Avian Composition Co‐varies with Floristic Composition and Soil Nutrient Concentration in Amazonian Upland Forests |
| |
Authors: | Lars Y Pomara Kalle Ruokolainen Hanna Tuomisto Kenneth R Young |
| |
Institution: | 1. Department of Geography and the Environment, University of Texas at Austin, , Austin, Texas, 78712 U.S.A;2. Department of Biology, University of Turku, , FI‐20014 Turku, Finland |
| |
Abstract: | Spatial heterogeneity in the plant species composition of tropical forests is expected to influence animal species abundance and composition because vegetation constitutes the primary habitat feature for forest animals. Floristic variation is tied to variation in soils, so edaphic properties should ultimately influence animal species composition as well. The study of covariation in floristic and faunistic turnover has been hindered by the difficulty of completing coordinated surveys in hyperdiverse tropical communities, but this can be overcome with the use of a few plant taxa that function as surrogates for general floristic turnover. We used avian and plant transect surveys and soil sampling in a western Amazonian upland (terra firme) forest landscape to test whether spatial variation in bird community composition is associated with floristic turnover and corresponding edaphic gradients. Partial Mantel tests and Non‐metric Multidimensional Scaling showed floristic distinctiveness between two forest types closely associated with differences in soil cation concentrations, and differences in both floristic composition and cation concentrations were further linked to compositional differences in avian species, independent of geographic distances among sites. Ten percent of bird species included in Indicator Species Analyses showed significant associations with one of the two forest types. The upland forest types that we sampled, each corresponding to a different geological formation, are intermediate relative to edaphically extreme environments in the region. Models of avian diversification should take into account this environmental heterogeneity, as should conservation planning approaches that aim to represent faunal diversity. Abstract in Spanish is available in the online version of this article. |
| |
Keywords: | bird community edaphic gradient habitat association indicator species Peru species turnover
terra firme
tropical rain forest |
|
|