|
Project properties |
|
| Title | Functional Diversity of Birds in the Neotropical Region |
| Group | Behavioural Ecology |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 12-36 |
| Supervisor(s) | Filipe Cunha |
| Examiner(s) | Marc Naguib |
| Contact info | filipe.cunha@wur.nl |
| Begin date | 2022/07/12 |
| End date | |
| Description | BSc and/or MSc thesis.
In this project, we will use citizen science data (and potential fieldwork) to investigate aspects of the functional diversity of birds in the Neotropics. The scope of the project will be defined together with the student, there is a wide range to explore from all taxon to singular taxa like hummingbirds or parrots. The Ornothology Research journal is running a special issue on the topic and here you can read the description for more info: "Habitat loss and disturbance are important ecological filters for the biodiversity decline in natural habitats, particularly in Tropical Forests. Although decrease of species number and change in bird composition are well documented, other aspects are less investigated, such as the loss of ecological traits. In fact, bird communities in disturbed habitats are not only different from those of natural habitats in number and composition of species but also in lower functional diversity, which has implications for the maintenance of ecosystems. As birds play important roles such as pollination, seed dispersal, and control of insect populations, their decline should have particular importance for ecosystem functioning." https://www.springer.com/journal/43388/updates/23139890 |
| Used skills | |
| Requirements | |