Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Central Andes of Peru: a key area for the conservation of Polylepis forest biodiversity

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Ornithology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Polylepis forests are threatened high Andean ecosystems that harbour unique species of flora and fauna. However, there is little information on the avifauna associated with these forests in the Central Andes of Peru. We evaluated 12 bird communities in the Junín, Lima and Huancavelica departments of Peru and recorded richness-abundance data that were used to perform an analysis of α- and γ-diversity using Hill numbers. In addition, we built two species matrices (presence-absence data) for three previously identified key bird conservation areas and our study area, first with the species that regularly inhabit the Polylepis forests and second with the species of conservation interest. We found that the Polylepis forests of the Central Andes of Peru have a high diversity of birds. Some of these birds have a strong affinity for Polylepis forests, and another group is typical of the tree line of the Yungas. Moreover, we identified a unique set of 27 species of conservation interest in this region. Since the Central Andes of Peru also harbour three endemic species of Polylepis, it should be considered an important area for the conservation of high Andean biodiversity.

Zusammenfassung

Die Zentralanden Perus sind ein Schlüsselgebiet für den Schutz der Biodiversität von Polylepis -Wäldern

Polylepis-Wälder sind bedrohte Ökosysteme in den Anden, die eine einzigartige Flora und Fauna beherbergen. Allerdings ist wenig über die Avifauna dieser Wälder in den zentralen Anden Perus bekannt. Wir haben zwölf Vogelgemeinschaften in den Departaments Junín, Lima und Huancavelica in Peru untersucht und Daten über Artenzahlen und Abundanzen erhoben, um Analysen der α- und γ-Diversität anhand von Hill-Zahlen durchzuführen. Zudem haben wir zwei Matrizen des Vorkommens von Arten (Anwesenheit-Abwesenheit) für die drei bereits bekannten Schlüsselgebiete für den Schutz von Vögeln sowie unserem Gebiet erstellt, einerseits mit den Arten, die regelmässig in Polylepis-Wäldern vorkommen, und andererseits nur mit den Arten, die schutzbedürftig sind. Wir konnten feststellen, dass die Polylepis-Wälder der Zentralanden Peru seine hohe Diversität an Vögeln haben, von denen einige eine hohe Affinität zu Polylepis-Wäldern aufweisen und anderen, die typischer für die Waldgrenze der Yungas sind. Wir konnten 27 besonders schutzbedürftige Vogelarten in der Region feststellen. Da die zentralen Anden Perus zudem drei endemische Polylepis-Baumarten aufweisen, sollten sie als ein wichtiges Gebiet für den Schutz andiner Biodiversität anerkannt werden.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Astudillo PX, Grass I, Farwing N (2017) Identificación de la importancia de las características de bosques de Polylepis para la comunidad de aves: un enfoque de red a escala de paisaje. Memorias Universidad Del Azuay 1(16):95–104

  • Aucca CC, Olmos F, Santander OJ, Chamorro A (2015) Range extension and new habitat for the critically endangered Royal Cinclodes Cinclodes aricomae. Cotinga 37:12–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Balderrama JA, Ramírez MC (2001) Diversidad y endemismo de aves en dos fragmentos de bosque de Polylepis besseri en el Parque Nacional Tunari (Cochabamba, Bolivia). Rev Boliv Ecol 9:45–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Boza TEE, Quispe-Melgar HR, Kessler M (2019) Taxonomic reevaluation of the Polylepis sericea complex (Rosaceae), with the description of a new species. Syst Bot 44(2):324–334. https://doi.org/10.1600/036364419X15562052252225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chape S, Spalding M, Jenkins M (2008) The world’s protected areas: status, values and prospects in the 21st century. UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, University of California Press, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • Colwell RK, Coddington JA (1994) Estimating terrestrial biodiversity through extrapolation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B 345:101–118. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.1994.0091

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • de Vries A, Ripley BD (2016) Package ‘ggdendro’. Create dendrograms and tree diagrams using “ggplot2”. https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/ggdendro/ggdendro.pdf. Accessed 12 Aug 2012

  • del Hoyo J, Elliott A, Sargatal J, Christie DA, de Juana E (2018) (eds) Handbook of the birds of the world alive. Millpo Tapaculo (Scytalopus sp. nov.). Lynx, Barcelona (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/937352 Accessed 8 Nov 2018)

