Abstract
The scarcity of green areas in urban landscapes hinders connectivity among sites reducing the flux of organisms and seed dispersal. Ramphastos toco is an effective plant disperser in tropical landscapes, playing an important role in conserving plant connectivity. In this study we combined two methods of landscape connectivity analysis, in a way not yet explored, to assess the potential contribution of Ramphastos toco to enhancing connectivity among urban vegetation patches. We used spatial modeling techniques to evaluate least cost routes, or those that facilitate bird movement through green urban areas, in Belo Horizonte, a city in Southeast Brazil. We also assessed the relative importance of forest patches for conserving both bird and seed dispersal fluxes using the integral index of connectivity. The resulting least cost route of greater accessibility for the species included in its course an important forest patch under environmental licensing for the construction of a residential condominium. The number of green urban areas covered by forest, of highest habitat quality for the species, summed to 155 patches. Of this total only 5.2% were relevant for regional connectivity, while the four most important patches are targeted by the city’s expansion plans. Ramphastos toco is an effective connector for tropical green urban areas given its adaptability, wide range of movement and seed dispersal effectiveness. We emphasize the need for incorporating ecological knowledge and the prioritization of green areas into city planning, since current expansion projects jeopardize forest patches that are crucial to the functional connectivity of the urban landscape.
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Acknowledgements
We thank two anonymous reviewers for their criticisms of an earlier version of this work. We also thank PBH (Belo Horizonte Municipal Administration), PRODABEL (Belo Horizonte Informatics and Information Municipal Company) and Felipe Antônio Carneiro Rodrigues for providing the Belo Horizonte municipal spatial dataset. Marise Barreiros Horta and Tulaci Bhakti received scholarships from CAPES (Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education). Sónia Maria Carvalho-Ribeiro and Geraldo Wilson Fernandes received support from CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development). Fernando Figueiredo Goulart received financial support from PNPD-CAPES.
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Horta, M.B., Bhakti, T., Cordeiro, P.F. et al. Functional connectivity in urban landscapes promoted by Ramphastos toco (Toco Toucan) and its implications for policy making. Urban Ecosyst 21, 1097–1111 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-018-0789-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-018-0789-z