My field project revolves around community structure of bird species in riparian habitat. The area I am conducting my research in is an inner city protected park along the Bow River. So, it is a natural space consisting of native vegetation across the whole area. Throughout the park, there are wetlands connected to the river. In my opinion, without this space that many migratory species use as a stopover, many of these individuals would not have the necessary habitat in the area to fulfill their life history traits. Further, without these birds in the area, the ecosystem services they provide could be lost. For example, many of the waterfowl present would be considered nutrient suppliers to the Bow River and to the aquatic species that inhabit the area. If the waterfowl were to one day disappear because of lack of available space, the aquatic ecosystem in the area could be negatively impacted. Another potential impact would be the loss of seed dispersal throughout the range of the songbirds that utilize the area for shelter and nesting. Different bird species provide different services, so it is important to have a range of species for a healthy ecosystem.
After posting, I realized I forgot to add keywords my post. The three keywords I would use are biodiversity, avain species, and community structure.