Abstract
Land use changes in Europe have resulted in forest loss and fragmentation that have been proved to be key factors driving the decline of various forest bird populations. Quantifying the environmental factors which allow the persistence of forest birds in highly modified landscapes is therefore essential to enhance conservation efforts. In the present study, we defined the environmental factors determining the distribution of seven forest birds (Picus viridis, Dendrocopos major, Dryobates minor, Garrulus glandarius, Poecile palustris, Sitta europea, Aegithalos caudatus) in a central portion of the Po Plain, northern Italy. In the study area, less than 12% of the whole territory is covered by broad-leaved forests (concentrated along the main rivers) and tree plantations. To obtain a full picture of the habitat requirements of these seven forest bird species, we first conducted a survey of their populations using the point count method during the 2015 breeding season, following which, using resource selection functions, we investigated the effect of environmental variables on each species, mainly focusing on the role of natural forests and tree plantations. The effect of variables was assessed both at a home-range scale and at four different scales in the surrounding context. Tree plantations, in addition to natural forests, proved to be important for most of the seven species studied, including forest specialists such as Dryobates minor and Poecile palustris. The distribution of forest species was better explained by habitat amount than by habitat configuration, both at the home-range scale and in the surrounding context. As expected, Sitta europaea was the most sensitive species to land use changes, and broad-leaved natural forests were essential for its persistence in the landscape.
Zusammenfassung
Mehrskalige Lebensraumanforderungen für Waldvogelarten in einer stark fragmentierten Landschaft.
Landnutzungsänderungen in Europa haben zu Waldverlust und Fragmentierung geführt, die sich wiederum als Schlüsselfaktoren für den Rückgang verschiedener Waldvogelbestände erwiesen haben. Die Identifizierung von Umweltfaktoren, die das Fortbestehen von Waldvögeln in stark veränderten Landschaften ermöglichen, ist daher unerlässlich, um die Erhaltungsbemühungen zu verbessern. In der vorliegenden Studie haben wir Umweltfaktoren identifiziert, die die Verbreitung von sieben Waldvogelarten (Picus viridis, Dendrocopos major, Dryobates minor, Garrulus glandarius, Poecile palustris, Sitta europea, Aegithalos caudatus) in einem zentralen Teil der Po-Ebene in Norditalien bestimmen. In dem betrachteten Gebiet sind weniger als 12% des gesamten Gebiets von Laubwäldern (entlang der Hauptflüsse) und Baumplantagen bedeckt. Um ein umfassendes Bild über ihre Lebensraumanforderungen zu erhalten, wurden die sieben Waldarten während der Brutsaison 2015 anhand von „point counts“erfasst. Anschließend haben wir mittels Ressourcenauswahlfunktionen die Auswirkungen von Umweltvariablen für jede Art untersucht, wobei besonders die Rolle von natürlichen Wäldern und Baumplantagen betrachtet wurde. Die Auswirkungen der Variablen wurde sowohl auf der home range Skala als auch auf vier verschiedenen Skalen im Umgebungskontext bewertet. Baumplantagen waren neben natürlichen Wäldern für die meisten Arten von großer Bedeutung, darunter waren auch Waldspezialisten wie Dryobates minor und Poecile palustris. Die Verteilung der im Wald lebenden Arten wurde besser durch die Erweiterung der Lebensräume als durch ihre Konfiguration erklärt, sowohl auf der home range Skala als auch im Umgebungskontext. Wie zu erwarten, war Sitta europaea die empfindlichste Art für Landnutzungsänderungen, im Umkehrschluss waren Naturwälder für das Vorkommen der Art unerlässlich
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Acknowledgements
We thank Olivia Dondina for useful suggestions on the survey design and Kati Sara Bovo for help in the fieldwork. We would also like to acknowledge Andrew Sturgeon for proofreading and providing linguistic advice and Nathalie Kohl for translating the abstract into German.
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This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
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Bird surveys were conducted with permission from local landowners where necessary. Data collection did not involve sampling procedure, and experimental manipulation of birds and the field work was conducted under Law of the Republic of Italy on the Protection of Wildlife (February 25, 1992).
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Chiatante, G., Porro, Z., Musacchio, A. et al. Multi-scale habitat requirements of forest bird species in a highly fragmented landscape. J Ornithol 160, 773–788 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-019-01664-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-019-01664-9