The influence of wood land size and shape on bird species richness and diversity in Karkas protected area

The influence of wood land size and shape on bird  species richness and diversity in Karkas protected area 

 

 

1. S. Khalilabadi ,

2. M. R. Hemami

3. M. Kaboli ,

3.  S.H. Matinkhah

 3. A. R. Soffianian

 

Abstract

Determining  landscape parameters  influencing  species  richness of habitat patches  is one of the most important issues in conservation biology. Many previous studies have investigated the influence of habitat parameters on bird assemblages in forest patches, but studies seeking effects 

of  oasis  parameters  on  bird  assemblages  are  very  scarce. Karkas  Protected Area  is  located  in semi-arid zone in the central Iran, comprising a number of woodland patches supporting different groups of birds. We  studied  the  influence of patch size and  shape on bird  species  richness and  diversity  of  woodland  patches  in  Karkas  Protected  Area.  Bird  census  was  conducted  in spring and summer 2007 within15 woodland patches using established line transects (TL = 17.1 km). Rarified  species  richness  and  Shannon-Wiener  diversity  index were  respectively  used  as measures  of  species  richness  and  diversity.  Patch  parameters  (area  and  circumference)  were quantified using satellite images. Linear regression analysis revealed positive effect of patch area and negative  effect of patch  shape  (the  ratio of patch perimeter  to patch area) on bird  species richness  and  diversity. These  results  can  be  applied  in management  programs  for  biodiversity 

conservation, in particular, for maintaining bird species diversity.   

 

Key words: Forest birds, Island biogeography theory, Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Rarified 

species richness, linear regression