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Volume 48, No. 1

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Influence of the invasive grass Urochloa decumbens on nest- site selection by Brown Booby Sula leucogaster on Castilho Island, Brazil

Influência da gramínea invasora Urochloa decumbens sobre a seleção do local de nidificação pelo atobá-pardo Sula leucogaster na Ilha do Castilho, Brasil


Authors

GABRIELA G. ALMEIDA1*, TALITA A. SAMPAIO-E-SILVA2 & DALVA M. SILVA-MATOS1
1Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), 13565-905, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil *(gabriela.galmeida91@gmail.com)
2Instituto Biodiversidade Austral (BioAustral), 11990-000, Cananéia, São Paulo, Brazil

Citation

ALMEIDA, G.G., SAMPAIO-E-SILVA, T.A. & SILVA-MATOS, D.M. 2020. Influence of the invasive grass Urochloa decumbens on nest- site selection by Brown Booby Sula leucogaster on Castilho Island, Brazil

Influência da gramínea invasora Urochloa decumbens sobre a seleção do local de nidificação pelo atobá-pardo Sula leucogaster na Ilha do Castilho, Brasil . Marine Ornithology 48: 111 - 117

Received 15 November 2019, accepted 08 January 2020

Date Published: 2020/04/15
Date Online: 2019/03/30
Key words: alien plants, habitat selection, seabirds, insular species, protected areas

Abstract

The invasion of an ecosystem by exotic plants may change vegetation composition and structure, affecting the nesting habitat of birds at different spatial scales. On Castilho Island in São Paulo State, Brazil, invasion by the grass Urochloa decumbens has raised concern because it may affect breeding seabirds. Among those potentially affected is the Brown Booby Sula leucogaster, a species with populations that are currently decreasing worldwide. We located 85 Brown Booby nests during the 2015/16 season, and we compared the proportional use of available invaded and non-invaded areas, considering the macroscale. Further, we established invaded and non-invaded plots of 300 m2, recorded nests and random non-nest points, and modeled nest-site selection at the microscale as a function of vegetation parameters. Invaded areas were underused for nesting, while areas of native vegetation appeared to be preferred. Invaded plots had a significantly lower mean density of nests than non-invaded plots, and nest sites had lower cover by the invasive grass and higher amounts of dead vegetation than non-nest points. Our results show the importance of controlling U. decumbens and other similar invasive species to ensure the continued availability of preferred nesting habitats for Brown Boobies, especially in protected areas. Further, our study indicates that the expansion of invasive plants may be among the environmental changes negatively affecting seabirds.

A invasão de um ecossistema por plantas exóticas pode alterar a composição e estrutura da vegetação, afetando o habitat de nidificação de aves em diferentes escalas espaciais. Na Ilha do Castilho, São Paulo, Brasil, a invasão pela gramínea Urochloa decumbens tem gerado preocupações, pois pode afetar a reprodução das aves marinhas. Dentre os possíveis afetados está o atobá-pardo Sula leucogaster, uma espécie cujas populações se encontram atualmente em declínio mundial. Localizamos 85 ninhos de atobá-pardo entre 2015 e 2016 e comparamos o uso proporcional das áreas invadidas e não invadidas disponíveis, considerando a macroescala. Além disso, estabelecemos parcelas de 300 m2 em áreas invadidas e não invadidas, registrando pontos com ninhos e pontos aleatórios sem ninho, e modelamos a seleção do local do ninho em microescala como função dos parâmetros da vegetação. Áreas invadidas foram subutilizadas para nidificação, enquanto que as áreas de vegetação nativa foram aparentemente preferidas. Parcelas invadidas tiveram densidade média de ninhos significativamente menor do que as não invadidas, e os locais selecionados para nidificação apresentaram menor cobertura pela gramínea invasora e maiores quantidades de necromassa em relação aos pontos sem ninho. Nossos resultados orientam para a importância do controle da espécie U. decumbens e de outras gramíneas invasoras similares para garantir a disponibilidade contínua dos habitats de nidificação preferidos pelo atobá-pardo, especialmente nas áreas protegidas. Além disso, nosso estudo indica que a expansão de plantas invasoras pode estar entre as alterações ambientais que afetam negativamente as aves marinhas.

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