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The objective of the study is to compare the bird communities between natural forests and Taiwania (Taiwania cryptomerioides) plantations. I surveyed the bird communities in the experimental forests of Liu-Kuei Station, Taiwan Forestry Research Institute in Kaohsiung County, Taiwan during the breeding season from late March to early July in 2001 and 2002. A total of 34 bird species were recorded during the 2-year study period. Of these, thirty-one species were recorded in natural forests and 25 species in Taiwania plantations. Four indices, including diversity, evenness, species richness and total densities, could not clearly explain the differences between two forest types. Of the 11 assemblage guilds, carnivores and canopy woodpeckers only occurred in natural forests. The limited availability of nest holes limits the densities of species required holes to nest. Due to complex forest structures and stable and plentiful food resource, canopy foliage omnivores have stable densities in natural forests. But the very dense understory vegetation limits the number of suitable nesting or foraging sites require by ground insectivores. Because of less vegetation food resource, canopy foliage insectivores are the main component of the bird communities in Taiwania plantations. In addition, the foliage structure of the conifers is adequate for canopy hover insectivores to forage. The result of detrended correspondence analysis revealed that the differences of the bird communities between natural forests and Taiwania plantations mainly due to the complexity of the forest structures, nevertheless, the altitude and spatial variation would produce some impacts.

The urban environment has attracted much scientific attention as it stands at the core of environmental changes caused by the growing human population. The responses of bird communities to urbanization have been especially frequently studied. Despite the intensive research, there are several unresolved questions resonating in the field of urban ecology of birds: i) Are cities ordinary components of the original environment with the same macroecological bird diversity patterns as can be observed in the surrounding environment or do they have some specific impacts on native avifaunas? ii) Which traits are characteristic for species being able to persist in cities and for those avoiding urban areas? iii) How does the impact of the most important factors influencing urban bird communities - area, habitat heterogeneity and spatial position - change with spatial scale? Towards answering these questions, data on breeding bird communities were extracted from 41 European urban bird atlases, avifaunas of regions in which cities are embedded were retrieved from the EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds. Finer scale bird community data were obtained from the atlas of Prague and by point counts conducted in Prague. Data on bird traits were collated from published resources and additional environmental and...

Commercial forestry has expanded across the Rio de la Plata Grasslands (RPG) of South America in recent decades. I conducted a resource-use based study on bird communities during the 2013-2014 austral breeding season in northern Uruguay. I assessed relationships between habitat types and bird abundance as a function of vegetation structure. To compare avian responses to treatments, I included native environments, pine and eucalyptus plantations of different ages and thinning regimes. I detected differences in species richness and composition and species-specific responses in abundance along structural gradients sampled. Although poorer in species than native habitat types, tree plantations were extensively used by birds. Birds associated with plantations were primarily habitat generalists and forest dependent species, with low incidence of grassland specialists. Results of my study provide baseline information for stand-level management and future landscape design of timber plantations to benefit conservation of bird communities in afforested landscapes in the RPG.

