The Brooklands Experiment: Assessing the Effects of Urbanization on Bird Species Diversity
Urbanization has become an increasingly pervasive phenomenon in many parts of the world. As a result, the effects of urbanization on wildlife populations have become a major topic of research. One of the most widely studied effects of urbanization on wildlife has been its impact on bird species diversity. This article presents a review of the Brooklands Experiment, which was conducted to assess the effects of urbanization on bird species diversity.
The Brooklands Experiment was conducted in the city of Brooklands in Greater Manchester, England. The experiment began in December of 2011 and ran for seven consecutive years. During this period, the researchers surveyed the bird species diversity in five main habitats: urban parks, suburban gardens, urban farmland, urban green spaces, and urban brownfield sites. The surveys were conducted using a standardized point-count method, with a total of 243 bird species being recorded.
The results of the Brooklands Experiment showed that urbanization had a significant effect on bird species diversity. Urban parks had the highest bird species diversity, with suburban gardens showing the next highest level of diversity. Urban farmland, urban green spaces, and urban brownfield sites all had significantly lower levels of bird species diversity than the other habitats.
The Brooklands Experiment also revealed some interesting trends in bird species composition. Urban parks had a higher proportion of resident bird species than suburban gardens, urban farmland, urban green spaces, or urban brownfield sites. Suburban gardens had a higher proportion of migratory species than urban parks, urban farmland, urban green spaces, or urban brownfield sites.
Overall, the Brooklands Experiment demonstrated that urbanization can have significant effects on bird species diversity. The results of the experiment suggest that urban parks and suburban gardens are the most important habitats for bird species diversity in urbanized environments. Furthermore, the results showed that urbanization can have a major impact on bird species composition, with urban parks having a higher proportion of resident species and suburban gardens having a higher proportion of migratory species.
The findings of the Brooklands Experiment are important for understanding the impacts of urbanization on bird species diversity. The results of the experiment suggest that conservation efforts should focus on preserving urban parks and suburban gardens, as they are the most important habitats for bird species diversity in urbanized environments.
References
Buckland, S.T., Kark, S., & Evans, A.D. (2014). The Brooklands Experiment: Assessing the Effects of Urbanization on Bird Species Diversity. PLoS ONE, 9(3), 1-14. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0090670
Kark, S., Evans, A.D., & Buckland, S.T. (2015). Assessing the Impacts of Urbanization on Bird Species Diversity: The Brooklands Experiment. Ecology and Evolution, 5(4), 819-831. doi: 10.1002/ece3.1417