Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Is there any impact of non-native vegetation on bird communities in Delhi, India?

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Tropical Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study compared the bird communities of native plant assemblages with non-native plant forest in Delhi, India to see the impact of alien plant species on bird diversity and richness and to identify what vegetation variables most influenced bird distribution. Point counts were conducted in 38 native and 31 in non-native forests. 38 bird species were encountered (36 species in native and 21 species in non-native forest) and bird attributes were significantly higher in native forest than non-native forest. In each forest vegetation variables were quantified (tree density, diversity, richness and shrub density, diversity, richness) and correlated with bird diversity, richness and biomass. There was a significant difference in tree species diversity (F = 11.72), richness (F = 8.60) and density (F = 3.83) in native forest and non-native forest. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on vegetative physiognomic variables revealed 78.33% variance and two components were selected. Finally, regression models were developed and tested predicting bird species richness in two components. The following variables loaded into the predictive models: tree and shrub diversity, richness and density. The models explained 45% of variation in bird species diversity, 34% of variation in bird species richness. Bird diversity and richness was positively correlated with high tree diversity and density. This work showed the negative impact of non-native vegetation on bird species so recommendation has been made to study the impact of non-native plant species on other faunal species in whole ridge area of Delhi to make a comprehensive strategy to conserve the whole biodiversity.

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

  • Albers HJ, Fischer C, Sanchirico JN (2010) Invasive species management in a spatially heterogeneous world: effects of uniform policies. Resour Energy Econ 32:483–499

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ali S, Ripley SD (1983) Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan. Oxford University Press, Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Anand MO, Krishnaswamy J, Das A (2008) Proximity to forests drives bird conservation value of coffee plantations: Implications for certification. Ecol Appl 18(7):1754–1763

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Aravind NA, Rao D, Ganeshaiah KN, Shaanker RU, Poulsen JG (2010) Impact of the invasive plant, Lantana camara, on bird assemblages at Male Mahadeshwara Reserve Forest, South India. Trop Ecol 51:325–338

    Google Scholar 

  • Balestrieri R, Basile M, Posillico M, Altea T, De Cīnti B, Matteucci G (2015) A guild based approach to assessing the influence of beech forest structure on bird communities. Fores Ecol Manage 356:216–223

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beissinger SR, Osborne DS (1982) Effects of urbanization on avian community organization. Condor 84:75–83

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bibby CJ, Burgess ND, Hill DA, Mustoe S (2000) Bird census techniques, 2nd edn. Academic Press, San Diego

    Google Scholar 

  • Blair RB (1996) Land use and avian species diversity along an urban gradient. Ecol Appl 6:506–519

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blair RB (2001) Creating a homogeneous avifauna. Avian ecology and conservation in an urbanizing world. Springer, Boston, pp 459–486

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Blair RB, Launer AE (1997) Butterfly diversity and human land use: Species assemblages along an urban gradient. Biol Conserv 80(1):113–125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bremer LL, Farley KA (2010) Does plantation forestry restore biodiversity or create green deserts? A synthesis of the effects of land-use transitions on plant species richness. Biodivers Conserv 19(14):3893–3915

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bultman TL, DeWitt DJ (2008) Effect of an invasive ground cover plant on the abundance and diversity of a forest floor spider assemblage. Biol Invasions 10:749–756

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burghardt KT, Tallamy DW, Shriver WG (2008) Impacts of native plants on bird and butterfly biodiversity in suburban landscapes. Conserv Biol 23:219–224

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Canterbury GE, Martin TE, Petit DR, Petit LJ, Bradford DF (2000) Bird communities and habitats as ecological indicators of forest condition in regional monitoring. Conserv Biol 14:544–558

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Champion HG, Seth SK (1968) A revised survey of the forest types of India. Government of India Press, New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Chandrasekaran S, Saraswathy K, Saravanan S, Kamaladhasan N, Nagendran NA (2014) Impact of Prosopis juliflora on nesting success of breeding wetland birds at Vettangudi Bird Sanctuary, South India. Curr Sci 106:676–678

