Conservation status affects elevational gradient in bird diversity in the Himalaya: A new perspective
Understanding diversity patterns along altitudinal gradients, and their underlying causes are important for conserving biodiversity. Previous studies have focused on climatic, energetic, and geographic variables (e.g., mid-domain effects), with less attention paid to human-induced habitat modificati...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2014-12-01
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| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989414000602 |
| _version_ | 1818259052770099200 |
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| author | Prakash Kumar Paudel Jan Šipoš |
| author_facet | Prakash Kumar Paudel Jan Šipoš |
| author_sort | Prakash Kumar Paudel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Understanding diversity patterns along altitudinal gradients, and their underlying causes are important for conserving biodiversity. Previous studies have focused on climatic, energetic, and geographic variables (e.g., mid-domain effects), with less attention paid to human-induced habitat modifications. We used published data of bird distributions along an elevational gradient (0–4900 m) in the Nepalese Himalaya and interpolated species presence between elevational limits. The relationship between species richness and environmental variables was analyzed using generalized linear models. A low plateau relationship between bird richness and elevation was observed, with a main peak at intermediate elevations (2800 m). Across the total gradient, interpolated bird species richness had a unimodal relationship to maximum monthly precipitation and a linear response to seasonal variation in temperature, proportion of forest cover, and proportion of protected area. In lower elevations (0–2800 m), interpolated species richness had a positive and linear response to the proportion of Ramsar sites and a unimodal response to habitat heterogeneity. At higher elevations (2900–4900 m), interpolated bird richness had a positive linear response to monthly variation in temperature and a negative linear response to proportion forest cover. We conclude that factors related to human management are important drivers of elevational gradients in bird species richness. Keywords: Elevational gradient, Biogeography, Bird species richness, Conservation, Himalaya, Nepal |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T18:09:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-01af1c02209e4509ba6c3458dd0cad74 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T18:09:19Z |
| publishDate | 2014-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj.art-01af1c02209e4509ba6c3458dd0cad742022-12-22T00:16:24ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942014-12-012338348Conservation status affects elevational gradient in bird diversity in the Himalaya: A new perspectivePrakash Kumar Paudel0Jan Šipoš1Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, GPO Box 3323, Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal; Center for Conservation Biology, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences, PO Box 23002, Kathmandu, Nepal; Corresponding author at: Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, GPO Box 3323, Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal. Tel.: +977 1 5547715; fax: +977 1 5547713.Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, 71000 Ostrava, Czech RepublicUnderstanding diversity patterns along altitudinal gradients, and their underlying causes are important for conserving biodiversity. Previous studies have focused on climatic, energetic, and geographic variables (e.g., mid-domain effects), with less attention paid to human-induced habitat modifications. We used published data of bird distributions along an elevational gradient (0–4900 m) in the Nepalese Himalaya and interpolated species presence between elevational limits. The relationship between species richness and environmental variables was analyzed using generalized linear models. A low plateau relationship between bird richness and elevation was observed, with a main peak at intermediate elevations (2800 m). Across the total gradient, interpolated bird species richness had a unimodal relationship to maximum monthly precipitation and a linear response to seasonal variation in temperature, proportion of forest cover, and proportion of protected area. In lower elevations (0–2800 m), interpolated species richness had a positive and linear response to the proportion of Ramsar sites and a unimodal response to habitat heterogeneity. At higher elevations (2900–4900 m), interpolated bird richness had a positive linear response to monthly variation in temperature and a negative linear response to proportion forest cover. We conclude that factors related to human management are important drivers of elevational gradients in bird species richness. Keywords: Elevational gradient, Biogeography, Bird species richness, Conservation, Himalaya, Nepalhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989414000602 |
| spellingShingle | Prakash Kumar Paudel Jan Šipoš Conservation status affects elevational gradient in bird diversity in the Himalaya: A new perspective Global Ecology and Conservation |
| title | Conservation status affects elevational gradient in bird diversity in the Himalaya: A new perspective |
| title_full | Conservation status affects elevational gradient in bird diversity in the Himalaya: A new perspective |
| title_fullStr | Conservation status affects elevational gradient in bird diversity in the Himalaya: A new perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | Conservation status affects elevational gradient in bird diversity in the Himalaya: A new perspective |
| title_short | Conservation status affects elevational gradient in bird diversity in the Himalaya: A new perspective |
| title_sort | conservation status affects elevational gradient in bird diversity in the himalaya a new perspective |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989414000602 |
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