Abstract ID: 3.13803 | Accepted as Talk | Talk/Oral | TBA | TBA

Mountains harbor a high diversity of habitats and bird species worldwide, with one-quarter of these ecosystems located in temperate latitudes. However, despite their high vulnerability to climate change, their distribution patterns and contribution to global biodiversity remain understudied. Over three breeding seasons (2017–2018, 2018–2019, and 2023–2024), we investigated the distribution of bird diversity across 10 volcanoes in southern Chile. We conducted 1,200 point counts to assess taxonomic diversity (TD), functional diversity (FD), and phylogenetic diversity (PD), using Rao’s entropy index. We applied mixed-effects linear regression models to evaluate the correlation and variation of diversity patterns in the bird communities along the elevation gradient. Our results indicated that TD and FD were positively correlated, suggesting low functional redundancy, with each species making a significant contribution to ecosystem functions. In contrast, the weak correlation of PD with other components may be attributed to the predominance of closely related families, such as Tyrannidae and Furnariidae, which account for a large portion of the observed diversity. We found similar distribution patterns for TD and FD across the mountains, with both peaking at intermediate elevations, while PD showed an initial increase followed by a plateau, which declined toward the higher end of the elevation gradient. Additionally, we observed a higher turnover of species above the tree line, likely due to the heterogeneous distribution of productivity in high Andean environments. Our study underscores the importance of integrating multiple diversity components to better understand mountain bird communities and inform conservation prioritization.