Response and structuring of bird assemblages to disturbance caused by volcanic activity

Abstract

The taxonomic and functional diversity of bird assemblages is determined by diverse ecological and evolutionary processes. As species establish, biotic and abiotic conditions change, shaping the processes of succession or colonization. Sometimes these processes are altered by catastrophic events that impact species in different ways, functioning as ecological filters. In this work, we performed a bibliographic review of the volcanic disturbance as an agent of disturbance that trigger processes of ecological succession in bird assemblages. We analyze the impact of volcanic disturbance on other taxa and built a hypothesis on the possible effects, and the patterns of succession process that affect the birds. We concluded that there is a pattern in the ecological filter caused by the volcanic disturbance, mainly inhibiting the species that feed on plant resources such as granivorous, nectarivorous, and frugivorous species, while facilitating the incorporation of scavenger species. The relationship between the assemblage of birds and the volcanic disturbance is a little studied scientific area and has great potential for further research.