The point count method has been widely used in tropical forest for sampling bird communities. In the present study, we investigated if data on richness and abundance acquired using the point count method are different comparing spring/summer (breeding season) and fall/winter (non-breeding season) in three types of the Brazilian Atlantic forest. Twelve sites were sampled seasonally during one year. In general we recorded more species and individuals during the breeding seasons. However, bird communities vary seasonally among the forest types and functional groups. We demonstrate that the use of point counts in tropical forest should be adjusted considering the differences in forest types and feeding guilds
We compared the composition and guild structure of bird communities of riparian and upland forest in an Atlantic forest reserve, the Godoy State Park (GP), in northern Paraná State, southern Brazil. Unlimited distance point counts were sampled monthly from September-December 2001, along four trails. Two trails in upland forest (TA and TB) were parallel to each other and about 300 m apart. Two trails in riparian forest (TC and TD) were along the Apertados River, about 100 m away from the river. A total of 145 species were recorded: 81 species were recorded in both upland and riparian forests, 19 species were recorded only in upland forest and 45 species were recorded exclusively in riparian forest. Among the 81 species occurring in both forest types, 18 species had significantly higher numbers of contacts in the riparian forest while only 8 species had significantly higher numbers of contacts in the upland forest. Taking into account the contacts numbers of the species the large frugivores guild was closely associated to the upland forest, while bamboo and vine-tangles insectivore, canopy insectivores, edge omnivores, ground omnivore and midstory insectivores were those more closely related to the riparian forest.
The delineation of unique areas in biodiversity is crucial for conservation planning. However, identification of distinct biotas is a challenging task. In this study, we use an objective analytical process to test if bird and plant species composition of three different forest formation in the Atlantic forest Biome is sufficiently distinct to merit the recognition of ecoregions. We also evaluated how current climatic and spatial factors shape the distribution of plants and birds. Sampling localities were selected in three forest types of southern Brazil: mixed rain forest (MF), seasonal semi‐deciduous forest (SF) and dense rain forest (DF). The point‐centred quarter method and point counts were used to sample plants and birds respectively. Multivariate analyses were used to evaluate species composition, while the Rank Occupancy Abundance Profile was used to determine the association of bird species with each forest type. We used variation partitioning to determine which factors, that is climatic, spatial or tree species abundance (in the case of birds) better explained the distribution of plants and birds. A total of 176 tree species and 270 bird species were recorded. The bird species composition was sufficiently distinct among the three forest types, but the plant species composition was only distinct between DF and MF. Moreover, 61% of bird species were associated with only one forest type. This high association and the different species composition suggest that these forest types are sufficiently distinct to merit the recognition of ecoregions. Plant distribution was mainly affected by climatic variables, while bird distribution was mainly influenced by forest type and less so by climatic variables. Our data suggest that all three forest types should be conserved, but conservation strategies are urgent in MF where only 0.39% of its original cover is under protection.
O método ponto de escuta foi utilizado com o objetivo de avaliar a comunidade de aves em um pequeno trecho de 1 ha de floresta restaurada com mais de 40 anos de implantação, no município de Viçosa - MG. Um total de 20 pontos foi amostrado no período reprodutivo das aves no ano de 2011. Foram registrados 31 espécies de aves e 160 contatos, sendo a maioria das espécies típicas da Floresta Estacional Semidecidual e cinco espécies endêmicas do Bioma Mata Atlântica. No presente estudo, a presença de aves consumidora de frutos e de aves insetívoras de sub-bosque que apresentam pouca tolerância a ambientes abertos e de forte insolação, sugere a boa qualidade do habitat amostrado, confirmando que a floresta restaurada se encontra em estádio avançado de sucessão, conforme estudos anteriores. Os resultados do presente estudo também demonstram que mesmo em uma área pequena e com poucos dias de amostragens foi possível obter uma rápida caracterização da comunidade de aves e, a partir dessa composição, relacioná-la com as condições do habitat, permitindo uma avaliação segura do sucesso de um projeto de restauração florestal.
Variações na riqueza e abundância de Furnariidae florestais foram analisadas ao longo do gradiente altitudinal/latitudinal da bacia do rio Tibagi (BRT), Paraná, Brasil. A Floresta Ombrófila Mista (1060 m a.n.m.) é a formação dominante no sul da BRT, enquanto que a Floresta Estacional Semidecidual (298 m a.n.m.), ocorre no norte. O número total de espécies obtidas na BRT foi 14. A riqueza e a abundância de Furnariidae foram maiores no sul (12 espécies, IPA = 2,01) do que no norte (cinco espécies, IPA = 0,45) da BRT. As similaridades também foram altas entre o sul e o centro da BRT. A estrutura da comunidade de Furnariidae também apresentou correlação positiva entre o sul e o centro da BRT (coeficiente de correlação por postos de Spearman; r s = 0,96, r s = 0,89, r s = 1,00). As relações evolutivas de alguns representantes de Furnariidae com o sul da América do Sul e com os Andes podem explicar a maior presença desta família no sul da BRT. Um outro aspecto que também pode ajudar a explicar os resultados apresentados por Furnariidae são as semelhanças entre a Floresta Ombrófila Mista do sul da BRT e outras florestas temperadas da América do Sul.
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