Urban environments have lower bird diversity and higher dominance of invasive avian species than rural environments
Advisor(s)
Dr. Jay Mager
Confirmation
1
Document Type
Poster
Location
ONU McIntosh Center; Activities Room
Start Date
11-4-2025 12:00 PM
End Date
11-4-2025 12:50 PM
Abstract
Urbanization reduces the amount of natural habitat for numerous organisms, which has reshaped community structure in many ways. Birds perform essential ecosystem functions and connect ecosystems through their migration. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how changing landscapes affects their community diversity and thus community health. We examined if urbanization was reducing bird diversity. Over a 15-year period, we performed 250 x 1000m Emlen transects to estimate abundances of bird populations in both an urban (Ada, Ohio) and a rural habitat (Lawrence Woods State Nature Preserve, near Kenton, Ohio). We then calculated the Shannon Diversity Index (H) to estimate diversity in each community. We found that the urban environment (Ada) had significantly lower diversity than the rural environment (Lawrence Woods) and was dominated by species that can readily adapt to an urban environment, such as the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) and the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus). We conclude that urbanization may reduce avian diversity in northwest Ohio, and that the higher dominance of non-native species in urban habitats may be due to these species being ecosystem generalists that tend to be more resilient to habitat disturbances. The reduction in avian diversity in urban habitats may be due to both the removal of necessary resources and the increase in frequency and severity of disturbance events common among urban landscapes.
Recommended Citation
Neville, Cora J.; Seckel, Emily E.; and Wright, Samantha M., "Urban environments have lower bird diversity and higher dominance of invasive avian species than rural environments" (2025). ONU Student Research Colloquium. 66.
https://digitalcommons.onu.edu/student_research_colloquium/2025/Posters/66
Open Access
Available to all.
Urban environments have lower bird diversity and higher dominance of invasive avian species than rural environments
ONU McIntosh Center; Activities Room
Urbanization reduces the amount of natural habitat for numerous organisms, which has reshaped community structure in many ways. Birds perform essential ecosystem functions and connect ecosystems through their migration. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how changing landscapes affects their community diversity and thus community health. We examined if urbanization was reducing bird diversity. Over a 15-year period, we performed 250 x 1000m Emlen transects to estimate abundances of bird populations in both an urban (Ada, Ohio) and a rural habitat (Lawrence Woods State Nature Preserve, near Kenton, Ohio). We then calculated the Shannon Diversity Index (H) to estimate diversity in each community. We found that the urban environment (Ada) had significantly lower diversity than the rural environment (Lawrence Woods) and was dominated by species that can readily adapt to an urban environment, such as the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) and the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus). We conclude that urbanization may reduce avian diversity in northwest Ohio, and that the higher dominance of non-native species in urban habitats may be due to these species being ecosystem generalists that tend to be more resilient to habitat disturbances. The reduction in avian diversity in urban habitats may be due to both the removal of necessary resources and the increase in frequency and severity of disturbance events common among urban landscapes.