Migratory bird species benefit from traditional agricultural gardens in arid South Sinai

Abstract

In temperate and tropical regions agricultural conversion of natural habitat typically has negative impacts upon the diversity and functional complexity of bird communities. In arid environments however, the irrigation associated with agricultural can lead to an increase in local abundances of plant and insect resources, so has the potential to benefit bird communities. South Sinai is a key migratory corridor for many birds making the annual journey from wintering sites in Africa to breeding sites in Europe. We assess the importance of traditional Bedouin agricultural gardens for both resident and migratory species by comparing the density and functional composition of birds within the irrigated gardens to those in the unmanaged desert habitat. Estimated bird densities were significantly higher within the gardens than the unmanaged habitat, with a higher estimated species richness within the gardens. Functional composition of bird communities differed between the two habitats, with gardens supporting a higher proportion of insectivorous and migratory birds in addition to the resident desert species that were associated with the unmanaged habitat.Migratory species were almost entirely absent from the unmanaged habitat, suggesting that this region may not be used as a migratory stop-off if not for the presence of traditional agricultural gardens.Keywords: birds; desert; functional richness; migration; oases IntroductionThe impact of anthropogenic land-use on bird communities has received limited attention in arid regions. In temperate and tropical regions, land-use change such as agricultural conversion of natural habitat typically lead to the disruption of bird assemblages and a loss of functional diversity (Tscharntke et al., 2008;Flynn et al., 2009), but initial research suggests that the irrigation associated with agricultural systems and gardens in arid regions can actively increase the functional diversity of plants (Norfolk et al., 2013) and increase the abundance of pollinators (Gotlieb et al., 2011) and birds (Selmi & Boulinier, 2003;Khoury & Al-Shamlih, 2006). Human population growth and land-use change in arid environments are likely to have direct impact upon local bird communities, but may also have implications for the estimated 4 billion birds that make the bi-annual migration across the Saharan-Arabia desert belt, passing between wintering sites in Africa and summering sites in Europe (Frumkin et al., 1995). In order conserve the migratory routes of these species it is important to understand how birds and humans are interacting in the en route arid environments.Crossing the inhospitable expanse of the Sahara desert can pose a major ecological challenge for birds, one which imposes an exceptional energy demand (Zduniak et al., 2013).Strategies for desert crossing differ between bird groups, with raptors tending to use soaring flight and small passerines flapping flight which allows them to fly through the night and avoid high temperatures (Bruderer, 1994;Chernetsov, 2006). Many passerines m...

Salinity affects territory size of migratory Little Stint (Calidris minuta) (Aves: Limicolae)

“…Therefore, this population crosses the Sahara-Arabian desert belt twice each year and stage at Eilat, especially in the spring after the desert crossing similarly to many other bird species recorded in the region (e.g., Zduniak & Yosef, 2012). However, at Eilat in Israel, Aqaba in Jordan and Taba in Sinai, Egypt (Norfolk, Power, Eichhorn, & Gilbert, 2015), all of the northern shoreline of the Red Sea has been developed for human purposes. The only alternative foraging areas available to the waterbirds, including thousands of little Stint, are human developed water sources such as sewage tanks, irrigated fields with accidental pools and salt pans.…”

Bird diversity along elevational gradients in the Dry Tropical Andes of northern Chile: The potential role of Aymara indigenous traditional agriculture

“…Traditional agricultural habitats located in the midst of an arid region may support species that otherwise would not be present. For example, Norfolk et al, [103] reported that traditional agriculture supports a higher proportion of migratory and insectivorous species, and a greater number of birds associated with unmanaged habitats in the arid mountains of South Sinai. In line with this, we found Conirostrum tamarugense using Pre-Puna habitats during the non-breading season, possibly depending on arthropods found on cultivated and native vegetation [104].…”

Diversity and Distribution of Traditional Home Gardens Along Different Disturbances in a Dry Tropical Region, India

“…The number of species in different use categories was also positively associated with distance from the market (P > 0.001) and disturbance index (P > 0.001), indicating dependency of local people on garden products as constrained by elsewhere finding (Barbhuiya et al, 2016) and (Kala, 2010) in India. Whereas various other researchers such as Wiehle et al (2014);Cruz-Garcia and Struik (2015), and Norfolk et al (2015) reported the dependency of local people on timber and NTFPs products of gardens from other dry tropical regions of the world.…”