Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Linking vegetation structure and bird organization: response of mixed-species bird flocks to forest succession in subtropical China

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Biodiversity and Conservation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

As forests undergo natural succession following artificial afforestation, their bird assemblages also change. However, interspecific avian social organization associated with forest succession has not been fully understood, particularly for mixed-species bird flocks. To disentangle how mixed-species flocks change as a function of local forest structure, we analyzed flock characteristics (particularly species richness, flocking frequency and propensity) and vegetation physiognomies along a presumed successional series (early, middle, and advanced) simultaneously in subtropical forests in southern China. As hypothesized, monthly point counts demonstrated that complexity of flocks increases with the progression of natural forest succession at a local scale. Advanced forests differed significantly from pioneering plantations with respect to vegetation structure, flock characteristics and constituents (especially for understory specialists). Importantly, forest succession affected flock patterns particularly in relation to the flocking propensity of regular species, and the frequency of nuclear species (Huet’s fulvetta Alcippe hueti), which in turn determined flocking occurrence at different successional stands. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that understory flocking species (mainly Timaliidae babblers) were significantly associated with intact native canopy cover, complex DBH diversity, as well as high densities of dead trees and large trees, representing a maturity level of successional stands. Our study reveals that the effect of natural forest succession on mixed-species bird flocks is species-specific and guild-dependent. From a conservation perspective, despite a high proliferation of pine plantation in southern China, priority should be placed on protecting the advanced forest with a rich collection of understory flocking specialists.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ambuel B, Temple SA (1983) Area-dependent changes in the bird communities and vegetation of southern Wisconsin forests. Ecology 64:1057–1068

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Antongiovanni M, Metzger J (2005) Influence of matrix habitats on the occurrence of insectivorous bird species in Amazonian forest fragments. Biol Conserv 122:441–451

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barlow J, Mestre LAM, Gardner TA, Peres CA (2007) The value of primary, secondary and plantation forests for Amazonian birds. Biol Conserv 136:212–231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BirdLife International (2004) Important bird areas in Asia: key sites for conservation. BirdLife International, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Blake JG, Loiselle BA (2001) Bird assemblages in second-growth and old-growth forests, Costa Rica: perspectives from mist nets and point counts. Auk 118:304–326

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen C, Hsieh F (2002) Composition and foraging behaviour of mixed-species flocks led by the Grey-cheeked fulvetta in Fushan Experimental Forest, Taiwan. Ibis 144:317–330

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Croxall J (1976) The composition and behaviour of some mixed-species bird flocks in Sarawak. Ibis 118:333–346

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dale S, Mork K, Solvang R, Plumptre A (2000) Edge effects on the understory bird community in a logged forest in Uganda. Conserv Biol 14:265–276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Díaz I, Armesto J, Reid S, Sieving K, Willson M (2005) Linking forest structure and composition: avian diversity in successional forests of Chiloé Island, Chile. Biol Conserv 123:91–101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ding T, Liao H, Yuan H (2008) Breeding bird community composition in different successional vegetation in the montane coniferous forests zone of Taiwan. For Ecol Manage 255:2038–2048

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodale E, Beauchamp G (2010) The relationship between leadership and gregariousness in mixed-species bird flocks. J Avian Biol 41:99–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gotelli NJ, Entsminger GL (2006) EcoSim: null models software for ecology. Version 7. Acquired Intelligence Inc. & Kesey-Bear. Jericho, VT 05465. http://garyentsminger.com/ecosim/index.htm.

  • Greenberg R (2000) Birds of many feathers: the formation and structure of mixed species flocks of forest birds. In: Boinski S, Gerber PA (eds) On the move: how and why animals travel in groups. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 521–588

    Google Scholar 

  • Guariguata MR, Ostertag R (2001) Neotropical secondary forest succession: changes in structural and functional characteristics. For Ecol Manage 148:185–206

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helle P, Mönkkönen M (1990) Forest successions and bird communities: theoretical aspects and practical implications. In: Keast A (ed) Biogeography and ecology of forest bird communities. SPB Academic Publishing, The Hague, pp 299–318

    Google Scholar 

  • Hingston A, Grove S (2010) From clearfell coupe to old-growth forest: succession of bird assemblages in Tasmanian lowland wet eucalypt forests. For Ecol Manage 259:459–468

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hino T (1998) Mutualistic and commensal organization of avian mixed-species foraging flocks in a forest of western Madagascar. J Avian Biol 29:17–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hutto R (1987) A description of mixed-species insectivorous bird flocks in western Mexico. Condor 89:282–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hutto R (1994) The composition and social organization of mixed-species flocks in a tropical deciduous forest in western Mexico. Condor 96:105–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kong GH, Liang C, Wu HM, Huang ZL (1993) Dinghushan biosphere reserve: ecological research History and perspective. Science Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Kotagama SW, Goodale E (2004) The composition and spatial organization of mixed-species flocks in a Sri Lankan rainforest. Forktail 20:63–70

