Field margins as substitute habitat for the conservation of birds in agricultural wetlands

Mallet, Pierre; Béchet, Arnaud; Mesléard, François; Blanchon, Thomas; Calatayud, François; Dagonet, Thomas; Gaget, Élie; Leray, Carole; Galewski, Thomas

doi:10.24072/pcjournal.299

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…More broadly, the quantity of seminatural elements and their heterogeneity in shape, size, structural complexity, and also in their plant composition are essential to meet the needs of the different species living in this agricultural environment. For example, hedgerows favoured the presence of forest edge birds (Mallet et al 2022) but may also be detrimental for some grassland bird species, such as skylark ( Alauda arvensis ) for which grass strips are beneficial (Josefsson et al 2013). Equally, some bats are more active in hedgerows composed mainly of trees (Lacoeuilhe et al 2018), while the hazel dormouse ( Muscardinus avellanarius) and the European badger ( Meles meles ) prefer hedgerows with a high shrub cover (Dondina et al 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of linear features by red-legged partridges in an intensive agricultural landscape: implications for landscape management in farmland

Perrot,

Séranne,

Berceaux

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Current agricultural practices and change are the major cause of biodiversity loss. An important change associated with the intensification of agriculture in the last 50 years is the spatial homogenization of the landscape with substantial loss of such biodiversity-rich elements as seminatural linear feature (hedgerows, field margins, grass strips, etc.). In Europe, management prescriptions serve to increase heterogeneity by the creation of these seminatural and linear features which are not being used primarily for agricultural production. However, these elements are not equal in their support for biodiversity according to their structure and composition. The aim of this study is to determine the importance of landscape heterogeneity and specifically linear features on the spatial distribution of red-legged partridges, a small game species in decline in Europe. Through GPS-monitoring of adult birds, we first assess home range size throughout the year and during the breeding season, in relation to breeding status and to linear features density (semi-natural linear vegetation and tracks-roads for human traffic). Then, we focus on habitat selection in relation to linear landscape features during the breeding period. We found that linear elements shape the use of space by red-legged partridges according to their reproductive status. Traffic routes and semi-natural features structured by both herbaceous and woody cover, negatively influenced home range size. Further, breeding birds select linear elements with herbaceous cover while non-breeders select linear elements with woody cover, underlining the different needs of birds according to their breeding status. All birds selected areas near tracks, but non-breeders seemed to avoid roads. This study shows the importance for this species of the linear components that structure the agricultural landscape. We propose recommendations to promote the presence of the red-legged partridge in this agricultural environment but also of the biodiversity in general.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of linear features by red-legged partridges in an intensive agricultural landscape: implications for landscape management in farmland

Perrot,

Séranne,

Berceaux

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…More broadly, the quantity of seminatural elements and their heterogeneity in shape, size, structural complexity, and also in their plant composition are essential to meet the needs of the different species living in this agricultural environment. For example, hedgerows favoured the presence of forest edge birds (Mallet et al, 2023) but may also be detrimental for some grassland bird species, such as skylark (Alauda arvensis) for which grass strips are beneficial (Josefsson et al, 2013). Equally, some bats are more active in hedgerows composed mainly of trees (Lacoeuilhe et al, 2018), while the hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) and the European badger (Meles meles) prefer hedgerows with a high shrub cover (Dondina et al, 2016).…”

Section: Management Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of linear features by red-legged partridges in an intensive agricultural landscape: implications for landscape management in farmland

Perrot,

Seranne,

Berceaux

et al. 2024

Peer Community Journal

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Current agricultural practices and change are the major cause of biodiversity loss. An important change associated with the intensification of agriculture in the last 50 years is the spatial homogenization of the landscape with substantial loss of such biodiversity-rich elements as seminatural linear features (hedgerows, field margins, grassy strips, etc.). In Europe, some management prescriptions serve to increase heterogeneity by the creation of these seminatural linear features which are not being used primarily for agricultural production. However, these elements are not equal in their support for biodiversity according to their structure and composition. The aim of this study is to determine the importance of landscape heterogeneity and specifically linear features on the spatial distribution of red-legged partridges, a small game species in decline in Europe. Through GPS-monitoring of adult birds, we first assess home range size throughout the year and during the breeding season, in relation to breeding status and to linear features (seminatural linear vegetation and tracks-roads for human traffic) density. Then, we focus on habitat selection during the breeding period in relation to linear features. We found that linear elements shape the use of space by red-legged partridges according to their reproductive status. Traffic routes and seminatural features structured by both herbaceous and woody cover, negatively influenced home range size. Further, breeding birds select linear elements with herbaceous cover while non-breeders select linear elements with woody cover, underlining the different needs of birds according to their breeding status. All birds selected areas near tracks, but non-breeders seemed to avoid roads. This study shows the importance for this species of the linear components that structure the agricultural landscape. We propose recommendations to promote the presence of the red-legged partridge in this agricultural environment but also of the biodiversity in general.

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Surprisingly good fit of pressure-based cropland condition map and bird census data at the national scale

Tanács,

Bede-Fazekas,

Báldi

2024

Ecological Indicators

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Field margins as substitute habitat for the conservation of birds in agricultural wetlands

Abstract: Galewski (2023) Field margins as substitute habitat for the conservation of birds in agricultural wetlands , Peer Community Journal, 3: e66.

Cited by 4 publications

References 52 publications

Use of linear features by red-legged partridges in an intensive agricultural landscape: implications for landscape management in farmland

Use of linear features by red-legged partridges in an intensive agricultural landscape: implications for landscape management in farmland

Use of linear features by red-legged partridges in an intensive agricultural landscape: implications for landscape management in farmland

Surprisingly good fit of pressure-based cropland condition map and bird census data at the national scale

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