Abstract

LOPEZ-VILA, Jesús M.; MERA-ORTIZ, Ghelen; ROMERO-BERNY, Emilio I.  and  GALICIA-GARCIA, Michael T.. Temporal dynamics of avifauna in the Iglesia Vieja archaeological site, Chiapas, Mexico. Huitzil [online]. 2022, vol.23, n.2, e643.  Epub Mar 31, 2023. ISSN 1870-7459.  https://doi.org/10.28947/hrmo.2022.23.2.611.

Archaeological sites are historically and culturally important, however they also constitute protected areas with habitat for many plants and animals. The Iglesia Vieja archaeological site occurs in the transition zone between the coast and the mountains of Chiapas, but its biodiversity is little known. We established 17-point counts that we monitored in 5 months of the rainy season and 4 months of the dry season, from May 2017 to April 2018. We evaluated community variation in terms of richness, equity, and diversity during the wet and dry months. We recorded a total of 88 species, which represented 89.3% of the expected avifauna in the species accumulation curve. This included five species endemic to Mexico, 16 species at risk, and two species classified as highly sensitive to disturbance. Seventy-seven percent of the species were residents, the most abundant were Calocitta formosa, Columbina inca, Leptotila verreauxi and Thryophilus pleurostictus. We found no statistical differences in richness and diversity of the avifauna among months. However, with a similarity of 52%, all the rainy season months formed one group, and the dry season months another group. The Iglesia Vieja archaeological site is an important area for birds as it provides habitat and resources for endemic, protected or endangered species, as well as for migratory birds. The results of this study can be used to develop a management plan for the site.

Keywords : avian community properties; Bray-Curtis similitude, coastal-mountain transition zone, diversity indices, southern Mexico; species inventory, species richness.