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The western Amazon is known to be one of the most biologically diverse regions in the world, yet information about the spatial distribution of that biodiversity and the processes governing its distribution remains scarce. An improved understanding of those biogeographic patterns and processes can inform conservation and development planning in areas where anthropogenic landscape change is ongoing. Spatial components of biodiversity are known to be influenced by historical and present-day physical and human geographic processes. There is evidence that major Amazonian rivers form the boundaries of biological regions, at least for birds. Other factors that may influence bird species composition include the dispersal limitations of individual species, forest plant species composition and structure, topography, forest fragmentation, and hunting. Sites where bird species composition was measured in this study represented mature, upland forest on both sides of the Amazon River, and a range of non-flooded forest types, as indicated by soil and plant surveys. Bird species compositional variation was closely correlated with variation in plant species composition, human disturbance associated with forest fragmentation, and position north or south of the Amazon River. The strongest differences were between opposite sides of the river, even though local environments, including plant composition, were not different on the two sides. This strongly suggests that historical biogeographic factors, rather than present-day environmental gradients, are responsible for bioregional boundaries at Amazonian rivers. The difference between plant and bird distributions at this scale underscores the pressing need to re-evaluate general notions of bioregional complexity and pattern in the Amazon basin. Locally, the influence of habitat fragmentation on animal communities, including reduced species richness, was confirmed. The influence of local floristic variation is of particular importance due to its ubiquity across western Amazonia. Thus, understanding the distributions of soils and vegetation is critical for explaining Amazonian animal diversity. The use of these factors to model bird community heterogeneity contradicts assumptions that the processes shaping Amazonian animal community diversity are too complex to measure efficiently, and their use contributes a new understanding of the dimensions of that diversity. / text

The most widespread way of extraction of forest is still clearlcuting. It is almost impossible to find commercial forest without forest clearings. Forest clearing can be perceived as a special element in a connected forest. I am trying to find out the influence of these forest distributions on the bird community. I was interested how important the forest clearings will be in the different type of forests. In seven localities were collected set of environmental variability's and bird data, which were counted by point count method. There were deciduous and mixed forests as well as the coniferous monocultures. The data collection was conducted in the breeding season 2011 and 2012. I expected, that the forest glades ensure the heterogeneity in forest space and will increase the number of bird's species. I expected this influence more important in the coniferous than in the deciduous and mixed forests. This assumption was partly confirmed. The glades in the coniferous forests have higher influence, but it depends on the forest area. In large coniferous monocultures is the importance of glades high. In the case of deciduous and mixed forests the size of forests did not have a value. The tree richness has the bigger importance. With this variable correlate Common Chiffchaff, Eurasian Wren, Yellowhammer,...

Orientador: Marco Aurélio Pizo Ferreira / Banca: Alexsander Zamorano Antunes / Banca: Augusto João Piratelli / Banca: José Ragusa Netto / Banca: Mauro Galetti Rodrigues / Resumo: A expansão de plantações florestais tem sido intensificada nos últimos anos, ultrapassando 70.000.000 ha nos trópicos. Eucalyptus é o principal gênero plantado, ocupando 50% das áreas silviculturais. Monoculturas arbóreas e fragmentos de vegetação secundária figurarão entre os principais elementos das paisagens tropicais futuras. Logo, compreender como diversas espécies se comportam diante dessa situação é fundamental quando se objetiva a conservação da biodiversidade. Este trabalho estudou a avifauna em um mosaico composto por talhões de Eucalyptus spp. e alguns de vegetação nativa na Floresta Estadual Edmundo Navarro de Andrade (Rio Claro, SP). Esses talhões possuíam diferentes idades (plantados de 1934 a 1990), extensões (~1-51 ha) e graus de regeneração de vegetação nativa. Os principais objetivos foram caracterizar a avifauna encontrada nesses talhões quanto à riqueza, abundância e composição e compará-las, verificando possíveis associações com a estrutura da vegetação (riqueza, altura, área basal, densidade de plantas, densidade de plantas mortas, cobertura do dossel e densidade vertical nos estratos de 0,0 a 1,0, de 1,1 a 2,0 e de 2,1 a 5,0 m). Para a amostragem de aves foi empregado o método de pontos. No primeiro capítulo, foram amostrados 14 talhões de E. citriodora. Foram registradas 103 espécies de aves, variando de 23 a 55 por talhão. Myiodynastes maculatus, Cyclarhis gujanensis, Amazilia lactea e Megarynchus pitangua mostraram maior plasticidade ambiental, não revelando fortes associações com as variáveis da vegetação. A abundância total foi maior em talhões que apresentavam vegetação mais desenvolvida. Talhões com maior complexidade da vegetação apresentaram maior riqueza e abundância de espécies insetívoras e de dependentes de florestas. A distância entre os talhões de E. citriodora e de vegetação nativa... