Year-round fruiting by Muntingia calabura helps sustain urban frugivorous birds across tropical cityscapes

Scattered urban trees may act as stepping stone habitats, enhancing habitat connectivity in highly urbanised areas with limited green spaces. Once a popular landscaping tree, Muntingia calabura has naturalised in parts of Southeast Asia, growing and reproducing naturally. This study observed the interactions between birds and M. calabura across urban land uses, namely, commercial areas, residential areas, and green patches in Klang Valley, Peninsular Malaysia. Based on point count surveys, we recorded a total of 615 visiting birds belonging to 15 species. Our data suggested that matured and isolated M. calabura trees attracted more visiting birds. In addition, trees located within commercial areas were associated with a higher number of visiting birds. The number of visiting birds decreased with increasing light intensity under the trees. This study underscores the critical role of preserving urban trees, particularly fruit-bearing species, in sustaining urban bird populations, especially frugivorous species. These findings emphasise the ecological significance of scattered urban trees beyond designated parks, extending the benefits of green spaces across the highly developed cityscape. Although M. calabura is a naturalised species, its strategic integration into urban planning can substantially enhance biodiversity by providing essential food and shelter to a wide range of wildlife, particularly in areas where native tree species are scarce or absent. In highly urbanised landscapes, naturalised species like M. calabura may complement native vegetation by serving as stepping-stone corridors for frugivores and other avian groups moving between fragmented green spaces.

Text 127870.pdf - Published Version Restricted to Repository staff only Download (2MB) Official URL or Download Paper: https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s43388-026-00312...

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