Dinámica estacional de la comunidad de aves en parques urbanos y cementerios de Buenos Aires, Argentina

M. Lucía Bocelli; Federico Morelli; Yanina Benedetti; Lucas M. Leveau

doi:10.25260/EA.23.33.2.0.2019

Authors

M. Lucía Bocelli Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires - IEGEBA (CONICET-UBA). Buenos Aires, Argentina
Federico Morelli Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Community Ecology and Conservation. Prague, Czech Republic
Yanina Benedetti Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Community Ecology and Conservation. Prague, Czech Republic
Lucas M. Leveau Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires - IEGEBA (CONICET-UBA). Buenos Aires, Argentina

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25260/EA.23.33.2.0.2019

Keywords:

diversity, urbanization

Abstract

Urban green spaces play a fundamental role in bird conservation in cities. Although the role of urban parks in conserving bird diversity has been explored on a global scale, the analysis of the role of cemeteries has been scarcer. This study aimed to describe and compare the seasonal dynamic of different components of avian taxonomic diversity and composition in two types of urban green areas, parks and cemeteries, in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (Argentina). Birds were counted at fixed counting points of 100 m radius in three parks and three cemeteries, and rarefaction curves were used to compare their taxonomic diversity between parks and cemeteries during the breeding and non-breeding seasons. In general, bird diversity (measured as species richness and Shannon and Simpson diversity index) was higher in cemeteries than in parks and during the breeding season, showing greater variation in cemeteries. Bird composition changed between seasons, with Zenaida auriculata being the most common species during the breeding season and Myiopsitta monachus the most abundant during the non-breeding season. However, the composition of the avian community (the most common and abundant species) was similar between parks and cemeteries. Our results suggest that cemeteries are green spaces of great importance since they add heterogeneity to the urban landscape, providing a greater diversity of micro-habitats capable of housing a higher number of species than parks. The higher degree of seasonal variation in the bird community in cemeteries suggests that these habitats help maintain the natural seasonal dynamics.

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