Identifying vegetation structure thresholds for bird communities in livestock-grazed forests

Autores
Barzan, Flavia Romina; Calamari, Noelia Cecilia; Goijman, Andrea Paula; Canavelli, Sonia Beatriz; Dardanelli, Sebastian
Año de publicación
2026
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Livestock grazing alters ecosystems worldwide, driving degradation of grassland and forest, which threatens both biodiversity and local livelihoods, particularly in the global South. Depending on its intensity and management, grazing alters forest structure and reduces the quality of habitat for wildlife. Identifying the tipping points at which grazing-induced changes in vegetation structure shift from positive to negative effects on biodiversity is essential for guiding sustainable management that balances livestock production and biodiversity conservation. Our goal was to identify vegetation structure thresholds shaping bird richness and community occupancy in the threatened Espinal forest of Argentina. We conducted bird surveys and vegetation structure measurements in shrub-encroached and non-shrub-encroached sites across 15 ranches. Our results show that an increase of around 3.8 cm in tree DBH increased bird community occupancy and richness by up to 6.44%. In contrast, woody cover (> 2 m height) above 30% reduced bird occupancy and richness by at least 7%. Shrub cover (0.5–2 m height) up to 49% increased bird occupancy and richness, after which bird occupancy and richness decreased up to 2.3%. These patterns highlight the different roles of vegetation in the forest vertical structure, where moderate levels of woody cover and shrub cover enhance vertical structure and habitat suitability for most bird species, whereas excessive woody encroachment reduces habitat heterogeneity and available resources. Therefore, maintaining old-growth trees, woody cover, and shrub cover between 30% and 49% represents a practical strategy for reconciling livestock production with bird conservation in grazed forests.
EEA Paraná
Fil: Barzan, Flavia Romina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; Argentina
Fil: Barzan, Flavia Romina. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; Argentina
Fil: Barzan, Flavia Romina. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; Argentina
Fil: Barzan, Flavia Romina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fil: Calamari, Noelia Cecilia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Paraná; Argentina
Fil: Goijman, Andrea Paula. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria La Consulta; Argentina
Fil: Canavelli, Sonia Beatriz. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Paraná; Argentina
Fil: Dardanelli, Sebastian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; Argentina
Fil: Dardanelli, Sebastian. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; Argentina
Fil: Dardanelli, Sebastian. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; Argentina
Fil: Dardanelli, Sebastian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fuente
Forest Ecology and Management 613 : 123798. (August 2026)
Materia
Pájaros
Ganadería
Pastoreo
Vegetación
Bosque Seco
Sostenibilidad
Birds
Animal Husbandry
Grazing
Vegetation
Dry Forests
Sustainability
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso restringido
Condiciones de uso
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Repositorio
INTA Digital (INTA)
Institución
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
OAI Identificador
oai:localhost:20.500.12123/25957
Acceder
id INTADig_144641b81b43acb7c63fd77619a2632a
oai_identifier_str oai:localhost:20.500.12123/25957
network_acronym_str INTADig
repository_id_str l
network_name_str INTA Digital (INTA)
spelling Identifying vegetation structure thresholds for bird communities in livestock-grazed forestsBarzan, Flavia RominaCalamari, Noelia CeciliaGoijman, Andrea PaulaCanavelli, Sonia BeatrizDardanelli, SebastianPájarosGanaderíaPastoreoVegetaciónBosque SecoSostenibilidadBirdsAnimal HusbandryGrazingVegetationDry ForestsSustainabilityLivestock grazing alters ecosystems worldwide, driving degradation of grassland and forest, which threatens both biodiversity and local livelihoods, particularly in the global South. Depending on its intensity and management, grazing alters forest structure and reduces the quality of habitat for wildlife. Identifying the tipping points at which grazing-induced changes in vegetation structure shift from positive to negative effects on biodiversity is essential for guiding sustainable management that balances livestock production and biodiversity conservation. Our goal was to identify vegetation structure thresholds shaping bird richness and community occupancy in the threatened Espinal forest of Argentina. We conducted bird surveys and vegetation structure measurements in shrub-encroached and non-shrub-encroached sites across 15 ranches. Our results show that an increase of around 3.8 cm in tree DBH increased bird community occupancy and richness by up to 6.44%. In contrast, woody cover (> 2 m height) above 30% reduced bird occupancy and richness by at least 7%. Shrub cover (0.5–2 m height) up to 49% increased bird occupancy and richness, after which bird occupancy and richness decreased up to 2.3%. These patterns highlight the different roles of vegetation in the forest vertical structure, where moderate levels of woody cover and shrub cover enhance vertical structure and habitat suitability for most bird species, whereas excessive woody encroachment reduces habitat heterogeneity and available resources. Therefore, maintaining old-growth trees, woody cover, and shrub cover between 30% and 49% represents a practical strategy for reconciling livestock production with bird conservation in grazed forests.EEA ParanáFil: Barzan, Flavia Romina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Barzan, Flavia Romina. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Barzan, Flavia Romina. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Barzan, Flavia Romina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Calamari, Noelia Cecilia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Paraná; ArgentinaFil: Goijman, Andrea Paula. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria La Consulta; ArgentinaFil: Canavelli, Sonia Beatriz. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Paraná; ArgentinaFil: Dardanelli, Sebastian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Dardanelli, Sebastian. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Dardanelli, Sebastian. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Dardanelli, Sebastian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaElsevier2026-04-27T11:06:17Z2026-04-27T11:06:17Z2026-08info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/25957https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S03781127260029630378-11271872-7042https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123798Forest Ecology and Management 613 : 123798. (August 2026)reponame:INTA Digital (INTA)instname:Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuariaenginfo:eu-repograntAgreement/INTA/2019-PD-E2-I038-002, Evaluación, monitoreo y manejo de la biodiversidad en sistemas agropecuarios y forestalesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccesshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)2026-05-07T11:53:20Zoai:localhost:20.500.12123/25957instacron:INTAInstitucionalhttp://repositorio.inta.gob.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://repositorio.inta.gob.ar/oai/requesttripaldi.nicolas@inta.gob.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:l2026-05-07 11:53:20.639INTA Digital (INTA) - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuariafalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Identifying vegetation structure thresholds for bird communities in livestock-grazed forests
title Identifying vegetation structure thresholds for bird communities in livestock-grazed forests
spellingShingle Identifying vegetation structure thresholds for bird communities in livestock-grazed forests
Barzan, Flavia Romina
Pájaros
Ganadería
Pastoreo
Vegetación
Bosque Seco
Sostenibilidad
Birds
Animal Husbandry
Grazing
Vegetation
Dry Forests
Sustainability
title_short Identifying vegetation structure thresholds for bird communities in livestock-grazed forests
title_full Identifying vegetation structure thresholds for bird communities in livestock-grazed forests
title_fullStr Identifying vegetation structure thresholds for bird communities in livestock-grazed forests
title_full_unstemmed Identifying vegetation structure thresholds for bird communities in livestock-grazed forests
title_sort Identifying vegetation structure thresholds for bird communities in livestock-grazed forests
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Barzan, Flavia Romina
Calamari, Noelia Cecilia
Goijman, Andrea Paula
Canavelli, Sonia Beatriz
Dardanelli, Sebastian
author Barzan, Flavia Romina
author_facet Barzan, Flavia Romina
Calamari, Noelia Cecilia
Goijman, Andrea Paula
Canavelli, Sonia Beatriz
Dardanelli, Sebastian
author_role author
author2 Calamari, Noelia Cecilia
Goijman, Andrea Paula
Canavelli, Sonia Beatriz
Dardanelli, Sebastian
author2_role author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Pájaros
Ganadería
Pastoreo
Vegetación
Bosque Seco
Sostenibilidad
Birds
Animal Husbandry
Grazing
Vegetation
Dry Forests
Sustainability
topic Pájaros
Ganadería
Pastoreo
Vegetación
Bosque Seco
Sostenibilidad
Birds
Animal Husbandry
Grazing
Vegetation
Dry Forests
Sustainability
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Livestock grazing alters ecosystems worldwide, driving degradation of grassland and forest, which threatens both biodiversity and local livelihoods, particularly in the global South. Depending on its intensity and management, grazing alters forest structure and reduces the quality of habitat for wildlife. Identifying the tipping points at which grazing-induced changes in vegetation structure shift from positive to negative effects on biodiversity is essential for guiding sustainable management that balances livestock production and biodiversity conservation. Our goal was to identify vegetation structure thresholds shaping bird richness and community occupancy in the threatened Espinal forest of Argentina. We conducted bird surveys and vegetation structure measurements in shrub-encroached and non-shrub-encroached sites across 15 ranches. Our results show that an increase of around 3.8 cm in tree DBH increased bird community occupancy and richness by up to 6.44%. In contrast, woody cover (> 2 m height) above 30% reduced bird occupancy and richness by at least 7%. Shrub cover (0.5–2 m height) up to 49% increased bird occupancy and richness, after which bird occupancy and richness decreased up to 2.3%. These patterns highlight the different roles of vegetation in the forest vertical structure, where moderate levels of woody cover and shrub cover enhance vertical structure and habitat suitability for most bird species, whereas excessive woody encroachment reduces habitat heterogeneity and available resources. Therefore, maintaining old-growth trees, woody cover, and shrub cover between 30% and 49% represents a practical strategy for reconciling livestock production with bird conservation in grazed forests.
EEA Paraná
Fil: Barzan, Flavia Romina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; Argentina
Fil: Barzan, Flavia Romina. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; Argentina
Fil: Barzan, Flavia Romina. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; Argentina
Fil: Barzan, Flavia Romina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Fil: Calamari, Noelia Cecilia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Paraná; Argentina
Fil: Goijman, Andrea Paula. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria La Consulta; Argentina
Fil: Canavelli, Sonia Beatriz. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Paraná; Argentina
Fil: Dardanelli, Sebastian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; Argentina
Fil: Dardanelli, Sebastian. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; Argentina
Fil: Dardanelli, Sebastian. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigación Científica y de Transferencia Tecnológica a la Producción; Argentina
Fil: Dardanelli, Sebastian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
description Livestock grazing alters ecosystems worldwide, driving degradation of grassland and forest, which threatens both biodiversity and local livelihoods, particularly in the global South. Depending on its intensity and management, grazing alters forest structure and reduces the quality of habitat for wildlife. Identifying the tipping points at which grazing-induced changes in vegetation structure shift from positive to negative effects on biodiversity is essential for guiding sustainable management that balances livestock production and biodiversity conservation. Our goal was to identify vegetation structure thresholds shaping bird richness and community occupancy in the threatened Espinal forest of Argentina. We conducted bird surveys and vegetation structure measurements in shrub-encroached and non-shrub-encroached sites across 15 ranches. Our results show that an increase of around 3.8 cm in tree DBH increased bird community occupancy and richness by up to 6.44%. In contrast, woody cover (> 2 m height) above 30% reduced bird occupancy and richness by at least 7%. Shrub cover (0.5–2 m height) up to 49% increased bird occupancy and richness, after which bird occupancy and richness decreased up to 2.3%. These patterns highlight the different roles of vegetation in the forest vertical structure, where moderate levels of woody cover and shrub cover enhance vertical structure and habitat suitability for most bird species, whereas excessive woody encroachment reduces habitat heterogeneity and available resources. Therefore, maintaining old-growth trees, woody cover, and shrub cover between 30% and 49% represents a practical strategy for reconciling livestock production with bird conservation in grazed forests.
publishDate 2026
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2026-04-27T11:06:17Z
2026-04-27T11:06:17Z
2026-08
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/25957
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378112726002963
0378-1127
1872-7042
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123798
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/25957
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378112726002963
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123798
identifier_str_mv 0378-1127
1872-7042
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repograntAgreement/INTA/2019-PD-E2-I038-002, Evaluación, monitoreo y manejo de la biodiversidad en sistemas agropecuarios y forestales
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
eu_rights_str_mv restrictedAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Forest Ecology and Management 613 : 123798. (August 2026)
reponame:INTA Digital (INTA)
instname:Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
reponame_str INTA Digital (INTA)
collection INTA Digital (INTA)
instname_str Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
repository.name.fl_str_mv INTA Digital (INTA) - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
repository.mail.fl_str_mv tripaldi.nicolas@inta.gob.ar
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score 13.1485815

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