Synecological approach of novelty responses in bird assemblage inhabiting Atlas cedar afforestation (Cedrus atlantica(Endl.) G. Manetti ex Carrière) of Mount M’Cid, Northeastern Algeria

Abstract

The degradation of Algerian forests caused by repeated fires, pests, diseases, and illegal cutting has led to significant losses in the natural heritage. Afforestation activities play a crucial role in restoring the degraded ecosystem, but the ecological characteristics of the forests are often overlooked when selecting single or multiple native or exotic coniferous species for afforestation. This study used a multivariate synecological approach (such as, Redundancy Canonical Analysis, a variation partitioning approach based on partial RDA and multivariate regression tree with indicator species) to analyze the relative contributions of environmental factors in forest bird community assembly in Atlas cedar stand afforestations. The survey used the point count method to observe the spatial distribution of breeding forest birds across the wooded landscape with respect to habitat predictors, summarizing woodland physiognomy and landscape-scale variables. A total of 47 forest bird species were observed, and the used multivariate synecological analysis has identified three major patterns of relationships among breeding birds and afforested area: the first was related to changes in tree structure during growth, the second was associated with the height of the grass layer, and the third was the gradient of height elevation.