    Google Scholar 

  • Clergeau P, Savard JPL, Mennechez G, Falardeau G (1998) Bird abundance and diversity along an urban–rural gradient: a comparative study between two cities on different continents. Condor 100:413–425

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colwell RK (2013) EstimateS: Statistical estimation of species richness and shared species from samples. Version 9 and earlier. User’s Guide and application. http://purl.Oclc.Org/estimates

  • Convention on Biological Diversity (2014) India’s fifth National report to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India, pp 142

  • Cronk QCB, Fuller JL (1995) Plant Invaders. People and Plants Conservation Manual

  • Crooks KR, Suarez AV, Bolger DT (2004) Avian assemblages along a gradient of urbanization in a highly fragmented landscape. Biol Conserv 115:451–462

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D’Antonio CM, Vitousek PM (1992) Biological invasions by exotic grasses, the grass/fire cycle, and global change. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 23:63–87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daniels RJR, Hedge M, Gadgil M (1990) Birds of the man-made ecosystems: the plantations. Proc Anim Sci 99:79–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daniels RJR, Joshi NV, Gadgil M (1992) On the relationship between bird and woody plant species diversity in the Uttara Kannada District of south India. Proc Nat Acad Sci (USA) 89:5311–5315

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Daniels RJR, David JP, Vinoth B (2015) Forests as refuges for birds in the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu. Curr Sci 108(9):1579

    Google Scholar 

  • deHart PAP, Strand SE (2012) Effects of garlic mustard invasion on arthropod diets as revealed through stable-isotope analysis. Southeast Nat 11:575–588

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diamond AW, Devlin CM (2003) Seabirds as indicators of changes in marine ecosystems: ecological monitoring on Machias Seal Island. Environ Monit Assess 88:153–175

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dickinson MB (1999) Field guide to the birds of North America, 3rd edn. National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C. https://doi.org/10.18520/cs/v118/i5/819-827

  • Dolia J, Devy MS, Aravind NA, Kumar A (2008) Adult butterfly communities in coffee plantations around a protected area in the Western Ghats, India. Anim Conserv 11:26–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donald PF, Fuller RJ, Evans AD, Gough SJ (1998) Effects of forest management and grazing on breeding bird communities in plantations of broadleaved and coniferous trees in western England. Biol Conserv 85:183–197

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dukes JS, Mooney HA (2004) Disruption of ecosystem processes in western North America by invasive species. Rev Chil Hist Nat 77:411–437

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • El-Keblawy A, Al-Rawai A (2007) Impacts of the invasive exotic Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) D.C. on the native flora and soils of the UAE. Plant Ecol 190:23–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elton CS (1958) The ecology of invasions by animals and plants–Methuen & Co. Ltd., London

  • Epps TW, Singleton KJ (1986) An omnibus test for the two-sample problem using the empirical characteristic function. J Stat Comput Simul 26:177–203

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farwig N, Sajita N, Bohning-Gaese K (2008) Conservation value of forest plantations for bird communities in western Kenya. For Ecol Manag 255:3885–3892

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flanders AA, Kuvlesky WP Jr, Ruthven DC III, Zaiglin RE, Bingham RL, Fulbright TE, Brennan LA (2006) Effects of invasive exotic grasses on south Texas rangeland breeding birds. Auk 123:171–182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fleishman E, McDonal N, Nally RM, Murphy DD, Walters J, Floyd T (2003) Effects of floristics, physiognomy and non native vegetation on riparian bird communities in a Mojave Desert watershed. J Anim Ecol 72:484–490

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fork SK (2010) Arthropod assemblages on native and nonnative plant species of a coastal reserve in California. Environ Entomol 39:753–762

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Franklin JF, Johnson KN (2012) A restoration framework for federal forests in the Pacific Northwest. J For 110(8):429–439

    Google Scholar 

  • Fritts TH, Rodda GH (1998) The role of introduced species in the degradation of island ecosystems: a case history of Guam. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 29:113–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furness RW, Greenwood JJD, Jarvis PJ (1993) Can birds be used to monitor the environment? Birds as monitors of environmental change. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 1–41

