Taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity of an urban Amazonian avifauna

Alexander C Lees,Nárgila G Moura

doi:10.1007/s11252-017-0661-6

Abstract

Amazonia is undergoing rapid urbanisation, but nothing has been published on the structure and function of urban Amazonian avifaunas. Here we present the results of a year-long survey of the avifauna of an Amazonian city, exploring temporal variation in its taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity. We found urban bird communities to be taxonomically depauperate and dominated by a small subset of common species typical of second growth and river-edge habitats. Broad patterns of phylogenetic community similarity typically resembled those found in other studies on urban Neotropical bird assemblages, with insectivores the dominant guild. There was significant temporal variation in taxonomic and phylogenetic structure owing to the seasonal arrival and departure of a regionally over-represented minority of migratory species. Although the urban avian assemblage is of limited regional conservation value, it may still offer significant biodiversity services and represent one of few points of contact for local people with biodiversity.

Highlights

Over half of the world’s human population resides in cities covering less than 3% of the planet’s terrestrial surface (United Nations 2014)
Understanding how Amazonian bird species respond to urban areas ought to give insight into both the resilience and adaptability of different avian lineages (Bonier et al 2007) and shed light on what ecosystem services might be retained in urban areas
We identify habitat associations of species within the assemblage based on published classifications to understand the source habitats for colonists of this novel Amazonian habitat

Summary

Introduction

Over half of the world’s human population resides in cities covering less than 3% of the planet’s terrestrial surface (United Nations 2014). This urbanisation is increasing most dramatically in the tropics fuelled by high birth rates and ruralurban migration (United Nations 2014). Despite recognition by the Convention on Biological Diversity (United Nations Environment Programme 2007) of the importance of biodiversity in cities, our understanding of the impacts of urbanisation on biodiversity in many regions is lacking (Ortega-Álvarez and MacGregor-Fors 2011). Understanding how Amazonian bird species respond to urban areas ought to give insight into both the resilience and adaptability of different avian lineages (Bonier et al 2007) and shed light on what ecosystem services might be retained in urban areas.

Methods

Results

Conclusion