Habitat structure and proximity to forest edge affect the abundance and distribution of forest-dependent birds in tropical coastal forests of southeastern Madagascar

Despite the fact that Madagascar is classified a biological `hotspot' due to having both high levels of species endemism and high forest loss, there has been no published research on how Madagascan bird species respond to the creation of a forest edge or to degradation of their habitat. In this...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biological conservation 2004-12, Vol.120 (3), p.311-327
Main Authors: Watson, James E.M., Whittaker, Robert J., Dawson, Terence P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aves
Birds
Edge-effects
Habitat degradation
Habitat fragmentation
Madagascar
Matrix-effects
Tropical forest
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Summary:Despite the fact that Madagascar is classified a biological `hotspot' due to having both high levels of species endemism and high forest loss, there has been no published research on how Madagascan bird species respond to the creation of a forest edge or to degradation of their habitat. In this study, we examined how forest bird communities and different foraging guilds were affected by patch habitat quality and landscape context (forest core, forest edge and matrix habitat) in the threatened littoral forests of coastal southeastern Madagascar. We quantified habitat use and community composition of birds by conducting 20 point counts in each landscape contextual element in October and November 2002. We found that littoral forest core habitats had significantly ( p
ISSN:0006-3207
1873-2917
DOI:10.1016/j.biocon.2004.03.004