Do skylarks prefer autumn sown cereals? Effects of agricultural land use, region and time in the breeding season on density

Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment

Volumn 150, Issue , 2012, Pages 82-90

  Hiron, Matthew ^a   Berg, Åke ^a   Pärt, Tomas ^a  

^a SWEDISH UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES   (Sweden)

Author keywords

Ecological trap; Farmland birds; Habitat switch; Land use specific density; Skylark; Source sink

Indexed keywords

ABUNDANCE; AGRICULTURAL LAND; AUTUMN; BIODIVERSITY; BIRD; BREEDING SEASON; CEREAL; HABITAT CONSERVATION; NEST PREDATION; PASSERINE; POPULATION DECLINE; PREDATION RISK; SOURCE-SINK DYNAMICS; SOWING; SPATIOTEMPORAL ANALYSIS;

SWEDEN;

ALAUDA; AVES;

EID: 84856770446     PISSN: 01678809     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.agee.2012.01.007     Document Type: Article

References (61)

1. Arlt D., Forslund P., Jeppsson T., Pärt T. Habitat-specific population growth of a farmland bird. PLoS ONE 2008, 3:e3006.
2. Barton, K., 2010. MuMIn. Multi-model inference. R-package, version 0.13.17. Available at: http://cran.r-project.org/package=MuMIn.
3. Bates, D., Maechler, M., 2010. lme4. Linear mixed-effects models using S4 classes. R package, version 0.999375-37.
4. Battin J. When good animals love bad habitats: ecological traps and the conservation of animal populations. Conserv. Biol. 2004, 18:1482-1491.
5. Berg å., Pärt T. Abundance of breeding farmland birds on arable and set-aside fields at forest edges. Ecography 1994, 17:147-152.
6. Berg Å., Kvarnbäck O., Gustafsson å. Breeding skylarks Alauda arvensis on organic set-asides - effects of time of cutting, landscape composition and vegetation structure. Ornis Svecica 2009, 19:32-40.
7. Berg Å., Kvarnbäck O. Density and reproductive success of Skylarks Alauda arvensis on organic farms - an experiment with unsown Skylark plots on autumn sown cereals. Ornis Svecica 2011, 21:3-10.
8. Bibby C.J., Burgess N.D., Hill D.A. Bird Census Techniques 2000, Academic Press, London. 2nd ed.
9. Bradbury R.B., Stoate C., Tallowin J.R.B. Lowland farmland bird conservation in the context of wider ecosystem service delivery. J. Appl. Ecol. 2010, 47:986-993.
10. Brambilla M., Pedrini P. Intra seasonal changes in local pattern of Corncrake Crex crex occurence require adaptive conservation strategies in Alpine meadows. Bird Conserv. Int. 2011, 21:388-393.
11. Browne S., Vickery J., Chamberlain D. Densities and population estimates of breeding Skylarks Alauda arvensis in Britain in 1997. Bird Study 2000, 47:52-65.
12. Burnham K.P., Anderson D.R. Model Selection and Multi-model Inference a Practical Information Theoretical Approach 2002, Springer, New York.
13. Butler S.J., Gillings S. Quantifying the effects of habitat structure on prey detectability and accessibility to farmland birds. Ibis 2004, 146:123-130.
14. Butler S.J., Vickery J.A., Norris K. Farmland biodiversity and the footprint of agriculture. Science 2007, 315:381-384.
15. Chamberlain D.E., Crick H.Q.P. Population declines and reproductive performance of Skylarks Alauda arvensis in different regions and habitats of the United Kingdom. Ibis 1999, 141:38-51.
16. Chamberlain D.E., Fuller R.J., Bunce R.G.H., Duckworth J.C., Shrubb M. Changes in the abundance of farmland birds in relation to the timing of agricultural intensification in England and Wales. J. Appl. Ecol. 2000, 37:771-788.
17. Chamberlain D.E., Gregory R.D. Coarse and fine scale habitat associations of breeding Skylarks Alauda arvensis in the UK. Bird Study 1999, 46:34-47.
18. Chamberlain D.E., Vickery J.A., Gough S. Spatial and temporal distribution of breeding skylarks Alauda arvensis in relation to crop type in periods of population increase and decrease. Ardea 2000, 88:61-73.
19. Chamberlain D.E., Wilson A.M., Browne S.J., Vickery J.A. Effects of habitat type and management on the abundance of skylarks in the breeding season. J. Appl. Ecol. 1999, 36:856-870.
