The structure and organisation of an Amazonian bird community remains little changed after nearly four decades in Manu National Park

After nearly four decades, the bird community within Manu National Park's 97-hectare plot shows remarkable stability. Unlike other neotropical sites experiencing significant declines, this study found minimal change in foraging guilds—five increased, two decreased, and seven remained unchanged—suggesting that large forest reserves like Manu may act as refugia against global change effects. Researchers revisited the original 1982 plot using identical methodologies to assess long-term community structure, highlighting the potential resilience of intact Amazonian ecosystems due to regional topographical influences on precipitation.

Martínez, A. E., Ponciano, J. M., Gomez, J. P., Valqui, T., Novoa, J., Antezana, M., Biscarra, G., Camerlenghi, E., Carnes, B. H., Huayanca Munarriz, R., Parra, E., Plummer, I. M., Fitzpatrick, J. W., Robinson, S. K., Socolar, J. B., & Terborgh, J. (2023). The structure and organisation of an Amazonian bird community remains little changed after nearly four decades in Manu National Park. Ecology Letters, 26(2), 335–346. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14159