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The expansion of planted forests is surprisingly fast in the last years, exceeding 70.000.000 ha in the tropics, 50% of which are composed of Eucalyptus spp.. Planted and secondary forests are likely to be dominant features of tropical forest landscapes in the future. Therefore, to understand the use of different species in this situation in basic to the biological conservation. This work investigated the avifauna at a mosaic of Eucalyptus spp. patches in the State Forest Edmundo Navarro de Andrade (Rio Claro, Sâo Paulo, Brazil). These patches (~1-51 ha) were created in different years (1994-1990), presenting different levels of regeneration of the native vegetation. The principal aims were to evaluate the richness, abundance and composition of the bird community associating these parameters to the structure of the vegetation (richness, height, basal area, plant density, dead plant density, canopy cover and vertical density from 0,0 to 1,0, from 1,1 to 2,0 and form 2,1 to 5,0 m). The avifauna was sampled with point counts. In the first chapter, 14 patches of E. citrioddora were studied. It was recorded 103 species, from 23 to 55 per patch. Myiodynastes maculatus, Cyclarhis gujanensis, Amazilia lactea and Megarynchus pitangua were the most habitat generalist species. These species were not associated to any vegetation parameter. The abundance was greater in patches with more developed vegetation. Patches with high vegetation complexity had greater richness and abundance of insectivorous and forest dependent species. The distance between E. citriodora and native vegetation patches influenced negatively the richness and abundance of forest dependent species. In chapter 2, in addition to the 14 E. citriodora patches, four E. microcorys and three native vegetation patches were included in the analyses. It was recorded 115 species. On average, there were 47, 35 and 24 species in the patches... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Worldwide, riparian areas are considered among the most biologically productive and species-rich habitats on the landscape and provide important breeding areas for many bird species. In the Boreal Plain ecozone of western Canada, forests adjacent to riparian areas are generally protected from forest harvesting through the retention of treed buffer strips. <p>Riparian buffer strips are expected to provide habitat for wildlife including many passerine bird species. Recently, non-conventional methods of riparian management have been implemented in parts of the Boreal Plain with the intent of aligning forestry more closely with natural disturbance processes. How bird communities associated with these management scenarios diverge from natural disturbances and how riparian birds interact with disturbances in the adjacent upland habitat are key questions in the conservation of boreal riparian bird communities. To answer these questions, I surveyed birds inhabiting riparian areas with adjacent naturally disturbed (burned) and harvested forest to determine how bird communities differ early (1-5 years) post-disturbance and, separately, in a before-and-after harvesting study. <p>Riparian species associated with burned merchantable shoreline forests and riparian areas included Common Yellowthroat (<i>Geothlypis trichas</i>) and Eastern Kingbird (<i>Tyrannus tyrannus</i>). Le Contes Sparrow (<i>Ammodramus leconteii</i>) was associated with burned riparian habitats adjacent to non-merchantable forests (e.g., bog, fen), while Alder Flycatcher (<i>Empidonax alnorum</i>) and Wilsons Warbler (<i>Wilsonia pusilla</i>) were indicative of harvested sites with larger buffers (30 m). Riparian species richness was highest in burned non-merchantable sites. Multivariate Redundancy Analysis of post-disturbance bird communities showed greater divergence in overall (riparian and upland) community composition than one with only riparian species. This suggests reduced sensitivity of riparian birds to disturbances in forested areas compared to upland bird communities. However, a higher natural range of variability was exhibited in riparian bird community composition in post-fire sites than in post-harvested sites. This emphasizes that forest management practices do not currently fully approximate natural disturbance for boreal riparian birds. <p>To assess the response of bird communities in riparian habitats to forestry, I studied bird communities one year (2004) prior to forest harvest and two years (2005 and 2006) after harvest. One of three treatments, 1) 5-35% retention (0 m buffer), 2) 35-75% retention (10 m buffer with variable retention in the next 30 m), 3) 75-100% retention (50 m buffer) and unharvested reference sites, was randomly assigned to 34 wetlands. Treatments were designed to represent buffer management strategies currently applied in the Boreal Plain. Eight of 22 species showed a significant response (p<0.1) to treatment, year or year*treatment effects including two riparian species, the Common Yellowthroat and Song Sparrow (<i>Melospiza melodia</i>) that increased in abundance in harvested sites. Overall pre-disturbance communities diverged (p<0.05) over the three-year study period as shown using Multiple-response Permutation Procedures (MRPP). However, riparian bird communities did not diverge from pre-disturbance or from reference sites providing further evidence that riparian bird communities are less impacted by forestry in the adjacent upland habitats than overall bird communities. Therefore, alternative forest harvesting methods should be explored that encompass landscape-scale management including total buffer removal to maximize conservation objectives for boreal forest bird communities while attempting to maintain natural disturbance processes.