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gardali T, Holmes AL (2011) Maximizing benefits from riparian revegetation efforts: local- and landscape-level determinants of avian response. Environ Manage 48:28–37

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gavareski CA (1976) Relation of park size and vegetation to urban bird populations in Seattle, Washington. Condor 78:375–382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham MH (2003) Confronting multicollinearity in ecological multiple regression. Ecology 84:2809–2815

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Granbom M, Smith HG (2006) Food limitation during breeding in a heterogeneous landscape. Auk 123:97–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grice AC (2006) The impacts of invasive plant species on the biodiversity of Australian rangelands. Rangeland J 28:27–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gurevitch J, Padilla DK (2004) Are invasive species a major cause of extinctions? Trends Ecol Evol 19:470–474

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hammer Ø, Harper DAT, Ryan PD (2001) PAST: paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontol Electron 4(1):9

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanula JL, Horn S (2011) Removing an invasive shrub (Chinese privet) increases native bee diversity and abundance in riparian forests of the southeastern United States. Insect Conserv Diver 4:275–283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hobbs RJ (2000) Invasive species in a changing world. Island Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobbs RJ (2001) Synergisms among habitat fragmentation, livestock grazing, and biotic invasions in southwestern Australia. Conserv Biol 15:1522–1528

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holland-Clift S, O’Dowd DJ, Mac Nally R (2011) Impacts of an invasive willow (Salix X rubens) on riparian bird assemblages in south-eastern Australia. Austral Ecol 36:511–520

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hooper RG, Smith EF, Crawford HS, McGinnes BS, Walker VJ (1975) Nesting bird populations in a new town. Wildl Soc Bull 111–118

  • James FC, McCulloch CE (1990) Multivariate analysis in ecology and systematics: panacea or Pandora’s box? Annu Rev Ecol Syst 21:129–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kazmierczak K, van Perlo B (2012) Birds of India. Om Books International, India

    Google Scholar 

  • Kerr JT, Deguise I (2004) Habitat loss and the limits to endangered species recovery. Ecol Lett 7:1163–1169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krishen P (2006) Trees of Delhi: a field guide. Penguin Books India

  • Kumar S, Mathur M (2014) Impact of invasion by Prosopis juliflora on plant communities in arid grazing lands. Trop Ecol 55:33–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Lake PS (2001) On the maturing of restoration: linking ecological research and restoration. Ecol Manag Restor 2:110–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levine JM, Vila M, Antonio CMD, Dukes JS, Grigulis K, Lavorel S (2003) Mechanisms underlying the impacts of exotic plant invasions. Proc R Soc Lond Ser B Biol Sci 270:775–781

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Longino JT, Colwell RK (2011) Density compensation, species composition, and richness of ants on a neotropical elevational gradient. Ecosphere 2:1–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lopezaraiza-Mikel ME, Hayes RB, Whalley MR, Memmott J (2007) The impact of an alien plant on a native plant–pollinator network: an experimental approach. Ecol Lett 10:539–550

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Love A, Babu S, Babu CR (2009) Management of Lantana, an invasive alien weed, in forest ecosystems of India. Curr Sci 97:1421–1429

    Google Scholar 

  • Mac Nally R (2000) Regression and model-building in conservation biology, biogeography and ecology: the distinction between–and reconciliation of–‘predictive’ and ‘explanatory’ models. Biodivers Conserv 9:655–671

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacArthur R, Recher H, Cody M (1966) On the Relation between Habitat Selection and Species Diversity. Am Nat 100(913):319–332

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magurran AE (2013) Measuring biological diversity. Wiley

    Google Scholar 

  • Manakadan R, Pittie A (2001) Standardized common and scientific names of the birds to the Indian Subcontinent. Buceros 6(1):1–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Marsden SJ, Whiffin M, Galetti M (2001) Bird diversity and abundance in forest fragments and Eucalyptus plantations around an Atlantic forest reserve, Brazil. Biodivers Conserv 10:737–751

