Relationships between bird abundance and the composition and structure of moorland vegetation

Pearce‐Higgins, James W.; Grant, Murray C.

doi:10.1080/00063650609461424

Cited by 94 publications

(102 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Pearce-Higgins and Grant [97] and Wilson et al [98] showed that the rate of predation on wader nests greatly increases when bushes, shrubs and trees are present on or near habitat patches, thus providing perches for predators. In contrast, a study by Ottvall et al [99] indicates that wader nest survival rates were not related to the distance to habitat edges or other features used by predators.…”

Section: Birds Of Preymentioning

confidence: 99%

Wet Grasslands as a Green Infrastructure for Ecological Sustainability: Wader Conservation in Southern Sweden as a Case Study

et al. 2016

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Abstract:Biosphere Reserves aim at being role models for biodiversity conservation. This study focuses on the unsuccessful conservation of waders (Charadrii) on wet grasslands in the Kristianstad Vattenrike Biosphere Reserve (KVBR) in southern Sweden. Predation on nests and young has been proposed as one reason contributing to the decline of waders. We explored this hypothesis by comparing two landscapes, one with declining (KVBR) and one with stable (Östergötland) wader populations on managed wet grasslands in southern Sweden. Specifically, we tested three predictions linked to predation on wader nests and young, namely that (1) the relative abundance of avian predators and waders; (2) the avian predator abundance; and (3) the predation rate on artificial wader nests, should all be higher in declining versus stable populations. All predictions were clearly supported. Nevertheless, predation may not be the ultimate factor causing wader population declines. We discuss the cumulative effects of landscape change linked to increased food resources for predators, reduced wet grassland patch size and quality. Holistic analyses of multiple wet grassland landscapes as social-ecological systems as case studies, including processes such as predation and other factors affecting waders, is a promising avenue towards collaborative learning for wet grasslands as a functional green infrastructure. However, if governance and management approaches can be improved is questionable without considerable investment in both ecological and social systems.

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Section: Birds Of Preymentioning

confidence: 99%

Wet Grasslands as a Green Infrastructure for Ecological Sustainability: Wader Conservation in Southern Sweden as a Case Study

et al. 2016

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“…This could have a secondary purpose of identifying areas of wet or dry heath most at risk of grazing-related damage, as most heather damage is known to occur within 5 m of grassland patch edges [12]. Grazing lawns contribute to the biodiversity value of a site [53] but are a threat to heathland communities that have been identified as being more important for conservation [21]. Determining correct stock numbers and management practices are crucial to prevent an increase in the number or extent of grazing lawns and to meet conservation objectives.…”

Section: Implications For Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proposing an Efficient Indicator of Grazer Distribution on Heterogeneous Hill Vegetation

Williams¹,

Walls²,

Walsh³

et al. 2009

Appl Ecol Env Res

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Athenry, Co. Galway, 2 Applied Ecology Unit, Centre for Environmental Science, National University of Ireland, Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland (phone: +353-91-492294; fax: +353-91-494598) Abstract. Irish and UK uplands and peatlands are of international importance but are under threat from several factors, including heavy grazing pressure. Sheep preferentially graze patches of acid grassland with short dense swards, sometimes referred to as 'grazing lawns', and have been implicated in damage to uplands. The aim of this study was to increase our understanding of resource selection by grazers to further inform the design and implementation of conservation strategies. Grazing lawn frequency and habitat condition were mapped and GPS collars were used to track Scottish Blackface sheep on a hill farm in Ireland. Weighted compositional analysis (multivariate analysis of variance) was used to test for random use of different categories of grazing lawn frequency and habitat condition. Grazing lawn frequency was spatially uneven and habitat condition ranged from undamaged to very severely damaged areas. Typically, selection of differing categories of habitat condition was not significant (P>0.05), although the highest selection rank was consistently for the 'moderate-undamaged' category. Sheep most selected 1 ha grid squares containing numerous/extensive grazing lawns (P<0.05) day, night and yearround. As a simple, efficient indicator of hill use by sheep, which would be a valuable input in models predicting grazing impact on hill vegetation, the mapping of grazing lawn frequency is suggested. Keywords: agriculture; ecology; environment; resource management; resource selection IntroductionIrish and UK uplands and peatlands are of international importance due to the limited global distribution of the habitats, plant communities and fauna they support [9,56]. Many of these habitats and associated species are protected under the EC Habitats (92/43/EEC) and Birds (79/409/EEC) Directives [21], and are included in biodiversity action plans [16,37] and agri-environment scheme measures [14,49]. Despite this, the quality of remaining upland and peatland continues to be under threat from heavy grazing pressure, burning, afforestation, peat extraction, undergrazing and/or land abandonment [22,48,56,57].Damage in this study refers to habitat conditions which fail to meet biological conservation objectives. While habitats are affected by natural phenomena such as topography [24] and wind-driven rain [11], management practices including grazing [55] play a key role in habitat condition and can be altered. Therefore, the focus of this study is on grazer behaviour as grazing is the predominant management practice on

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“…Several studies relate this decline to changes in grazing practices (Martin & Possingham 2005;Pearce-Higgins & Grant 2006;Vickery et al 2001). Since the inception of the Common Agricultural Policy, several countries have experienced changes in livestock numbers and stocking densities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of livestock grazing on meadow pipit foraging behaviour in upland grassland

Vandenberghe

Prior

Littlewood³

et al. 2009

Basic and Applied Ecology

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Changes in grazing management are believed to be responsible for declines in populations of birds breeding in grassland over the last decades. The relationships between grazing management regimes, vegetation structure and composition and the availability of invertebrate food resources to passerine birds remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the foraging site selection of meadow pipits (Anthus pratensis L.) breeding in high intensity sheep-grazed plots or low intensity mixed (i.e. sheep and cattle)-grazed plots. We sampled above-ground invertebrates, measured vegetation height and density and conducted a vegetation survey in areas where meadow pipits were observed to forage and areas that were randomly selected. Birds foraged in areas with a lower vegetation height and density and in areas containing a lower proportion of the dominant, tussock-forming grass species Molinia caerulea. They did not forage in areas with a total higher invertebrate biomass but at areas with preferred vegetation characteristics invertebrate biomass tended to be higher in foraging sites than random sites. The foraging distance of meadow pipits was higher in the intensively grazed plots. Our findings support the hypothesis that resourceindependent factors such as food accessibility and forager mobility may determine patch selection and are of more importance as selection criteria than food abundance per se. Food accessibility seems to become an even more important selection criterion under high grazing intensity, where prey abundance and size decrease. In our upland grazing system, a low intensity, mixed grazing regime seems to provide a more suitable combination of sward height, plant diversity, structural heterogeneity and food supply for meadow pipit foraging activity compared to a more intensive grazing regime dominated by sheep. r 2009 Gesellschaft für Ö kologie. Published by Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. ZusammenfassungMan nimmt an, dass Veränderungen in der Beweidungswirtschaft während der letzten Jahrzehnte für die Abnahme der Populationen von Vögeln verantwortlich sind, die auf Grünland brüten. Die Beziehungen zwischen verschiedenen Arten der Beweidungswirtschaft, der Vegetationsstruktur und -zusammensetzung und der Verfügbarkeit von Invertebraten-Nahrungsressourcen für Singvögel ist bisher kaum bekannt. In dieser Studie untersuchten wir die

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Relationships between bird abundance and the composition and structure of moorland vegetation

Cited by 94 publications

References 12 publications

Wet Grasslands as a Green Infrastructure for Ecological Sustainability: Wader Conservation in Southern Sweden as a Case Study

Wet Grasslands as a Green Infrastructure for Ecological Sustainability: Wader Conservation in Southern Sweden as a Case Study

Proposing an Efficient Indicator of Grazer Distribution on Heterogeneous Hill Vegetation

Influence of livestock grazing on meadow pipit foraging behaviour in upland grassland

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