2025/10/30 by Jacinta E. Humphrey, Angie Haslem, Andrew F. Bennett · 1 voice · 1 citation
Environmental Science · #Avian ecology and behavior #Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies #Urban Green Space and Health
paper · doi:10.1007/s10980-025-02238-2
openalex created_date 2025/10/30 · openalex publication_date 2025/10/30 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
Abstract Context Land-use change associated with urbanization is a global conservation issue. Urbanization alters the composition of biotic assemblages through the loss, gain and replacement of species; and has the potential to homogenize biotic communities within cities. An important challenge for conservation in urban environments is to identify and respond to the factors that influence compositional change, particularly at the landscape-scale. Objectives We aimed to: i) identify properties of residential landscapes that shape avian community composition; ii) test for evidence of homogenization at the landscape-scale; and iii) determine the relative influence of species loss and species turnover in the homogenization of native bird communities. Methods We surveyed birds in 30 residential landscapes (each 100 ha), stratified to represent gradients of housing cover (from 9–39%) and canopy tree cover (13–63%) in Melbourne, Australia. Results The composition of bird communities, and the relative abundance and richness of foraging guilds, showed marked variation across urbanizing landscapes, most strongly associated with housing cover, vegetation patterns, and relative abundance of an aggressive competitor, the noisy miner ( Manorina melanocephala ). There was strong evidence for homogenization of native bird communities in landscapes with high housing cover, driven primarily by differential loss of forest-dependent species. Conclusions Actions to counter biotic homogenization and retain forest-dependent bird species include maintaining large areas of (semi)natural vegetation among, and adjacent to, residential areas; and revegetating open green spaces to include native understorey cover. Enhancing education for residents about the habitat requirements of forest-dependent species is also an important step in conserving native avifauna.