  • Fjeldså J (1993) The avifauna of the Polylepis woodlands of the Andean highlands: the efficiency of basing conservation priorities on patterns of endemism. Bird Conserv Int 3:37–55. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270900000770

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fjeldså J (2002a) Polylepis forests—vestiges of a vanishing ecosystem in the Andes. Ecotropica 8:111–123

    Google Scholar 

  • Fjeldså J (2002b) Key areas for conserving the avifauna of Polylepis forests. Ecotropica 2:125–131

    Google Scholar 

  • Fjeldså J (2007) The relationship between biodiversity and population centres: the high Andes region as an example. Biodiv Conserv 16:2739–2751. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-007-9204-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fjeldså J, Irestedt M (2009) Diversification of the south American avifauna: patterns and implications for conservation in the Andes. Ann Mo Bot Gard 96:398–409. https://doi.org/10.3417/2007148

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fjeldså J, Kessler M (2004) Conservación de la biodiversidad de los bosques de Polylepis de las tierras altas de Bolivia. Una contribución al manejo sustentable en los Andes. Technical report 11. FAN, DIVA, Santa Cruz de la Sierra

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuentealba B, Sevillano-Ríos CS (2016) Experiencias de rehabilitación comunitaria con queñual (Polylepis sp.) en el Departamento de Ancash, Perú. En Más allá de la ecología de la restauración: perspectivas sociales en América Latina y el Caribe (315–327). Vázquez Mazzini, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires

  • Grassberger P (1988) Finite sample corrections to entropy and dimension estimates. Phys Lett A 128:369–373. https://doi.org/10.1016/0375-9601(88)90193-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halladay P, Halladay P, Gilmour DA (eds) (1995) Conserving biodiversity outside protected areas, the role of traditional agro-ecosystems. IUCN, Switzerland

    Google Scholar 

  • Herzog SK, Kattan GH (2011) Patterns of diversity and endemism in the birds of the Tropical Andes. Climate change and biodiversity in the Tropical Andes. InterAmerican Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) and Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE), pp 245–259

  • Herzog SK, Soria RA, Troncoso AJ, Matthysen E (2002) Composition and structure of avian mixed-species flocks in a high-Andean Polylepis forest in Bolivia. Ecotropica 8(2):133–143

    Google Scholar 

  • Herzog SK, Maillard OZ, Embert D, Caballero P, Quiroga D (2012) Range size estimates of Bolivian endemic bird species revisited: the importance of environmental data and national expert knowledge. J Ornithol 153(4):1189–1202. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-012-0850-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hewitt JE, Thrush SF, Lundquist C (2007) Scale-dependence in ecological systems. eLS. John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470015902.a0021903.pub2

  • Hill MO (1973) Diversity and evenness: a unifying notation and its consequences. Ecology 54:427–432. https://doi.org/10.2307/1934352

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hosner PA, Robbins MB, Valqui T, Peterson AT (2013) A new species of Scytalopus Tapaculo (Aves: Passeriformes: Rhinocryptidae) From the Andes of Central Peru. Wilson J Ornithol 125:233–242. https://doi.org/10.1676/12-055.1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IUCN (2018) The IUCN Red List of threatened species. Version 2018-2. http://www.iucnredlist.org. Accessed 12 Oct 2018

  • Jost L (2006) Entropy and diversity. Oikos 113:363–375. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2006.0030-1299.14714.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jurasinski G, Retzer V, Beierkuhnlein C (2009) Inventory, differentiation, and proportional diversity: a consistent terminology for quantifying species diversity. Oecologia 159:15–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-008-1190-z

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karger DN, Conrad O, Böhner J, Kawohl T, Kreft H, Soria-Auza RW, Zimmermann NE, Linder HP, Kessler M (2017) Climatologies at high resolution for the earth’s land surface areas. Scientific Data 4(1)

  • Kessler M (2002) The “Polylepis problem”: where do we stand? Ecotropica 8:97–110

    Google Scholar 

  • Kessler M (2006) Bosques de Polylepis. In: Moraes RM, Øllgaard B, Kvist LP, Borchsenius F, Balslev H (eds) Botánica Económica de los Andes Centrales. Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Plural Editores, La Paz, pp 110–120

  • Kessler M, Schmidt-Lebuhn AN (2006) Taxonomical and distributional notes on Polylepis (Rosaceae). Org Div Evol 6(1):1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lepage D (2017) Avibase the world bird database. https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/avibase.jsp. Accessed 24 Nov 2017

