| 1. |
- Bommarco, Riccardo, et al.
(författare)
-
How Agricultural Intensification Affects Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Advances in Ecological Research. - : Elsevier. - 0065-2504. ; 55, s. 43-97
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- As the world's population continues to grow, the demand for food, fodder, fibre and bioenergy will increase. In Europe, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has driven the intensification of agriculture, promoting the simplification and specialization of agroecosystems through the decline in landscape heterogeneity, the increased use of chemicals per unit area, and the abandonment of less fertile areas. In combination, these processes have eroded the quantity and quality of habitat for many plants and animals, and hence decreased biodiversity and the abundance of species across a hierarchy of trophic levels and spatial scales within Europe. This biodiversity loss has led to profound changes in the functioning of European agroecosystems over the last 50 years. Here, we synthesize the findings from a large-scale pan-European investigation of the combined effects of agricultural intensification on a range of agroecosystem services. These include (1) the persistence of high conservation value species; (2) the level of biological control of agricultural pests and (3) the functional diversity of a number of taxonomic groups, including birds, beetles and arable weeds. The study encompasses a gradient of geography-bioclimate and agricultural intensification that enables the large-scale measurement of ecological impacts of agricultural intensification across European agroecosystems. We provide an overview of the role of the CAP as a driver of agricultural intensification in the European Union, and we demonstrate compelling negative relationships between the application of pesticides and the various components of biodiversity studied on a pan-European scale.
|
|
| 2. |
- Eggers, Sönke, et al.
(författare)
-
Early post-fire bird community in European boreal forest: Comparing salvage-logged with non-intervention areas
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Global Ecology and Conservation. - : Elsevier BV. - 2351-9894. ; 18
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Salvage logging after disturbances in forests substantially modifies vegetation structure and dead wood availability, but empirical evidence on its impact on biodiversity, especially in European boreal forest, is sparse. In this study we investigated the short-term effect of post-fire salvage logging on species richness and abundance of birds in recently burned mixed coniferous forest. Using point counts we estimated local species composition at 49 salvaged sites and 55 non-intervention sites (burnt forest left for natural regeneration) that were not logged after a fire in south-central Sweden. Local species richness, abundance and Simpson's species diversity index were significantly higher at non-intervention sites compared to salvaged sites. Forest birds that rely on structurally complex forest stands, such as tits (Parus major, Lophophanes cristatus, Poecile montanus), robin (Erithacus rubecula), mistle trush (Turdus viscivorus) and tree-toed woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) were mainly associated with non-intervention sites, while species that are typically linked to farm- or shrublands, such as whinchat (Saxicola rubetra), white wagtail (Motacilla alba), red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio), and meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis) were more common at salvaged sites. These results are consistent with the idea that post-fire salvage logging has an immediate impact on the bird species composition and abundance in boreal forest. We conclude that although post-fire salvage logging may be beneficial for birds occurring in open landscapes, it has negative effects for forest bird species richness and abundance, at least over the short term. To protect typical forest communities with many forest specialists of high conservation concern, we recommend reducing the extent of post-disturbance salvaging in forests of high conservation value and updating the existing management policy to restore the amount of woody debris and facilitate long-term structural complexity and biodiversity in densely stocked conifer stands. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
|
|
| 3. |
- Eggers, Sönke, et al.
