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Overlap in avian communities produces unimodal richness peaks on Bornean mountains

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2018

Ryan C. Burner Open the ORCID record for Ryan C. Burner [Opens in a new window] ,
Alison R. Styring ,
Chandradewana Boer  and
Frederick H. Sheldon
Ryan C. Burner*
Affiliation:
Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Alison R. Styring
Affiliation:
The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington 98505, USA
Chandradewana Boer
Affiliation:
Wildlife Ecology and Biodiversity Laboratory, Forestry Faculty, Mulawarman University, East Kalimantan, Indonesia
Frederick H. Sheldon
Affiliation:
Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
*
*Corresponding author. Email: ryan.c.burner@gmail.com
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Abstract:

Altitudinal gradients provide tractable, replicated systems in which to study changes in species richness and community composition over relatively short distances. Previously, richness was often assumed to follow a monotonic decline with altitude, but recent meta-analyses show that more complex patterns, including mid-altitude richness peaks, are also prevalent in birds. In this study, we used point counts to survey birds at multiple altitudes on three mountains on the island of Borneo in Sundaland, an area for which quantitative analyses of avian altitudinal distribution are unavailable. In total we conducted 1088 point counts and collected associated habitat data at 527 locations to estimate species richness by altitude on Mt Mulu (2376 m), Mt Pueh (1550 m) and Mt Topap Oso (1450 m). On Mulu, the only mountain with an intact habitat gradient, bird species richness peaks at 600 m. Richness appeared to peak at 600 m on Totap Oso as well, but on Pueh it peaked several hundred metres higher. The richness peak on Mulu differs from that predicted by null models and is instead caused by the overlap of distinct lowland and montane avifaunas, supporting the faunal overlap hypothesis. This finding provides further evidence that a lack of coincidence between peak turnover and peak richness is not sufficient evidence to rule out faunal overlap as a causal factor.

Keywords

birdelevational gradientfaunal overlapmid-domain effectMDEMuluNMDSpoint countPuehturnover
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 34 , Issue 2 , March 2018 , pp. 75 - 92
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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