 1992; Swift & Hannon, 2010). This finding suggests that minimizing deforestation at the equator via the creation and maintenance of protected areas may have disproportionately beneficial impacts on forest species conservation (Anjos et al., 2019; Sverdrup‐Thygeson et al., 2017; Vargas‐Cárdenas et al., 2022). Additionally, our results suggest that reforesting historically deforested areas is a conservation priority since they contain disproportionately high proportions of forest species, which may be declining towards local extinction (Liao et al., 2022; Tilman et al., 1994).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A global latitudinal gradient in the proportion of terrestrial vertebrate forest species

Howes,

González‐Suárez,

Banks‐Leite

et al. 2024

Global Ecol Biogeogr

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AimGlobal patterns in species distributions such as the latitudinal biodiversity gradient are of great interest to ecologists and have been thoroughly studied. Whether such a gradient holds true for the proportion of species associated with key ecotypes such as forests is however unknown. Identifying a gradient and ascertaining the factors causing it could further our understanding of community sensitivity to deforestation and uncover drivers of habitat specialization. The null hypothesis is that proportions of forest species remain globally consistent, though we hypothesize that proportions will change with differences in ecotype amount, spatial structure, and environmental stability. Here we study whether the proportion of forest species follows a latitudinal gradient, and test hypotheses for why this may occur.LocationWorldwide.Time periodPresent.Major taxa studiedTerrestrial vertebrates.MethodsWe combined range maps and habitat use data for all terrestrial vertebrates to calculate the proportion of forest species in an area. We then used data on the global distribution of current, recent historical, and long‐term historical forest cover, as well as maps of global disturbances and plant diversity to test our hypotheses using generalized linear models.ResultsWe identified a latitudinal gradient in the proportion of forest species whereby the highest proportions occurred at the equator and decreased polewards. We additionally found that the proportion of forest species increased with current forest cover, historical deforestation, plant structural complexity, and habitat stability. Despite the inclusion of these variables, the strong latitudinal gradient remained, suggesting additional causes of the gradient.Main conclusionsOur findings suggest that the global distribution of the proportion of forest species is a result of recent ecological, as well as long‐term evolutionary factors. Interestingly, high proportions of forest species were found in areas that experienced historical deforestation, suggesting a lagged response to such perturbations and potential extinction debt.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A global latitudinal gradient in the proportion of terrestrial vertebrate forest species

Howes,

González‐Suárez,

Banks‐Leite

et al. 2024

Global Ecol Biogeogr

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The contribution of traditional-homegardens to bird conservation in human-modified landscapes

Vargas-Cárdenas,

Navarro-Sigüenza,

Ceccon

2024

Agroforest Syst

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Traditional-homegardens are important for the food security, economy, and culture of rural communities, but also contributing to biodiversity conservation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of traditional-homegardens as a refuge for birds, how the birds used them, and which of their attributes were associated with the frequency of bird visits. We compared the percentage of visits among groups of birds by habitat preference. Also, we compared the frequency of visits to different vegetation strata and the use that birds made within traditional-homegardens (forage, perching or nesting). Finally, we analyzed the relationship between the number of visits and some characteristics of the traditional-homegardens (size area, richness of large plants and distance to the nearest forest fragment). Birds visited different vegetation stratum of traditional-homegardens to perch, to forage, and even to nest. In general, we found that larger traditional-homegardens area increased the number of bird visits, while distance to the native forest fragments and the species richness of large plants did not have significant effects. Insectivores and frugivores had a similar pattern to the general; to the granivores, the distance to the forest fragment had a positive effect on the number of visits; to the omnivores, the species richness of large plants had negative effect, to the nectarivores, none of the variables had a significant effect. Overall, this study sheds light on the significance of traditional-homegardens not only for human communities but also for biodiversity conservation by providing valuable habitats for a variety of bird species.

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Old-growth forests are critical to safeguard tropical birds in complex landscape mosaics exposed to slash-and-burn agriculture

Martínez-Penados,

Arroyo-Rodríguez,

Morante-Filho

et al. 2024

Landsc Ecol

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Context Slash-and-burn agriculture generates landscape mosaics composed of different land uses. Ecological theory postulates that in these mosaics, the structure of species assemblages depends on both local- and landscape-scale factors, but their relative role remains poorly known. Objectives Understanding the relative importance of local and landscape variables for bird assemblages in landscape mosaics of the Mayan tropical forest, Mexico. Methods We evaluated the effect of two local variables (land use type and tree basal area) and two landscape variables (old-growth forest cover and human proximity) on bird abundance and diversity, separately assessing forest and non-forest birds. As species extirpation may accelerate when forest loss exceeds certain limits (extinction thresholds), we assessed forest loss effects with linear and nonlinear models. Results We recorded 1867 birds from 118 species in four land-use types (old-growth forest, secondary forest, burned lands, and agricultural lands). Land-use type and surrounding old-growth forest cover better predicted bird abundance and diversity than tree basal area and human proximity. Agricultural lands showed the lowest abundance and diversity of forest species, but the highest abundance and diversity of non-forest species. We found no support for the extinction threshold hypothesis. Yet, independently of the land use, old-growth forest loss decreased the diversity of forest species and increased the abundance and diversity of non-forest species. Human proximity also decreased total bird abundance, especially because of the loss of forest species. Conclusions Our findings highlight the key role played by old-growth forests for preserving bird assemblages in landscape mosaics exposed to slash-and-burn agriculture.

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Landscape forest loss decreases bird diversity with strong negative impacts on forest species in a mountain region

Cited by 6 publications

References 41 publications

A global latitudinal gradient in the proportion of terrestrial vertebrate forest species

A global latitudinal gradient in the proportion of terrestrial vertebrate forest species

The contribution of traditional-homegardens to bird conservation in human-modified landscapes

Old-growth forests are critical to safeguard tropical birds in complex landscape mosaics exposed to slash-and-burn agriculture

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