(författare)
-
Ecological restoration in boreal forest modifies the structure of bird assemblages
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Forest Ecology and Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-1127 .- 1872-7042. ; 401, s. 75-88
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ecological restoration is increasingly recognised as a useful tool for biodiversity conservation in boreal forests. Most restoration methods in this environment aim to emulate natural disturbances, and thereby promote the development of key ecological structures. However, research about forest ecosystem restoration is still in its infancy and the responses of many boreal species groups remain to be described. We established a large-scale field experiment to evaluate the short-term effects of two restoration treatments - prescribed burning and gap cutting involving the creation of dead wood - on breeding bird assemblages in boreal Sweden. We censused breeding birds using territory mapping during two years in forest stands subjected to the two restoration treatments, in untreated controls and in old-growth references (nature reserves) (n = 10 per treatment). Averaged over the two census years, we found 1145 territories of 36 bird species. Total bird species richness and abundance did not differ among treatments. However, prescribed burning led to clear changes in the structure of the bird assemblages. When dividing species according to four functional categorizations (migration, foraging, nesting and successional stage), we found that the abundance of long-distance migrants, ground breeders, strong cavity excavators and species preferring early-successional habitat was higher in burned stands than in untreated controls and gap-cut stands, as was the species richness of bark feeders and strong cavity excavators. In contrast, abundance of off-ground breeders and species richness of crown feeders were lower following prescribed burning than in the controls. The gap cutting treatment did not have any significant effects on the bird assemblages. Ecological restoration through prescribed burning can be a useful tool for the conservation of boreal forest birds, including the ecologically important strong cavity excavators (i.e. woodpeckers (Picidae)). Forest managers should therefore be encouraged to use prescribed burning as a restoration tool to quickly provide habitat for bird species adapted to natural disturbances in boreal forest. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
|
|
| 4. |
- Eggers, Sönke, et al.
(författare)
-
The multifunctional roles of vegetated strips around and within agricultural fields
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Environmental Evidence. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2047-2382. ; 7
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Agriculture can have substantial negative impacts on the environment. The establishment and management of vegetated strips adjacent to farmed fields (including various field margins, buffer strips and hedgerows) are commonly advocated mitigation measures for these negative environmental impacts. However, it may be difficult to obtain reliable evidence on the effects of implementation and management of vegetated strips, even though a substantial body of evidence exists. We describe a systematic map of research relating to vegetated strips in boreo-temperate farming systems to answer the question: What evidence exists regarding the effects of field margins on nutrients, pollutants, socioeconomics, biodiversity, and soil retention in boreo-temperate systems?Methods: We searched 13 bibliographic databases, 1 search engine and 37 websites of stakeholder organisations using a predefined and tested search string focusing on a comprehensive list of English language vegetated strip synonyms. Searches in Danish, Finnish, Spanish, and Swedish were also conducted using web searches. We screened search results at title, abstract and full text levels, recording the number of studies deemed non-relevant (with reasons at full text). A systematic map database of meta-data (i.e. descriptive summary information about the settings and methods) for relevant studies was produced following full text assessment. The systematic map database is provided as an evidence atlas: interactive, web-based geographical information system.Results: Over 31,000 search results were identified, resulting in a total of 1072 relevant primary research studies and 130 evidence reviews. Articles used a variety of terminology to describe vegetated strips, with 'field margin', 'hedge-row', 'shelterbelt' and 'riparian buffer' most common. The volume of primary research is increasing linearly year-by-year, whilst the increase in reviews has tailed off in the last 10 years. The USA and UK were most frequently studied and reviewed. Arable systems were investigated in c. 70% of primary research but 50% of reviews. Some 50% of primary research vegetated strips were field edge and 25% riparian, whilst riparian and field edge strips were roughly equally the focus of around a half of all described strips in reviews. Terrestrial biodiversity, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and soil/water loss or retention were the most commonly measured outcomes in primary studies and reviews, although some other outcomes were more common in reviews than research articles (e.g. pesticides).Conclusions: We identified substantial bodies of evidence on particular sets of related outcomes and ecosystem services, which constitute important knowledge clusters/synthesis gaps relating to: strip width, terrestrial biodiversity, nutrient retention, hydrological regimes, toxic substances, erosion protection, pests, carbon sequestration, and soil and biodiversity combined. We also identified key knowledge gaps relating to: climate regulation, freshwater biodiversity, strip harvesting, cultural ecosystem services, long-term impacts, the relationship between pest populations and crop yield, fuel and fibre production, specific regions and countries (e.g. Russia and South America), and multi-use vegetated strips. This systematic map is an important step in identifying what research has been done to date, and what primary and secondary research is needed as the next step for this topic.
|
|
| 5. |
- Eggers, Sönke, et al.
