Bird diversity in Chinese urban parks was more associated with natural factors than anthropogenic factors

Abstract Urban parks are important for biodiversity conservation in urban ecosystems. Many natural and anthropogenic factors are associated with bird diversity in urban parks. However, so far no studies have compared the relative roles of these factors in shaping bird taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity in urban parks in whole China. In this study, we linked anthropogenic variables (NDVI, population density, park area) and natural variables (altitudinal range, contemporary and historical climate) with the three biodiversity dimensions of bird assemblages in Chinese urban parks. Notably, a total of 495 bird species (36% of all Chinese birds) were found in 140 parks, and the phylogenetic (evolutionary history) and functional diversity of these species is 49% and 80% of all Chinese birds. In addition, there were one critically endangered species ( Aythya baeri ), eight endangered species, 11 vulnerable species and 53 near threatened species. The two variables most associated with bird taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity were park area and altitudinal range, glacial-interglacial temperature change and precipitation, precipitation and park area, respectively. Notably, all anthropogenic factors, including park area, were not associated with these bird diversity indices after controlling the effects of natural variables. In contrast, most natural variables were significantly associated with bird diversity when controlled the influence of anthropogenic factors. Therefore, these results indicate that Chinese urban parks could harbor high levels of bird diversity, especially for the phylogenetic and functional diversity. More importantly, the weak relations between bird diversity and anthropogenic factors highlight the important role of Chinese urban parks in biodiversity conservation.