A Large-Scale Deforestation Experiment: Effects of Patch Area and Isolation on Amazon Birds

Ferraz, Gonçalo; Nichols, James D.; Hines, James E.; Stouffer, Philip C.; Bierregaard, Richard O.; Lovejoy, Thomas Ε.

doi:10.1126/science.1133097

Cited by 268 publications

(243 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Likewise, for the 82 population networks for which we could calculate both NS and NH, NS had a much stronger effect on occupancy (paired t test on slopes of logistic regression, P Ͻ 0.0001). Previous studies that found stronger effects of area on occupancy often used landscape isolation measures (7,11) or ''isolated/not isolated'' categories for each patch (12). NS is more relevant to metapopulation dynamics because the proximity of source populations, not habitat patches per se, affects colonization probabilities.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of habitat area and isolation on fragmented animal populations

Prugh

Hodges

Sinclair

et al. 2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

619

480

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Habitat destruction has driven many once-contiguous animal populations into remnant patches of varying size and isolation. The underlying framework for the conservation of fragmented populations is founded on the principles of island biogeography, wherein the probability of species occurrence in habitat patches varies as a function of patch size and isolation. Despite decades of research, the general importance of patch area and isolation as predictors of species occupancy in fragmented terrestrial systems remains unknown because of a lack of quantitative synthesis. Here, we compile occupancy data from 1,015 bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian, and invertebrate population networks on 6 continents and show that patch area and isolation are surprisingly poor predictors of occupancy for most species. We examine factors such as improper scaling and biases in species representation as explanations and find that the type of land cover separating patches most strongly affects the sensitivity of species to patch area and isolation. Our results indicate that patch area and isolation are indeed important factors affecting the occupancy of many species, but properties of the intervening matrix should not be ignored. Improving matrix quality may lead to higher conservation returns than manipulating the size and configuration of remnant patches for many of the species that persist in the aftermath of habitat destruction.incidence function ͉ island biogeography ͉ logistic regression ͉ metaanalysis ͉ occupancy H abitat loss and fragmentation are major threats to terrestrial biodiversity (1). Globally, Ϸ40% of land has been converted for agricultural use (2), and regions as diverse as the eastern United States, the Philippines, and Ghana have lost Ͼ90% of their natural habitat (3, 4). Conservation theory and practice are founded on the principle that large habitat patches have more species than small ones and connected patches have more species than isolated ones (5). Although few would dispute this basic premise, we still do not know the general value of patch area and isolation as predictors of species occupancy in fragmented terrestrial systems. Despite hundreds of patch occupancy studies over Ͼ4 decades, there has been no quantitative synthesis of these findings. Several syntheses have examined species-area and diversity relationships (6, 7), but the species occupancy patterns that underlie diversity patterns in fragmented landscapes have been overlooked (8). How important is patch isolation relative to patch size in determining where species occur, and how consistent are these effects across diverse taxonomic groups? These are foundational, yet unanswered, questions for ecology and conservation biology.We synthesized patch occupancy data from 89 studies of terrestrial fauna on 6 continents (Table S1) to determine how patch area and isolation affect species' occurrence patterns. Collectively, these studies recorded the occurrence of 785 animal species (Table 1) in 1,015 population networks surveyed in 12,370 discrete habitat p...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of habitat area and isolation on fragmented animal populations

Prugh

Hodges

Sinclair

et al. 2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

619

480

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Even if habitat fragmentation in the tropics is not a problem for many migrants, numerous studies have shown it can be devastating to populations of resident tropical birds (e.g., Sodhi et al 2004, Stratford and Robinson 2005, Ferraz et al 2007). In fact, using the same coffee plantations mentioned in the previous paragraph, Wunderle (1999) showed that plantation size had a significant effect on numbers of a variety of permanent resident species on Hispaniola, including several endemics.…”

Section: Is Habitat Fragmentation a Problem In Winter?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent advances in understanding migration systems of New World land birds

