The avifauna of Viruá National Park, Roraima, reveals megadiversity in northern Amazonia

Laranjeiras, Thiago Orsi; Naka, Luciano N.; Bechtoldt, Catherine L.; Costa, Thiago Vernaschi Vieira da; Andretti, Christian Borges; Cerqueira, Marconi C.; Torres, Marcela De Fátima; Rodrigues, Gisiane Lima; Santos, Marcos Pérsio Dantas; Vargas, Claudeir F.; Pacheco, Angela Midori Furuya; Sardelli, Carla Haisler; Barnett, Juan Mazar; Cohn‐Haft, Mario

doi:10.1007/bf03544242

Cited by 25 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Indeed, the contribution of non-specialist species for bird communities in this study ranged from 55 percent to 76 percent, highlighting the importance of the regional pool of bird species to patterns of bird diversity. Regions with high diversity of vegetation types, such as Viru a (Laranjeiras et al 2014), host an avifauna that is more diverse in WSV non-specialist species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bird Communities in Amazonian White‐Sand Vegetation Patches: Effects of Landscape Configuration and Biogeographic Context

Borges¹,

Cornelius

Moreira³

et al. 2016

Biotropica

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Vegetation growing on white‐sand soils is patchily distributed across the Amazon and is characterized by scrublands or open vegetation types (white‐sand campinas) and by forests (white‐sand forests) surrounded by contrasting habitat types. We studied birds in patches of white‐sand campinas in contrasting landscapes in four regions located in distinct biogeographic units delimited by major rivers. Our aim was to investigate the contribution of landscape configuration and biogeographic context to patterns of species diversity and distribution. Aracá and Viruá landscapes (on opposite sides of Rio Branco) are composed by large and continuous patches of white‐sand campinas, while Jaú, Novo Airão and Uatumã landscapes (on opposite sides of Rio Negro) are composed by small patches of white‐sand campinas isolated by continuous terra firme forests. Birds were sampled using mist‐nets and qualitative censuses, and were classified as white‐sand vegetation specialists or non‐specialists. Bird species diversity was significantly different among studied regions, and composition was significantly different for both, specialists and non‐specialists birds. Local variability in species diversity and composition was best explained by white‐sand campina area, patch proximity, and distance to major rivers. We conclude that landscape configuration and biogeographical context influence patterns of bird diversity, abundance, and composition in Amazonian white‐sand campinas.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bird Communities in Amazonian White‐Sand Vegetation Patches: Effects of Landscape Configuration and Biogeographic Context

Borges¹,

Cornelius

Moreira³

et al. 2016

Biotropica

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“…In addition to fungi, other biotic communities are closely associated with WSE, including certain species that appear to be white-sand specialists. After trees, birds are the most well-studied taxa, and distinct and highly endemic white-sand bird communities have been described in the Peruvian Amazon (Álvarez Alonso et al 2013), the central Amazon and Rio Negro Basin (Cohn-Haft et al 1997, Borges 2004, Borges & Da Silva 2012, Capurucho et al 2013, and the Brazilian states of Acre (Guilherme 2012) and Roraima (Naka et al 2006, Laranjeiras et al 2014. However, there are still large gaps in knowledge of whitesand biotic communities, and work in WSE continues to yield white-sand specialist taxa new to science.…”

Section: Research Priorities For White-sand Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In areas where white-sand ecosystems have been studied, authors have frequently incorporated recommendations for their conservation (ter Steege 1998, ter Steege et al 2000a, Guilherme 2012, Ferreira et al 2013, Laranjeiras et al 2014. Special recommendations for WSE have also been included in rapid inventory reports (Vriesendorp et al 2006) and ecological zoning recommendations (Ferreira et al 2013).…”

Section: Conservation Of White-sand Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

