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Bird diversity along a gradient of tropical forest loss due to agriculture in central Veracruz, Mexico

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Abstract

Tropical ecosystems have undergone severe changes due to human activities such as land-use change for agriculture. However, in agricultural landscapes with remnants of native vegetation, high bird diversity may persist. Here we evaluated bird species richness, diversity, and composition in four landscape units with different matrices: cattle pastures, cornfields, mixed mosaics, and continuous forest. Using nets and direct observations, we recorded 138 bird species. We expected species richness to have a negative relationship with agricultural coverage, thus decreasing in the following sequence of landscape matrices: forest > mixed > corn > pasture. On the contrary, standardized species richness decreased from 122 to 93 species in the following sequence: pasture > mixed > forest > corn. Using a PERMANOVA, we detected significant changes in species composition among landscape units. These differences were represented in a NMDS plot and a Venn Diagram. Species diversity (Hill Numbers) also changed seasonally, and the forest unit had low richness but the highest evenness. This complex landscape allowed the presence of diverse species under risk categories. We conclude that despite recurrent human disturbances in this tropical region, the agricultural landscape, mixed with remnants of natural vegetation, allows the maintenance of highly diverse bird communities, probably due to spatial dynamics among landscape elements.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico (CONACyT) for the grant (385946) given to G. D. Alducin-Chávez, as well as to the Subdirección de Vinculación of the Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus Veracruz for financial support for this research, especially to the area that coordinates the Microrregión de Atención Prioritaria (MAP). Likewise, we thank the financial support by the Línea Prioritaria de Investigación 4: Agronegocios, Agroecoturismo y Arquitectura del Paisaje of the Colegio de Postgraduados. Last but not least, we sincerely express our gratitude to the owners of the agricultural fields for allowing us to carry out bird samplings in their properties.

Funding

This study was supported by the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico (CONACyT) under grant # 385946 to G. D. A.-Ch., by Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus Veracruz.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Carretera Antigua a Coatepec No. 351, C. P. 91070, Xalapa, Veracruz, México

    Gerson D. Alducin-Chávez

  2. Programa de Agroecosistemas Tropicales, Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus Veracruz, Tepetates, Municipio de Manlio Fabio Altamirano, Veracruz, México

    Gerson D. Alducin-Chávez

  3. Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, México

    Claudia E. Moreno

  4. Laboratorio de Bioclimatología, Red de Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, A. C., Carretera Antigua a Coatepec No. 351, C. P. 91070, Xalapa, Veracruz, México

    Octavio Rojas-Soto

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  1. Gerson D. Alducin-Chávez
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  2. Claudia E. Moreno
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Alducin-Chávez, G.D., Moreno, C.E. & Rojas-Soto, O. Bird diversity along a gradient of tropical forest loss due to agriculture in central Veracruz, Mexico. Trop Ecol 63, 229–238 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-021-00205-x

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