title: Avian responses to an extreme ice storm are determined by a combination of functional traits, behavioural adaptations and habitat modifications.
abstract: The extent to which species' traits, behavior and habitat synergistically determine their response to extreme weather events (EWE) remains poorly understood. By quantifying bird and vegetation assemblages before and after the 2008 ice storm in China, combined with interspecific interactions and foraging behaviours, we disentangled whether storm influences avian reassembly directly via functional traits (i.e. behavioral adaptations), or indirectly via habitat variations. We found that overall species richness decreased, with 20 species detected exclusively before the storm, and eight species detected exclusively after. These shifts in bird relative abundance were linked to habitat preferences, dietary guild and flocking behaviours. For instance, forest specialists at higher trophic levels (e.g. understory-insectivores, woodpeckers and kingfishers) were especially vulnerable, whereas open-habitat generalists (e.g. bulbuls) were set to benefit from potential habitat homogenization. Alongside population fluctuations, we found that community reassembly can be rapidly adjusted via foraging plasticity (i.e. increased flocking propensity and reduced perching height). And changes in preferred habitat corresponded to a variation in bird assemblages and traits, as represented by intact canopy cover and high density of large trees. Accurate predictions of community responses to EWE are crucial to understanding ecosystem disturbances, thus linking species-oriented traits to a coherent analytical framework.
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Entomological Institute/South China Institute of Endangered Animals, Guangzhou 510260, China.|Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Agriculture, Guangdong Entomological Institute/South China Institute of Endangered Animals, Guangzhou 510260, China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Entomological Institute/South China Institute of Endangered Animals, Guangzhou 510260, China.|Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Agriculture, Guangdong Entomological Institute/South China Institute of Endangered Animals, Guangzhou 510260, China.
authors.forename: Yongmi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Entomological Institute/South China Institute of Endangered Animals, Guangzhou 510260, China.|Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Agriculture, Guangdong Entomological Institute/South China Institute of Endangered Animals, Guangzhou 510260, China.
authors.forename: Fasheng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Guangdong Entomological Institute/South China Institute of Endangered Animals, Guangzhou 510260, China.|Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Agriculture, Guangdong Entomological Institute/South China Institute of Endangered Animals, Guangzhou 510260, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Woodrow Wilson School of International and Public Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544, USA.
authors.forename: Tien Ming
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Chebaling National Reserve, Shixing 512500, China.
authors.forename: Xiangjin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Chebaling National Reserve, Shixing 512500, China.
authors.forename: Jiteng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rao
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D044822:Biodiversity; D001717:Birds / Q000502:physiology*; D002681:China; D055907:Climatic Processes; D017753:Ecosystem; D000071251:Extreme Environments; D065928:Forests; D007053:Ice; D014197:Trees
chemical_list: D007053:Ice