Invasion of Ligustrum lucidum (Oleaceae) in the southern Yungas: Changes in habitat properties and decline in bird diversity |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Instituto de Ecología Regional (IER), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, CC 34, Yerba Buena, Tucumán, Argentina;2. Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (FONCyT), Argentina;3. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina;4. Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico (CeIBA), Andresito 21, Puerto Iguazú 3370, Misiones, Argentina;1. Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430074, China;2. Guangxi Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin 541006, China;1. Tianjin Key Laboratory of Neurotrauma Repair, Pingjin Hospital Brain Center, Logistics University of Chinese People’s Armed Police Forces, Tianjin 300162, China;2. School of Precision Instrument & Optoelectronics Engineering of Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China;3. Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Pingjin Hospital, Logistics University of Chinese People’s Armed Police Forces, Tianjin 300162, China;1. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Hakozaki 6-10-1, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan;2. Biodiversity Division, National Institute for Agro-Environmental Sciences, Kannondai 3-1-3, Tsukuba 305-8604, Japan;1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Evolução, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Caixa Postal 131, CEP 74001-970 Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil;2. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, Bloco E, Asa Norte, CEP 770910-900 Brasília, DF, Brazil;3. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Caixa Postal 131, CEP 74001-970, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil;4. Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Caixa Postal 131, CEP 74001-970 Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil;5. Laboratório de Macroecologia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Campus II, BR 364, Km 192, CEP 75801-615 Jataí, Goiás, Brazil;1. State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550002, China;2. Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100040, China;3. Lunar and Planetary Science Research Center, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550002, China;1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio;2. Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Kaufman Center for Heart Failure, Cardiac Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support, Miller Family Heart and Vascular Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio;3. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kaufman Center for Heart Failure, Miller Family Heart and Vascular Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio |
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| Abstract: | Ligustrum lucidum is the major exotic tree in NW Argentina montane forests (Yungas). To assess the effects of its expanding invasion on avian communities we (1) measured different habitat properties (vertical forest structure and composition, vegetation cover, light availability, air temperature, air relative humidity and soil litter depth), (2) compared bird species composition and diversity in Ligustrum-dominated and native-dominated secondary forests and (3) analyzed seasonal patterns and changes in these variables between forest types. The study was conducted during 2010–2011 wet and dry seasons, at two altitudinal zones: 500–800 and 1100–1450 masl. Compared with native forests, Ligustrum dominated forests had a more homogeneous vertical forest structure and denser canopy cover (resulting in lower understory solar radiation), significantly lower understory cover and lower litter depth. Air temperature and relative humidity did not differ between forests in either season. Solar radiation was higher in the dry season in both forest types, but litter depth showed opposite patterns between seasons depending on forest type. We recorded 59 bird species in 21 families. Bird species abundance, richness and diversity indexes were significantly lower in Ligustrum-dominated relative to native forests of similar successional age, which had almost twice as many species as the former. Avian communities differed between altitudinal zones, but the difference was stronger between Ligustrum and native-dominated forests. Avian community composition was less variable in time and space in native forests than in Ligustrum-dominated ones. Our results suggest that L. lucidum invasion generates structurally homogeneous and simpler forests that represent a less suitable habitat for a diverse avifauna. This illustrates the wide ecological changes (from habitat properties and ecosystem functioning to vertebrate community composition) that the subtropical mountain forests of Argentina are experiencing with this invasion. |
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| Keywords: | Bird community Exotic tree invasion Habitat properties |
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