| Description: |
To contribute to our growing understanding of the urban ecological filtering process in highly biodiverse regions, we conducted a study on bird species assemblages across the landscape of Medellín and its surrounding areas in the Colombian Andes. Nonurban land cover categories included well-preserved and second-growth forests, exotic-tree plantations, and open areas. Urban areas were categorized into four urbanization levels ranging from 0% to 100% built cover at intervals of 25%. Well-preserved and second-growth forests exhibited the highest bird species richness, followed by open areas, while the 76%–100% urbanization level displayed the lowest richness. Based on either taxonomic or functional composition, the bird assemblages across all urbanization levels resembled open areas. The other nonurban land cover categories shared a lower proportion of bird species with open areas and all urbanization levels, with well-preserved forests showing distinct compositions. These results suggest that bird species inhabiting open areas face a broad urban ecological filtering until reaching a threshold above 75% built cover, while birds inhabiting well-preserved forest face a narrow ecological filtering at the urban edge. Our findings provide insights into urban ecological filtering at the landscape scale and pose significant challenges for urban planners aiming to maintain favorable environmental conditions for highly biodiverse species pools. ; Peer reviewed |
| Relation: |
We thank Iriana Zuria, Juan D. Amaya-Espinel, Oscar H. Marín-Gómez, Paula Morales, Víctor Martínez, editors Lin Meng and Kathryn L. Cottingham, and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions that improved the quality and clarity of our manuscript. We also appreciate María Figueroa, Carolina Paniagua-Villada, Michelle García-Arroyo, and Camilo Sánchez-Sarria for their GIS support, Paula Montaño-Casas for her fieldwork assistance, and Fermín Garizábal and Leidy López for their logistical support. This study was made possible by the financial support from the “Fund for Strengthening Academic Training through Research, Artistic Creation, or Innovation Projects at the National University of Colombia 2022-2024” (Scholarship ID: 57625), and the Doctoral Scholarships for University Teachers in Colombia (Scholarship ID: 9092) granted by the National Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation. Open access publishing facilitated by Helsingin yliopisto, as part of the Wiley - FinELib agreement. We thank Iriana Zuria, Juan D. Amaya‐Espinel, Oscar H. Marín‐Gómez, Paula Morales, Víctor Martínez, editors Lin Meng and Kathryn L. Cottingham, and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions that improved the quality and clarity of our manuscript. We also appreciate María Figueroa, Carolina Paniagua‐Villada, Michelle García‐Arroyo, and Camilo Sánchez‐Sarria for their GIS support, Paula Montaño‐Casas for her fieldwork assistance, and Fermín Garizábal and Leidy López for their logistical support. This study was made possible by the financial support from the “Fund for Strengthening Academic Training through Research, Artistic Creation, or Innovation Projects at the National University of Colombia 2022‐2024” (Scholarship ID: 57625), and the Doctoral Scholarships for University Teachers in Colombia (Scholarship ID: 9092) granted by the National Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation. Open access publishing facilitated by Helsingin yliopisto, as part of the Wiley ‐ FinELib agreement.; https://hdl.handle.net/10138/628309; 105029252863; 001705520500022 |