Effects of habitat heterogeneity on the elevational distribution of bird
diversity in a typical modern montane
Abstract
The biodiversity in montane ecosystems is high but is threatened by
rapid environmental change. Urbanization and other anthropogenic
activities in the mountains surrounding cities can affect changes in
land use and habitat heterogeneity. Moreover, patterns of habitat
heterogeneity are closely related to elevation and have a major effect
on montane biodiversity. The aim of this study was to analyze the
effects of habitat heterogeneity on the vertical distribution pattern of
bird diversity by characterizing the structure of the bird community,
biodiversity, and landscape factors at different altitudes. Continuous
monitoring of the breeding birds at Mount Tai from 2016 to 2019 revealed
that forest reduced the diversity and abundance of birds and favored
montane birds. Habitat composition varied at different altitudes. In the
high-mountain belt and the middle-mountain belt, the habitat was
primarily composed of forest. In contrast, artificial habitat was more
common in the low-mountain belt. Bird abundance, species richness, and
the Shannon-Wiener index decreased as the altitude increased, and the
structure of the bird community significantly differed in the different
belts. Some rare species tended to only occupy specific belts. Road
density, number of habitat patches, patch density, and the percentage of
forest significantly affected bird diversity. The effect of patch
density was higher compared with other landscape factors. The “habitat
amount hypothesis” was more suitable for explaining the elevational
distribution pattern of bird diversity at Mount Tai. Sufficient habitat
and more patches in the low-mountain belt supported higher bird
diversity. The middle-mountain belt and high-mountain belt showed
contrasting patterns. Our results highlight the effects of ongoing
urbanization and human activities on montane biodiversity and emphasize
the need for artificial habitats in the mountains surrounding cities to
be managed.