FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / PLoS One / Habitat-specific population growth of a farmland bird.
PloS one2008; 3(8); e3006; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0003006

Habitat-specific population growth of a farmland bird.

Abstract: To assess population persistence of species living in heterogeneous landscapes, the effects of habitat on reproduction and survival have to be investigated. Results: We used a matrix population model to estimate habitat-specific population growth rates for a population of northern wheatears Oenanthe oenanthe breeding in farmland consisting of a mosaic of distinct habitat (land use) types. Based on extensive long-term data on reproduction and survival, habitats characterised by tall field layers (spring- and autumn-sown crop fields, ungrazed grasslands) displayed negative stochastic population growth rates (log lambda(s): -0.332, -0.429, -0.168, respectively), that were markedly lower than growth rates of habitats characterised by permanently short field layers (pastures grazed by cattle or horses, and farmyards, log lambda(s): -0.056, +0.081, -0.059). Although habitats differed with respect to reproductive performance, differences in habitat-specific population growth were largely due to differences in adult and first-year survival rates, as shown by a life table response experiment (LTRE). Conclusions: Our results show that estimation of survival rates is important for realistic assessments of habitat quality. Results also indicate that grazed grasslands and farmyards may act as source habitats, whereas crop fields and ungrazed grasslands with tall field layers may act as sink habitats. We suggest that the strong decline of northern wheatears in Swedish farmland may be linked to the corresponding observed loss of high quality breeding habitat, i.e. grazed semi-natural grasslands.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2008-08-20 PubMed ID: 18714351PubMed Central: PMC2500169DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0003006Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The researchers used a population model to understand the habitat-specific growth rates of northern wheatears, a farmland bird species. They found that habitats with tall field layers showed negative growth rates compared to those with short field layers. Based on their findings, the team suggests that survival rates and habitat quality play key roles in population growth, with grazed grasslands and farmyards possibly serving as crucial habitats for the bird population.

Matrix Population Model Utilization

  • The researchers made use of a matrix population model to evaluate habitat-specific population growth rates for northern wheatears, a bird species that exists in farmland.
  • This method supports the calculation of growth rates across varying land use types observed in their habitat.

Population Growth Rates findings

  • Habitats characterized by tall field layers such as fields sown in spring or autumn and ungrazed grasslands revealed negative stochastic population growth rates, making them less conducive for population growth.
  • On the other hand, habitats with permanently short field layers such as farmlands grazed by cattle or horses and farmyards showed greater growth rates.

Survival Rates and Habitat Quality

  • This study reinforces the importance of survival rates when assessing habitat quality. The differences in habitat-specific growth were largely due to variations in adult and first-year survival rates.
  • The life table response experiment (LTRE) used in this study further emphasized this factor.

Habitats as Source and Sink

  • Results from the research suggest that grazed grasslands and farmyards could act as source habitats, contributing positively to the bird population growth.
  • In contrast, fields with tall field layers (crop fields and ungrazed grasslands) could potentially act as sink habitats, reducing or negatively impacting the bird population.

Decline of Northern Wheatears in Swedish Farmland

  • The serious decline of northern wheatears in Swedish farmland may be attributed to the observed loss of high-quality breeding habitats.
  • Thus, the preservation of grazed semi-natural grasslands could be essential in helping improve the population numbers of this bird species.

Cite This Article

APA
Arlt D, Forslund P, Jeppsson T, Pärt T. (2008). Habitat-specific population growth of a farmland bird. PLoS One, 3(8), e3006. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0003006

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 3
Issue: 8
Pages: e3006
PII: e3006

Researcher Affiliations

Arlt, Debora
  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden. Debora.Arlt@ekol.slu.se
Forslund, Pär
    Jeppsson, Tobias
      Pärt, Tomas

        MeSH Terms

        • Animals
        • Demography
        • Ecosystem
        • Kinetics
        • Life Tables
        • Passeriformes / physiology
        • Population Growth
        • Territoriality

        Conflict of Interest Statement

        The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

        References

        This article includes 59 references
        1. Fretwell SD, Lucas HL. On territorial behaviour and other factors influencing habitat distribution in birds. I. Theoretical development.. Acta Biotheor 1970;19:16–36.
        2. Pulliam HR. Sources, sinks, and population regulation.. Am Nat 1988;132:652–661.
        3. Bowers MA. Dynamics of age- and habitat-structured populations.. Oikos 1994;69:327–333.
        4. Rodenhouse NL, Sherry TW, Holmes RT. Site-dependent regulation of population size: a new synthesis.. Ecology 1997;78:2025–2042.
        5. Kawecky T. Ecological and evolutionary consequences of source-sink population dynamics.. In: Hanski I, Gaggiotti OE, editors. Ecology, Genetics, and Evolution of Metapopulations. Burlington: Elsevier Academic Press; 2004. pp. 387–414.
        6. Brown JL. The buffer effect and productivity in tit populations.. Am Nat 1969;103:347–354.
        7. Howe RW, Davis GJ. The Demographic Significance of ‘Sink’ Populations.. Biol Cons 1991;57:239–255.
        8. Holt RD. On the evolutionary stability of sink populations.. Evol Ecol 1997;11:723–731.
        9. Van Horne B. Density as a misleading indicator of habitat quality.. J Wild Manage 1983;47:893–901.
        10. Parker GA, Sutherland WJ. Ideal free distributions when individuals differ in competitive ability: phenotype-limited ideal free models.. Anim Behav 1986;34:1222–1242.
        11. Pulliam HR, Danielson BJ. Sources, sinks, and habitat selection: a landscape perspective on population dynamics.. Am Nat 1991;137:S50–S66.
        12. Battin J. When good animals love bad habitats: Ecological traps and the conservation of animal populations.. Cons Biol 2004;18:1482–1491.
        13. Scheirs J, De Bruyn L, Verhagen R. Optimization of adult performance determines host choice in a grass miner.. Proc Biol Sci 2000 Oct 22;267(1457):2065-9.
          pmc: PMC1690786pubmed: 11416910doi: 10.1098/rspb.2000.1250google scholar: lookup
        14. McGraw JB, Caswell H. Estimation of individual fitness from life-history data.. Am Nat 1996;147:47–64.
        15. Ehrlén J. Fitness components versus total demographic effects: evaluating herbivore impacts on a perennial herb.. Am Nat 2003 Dec;162(6):796-810.
          pubmed: 14737716doi: 10.1086/379350google scholar: lookup
        16. Franklin AB, Anderson DR, Gutiérrez RJ, Burnham KP. Climate, habitat quality, and fitness in Northern Spotted Owl populations in north-western California.. Ecol Monogr 2000;70:539–590.
        17. Watkinson AR, Sutherland WJ. Sources, sinks and pseudo-sinks.. J Anim Ecol 1995;64:126–130.
        18. Donal PF, Gree RE, Heath MF. Agricultural intensification and the collapse of Europe's farmland bird populations.. Proc Biol Sci 2001 Jan 7;268(1462):25-9.
          pmc: PMC1087596pubmed: 12123294doi: 10.1098/rspb.2000.1325google scholar: lookup
        19. Burfield I, van Bommel F. Birds in Europe: Populations Estimates, Trends and Conservation Status.. Cambridge: BirdLife International; 2004. p. 374.
        20. Newton I. The recent decline of farmland bird populations in Britain: an appraisal of causal factors and conservation actions.. Ibis 2004;146:579–600.
        21. Suarez-Seoane S, Osborne PE, Baudry J. Responses of birds of different biogeographic origins and habitat requirements to agricultural land abandonment in northern Spain.. Biol Cons 2002;105:333–344.
        22. Wretenberg J, Lindström Å, Svensson S, Thierfelder T, Pärt T. Population trends of farmland birds in Sweden and England: similar trends but different patterns of agricultural intensification.. J Appl Ecol 2006;43:1110–1120.
        23. De Bruijn O. Population ecology and conservation of the Barn Owl Tyto alba in farmland habitats in Liemers and Achterhoek (The Netherlands).. Ardea 1994;82:1–109.
        24. Wilson JD, Evans J, Browne SJ, King JR. Territory distribution and breeding success of skylarks Alauda arvensis on organic and intensive farmland in southern England.. J Appl Ecol 1997;34:1462–1478.
        25. Brickle NW, Harper DGC, Aebischer NJ, Cockayne SH. Effects of agricultural intensification on the breeding success of corn buntings Miliaria calandra.. J Appl Ecol 2000;37:742–755.
        26. Smith HG, Bruun M. The effect of pasture on starling (Sturnus vulgaris) breeding success and population density in a heterogeneous agricultural landscape in southern Sweden.. Agricult Ecosyst & Environm 2002;92:107–114.
        27. Holmes RT, Marra PP, Sherry TW. Habitat-specific demography of breeding black-throated blue warblers (Dendroica caeruslescens): implications for population dynamics.. J Anim Ecol 1996;65:183–195.
        28. Murphy MT. Habitat-specific demography of a long-distance, neotropical migrant bird, the Eastern Kingbird.. Ecology 2001;82:1304–1318.
        29. Pidgeon AM, Radeloff VC, Mathews NE. Contrasting measures of fitness to classify habitat quality for the black-throated sparrow (Amphispiza bilineata).. Biol Cons 2006;132:199–210.
        30. Kristan WB. The role of habitat selection behaviour in population dynamics: source-sink systems and ecological traps.. Oikos 2003;103:457–468.
        31. Dugger KM, Wagner F, Anthony RG, Olson GS. The relationship between habitat characteristics and demographic performance of northern spotted owls in southern Oregon.. Condor 2005;107:863–878.
        32. Cramp S. Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa: the Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume V: Tyrant Flycatchers to Thrushes.. New York: Oxford University Press; 1988. p. 1136.
        33. Gärdenfors U. The 2005 Redlist of Swedish Species.. Uppsala: Artdatabanken, SLU; 2005. p. 496.
        34. Tye A. Assessment of territory quality and its effects on breeding success in a migrant passerine, the wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe.. Ibis 1992;134:273–285.
        35. Pärt T. The effects of territory quality on age-dependent reproductive performance in the northern wheatear, Oenanthe oenanthe.. Anim Behav 2001a;62:379–388.
        36. Pärt T. Experimental evidence of environmental effects on age-specific reproductive success: the importance of resource quality.. Proc Biol Sci 2001 Nov 7;268(1482):2267-71.
          pmc: PMC1088875pubmed: 11674875doi: 10.1098/rspb.2001.1803google scholar: lookup
        37. Arlt D, Pärt T. Nonideal breeding habitat selection: a mismatch between preference and fitness.. Ecology 2007 Mar;88(3):792-801.
          pubmed: 17503606doi: 10.1890/06-0574google scholar: lookup
        38. Arlt D, Pärt T. Post-breeding information gathering and breeding territory shifts in northern wheatears.. J Anim Ecol 2008 Mar;77(2):211-9.
          pubmed: 18031525doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2007.01329.xgoogle scholar: lookup
        39. Sæther B-E. Age-specific variation in reproductive performance of birds.. Curr Ornithol 1990;7:251–283.