(författare)
-
The multifunctional roles of vegetated strips around and within agricultural fields. A systematic map protocol
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Environmental Evidence. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2047-2382. ; 5
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Agriculture and agricultural intensification can have significant negative impacts on the environment, including nutrient and pesticide leaching, spreading of pathogens, soil erosion and reduction of ecosystem services provided by terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity. The establishment and management of vegetated strips adjacent to farmed fields (including various field margins, buffer strips and hedgerows) are key mitigation measures for these negative environmental impacts and environmental managers and other stakeholders must often make decisions about how best to design and implement vegetated strips for a variety of different outcomes. However, it may be difficult to obtain relevant, accurate and summarised information on the effects of implementation and management of vegetated strips, even though a vast body of evidence exists on multipurpose vegetated strip interventions within and around fields. To improve the situation, we describe a method for assembling a database of relevant research relating to vegetated strips undertaken in boreo-temperate farming systems (arable, pasture, horticulture, orchards and viticulture), according to the primary question: What evidence exists regarding the effects of field margins on nutrients, pollutants, socioeconomics, biodiversity, and soil retention?Methods: We will search 13 bibliographic databases, one search engine and 37 websites for stakeholder organisations using a predefined and tested search string that focuses on a comprehensive list of vegetated strip synonyms. Non-English language searches in Danish, Finnish, German, Spanish, and Swedish will also be undertaken using a web-based search engine. We will screen search results at title, abstract and full text levels, recording the number of studies deemed non-relevant (with reasons at full text). A systematic map database that displays the meta-data (i.e. descriptive summary information about settings and methods) of relevant studies will be produced following full text assessment. The systematic map database will be displayed as a web-based geographical information system (GIS). The nature and extent of the evidence base will be discussed.
|
|
| 6. |
- Griesser, Michael, et al.
(författare)
-
Experience buffers extrinsic mortality in a group-living bird species
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Oikos. - : Wiley. - 0030-1299 .- 1600-0706. ; 126:9, s. 1258-1268
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Extrinsic mortality has a strong impact on the evolution of life-histories, prey morphology and behavioural adaptations, but for many animals the causes of mortality are poorly understood. Predation is an important driver of extrinsic mortality and mobile animals form groups in response to increased predation risk. Furthermore, in many species juveniles suffer higher mortality than older individuals, which may reflect a lower phenotypic quality, lower competitiveness, or a lack of antipredator or foraging skills. Here we assessed the causes of mortality for 371 radio tagged Siberian jays. This sedentary bird species lives in family groups that contain a breeding pair as well as related and unrelated non-breeders. Ninety-five percent of death were due to predation (n = 59 out of 62 individuals) and most individuals were killed by Accipiter hawks. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models showed that non-breeders had a lower survival than breeders, but only in territories in managed forest with little visual cover. Examining breeders, only sex influenced survival with males having a lower survival than females. For non-breeders, juveniles had lower survival than older non-breeders, and those on managed territories had lower survival than those on unmanaged territories. Additionally, a low feather quality reduced the survival probability of non-breeders only. Thus, living on managed territories and having a low feature quality affected only non-breeders, particularly juveniles. These findings add to previous research demonstrating that juvenile Siberian jays acquire critical antipredator skills from experienced group members. Thus, experience can buffer extrinsic mortality, highlighting that group living not only provides safety in numbers, but also provide social opportunities to learn critical life-skills.
|
|
| 7. |
- Hiron, Matthew, et al.