  • Lloyd H (2008) Abundance and patterns of rarity of rarity of Polylepis birds in the Cordillera Vilcanota, southern Perú: implications for habitat management strategies. Bird Conserv Int 18:164–180. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270908000166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd H, Marsden SJ (2008) Bird community variation across Polylepis woodland fragments and matrix habitats: implications for biodiversity conservation within a high Andean landscape. Biodivers Conserv 17:2645–2660. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9343-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ludwing JA, Reynolds JF (1988) Statistical ecology. A primer on methods and computing, the botanical review. Wiley, New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02867930

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lyons SK, Willig MR (2002) Species richness, latitude, and scale-sensitivity. Ecology 83:47–58

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macaulay Library (2018) Macaulay Library, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://www.Macaulaylibrary.Org. Accessed 24 Nov 2018

  • Marcon E, Hérault B (2015) Entropart: an R package to measure and partition diversity. J Stat Softw 67:1–26. https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v067.i08

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marcon E, Scotti I, Hérault B, Rossi V, Lang G (2014a) Generalization of the partitioning of shannon diversity. PLOS ONE 9:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.Citation

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marcon E, Zhang Z, Hérault B (2014b) The decomposition of similarity-based diversity and its bias correction. HAL-00989454v3f. 1–10

  • Margules CR, Pressey RL (2000) Systematic conservation planning. Nature 405:243–253. https://doi.org/10.1038/35012251

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Meir E, Andelman S, Possingham HP (2004) Does conservation planning matter in a dynamic and uncertain world? Ecol Lett 7:615–622. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00624.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers N, Mittermeier RA, Mittermeier CG, da Fonseca GAB, Kent J (2000) Biodiversity hot spots for conservation priorities. Nature 403:853–858. https://doi.org/10.1038/35002501

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Naughton-Treves L, Holland MB, Brandon K (2005) The role of protected areas in conserving biodiversity and sustaining local livelihoods. Ann Rev Environ Resources. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.energy.30.050504.164507

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Navarro G, Arrázola S, Balderrama JA, Ferreira W, De la Barra N, Antezana C, Gómez I, Mercado M (2010) Diagnóstico del estado de conservación y caracterización de los bosques de Polylepis en Bolivia y su avifauna. Rev Bol Ecol Conserv Amb 28:1–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Oksanen J, Blanchet FG, Friendly M, Kindt R, Legendre P, Mcglinn D, Minchin PR, O’Hara RB, Simpson GL, Solymos P, Stevens MHH, Szoecs E, Wagner H (2018) vegan: community ecology package. R package, version 2.5-1. Available in: https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/vegan/vegan.pdf. Accessed 25 Nov 2018

  • Purcell J, Brelsford A, Kessler M (2012) The world’s highest forest. A better understanding of the properties of Andean queñoa woodlands has major implications for their conservation. Am Sci 92:454–461

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quispe-Melgar HR, Navarro RWC, Ames-Martínez FN, Camel PVF, Sevillano-Ríos CS (2018) New distribution records of Anairetes alpinus (Carriker, 1933) (Aves, Tyrannidae), a highly specialized and endangered bird of Polylepis forests in Junín, Peru. Check List 14:499–504. https://doi.org/10.15560/14.3.499

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Core Team (2018) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna. Available in: https://www.R-project.org. Accessed 25 Nov 2018

  • Schulenberg TS, Stotz DF, Lane DF, O’Neill JP, Parker III TA (2007) Birds of Peru. Princeton, New Jersey

    Google Scholar 

  • SERNANP (2016) Áreas Naturales Protegidas del Perú (2011-2015) Conservación para el desarrollo sostenible. Ministerio del Ambiente. Imprenta CANO, Lima

    Google Scholar 

  • Sevillano-Ríos CS, Rodewald AD (2017) Avian community structure and habitat use of Polylepis forests along an elevation gradient. Peer J 5:1–22. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3220

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sevillano-Ríos CS, Lloyd H, Valdés-Velásquez A (2011) Bird species richness, diversity and abundance in Polylepis woodlands, Huascaran Biosphere Reserve, Peru. Stud Neotrop Fauna Environ 46:69–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650521.2010.546567

