Influence of human disturbances on bird assemblages in selected coastal forests of Pangani- Saadani ecosystem
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Date
2012
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
This study was carried out in four forest patches; Zaraningc, Kwamsisi, Msumbugwe and
Gendagenda in Pangani - Saadani ecosystem, with the aim of assessing the influence of
human disturbances on bird communities, from October 2010 to January 2011. A total of
eight transects stratified into core and edge areas were used in each forest patch to identify
type and quantify the level of human disturbances, determine bird species composition
and abundance. To achieve that, three circular plots each 20 m radius were allocated at the
beginning, middle and end of a 500 m long permanent transect. The level of human
disturbances was assessed using four disturbance indicators; tree lopping, human trails,
identified by sight and call. One-way
analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for differences between forests in human
disturbances and bird abundance. While Shannon Wiener diversity index (H) was
calculated for each forest patch to assess species diversity and evenness, Bray-Curtis
Cluster analysis was used to determine similarity in bird species between forests. A total
of 564 individuals composed of 88 bird species distributed in ten Orders were recorded.
The level of pit sawing and tree lopping differed significantly between forest patches
(P<0.05) with Msumbugwe being more disturbed than the rest of the forests. On the other
hand, bird abundance differed significantly between the forest patches (P<0.05) with the
highest abundance occurring in Msumbugwe. Contrary, Species richness and diversity
disturbed forest. Apparently, only pit-sawing was found to correlate with bird abundance
(P<0.01) whereas similarities in species composition were evident among forests with
Zaraninge and Gendagenda exhibiting much overlap
Description
Dissertation
Keywords
Human disturbances, Bird assemblages, Forest patches, Ecosystem