20. Devereux C.L., McKeever C.U., Benton T.G., Whittingham M.J. The effect of sward height and drainage on Common Starlings Sturnus vulgaris and Northern Lapwings Vanellus vanellus foraging in grassland habitats. Ibis 2004, 146:115-122.
21. Donald P.F. The Skylark 2004, T. and A.D Poyser, London.
22. Donald P.F., Evans A.D., Buckingham D.L., Muirhead L.B., Wilson J.D. Factors affecting the territory distribution of Skylarks Alauda arvensis breeding on lowland farmland. Bird Study 2001, 48:271-278.
23. Donald P.F., Green R.E., Heath M.F. Agricultural intensification and the collapse of Europe's farmland bird populations. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 2001, 268:25-29.
24. Donald P.F., Evans A.D., Muirhead L.B., Buckingham D.L., Kirby W.B., Schmitt S.I.A. Survival rates, causes of failure and productivity of Skylark Alauda arvensis nests on lowland farmland. Ibis 2002, 144:652-664.
25. Donald, P.F., Vickery, J.A., 2000. The importance of cereal fields to breeding and wintering Skylarks Alauda arvensis in the UK. Ecology and Conservation of Lowland Farmland Birds, British Ornithologists' Union, pp. 140-150.
26. Douglas D.J., Vickery J.A., Benton T.G. Variation in arthropod abundance in barley under varying sowing regimes. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 2010, 135:127-131.
27. Eggers S., Unell M., Pärt T. Autumn-sowing of cereals reduces breeding bird numbers in a heterogeneous agricultural landscape. Biol. Conserv. 2011, 144:1137-1144.
28. Environmental and Nature Data Compendium, 2005. RIVM-MNP. Statistics Netherlands, Bilthoven; Voorburg/Heerlen and Agricultural Research Service, Wageningen. (accessed 21.11.11). http://www.mnp.nl/mnc/i-en-0228.html.
29. Eraud C., Boutin J.M. Density and productivity of breeding Skylarks Alauda arvensis in relation to crop type on agricultural lands in western France. Bird Study 2002, 49:287-296.
30. Erdos S., Baldi A., Batary P. Nest-site selection and breeding ecology of Sky Larks Alauda arvensis in Hungarian farmland. Bird Study 2009, 56:259-263.
31. European Communities, 2007. Management plan for Skylark (Alauda arvensis) 2007-2009. Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds.
32. Geiger F., Bengtsson J., Berendse F., Weisser W.W., Emmerson M., Morales M.B., Ceryngier P., Liira J., Tscharntke T., Winqvist C., Eggers S., Bommarco R., Pärt T., Bretagnolle V., Plantegenest M., Clement L.W., Dennis C., Palmer C., Onate J.J., Guerrero I., Hawro V., Aavik T., Thies C., Flohre A., Hanke S., Fischer C., Goedhart P.W., Inchausti P. Persistent negative effects of pesticides on biodiversity and biological control potential on European farmland. Basic. Appl. Ecol. 2010, 11:97-105.
33. Gilroy J.J., Anderson G.Q.A., Grice P.V., Vickery J.A., Sutherland W.J. Mid-season shifts in the habitat associations of Yellow Wagtails Motacilla flava breeding in arable farmland. Ibis 2010, 152:90-104.
34. Gregory R.D., van Strien A., Vorisek P., Meyling A.W.G., Noble D.G., Foppen R.P.B., Gibbons D.W. Developing indicators for European birds. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B 2005, 360:269-288.
35. Henderson I.G., Critchley N.R., Cooper J., Fowbert J.A. Breeding Skylarks Alauda arvensis to vegetation structure in set-aside (fallow arable land). Ibis 2001, 143:317-321.
36. Jenny M. Territorialität und Brutbiologie der feldlerche Alauda arvensis in einer intensiv genutzen Agrarlandschaft. J. Ornithol. 1990, 241-265.
37. Kery M., Royle J.A. Hierarchical modelling and estimation of abundance and population trends in metapopulation designs. J. Anim. Ecol. 2010, 79:453-461.
38. Kragten S. Shift in crop preference during the breeding season by Yellow Wagtails Motacilla flava flava on arable farms in The Netherlands. J. Ornithol. 2011, 152:751-757.
