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Can agroforest woodlots work as stepping stones for birds in the Atlantic forest region?

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Abstract

In fragmented landscapes, agroforest woodlots can potentially act as stepping stones facilitating movement between forest fragments. We assessed the influence of agroforest woodlots on bird distribution and diversity in the Atlantic forest region (SE Brazil), and also tested which categories of species can use different types of connection elements, and whether this use is influenced by the distance to large forest patches. We studied two fragmented landscapes, with and without stepping stones linking large fragments, and one forested landscape. Using a point count, a bird survey was undertaken in the fragmented landscapes in five different elements: large remnants (>400 ha), agroforest woodlots (0.4–1.1 ha), small patches (0.5–7 ha), riparian corridor, and pasture areas (the main matrix). Generalist and open-area species were commonly observed in the agroforest system or other connection elements, whereas only a few forest species were present in these connections. For the latter species, the distance of woodlots to large patches was essential to determine their richness and abundance. Based on our results and data from literature, we suggest that there is an optimal relationship between the permeability of the matrix and the efficiency of stepping stones, which occurs at intermediate degrees of matrix resistance, and is species-dependent. Because the presence of agroforest system favors a higher richness of generalist species, they appeared to be more advantageous for conservation than the monoculture system; for this reason, they should be considered as a management alternative, particularly when the matrix permeability requirement is met.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Maria Ogrzewalska, Pedro Develey, Miguel Â. Marini, Paulo Inácio Prado, Wesley Silva, Janet W. Reid and an anonymous reviewer for revising this manuscript. We are also grateful for the cooperation of the staff of IPÊ – Institute for Ecological Research who had created the agroforest woodlots and make this work possible, and also helped us to select the study areas. Financial support was provided by FAPESP (The State of São Paulo Research Foundation, process no. 02/01746-1), Idea Wild and Association of Field Ornithologists.

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  1. Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, 321, travessa 14, Sao Paulo, SP, 05508-900, Brazil

    Alexandre Uezu, Dennis Driesmans Beyer & Jean Paul Metzger

  2. Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, Rod. D. Pedro I, km 47, Caixa Postal 47, Nazare Paulista, SP, Brazil

    Alexandre Uezu

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  1. Alexandre Uezu
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Correspondence to Alexandre Uezu.

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Uezu, A., Beyer, D.D. & Metzger, J.P. Can agroforest woodlots work as stepping stones for birds in the Atlantic forest region?. Biodivers Conserv 17, 1907–1922 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9329-0

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