Habitat types and functional traits mediate differentiated response of birds assemblage to super typhoon

The proportion of intense tropical cyclones is projected to increase under climate change, posing growing threats to global biodiversity. However, most existing research has been conducted in the North Atlantic region and has focused on their impacts on natural habitats, whereas other cyclone-prone but biodiversity-rich and human-disturbed ecosystems have been overlooked. Moreover, while functional traits are important in mediating species' responses to habitat change, their role remains understudied in cyclone contexts. To address these issues, we assessed the differences in bird communities before and after a super typhoon across two coastal habitat types in Haikou, southern China: urban green space and suburban habitats. We evaluated species richness, total abundance, community composition, and how functional traits shaped species’ resilience to a super typhoon. We recorded 45 species and 1627 individuals from the field survey of 10 1.5-km-long transects. Species richness remained stable in both habitats after the typhoon. Bird abundance at the transect level declined in both habitats, but this decline was significant only in suburban habitats; community composition also shifted in both habitats due to species replacement and concurrent population gains and losses. Functional trait analysis indicated that species with a higher hand-wing index, lower body mass, or open-country habitat association were more vulnerable. These findings highlight the heightened vulnerability of suburban habitats to cyclonic disturbances and underscore the importance of incorporating functional trait analysis and non-forest ecosystems into climate impact assessments to inform more holistic biodiversity conservation strategies.