        40. White GC, Burnham KP. Program MARK: survival estimation from populations of marked animals.. Bird Study 1999;46:120–139.
        41. White GC, Kendall WL, Barker RJ. Multistate Survival Models and Their Extensions in Program MARK.. J Wildl Manage 2006;70:1521–1529.
        42. Caswell H. Matrix Population Models. 2nd edition.. Sunderland, Massachusetts: Sinauer Associates; 2001. p. 722.
        43. Morris WF, Doak DF. Quantitative Conservation Biology.. Sunderland, Massachusetts: Sinauer Associates; 2002. p. 480.
        44. Kendall BE. Estimating the magnitude of environmental stochasticity in survivorship data.. Ecol Appl 1998;8:184–193.
        45. Morris WF, Doak DF. Buffering of life histories against environmental stochasticity: accounting for a spurious correlation between the variabilities of vital rates and their contributions to fitness.. Am Nat 2004 Apr;163(4):579-90.
          pubmed: 15122504doi: 10.1086/382550google scholar: lookup
        46. Burnham KP, Anderson DR. Model Selection and Multimodel Inference: A Practical Information-Theoretic Approach. 2nd edition.. New York: Springer-Verlag; 2002. p. 496.
        47. Newcombe RG, Altman DG. Proportions and their differences.. In: Altman DG, Machin D, Bryant TN, editors. Statistics with Confidence. 2nd edition. London: British Medical Journal Publishing Groups; 2000. pp. 45–56.
        48. Donovan TM, Thompson FR. Modelling the ecological trap hypothesis: A habitat and demographic analysis for migrant songbirds.. Ecol Appl 2001;11:871–882.
        49. Devereux CL, McKeever CU, Benton TG, Whittingham MJ. The effect of sward height and drainage on starlings and lapwings foraging in grassland habitats.. Ibis 2004;146:S116–S123.
        50. Sæther B-E, Bakke Ø. Avian life history variation and contribution of demographic traits to the population growth rate.. Ecology 2000;81:642–653.
        51. Lampila S, Orell M, Belda E, Koivula K. Importance of adult survival, local recruitment and immigration in a declining boreal forest passerine, the willow tit Parus montanus.. Oecologia 2006 Jun;148(3):405-13.
          pubmed: 16514536doi: 10.1007/s00442-006-0386-3google scholar: lookup
        52. Clark ME, Martin TE. Modeling tradeoffs in avian life history traits and consequences for population growth.. Ecol Modell 2007;209:110–120.
        53. Doligez B, Pärt T. Estimating fitness consequences of dispersal: a road to 'know-where'? Non-random dispersal and the underestimation of dispersers' fitness.. J Anim Ecol 2008 Nov;77(6):1199-211.
          pubmed: 18808435doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2008.01446.xgoogle scholar: lookup
        54. Winkler DW, Wrege PH, Allen PE, Kast TL, Senesac P. The natal dispersal of tree swallows in a continuous mainland environment.. J Anim Ecol 2005;74:1080–1090.
        55. Macdonald DW, Tew TE, Todd IA. The ecology of weasels (Mustela nivalis) on mixed farmland in southern England.. Biologia 2004;59:235–241.
        56. Sutherland WJ. From individual behaviour to population ecology.. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1996. p. 213.
        57. Statistics Sweden. Yearbook of Agricultural Statistics 1996.. Örebro: Statistics Sweden; 1996.
        58. Carlson A, Moreno J. Stenskvätta Oenanthe oenanthe.. Vår Fågelvärld 1988;(Suppl. 12):293–298.
        59. Wiens JD, Reynolds FT. Is fledging success a reliable index of fitness in Northern Goshawks?. J Rapt Res 2005;39:210–221.

