Bird species diversity in Altai riparian landscapes: Wood cover plays a key role for avian abundance

Abstract

Aims We aim to understand bird richness and variation in species composition (beta diversity) along a 630 km riparian landscape in the Altai Mountains of China and to test whether vegetation cover is the main explanation of species diversity. Methods We selected nine regions along a gradient of natural vegetation change. Bird surveys and environmental measurements were conducted at 10 points in each of the nine regions. We collected environmental land cover variables such as wood cover (area proportion of trees and shrubs with saplings in habitats; here trees are woody plant with a single trunk and higher than 3 m, shrubs and saplings are distinguished from trees by their multiple trunks and shorter height) and tree cover, and two climate factors which were Annual Mean Temperature (AMT) and Annual Precipitation (AP). We used Liner Regression Models to explore the correlation between bird species richness and environmental variables. We used Sørensen's dissimilarity index to measure birds' beta diversity, and quantified the contribution of environmental variables to this pattern using a Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). Results Wood cover was the strongest predictor of overall, insectivore, and omnivore bird richness. Regions with wood cover contained more bird species. Beta diversity was overall high in the studied regions, and turnover components occupied a major part of beta diversity. Wood cover and AP were significant predictors of bird species composition explaining 33.24% of bird beta diversity together. Conclusions Wood vegetation including trees, shrubs, and saplings, rather than only trees, contains high bird richness. High beta diversity suggests that expansion of the existing nature reserves is needed in the riparian landscapes to capture the variation in bird species composition. Thus all wood cover in the overall riparian landscapes of Altai Mountains should be protected from farming and grazing to improve bird conservation outcomes. OPEN RESEARCH BADGES This article has earned an Open Data Badge for making publicly available the digitally‐shareable data necessary to reproduce the reported results. The data is available at Raw bird data in this study: http://osf.io/78qcw; Raw environment data: http://osf.io/qr5cw.

The effect of microhabitat features, anthropogenic pressure and spatial structure on bird diversity in southern Tunisian agroecosystems

“…Based on a literature review, we identified and measured 15 environmental variables related to vegetation structure and human presence (Table 1). These variables are known to influence bird communities (Alaya‐Ltifi & Selmi, 2014; Hanane et al, 2019; Jakobsson & Lindborg, 2017; Li et al, 2019; Mahmoudi et al, 2016; Söderström et al, 2001; Wiacek et al, 2015).…”

“…Furthermore, several works investigated the effect of habitat type and quality on the richness and diversity of birds (Jacoboski, Mendonça‐Lima, & Hartz, 2016; Marsden, Whiffin, & Galetti, 2001; Proenca, Pereira, Guilherme, & Vicente, 2010; Zurita, Rey, Varela, Villagra, & Bellocq, 2006). The local vegetation structure, for instance, (a) tree and shrub density/cover (Jakobsson & Lindborg, 2017; Li et al, 2019; Söderström et al, 2001), (b) plant species richness (Baláž & Balážová, 2012; Šálek, Svobodová, & Zasadil, 2010) and (c) canopy height (Robbins, 1980), often contributes to increasing the richness and diversity of birds. The difference in habitat type may also affect the bird diversity such as when comparing natural forests to artificial plantations (Hanane, Cherkaoui, Magri, & Yassin, 2019; Marsden et al, 2001; Zurita et al, 2006).…”

“…The difference in habitat type may also affect the bird diversity such as when comparing natural forests to artificial plantations (Hanane, Cherkaoui, Magri, & Yassin, 2019; Marsden et al, 2001; Zurita et al, 2006). Climate factors such as precipitation and temperature are also determinant in shaping bird richness (Li et al, 2019).…”

Diversity and relative abundance of bird species in the two habitat types of Dokima forest Awi zone, Ethiopia

“…The high diversity and species richness of birds in the Dokima forest emphasizes the importance of implementing conservation measures and limiting human activity in the area according to different bird threat factors. For the sake of conserving high bird diversity in the entire riparian landscape, the wood cover, which includes trees, bushes, and young saplings, should be maintained, not only trees [ 48 ]. The forest patch and its environs are important for bird habitats [ 15 ].…”

Bird diversity along an elevational gradient in Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, Nepal

“…The study of avian diversity, corresponding to their feeding guilds plays an important role in understanding the complexity of ecosystem structure and also provides information on different types of habitats (Azman et al, 2011). Knowledge of feeding guild is important for improving effectiveness in maintaining bird diversity (Li et al, 2019). Variation in vegetation structure affects the distribution of bird diversity and their feeding guilds (Pearman, 2002).…”