Birds vs bricks: Patterns of species diversity in response to urbanization in a Neotropical Andean city.

ABSTRACT: Urbanization is currently one the most important causes of biodiversity loss. The Colombian Andes is a well-known hotspot for biodiversity, however, it also exhibit high levels of urbanization, making it a useful site to document how species assemblages respond to habitat transformation. To do this, we compared the structure and composition of bird assemblages between rural and urban habitats in Armenia, a medium sized city located in the Central Andes of Colombia. In addition, we examined the influence of urban characteristics on bird species diversity within the city of Armenia. From September 2016 to February 2017 we performed avian surveys in 76 cells (250 x 250 m each) embedded within Armenia city limits; and in 23 cells (250 x 250 m each) in rural areas around Armenia. We found that

SUBMITTER: Carvajal-Castro JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6587937 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature