The importance of forest patch networks for the conservation of the Thorn-tailed Rayaditos in central Chile

Vergara, P.M., I. Hahn, H. Zeballos, J. J. Armesto

Abstract

Conservation of forest birds in fragmentedlandscapes requires not only determining the criticalpatch characteristics influencing local population persistencebut also identifying patch networks providingconnectivity and suitable habitat conditions necessary toensure regional persistence. In this study, we assessed theimportance of patch attributes, patch connectivity, andnetwork components (i.e., groups of interconnectedpatches) in explaining the occupancy pattern of theThorn-tailed Rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda), a forestbird species of central Chile. Using a daily movementthreshold distance, we identified a total of 16 networkcomponents of sclerophyllous forest within the studyarea. Among those components, patch area and vegetationstructure-composition were important predictorsof patch occupancy. However, the inclusion of patchconnectivity and component size (i.e., the area of anetwork component) into the models greatly increasesthe models' accuracy and parsimony. Using the bestfittedmodel, a total of 33 patches were predicted to beoccupied by rayaditos within the study area, but suchoccupied patches were distributed in only six networkcomponents. These results suggest that persistence ofrayaditos in central Chile requires the maintenance oflarge single patches and patch networks providing habitatand connectivity.