Glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum) invasion strongly decreases Chaco serrano forest bird diversity but favors its seeds.

BELLIS LAURA M.; ASTUDILLO, A. ; GAVIER PIZARRO G. I; DARDANELLI, S.; LANDI M.A.; HOYOS , L.

BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2020

1387-3547

In central Argentina, the glossyprivet (Ligustrum lucidum) is anaggressive invasive species, replacing native forests and forming dense standswith total absence of understory. However, consequences of these structural changeson bird communities are unknown.  Ourgoal was to examine the response of the avian community to these changesstudying how the glossy privet invasion is changing bird diversity, focusing onthe potential dissimilar responses regarding life history traits, and how theseresponses may interact in turn with the invasion process.  Here, we compared the avian?habitatrelationships in forest patches with different levels of invasion from alandscape approach. Vegetation (NDVI texture indices) variables based on aLandsat 5 TM image and topography (slope and altitude) variables wereestimated.  Bird richness had asubstantial reduction on glossy privet forests, losing up to 37 % of birdspecies. Bird assemblage structure changed (in average 72 %) among invasionconditions to assemblages with prevalence of bird feeders of L. lucidum, which increased theirabundance in the cold season, when Serrano forest is no fruitful. We concludedthat bird diversity and simplification of assemblage structure was directly relatedto the structural complexity loss caused by the level of glossy privetinvasion. The increment in the abundance of birds feeders of glossy privetincreasing even more the spreading of L.lucidum. Considering, the futureexpansion of the L lucidum and thatit have very few vulnerability to its control, bird forest species inparticular and diversity in general are seriously committed.