الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract The present study aims to assess the impact of some human activities on the bird community. Birds were sampled, using line transect and point count method, in six different localities on Damietta coast, Egypt, for 15 months (from July 2007 to September 2008). The localities represent three different human activities (cultivation, urbanization and artificial fish farm) in addition to one control locality. Each locality was represented by two separated line transect, each one from 1 to 1.5 km. Habitat type and plant covers were clearly different among the localities and to less extent within localities. Species diversity varied spatially among the different localities and varied temporally during the study period. Nevertheless, the control site had the highest richness and abundance while agriculture site had the lowest richness and urbanized site had the lowest abundance. In contrast, urbanized site recorded the highest species evenness, while sparsely vegetated fish farm site (deserted and densely vegetated fish farm) had the lowest one. Otherwise fish farm site had the highest diversity while agriculture site had the lowest one. The different localities had distinct and characteristic groups of species responding to human activities. Our results suggest that the use of bird species as bioindicator is workable concept for biodiversity assessment in the landscape scale, cultivation and fisheries as well as in control site. The results are presented the importance of this area as a shelter for breeding and migratory birds to be taken into account in conservation plans in Egypt. |