The Effects of Modern Agriculture, Nest Predation and Game Management on the Population Ecology of Partridges (Perdix perdix and Alectoris rufa)

Potts, G. R.

doi:10.1016/s0065-2504(08)60266-4

Cited by 149 publications

(187 citation statements)

References 69 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

178

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The studies concerning the relationships between weather variables and wild populations of Phasianidae have shown that weather can have direct and indirect effect on the populations. For example, severe winters can reduce the over-winter survival of the adults and the breeding performance of the hens (Church 1980;Potts 1980;Rotella et al 1996;Draycott et al 1998;Gabbert et al 1999). Moreover, cold springs prevent the grass growth with the consequence of a poor nest concealment and higher nest predation rate (Hill and Robertson 1988;Meriggi et al 1990).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…the percentage of pairs reproducing successfully); (4) mean brood size (arithmetic and geomet-ric mean); (5) CSR, calculated from the geometric mean of the brood size (Potts 1980(Potts , 1986; and (6) juvenile density (>60 days old).…”

Section: Population Monitoringmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The main recognised cause of the decline of grey partridge numbers in Europe is the modification of agricultural cropping following the mechanisation of agricultural practices and the use of pesticides, thus reducing farmland biodiversity with effects on habitat and food resources (Potts 1980(Potts , 1986. In particular, modern agriculture reduces preferred nesting cover and the abundance of insects that are the preferred food for chicks, thus reducing in turn nesting success and chick survival and increasing breeding predation pressure in simplified agroecosystems (Meriggi et al 1992;Panek 1997aPanek , b, 2005Frampton and Dorne 2007;Potts 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Demographic parameters of reintroduced grey partridges in central Italy and the effect of weather

et al. 2009

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Grey partridge populations declined in Europe from mid-1950s onwards mostly due to modifications of agricultural cropping. In Italy, the decline was even more dramatic because of over-hunting and restocking with allochthonous birds. We carried out a research on a reintroduced population in Central Italy from 1995 to 2005, with the aim of evaluating the reintroduction success and separating the intrinsic and external factors influencing year-to-year changes in partridge density with particular respect to the weather. Average spring density was 4.5 pairs per square kilometre (SD=1.52); our population reached a peak few years after the reintroduction and then declined. Brood production rate was close to that of declining European populations (average 33.9%; SD=10.21), and chick survival rate (average 40%; SD=17.61) determined the change of breeding abundance from year t to year t+1. Our population seemed to be mainly affected by brood production and chick survival rates and by the weather; in particular, higher early winter and spring temperatures increased breeding density whilst higher early summer temperatures decreased brood production rate.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Population Monitoringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Demographic parameters of reintroduced grey partridges in central Italy and the effect of weather

et al. 2009

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Predation on nests or adults can be high in many game species, such as grouse (e.g. Angelstam et al 1984, Redmond et al 1982, Erikstad et al 1982, Thirgood et al 1998, partridges (Potts 1980, Bro et al 2000 or wildfowl (Beauchamp et al 1996, Sovada et al 2001. Thus, predator control has been recommended in many cases to increase gamebird breeding success and thus the size of the harvestable populations (Charlez 1993, Borralho et al 1997, Hudson & Newborn 1995, Romero 2001.…”

Section: Management Practices Management For Gamebird Shootingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Angelstam et al 1984, Marcstrom et al 1988). In the UK, predation is also the most important cause of nest failure and adult mortality in grouse (Thirgood et al 1998) or partridges (Potts 1980). In Spain, predation by generalist predators (mainly foxes and crows, but also other species) is also important in partridges (Yanes & Suarez 1996, Herranz 2001.…”

Section: Predation and Gamebirdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological effects of game management: does supplemental feeding affect herbivory pressure on native vegetation?

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Context Supplemental feeding of large mammalian herbivores is a common management tool mainly aimed at promoting healthy populations and at increasing productivity and trophy sizes. Such management measure may indirectly affect herbivore effects on plant communities through altered foraging patterns. The quantification of the ecological effects of large herbivore management is important for designing holistic management and conservation programs. Aims Here we aimed at quantifying the ecological effects of supplemental feeding of Iberian red deer, Cervus elaphus hispanicus, on the composition of and on the browsing effects on Mediterranean woody plant community. Methods An experiment was set up in a hunting rangeland located in central Spain, where female deer were kept in enclosures with either exclusive access to natural forages or with additional ad libitum access to a nutritionally rich concentrate. The experiment also included a control area where deer were absent. Key results We observed significant differences in browsing impacts among the supplemented, non-supplemented and control areas, and such effect varied for the different plant species. Plant species which nutritional content complemented that of fodder were more highly consumed, for instance, Erica spp., which digestible fibre content is higher and N content lower than that of provided fodder. The presence of deer and the concentrate supplied, instead, did not influence the relative abundances of shrub species. Conclusions Artificial supplemental feeding provided to ungulates led to increased browsing on plant species which nutritional composition complemented that of the supplement provided. Implications So as to alleviate herbivory impact on all shrubs, we suggest that composition of supplemental feeding should adjust both to the natural forage availability and quality and to ungulate requirements across seasons.

show abstract

Developmental stage affects eggshell‐breaking strength in two ground‐nesting birds: the partridge (Alectoris rufa) and the quail (Coturnix japonica)

et al. 2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We examined the relationship between embryo development and egg hardness in two ground nesting bird species, the red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa; n = 165 eggs) and the quail (Coturnix japonica; n = 148 eggs). For both species, we observed a strong effect of developmental stage on egg hardness. Eggs near hatching were significantly weaker than unincubated eggs (partridge: 18 and 23 N, respectively, and the quail 7 and 10 N, respectively). We additionally explored the effect of incubation on egg hardness in a control sample of non-fertilised quail eggs (i.e., without embryo development). The control eggs maintained in the incubator for the full incubation time (17 days) were significantly harder (7-9 N) than eggs containing fully developed chicks (5-7 N). Thus, the incubation conditions of high temperature and humidity alone seem not to have a significant effect on egg hardness, and support the important effect of calcium uptake.

show abstract

The Effects of Modern Agriculture, Nest Predation and Game Management on the Population Ecology of Partridges (Perdix perdix and Alectoris rufa)

Cited by 149 publications

References 69 publications

Demographic parameters of reintroduced grey partridges in central Italy and the effect of weather

Demographic parameters of reintroduced grey partridges in central Italy and the effect of weather

Ecological effects of game management: does supplemental feeding affect herbivory pressure on native vegetation?

Developmental stage affects eggshell‐breaking strength in two ground‐nesting birds: the partridge (Alectoris rufa) and the quail (Coturnix japonica)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About