Avian ecology and community structure across elevation gradients: The importance of high latitude temperate mountain habitats for conserving biodiversity in the Americas

Martin, Kathy; Altamirano, Tomás A.; Zwaan, Devin R. de; Hick, Kristina G.; Vanderpas, Anneka; Wilson, Scott

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01799

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…Coastlines were the most important determinant of community composition shift distances, such that the farther away the community was located from the coastline, the farther it shifted. In parallel, bird communities largely moved along directions with the least change in elevation relative to their original location, implying that communities are tightly associated with certain abiotic and biotic conditions along the elevational gradient (30). Contrary to shifts in directions, elevation resistance did not strongly in uence shifts in distances, potentially because communities do not need to shift far to track their original abiotic and biotic preferences (1, 31) in areas of high topographic variation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological barriers mediate spatiotemporal shifts of bird communities at a continental scale

Marjakangas

Bosco

Versluijs

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Species’ range shifts and local extinctions caused by climate change lead to community composition changes. At large spatial scales, ecological barriers, such as biome boundaries, coastlines, and elevation, can influence a community's ability to shift in response to climate change. Yet, ecological barriers are rarely considered in climate change studies, potentially hindering predictions of biodiversity shifts. We used data from two consecutive European breeding bird atlases to calculate the geographic distance and direction between communities in the 1980's and their compositional best match in the 2010’s and modeled their response to barriers. The ecological barriers affected both the distance and direction of bird community composition shifts, with coastlines and elevation having the strongest influence. Our results underscore the relevance of combining ecological barriers and community shift projections for identifying the forces hindering community adjustments under global change. Notably, due to (macro)ecological barriers, communities are not able to track their climatic niches, which may lead to drastic changes, and potential losses, in community compositions in the future.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological barriers mediate spatiotemporal shifts of bird communities at a continental scale

Marjakangas

Bosco

Versluijs

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…In the Alps, for example, birds of deciduous forest give way to species of coniferous forest at higher elevations [32]; while in the Andes, the transition from rain forest to cloud forest presents a sharp contrast in community composition [135]. Above all of these forested habitats, the timberline demarks a stark boundary between habitats and bird assemblages [136][137][138].…”

Section: Ecotones Habitat and Resource Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Honduras, Jones et al [141] determined that the transition from cloud forest to elfin forest was the principle driver of parapatry in two congeneric thrushes (Fig 3). In temperate regions, the treeline ecotone is a critical driver of bird community composition in the Swiss Alps [138], the Chilean Andes [136], and in British Colombia [137]; while in the Himalayas, the prevalence of different forest types was an important predictor of bird distributions [101], including parapatric congeners [142]. Elevational shifts have also been linked to ecotones.…”

Section: Plos Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

Building a mechanistic understanding of climate-driven elevational shifts in birds

Neate‐Clegg

Tingley²

2023

PLOS Clim

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Mountains hold much of the world’s taxonomic diversity, but global climate change threatens this diversity by altering the distributions of montane species. While numerous studies have documented upslope shifts in elevational ranges, these patterns are highly variable across geographic regions and taxa. This variation in how species’ range shifts are manifesting along elevational gradients likely reflects the diversity of mechanisms that determines elevational ranges and modulates movements, and stands in contrast to latitudinal gradients, where range shifts show less variability and appear more predictable. Here, we review observed elevational range shifts in a single taxonomic group–birds–a group that has received substantial research attention and thus provides a useful context for exploring variability in range shifts while controlling for the mechanisms that drive range shifts across broader taxonomic groups. We then explore the abiotic and biotic factors that are known to define elevational ranges, as well as the constraints that may prevent birds from shifting. Across the literature, temperature is generally invoked as the prime driver of range shifts while the role of precipitation is more neglected. However, temperature is less likely to act directly on elevational ranges, instead mediating biotic factors such as habitat and food availability, predator activity, and parasite prevalence, which could in turn modulate range shifts. Dispersal ability places an intrinsic constraint on elevational range shifts, exacerbated by habitat fragmentation. While current research provides strong evidence for the importance of various drivers of elevational ranges and shifts, testing the relative importance of these factors and achieving a more holistic view of elevational gradients will require integration of expanding datasets, novel technologies, and innovative techniques.

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“…Here, we outline several nonmutually exclusive hypotheses that may explain the particularly high proportion of rock cavity nesters in the temperate Andes. Evolutionary history . Avian communities above and below the treeline are more similar phylogenetically, or more closely related, in the temperate Andes than in the north temperate mountains of the Americas (Martin et al, 2021). Much of this similarity is driven by speciose families like Tyrannidae, which underwent rapid diversification relatively recently (~6 mya), about the same time as the Andes completed their uplift (Fjeldså et al, 2018).…”

Section: Species Habitat Attribute or Breeding Traita G Rufipennis (...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Rock cavity nesting as the norm: Breeding songbirds of the temperateHighAndes

Altamirano

Zwaan

Scridel

et al. 2023

Ecology

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Avian ecology and community structure across elevation gradients: The importance of high latitude temperate mountain habitats for conserving biodiversity in the Americas

Cited by 13 publications

References 71 publications

Ecological barriers mediate spatiotemporal shifts of bird communities at a continental scale

Ecological barriers mediate spatiotemporal shifts of bird communities at a continental scale

Building a mechanistic understanding of climate-driven elevational shifts in birds

Rock cavity nesting as the norm: Breeding songbirds of the temperateHighAndes

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