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sevillano-Ríos CS, Rodewald AD, Morales LV (2018) Ecología y conservación de las aves asociadas con Polylepis: ¿qué sabemos de esta comunidad cada vez más vulnerable? Ecol Austral 28:216–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sylvester SP, Heitkamp F, Sylvester MDPV, Jungkunst HF, Sipman HJM, Toivonen JM, Gonzales-Inca CA, Ospina JC, Kessler M (2017) Relict high-Andean ecosystems challenge our concepts of naturalness and human impact. Sci Rep 7:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-03500-7

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Toivonen JM, Gonzales-Inca CA, Bader MY, Ruokolainen K, Kessler M (2018) Elevational shifts in the topographic position of Polylepis forest stands in the Andes of Southern Peru. Forests 9:1–10. https://doi.org/10.3390/f9010007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • United Nations (2015) Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. United Nations A/RES/70/1. Available in: https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/70/1&Lang=E. Accessed 15 Dec 2018

  • Valencia BG, Bush MB, Coe AL, Orren E, Gosling WD (2018) Polylepis woodland dynamics during the last 20,000 years. J Biogeogr https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.13209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valenzuela GL, Villalba VMI (2015) A new species of Polylepis (Rosaceae) from Peru. Arnaldoa 22:329–338

    Google Scholar 

  • Wickham H (2009) ggplot2: Elegant graphics for data analysis. Springer, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Wickham H, Chang W (2016) Package “ggplot2”. Create elegant data visualisations using the grammar of graphics. Available in: https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/ggplot2/ggplot2.pdf. Accessed 2 Nov 2018

  • Wiens JA (1989) Spatial scaling in ecology. Funct Ecol 3:385–397. https://doi.org/10.2307/2389612

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Witt CC, Lane DF (2009) Range extensions for two rare high-Andean birds in central Peru. Cotinga 31:90–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Young BE, Josse C, Stern M, Vasconez S, Olander J, Zador M, Smyth R, Comer PJ, Moull K, Echavarría M, Hak J (2015) Hotspot de biodiversidad de los Andes Tropicales. NatureServe and EcoDecisión. Available in: https://www.cepf.net/sites/default/files/tropicalandes_techsummary_sp.pdf. Accessed 12 Oct 2018

  • Zúñiga LDG (2005) Distribución poblacional de Polylepis en la provincia de Huancayo y Concepción, Junín. Informe de investigación. Universidad Nacional del Centro del Perú, Perú

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the Servicio Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre and the Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado for providing authorizations for research under R. D. G. no. 037-2017-SERFOR/DGGSPFFS and R. D. 023-2016-SERNANP-DGANP, respectively. Thanks to Sharon-Rose Alonzo for reviewing the English language of the article.

Funding

This research was funded by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Tecnológica-CONCYTEC, project 149-2015-FONDECYT-DE.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular, Universidad Continental, Avenida San Carlos 1980, Urbanización San Antonio, Huancayo, Junín, Peru

    Harold Rusbelth Quispe-Melgar, Wendy Carolay Navarro Romo, Fressia Nathalie Ames-Martínez & Vladimir Camel

  2. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA

    C. Steven Sevillano-Ríos

  3. Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Fernow Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    C. Steven Sevillano-Ríos

  4. Programa de Investigación de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Asociación ANDINUS, Calle Miguel Grau no. 370, Sicaya, Huancayo, Junín, Peru

    Wendy Carolay Navarro Romo & Vladimir Camel

  5. The Natural History Museum of Denmark and GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Jon Fjeldså

  6. Institute of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Michael Kessler

Authors
  1. Harold Rusbelth Quispe-Melgar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. Steven Sevillano-Ríos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Wendy Carolay Navarro Romo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Fressia Nathalie Ames-Martínez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Vladimir Camel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jon Fjeldså
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Michael Kessler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Harold Rusbelth Quispe-Melgar and Fressia Nathalie Ames-Martínez conceptualised and analysed the data; Harold Rusbelth Quispe-Melgar, Wendy Carolay Navarro Romo, Fressia Nathalie Ames-Martínez and Vladimir Camel performed the fieldwork; C. Steven Sevillano-Ríos, Michael Kessler and Jon Fjeldså supervised and orientated the study; all the authors were responsible for discussing the results and writing the article.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Harold Rusbelth Quispe-Melgar.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Communicated by J. T. Lifjeld.

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the Electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 2 (DOCX 954 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Quispe-Melgar, H.R., Sevillano-Ríos, C.S., Navarro Romo, W.C. et al. The Central Andes of Peru: a key area for the conservation of Polylepis forest biodiversity. J Ornithol 161, 217–228 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-019-01703-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-019-01703-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation