Does afforestation increase bird nest predation risk in surrounding farmland?

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Reino, Luis
Data de Publicação: 2010
Outros Autores: Porto, Miguel, Morgado, Rui, Carvalho, Filipe, Mira, António, Beja, Pedro
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10174/4620
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2010.07.032
Resumo: Afforestation of agricultural land is increasingly used to deliver environmental benefits, but their effects on biodiversity remain poorly understood. This paper tests the hypothesis that afforestation changes predation processes in surrounding farmland, examining how the characteristics and landscape context of forest plantations affect predator (birds and mammalian carnivores) and key prey (rabbits and hares) abundances, and bird nest predation rates in Iberian cereal-steppes. Lagomorphs and predators were surveyed in fallow fields around 50 forest plantations, where predation rates were estimated using arti- ficial nests set at 0, 100, 200 and 300 m from the forest edge. Recent plantations structurally similar to sparse (oak) or dense (pine) shrublands were associated with the highest hare and rabbit abundances, respectively, whereas both species avoided landscapes with high eucalyptus cover. In contrast, mature eucalyptus plantations showed strong positive effects on typical nest predators such as corvids and car- nivores. Open farmland fragmentation favoured the abundance of lagomorphs and carnivores. Despite these effects and the high predation rate on artificial nests (49%), there was neither evidence for increased predation near plantation edges nor higher predation in fields with more lagomorphs and predators. However, predation tended to increase with cover by young oak plantations and overall forest plantation cover, to decrease with eucalyptus cover at both the local and landscape scales, and to peak in landscapes with intermediate edge densities. These results suggest that afforestation may have strong effects on bird nest predation rates by changing landscape composition and configuration, rather than by inducing local increases in predator and prey populations. Nevertheless, increased abundances of generalist predators associated with forest plantations may still be considered of conservation concern, thus supporting the recommendation for strongly restricting afforestation in areas important for open grassland birds. Where this is unavoidable, monitoring should be undertaken to provide early signals for bird population declines associated with predator increases, eventually triggering conservation action such as predator exclusion or removal.
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spelling Does afforestation increase bird nest predation risk in surrounding farmland?ConservationEdge effectsForest plantationsGrassland birdsHabitat fragmentationAfforestation of agricultural land is increasingly used to deliver environmental benefits, but their effects on biodiversity remain poorly understood. This paper tests the hypothesis that afforestation changes predation processes in surrounding farmland, examining how the characteristics and landscape context of forest plantations affect predator (birds and mammalian carnivores) and key prey (rabbits and hares) abundances, and bird nest predation rates in Iberian cereal-steppes. Lagomorphs and predators were surveyed in fallow fields around 50 forest plantations, where predation rates were estimated using arti- ficial nests set at 0, 100, 200 and 300 m from the forest edge. Recent plantations structurally similar to sparse (oak) or dense (pine) shrublands were associated with the highest hare and rabbit abundances, respectively, whereas both species avoided landscapes with high eucalyptus cover. In contrast, mature eucalyptus plantations showed strong positive effects on typical nest predators such as corvids and car- nivores. Open farmland fragmentation favoured the abundance of lagomorphs and carnivores. Despite these effects and the high predation rate on artificial nests (49%), there was neither evidence for increased predation near plantation edges nor higher predation in fields with more lagomorphs and predators. However, predation tended to increase with cover by young oak plantations and overall forest plantation cover, to decrease with eucalyptus cover at both the local and landscape scales, and to peak in landscapes with intermediate edge densities. These results suggest that afforestation may have strong effects on bird nest predation rates by changing landscape composition and configuration, rather than by inducing local increases in predator and prey populations. Nevertheless, increased abundances of generalist predators associated with forest plantations may still be considered of conservation concern, thus supporting the recommendation for strongly restricting afforestation in areas important for open grassland birds. Where this is unavoidable, monitoring should be undertaken to provide early signals for bird population declines associated with predator increases, eventually triggering conservation action such as predator exclusion or removal.Elsevier2012-01-30T18:07:33Z2012-01-302010-01-01T00:00:00Zinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://hdl.handle.net/10174/4620http://hdl.handle.net/10174/4620https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2010.07.032engReino, L.; Porto, M.; Morgado, R.; Carvalho, F.; Mira, A. & Beja, P. 2010. Does afforestation increase bird nest predation risk in surrounding farmland?. Forest Ecology and Management, 260:1359-1366.1559-1366260Forest Ecology and ManagementICAAMluis.reino@mail.icav.up.ptndndfilipescpcarvalho@yahoo.comamira@uevora.ptpbeja@mail.icav.up.pt221Reino, LuisPorto, MiguelMorgado, RuiCarvalho, FilipeMira, AntónioBeja, Pedroinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessreponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAP2024-01-03T18:42:24Zoai:dspace.uevora.pt:10174/4620Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-20T00:59:39.469600Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Does afforestation increase bird nest predation risk in surrounding farmland?
