O efeito da idade da floresta na disponibilidade de cavidades para aves não escavadoras nas reservas do Projeto Dinâmica Biológica de Fragmentos Florestais, Amazônia Central

Abstract

Currently many animal populations persist in landscapes modified by human activity, and their persistence, in the long term, cannot be ensured by relying solely on protected areas. Secondary forests, a result of forest regeneration on abandoned areas, are becoming abundant in tropical countries. They are structurally different from primary forests because they are composed of young trees and generally lack the habitat complexity found in primary forests, influencing the availability of essential resources for many species. Tree cavities are a critical resource for species that use them for nesting; however, they may be rare or absent in secondary forests. The objective of the present study was to determine the influence of forest age and land use history on the abundance of cavities for non-excavator birds. This study was conducted in tropical lowland-forest reserves at the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragment Project (BDFFP) site, near Manaus (AM). We censused cavities and birds at 39 sites. Cavity density was measured along a 200 m transect at each site, by counting all cavities 20 m on each side of the transect, covering 0,8 ha. We captured birds using 16 mist nets, which we monitored from 06:00h to 14:00h. We used model selection (GLMs) to determine the relationship between the age of forest and the number of cavities and non-excavator birds. We evaluated cavity characteristics using multivariate analysis. We recorded 248 cavities and 10 species of birds using cavities. We observed an increase in the availability of cavities with the age of the forest, but the oldest secondary forest (~ 30 years) did not yet have a number of cavities similar to undisturbed forests. The characteristics of the cavities (height, depth and diameter) were less variable in secondary forests than in primary forest. Secondary forest lacked cavities that were high, deep, and had large entrances. The number of cavities had a positive effect on the abundance of non-excavator birds in secondary forests, but not in primary forests. History of land use had no effect on abundance of cavities. Thus we demonstrate that forest age is a determining factor for the presence of cavities in these areas. We conclude that secondary forests only partially offset species loss. However, we show that the abundance of cavities is more important than the age of the forest in determining the abundance of non-excavator birds. Thus, by ensuring the presence of cavities in secondary forests it should also be possible to ensure a more diverse community of cavity-nesting birds.