Biological and functional diversity of bird communities in natural and human modified habitats in Northern Flank of Knuckles Mountain Forest Range, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Subasinghe K, Sumanapala AP. 2014. Biological and functional diversity of bird communities in natural and human modified habitats in Northern Flank of Knuckles Mountain Forest Range,. The Knuckles Mountain Forest Range (KMFR) has a complex mosaic of natural and human modified habitats and the contribution of these habitats to the biological and functional diversities has not been deeply studied. Present study investigated both of these diversities in five habitat types (two natural habitats: Sub-montane forest and Pitawala Patana grassland; three modified habitats: cardamom, pinus and abandoned tea plantations) in Northern Flank of KMFR using birds as the indicator group. Bird communities were surveyed using point count method. A total of 1,150 individuals belonging to 56 species were observed. The highest species richness was reported from the cardamom plantation where as sub-montane forest had the highest feeding guild diversity in terms of Shannon Weiner index. The abandoned tea plantation and the Pitawala Patana grasslands with fairly open habitats, showed relatively lower levels of feeding guild diversities. It is clear that the structurally complex habitats contribute more to the area's biological and functional diversities and need to be taken into consideration when developing conservation plans.

Diversity and distribution of avifauna at Warathenna-Hakkinda Environmental Protection Area in Kandy, Sri Lanka

“…Typically, undisturbed natural forests in the wet zone harbor many endemic species. For example, 16 species in the forests of the Knuckles mountain range, 12 species in the Horton Plains National Park, 23 species in the Sinharaja forest reserve, and 33 species in the Samanala Nature Reserve (Bambaradeniya et al 2003;Karunarathna et al 2011;Subasinghe & Sumanapala 2014;Chandrasiri et al 2018).…”

“…This is possibly because there is very little distinction between these two habitats in terms of floristic characteristics. Several studies have shown that the bird distribution and diversities highly depend on the heterogeneity of the habitats (Bambaradeniya et al 2003;Wijesundara & Silva 2005;Karunarathna et al 2011;Subasinghe & Sumanapala 2014;Weerakoon 2015;Rathnayake et al 2016;Hettiarachchi & Wijesundara 2017;Chandrasiri et al 2018). The higher bird diversity in the riverine forests in the EPA may be attributed to the availability of relatively more distinct habitats.…”

Potential roles of birds diversity in optimizing sustainable oil palm plantations at PT Gunung Tua Abadi

“…This type of land cover provides a more stable habitat so that it can support a high diversity of animal species [13] The higher the diversity index in an ecosystem, the more stable it is; conversely, the lower the diversity index, the less stable it is [14]. Complex habitat structures can support a greater diversity of bird species [15]. This finding implies that forest areas around plantations are important habitats that provide plenty of food, water, and shelter.…”

The Distribution of bird communities in University of Lampung, Indonesia

“…The difference in the number of bird species in feeding guilds found at UNILA in each habitat is influenced by the complexity of habitat structure in supporting more birds to live. The complexity of habitat structures will support a greater number of bird species with a broader foraging strategy (Subasinghe and Sumanapala 2014). Also, guild differences indicate the suitability of the habitat of bird species, as seen from their preferences.…”