(författare)
-
The relationship of bird diversity to crop and non-crop heterogeneity in agricultural landscapes
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Landscape Ecology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0921-2973 .- 1572-9761. ; 30, s. 2001-2013
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Habitat heterogeneity is often assumed to benefit farmland biodiversity. Increasing heterogeneity of non-crop habitats is often too costly in terms of agricultural production. It has been suggested that increased crop heterogeneity could mitigate the negative effects of intensification on biodiversity while still maintaining high production levels.We investigated if habitat-specific species pools of two groups of farmland birds, field-nesting and non-crop-nesting species, were related to landscape-level heterogeneity of crop and non-crop cover. We analysed total number of species (gamma diversity) and average local species richness (alpha diversity) in landscapes and related these two biodiversity measures to four components of landscape heterogeneity (compositional and configurational heterogeneity of crop and non-crop cover).We selected 30 farmland landscapes (each 25 km(2)) in Sweden that largely broke up correlated relationships between crop and non-crop heterogeneity and between compositional and configurational heterogeneity. Estimates of species richness (alpha and gamma diversity) were calculated with bird survey data from specific habitats within landscapes (farmsteads and arable fields) and then related to measures of landscape heterogeneity.No measure of landscape species richness was associated with landscape-scale crop cover heterogeneities. However, gamma diversity of both bird groups was negatively related to the compositional and configurational heterogeneity of non-crop land-use in the landscapes, respectively.Our results suggest that: (i) crop heterogeneities are not related to habitat-specific richness of farmland birds, (ii) heterogeneity effects of habitat complementarity in general are weak and (iii) relationships between diversity and heterogeneity in landscapes are dependent on the biodiversity measure used.
|
|
| 8. |
- Josefsson, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
-
Effects of a coordinated farmland bird conservation project on farmers' intentions to implement nature conservation practices e Evidence from the Swedish Volunteer & Farmer Alliance
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Journal of Environmental Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0301-4797 .- 1095-8630. ; 187, s. 8-15
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To increase the efficacy of agri-environmental schemes (AES), as well as farmers' environmental engagement, practitioners are increasingly turning to collective forms of agri-environmental manage- ment. As yet, empirical evidence from such approaches is relatively scarce. Here, we examined a farm- land bird conservation project coordinated by BirdLife Sweden, the Swedish Volunteer & Farmer Alliance (SVFA). The key features of the SVFA were farmland bird inventories from volunteering birdwatchers and on-farm visits to individual farmers from conservation advisors for guidance on AES as well as unsub- sidised practices. Using an ex-post application of the theory of planned behaviour across project par- ticipants and a randomly sampled control group of farmers we assessed how SVFA affected behavioural intentions relating to AES and unsubsidised conservation, and how the behaviour was affected by atti- tudes, perceived social norms and perceived behavioural control. We also included a measure of self- identity as a conservationist to assess its importance for behavioural intentions, and if SVFA stimu- lated this self-identity. SVFA farmers reported greater commitment to implementing AES and unsubsi- dised conservation, as compared to the control group. However, greater commitment was associated with more positive attitudes for unsubsidised conservation only and not for AES, underlining the inability of existing AES to prompt intrinsic motivation. There were also differences between farmers within SVFA, where farmers applying to the project were motivated by social influences, while farmers recruited by project managers were motivated by their personal beliefs regarding nature conservation. Finally, farmers' self-perceived ability to perform practices (i.e. perceived behavioural control) was important for their commitment to implementing AES as well as unsubsidised practices. Therefore, increasing farmers' awareness regarding the availability and, not least, practicability of available con- servation options may be the key to successful biodiversity conservation in agricultural systems.
