Abstract

SALAZAR-RAMIREZ, Luisa Fernanda; PINEDA-GOMEZ, Diana Milena; ESTEVEZ VARON, Jaime Vicente  and  CASTANO-VILLA, Gabriel Jaime. FRUGIVOROUS AND NECTARIVOROUS BIRDS'RICHNESS AND ABUNDANCE INHABITING AN ANDEAN ALDER (Alnus acuminata) PLANTATION AND A SECOND-GROWTH FOREST AT THE COLOMBIAN CENTRAL ANDES. Bol. Cient. Mus. Hist. Nat. Univ. Caldas [online]. 2014, vol.18, n.1, pp.67-77. ISSN 0123-3068.

In the tropics, frugivorous and nectarivorous bird species'richness and abundance differs between forest plantations and native forests. Such trophic structure differences emerge from the limitations that forest plantations has as habitat for these bird species. Hence, understanding how trophic guild differences emerge among habitat types is a key factor for establishing the actual conservation value of forest plantation for avifauna conservation. We compared understory frugivorous and nectarivorous birds' richness and abundance between an Andean alder (Alnus acuminata) plantation and a second-growth forest stands, located at the Colombian Central Andes. We based comparisons on mist-net captures during seven months of sampling (October 2008 - April 2009). Greater nectarivorous abundance and frugivorous species richness was detected at the alder plantation; between-habitat similarity was low, suggesting that these habitats are not equivalent for avifauna. Such differences could be associated to factors as vegetation structure differences, understory floristic composition, and resource offer as has been registered for other forest plantations elsewhere. In summary, our results suggests that alder plantation's understory have no negative effect on frugivorous and nectarivorous birds, and also it might have a complementary ecological role in maintaining the species richness of these bird guilds at the study region.

Keywords : community similarity; monoculture plantation; rarefaction curves.

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