Structure, diversity and conservation value of a breeding bird assemblage of a portion of the campus of Technical University in Zvolen (Slovakia)

University campuses are important source of knowledge in area of urban biology and ecology. They harbour relatively high biodiversity including rare and endangered species in urban ecosystem and function as biocentres. The main objective of this study was to describe species composition, density, dominance, biodiversity and conservation value of a breeding bird assemblage of the campus of Technical University in Zvolen, Slovakia. The combined version of the mapping method was applied for estimating population abundances within 8.95 ha census plot in the campus in the years 2014–2015. In total, 41 bird species were observed in the census plot, out of which 30 were breeders. Seven dominant (≥ 5%) breeders were observed: Streptopelia decaocto (14.0%), Fringilla coelebs (8.2%), Turdus pilaris (7.7%), Turdus merula (7.7%), Passer domesticus (6.8%), Sturnus vulgaris (6.5%) and Serinus serinus (6.4%). The total breeding assemblage bird density ranged between 100.0–114.0 0 pairs/10 ha in individual years. Randomized individual-based (pairs) rarefaction of four diversity metrics (species richness, Chao 1 estimator, Shannon and Simpson index) did not detect significant differences in biodiversity of the breeding bird assemblage between years. Based on current legislation conservation list and Slovak red list, Ficedula albicollis as a European importance species and Apus apus and Delichon urbicum as near threatened species were detected in the plot. Relatively high breeding bird diversity and presence of conservation importance species in this small campus underlines its value as biocentre in the Town of Zvolen. Creating more green areas preferably from native plants and supporting nesting of birds could even increase diversity in this green university. This will

Temporal patterns of breeding bird assemblages in small urban parks reveal relatively low stability and asynchrony

Parks serve as biodiversity centers in urban habitats and significantly affect the abundance and persistence of local bird populations. I examined bird assemblage stability, biodiversity, qualitative and quantitative composition, species turnover, changes in species ranking and composition, overall stability and synchrony in relation to park size in three small parks in the Town of Zvolen, Slovakia. Bird censuses were conducted by the combined version of the mapping method in 2014–2018. The mean species density and the total assemblage density were significantly different among parks and tended to decrease with increasing park size. The rarefied species richness and diversity measures within and between parks showed no or only very few significant differences in the five-year time series, but tended to be significantly higher in the larger parks at least in some years. The Sørensen (incidence) index-based clustering (UPGMA and cluster optimalization) almost perfectly divided year samples into three groups corresponding to the park sites, while the Horn (dominance) index only into two. None of the three species turnover metrics showed consistent patterns among parks, yet the highest mean total turnover was detected in the smallest park. Rate of assemblage changes showed decreasing trend with the increasing park size. The highest value of the assemblage stability metric was also found in the largest park. Bird assemblages showed relatively high degree of asynchrony in species abundances over time. These results indicate relatively low temporal stability, not strict boundaries and asynchrony of bird assemblages of these small parks