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Reduced current distribution of Psittacidae on the Mexican Pacific coast: potential impacts of habitat loss and capture for trade

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Abstract

Ecological niche models provide useful predictions of species distributions, but may fail to detect reductions in distribution due to factors other than habitat loss, such as hunting or trade. From 2001 to 2009, we conducted field-surveys along the Mexican Pacific coast to obtain presence–absence data for nine Psittacidae species. We applied Genetic Algorithm for Rule set Prediction (GARP) ecological niche modeling, using field-survey presence data to determine the potential current distribution of each species, and incorporated absence data to delineate extirpation areas. All parrot species showed a reduced current distribution, ranging from 9.6 to 79% reduction of estimated original distribution. The threatened and endemic species of Amazona oratrix, Amazona finschi, and Forpus cyanopygius suffered the greatest distribution reduction, higher than previously estimated by habitat-based models, suggesting that capture for trade may have caused extirpation of these species. The greatest extent of current distribution was occupied by Aratinga canicularis, Amazona albifrons and Ara militaris, which continue to occur throughout most of their original distribution. Amazona auropalliata, Aratinga strenua, and Brotogeris jugularis also occur throughout their restricted distribution in coastal Chiapas, and show a relatively small distribution reduction, but had the highest proportion of modified lands within their current distributions. Our results highlighted the regions of coastal Guerrero, northern Nayarit, and southern Sinaloa where parrot species have been extirpated even though GARP models predicted suitable habitat available. Ideally distribution models should be verified in the field to determine conservation priorities, and efforts should be directed to maintain populations of species with greatest distribution reductions.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful for field assistance provided by Alejandro Salinas-Melgoza, Edna López-Córdova, Beneiza Fabián-Turja, Berenice Santiago-Valencia, Lorena Tellez-García, Miguel de Labra Hernández, Ismael Carrillo Acevedo, Margarito Alvarez-Jara, Tania Sanchez-Martinez and Juan Felipe Charre-Medellín. We thank Adolfo Navarro-Sigüenza and the Atlas of Birds of Mexico for historical data. We thank CONACYT the scholarship with register number 229130. Financial support was provided by the Coordinación de Investigación Científica of the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo (project number 8.6), CONACYT (installation project 135702-V), and the Fondo Sectorial de Investigación Ambiental SEMARNAT-CONACYT (2002-C01-00021). Research permits were provided by the Dirección General de Vida Silvestre, SEMARNAT. We thank the Programa de Doctorado Institucional en Ciencias Biológicas, and the Facultad de Biología at Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, the Escuela de Biología at Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Pronatura Chiapas, the Estación de Biología Chamela of the Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and the Fundación Ecológica de Cuixmala A.C. for their continued support. We thank Krissi Michaud and Yvelinne Colín their review of the English language.

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Correspondence to María Consuelo Marín-Togo.

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Table 4 Estimates of protected area availability (km2) for each Psittacidae species based on the prediction of suitable ecological conditions in each protected area with confirmed species presence based on field surveys (2001–2009) along the Mexican Pacific

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Marín-Togo, M.C., Monterrubio-Rico, T.C., Renton, K. et al. Reduced current distribution of Psittacidae on the Mexican Pacific coast: potential impacts of habitat loss and capture for trade. Biodivers Conserv 21, 451–473 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-011-0193-y

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