High-quality surrounding landscapes mitigate avian extirpations from forest remnants

The species-area relationship (SAR) has long been used to predict extirpation rates from habitat loss, but these rates depend not only on habitat area but also on the surrounding landscape and species' habitat specialization. We collated global data from forest islands created by river damming and forest fragments resulting from clear-cut deforestation to examine the effects of matrix type (aquatic or terrestrial) and tree cover on avian SARs. Unlike oceanic islands, which are often millions of years old, anthropogenic forest islands provide a contemporary analog to forest fragments to understand matrix effects on SARs and serve as a baseline for worst-case scenarios of forest fragmentation. Our database comprises 50 datasets from 45 studies conducted in tropical and subtropical regions, totaling 1,954 bird species detected through 39,197 incidence records from 336 forest islands and 669 forest fragments. We found that bird extirpation rates were lower in fragments than on islands, especially for forest-dependent species compared to all species. Species losses were further reduced by increasing tree cover around forest remnants at local landscape scales of 300 m, highlighting the importance of small-scale conservation strategies. Moreover, even small forest fragments with greater nearby tree cover held high conservation value, emphasizing the crucial role of the surrounding landscape in mitigating avian extirpations from forest remnants. Beyond protecting forest remnants themselves, area-based conservation efforts would therefore be greatly enhanced by improving matrix quality and expanding tree cover in otherwise hostile landscapes.

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Publication Details

Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2026-04-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2521783123
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
19.26

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article

High-quality surrounding landscapes mitigate avian extirpations from forest remnants

Randall P. Moore, Marco Aurélio-Silva, Gretchen C. Daily, Lahert William Lobo-Araújo et al.
1 citations
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
19.26
article

High-quality surrounding landscapes mitigate avian extirpations from forest remnants

Randall P. Moore, Marco Aurélio-Silva, Gretchen C. Daily, Lahert William Lobo-Araújo, Filibus Danjuma Dami, Ding Yong, Urs G. Kormann, Olivier Claessens, Philip C. Stouffer, Chase D. Mendenhall, Márcio Amorim Efe, Luiz dos Anjos, Miguel Ângelo Marini, Andrea Larissa Boesing, Will Cresswell, Alexander Charles Lees, Mohammad Saiful Mansor, Helon Simões Oliveira, Marina Anciães, Gregory J. Irving, Robyn Wethered, Jack H. Hatfield, Pedro F. Develey, Alexandre Uezu, Leithen K. M’Gonigle, Adam S. Hadley, Alexandre Camargo Martensen, Shiiwua A. Manu, Jesse R. Lasky, Michael J. Lawes, Luiza Magalli Pinto Henriques, Anderson S. Bueno, Rômulo Ribon, Cristina Banks-Leite, Deborah Faria, Lars H. Holbech, Marilise Mendonça Krügel, Shukor Md Nor, Víctor Arroyo-Rodríguez, T. J. Matthews, Sidnei M. Dantas, Carlos A. Peres, Marconi Campos-Cerqueira, José Carlos Morante-Filho, Jean Paul Metzger, P. O. Nameer, Arthur A. Bispo, M. Jyothi Krishnan, Ping Ding, Luc Lens, Yanping Wang, Kenneth J. Feeley, John W. Terborgh, Viviana Ruiz-Gutiérrez, Thomas W. Gillespie, David P. Edwards, Matthew G. Betts, Luís Fábio Silveira
article en
1 citations

Abstract

The species-area relationship (SAR) has long been used to predict extirpation rates from habitat loss, but these rates depend not only on habitat area but also on the surrounding landscape and species' habitat specialization. We collated global data from forest islands created by river damming and forest fragments resulting from clear-cut deforestation to examine the effects of matrix type (aquatic or terrestrial) and tree cover on avian SARs. Unlike oceanic islands, which are often millions of years old, anthropogenic forest islands provide a contemporary analog to forest fragments to understand matrix effects on SARs and serve as a baseline for worst-case scenarios of forest fragmentation. Our database comprises 50 datasets from 45 studies conducted in tropical and subtropical regions, totaling 1,954 bird species detected through 39,197 incidence records from 336 forest islands and 669 forest fragments. We found that bird extirpation rates were lower in fragments than on islands, especially for forest-dependent species compared to all species. Species losses were further reduced by increasing tree cover around forest remnants at local landscape scales of 300 m, highlighting the importance of small-scale conservation strategies. Moreover, even small forest fragments with greater nearby tree cover held high conservation value, emphasizing the crucial role of the surrounding landscape in mitigating avian extirpations from forest remnants. Beyond protecting forest remnants themselves, area-based conservation efforts would therefore be greatly enhanced by improving matrix quality and expanding tree cover in otherwise hostile landscapes.

Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesVol. 123(14)
University of East Anglia (GB), Universidade dos Açores (PT), Manchester Metropolitan University (GB), Louisiana State University (US), Universidade Estadual de Londrina (BR), Save the Children (US), Wild Salmon Center (US), Pennsylvania State University (US), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (US), Oregon State University (US), Florida Museum of Natural History (US), Louisiana State University Agricultural Center (US), University of Ghana (GH), University of Miami (US), Universidade Federal de Viçosa (BR), Universidade de Brasília (BR), Nanjing Normal University (CN), University of Jos (NG), University of St Andrews (GB), Slippery Rock University (US), Universidade Federal de São Carlos (BR), Universidade de São Paulo (BR), Simon Fraser University (CA), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (BR), Universidade Federal de Sergipe (BR), Cornell University (US), Swiss Ornithological Institute (CH), BirdLife International (KE), Leverhulme Trust (GB), Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (BR), Ghent University (BE), University of Florida (US), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (BR), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (MY), Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (BR), Carnegie Department of Plant Biology (US), Institute for Biodiversity (DE), Protection des Métaux (France) (FR), Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (DE), Wildlife Information Liaison Development (IN), Ecological Consulting (Czechia) (CZ), Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (US), Instituto Maria e Joao Aleixo (BR), São Paulo Museum of Art (BR), Instituto Federal Farroupilha (BR), Vale Technological Institute (BR), Imperial College London (GB), University of York (GB), Kerala Agricultural University (IN), King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (TH), Universidade Federal de Goiás (BR), Zhejiang University (CN), University of Birmingham (GB), Universidade Federal de Alagoas (BR), James Cook University (AU), National University of Malaysia (MY), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX), University of KwaZulu-Natal (ZA), Stanford University (US)
Yale University, University of Miami, Louisiana State University, Nanjing Normal University, Universidade de Brasília, Oregon State University, Manchester Metropolitan University, Florida Museum of Natural History, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Universidade dos Açores, Leverhulme Trust, University of East Anglia, James Cook University, Simon Fraser University, Universiteit Gent, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Inyuvesi Yakwazulu-Natali, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Zhejiang University, University of Ghana, Universidade de São Paulo, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kerala Agricultural University, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Directorate for Biological Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, College of Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota
Life in Land
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
19.26
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