Patterns in bird species richness and abundance in the University of Lagos, Akoka campus

Abstract

Biodiversity is declining globally partly due to urbanization which is often accompanied by habitat destruction, fragmentation and loss. In this study we investigated the factors influencing the patterns in bird species richness and abundance within an urban environment; the Akoka campus of the University of Lagos between July and August 2016 using the line transect method. A total of 34 transects of length 200 m were placed in a randomly stratified manner throughout the study area. The influence of habitat disturbance and habitat variables such as densities of large trees, small trees, shrubs and buildings as well as percentage ground cover on bird richness and abundance were tested using general linear models. Our results revealed that a total 1,927 birds belonging to 53 species and 32 families were encountered during the study period. Our best models retained time of day, percentage of ground cover, densities of shrubs and buildings as well as level of anthropogenic disturbance as significant predictors of bird richness and abundance. The magnitude of influence of the vegetation variables depended on the level of disturbance. On the whole, our result confirms the findings of previous studies that local vegetation and habitat characteristics such as densities of shrubs and buildings in urban areas influence bird species richness and abundance. In conclusion, although the University of Lagos, Akoka campus has a great potential for supporting avian species, increasing or retaining the existing vegetation cover will help mitigate the impact of anthropogenic disturbance on species richness.

Keywords: Bird species, species richness, urban biodiversity, University of Lagos