The Relationship Between Geographic Pattern Of Bird Diversity In Hubei Province And Environmental Factors

The relationship between geographical patterns of species diversity and environmental factors has long been an issue of concern for ecologists.Explaining the driving mechanisms of these relationships is of great significance to understand the determinants of biodiversity.Based on the bird survey data and the data of temperature,precipitation,mean altitude,net primary productivity and GDP in Hubei Province,this paper analyzed the distribution pattern and driving mechanism of bird diversity in Hubei Province by Arc GIS and R language software.The conclusions are followed:(1)In Hubei Province,the bird species richness and diversity index are high in the Wudang Mountains,Nanxiang Basin,Tongbai Mountains,Dabie Mountains and Daba Mountains,while the two indices are low in the Jianghan Plain and the middle Yangtze Plain.Passerines are mainly distributed in mountainous areas,while non-passerine birds are mainly distributed in basins and plains.(2)The correlation analysis about latitude found that,as far as Hubei Province is concerned,the bird species richness and species diversity index are positively correlated with latitude.(3)The results of the vertical distribution pattern of birds show that the correlation between bird species richness and altitude is not significant;the correlation between diversity index and altitude is significant,showing a mid-peak pattern.(4)The results of regression analysis show that mean diurnal temperature range,seasonal rainfall and minimum temperature play a leading role in the species richness pattern,while the average altitude,normalized vegetation index,and GDP are not significantly correlated with them.It is believed that at the provincial level,the bird species richness pattern conforms to the energy hypothesis and moisture hypothesis.The analysis results of the diversity index show that the minimum temperature,seasonal rainfall,and the number of vegetation types play a leading role in the species diversity pattern,while net primary productivity and GDP are not significantly correlated with them.It is believed that at the provincial level,the bird species diversity pattern conforms to the energy hypothesis,moisture hypothesis and the hypothesis of habitat heterogeneity.In the analysis of specific groups,seasonal rainfall and minimum temperature play a dominant role in the species richness of passerines,while average altitude and seasonal temperature play a dominant role in the species richness of non-passerine birds.(5)Among the results of model selection,the mixed model based on 11 environmental factors has the lowest AICc value,and the Akaike weight is 1,which has the best effect.The explanation for species richness is 27.3%,and the explanation for diversity index is 34.9%,While other models have poor fit.The geographic pattern of bird diversity in Hubei Province is determined by multiple factors,and the factor of a single hypothesis is less explanatory.As far as this study is concerned,the driving factors of the species distribution pattern have five parts:energy,water,habitat heterogeneity,productivity,and economic activities.The energy factor plays a leading role,followed by water factors,habitat heterogeneity,the above factors have shaped the current situation of the distribution pattern of birds in Hubei Province.