| Sumario: |
We assessed the structural complexity of vegetation, birds and soundscapes in two areas of Braulio Carrillo National Park, Costa Rica, with different road exposure, as baseline information for conservation and management.
We measured vegetation structure complexity, surveyed birds and recorded soundscapes in an area adjacent to
the National Highway 32 (Quebrada) and another area 20 km away (Ceibo). Quebrada presented a more open
forest structure and lower density of trees and shrubs; lower evenness and higher acoustic complexity, higher
bioacoustic activity and sound pressure level; higher bird abundance and richness. Ceibo showed a higher density
of trees and shrubs, higher complexity of vegetation structure, higher proportion of biophonies than anthrophonies, and an acoustic community with higher diversity and entropy. The study sites differed in characteristics of
their bird communities in an unexpected way; these differences appear to be mostly influenced by the structure
and complexity of the vegetation surrounding the road. However, the soundscapes seemed to properly reflect
the habitat condition, and are promising for evaluating the ecological condition of a site.
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