Vol. 59, 2020

(update: 2020.11.25; 12.15)
 

Patterns of Bird Diversity and Endemism Along an Elevational Gradient in the Southern Mexican Highlands

Edson A. Alvarez-Alvarez¹, Rosalba Rodríguez-Godínez¹, Pablo Sierra-Morales¹, Sandy A. Medina-Valdivia², Estefanía Vázquez-Salgado¹, Marlene Brito-Millán³, and R. Carlos Almazán-Núñez^1,*

¹Laboratorio Integral de Fauna Silvestre (área de Ornitología), Facultad de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Av. Lázaro Cárdenas s/n, Ciudad Universitaria Sur, 39090, Chilpancingo de los Bravo, Guerrero, México. *Correspondence: E-mail: rcarlos.almazan@gmail.com (Almazán-Núñez). Tel: +52 747 105 66 97
E-mail: alvarez.ea@outlook.com (Alvarez-Alvarez); goretti.merced3@gmail.com (Rodríguez-Godínez); sierra02pix@hotmail.com (Sierra-Morales); faniliny@gmail.com (Vázquez-Salgado)
²Centro de Ciencias de Desarrollo Regional, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Calle Pino s/n, Col. El roble, 39040, Acapulco, Guerrero, México. E-mail: sandyastridmedina@gmail.com (Medina-Valdivia)
³University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States (UC MEXUS), Cuerpo Académico Biodiversidad y Gestión Ambiental Sustentable, Facultad de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Av. Lázaro Cárdenas s/n, Ciudad Universitaria Sur, 39090, Chilpancingo de los Bravo, Guerrero, México. E-mail: mbritomillan@gmail.com (Brito-Millán)

Received 1 November 2019 / Accepted 11 November 2020
Communicated by Chih-Ming Hung

Knowledge of bird species diversity along elevational gradients is key for understanding the distributional limits of species and, ultimately, for promoting measures that conserve biodiversity. In the present study, we evaluated changes in bird species richness, diversity, and endemism along an elevational gradient in the Sierra Madre del Sur in southern Mexico – a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot. Monthly bird surveys were carried out at localities with elevations of 1600, 1800, 2000, and 2200 m over the course of one year (2014–2015) covering an area of 2,000 km² (10 circular plots with a radius of 25 m per elevation site). Diversity was calculated in terms of effective number of species or Hill numbers, while the composition of bird species along the elevational gradient was analyzed by non-metric multidimensional scaling, and endemic bird species turnover was assessed with faunal congruence curves. Overall, a total of 118 bird species belonging to 35 families were recorded along the elevational gradient. Although we found that bird richness and diversity increased with increasing elevation, we also observed significant turnover in bird composition and endemic species, which were likely linked to forest types and conditions, as well as proximity of sites to urban centers. Assessing biodiversity patterns across elevational gradients in a well-recognized biodiversity reservoir advances both understanding of ecological patterns and aids conservation efforts and management of biological resources.

Key words: Bird Richness, Conservation, Endemism, Spatial Heterogeneity, Species Turnover.

Citation: Alvarez-Alvarez EA, Rodríguez-Godínez R, Sierra-Morales P, Medina-Valdivia SA, Vázquez-Salgado E, Brito-Millán M, Almazán-Núñez RC. 2020. Patterns of bird diversity and endemism along an elevational gradient in the Southern Mexican highlands. Zool Stud 59:69. doi:10.6620/ZS.2020.59-69.

Supplementary Materials: Table S1