|
|
| 9. |
- Josefsson, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
-
Landscape context and farm uptake limit effects of bird conservation in the Swedish Volunteer & Farmer Alliance
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Journal of Applied Ecology. - : Wiley. - 0021-8901 .- 1365-2664. ; 55, s. 2719-2730
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 1. In Europe, agri-environmental schemes (AES) have been unsuccessful in halting biodiversity declines to any great extent. Two shortcomings of AES include the low farm uptake and the modest efficacy of many AES options. Partly in response to these shortcomings, initiatives encouraging farmers to take an active role in biodiversity conservation have gained in popularity. However, almost no evaluations of such initiatives exist.2. We evaluated uptake of conservation advice on farms in the Swedish Volunteer & Farmer Alliance, a BirdLife Sweden-coordinated project aimed at farmland bird conservation, and the response of farmland birds to those actions using farm-level survey data, in a before-after implementation assessment.3. Uptake was higher for unsubsidised (i.e. non-AES) measures than for AES options, and depended mainly on farmers' interest in nature, with farm size and production type having less importance.4. In general, abundances of non-crop nesting and field-nesting bird species declined between inventory years (median interval 3 years). Decreases were more marked in agriculturally marginal regions than in more arable-dominated regions, and declines were stronger on organic than on conventional farms.5. Negative abundance trends among non-crop nesting species were reduced by an increasing number of conservation measures at the farm, but only in the more arable-dominated landscapes. Changes in field-nesting species, or at species level, did not significantly relate to implemented measures, but the power to detect such effects was generally small due to the small sample size of high-uptake farms as well as high inter-farm variability.6. Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that volunteer farmer alliances and the addition of unsubsidised measures may be successful in changing the local number of non-crop nesting farmland birds, at the farm level, particularly in intensively managed agricultural landscapes. Thus, unsubsidised measures can be a useful addition to the set of agri-environment tools, although their effects on breeding bird numbers are (as with agri-environmental schemes) dependent on landscape context, as well as on ensuring high on-farm uptake of different interventions.
|
|
| 10. |
- Josefsson, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
-
Sensitivity of the farmland bird community to crop diversification in Sweden: does the CAP fit?
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Journal of Applied Ecology. - : Wiley. - 0021-8901 .- 1365-2664. ; 54, s. 518-526
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 1. Crop diversification has been introduced as an environmental strategy in the ‘Greening’ of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for 2015–2020. The primary target of crop diver- sification is soil and ecosystem resilience, but claims for potential benefits for farmland biodi- versity are also common. However, understanding of relationships between the number (compositional heterogeneity) and spatial arrangement (configurational heterogeneity) of crop fields and biodiversity is generally poor, making such claims relatively unfounded. 2. In this study, we monitored crop and farmland bird diversity on 178 farms across Swe- den’s main agricultural areas. From a pre-implementation assessment, we show that >97% of the assessed farms would not be required to change their management under the CAP crop diversification measure (minimum of three crops for farms with 30+ ha), suggesting that this measure has generated little change on Swedish farms. 3. While accounting for non-crop elements and farming system (conventional or organic), we show that crop structural diversity (i.e. the management and vegetation structure of crops) rather than crop diversity senso lato positively affected richness of non-crop breeding bird species with stronger effects in arable, compared with forest-dominated landscapes. No such effects were observed among field-nesting farmland bird species. 4. Organic farming had little influence on farmland birds with positive effects only in the most arable-dominated landscapes and for field-nesting species only. In forest-dominated landscapes, organic farms even held lower field-nester densities compared with conventional farms, possibly due to the dominance of grasslands on organic farms that in these landscapes support lower densities of field-nesting species compared with cereals. 5. Policy implications. Our study illustrates the importance of a consideration of structural instead of species diversity of crops for biodiversity, in this case farmland birds. We also underline the absence of such a distinction in current EU Common Agricultural Policy Greening, while simultaneously setting levels on crop diversification too low resulting in little to no change in landscape-scale crop diversity on Swedish farmland. We recommend that future efforts to manage farmland biodiversity should include ways of increasing the structural diversity of crops at the scale of farms and landscapes.
|
|
| 11. |
|
|
| 12. |
- Ninkovic, Velemir, et al.
(författare)
-
Samodla kornsorter... och minska bladlusangreppen.
- 2017
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Samodling av specifika sortkombinationer mobiliserar kornets försvar mot bladlöss, vilket kan vara en viktig del av ett förebyggande växtskydd i ekologisk produktion. Men vilka sorter ska man samodla? Ett pågående SLU- och Formasprojekt kommer ge svar.
|
|
| 13. |
- Rubene, Diana, et al.