White‐sand Ecosystems in Amazonia

et al. 2016

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Vegetation on sandy soils, ranging from open grasslands and shrublands to closed‐canopy, thin‐trunked forests, can be found in patches throughout the Amazon. Despite variation in names, appearance, ecological correlates, and suggested origins, these ‘white‐sand ecosystems’ (WSE) share distinctive characteristics and biological communities. Here, in the first Amazon‐wide review of WSE, we review the variation in WSE and the factors underlying this variation. We present the most comprehensive Amazon‐wide map to date of WSE and calculate their total area. We find that WSE are still not completely mapped, and we use biological correlates as a proxy to indicate where white‐sand vegetation patches likely occur. Through our synthesis of the literature, we find that key factors, such as geologic origin, soil characteristics, hydrology, and fire regimes, vary widely and have differing impacts in different regions on vegetation structure and on floral, faunal, and fungal species composition. Although studies of WSE have increased dramatically in recent years, WSE in many parts of the Amazon remain understudied, and there is little synthesis of the interaction of factors across different areas. In response, we suggest priorities for future research. Finally, we find that WSE are inadequately protected and, where accessible, are regularly mined for sand, logged, or burned and cleared for agriculture. We argue that due to their island‐like distribution patterns and resultant complex metapopulation dynamics, their extremely slow recovery after disturbance, and their important contributions to basin‐wide diversity patterns and ecosystem services, WSE should be given special consideration in conservation efforts to ensure their persistence in Amazonia.

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“…These somewhat muddy rivers in the Rio Negro basin contrast visibly with the nearby typical blackwater rivers and offer an opportunity to test the effect of river type on the floodplain avifauna. The largest Rio Negro tributary, the Rio Branco, contains isolated populations of some bird species found primarily in other whitewater rivers in the main Amazon–Madeira river system, which are absent from the Rio Negro itself (Laranjeiras et al., ; Naka, Cohn‐Haft, Whittaker, Barnett, & Torres, ; Naka et al., in press). Most of the tributaries within the Rio Negro basin, however, lacked prior avian surveys, making fieldwork crucial to careful comparisons.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using river color to predict Amazonian floodplain forest avifaunas in the world's largest blackwater river basin

2019

Self Cite

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| INTRODUC TI ONOne of Amazonia's most striking features is the diversity of "colors" of its many rivers. The distinction between white-, black-, and clearwater rivers was recognized by early naturalists in the Amazon basin (e.g., Wallace, 1853; Holdridge, 1933) and long before them in the very names of the rivers, such as "Rio Negro" and "Rio Branco." River "color" (i.e., river type; hereafter used interchangeably) classification is based on the color and other physical and chemical parameters of the water, which in turn are related to the geomorphology of the river's catchment region (Sioli, 1968;Janzen, 1974). Turbid and nutrient-rich whitewater rivers (e.g., Rio Madeira) mostly drain the Abstract Despite the importance of rivers in Amazonian biogeography, avian distribution patterns in river-created habitats (i.e., floodplain forests) have been sparsely addressed.Here, we explore geographic variation in floodplain forest avifaunas, specifically regarding one of the most striking aspects of the Amazon: the diversity of river "colors" (i.e., types, based on the color of the water). We sampled the avifauna at 30 sites, located in 17 different rivers (nine black-and eight whitewater), in the Rio Negro basin, northwestern Brazil. Our sampling comprised ten 15-min point-counts per site, distributed every 500-1000 m along the river. We recorded a total of 352 bird species, many of which occurred in both river types. Although bird species richness was similar among rivers, we found significant differences in species composition. Nearly 14 percent of the species were significantly associated with one or the other river type. Most floodplain forest specialists occurred predominantly in whitewater rivers, whereas species that are typically associated with white-sand habitats occurred in blackwater. Despite significant distinctions between river types, occurrence patterns and levels of habitat association differed among indicator species and may vary in the same species throughout its global distribution. There were also "intermediate" avifauna in some of our sites, suggesting that continuous parameters characterizing river types structure species turnover. The water color-based classification of Amazonian rivers represents a simple and powerful predictor of the floodplain forest avifauna, offering a stimulating starting point for understanding patterns of floodplain bird distributions and for prioritizing conservation efforts in these overlooked habitats.Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material. K E Y

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The avifauna of Viruá National Park, Roraima, reveals megadiversity in northern Amazonia

Cited by 25 publications

References 31 publications

Bird Communities in Amazonian White‐Sand Vegetation Patches: Effects of Landscape Configuration and Biogeographic Context

Bird Communities in Amazonian White‐Sand Vegetation Patches: Effects of Landscape Configuration and Biogeographic Context

White‐sand Ecosystems in Amazonia

Using river color to predict Amazonian floodplain forest avifaunas in the world's largest blackwater river basin

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