Urbanization and Bird Communities: Spatial and Temporal Patterns Emerging from Southern South America

JULIETA FILLOY; LUCAS LEVEAU; M. ISABEL BELLOCQ

Ecology and Conservation of Birds in Urban Environments

Springer International

Año: 2017; p. 35 - 54

Urbanization is an expanding process worldwide, and South Americaseems to follow the general pattern observed in more urbanized regions of theworld. Most conceptual models on the response of biodiversity to urbanization,however, are based on the experience in developed economies. In this chapter, wesummarize patterns of bird communities found at different spatial and temporalscales in southern South America. Along a 1400-km latitudinal gradient, we foundthat urbanization (1) obscured the latitudinal pattern of bird species richness,(2) had a stronger negative effect on bird richness in tropical than in temperate orarid regions, and (3) resulted in more similar communities than the seminatural orrural areas, suggesting a process of biotic homogenization. The analysis of urbancenters of different sizes indicated that bird richness and abundance were negativelyaffected by urbanization only in cities above 7000 and 13,000 inhabitants,respectively. In the Pampean region, urbanization affected negatively birds that neston the ground, with insectivorous and carnivorous diets, feeding on the air and onvegetation and with solitary and migratory behaviors. Urbanization decreased theseasonal and interannual variability of bird species composition. We suggest futuredirections of research on the influence of latitude on temporal dynamics of birdcommunities in urban areas, comparison of bird responses to urbanization amongbiogeographical regions using a mechanistic approach, and including functionaland phylogenetic diversity as response variables in the analyses.