Cloud forest bird responses to unusually severe storm damage
In 1998, storms related to Hurricane Isis caused extensive gaps in the cloud forest of El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico, where severe storms are infrequent. We examined how this disturbance affected bird species composition. Species richness and composition were similar both between pre- and post-disturbance forest and between newly created gaps and plots that remained forested after the hurricane. However, differences in response guilds were greater between pre- and post-disturbance plots than between forest plots with gaps after disturbance. Granivorous, omnivorous, and terrestrial species were more abundant before the hurricane, whereas insectivorous, midstory, and generalist foragers were more abundant after the hurricane. In addition, species with high sensitivity to disturbance were more abundant in the pre-disturbance forest, while low sensitivity species were more abundant after disturbance.
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Texto biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
| Subjects: | Desastres naturales, Bosque de niebla, Huracán Isis, 1998, Aves, Artfrosur, |
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| Summary: | In 1998, storms related to Hurricane Isis caused extensive gaps in the cloud forest of El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico, where severe storms are infrequent. We examined how this disturbance affected bird species composition. Species richness and composition were similar both between pre- and post-disturbance forest and between newly created gaps and plots that remained forested after the hurricane. However, differences in response guilds were greater between pre- and post-disturbance plots than between forest plots with gaps after disturbance. Granivorous, omnivorous, and terrestrial species were more abundant before the hurricane, whereas insectivorous, midstory, and generalist foragers were more abundant after the hurricane. In addition, species with high sensitivity to disturbance were more abundant in the pre-disturbance forest, while low sensitivity species were more abundant after disturbance. |
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