Hegaztien dibertsitatea Bizkaiko baso natural eta landaketa exotikoetan

Abstract

The area of eucalyptus plantations is increasing in the Basque Country the last decades. In Galicia and Portugal researches have shown that avian diversity is lower in those plantations. However, there is lack of information on the subject in the Basque Country. In our study, we compare the most important forest systems of Biscay: natural forests, eucalyptus plantations and pine plantations. Besides, we identified forest characteristics that affect birds. Our results show that avian diversity is higher in natural forests than in plantations and that tree density and height, and plant richness are important factors to explain bird diversity in forest systems.