Cuckoo as indicator of high functional diversity of bird communities: A new paradigm for biodiversity surrogacy

摘要

We tested the hypothesis that the cuckoo may serve as an effective surrogate for different aspects of biodiversity. Six different measures of biodiversity were estimated for these three bird communities: (a) taxonomic diversity, (b) host species richness, (c) functional richness, (d) functional evenness, (e) functional divergence, and (f) evolutionary distinctiveness. Mixed models were used for studying the patterns of occurrence of the cuckoo in relation to environmental variables and biodiversity measures.