title Does afforestation increase bird nest predation risk in surrounding farmland?
spellingShingle Does afforestation increase bird nest predation risk in surrounding farmland?
Reino, Luis
Conservation
Edge effects
Forest plantations
Grassland birds
Habitat fragmentation
title_short Does afforestation increase bird nest predation risk in surrounding farmland?
title_full Does afforestation increase bird nest predation risk in surrounding farmland?
title_fullStr Does afforestation increase bird nest predation risk in surrounding farmland?
title_full_unstemmed Does afforestation increase bird nest predation risk in surrounding farmland?
title_sort Does afforestation increase bird nest predation risk in surrounding farmland?
author Reino, Luis
author_facet Reino, Luis
Porto, Miguel
Morgado, Rui
Carvalho, Filipe
Mira, António
Beja, Pedro
author_role author
author2 Porto, Miguel
Morgado, Rui
Carvalho, Filipe
Mira, António
Beja, Pedro
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Reino, Luis
Porto, Miguel
Morgado, Rui
Carvalho, Filipe
Mira, António
Beja, Pedro
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv Conservation
Edge effects
Forest plantations
Grassland birds
Habitat fragmentation
topic Conservation
Edge effects
Forest plantations
Grassland birds
Habitat fragmentation
description Afforestation of agricultural land is increasingly used to deliver environmental benefits, but their effects on biodiversity remain poorly understood. This paper tests the hypothesis that afforestation changes predation processes in surrounding farmland, examining how the characteristics and landscape context of forest plantations affect predator (birds and mammalian carnivores) and key prey (rabbits and hares) abundances, and bird nest predation rates in Iberian cereal-steppes. Lagomorphs and predators were surveyed in fallow fields around 50 forest plantations, where predation rates were estimated using arti- ficial nests set at 0, 100, 200 and 300 m from the forest edge. Recent plantations structurally similar to sparse (oak) or dense (pine) shrublands were associated with the highest hare and rabbit abundances, respectively, whereas both species avoided landscapes with high eucalyptus cover. In contrast, mature eucalyptus plantations showed strong positive effects on typical nest predators such as corvids and car- nivores. Open farmland fragmentation favoured the abundance of lagomorphs and carnivores. Despite these effects and the high predation rate on artificial nests (49%), there was neither evidence for increased predation near plantation edges nor higher predation in fields with more lagomorphs and predators. However, predation tended to increase with cover by young oak plantations and overall forest plantation cover, to decrease with eucalyptus cover at both the local and landscape scales, and to peak in landscapes with intermediate edge densities. These results suggest that afforestation may have strong effects on bird nest predation rates by changing landscape composition and configuration, rather than by inducing local increases in predator and prey populations. Nevertheless, increased abundances of generalist predators associated with forest plantations may still be considered of conservation concern, thus supporting the recommendation for strongly restricting afforestation in areas important for open grassland birds. Where this is unavoidable, monitoring should be undertaken to provide early signals for bird population declines associated with predator increases, eventually triggering conservation action such as predator exclusion or removal.
publishDate 2010
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z
2012-01-30T18:07:33Z
2012-01-30
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10174/4620
http://hdl.handle.net/10174/4620
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2010.07.032
url http://hdl.handle.net/10174/4620
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2010.07.032
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Reino, L.; Porto, M.; Morgado, R.; Carvalho, F.; Mira, A. & Beja, P. 2010. Does afforestation increase bird nest predation risk in surrounding farmland?. Forest Ecology and Management, 260:1359-1366.
1559-1366
260
Forest Ecology and Management
ICAAM
luis.reino@mail.icav.up.pt
nd
nd
filipescpcarvalho@yahoo.com
amira@uevora.pt
pbeja@mail.icav.up.pt
221
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação
instacron:RCAAP
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