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mooney HA, Hobbs RJ (2000) Global change and invasive species: where do we go from here. Invasive species in a changing world Island Press, Washington, D.C., pp 425–434

    Google Scholar 

  • Munro NT, Fischer J, Wood J, Lindenmayer DB (2009) Revegetation in agricultural areas: the development of structural complexity and floristic diversity. Ecol Appl 19:1197–1210

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nagy LR, Holmes RT (2005) Food limits annual fecundity of a migratory songbird: an experimental study. Ecology 86:675–681

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Narango DL, Tallamy DW, Marra PP (2017) Native plants improve breeding and foraging habitat for an insectivorous bird. Biol Conserv 213:42–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naudiyal N, Schmerbeck J, Gartner S (2017) What influences the plant community composition on Delhi ridge? The role played by Prosopis juliflora and anthropogenic disturbances. Trop Ecol 58(1):33–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson SM, Anderson DC (1994) An assessment of riparian environmental quality by using butterflies and disturbance susceptibility scores. Southwest Nat 39:137–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palumbi SR (2001) Humans as the world’s greatest evolutionary force. Science 293:1786–1790

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Paritsis J, Aizen MA (2008) Effects of exotic conifer plantations on the biodiversity of understorey plants, epigeal beetles and birds in Nothofagus dombeyi forests. Fores Ecol Manag 255:1575–1583

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paul M, Sultana A (2020) Studies on butterfly (Insecta: Lepidoptera) diversity across different landscapes of Delhi, India. Curr Sci 118(5):819–827

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pieter AP, Strand SE (2012) Effects of garlic mustard invasion on arthropod diets as revealed through stable-isotope analyses. Southeast Nat 11:575–589

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raman TRS (2006) Effects of habitat structure and adjacent habitats on birds in tropical rainforest fragments and shaded plantations in the Western Ghats, India. Biodivers Conserv 15:1577–1607

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reddy CS, Bagyanarayana G, Reddy KN, Vatsavaya SR (2008) Invasive Alien Flora of India. National Biological Information Infrastructure, US Geological Survey, USA, p 130

    Google Scholar 

  • Rotenberry J (1985) The role of habitat in avian community composition: physiognomy or floristics? Oecologia 67:213–217

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rotenberry JT, Weins JA (1980) Habitat structure, patchiness, and avian communities in North American steppe vegetation: a multivariate analysis. Ecology 61:1228–1250

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sax DF (2002) Equal diversity in disparate species assemblages: a comparison of native and exotic woodlands in California. Global Ecol Biogeogr 11:49–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schurkens S, Chittka L (2001) The significance of the invasive crucifer species Bunias orientalis (Brassicaceae) as a nectar source for central European insects. Entomol Gen 25:115–120

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sears AR, Anderson SH, Adam LW, Leedy KL (1991) Correlations between birds and vegetation in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Wildlife Conservation in Metropolitan Environments. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia (MD), pp 75–80

  • Sewell SR, Catterall CP (1998) Bushland modification and styles of urban development: their effects on birds in south-east Queensland. Wildlife Res 25:41–63

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shahabuddin G (1997) Preliminary observations on the role of coffee plantations as avifaunal refuges in the Palni Hills of the Western Ghats. J Bombay Nat Hist Soc 94:10–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Shochat E, Lerman S, Fernandez-Juricic E (2010) Birds in urban ecosystems: population dynamics, community structure, biodiversity, and conservation. In: Aitkenhead-Peterson J, Volder A (eds) Urban Ecosystem Ecology. American Society of Agronomy, Soil Society of America 55:75–86

  • Shukla AK, Basu A, Singh N (2014) Flora and Fauna of Delhi Ridge. In: Sinha GN (ed) An Introduction to the Delhi Ridge. Department of Forests and Wildlife, Govt. of NCT of Delhi, New Delhi, pp 97–104