Worldwide, riparian areas are considered among the most biologically productive and species-rich habitats on the landscape and provide important breeding areas for many bird species. In the Boreal Plain ecozone of western Canada, forests adjacent to riparian areas are generally protected from forest harvesting through the retention of treed buffer strips. <p>Riparian buffer strips are expected to provide habitat for wildlife including many passerine bird species. Recently, non-conventional methods of riparian management have been implemented in parts of the Boreal Plain with the intent of aligning forestry more closely with natural disturbance processes. How bird communities associated with these management scenarios diverge from natural disturbances and how riparian birds interact with disturbances in the adjacent upland habitat are key questions in the conservation of boreal riparian bird communities. To answer these questions, I surveyed birds inhabiting riparian areas with adjacent naturally disturbed (burned) and harvested forest to determine how bird communities differ early (1-5 years) post-disturbance and, separately, in a before-and-after harvesting study. <p>Riparian species associated with burned merchantable shoreline forests and riparian areas included Common Yellowthroat (<i>Geothlypis trichas</i>) and Eastern Kingbird (<i>Tyrannus tyrannus</i>). Le Contes Sparrow (<i>Ammodramus leconteii</i>) was associated with burned riparian habitats adjacent to non-merchantable forests (e.g., bog, fen), while Alder Flycatcher (<i>Empidonax alnorum</i>) and Wilsons Warbler (<i>Wilsonia pusilla</i>) were indicative of harvested sites with larger buffers (30 m). Riparian species richness was highest in burned non-merchantable sites. Multivariate Redundancy Analysis of post-disturbance bird communities showed greater divergence in overall (riparian and upland) community composition than one with only riparian species. This suggests reduced sensitivity of riparian birds to disturbances in forested areas compared to upland bird communities. However, a higher natural range of variability was exhibited in riparian bird community composition in post-fire sites than in post-harvested sites. This emphasizes that forest management practices do not currently fully approximate natural disturbance for boreal riparian birds. <p>To assess the response of bird communities in riparian habitats to forestry, I studied bird communities one year (2004) prior to forest harvest and two years (2005 and 2006) after harvest. One of three treatments, 1) 5-35% retention (0 m buffer), 2) 35-75% retention (10 m buffer with variable retention in the next 30 m), 3) 75-100% retention (50 m buffer) and unharvested reference sites, was randomly assigned to 34 wetlands. Treatments were designed to represent buffer management strategies currently applied in the Boreal Plain. Eight of 22 species showed a significant response (p<0.1) to treatment, year or year*treatment effects including two riparian species, the Common Yellowthroat and Song Sparrow (<i>Melospiza melodia</i>) that increased in abundance in harvested sites. Overall pre-disturbance communities diverged (p<0.05) over the three-year study period as shown using Multiple-response Permutation Procedures (MRPP). However, riparian bird communities did not diverge from pre-disturbance or from reference sites providing further evidence that riparian bird communities are less impacted by forestry in the adjacent upland habitats than overall bird communities. Therefore, alternative forest harvesting methods should be explored that encompass landscape-scale management including total buffer removal to maximize conservation objectives for boreal forest bird communities while attempting to maintain natural disturbance processes.