39. Kragten S., Trimbos K.B., De Snoo G.R. Breeding skylarks (Alauda arvensis) on organic and conventional arable farms in the Netherlands. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 2008, 126:163-167.
40. Morris A.J., Holland J.M., Smith B., Jones N.E. Sustainable arable farming for an improved environment (SAFFIE): managing winter wheat sward structure for Skylarks Alauda arvensis. Ibis 2004, 146:155-162.
41. öckinger E., Smith H.G. Semi-natural grasslands as population sources for pollinating insects in agricultural landscapes. J. Appl. Ecol. 2007, 44:50-59.
42. Piha M., Pakkala T., Tiainen J. Habitat preference of the Skylark Aluada arvensis in southern Finland. Ornis Fennica 2003, 97-110.
43. Poulsen J.G., Sotherton N.W., Aebischer N.J. Comparative nesting and feeding ecology of skylarks Alauda arvensis on arable farmland in southern England with special reference to set-aside. J. Appl. Ecol. 1998, 35:131-147.
44. R Development Core Team R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing 2011, R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. http://www.r-project.org/.
45. Robinson R.A., Sutherland W.J. The winter distribution of seed-eating birds: habitat structure, seed density and seasonal depletion. Ecography 1999, 22:447-454.
46. Robinson R.A., Sutherland W.J. Post-war changes in arable farming and biodiversity in Great Britain. J. Appl. Ecol. 2002, 39:157-176.
47. RSPB website, 2011. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. (accessed 20.11.11). http://www.rspb.org.uk/.
48. Schläpfer A. Populationsökologie der Feldlerche Alauda arvensis in der intensiv genutzen Agrarlandschaft. Der Ornitologische Beobachter 1988, 85:305-371.
49. SMHI website, 2011. Sveriges Meteorologiska och Hydrologiska Institut. (accessed 17.11.11). http://www.smhi.se/.
50. Siriwardena G.M., Baillie S.R., Buckland S.T., Fewster R.M., Marchant J.H., Wilson J.D. Trends in the abundance of farmland birds: a quantitative comparison of smoothed Common Birds Census indices. J. Appl. Ecol. 1998, 35:24-43.
51. Söderström B. Seasonal change in Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio territory quality - the role of nest predation. Ibis 2001, 143:561-571.
52. Söderström B., Pärt T. Influence of landscape scale on farmland birds breeding in semi-natural pastures. Conserv. Biol. 2000, 14:522-533.
53. Toepfer S., Stubbe M. Territory density of the Skylark (Alauda arvensis) in relation to field vegetation in central Germany. J. Ornithol. 2001, 142:184-194.
54. van Horne B. Density as a misleading indicator of habitat quality. J. Wildl. Manage. 1983, 47:893-901.
55. Verhulst S., Nilsson J.A. The timing of birds' breeding seasons: a review of experiments that manipulated timing of breeding. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B 2008, 363:399-410.
56. Whittingham M.J., Evans K.L. The effects of habitat structure on predation risk of birds in agricultural landscapes. Ibis 2004, 146:210-220.
57. Whittingham M.J., Wilson J.D., Donald P.F. Do habitat association models have any generality? Predicting skylark Alauda arvensis abundance in different regions of southern England. Ecography 2003, 26:521-531.
58. Wilson J.D., Evans J., Browne S.J., King J.R. Territory distribution and breeding success of skylarks Alauda arvensis on organic and intensive farmland in southern England. J. Appl. Ecol. 1997, 34:1462-1478.
59. Wilson J.D., Whittingham M.J., Bradbury R.B. The management of crop structure: a general approach to reversing the impacts of agricultural intensification on birds?. Ibis 2005, 147:453-463.
60. Wretenberg J., Lindström å., Svensson S., Pärt T. Linking agricultural policies to population trends of Swedish farmland birds in different agricultural regions. J. Appl. Ecol. 2007, 44:933-941.
61. Wretenberg J., Lindström A., Svensson S., Thierfelder T., Pärt T. Population trends of farmland birds in Sweden and England: similar trends but different patterns of agricultural intensification. J. Appl. Ecol. 2006, 43:1110-1120.