Diversity, Community Structure, and Niche Characteristics within a Diurnal Raptor Assemblage of Northwestern Peru

[摘要] Abstract. Despite high raptor diversity and species of conservation importance, little is known about the structuring of raptor communities in tropical regions. We examined diversity across land uses, spatial-niche overlap among species, community structure, and relationships between abundance and niche position/width of diurnal raptors in Peru. Between April and December in 2008 and 2009, we surveyed raptors by distance sampling along transects, and recorded associated habitat data, in 70 randomly selected plots of 1 km2 in Cerros de Amotape National Park, the Tumbes National Reserve, and its buffer areas. We recorded 563 sightings of 19 species of diurnal raptors. Abundance and richness were highest in the buffer zone and lowest in the national park. Mantel tests revealed no correlation between the species' spatial-niche overlap and body-size differences, but there was a near-significant relationship between spatial-niche overlap and dietary overlap. A canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) of raptor s...

[学科分类] 动物科学

[关键词] community;neotropics;Peru;raptors;Tumbezian zone