(författare)
-
Disentangling olfactory and visual information used by field foraging birds
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : Wiley. - 2045-7758. ; 9, s. 545-552
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Foraging strategies of birds can influence trophic plant-insect networks with impacts on primary plant production. Recent experiments show that some forest insectivorous birds can use herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) to locate herbivore-infested trees, but it is unclear how birds combine or prioritize visual and olfactory information when making foraging decisions. Here, we investigated attraction of ground-foraging birds to HIPVs and visible prey in short vegetation on farmland in a series of foraging choice experiments. Birds showed an initial preference for HIPVs when visual information was the same for all choice options (i.e., one experimental setup had all options with visible prey, another setup with hidden prey). However, if the alternatives within an experimental setup included visible prey (without HIPV) in competition with HIPV-only, then birds preferred the visual option over HIPVs. Our results show that olfactory cues can play an important role in birds' foraging choices when visual information contains little variation; however, visual cues are preferred when variation is present. This suggests certain aspects of bird foraging decisions in agricultural habitats are mediated by olfactory interaction mechanisms between birds and plants. We also found that birds from variety of dietary food guilds were attracted to HIPVs; hence, the ability of birds to use plant cues is probably more general than previously thought, and may influence the biological pest control potential of birds on farmland.
|
|
| 14. |
- Versluijs, Martijn, et al.
(författare)
-
Ecological restoration for biodiversity conservation improves habitat quality for an insectivorous passerine in boreal forest
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Biological Conservation. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-3207 .- 1873-2917. ; 237, s. 90-96
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is increasingly recognized that successful biodiversity conservation will necessitate active ecological restoration measures. In boreal forests, emulating natural disturbances is commonly used as a restoration tool for improving habitat quality for a range of sensitive species. We assessed the consequences of prescribed burning and artificial gap creation on the demographic parameters of an insectivorous bird, the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca). This to improve our ability to develop strategies for successful ecological restoration aiming at improving the conservation status of boreal forest birds. Pied flycatchers reproduced equally well in nature reserves, forests subjected to ecological restoration and untreated control stands. Nestling body weight was found to be higher in stands restored through prescribed burning. Considering that nestling condition at the time of fledging is known to be positively related to survival rates after fledging, our results suggest a positive effect of prescribed burning on population dynamics and on local habitat quality. Our findings should encourage forest managers to actively use prescribed burning as a management tool in boreal forests to complement other conservation measures. However, one should be careful with generalizing these results to other bird species as they only are directly applicable to pied flycatchers. Still, they may potentially apply also to other insectivorous bird species with similar habitat requirements. In addition, it should be stressed that to maintain diverse boreal forest bird assemblages, heterogeneous landscapes are needed including both burned and unburned forest of different successional stages.
|
|
| 15. |
- Öberg, Meit, et al.
(författare)
-
Rainfall during parental care reduces reproductive and survival components of fitness in a passerine bird
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : Wiley. - 2045-7758. ; 5, s. 345-356
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Adverse weather conditions during parental care may have direct consequences for offspring production, but longer-term effects on juvenile and parental survival are less well known. We used long-term data on reproductive output, recruitment, and parental survival in northern wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe) to investigate the effects of rainfall during parental care on fledging success, recruitment success (juvenile survival), and parental survival, and how these effects related to nestling age, breeding time, habitat quality, and parental nest visitation rates. While accounting for effects of temperature, fledging success was negatively related to rainfall (days>10mm) in the second half of the nestling period, with the magnitude of this effect being greater for breeding attempts early in the season. Recruitment success was, however, more sensitive to the number of rain days in the first half of the nestling period. Rainfall effects on parental survival differed between the sexes; males were more sensitive to rain during the nestling period than females. We demonstrate a probable mechanism driving the rainfall effects on reproductive output: Parental nest visitation rates decline with increasing amounts of daily rainfall, with this effect becoming stronger after consecutive rain days. Our study shows that rain during the nestling stage not only relates to fledging success but also has longer-term effects on recruitment and subsequent parental survival. Thus, if we want to understand or predict population responses to future climate change, we need to consider the potential impacts of changing rainfall patterns in addition to temperature, and how these will affect target species' vital rates.
|
|
