Landscape and stand characteristics influence on the bird assemblage in Nothofagus antarctica forests of Tierra del Fuego

J BENITEZ; MD BARRERA; YM ROSAS; G MARTÍNEZ PASTUR; MV LENCINAS

Land

MDPI

Lugar: Basel; Año: 2022 vol. 11 p. 1332 - 1332

2073-445X

Different variables operate simultaneously at different spatial scales, influencing communitycomposition and species distribution. This knowledge could improve management and conservationpractices in managed menaced forests. The objective of this work was to determine the influence oflandscape and stand variables on the bird assemblage of the managed Nothofagus antarctica forest ofTierra del Fuego (Argentina). We used data from bird point counts (three or four censuses duringmiddle summer of two consecutive years) located at 48 sites distributed at four ranches. At each site,we extracted landscape variables with Fragstat software from the forest patches, the cover classes,and the whole landscape. We also evaluated local stand characteristics, such as forest structure,ground cover, and food availability, including understory plant cover usually consumed by birds andavailable arthropods. Data were evaluated by detrended and canonical correspondence analyses. Wefound that landscape configuration (e.g., forest patch shape) and local stand variables (e.g., canopycover) influenced bird assemblage more than landscape composition. Moreover, bird functionalgroups responded differently to different spatial scale variables (e.g., forest specialist species wereassociated with forest structure, but species that use low strata to nest and feed were associated withlandscape configuration variables), demonstrating the importance of using multiple spatial scalesto better understand bird species requirements. The combination of practices that promote somelocal characteristics (e.g., high canopy cover) and more complex landscape configurations couldsimultaneously favor different bird species groups and improve the effectiveness of managementand conservation strategies.