Diversity and structure of bird communities in contrasting forests of the Hengduan Mountains, China

Rapid economic development has led to high rates of deforestation and widespread alteration of land cover in many regions in China, where many primary forests have been replaced by secondary and plantation forests. Therefore, we aimed to determine differences in bird community diversity and structure between three forest types. We assessed differences in species richness, phylogenetic and functional diversity and community structure of bird communities in primary, secondary and plantation forests. Data was collected over four meteorological seasons from bird communities in a nature reserve in the Hengduan Mountains, China. We found that functional and phylogenetic diversity in secondary forest were significantly greater than in primary forest, while species richness was not significantly different. Thus, simple metrics (i.e. species richness) may not be sufficient to assess forest conservation value. We suggest that it is necessary to use varied diversity metrics that incorporate species’ similarities and differences. It also appears that secondary forests play an important role in the maintenance of studied bird biodiversity. The results of community structure analyses show that the habitat filter was strongest in the primary forest, leading to primary forest species being lighter in weight, shorter in body length, and with longer tarsometatarsus. These species were specialized and forest-dependent, reflecting the value of primary forests as an irreplaceable habitat type for several species after nearby forests are degraded.