Bird species richness across a Northern Andean city: Effects of size, shape, land cover, and vegetation of urban green spaces

Abstract

Cities are human-dominated ecosystems where landscape transformation decreases biodiversity, a conservation concern when urbanization sprawls into biodiversity hotspots with high endemism. We aimed to evaluate the effects of site-specific features such as size and shape of green spaces, land cover, and vegetation on bird species richness in Medellín, Colombia, a city of Northern Andes (n = 44 urban green spaces sampled from February 2018 to February 2019). We found 255 plant species: 23 % of trees and 41 % of understory were native sensu stricto (local origin); most native species and individuals were in green spaces lacking vegetation management. Bird species richness (25.80 ± 8.05 resident species per sampling point; 83 resident species overall) increased towards larger and more regular-shaped urban green spaces (squared or rounded), with less percentage of impervious surfaces and more of grass–shrubs, and less influence of introduced trees in habitat structure (i.e. less crown coverage, basal area, and average height). Bird species richness also increased when richness or abundance of native understory vegetation sensu lato (local or regional origin) increased, but introduced trees dominance represented higher and most significant effects to explain bird species richness. Increasing edge effects across urban green spaces and human-related habitat transformation favoring non-native vegetation might represent significant constraints for enhancing local biodiversity in highly developed Andean cities.