A network of small protected areas favoured generalist but not specialized wetland birds in a 30-year period

Brambilla, Mattia; Rizzolli, Franco; Franzoi, Alessandro; Caldonazzi, Michele; Zanghellini, S.; Pedrini, Paolo

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108699

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Good quality reedbeds, containing stronger old and new reed stems, can maximize the number of quality hosts (Mérő et al, 2016 , 2018 , 2020 ; Mortelliti et al, 2012 ), and increase Cuckoo nesting success. In marshes and mining ponds, we suggest the maintenance of intermediate water depth if possible (irrigation or supplying of water in coordination with water management companies), because the early nests of the host are usually placed in the mixed reed stands in intermediate water levels (Figure 4 ), providing stability and better concealment (e.g., Brambilla et al, 2020 ). In canals, we suggest to provide low to intermediate water depth at reed edges adjacent to water, ensuring the growth of appropriate quality reed for breeding.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of reed management and habitat quality on brood parasitism and chick survival of the brood parasitic Common Cuckoo

Mérő

Žuljević²,

Lengyel

2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Despite efforts on ecosystem restoration and management, biodiversity loss remains one of the major environmental concerns of our time. Beyond the focus on threatened species, animals that indicate regional biodiversity hotspots and population trends, such as brood parasites, should also be targeted by conservation actions. We studied how reed habitat quality and management influence brood parasitism rate and offspring survival in Common Cuckoos Cuculus canorus parasitizing nests of Great Reed Warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus in six reed habitats in an intensive agricultural landscape. Data collected from 45 sites over 13 years showed that the brood parasitism rate was highest on large canals and was positively influenced by the availability of potential perches (Cuckoo vantage points) and the height where host nests were built. Cuckoo chick survival decreased with water depth and was not affected by other factors. Our results suggest that the habitat‐dependent detectability of host nests was central in brood parasitism rate and that water level was central in Cuckoo chick survival. Our study shows that a maintenance of intermediate water levels is the most optimal for maintaining Cuckoo populations in intensive agricultural landscapes. Because brood parasites are excellent bioindicators as their presence predicts regional hotspots of taxonomic and functional diversity as well as population trends in bird communities, knowledge on their habitat requirements is relevant in management targeting diverse bird communities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of reed management and habitat quality on brood parasitism and chick survival of the brood parasitic Common Cuckoo

Mérő

Žuljević²,

Lengyel

2023

Ecology and Evolution

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“…They should ideally consider the complementary effects of landscapes heterogeneity and the importance of small patch mosaics for the taxonomic and functional diversity of farmland birds. Second, the key role of wetlands must be recognized; their conservation and, where needed, restoration and proper management should be part of landscape and conservation strategies (see Morganti et al 2019 ; Brambilla et al 2020b , c for similar areas). Third, in the case of forest, habitat continuity and homogeneity are needed to support specialist bird species, and should be pursued by proper management and planning decisions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The contribution of landscape features, climate and topography in shaping taxonomical and functional diversity of avian communities in a heterogeneous Alpine region

et al. 2022

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Understanding the effects of landscape composition and configuration, climate, and topography on bird diversity is necessary to identify distribution drivers, potential impacts of land use changes, and future conservation strategies. We surveyed bird communities in a study area located in the Central Alps (Autonomous Province of South Tyrol, northeast Italy), by means of point counts and investigated taxonomic and functional diversity at two spatial scales along gradients of land use/land cover (LULC) intensity and elevation. We also explored how environmental variables influence bird traits and red-list categories. Models combining drivers of different types were highly supported, pointing towards synergetic effects of different types of environmental variables on bird communities. The model containing only LULC compositional variables was the most supported one among the single-group models: LULC composition plays a crucial role in shaping local biodiversity and hence bird communities, even across broad landscape gradients. Particularly relevant were wetlands, open habitats, agricultural mosaics made up of small habitat patches and settlements, ecotonal and structural elements in agricultural settings, and continuous forests. To conserve bird diversity in the Alps, planning and management practices promoting and maintaining small fields, structural elements, and a mosaic of different LULC types should be supported, while preserving continuous forests at the same time. Additionally, pastures, extensively used meadows, and wetlands are key to conservation. These strategies might mitigate the impacts of global change on bird diversity in the Alps and in other European mountain areas.

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“…In general, disturbed environments are known to become less heterogeneous, and more specialized species tend to lose their habitats, being sometimes replaced by more generalist species (Devictor et al, 2008;Dong et al, 2020). Consequently, the identification, protection, and management of key habitats are crucial to afford the requirements of specialized species (Brambilla et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Forest Management on the Avifauna of a Brazilian Dry Forest

et al. 2021

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The conversion of tropical habitats has dramatic implications on biodiversity and represents one of the greatest conservation challenges of our time. Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests (SDTF), which are disjointly distributed throughout the Neotropics, are especially susceptible to human activities. The Caatinga Dry Forest, located in the semi-arid interior of northeastern Brazil, represents not only the largest and most biologically diverse nucleus of SDTF, but also the world’s most densely populated semi-arid region, with ever-growing pressure on its natural resources. To prevent illegal logging, conservation agencies looked at forest management, where an area is divided in smaller stands which are gradually logged and allowed to regrow for a period of time, when a new cutting cycle should reinitiate. The impacts of these management schemes on biodiversity, however, remain largely untested. We conducted standardized avian surveys to evaluate the effects of forest management on the avian community at a 1,670 ha privately owned property located on the Chapada do Araripe, northeastern Brazil. This area was divided in 22 forest stands, half of which had already been logged at the time of our sampling, creating a gradient of logged and natural forests and an 11-yr chrono-sequence of forest regeneration. Our results show that logged areas present fewer individuals, fewer species, and different avian assemblages than unlogged forests. Such differences are mostly driven by forest-dependent species, which were overwhelmingly affected by forest management. Our results show that although logged forests tend to recover its height after a decade, they do not recover the originally forest cover, measured by the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. Likewise, decade-long recovering stands continue to show lower species richness, lower bird abundance, and different avian composition than unlogged forests. We identified a set of bird species that are more affected by forest management (ecological losers) and a group of birds that apparently benefit from the referred changes in land use (ecological winners). We conclude that completely managing an entire area may cause the extirpation of several forest-dependent species. We therefore suggest keeping logged and unlogged plots intermingled, to avoid local extinctions and the complete modification of the original avifauna.

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A network of small protected areas favoured generalist but not specialized wetland birds in a 30-year period

Cited by 8 publications

References 27 publications

The role of reed management and habitat quality on brood parasitism and chick survival of the brood parasitic Common Cuckoo

The role of reed management and habitat quality on brood parasitism and chick survival of the brood parasitic Common Cuckoo

The contribution of landscape features, climate and topography in shaping taxonomical and functional diversity of avian communities in a heterogeneous Alpine region

The Effect of Forest Management on the Avifauna of a Brazilian Dry Forest

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