Distribution of avoider, neutral and exploiter bird species in relation to NDVI

B.S.B.A Linda Carrasco Mendez

Master's thesis

Abstract:

Aim: A deeper assessment of bird assemblages’ features and more efficient methods to monitoring spatial patterns of bird species in urban areas are essential for a better understanding of the impacts of urbanization. As revealed in different studies, areas at higher values of NDVI - a surrogate mainly of primary productivity- was already related with areas of higher bird species richness. This study aims to explore further potential uses of NDVI in relation to bird assemblages and to highlight areas where bird species with different urban tolerance are distributed in urban areas.Study area: This study raises spatial patterns of bird diversity and urban tolerance in three different European cities: Athens and Ioannina in Greece and Granada in Spain.Methods: Bird composition data was collected by ornithologists from middle of April till the end of July during 2018. NDVI values were estimated considering the same period. Birds were classified as urban avoiders, neutrals and exploiters according to bibliographic urban tolerance categories.Results: Within the three cities, 14,667 bird individuals were observed in a total of 292 sampling points. Of the total of 59 breeding bird species identified, 16 were identified as urban avoider species, 26 as urban neutral species and 3 as urban exploiter species. NDVI values were positively related with the number of bird species and the number of urban avoiders in all cities. Urban neutrals were associated with NDVI values only within the city of Ioannina. There was no association among urban exploiters and NDVI values in all cities.Conclusions: This study concludes that NDVI can be used more efficiently as a proxy for occurrence and richness of bird urban avoider species within urban areas. It also supports the means of using NDVI as an estimate for primary productivity within urban areas, and for analyzing urbanization effects on urban birds. These findings provide essential information of monitoring easily bird assemblages at a large spatial scale to improve future urban planning that includes biodiversity conservation.

Keywords

NDVI, biotic homogenization, urbanization

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 16. 6. 2020

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: Yanina Benedetti

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Environmental Sciences

Master programme / field:
Landscape Engineering / Landscape Planning