Responses of bird communities to habitat structure along an aridity gradient in the steppes north of the Sahara

We explored the influence of habitat structure on bird density and species richness in the poorly known bird communities in the steppes of Eastern Morocco, along a 200 km long N–S gradient of increasing aridity. The birds were surveyed, and habitat structure was measured in 44 transects regularly di...

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Autores: Oñate, Juan J., Suárez, Francisco, Calero-Riestra, María, Hernández Justribó, Jorge, Hervás, Israel, García de la Morena, Eladio, Ramírez García, Álvaro, Viñuela, Javier, García, Jesús T.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/103788
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/103788
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:591.5
598.2(64)
Aridity
Bird assemblages
Community variability
Larks
Mediterranean
Morocco
Passerines
Ecología (Biología)
Aves
2401.06 Ecología Animal
2401.20 Ornitología
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oai_identifier_str oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/103788
network_acronym_str ES
network_name_str España
repository_id_str
spelling Responses of bird communities to habitat structure along an aridity gradient in the steppes north of the SaharaOñate, Juan J.Suárez, FranciscoCalero-Riestra, MaríaHernández Justribó, JorgeHervás, IsraelGarcía de la Morena, EladioRamírez García, ÁlvaroViñuela, JavierGarcía, Jesús T.591.5598.2(64)AridityBird assemblagesCommunity variabilityLarksMediterraneanMoroccoPasserinesEcología (Biología)Aves2401.06 Ecología Animal2401.20 OrnitologíaWe explored the influence of habitat structure on bird density and species richness in the poorly known bird communities in the steppes of Eastern Morocco, along a 200 km long N–S gradient of increasing aridity. The birds were surveyed, and habitat structure was measured in 44 transects regularly distributed along the gradient and during the winter and spring seasons in two consecutive years. After applying a principal component analysis (PCA), five axes were identified, including one related to the latitude–altitude–soil-type gradient and another describing the development of herbaceous vegetation. Generalized linear models were used to explore the relations between bird density and species richness with PCA axes in each season, considering both the entire community and groups of granivorous, insectivorous, and mixed-diet species. More than 90% of the birds were year-round residents, with larks dominating the community in both seasons. We conclude that a distinct multifactorial response can be identified for each functional group of species. In the winter, the community is mainly affected by the structure of the habitat, while aridity (and its assumed relation to primary production) is less influential. In the spring, habitat structure continues to have the greatest explanatory power, but location along the aridity gradient becomes more relevant. These findings reveal the interaction of the negative effects of climatic and anthropogenic changes in the habitat available to these bird communities, with a greater impact expected on birds with diets that include seeds, as well as a general shift of optimal breeding conditions toward more northerly latitudes.MDPIMDPIUniversidad Complutense de Madrid20232023-06-0220232023-06-02journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501VoRhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/103788reponame:Docta Complutenseinstname:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)Inglésengopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2Attribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/1037882026-06-02T12:44:21Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Responses of bird communities to habitat structure along an aridity gradient in the steppes north of the Sahara
title Responses of bird communities to habitat structure along an aridity gradient in the steppes north of the Sahara
spellingShingle Responses of bird communities to habitat structure along an aridity gradient in the steppes north of the Sahara
Oñate, Juan J.
591.5
598.2(64)
Aridity
Bird assemblages
Community variability
Larks
Mediterranean
Morocco
Passerines
Ecología (Biología)
Aves
2401.06 Ecología Animal
2401.20 Ornitología
title_short Responses of bird communities to habitat structure along an aridity gradient in the steppes north of the Sahara
title_full Responses of bird communities to habitat structure along an aridity gradient in the steppes north of the Sahara
title_fullStr Responses of bird communities to habitat structure along an aridity gradient in the steppes north of the Sahara
title_full_unstemmed Responses of bird communities to habitat structure along an aridity gradient in the steppes north of the Sahara
title_sort Responses of bird communities to habitat structure along an aridity gradient in the steppes north of the Sahara
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Oñate, Juan J.
Suárez, Francisco
Calero-Riestra, María
Hernández Justribó, Jorge
Hervás, Israel
García de la Morena, Eladio
Ramírez García, Álvaro
Viñuela, Javier
García, Jesús T.
author Oñate, Juan J.
author_facet Oñate, Juan J.
Suárez, Francisco
Calero-Riestra, María
Hernández Justribó, Jorge
Hervás, Israel
García de la Morena, Eladio
Ramírez García, Álvaro
Viñuela, Javier
García, Jesús T.
author_role author
author2 Suárez, Francisco
Calero-Riestra, María
Hernández Justribó, Jorge
Hervás, Israel
García de la Morena, Eladio
Ramírez García, Álvaro
Viñuela, Javier
García, Jesús T.
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv MDPI
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv 591.5
598.2(64)
Aridity
Bird assemblages
Community variability
Larks
Mediterranean
Morocco
Passerines
Ecología (Biología)
Aves
2401.06 Ecología Animal
2401.20 Ornitología
topic 591.5
598.2(64)
Aridity
Bird assemblages
Community variability
Larks
Mediterranean
Morocco
Passerines
Ecología (Biología)
Aves
2401.06 Ecología Animal
2401.20 Ornitología
description We explored the influence of habitat structure on bird density and species richness in the poorly known bird communities in the steppes of Eastern Morocco, along a 200 km long N–S gradient of increasing aridity. The birds were surveyed, and habitat structure was measured in 44 transects regularly distributed along the gradient and during the winter and spring seasons in two consecutive years. After applying a principal component analysis (PCA), five axes were identified, including one related to the latitude–altitude–soil-type gradient and another describing the development of herbaceous vegetation. Generalized linear models were used to explore the relations between bird density and species richness with PCA axes in each season, considering both the entire community and groups of granivorous, insectivorous, and mixed-diet species. More than 90% of the birds were year-round residents, with larks dominating the community in both seasons. We conclude that a distinct multifactorial response can be identified for each functional group of species. In the winter, the community is mainly affected by the structure of the habitat, while aridity (and its assumed relation to primary production) is less influential. In the spring, habitat structure continues to have the greatest explanatory power, but location along the aridity gradient becomes more relevant. These findings reveal the interaction of the negative effects of climatic and anthropogenic changes in the habitat available to these bird communities, with a greater impact expected on birds with diets that include seeds, as well as a general shift of optimal breeding conditions toward more northerly latitudes.
publishDate 2023
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2023
2023-06-02
2023
2023-06-02
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv journal article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
VoR
http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/103788
url https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/103788
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
eng
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Attribution 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Attribution 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv MDPI
publisher.none.fl_str_mv MDPI
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Docta Complutense
instname:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
instname_str Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
reponame_str Docta Complutense
collection Docta Complutense
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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score 15.300724