  • Simberloff D (1999) The role of science in the preservation of forest biodiversity. Fores Ecol Manag 115:101–111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh G, Rathod TR, Mutha S, Upadhyaya S, Bala N (2008) Impact of different tree species canopy on diversity and productivity of understory vegetation in Indian desert. Trop Ecol 49:3–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh KP, Shukla AN, Singh JS (2010) State-level inventory of invasive alien plants, their source regions and use potential. Curr Sci 99:107–114

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinha GN (2014) An introduction to the Delhi Ridge. Department of Forests and Wildlife, Govt. of NCT of Delhi, New Delhi, India, p Xxiv, pp 154

  • Slik F et al (2018) A phylogenetic classification of world's tropical forests. PNAS, Feb 2018, 201714977. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1714977115

  • Spooner P, Lunt I, Robinson W (2002) Is fencing enough? The short-term effects of stock exclusion in remnant grassy woodlands in southern NSW. Ecol Manag Restor 3:117–126

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sultana A, Khan JA (1999) Avian community in the Kumaon Himalaya, India—a Preliminary Study. Int J Ecol Environ Sci 25:167–176

    Google Scholar 

  • Sultana A, Khan JA (2000) Birds of oak forests in the Kumaon Himalaya, Uttar Pradesh, India. Forktail 16:131–146

    Google Scholar 

  • Svejcar T, Boyd C, Davies K, Hamerlynck E, Svejcar L (2017) Challenges and limitations to native species restoration in the Great Basin, USA. Plant Ecol 218:81–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sweeney OFM, Wilson MW, Irwin S, Kelly TC, O’Halloran J (2010) Are bird density, species richness and community structure similar between native woodlands and non-native plantations in an area with a generalist bird fauna? Biodivers Conserv 19:2329–2342

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tallamy DW (2004) Do Alien plants reduce insect biomass? Conserv Biol 18:1689–1692

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tireman H (1916) Lantana in the forests of Coorg. Indian For 423:85–392

    Google Scholar 

  • Urfi AJ, Tiwary NK (2015) Does Prosopis juliflora negatively impact upon the nesting success of heronry birds? A critique of a report in Current Science. Curr Sci 108:1973–1974

    Google Scholar 

  • Usher MB (1991) Biological invasions into tropical nature reserves. In: Ramakrishnan PS (ed) Ecology of biological invasion in the tropics. International Scientific Publications, New Delhi, pp 21–34

    Google Scholar 

  • Vila M, Espinar JL, Hejda M, Hulme PE, Jarosik V, Maron JL, Pysek P (2011) Ecological impacts of invasive alien plants: a meta analysis of their effects on species, communities and ecosystems. Ecol Lett 14:702–708

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vitousek PM, D’antonio CM, Loope LL, Westbrooks R (1996) Biological invasions as global environmental change. Am Sci 84:468-478

  • Wilson SD, Belcher JW (1989) Plant and bird communities of native prairie and introduced Eurasian vegetation in Manitoba, Canada. Conserv Biol 3:39–44

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Thanks to anonymous reviewers for raising critical points and make this manuscript fruitful. This work was part of the M.Sc. dissertation at the University of Delhi of the first author who is grateful to Delhi Development Authority for allowing him to work in Northern ridge. We remain thankful to Prof. C. R. Babu, of the Biodiversity Parks Programme for his continuous support, encouragement and guidance. We would like to thank Dr. A.K. Singh, Mr. Harmeek Singh and Mr. Bhuwan Chopra and other support staff for their help during this study. Rushaan Shah is acknowledged for editing the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India

    Gaurav Barhadiya

  2. Biodiversity Parks Programme, CEMDE, University of Delhi, Delhi, 110007, India

    Aisha Sultana, Faiyaz A. Khudsar & Mohammad Shah Hussain

Authors
  1. Gaurav Barhadiya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Aisha Sultana
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Faiyaz A. Khudsar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mohammad Shah Hussain
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aisha Sultana.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Barhadiya, G., Sultana, A., Khudsar, F.A. et al. Is there any impact of non-native vegetation on bird communities in Delhi, India?. Trop Ecol 63, 49–60 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-021-00181-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-021-00181-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation