Effect of habitat amount, configuration and quality in fragmented landscapes

Mortelliti, Alessio; Sozio, Giulia; Boccacci, Francesca; Ranchelli, Elisa; Cecere, Jacopo G.; Battisti, Corrado; Boitani, Luigi

doi:10.1016/j.actao.2012.08.001

Cited by 18 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Independently on the harvesting practices focused on P. australis, it is generally assumed, and further stressed by our results, that the flooding conditions of the reedbed are determinant of their suitability for birds (i.e. Mortelliti et al 2012;Jedlikowski et al 2016). As an example, a recent Italian study shows how the 10-years decline of a coastal marshland population of Reed Warbler was associated to the progressive reduction in the flooded portion of the studied reedbeds (Pollo et al 2018).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 50%

“…Among others, the extension of the reedbed fragment is commonly accepted as one of the features that most determine the suitability of a Phragmites stand for birds to reproduce in (e.g. Celada and Bogliani 1993;Barbraud et al 2002;Mortelliti et al 2012;Jedlikowski et al 2014). In this work we found that, Natura 2000 sites Table 2 and text for details).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

“…Overall, the habitat requirements of these four species taken together represent fairly well the broader spectrum of ecological niches occurring in reedbeds. Therefore, their presence can be taken as an indicator of the overall ecological status of a reedbed (see also Brambilla and Jenkins 2009;Mortelliti et al 2012).…”

Section: Target Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Census based on listening is the common method used to estimate presence/absence and abundance for reedbed-dwelling warbler species (i.e. Mortelliti et al 2012;Sozio et al 2012;Ceresa et al 2016) and proved to be effective for rallids too (Polak 2005;Brambilla and Jenkins 2009;Jedlikowski et al 2014). In the point counts aimed to detect water rail presence, we broadcast a registered call (1-min length) to stimulate a possible territorial response (e.g.…”

Section: Point Count Survey Scalementioning

confidence: 99%

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Multi-species habitat models highlight the key importance of flooded reedbeds for inland wetland birds: implications for management and conservation

et al. 2019

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Background: Inland wetlands are crucial for biodiversity conservation, especially in highly-urbanized landscapes. In the European Union, many wetlands are included in the EU 'Natura 2000' network, the main tool for biodiversity conservation over the continent, which requires the development of site-specific management plans. Clear and feasible recommendations are necessary to provide site managers with effective tools for the maintenance of biodiversity in these unstable environments. Birds are excellent umbrella species, therefore a management targeted at increasing habitat suitability for focal bird species would likely benefit broader wetland biological communities. Methods: During spring-summer 2017, we collected presence/absence data for 10 bird species of conservation interest at a site scale for 21 Natura 2000 sites. We also carried out a point count survey to detect presence/absence of four reedbed-dwelling species at 75 points. At the site level, we estimated landscape characteristics from regional GISlayers, whereas fine-scaled habitat composition was recorded on the field within a 100 m-buffer around the 75 points. We analysed the effect of the extent of different habitats on species' occurrence probability by means of multi-species binomial multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) at both scales. We also run species-specific MARS models to compare their performance with those of multi-species models. Results: At the site scale, the extent of the reedbeds/mires was positively associated with the occurrence of all species of conservation concern. At the point-count scale, reedbed extent positively predicted species' occurrence, but only in presence of patches of clear shallow water. Species-specific MARS models showed qualitatively similar results for some species, but generally were outperformed by multi-species ones. Conclusions: Multi-species MARS models confirmed to be an efficient tool in disclosing species-habitat relationships even for set of species including scarce taxa and when only short-term monitoring data are available. In terms of conservation measures, our findings stress the importance of Phragmites australis reedbed as a key habitat for avian biodiversity, but only when it is flooded and interspersed with scattered patches of open water. The preservation of wide (> 100/150 ha) and flooded reedbeds structured in spots of no less than 2 ha emerges as the main conservation measure for the long-term conservation of the threatened avifauna of inland pre-Alpine wetlands.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 50%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

Section: Target Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Point Count Survey Scalementioning

confidence: 99%

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Multi-species habitat models highlight the key importance of flooded reedbeds for inland wetland birds: implications for management and conservation

et al. 2019

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“…on environmental factors such as habitat structure, habitat fragmentation and/or flooding (Paracuellos 2006, Benassi et al 2009, Mortelliti et al 2012, Sozio et al 2013.…”

Section: Research Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

<p class="NoSpacing1">THE EFFECTS OF WEATHER AND REED MANAGEMENT ON NESTING PARAMETERS OF THE GREAT REED WARBLER, ACROCEPHALUS ARUNDINACEUS (AVES: SYLVIIDAE)

Mérő

Žuljević²

2016

Ecol. Mont

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Nesting parameters such as clutch size, hatching rate or nesting success have been extensively studied in birds in relation to biotic and abiotic factors. In this study we aimed to investigate the effects of air temperature, amount of precipitation, reed burning, and water depth (independent variables) on nest density, clutch size, hatching rate, and nesting success (dependent variables) of the Great Reed Warbler during a nine-year period. We found that neither the clutch size nor the hatching rate was influenced by any of the predictor variables. Nest density was positively influenced by the water depth, while the nesting success was negatively related to the amount of precipitation. Reed burning had no effect on any of the nesting parameters. Similarly, to our results, short-term studies reported a positive relationship between nest density and water depth, and a negative relationship between the nesting success and amount of precipitation, indicating that these two environmental variables generally influence the two nesting parameters. However, the impact of various reed management practices, such as harvesting or removal, on the nesting variables of the Great Reed Warbler needs further clarification.

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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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Effect of habitat amount, configuration and quality in fragmented landscapes

Cited by 18 publications

References 27 publications

Multi-species habitat models highlight the key importance of flooded reedbeds for inland wetland birds: implications for management and conservation

Multi-species habitat models highlight the key importance of flooded reedbeds for inland wetland birds: implications for management and conservation

<p class="NoSpacing1">THE EFFECTS OF WEATHER AND REED MANAGEMENT ON NESTING PARAMETERS OF THE GREAT REED WARBLER, ACROCEPHALUS ARUNDINACEUS (AVES: SYLVIIDAE)

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

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