Effects of forest heterogeneity on occurrence and abundance of the scale-backed antbird, Hylophylax poecilinotus (Aves: Thamnophilidae), in the Amazon forest

Abstract

Recently, a significant number of studies on neotropical forest bird communities have focused on factors influencing their richness, abundance, and habitat selection. However, few of them have considered populations or individual species, and how habitat structure affects their distribution and abundance. In this study, we investigated how the combined effects of some forest structure components affect the occurrence and abundance of a resident bird species, the scale-backed antbird Hylophylax poecilinotus (Cabanis, 1847). We tested the null hypothesis of no difference between the variation in forest structure components at locations where birds occurred and at locations where they did not. In a pristine Terra Firme forest at the Ducke Reserve, Manaus, we recorded bird occurrence and abundance using mist nets in 56 transects (1 km long each) within a 9 x 9 km trail grid covering 6400 ha. Also in the same 56 transects, we set 50 x 50 m plots and recorded the following seven components of forest structure and landscape: 1) canopy opening, 2) leaf litter, 3) tree abundance, 4) logs, 5) snags, 6) streams, and 7) elevation. We evaluated their effects on avian occurrence and abundance by using models of Multiple Logistic Regression (for bird occurrence) and Multiple Linear Regression (for bird abundance). The results suggested that H. poecilinotus occurred significantly more often in lowland areas, in areas located farther away from streams, and in areas bearing thicker leaf litter. Hylophylax poecilinotus was also more abundant in lowland areas and in areas located further away from streams. Overall, the results indicated that environmental heterogeneity produced by variation in forest structure components affects habitat use by this bird species in the Amazon forest.

Effect of a major highway on the spatial and temporal variation in the structure and diversity of the avifauna of a tropical premontane rain forest

“…If true that many life history strategies predispose some species to be negatively impacted by the road, some species may actually benefit (Coffin, 2007). Ecological studies on road impacts need to be focused on target groups such as understory insectivores, which require specialized habitat requirements, large areas, the existence of a continuous matrix of vegetation, and the availability of primary forests and specific food resources (Cintra & Cancelli, 2008;Lees & Peres, 2008;Stratford & Stouffer, 2013;Sánchez et al, 2014). Since many of these species are difficult to detect, the implementation of different sampling techniques (i.e., mistnets, translocation studies, and radio-tracking) could help to complement point count censuses (Develey & Stouffer, 2001;Laurance, 2004;Laurance & Gomez, 2005).…”

“…The quality of the territory varies with arthropod abundance (i.e., availability of aerial litter) and the complexity of forest structure (Cintra & Cancelli, 2008) influencing the distribution and density of these species (Laurance, 2004), some of which could survive fragmentation as long as small corridors connect forest patches (i.e., Sánchez et al, 2014). We noticed that some species (i.e., White-breasted Wood Wren, H. leucosticta, and the Spectacled Antpitta, Hylopezus perspicillatus) maintained well-established territories and were found predictably at specific points along the trails.…”

The effects of forest structure on occurrence and abundance of three owl species (Aves: Strigidae) in the Central Amazon forest

“…Whether these habitat features (forest structure components and local terrain ruggedness) are considered to be crucial components of birds' niches (PIANKA 1974, WIENS et al 1987) needs further investigation. Nevertheless, other bird species abundance and changes in bird community compositions in relation to changes in the forest structure in Central Amazon forest has also been recently documented (see below, andCANCELLI 2008, BANKS &CINTRA 2008).…”

“…Some components of habitat structure or floristic composition may determine availability of food, nesting sites, or refuge from predators, and habitat features are considered to be crucial components of birds' niches (PIANKA 1974, WIENS et al 1987. Although the effects of habitat heterogeneity on bird populations and communities have received far more attention in temperate regions than in the tropics (REY 1995 but see CINTRA et al 2006, CINTRA & CANCELLI 2008, BANKS-LEITE & CINTRA 2008, understanding how the structure of tropical forests vary is important to describe the bird assemblages associated to them, and to identify the mechanisms that allow high species coexistence. Tropical forests, however, are a complex environment and detecting exactly what components of the vegetation affect bird distribution and abundance is not trivial.…”

Natural gaps associated with oxidative stress in Willisornis poecilinotus (Aves: Thamnophilidae) in a tropical forest

“…Birds may be attracted to gaps due to the presence of more 'edge' habitats; more foliage at net level, which can be used for protection against predators; increased availability of perches; and higher primary productivity of these sites (Schemske and Brokaw 1981). In fact, Willis (1982) and Cintra and Cancelli (2008) reported that the distribution of this species occurs mainly in open canopy and in sites with leaf litter.…”