Abstract
Vertical banks in mining sites can provide safe nesting sites for burrowing bird species. These burrows can then, in turn, provide nest sites for species unable to create burrows themselves, especially in areas where the abundance of safe nesting holes is a limiting factor. Thus, primary burrowing species can provide ecosystem services for secondary cavity-nesting species. Our objective was to study the availability of burrows of biotic origin in mining sites, and their role in improving colonization and local biodiversity of cliff-nesting birds (birds that rely primarily on rocky or sandy walls to breed). We selected the Sand Martin because it is a colonial ecological engineer species that nests frequently in mining sites. First, we estimated Sand Martin burrow abundance and occupation rates and identified secondary cavity-nesting birds in 8849 burrows from 30 colonies in ten mining sites in central Spain. Second, we studied the dynamics of the Sand Martin burrows, by estimating annual construction and disappearance rates. Finally, we studied factors that could favour secondary cavity-nesting bird occupation. We found that Sand Martins burrowed more than was previously estimated in mining sites, and that their burrows were used by five species of secondary cavity-nesting birds. The number of available burrows each year varied due to relatively high annual construction and disappearance rates. Numbers of Sand Martin pairs and burrows in the colonies were the main factors favouring secondary cavity occupation. Our results support promoting Sand Martins in mine restoration projects, not only to benefit this endangered bird, but also because their ecosystem services can benefit other cliff-nesting species of birds, thus increasing local biodiversity.
Zusammenfassung
Der Nutzen von Vögeln für die Renaturierung von Tagebauflächen: eine Fallstudie über den Höhlenbau der Uferschwalbe ( Riparia riparia )
Senkrechte Abbruchkanten in Tagebaugebieten können sichere Nistplätze für Erdhöhlenbrüter bieten. Diese Erdhöhlen können dann ihrerseits für solche Arten zu Nistmöglichkeiten werden, welche selber keine Höhlen graben können, speziell in Gebieten, in denen die Anzahl sicherer Bruthöhlen einen limitierenden Faktor darstellt. Daher können solche primären Erdhöhlenbrüter als „Ökosystemdienstleister“ für sekundäre Höhlenbrüter fungieren. Unser Ziel war es, die Verfügbarkeit von Höhlen biotischen Ursprungs auf Abbauflächen zu untersuchen und deren Bedeutung für die Förderung der Besiedlung und der lokalen Biodiversität an Steilwandbrütern (Vögel, die zum Nisten primär auf felsige oder sandige Steilwände angewiesen sind) zu beleuchten. Unsere Wahl fiel auf die Uferschwalbe, da diese ein Höhlen grabender Koloniebrüter ist, der häufig in Abbaugebieten brütet. Zunächst schätzten wir die Häufigkeit und die Nutzungsraten der Uferschwalben-Nisthöhlen und bestimmten die sekundären Höhlenbrüter in 8849 Bruthöhlen aus 30 Kolonien an zehn Abbaustellen in Zentralspanien. Anschließend untersuchten wir die Dynamik der Uferschwalben-Bruthöhlen, indem wir die jährlichen Raten von Bau und Verschwinden schätzten. Schließlich untersuchten wir noch die Faktoren, welche eine Besiedlung durch sekundäre Höhlenbrüter begünstigen könnten. Es stellte sich heraus, dass Uferschwalben stärker als zuvor angenommen Höhlen an Abbaustellen anlegten und dass ihre Höhlen von fünf Arten sekundärer Höhlenbrüter genutzt wurden. Die Anzahl verfügbarer Höhlen schwankte von Jahr zu Jahr, aufgrund relativ hoher jährlicher Bau- und Verlustraten. Die jeweilige Anzahl der Uferschwalbenpaare und –brutröhren in den Kolonien waren die Hauptfaktoren, welche eine sekundäre Höhlennutzung begünstigten. Unsere Ergebnisse unterstützen eine Förderung von Uferschwalben in Projekten zur Renaturierung von Tagebauflächen, nicht nur zum Nutzen dieser stark gefährdeten Vogelart, sondern auch, da andere Arten von deren Ökosystemdienstleistungen profitieren könnten und somit die lokale Biodiversität von Steilwandbrütern erhöht würde.
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Acknowledgements
This project was financed through a partnership between the International Foundation for the Restoration of Ecosystems and LafargeHolcim Spain, and was supported by the Forest Ecology and Restoration Group of the University of Alcalá. E. Andivia was supported by a postdoctoral grant funded by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. We would like to specially acknowledge Pilar Gegúndez and Raúl Pérez for their support, and Manuel Andrés, Rafael Barrientos and Aurelio Malo for their contributions to this study. We declare that this work fully complied with current Spanish laws.
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S. R. and Z. R. conceived and designed the research; Z. R., J. F. and C. R. U. collected the data and S. R. assisted in this; E. A. and Z. R. performed the statistical analyses; Z. R. wrote the first draft of this article; Z. R., S. R. and E. A. wrote and edited the final manuscript.
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All applicable international, national and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. All procedures involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Food and the Dirección General del Medio Ambiente de la Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Administración Local y Ordenación del Territorio de la Comunidad de Madrid (REF:10/148281.9/17, date 18 May 2017). Bird manipulation was done by an expert of SEO/BirdLife’s Bird Migration Center and with authorization for scientific banding from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Food (permit no. 530339).
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Rohrer, Z., Rebollo, S., Andivia, E. et al. Bird services applicable to mine restoration: a case study of Sand Martin (Riparia riparia) burrow construction. J Ornithol 161, 243–255 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-019-01711-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-019-01711-5