Avian foraging behaviour in relation to provision of ecosystem services in a highland East African agroecosystem

Ndang'ang'a, Paul K.; Njoroge, John B.M.; Ngamau, Kamau; Kariuki, Wariara; Atkinson, Philip W.; Vickery, Juliet A.

doi:10.1080/00063657.2012.758228

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…One limiting factor in agriculture, particularly in the developing world, is the availability of expensive inputs, such as fertilizers and pesticides (Ndang'ang'a et al 2013). By encouraging the provisioning of ecosystem services, including pest control, farmers could decrease their reliance on costly chemical inputs.…”

Section: List Of Tablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying pest control services by birds and ants in Kenyan coffee farms

Milligan

Johnson

Garfinkel

et al. 2016

Biological Conservation

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QUANTIFYING PEST CONTROL SERVICES BY BIRDS AND ANTS IN KENYAN COFFEE FARMS Megan MilliganEcosystem services, such as pest control and pollination, are critical benefits of biodiversity necessary for agricultural production. Predators, including insectivorous birds and ants, can provide important biological controls in agroecosystems, boosting crop yield and helping to offset the need for expensive inputs such as pesticides. With agricultural demand projected to increase in the future, two broad management strategies, termed land sparing and land sharing, have been proposed to conserve biodiversity while still meeting increased agricultural demand. Understanding the related impacts of habitat and landscape characteristics on the delivery of ecosystem services can better inform managers seeking to promote these benefits of biodiversity. In order to better understand these relationships, I conducted a sentinel pest experiment to investigate predation levels in response to a novel pest on coffee farms in central Kenya. The frequency of predation decreased significantly with increasing distance from adjacent forest fragments and was correlated with bird species richness. Predation was also significantly higher on shade compared to sun coffee farms. The mechanism through which the bird and ant communities are effecting pest removal is less clear, but encouraging particular preferential predators could positively influence pest control. In conclusion, a land sharing approach, via both the integration of shade trees and the conservation of small ii forest fragments within a farm, can support increased levels of pest control services provided by both birds and ants in Kenyan coffee farms.iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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Section: List Of Tablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying pest control services by birds and ants in Kenyan coffee farms

Milligan

Johnson

Garfinkel

et al. 2016

Biological Conservation

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“…In case of any sticky mud, the sample was first diluted in a bucket of water and then sieved [31]. Dry soil samples were sorted by hand [32,33]. This method was clearly biased to soil macroinvertebrates.…”

Section: Invertebrate Abundancementioning

confidence: 99%

Foraging Behaviour of the Black-Headed Heron at Kibimba Rice Scheme, Eastern Uganda

Nachuha

Mwima

2020

AIR

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Variations in the factors affecting prey availability directly impact on the spatial dispersion of foraging birds. The feeding success and efficiency of the Black-headed Heron (Ardea melanocephala) was examined in the different growth stages/phases of paddy rice, namely: Ploughed fields, Phase 1 fields (2 weeks-1 month after sowing) and Harvested fields. Feeding success of the Black-headed Heron varied significantly across the rice growth stage. This variation was explained by a combination of factors such water depth, waterbird abundance, Nearest Neighbor Distance (NND) and food or prey abundance (except amphibian abundance). Statistical analysis were conducted using Genstat Version 8.1 (VSN Intl.2003, in which a General Linear Mixed Model were used to examine the variation in each behavioural measure. Foraging in aggregations on rice paddies seems to be more beneficial to the Black-headed Heron. The closeness to a conspecific had a positive effect on the feeding efficiency of the Black-headed Heron as they foraged on fields with abundant prey (Phase 1) and a negative effect on fields with less abundant prey (Ploughed fields). Generally, the data seem to suggest that there is a functional relationship between the Black-headed Heron, and prey abundance, and the absence of interference competition on rice fields.

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“…Yet, the supposition that coffee grown without shade (sun coffee) provides higher quantity yields than shade coffee is unproven; in fact, recent research has reported that up to 50% shade cover on farms has a positive effect on coffee yields both in quantity and quality due to temperature regulation, shade tree nitrogen fixation, reduction of coffee related pests, and decreased spread of coffee‐effecting diseases (Atallah et al., 2016; Avelino et al., 2015; Cerda et al., 2017; Coffee Research Institute, 2019; Jha et al., 2014; Jonsson et al., 2015; Maas et al., 2013, 2016; Meylan et al., 2017; Soto‐Pinto et al., 2000). Shade negatively impacts coffee pests by lowering temperatures below pests’ thermal optima and also contributes to pest control through increased predation by birds (Johnson et al., 2010; Kariuki Ndang'ang'a et al., 2013; Karp et al., 2013; Kellermann et al., 2008; Maas et al., 2016; Mäntylä et al., 2011; Perfecto et al., 1996, 2014; Railsback & Johnson, 2014). Studies in the Neotropics have shown that increased predation may be a function of overall bird abundance or diversity (Van Bael et al., 2008; Martínez‐Salinas et al., 2016; Sekercioglu, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shade trees preserve avian insectivore biodiversity on coffee farms in a warming climate

Schooler

Johnson

Njoroge³

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Avian foraging behaviour in relation to provision of ecosystem services in a highland East African agroecosystem

Abstract: (2013) Avian foraging behaviour in relation to provision of ecosystem services in a highland East African agroecosystem, Bird Study, 60:2, 156-168,

Cited by 8 publications

References 37 publications

Quantifying pest control services by birds and ants in Kenyan coffee farms

Quantifying pest control services by birds and ants in Kenyan coffee farms

Foraging Behaviour of the Black-Headed Heron at Kibimba Rice Scheme, Eastern Uganda

Shade trees preserve avian insectivore biodiversity on coffee farms in a warming climate

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