Weed seeds, not grain, contribute to the diet of wintering skylarks in arable farmlands of Western France

Éraud, Cyril; Cadet, Émilie; Powolny, Thibaut; Gaba, Sabrina; Bretagnolle, François; Bretagnolle, Vincent

doi:10.1007/s10344-014-0888-y

Cited by 21 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The seed content of each gizzard was inspected with a binocular microscope, and seeds were counted and identified on the basis of their size, shape, and color and with use of the reference collection held at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA). In contrast to Green (), Donald and Vickery (), and Donald et al (), Eraud et al () did not find a single wheat seed in any skylarks’ gizzards in any region or period of the study. Whatever the region or period, weeds, not grain, were the predominant seeds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Selecting appropriate focal species for assessing the risk to birds from newly drilled pesticide‐treated winter cereal fields in France

Bonneris

Gao

Prosser

et al. 2019

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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Identifying focal bird species appropriate to the situation in which a plant protection product is used is important for refined risk assessment (EFSA 2009). We analyzed the results of extensive field observations of newly drilled cereal fields in France in autumn over 2 seasons to determine real bird focal species. In 2011, birds were observed before and after drilling on wheat and barley fields drilled with imidacloprid‐treated seeds (i.e., “treatment” fields) or seeds treated with compounds other than imidacloprid (i.e., “alternative treatment” fields). Bird abundance, species richness, and diversity were significantly higher in wheat fields than barley fields; these findings led us to monitor only wheat fields in 2012. Statistical analyses did not show a significant effect of the drilling itself or between the treatment fields and the alternative treatment fields on the number and type of bird species. These results led to the pooling of 2011 data on all fields for focal species determination. Similarly, all bird monitoring data generated in 2012 before and after drilling were pooled and analyzed. Rules for determination of candidate focal species detailed in the EFSA (2009) guidance were followed. Carrion crow, wood pigeon, gray partridge, skylark, common starling, and pied wagtail were the bird species most frequently observed on wheat fields. This list of candidate species was processed to determine the most relevant focal species according to the method of Dietzen et al. (2014); this process resulted in the selection of skylark, gray partridge, wood pigeon, and pied wagtail as focal species to assess risks to birds for pesticides applied during drilling of winter cereals in France (September through November). Integr Environ Assess Manag 2019;00:000–000. © 2018 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC)

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Selecting appropriate focal species for assessing the risk to birds from newly drilled pesticide‐treated winter cereal fields in France

Bonneris

Gao

Prosser

et al. 2019

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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“…It is likely that the diversification of seed predators based on their size and metabolic requirements may result in complementary seed predation due to their different preferences for seed size and seed lipid content. Few studies have investigated the effects of seed traits on weed seed consumption by granivorous species such as skylarks ( Alauda arvensis ), a winter seed feeder and a common farmland specialist bird (Robinson, ; Eraud et al ., ). Skylarks mostly eat seeds that are as small as the seeds selected by carabid beetles, that is <2 mg (Green, ; Eraud et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Lipid content drives weed seed consumption by ground beetles (Coleopterea, Carabidae) within the smallest seeds

et al. 2019

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Seed predation by natural predators can contribute to the regulation of the weed seedbank, hence has been acknowledged as a promising way to significantly reduce the use of chemicals and mechanical weeding to manage arable weeds. However, the complex aspects that determine seed species preference are not yet fully understood, especially, the relationship between weed seed traits and the feeding behaviour of seed predator species. In this study, we examine predation on 42 weed species by four ground beetle species as a function of two major seed traits: seed mass and seed lipid content. We used an _original experimental design to create a statistically independent trait value distribution for evaluating the separate and interactive effects of these two traits. Our results show that all the ground beetles species consumed weed seeds, but at different rates. The smallest weed seeds with high lipid content were among the most consumed. While seed mass might be limiting for ground beetles, due to ease of handling or the thickness of the seed coat, they may preferentially consume seeds rich in lipids to increase energy uptake. To our knowledge, this study is the first to reveal that two major seed traits drive seed predation by ground beetles.

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“…The use and manipulation of the guild of seed‐eating species may be a promising way to contribute to weed control, because these organisms can potentially affect both the densities and growth rates of weeds (Westerman et al ., ; Bohan et al ., ; De Vega et al ., ; Eraud et al ., ), although the actual effect of seed predation on weed dynamics remains to be demonstrated and quantified. The manipulation of granivorous species to optimise weed management strategies is a challenge that needs an understanding of the complex relationship between weed seed traits and feeding behaviour of seed predators (Moles et al ., ; Wang & Chen, ).…”

Section: Functional Effect Traits Related To Biotic Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response and effect traits of arable weeds in agro‐ecosystems: a review of current knowledge

et al. 2017

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Integrating principles of ecological intensification into weed management strategies requires an understanding of the many relationships among weeds, crops and other organisms of agro-ecosystems in a changing context. Extensively used during the last two decades in weed science, trait-based approaches have provided general insights into weed community response to agricultural practices, and recently to understanding the effect of weeds on agro-ecosystem functioning. In this review, we provide a holistic synthesis of the current knowledge on weed response and effect functional traits. Based on the literature and recent advances in weed science, we review current knowledge on (i) weed functional groups and ecological strategies, (ii) weed functional response traits to cropping systems and (iii) weed functional effect traits affecting agro-ecosystem functioning. For each functional trait, we explicitly present the assumptions and evidence on the linkage between trait values and ecological functions, in response to either management practices, for example tillage, sowing and herbicides, or biotic interactions, for example crop-weed competition and pollination. Finally, we address and discuss major research avenues that may significantly improve the use of traits and the knowledge of functional diversity in weed science for the future, especially to design and implement more environmentally sustainable weed management strategies.

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Weed seeds, not grain, contribute to the diet of wintering skylarks in arable farmlands of Western France

Cited by 21 publications

References 29 publications

Selecting appropriate focal species for assessing the risk to birds from newly drilled pesticide‐treated winter cereal fields in France

Selecting appropriate focal species for assessing the risk to birds from newly drilled pesticide‐treated winter cereal fields in France

Lipid content drives weed seed consumption by ground beetles (Coleopterea, Carabidae) within the smallest seeds

Response and effect traits of arable weeds in agro‐ecosystems: a review of current knowledge

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