2025-11-13 中国科学院(CAS)
Study locations, design and tree-bird interaction. (Image by WBG)
<関連情報>
- https://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research_news/life/202511/t20251113_1103092.shtml
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320725006196
都市化が進んだ環境において、大きな古木は鳥類の群れと、植物と鳥類の重要な相互作用を支えています Large old trees sustain avian communities and critical plant-bird interactions in highly urbanised environments
Lin Xie, Xiao Huang, Tianhao Xia, Lan Wu, Si-Chong Chen
Biological Conservation Available online: 31 October 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111582
Highlights
- Large old trees offer critical shelter for urban birds under intense urbanisation.
- Bird use of large trees increases with urbanisation despite overall diversity loss.
- Greater fruit crop size enhances bird perching and feeding on large old trees.
- Bird-tree interaction durations were similar across an urbanisation gradient.
- Conserving large old trees support biodiversity and species interactions in cities.
Abstract
Urbanisation has driven rapid declines in biodiversity worldwide. It not only reduces species richness and abundance but also inevitably disrupts species interactions. While relatively intact vegetation is often scarce in highly urbanised areas, some large old trees have been preserved due to their cultural importance, such as being revered as sacred groves or fengshui trees. These trees may offer critical habitats and food resources for urban-dwelling animals, thereby conserving key plant-animal interactions. However, the ecological functions of large trees in urban areas, particularly their roles in sheltering animals, remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the perching and feeding activities of avian frugivores on large trees along an urbanisation gradient in Wuhan, a rapidly expanding metropolis in China. Across three species of large fleshy-fruited trees, we recorded behaviours for a total of 4857 bird individuals from 41 species, among which 944 individuals from 27 species were observed perching or feeding. Although overall bird diversity declined with increasing urbanisation, the proportion of bird species utilising large trees for perching and/or feeding significantly increased towards more urbanised areas. These findings suggest that large trees provide essential shelter and supplementary food resources in a metropolis during fruiting season, with their ecological importance amplifying more pronounced as urbanisation intensifies. Our study highlights the vital role of large old trees in sustaining urban biodiversity and preserving key biological interactions, advocating for their prioritisation in urban planning and conservation strategies as integral components of resilient city landscapes.
