Avian responses to an extreme ice storm are determined by a combination of functional traits, behavioural adaptations and habitat modifications

摘要: The extent to which species’ traits, behavior and habitat synergistically determine their response extreme weather events (EWE) remains poorly understood. By quantifying bird vegetation assemblages before after the 2008 ice storm in China, combined with interspecific interactions foraging behaviours, we disentangled whether influences avian reassembly directly via functional traits (i.e. behavioral adaptations), or indirectly variations. We found that overall species richness decreased, 20 detected exclusively storm, eight after. These shifts relative abundance were linked preferences, dietary guild flocking behaviours. For instance, forest specialists at higher trophic levels (e.g. understory-insectivores, woodpeckers kingfishers) especially vulnerable, whereas open-habitat generalists bulbuls) set benefit from potential homogenization. Alongside population fluctuations, community can be rapidly adjusted plasticity increased propensity reduced perching height). And changes preferred corresponded a variation as represented by intact canopy cover high density of large trees. Accurate predictions responses EWE are crucial understanding ecosystem disturbances, thus linking species-oriented coherent analytical framework.