Many winners, few losers: stable bird populations on an Afrotropical mountain amidst climate change
Organisms in mountainous areas are frequently exposed to climatic extremes and are among the most vulnerable to climate change. Long-term studies on birds along elevational gradients, which are vital in understanding species dynamics, are rare in tropical mountains, which limits the ability to under...
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| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Conservation Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2025.1520857/full |
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| author | Mwangi Wambugu Mwangi Wambugu Laura Martínez-Íñigo Bernard Amakobe Bernard Amakobe Mwangi Githiru Mwangi Githiru |
| author_facet | Mwangi Wambugu Mwangi Wambugu Laura Martínez-Íñigo Bernard Amakobe Bernard Amakobe Mwangi Githiru Mwangi Githiru |
| author_sort | Mwangi Wambugu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Organisms in mountainous areas are frequently exposed to climatic extremes and are among the most vulnerable to climate change. Long-term studies on birds along elevational gradients, which are vital in understanding species dynamics, are rare in tropical mountains, which limits the ability to understand their population trends in the face of climate change. We modelled local abundances of understorey bird species (N=18) over a 13-year period (2011–2023) in Mt. Kasigau, Kenya, using mist netting data collected along an elevational gradient. Our models show relatively stable bird abundances in the study period. However, we found two distinct population crashes that affected most species in 2015 and 2022, suggesting that changes in local dynamics may lead to heavy declines of bird populations in mountainous regions. Most species had stable local abundances in the study period, but parametric bootstrapping revealed a declining trend for a few species, including an endemic, threatened species. We highlight the importance of mountainous regions in maintaining relatively stable populations in the face of global environmental transformation such as posed by climate change, and the dynamism of bird species populations across relatively small spatial-temporal variations. While mountain ecosystems are viewed as potential refugia for biodiversity in the face of a warming climate, further studies are needed to understand the drivers of short and long-term declines in bird populations at higher elevations, especially in tropical Africa. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-497cd42da6994b61a094d75f2dcef24d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-611X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Conservation Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-497cd42da6994b61a094d75f2dcef24d2025-02-04T06:32:01ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Conservation Science2673-611X2025-02-01610.3389/fcosc.2025.15208571520857Many winners, few losers: stable bird populations on an Afrotropical mountain amidst climate changeMwangi Wambugu0Mwangi Wambugu1Laura Martínez-Íñigo2Bernard Amakobe3Bernard Amakobe4Mwangi Githiru5Mwangi Githiru6Biodiversity and Social Monitoring Department, Wildlife Works, Voi, KenyaDepartment of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, KenyaBiodiversity and Social Monitoring Department, Wildlife Works, Voi, KenyaBiodiversity and Social Monitoring Department, Wildlife Works, Voi, KenyaDepartment of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, KenyaBiodiversity and Social Monitoring Department, Wildlife Works, Voi, KenyaDepartment of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, KenyaOrganisms in mountainous areas are frequently exposed to climatic extremes and are among the most vulnerable to climate change. Long-term studies on birds along elevational gradients, which are vital in understanding species dynamics, are rare in tropical mountains, which limits the ability to understand their population trends in the face of climate change. We modelled local abundances of understorey bird species (N=18) over a 13-year period (2011–2023) in Mt. Kasigau, Kenya, using mist netting data collected along an elevational gradient. Our models show relatively stable bird abundances in the study period. However, we found two distinct population crashes that affected most species in 2015 and 2022, suggesting that changes in local dynamics may lead to heavy declines of bird populations in mountainous regions. Most species had stable local abundances in the study period, but parametric bootstrapping revealed a declining trend for a few species, including an endemic, threatened species. We highlight the importance of mountainous regions in maintaining relatively stable populations in the face of global environmental transformation such as posed by climate change, and the dynamism of bird species populations across relatively small spatial-temporal variations. While mountain ecosystems are viewed as potential refugia for biodiversity in the face of a warming climate, further studies are needed to understand the drivers of short and long-term declines in bird populations at higher elevations, especially in tropical Africa.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2025.1520857/fullelevational gradientAfrotropicalunderstorey birdsclimate changeMount Kasigaurefugia |
| spellingShingle | Mwangi Wambugu Mwangi Wambugu Laura Martínez-Íñigo Bernard Amakobe Bernard Amakobe Mwangi Githiru Mwangi Githiru Many winners, few losers: stable bird populations on an Afrotropical mountain amidst climate change Frontiers in Conservation Science elevational gradient Afrotropical understorey birds climate change Mount Kasigau refugia |
| title | Many winners, few losers: stable bird populations on an Afrotropical mountain amidst climate change |
| title_full | Many winners, few losers: stable bird populations on an Afrotropical mountain amidst climate change |
| title_fullStr | Many winners, few losers: stable bird populations on an Afrotropical mountain amidst climate change |
| title_full_unstemmed | Many winners, few losers: stable bird populations on an Afrotropical mountain amidst climate change |
| title_short | Many winners, few losers: stable bird populations on an Afrotropical mountain amidst climate change |
| title_sort | many winners few losers stable bird populations on an afrotropical mountain amidst climate change |
| topic | elevational gradient Afrotropical understorey birds climate change Mount Kasigau refugia |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcosc.2025.1520857/full |
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