Local and landscape features of wooded streets influenced bird taxonomic and functional diversity

F CURZEL; MI BELLOCQ; LM LEVEAU

URBAN FORESTRY & URBAN GREENING

ELSEVIER GMBH

Año: 2021

1618-8667

Wooded streets diminish the negative consequences of urban growth on biodiversity.However, bird use of wooded streets has been little studied, in most cases analyzingbird species richness and abundance in developed countries. In this study, weanalyzed the relationship between environmental variables of wooded streets ofBuenos Aires City (Argentina) and bird taxonomic and functional diversity as well asspecies and functional trait composition. We placed 26 100m x 50m transects withinthe wooded streets of the urban center. Bird surveys were performed during the australspring and summer. Species richness, Pielou?s evenness, Shannon index, Functionaldispersion (FDis), and species and functional trait composition were analyzed.Taxonomic and functional diversity were negatively related to pedestrian andmotorized vehicle traffic. On the other hand, taxonomic diversity was related positivelyto streets with varied tree heights. Native taxonomic diversity and functional diversityincreased near green areas. High building coverage negatively influenced the nativetaxonomic diversity. Bird species associated with humans, such as the Rock Dove (Columba livia) and the Eared Dove ( Zenaida auriculata) increased theirabundances in sites with high pedestrian and motorized traffic. The House Wren (Troglodytes aedon ), the Baywinged Cowbird ( Agelaioides badius ), and the Redbellied Thrush ( Turdus rufiventris ) were positively related with varied tree heights.Birds that feed on the ground and the undergrowth were negatively influenced by highbuilding coverage. It is imperative to preserve green areas and to control motorizedvehicle traffic in order to improve the environmental quality of wooded streets forsupporting bird diversity.