Faaborg

Holmes

Anders

et al. 2010

Ecological Monographs

274

255

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Abstract. Our understanding of migratory birds' year-round ecology and evolution remains patchy despite recent fundamental advances. Periodic reviews focus future research and inform conservation and management; here, we take advantage of our combined experiences working on Western Hemisphere avian migration systems to highlight recent lessons and critical gaps in knowledge. Among topics discussed are: (1) The pipeline from pure to applied researchers leaves room for improvement. (2) Population limitation and regulation includes both seasonal and between-season interactions. (3) The study of movements of small-bodied species remains a major research frontier. (4) We must increase our understanding of population connectivity. (5) With few exceptions, population regulation has barely been investigated. (6) We have increasingly integrated landscape configuration of habitats, large-scale habitat disturbances, and habitat quality impacts into models of seasonal and overall demographic success. (7) The post-breeding season (late summer for latitudinal migrants) is increasingly appreciated for its impacts on demography. (8) We recognize the diverse ways that avian brood parasites, nest predators, and food availability affect demography. (9) Source-sink and meta-population models help us understand migratory avian distributions among fragmented habitats. (10) Advances in modeling have improved estimates of annual survival and fecundity, but for few species. (11) Populations can be limited by ecological conditions in winter, but habitat needs are poorly known for most species at this time. (12) Migration tends to occupy broad spatial fronts that may change seasonally or when migrants cross major barriers. En route conditions can limit migrant populations; linking migration habitat quality indicators to fitness or population consequences presents a major challenge. (14) A variety of intra-tropical Neotropical migration patterns are recognizable, but almost nothing is known about these systems beyond descriptions of a few typical species' movements. (15) Global climate change scenarios predict range and phenology shifts of Neotropical migrant bird populations that must be considered in conservation plans. Future studies will depend on new technologies and the integration of modeling with sophisticated, large-spatial-scale measurement and parameter estimation; whether the pace of research and management involving migratory birds can match the growth of environmental threats remains to be seen.

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“…Birds are currently the best-examined taxonomic group in forest fragments, although existing studies mainly focus on the Neotropics (Arriaga-Weiss et al 2008, Ferraz et al 2007, Giraudo et al 2008, Renjifo 1999, Stouffer et al 2006. There is broad consensus that forest fragmentation leads to alteration of original bird communities through local extirpation, leading to lowered richness, abundance and diversity (Sodhi et al 2004a) as well as changes in taxonomic composition (Renjifo 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do insectivorous bird communities decline on land-bridge forest islands in Peninsular Malaysia?

et al. 2010

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Abstract:To assess the impact of habitat fragmentation on tropical avian communities, we sampled lowland forest birds on six land-bridge islands and two mainland forest sites in Lake Kenyir, Peninsular Malaysia using timed point counts, hypothesizing that insectivorous birds are the worst affected guild. We used an information-theoretic approach to evaluate the effects of area, isolation, primary dietary guild (omnivore, frugivore and insectivore) and their interactions in predicting species richness, abundance and diversity. Our analysis showed that a model that considered the effects of area, dietary guild and their interaction best explained observed patterns of species richness. But a model considering both area and dietary guild best explained the variation in abundance. Notably, insectivorous birds were singled out as the dietary guild most sensitive to fragmentation, followed by frugivorous and omnivorous birds and hence provide support for our hypothesis. Assemblages of insectivorous birds were clearly depauperate on anthropogenic forest islands in Lake Kenyir and are consistent with forest fragmentation studies in the Neotropics. Given their specialized foraging ecology and diversity, conservation of intact communities of insectivorous bird guilds in Malaysia will be critical for maintaining predator-prey interactions in lowland tropical forests.

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A Large-Scale Deforestation Experiment: Effects of Patch Area and Isolation on Amazon Birds

Cited by 268 publications

References 10 publications

Effect of habitat area and isolation on fragmented animal populations

Effect of habitat area and isolation on fragmented animal populations

Recent advances in understanding migration systems of New World land birds

Do insectivorous bird communities decline on land-bridge forest islands in Peninsular Malaysia?

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