Influence of vegetation structure on the bird communities in urban parks

• Grant number: 17/26145-6
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): April 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Marco Aurelio Pizo Ferreira
• Grantee: Beatriz Ferreira da Silva
• Home Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The urbanization process leads to intense changes in the landscape, with great loss and fragmentation of habitats. For this reason, studies on this subject are needed to assist in the conservation, mainly of the native species that occur in urban environments. In addition, studies on urban avifauna are used as a tool for environmental diagnosis, highlighting the importance of green areas, such as squares and public gardens, in the urban environment for bird survival. This study will evaluate the influence of local features on the bird community occupying urban public squares and gardens. The study area will be Rio Claro, a medium-sized city located in the state of São Paulo (Brazil). The survey of birds will be carried out using the fixed point method in public gardens and squares. In addition to birds, the individual characteristics of each location, such as floristic composition, stratification, density and proportion of native and exotic tree species will also be sampled. This study will contribute to the knowledge about the effects of urbanization on the Brazilian biodiversity, and will help in the identification of management strategies that can favor the community of birds that occupy urban green areas