Conservation potential of semi-natural habitats for birds in intensively-used agricultural landscapes

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F68081766%3A_____%2F22%3A00553977" target="_blank" >RIV/68081766:_____/22:00553977 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/00216208:11310/22:10445605 RIV/61989592:15310/22:73616894 RIV/60460709:41330/22:91652

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1617138121001710?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" >https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1617138121001710?via%3Dihub</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2021.126124" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.jnc.2021.126124</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Conservation potential of semi-natural habitats for birds in intensively-used agricultural landscapes

Original language description

Agricultural intensification resulted in substantial loss of farmland biodiversity. Semi-natural habitats may be viewed as potential buffers of these adverse impacts, but a rigorous assessment of their capacity for supporting farmland biodiversity is lacking. In this study, we explored conservation potential of two different types of semi-natural habitats for birds in intensively-used agricultural landscapes – farmland hedges (i.e., linear strips of shrubby and tree vegetation) and open scrubland (i.e., scattered shrubs and abandoned orchards). Specifically, we tested whether the abundance and species richness of birds differ between these habitats considering various species traits, such as habitat affinity (i.e., forest, farmland and urban species), diet specialization (i.e., animal eaters, plant eaters, and omnivores) and conservation status (Species of European Conservation Concern). We found that open scrubland hosted on average 37.9 bird species and 122.6 individuals per 1 km2 of the transect, whereas farmland hedges hosted only 19 species and 61.8 individuals per 1 km2 of the transect. However, results have substantially changed if we considered the area of suitable habitat into account. More specifically, open scrubland hosted more bird species and individuals when we considered open habitat species and the area of open habitats, whereas farmland hedges had higher species diversity and individuals of woodland bird species when we considered the area of woodland habitats. Similarly, analyses of habitat affiliations of individual species corresponded to the whole-community patterns, and revealed that several woodland bird species were mainly associated with farmland hedges (e.g., Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs, Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos and Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla), whereas the open scrubland was preferred by open habitat bird species (e.g., Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra, Quail Coturnix coturnix and Skylark Alauda arvensis). These results demonstrate that semi-natural habitats, both open scrubland and farmland hedges, have large potential for promotion and conservation of bird communities within intensively used agricultural landscapes, as both may have represented suitable habitats for species with different ecological requirements. Therefore, management measures focused on the enlargement of the area of these habitats, in combination with suitable management (e.g., regulating the progress of natural succession in open scrubland, increasing structural diversity of existing farmland hedges), may substantially contribute to bird conservation within agricultural landscapes.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10619 - Biodiversity conservation

Project

<a href="/en/project/SS03010162" target="_blank" >SS03010162: The military training areas over the time: More effective care in former military areas, based on evaluation of their utilisation and long term biodiversity monitoring</a><br>

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2022

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Journal for Nature Conservation

ISSN

1617-1381

e-ISSN

1618-1093

Volume of the periodical

66

Issue of the periodical within the volume

April

Country of publishing house

DE - GERMANY

Number of pages

8

Pages from-to

126124

UT code for WoS article

000787809800003

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85123841986