The relationship between local patch landscape patterns and bird community traits along the urbanization gradient

Abstract

As global urbanization accelerates, urban ecosystems undergo profound transformations, necessitating deeper investigations into the ecological effects of urban green patches at varying local scales and their impact on bird community distributions. This study explores the influence of landscape characteristic indices across nine distinct patch types along the urbanization gradient on bird community dynamics at multiple buffer radii. A comprehensive, year-long survey was conducted across 23 sample sites, classifying patches into nine coverage types. Landscape indices were calculated at three buffer scales, and their correlation with bird community characteristics was analyzed, alongside comparisons between regions with differing levels of urbanization. The findings reveal that patch types and their landscape characteristics exert significant, scale-dependent effects on bird diversity and stability. In low-urbanized areas, the area and edge density of tree patches within 100–200 m buffer zones play a crucial role in enhancing bird community characteristics. In highly urbanized areas, the connectivity between small shrubland patches and agricultural land at the 50 m buffer scale is vital for bird survival. Vegetated water patches enhance bird diversity by improving connectivity between patches at different scales, forming an effective network structure. Building patches also make significant contributions to bird diversity. Even at the local scale, urban bird community characteristics are shaped by the combined effects of landscape structure and patch characteristics across multiple buffer scales, with these effects becoming increasingly pronounced as urbanization intensifies.