Avian Distribution Patterns and Conservation in Amazonia
Date
2007-10-19
Author
Advisors
Pimm, Stuart L.
Alves, Maria Alice S.
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Abstract
In this dissertation, I address the distribution and conservation of the Amazonian
avifauna at several different scales. In Chapter 1, I looked at how the spatial bias
in ornithological collections affects our understanding of the patterns of diversity
in Amazonia. I showed that Amazonia is massively under-collected, that biological
collection sites cluster around points of access, and that the richness at collection
localities is higher than would be expected at random. This greater richness in collected
areas was associated with a higher proportion of species with small geographical ranges
as compared to uncollected areas. These small range species are relevant for conservation,
as they are especially prone to extinction. I concluded that the richness of the uncollected
areas of Amazonia is seriously underestimated, and that current knowledge gaps preclude
accurate selection of areas for conservation in Amazonia. With this in mind, I modeled
the impacts of continued deforestation on the Amazonian endemic avifauna. To overcome
knowledge gaps, I complemented bird range maps with a "bird-ecoregions." I identified
several taxa and bird-ecoregions likely to face great threat in the near future, most
of them associated with riverine habitats. To evaluate these predictions, I conducted
a detailed study on two riverine species: the Rio Branco Antbird (Cercomacra carbonaria)
and the Hoary-throated Spinetail (Synallaxis kollari). Both are threatened and endemic
to the gallery forests of Roraima, Brazil. I predicted that both would lose critical
habitat in the near future. I concluded that neither is categorized correctly in by
The World Conservation Union and recommend the down-listing of the Rio-Branco-Antbird
and the up-listing of the Hoary-throated Spinetail. I also explored the importance
of indigenous reserves for the conservation of both species and emphasized the need
for greater involvement of conservation biologists in the social issues related to
their study organisms.
Type
DissertationDepartment
EcologyPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/450Citation
Vale, Mariana M (2007). Avian Distribution Patterns and Conservation in Amazonia. Dissertation, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/450.Collections
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