Interactions in shrub-steppes: implications for the maintenance of a threatened bird

Reverter, Margarita; Gómez‐Catasús, Julia; Barrero, Adrián; Pérez‐Granados, Cristian; Rosa, Daniel Bustillo-de la; Traba, Juán

doi:10.7818/ecos.1763

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 35 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The small variation (4.3%) absorbed by our proxy for food availability (BNDVI) was striking. Food availability has been described as a key factor in many habitat selection studies (Schoener 1974), including birds (Cody 1985, Pachomski et al 2021, and other works in this study area (Gómez-Catasús et al 2019, Reverter et al 2019. Assuming that vegetation indices such as BNDVI are good descriptors of arthropod biomass (i.e.…”

Section: Resource Partitioning and Niche Selectionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Co‐occurrence patterns in a steppe bird community: insights into the role of dominance and competition

Barrero

Ovaskainen

Traba

et al. 2023

Oikos

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Spatial co‐occurrence patterns are determined by environmental factors, such as food availability or habitat characteristics and by biotic associations. When resources are limited, competition which implies a dominant hierarchy can shape species assemblage. Here, we study space and time co‐occurrence of steppe passerines during the breeding season in a natural steppe habitat, its modulation by environmental filtering, potential biotic interactions and random processes. We applied the joint species distribution model of hierarchical modelling of species community (HMSC) to data on species presence–absence and environmental, temporal and spatial covariates acquired from seven plots in a natural steppe in central Spain during two consecutive years. Our results reveal the patterns of bird species co‐occurrence and suggest that this assemblage might be competitively structured. The assemblage appears to be configured around one dominant species, the Eurasian skylark, which establishes principally negative associations with many of the coexistent species. Our results contribute to the understanding of how competition and dominance processes, together with ecological constraints and other biotic associations, shape bird assemblages.

show abstract

Section: Resource Partitioning and Niche Selectionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Co‐occurrence patterns in a steppe bird community: insights into the role of dominance and competition

Barrero

Ovaskainen

Traba

et al. 2023

Oikos

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There are two main factors promoting habitat loss in the case of Dupont's Lark. First, the abandonment of extensive grazing leads to plant succession and transformation of the steppe land habitat (Peco et al, 2012;Íñigo et al, 2008;Gómez-Catasús et al, 2019), in addition to decreasing habitat quality due to food (arthropod) availability linked to sheep deposition (Gómez-Catasús et al, 2019;Reverter et al, 2019). Second, direct habitat destruction due to land use changes, mainly wind farms (Gómez-Catasús, and ploughing (Garza, Suárez & Tella, 2004;Íñigo et al, 2008), and new habitat changes expected to appear in the near future (wind farms and solar photovoltaic installations; Serrano et al, 2020).…”

Section: Populations Subpopulations and Stepping Stonesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Connectivity in Spanish metapopulation of Dupont’s lark may be maintained by dispersal over medium-distance range and stepping stones

García-Antón

Garza

Traba

2021

PeerJ

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Dupont’s Lark is an endangered bird, whose fragmented distribution in Europe is entirely restricted to Spain. This lark, suffering pronounced population decline and range contraction, inhabits steppes that have long been used for grazing sheep and are now threatened by rural abandonment and land use changes. Thus, for conservation of the lark, increasing knowledge about the connectivity of the Spanish metapopulation and identifying the most important connectivity nodes are crucial. Methods The study was carried out in Spain, using over 16,000 Dupont’s Lark georeferenced observations. We used distance buffers to define populations and subpopulations, based on the available scientific information. We identified potential stepping stones using a MaxEnt probability of presence model. Connectivity was assessed using Conefor software, using the centroid of each subpopulation and stepping stone as nodes. Each node was assigned a quantitative attribute based on total habitat area, within-node habitat quality and internal fragmentation. We evaluated different connectivity scenarios by potential movement thresholds (5–20–100 km) and presence or absence of stepping stones in the network. Results Dupont’s Lark Iberian metapopulation comprises 24 populations and 100 subpopulations, plus 294 potential stepping stones. Movement thresholds and stepping stones had a strong influence in the potential network connectivity. The most important nodes are located in the core of the metapopulation, which shows connectivity among subpopulations in the different indices and scenarios evaluated. Peripheral populations are more isolated and require stepping stones or medium (20 km) or long (100 km) potential movement thresholds to join the network. Discussion Metapopulation connectivity may be greater than expected, thanks to stepping stones and potential medium-distance movements. Connectivity is crucial for conservation and can be increased by preserving or improving adequate habitat in the most important nodes. Given the current species decline, steppe habitat should be urgently protected from land use changes and agriculture intensification, at least in the critical subpopulations and stepping stones. Long-term conservation of steppe lands and Dupont’s Lark in Spain requires the recovery of traditional grazing and more research on juvenile dispersion. Meanwhile, the conservation of potentially critical stepping stones should be incorporated to management plans.

show abstract

“…ej., biodiversidad). Reverter et al (2019) estudia la interacción trófica de la alondra ricotí (Chersophylus duponti) con la comunidad de insectos en páramos de la Península Ibérica. Encuentran que para restaurar los páramos favoreciendo a la alondra ricotí, es más necesario asegurar los recursos tróficos que la estructura de la comunidad vegetal.…”

Section: Fase De Seguimientounclassified

Untitled

2019

ECOS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Interactions in shrub-steppes: implications for the maintenance of a threatened bird

Abstract: Artículo publicado en Open Access bajo los términos de Creative Commons attribution Non Comercial License 3.0.

Cited by 7 publications

References 35 publications

Co‐occurrence patterns in a steppe bird community: insights into the role of dominance and competition

Co‐occurrence patterns in a steppe bird community: insights into the role of dominance and competition

Connectivity in Spanish metapopulation of Dupont’s lark may be maintained by dispersal over medium-distance range and stepping stones

Untitled

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About