Bird community in a mountain ecotonal landscape: How is the distribution between different phytophysiognomies?

Abstract

Background: The mountainous ecotonal regions of Brazil have a high diversity of species due to the sharing of faunal and floristic elements with adjacent biomes. These areas are preserved on a mesoscale and play a crucial role in biodiversity conservation. This study aims to analyze bird community distribution within an ecotonal region based on phytophysiognomies, focusing on species richness, composition, and seasonality. Additionally, it seeks to estimate species diversity through richness estimators and identify bioindicator species for each environment using statistical models. Direct observations were carried out in 18 areas representing primary environments/phytophysiognomies during two distinct seasons.

Results: 324 bird species from 60 families were recorded, including six species listed as threatened. The species accumulation curves did not reach asymptote, with a greater number of species for the summer. The distribution of species in the landscape was considered unique for each physiognomy and species composition. The INDVAL analysis found Serpophaga nigricans as an anthropogenic species, suggesting an adaptation of the species to areas with human activities, such as the tourist waterfall regions in this area.

Conclusion: The distribution of birds in the mountainous ecotonal landscape showed the importance of environments as they are unique in each phytophysiognomy, highlighting the importance for hosts of endemic, rare and endangered species.