IMPACT OF ANTHROPOGENIC HABITAT ALTERATION ON BIRD–INSECT TROPHIC INTERACTIONS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF NATURAL AND HUMAN-MODIFIED LANDSCAPES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/granthaalayah.v13.i3.2025.6683Keywords:
Anthropogenic Disturbance, Bird Diversity, Insect Community Structure, Trophic Interactions, Habitat FragmentationAbstract [English]
Anthropogenic habitat modification is the main reason of the ecological instability and loss of biodiversity in the world. The present study focuses on the effects of habitat changes that humans impose on the natural landscapes on the structure of the insect communities, the avian diversity, and the trophic interactions between these organisms. The research methodology was a field-based cross-sectional study and data collection was conducted under traditional methods such as sweep nets, pitfalls, light traps to collect the bugs, point count and line transect surveys to collect birds. Some of the biodiversity indices that were calculated were species richness, Shannon-Wiener and Simpson indices and statistical methods such as multiple regression and correlation were used to evaluate ecological interactions. In the comparison of the natural surroundings with the landscape that had been transformed by the human beings, it was revealed that the diversity of birds and insects was significantly higher. The natural ecosystems had higher indices of species richness, species abundance and diversity, which implied that the ecosystems were ecologically stable and structured with a balanced community composition. The number of birds and insects had strong positive interdependence in the natural environment, but in the disturbed landscapes, it was lower, which suggested that it interfered with trophic relationships. Feeding guild analysis revealed that species that were omnivorous were overrepresented in locations that were altered by humans, which suggested that they adapted to disturbance in the environment, and insectivorous birds were overrepresented in the natural environment. The regression study showed that habitat fragmentation, urbanization, and agricultural intensity negatively affect ecosystem stability, and vegetation cover has a positive effect on biodiversity.
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