EVALUACIÓN DE LA RELACIÓN ENTRE LA DIVERSIDAD DE AVES Y LA ESTRUCTURA VEGETAL EN FINCAS AGROFORESTALES DE CULTIVO DE CACAO EN LA PROVINCIA DE LOS RÍOS, CANTÓN QUEVEDO, ECUADOR.

Abstract

Vegetation structure is a very important element for birds when selecting a habitat, therefore, the changes in vegetation will inevitably influence the avifauna. In this study, three types of habitats were characterized and the diversity of birds in each one of them was estimated, in order to evaluate the relationship between bird diversity and the vegetation structure. The study was carried out in the province of Los Ríos, data was collected between January 12th and 22nd, 2021. Specific richness was estimated through a species accumulation curve and the Shannon-Weaver index was calculated to quantify the diversity of birds at each of the sampling points. In addition, it was determined if there is an interaction between the vegetation and the abundance of the bird populations of the different trophic groups. This analysis revealed that the diversity of insectivorous birds is greater in the three types of habitats, being more representative in local monocultures. The difference in means of abundance of individuals by habitat shows very significant p values for the trophic insectivorous group in the three types of habitats. Suggesting that there is a clear influence of the alteration of habitat on insectivorous birds. This bird trophic group is important for the habitats especially due to its potential for pest control in modified environments such as agricultural lands. However, for the design of management plans and habitat improvement, more studies are required.