Bird taxonomic and functional diversity in urban settlements within a forest biome vary with the landscape matrix

• Published in: Perspectives in ecology and conservation 2022-01, Vol.20 (1), p.9-17
• Main Authors: Vaccaro, Anahí S., Filloy, Julieta, Bellocq, M. Isabel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural matrix; Atlantic Forest; Forest matrix; Landscape fragmentation; Native habitat
• ISSN: 2530-0644; 2530-0644
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2021.10.001

[Display omitted] •Functional and taxonomic composition of bird assemblages inside cities vary with the surrounding habitat.•A landscape matrix mainly composed of native habitat may mitigate the urban impact on native communities.•Species and traits turnover was more evident in the agricultural than in the forest landscape matrix.•Urban areas should be managed to maintain a forest component and sure successful bird breed. Urbanization represents one of the most striking threats to biodiversity due to habitat loss and fragmentation, particularly in forest biomes. The role of the surrounding matrix in maintaining native diversity in urban areas remains poorly studied. We compared taxonomic and functional bird diversity and dissimilarity between urban settlements (USs) and natural habitats (NHs) in the forest landscape matrix (FM) and agriculture landscape matrix (AM) of the Atlantic Forest of South America, and explored the relationships of species traits between USs and NHs. Birds were surveyed in five USs and five NHs in the FM, and four USs and three NHs in the AM using point counts. We used generalized least squares models to test for differences in diversities and dissimilarities between sites from the two landscapes, and the similarity percentage and fourth-corner analysis to determine the bird species and traits that contributed most to the differences between habitat types. Taxonomic and functional diversities were higher and dissimilarities were lower for US in the FM than for those in the AM. Species with urban and generalist traits occurred in all USs, but assemblages also included forest species in the FM. Urban areas should be managed to maintain a forest component, provided that it is necessary for forest bird species to breed successfully.