Identifying the Spatial Mixture Distribution of Bird Diversity Across Urban and Suburban Areas in the Metropolis: A Case Study in Taipei Basin of Taiwan

This study utilized a finite mixture distribution model (FMDM) to identify the distribution of bird diversity in urban and suburban areas of the Taipei basin. The spatial patterns of Shannon's diversity index were estimated using Sequential Gaussian simulation (SGS) with bird investigation data. To validate the results of FMDM, bird groups were classified by two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) based on bird presence-absence records. The probabilities exceeding FMDM's cut-off values for suburban bird communities were obtained from SGS realizations. The results showed that bird diversity in the Taipei basin could be comprised of two-component mixture distributions for urban and suburban bird communities, respectively. The FMDM bird diversity classifications fit the TWINSPAN groups of urban and suburban species. The spatial maps of bird diversity in the study area provide evidence that a metropolis can cause changes in the spatial characteristics of bird communities at the landscape level. Furthermore, the bird diversity and land use maps could be useful for future conservation and urban planning in Taipei Basin, particularly urban green spaces and wetlands. The maps could also be utilized in network planning of green belts or corridors for ecological conservation. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.