Contrast in edge vegetation structure modifies the predation risk of natural ground nests in an agricultural landscape.

PloS One
Nicole A SchneiderTomas Pärt

Abstract

Nest predation risk generally increases nearer forest-field edges in agricultural landscapes. However, few studies test whether differences in edge contrast (i.e. hard versus soft edges based on vegetation structure and height) affect edge-related predation patterns and if such patterns are related to changes in nest conspicuousness between incubation and nestling feeding. Using data on 923 nesting attempts we analyse factors influencing nest predation risk at different edge types in an agricultural landscape of a ground-cavity breeding bird species, the Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe). As for many other bird species, nest predation is a major determinant of reproductive success in this migratory passerine. Nest predation risk was higher closer to woodland and crop field edges, but only when these were hard edges in terms of ground vegetation structure (clear contrast between tall vs short ground vegetation). No such edge effect was observed at soft edges where adjacent habitats had tall ground vegetation (crop, ungrazed grassland). This edge effect on nest predation risk was evident during the incubation stage but not the nestling feeding stage. Since wheatear nests are depredated by ground-living animals our results dem...Continue Reading

References

Aug 21, 2008·PloS One·Debora ArltTomas Pärt
Aug 20, 2009·Ecological Applications : a Publication of the Ecological Society of America·Joshua M Malt, David B Lank
Feb 1, 1995·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·C Murcia
Mar 1, 1996·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·S L Lima, P A Zollner
Feb 1, 1999·The American Naturalist·William F FaganChris Cosner

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Citations

Sep 10, 2013·Oecologia·Meit ÖbergMatthew Low
Feb 16, 2019·Ecology and Evolution·Matthieu PaquetTomas Pärt
Jan 7, 2021·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Asunción Semper-PascualTobias Kuemmerle
Jan 31, 2021·Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI·Jan CukorMartin Šálek

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