The Effect of Scale-Dependent Habitat Gradients on the Structure of Bird Assemblages in the Czech Republic

Reif, Jiří; Storch, David; Šímová, Irena

doi:10.3161/000164508x395315

Cited by 27 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Forest dominates the whole area except for the lowest and highest altitudes with open habitats, with census points represented mainly by forest clearings and alpine meadows. The forest–open habitat gradient is the most important factor structuring central European bird communities (Reif et al 2008) and we thus expected that any changes in the proportion of these two habitats at a point would result in a change in bird distribution. Habitat assessments were not performed independently in the second and third time periods.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of species’ ecological traits in climatically driven altitudinal range shifts of central European birds

Reif

Flousek

2012

Oikos

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Climate change is one of the most important recent forces modulating the structure of ecological communities worldwide. Although a number of studies have documented climatically induced altitudinal range shifts, with species move upwards with increasing temperature and tracking their climatic optima, an examination of interspecific variability in such altitudinal shifts remains unexplored. Using a unique dataset on the altitudinal distribution of birds in a central European mountain range, collected with constant effort and methodology over more than 20 years, we examined the effects of particular species’ ecological traits on interspecific variability in altitudinal range shifts. We predicted that shifts would be greater in species with narrower European climatic niches, breeding in open habitats, feeding on insects and originally breeding at lower altitudes. Patterns of the shifts differed within the time period studied. In the first decade, no climate change was observed and species did not show any direction in their altitudinal shifts. In the second decade, local spring temperatures increased and species moved to higher altitudes. These altitudinal shifts were related to species’ habitat preferences, with open habitat species shifting to higher altitudes than forest species. The effect of other predictors was relatively small. The habitat effects imply either stronger self‐regulation of the forest microclimate compared to open habitats, with forest species less forced to move upwards, or a delayed shift in the alpine timberline due to the slow growth of trees. In the latter case, forest species would face unfavourable climatic conditions and at the same time be constrained by the limited distribution of their habitat. Our study shows that species’ ecology can considerably alter the actual outcome of the impacts of ongoing climate change in mountain areas.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of species’ ecological traits in climatically driven altitudinal range shifts of central European birds

Reif

Flousek

2012

Oikos

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“…We suggest these conclusions apply for European landscape too, although almost no evidence exists in literature (but see Osborne 2005). European birds associated with open habitats and adapted to traditionally cultivated landscape suffer from numerous threats associated with agricultural (Devictor et al 2007) and forest expansion (Reif et al 2008a). As a consequence, long-term monitoring data (Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Schemes 2009) show continental-wide declines in farmland birds, such as Miliaria calandra or Oenanthe oenanthe, and homogenization of avian communities, because of loss of specialist species (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…For European birds, this process is characterized by long-term decline of stenotypic species living in open habitats and being often of high conservation concern at the same time, and simultaneous spread of generalist species tolerant to agricultural intensification, land abandonment, urbanization and global climate change (Tryjanowski 2001;Jiguet et al 2007;Reif et al 2008a;Kerbiriou et al 2009;Van Turnhout et al 2010). Although these drivers of changes of species composition in European bird communities are well known, it is difficult to establish effective conservation actions to mitigate their impacts, as all these drivers are closely connected to socioeconomic development of particular countries (Newton 2004;Valiela and Martinetto 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abandoned military training sites are an overlooked refuge for at-risk open habitat bird species

et al. 2011

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The European landscape is under pervasive attack of massive land use changes, such as agricultural intensification, urbanization and land abandonment. These changes resulted in population decline of birds living in open habitats. Despite a good understanding on the effects of these driving forces on bird populations, effective conservation actions are difficult to conduct as these forces are closely connected with socioeconomic development of particular countries and thus almost impossible to reverse. It is hence necessary to conserve refuge sites with a limited influence of these negative factors. We surveyed birds in 42 abandoned military training sites (AMTS) in a central European country, the Czech Republic, and we have found these sites are valuable, and to date overlooked, refuges for bird conservation. Birds of high conservation concern and open habitats birds (such as Miliaria calandra, Saxicola torquata or Lullula arborea) were more abundant in AMTS than predicted by their total population size in the Czech Republic. The most important characteristics predicting attractiveness of AMTS for birds of conservation concern were low altitude, low proportion of forest/dense scrubland, high proportion of sparse scrubland/bare ground and large area. Former military activity was beneficial for declining open habitat birds by maintaining moderate disturbance levels, which are rarely found elsewhere in current landscapes. Owing to reduction of armed forces across Europe AMTS provide continental-wide network of high-quality sites for bird conservation. Nevertheless, AMTS are subject to pressure from building activities or loss of openness due to overgrowth of forest or scrub plant communities.

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“…Habitat composition of each vegetation block was described by recognizing following four habitat types: (i) stands of large herbs, (ii) scrubland, (iii) tree stands and (iv) stands of Reynoutria spp. The former three habitat types were found as the most relevant for structuring central European bird communities (Reif et al 2008) and the influence of last habitat type on birds is the subject of this study. In each vegetation block we estimated proportional coverage of each habitat type using an ordinal scale: 0 -habitat is absent, 1 -habitat covers up to 30% of the area of a given block, 2 -habitat covers 30-70% of the area of a given block, 3 -habitat covers above 70% of the area of a given block, 4 -habitat covers whole area of a given block.…”

Section: Datamentioning

confidence: 93%

Bird species richness and abundance in riparian vegetation invaded by exotic Reynoutria spp.

Hajzlerová

Reif

2013

Biologia

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Impacts of invasive alien plant species are threatening biodiversity worldwide and thus it is important to assess their effects on particular groups of organisms. However, such impacts were studied mostly in case of plant or invertebrate communities and our understanding the response of vertebrate species to plant invasions remains incomplete. To improve our knowledge in this respect, we studied bird communities in riparian vegetation along the rivers with different levels of Reynoutria spp. invasion in the Czech Republic. These findings will be interesting for basic ecology enhancing our knowledge of consequences of plant invasions, as well as for conservation practice. We surveyed understory bird species in 26 vegetation blocks along parts of three rivers running from the Beskydy Mountains in spring 2011. We used principal component analysis to assess vegetation structure of particular blocks and the first axis ordinated the blocks according to the degree of invasion by Reynoutria spp. Using generalized linear mixed-effects models we found that counts of Motacilla cinerea, Cinclus cinclus and Sylvia borin, as well as the total bird species richness, significantly decreased with increasing degree of Reynoutria spp. invasion, while Acrocephalus palustris showed the opposite pattern. These results suggest that Reynoutria spp. impacts negatively on the species strictly bond with river banks and habitats specialists, whereas habitat generalist species like Sylvia atricapilla were not affected. Preference of Acrocephalus palustris for Reynoutria spp. corroborates affinity of this species to large invasive herbs observed also in other studies. Our study showed that Reynoutria spp. invasion can reduce species richness of understory birds in riparian communities. Although the distribution of this plant species is still quite limited in central Europe, our results suggest that its more widespread occurrence could potentially threat some river bank bird species. Therefore, we urge for development of management actions that will act counter the Reynoutria spp. invasion.

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The Effect of Scale-Dependent Habitat Gradients on the Structure of Bird Assemblages in the Czech Republic

Cited by 27 publications

References 37 publications

The role of species’ ecological traits in climatically driven altitudinal range shifts of central European birds

The role of species’ ecological traits in climatically driven altitudinal range shifts of central European birds

Abandoned military training sites are an overlooked refuge for at-risk open habitat bird species

Bird species richness and abundance in riparian vegetation invaded by exotic Reynoutria spp.

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