We tested the application of the concept of hemeroby and generalism at community level, on a set of birds occurring in various habitats of central Italy characterized by different level of disturbance. In each habitat-related bird community, we applied the recently published species-speci c score in hemeroby (a proxy of habitat-related disturbance; HSi) and hemerobiotic diversity (a proxy of generalism; H’Hi) to local species frequency, obtaining weighted values at community level (HStot and H’Htot). The relationship between HStot vs. H’Htot showed an increasing trend moving from reed beds through forests and mosa- ics to urban communities. Quadratic model (best t) evidenced a signi cant correlation between these variables and a tendency toward a hump-shaped curve, corroborating results already observed at species level (intermediate generalism hypothesis). The co-inertia analysis discriminated four groups of habitat-related communities, characterized by species with different levels of disturbance-sensitivity (expressed by HSi) and generalism (expressed by hemerobiotic diversity; H’Hi): (i) forest type-related, where mature wood communities were separated from a coppiced wood one; (ii) communities of moderately disturbed agri- cultural habitats; (iii) communities embedded in highly disturbed mosaics, and (iv) a group including either a highly disturbed urban habitat or a low disturbed wetland reed bed, with highly specialized species (respectively, synanthropic species and water-related species). Total scores in hemeroby and hemerobiotic diversity, expressing the composition in species with differ- ent disturbance preference and generalism, might act as good community-based indicators of degree of naturalness, especially for forest habitat types.

Battisti, C., Fanelli, G., Pavel, D., Redolfi De Zan, L., Rossi de Gasperis, S., Caneva, G. (2017). Assessing habitat-related disturbance in bird communities: Applying hemeroby and generalism as indicators. COMMUNITY ECOLOGY, 18(2), 215-223 [10.1556/168.2017.18.2.11].

Assessing habitat-related disturbance in bird communities: Applying hemeroby and generalism as indicators

Battisti, C.
;
Redolfi De Zan, L.;Caneva, G.
2017-01-01

Abstract

We tested the application of the concept of hemeroby and generalism at community level, on a set of birds occurring in various habitats of central Italy characterized by different level of disturbance. In each habitat-related bird community, we applied the recently published species-speci c score in hemeroby (a proxy of habitat-related disturbance; HSi) and hemerobiotic diversity (a proxy of generalism; H’Hi) to local species frequency, obtaining weighted values at community level (HStot and H’Htot). The relationship between HStot vs. H’Htot showed an increasing trend moving from reed beds through forests and mosa- ics to urban communities. Quadratic model (best t) evidenced a signi cant correlation between these variables and a tendency toward a hump-shaped curve, corroborating results already observed at species level (intermediate generalism hypothesis). The co-inertia analysis discriminated four groups of habitat-related communities, characterized by species with different levels of disturbance-sensitivity (expressed by HSi) and generalism (expressed by hemerobiotic diversity; H’Hi): (i) forest type-related, where mature wood communities were separated from a coppiced wood one; (ii) communities of moderately disturbed agri- cultural habitats; (iii) communities embedded in highly disturbed mosaics, and (iv) a group including either a highly disturbed urban habitat or a low disturbed wetland reed bed, with highly specialized species (respectively, synanthropic species and water-related species). Total scores in hemeroby and hemerobiotic diversity, expressing the composition in species with differ- ent disturbance preference and generalism, might act as good community-based indicators of degree of naturalness, especially for forest habitat types.
2017
Battisti, C., Fanelli, G., Pavel, D., Redolfi De Zan, L., Rossi de Gasperis, S., Caneva, G. (2017). Assessing habitat-related disturbance in bird communities: Applying hemeroby and generalism as indicators. COMMUNITY ECOLOGY, 18(2), 215-223 [10.1556/168.2017.18.2.11].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11590/330476
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