    Google Scholar 

  • Latta S, Wunderle J Jr (1996) The composition and foraging ecology of mixed-species flocks in pine forests of Hispaniola. Condor 98:595–607

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee TM, Soh MCK, Sodhi N, Koh LP, Lim SLH (2005) Effects of habitat disturbance on mixed species bird flocks in a tropical sub-montane rainforest. Biol Conserv 122:193–204

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li WH (2004) Degradation and restoration of forest ecosystems in China. For Ecol Manage 201:33–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liao WP (1982) A survey of bird in Dinghushan. Trop Subtrop For Ecosyst 1:209–230 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu JG, Ouyang ZY, Pimm SL, Raven PH, Wang XK, Miao H, Han N (2003) Protecting China’s biodiversity. Science 300:1240–1241

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • MacArthur RH, MacArthur JW (1961) On bird species diversity. Ecology 42:594–598

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maldonado-Coelho M, Marini M (2000) Effects of forest fragment size and successional stage on mixed-species bird flocks in southeastern Brazil. Condor 102:585–594

    Google Scholar 

  • Maldonado-Coelho M, Marini M (2004) Mixed-species bird flocks from Brazilian Atlantic forest: the effects of forest fragmentation and seasonality on their size, richness and stability. Biol Conserv 116:19–26

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McClure H (1967) The composition of mixed species flocks in lowland and sub-montane forests of Malaya. Wilson Bull 79:131–154

    Google Scholar 

  • Mo JM, Brown S, Xue JH, Fang YT, Li ZA (2006) Response of litter decomposition to simulated N deposition in disturbed, rehabilitated and mature forests in subtropical China. Plant Soil 282:135–151

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morse D (1970) Ecological aspects of some mixed-Species foraging flocks of birds. Ecol Monogr 40:119–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moynihan M (1962) The organization and probable evolution of some mixed species flocks of neotropical birds, vol 143. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, pp 1–140

    Google Scholar 

  • Munn C, Terborgh J (1979) Multi-species territoriality in Neotropical foraging flocks. Condor 81:338–347

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer M (1993) Putting things in even better order: the advantages of canonical correspondence analysis. Ecology 74:2215–2230

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peh K, Jong J, Sodhi N, Lim S, Yap C (2005) Lowland rainforest avifauna and human disturbance: persistence of primary forest birds in selectively logged forests and mixed-rural habitats of southern Peninsular Malaysia. Biol Conserv 123:489–505

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peng SL (2003) Study and application of restoration ecology in tropical and subtropical China. Science Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Peng SL, Wang BS (1995) Forest succession at Dinghushan, Guangdong, China. Chinese J Botany 7:75–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Peron G, Crochet P (2009) Edge effect and structure of mixed-species bird flocks in an Afrotropical lowland forest. J Ornithol 150:585–599

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pomara L, Cooper R, Petit L (2007) Modeling the flocking propensity of passerine birds in two Neotropical habitats. Oecologia 153:121–133

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Powell G (1979) Structure and dynamics of interspecific flocks in a Neotropical mid-elevation forest. Auk 96:375–390

    Google Scholar 

  • Powell G (1985) Sociobiology and adaptive significance of interspecific foraging flocks in the Neotropics. Ornithological Monographs 36:713–732

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rey-Benayasa J, Galv¨¢na I, Carrascalb L (2010) Differential effects of vegetation restoration in Mediterranean abandoned cropland by secondary succession and pine plantations on bird assemblages. For Ecol Manage 260:87–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sekercioglu CH (2002) Effects of forestry practices on vegetation structure and bird community of Kibale National Park, Uganda. Biol Conserv 107:229–240

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shugart HH (1984) A theory of forest dynamics. The ecological implications of forest succession models. Springer-Verlag, New york

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Sodhi N, Liow L, Bazzaz F (2004) Avian extinctions from tropical and subtropical forests. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 35:323–345

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sodhi N, Koh L, Prawiradilaga D (2005) Land use and conservation value for forest birds in Central Sulawesi (Indonesia). Biol Conserv 122:547–558

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sridhar H, Sankar K (2008) Effects of habitat degradation on mixed-species bird flocks in Indian rain forests. J Trop Ecol 24:135–147

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sridhar H, Beauchamp G, Shanker K (2009) Why do birds participate in mixed-species foraging flocks? A large-scale synthesis. Anim Behav 78:337–347

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • StatSoft I (2007) STATISTICA (data analysis software system), version 7.1. www.statsoft.com

  • Stouffer P, Bierregaard R (1995) Use of Amazonian forest fragments by understory insectivorous birds. Ecology 76:2429–2445

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ter Braak C, Å milauer P (2002) CANOCO reference manual and CanoDraw for Windows user’s guide: software for canonical community ordination (version 4.5). Microcomputer Power, Ithaca NY, p 500

    Google Scholar 

  • Terborgh J, Lopez L, Nu ez P, Rao M, Shahabuddin G, Orihuela G, Riveros M, Ascanio R, Adler GH, Lambert TD (2001) Ecological meltdown in predator-free forest fragments. Science 294:1923

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thiollay J (1999) Frequency of mixed species flocking in tropical forest birds and correlates of predation risk: an intertropical comparison. J Avian Biol 30:282–294

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaughan RE, Jones KH (1913) The birds of Hong Kong, Macao, and the West River or Si Kiang in South-East China, with special reference to their nidification and seasonal movements. Ibis 55:17–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang ZH, He DQ, Song SD, Chen DR, Tu MZ (1982) The vegetation of the Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve. Trop Subtrop For Ecosystem 1:77–141 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang S, Cornelis van Kooten G, Wilson B (2004) Mosaic of reform: forest policy in post-1978 China. For Policy Econ 6:71–83

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wiens JA (1989) The ecology of bird communities. Foundations and patterns, vol 1. Cambridge University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Yan JH, Zhang DQ, Zhou GY, Liu JX (2009) Soil respiration associated with forest succession in subtropical forests in Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve. Soil Biol Biochem 41:991–999

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang P, Shao G, Zhao G, Le Master D, Parker G, Dunning J Jr, Li Q (2000) Ecology: China’s forest policy for the 21st century. Science 288:2135

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Q, Han RC, Zou FS (2011) Effects of artificial afforestation and successional stage on a lowland forest bird community in southern China. For Ecol Manage 261:1738–1749

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng GM (2005) A Checklist on the Classification and Distribution of the Birds of China. Science Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou F (1986) On the breeding bird communities of Ding Hu Shan. Trop Subtrop For Ecosystem 4:79–90 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou GY, Liu SG, Li ZA, Zhang DQ, Tang XL, Zhou CY, Yan JH, Mo JM (2006) Old-growth forests can accumulate carbon in soils. Science 314:1417

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou GY, Guan LL, Wei XH, Zhang DQ, Zhang QM, Yan JH, Wen DZ, Liu JX, Liu SG, Huang ZL, Kong GH, Mo JM, Yu QF (2007) Litterfall production along successional and altitudinal gradients of subtropical monsoon evergreen broadleaved forests in Guangdong, China. Plant Ecol 188:77–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zou FS, Chen GZ, Yang QF, Fellowes JR (2011) Composition of mixed-species flocks and shifts in foraging location of flocking species on Hainan Island, China. Ibis 153:269–278

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zou FS, Yang QF, Lin YB, Xu GL, Greenberg R (2013) Bird community comparisons of four plantations and conservation concerns in South China. Integr Zool. doi:10.1111/1749-4877.12037

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank Felipe Chavez-Ramirez, Richard W. Lewthwaite, Harry Taylor, Yang Liu, Guomin Huang, Min Zhang and Feifei Zhu for valuable discussion, and English revision of the manuscript. We are grateful to Dinghushan Forest Ecosystem Research Station staff for their assistance in field data collection. Finally, we appreciate David Hawksworth and three anonymous referees for their insights and suggestions. This research is funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No: 31200327, 31172067), Guangdong Natural Science Foundation (No: 10151026001000008), and Guangdong Plan Project (No: 2010B060200034).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guangdong Entomological Institute/South China Institute of Endangered Animals, No. 105, XinGang West Road, Guangzhou, 510260, China

    Qiang Zhang, Richou Han & Fasheng Zou

  2. South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Science, Guangzhou, 510650, China

    Zhongliang Huang

Authors
  1. Qiang Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Richou Han
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zhongliang Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Fasheng Zou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fasheng Zou.

Appendix

Appendix

See Tables 4 and 5

Table 4 Summary information of species recorded in mixed-species bird flocks in successional forests, Dinghushan, southern China
Full size table
Table 5 Species recorded showing the encounter rate in mixed flocks versus point counts (no of individuals/point. hour), at each plot with 25 m fixed radius
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhang, Q., Han, R., Huang, Z. et al. Linking vegetation structure and bird organization: response of mixed-species bird flocks to forest succession in subtropical China. Biodivers Conserv 22, 1965–1989 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-013-0521-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-013-0521-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation