Research
Why the tropics lose the most birds when cities expand
Phys.org ·
The Brief
- A study finds tropical cities lose a larger share of bird species as urban areas expand than cities at higher latitudes.
- Tropical regions have high bird diversity, which the study links to greater losses from urbanization.
- The source is a short excerpt, so further specifics such as sample size and methods are not available here.
Why it matters
Urban expansion in the tropics may remove a disproportionate share of bird diversity, which matters for conservation planning in fast-growing tropical cities.
Who’s affected
- Urban planners and conservation researchers working in tropical regions
- #biodiversity
- #urbanization
- #birds
- #tropics
- #latitudinal diversity gradient
Tropical ecosystems are famous for their teeming, exuberant diversity. In fact, the dramatic increase in biodiversity from the poles to the tropics—known as the latitudinal diversity gradient—is pervasive across branches of the tree of life, and fossil evidence suggests it has…
Timeline
Biology News article on the tropics losing birds as cities expand was published
Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology
Why the tropics lose the most birds when cities expand