Title
The role of street fig trees as avian resource providers in a tropical megacity: Study of patterns and drivers
Author(s)
Rawal, Prakhar; Chatrath, Deepali; Shahabuddin, Ghazala
Published
Preprint
Publisher
Research Square
Abstract
Street trees are known to mitigate the negative effects of urbanization on biodiversity, particularly bird fauna. Despite their acknowledged benefits for birds, studies so far have been largely limited to relatively coarse scales; an understanding of the role of local environments and individual tree characteristics is lacking. We studied patterns of bird visitation at individual street Ficus (fig) trees in Delhi, India, where Ficus spp. were found to be a relatively common tree choice. We also studied the drivers of bird visitation patterns at different scales including tree characteristics and local and landscape variables. 106 trees of three common fig species were surveyed for bird visitors across three study sites with varying urban patterns in Delhi. Fig trees were found to be a relatively common street tree choice in Delhi. Surveyed fig trees were visited by 29 bird species, including 7 obligate frugivores. We found that reducing green cover in surrounding landscape and increasing noise levels did not deter birds from visiting these trees. Instead, variables at finer scales like tree canopy diameter, tree species and local resource density had significant effects on both species’ richness and abundance of bird visitors. Our results highlight that an understanding of avian responses at different scales is useful for maximising the value of street trees for urban birds. Coarse-scale studies can provide insights into bird diversity of city landscapes, but micro-scale studies are more important in making fine scale management decisions, such as selection of street trees.
Keywords
ficus; avian diversity; frugivory; urban; Delhi

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