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  • Effects of rainforest deforestation, fragmentation and regeneration on bird community and seed dispersal

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    Embargoed until: 2023-12-20
    Author(s)
    Huang, Guohualing
    Primary Supervisor
    Zalucki, Jacinta M
    Other Supervisors
    Catterall, Carla P
    Year published
    2022-12-20
    Metadata
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    Abstract
    Seed dispersal plays an important role in shaping future tree communities in both intact and human-modified landscapes. Most rainforest tree species produce fleshy fruits, and birds are their main seed dispersers. When rainforests are cleared for pasture and agriculture, many remaining forest areas become small fragments. If agriculture stops, some areas can regenerate to forest. All these processes (deforestation, fragmentation, and regeneration) can cause large changes in bird communities. Therefore, fruit removal and seed dispersal patterns are also likely to change. This thesis uses space-for-time substitution to ...
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    Seed dispersal plays an important role in shaping future tree communities in both intact and human-modified landscapes. Most rainforest tree species produce fleshy fruits, and birds are their main seed dispersers. When rainforests are cleared for pasture and agriculture, many remaining forest areas become small fragments. If agriculture stops, some areas can regenerate to forest. All these processes (deforestation, fragmentation, and regeneration) can cause large changes in bird communities. Therefore, fruit removal and seed dispersal patterns are also likely to change. This thesis uses space-for-time substitution to investigate how these habitat transitions affect bird community composition and fruit removal rates across a 600 km2 pasture-dominated landscape mosaic - the Big Scrub region of north-east New South Wales, Australia. The region’s formerly extensive subtropical lowland rainforest is classified as a Critically Endangered Ecological Community, due to extensive historical deforestation. Data were collected at 42 sites across seven habitat types: continuous mature rainforest; rainforest fragments of two sizes – small (4-21 ha), and very small (1-3 ha); regrowth forest patches (2-20 ha); isolated large trees within pasture, of two types – native fig trees (Ficus spp), and non-native camphor laurel trees (Cinnamomum camphora); and treeless pasture. Each habitat type had six replicate sampling sites in which measurements were made in a single 0.6 ha plot, which was revisited six times, twice in each of late summer, winter, and early summer. Measurements and analyses are focused on how the habitat transitions of rainforest-to-pasture conversion, consequent habitat fragmentation, and post-agricultural regeneration affect: (1) overall bird communities; (2) communities of avian frugivores, both seed dispersers and seed predators; and (3) rates of fruit removal.
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    Thesis Type
    Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
    Degree Program
    Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
    School
    School of Environment and Sc
    Copyright Statement
    The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
    Subject
    seed dispersal
    bird communities
    rainforest deforestation
    forest fragmentation
    Publication URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10072/421127
    Collection
    • Theses - Higher Degree by Research

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