Biodiv Sci ›› 2026, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (4): 25464.  DOI: 10.17520/biods.2025464  cstr: 32101.14.biods.2025464

• Original Papers: Animal Diversity • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of ecological factors on the multidimensional diversity of breeding birds communities in Sichuan Province

Luhong Wang1,2,#, Bo Li3,#, Panyan Yang4, Jiaqin Huang1,2, Yuting Xie1,2, Xin Du5, Yi Wen5, Bin Wang1,6,*()()   

  1. 1 Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation of Ministry of Education, China West Normal University, Nanchong, Sichuan 637009, China
    2 College of Life Sciences, China West Normal University, Nanchong, Sichuan 637009, China
    3 Sichuan Provincial Ecological Environment Monitoring Centre, Chengdu 610074, China
    4 Wolong National Nature Reserve Administration Bureau, Wenchuan, Sichuan 623006, China
    5 Sichuan Provincial Nanchong Ecological Environment Monitoring Centre, Nanchong, Sichuan 637000, China
    6 Institute of Ecology, China West Normal University, Nanchong, Sichuan 637009, China
  • Received:2025-11-20 Accepted:2026-01-22 Online:2026-04-20 Published:2026-05-28
  • Contact: *E-mail: wangbin513@cwnu.edu.cn
  • About author:#Co-first authors
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(32571933);the Innovation Team Funds of China West Normal University(KCXTD2024-5);Sichuan Provincial Project on Ecological and Environmental Protection Science and Technology(2023HB29)

Abstract:

Aim: Spatial and temporal patterns of different dimensions of biodiversity are often mismatched, with distinct underlying shaping mechanisms. Studying bird diversity patterns along multiple dimensions is thus important for a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms that maintain and regulate communities. Sichuan Province, characterized by its complex natural environments and exceptionally high avian diversity, ranks second in China in terms of wild bird species richness. However, the spatial distribution patterns of bird diversity across different dimensions and their key driving factors in the region remain unclear.
Methods: Based on survey data from 288 sites collected through stratified sampling throughout Sichuan Province from 2023 to 2024, we calculated the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of breeding bird communities. We used generalized linear models to analyze the relative effects of climatic, habitat, and human activity factors on each dimension of community diversity.
Results: Taxonomic diversity was primarily influenced by habitat and climatic factors. It was significantly and positively correlated with the proportions of forest, water bodies, and cropland within the plots, while significantly and negatively correlated with annual precipitation. Functional diversity was affected by climatic and habitat factors, and was positively associated with precipitation variability, the Shannon index of the land-use types, and cropland proportion, and negatively associated with mean annual temperature. Phylogenetic diversity was influenced by climate, habitat, and human activities jointly, showing a significant positive correlation with mean annual temperature, and negative correlations with forest proportion and the human footprint index.
Conclusion: This study reveals that taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of breeding bird communities are shaped by different ecological factors, with some factors exerting consistent effects across different dimensions and others having contrasting effects. Integrating taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic perspectives provides a more comprehensive understanding of community structure and its maintenance mechanisms, and offers a scientific basis for regional bird diversity conservation.

Key words: taxonomic diversity, functional diversity, phylogenetic diversity, influencing factor, generalized linear models