        Citations

        This article has been cited 19 times.
        1. Müller TM, Meier CM, Knaus F, Korner P, Helm B, Amrhein V, Rime Y. Finding food in a changing world: Small-scale foraging habitat preferences of an insectivorous passerine in the Alps.. Ecol Evol 2023 May;13(5):e10084.
          doi: 10.1002/ece3.10084pubmed: 37214613google scholar: lookup
        2. Paquet M, Arlt D, Knape J, Low M, Forslund P, Pärt T. Why we should care about movements: Using spatially explicit integrated population models to assess habitat source-sink dynamics.. J Anim Ecol 2020 Dec;89(12):2922-2933.
          doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.13357pubmed: 32981078google scholar: lookup
        3. Low M, Arlt D, Knape J, Pärt T, Öberg M. Factors influencing plasticity in the arrival-breeding interval in a migratory species reacting to climate change.. Ecol Evol 2019 Nov;9(21):12291-12301.
          doi: 10.1002/ece3.5716pubmed: 31832160google scholar: lookup
        4. Paquet M, Arlt D, Knape J, Low M, Forslund P, Pärt T. Quantifying the links between land use and population growth rate in a declining farmland bird.. Ecol Evol 2019 Jan;9(2):868-879.
          doi: 10.1002/ece3.4766pubmed: 30766676google scholar: lookup
        5. Arlt D, Pärt T. Marked reduction in demographic rates and reduced fitness advantage for early breeding is not linked to reduced thermal matching of breeding time.. Ecol Evol 2017 Dec;7(24):10782-10796.
          doi: 10.1002/ece3.3603pubmed: 29299257google scholar: lookup
        6. Guyot C, Arlettaz R, Korner P, Jacot A. Temporal and Spatial Scales Matter: Circannual Habitat Selection by Bird Communities in Vineyards.. PLoS One 2017;12(2):e0170176.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170176pubmed: 28146570google scholar: lookup
        7. Hollander FA, Van Dyck H, San Martin G, Titeux N. Nest Predation Deviates from Nest Predator Abundance in an Ecologically Trapped Bird.. PLoS One 2015;10(12):e0144098.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144098pubmed: 26624619google scholar: lookup
        8. Dunn JC, Hamer KC, Benton TG. Anthropogenically-Mediated Density Dependence in a Declining Farmland Bird.. PLoS One 2015;10(10):e0139492.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139492pubmed: 26431173google scholar: lookup
        9. Brickhill D, Evans PG, Reid JM. Spatio-temporal variation in European starling reproductive success at multiple small spatial scales.. Ecol Evol 2015 Aug;5(16):3364-77.
          doi: 10.1002/ece3.1615pubmed: 26380670google scholar: lookup
        10. Glemnitz M, Zander P, Stachow U. Regionalizing land use impacts on farmland birds.. Environ Monit Assess 2015 Jun;187(6):336.
          doi: 10.1007/s10661-015-4448-zpubmed: 25957192google scholar: lookup
        11. Flesch AD, Hutto RL, van Leeuwen WJ, Hartfield K, Jacobs S. Spatial, temporal, and density-dependent components of habitat quality for a desert owl.. PLoS One 2015;10(3):e0119986.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119986pubmed: 25786257google scholar: lookup
        12. Öberg M, Arlt D, Pärt T, Laugen AT, Eggers S, Low M. Rainfall during parental care reduces reproductive and survival components of fitness in a passerine bird.. Ecol Evol 2015 Jan;5(2):345-56.
          doi: 10.1002/ece3.1345pubmed: 25691962google scholar: lookup
        13. Seward AM, Beale CM, Gilbert L, Jones TH, Thomas RJ. The impact of increased food availability on reproduction in a long-distance migratory songbird: implications for environmental change?. PLoS One 2014;9(10):e111180.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111180pubmed: 25333485google scholar: lookup
        14. Pitkänen TP, Mussaari M, Käyhkö N. Assessing restoration potential of semi-natural grasslands by landscape change trajectories.. Environ Manage 2014 Apr;53(4):739-56.
          doi: 10.1007/s00267-014-0242-xpubmed: 24481945google scholar: lookup
        15. Arlt D, Low M, Pärt T. Effect of geolocators on migration and subsequent breeding performance of a long-distance passerine migrant.. PLoS One 2013;8(12):e82316.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082316pubmed: 24324770google scholar: lookup
        16. Öberg M, Pärt T, Arlt D, Laugen AT, Low M. Decomposing the seasonal fitness decline.. Oecologia 2014 Jan;174(1):139-50.
          doi: 10.1007/s00442-013-2763-zpubmed: 24013387google scholar: lookup
        17. Schneider NA, Low M, Arlt D, Pärt T. Contrast in edge vegetation structure modifies the predation risk of natural ground nests in an agricultural landscape.. PLoS One 2012;7(2):e31517.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031517pubmed: 22363659google scholar: lookup
        18. Hollander FA, Van Dyck H, San Martin G, Titeux N. Maladaptive habitat selection of a migratory passerine bird in a human-modified landscape.. PLoS One 2011;6(9):e25703.
          doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0025703pubmed: 21984940google scholar: lookup
        19. Pocock MJ. Can traits predict species' vulnerability? A test with farmland passerines in two continents.. Proc Biol Sci 2011 May 22;278(1711):1532-8.
          doi: 10.1098/rspb.2010.1971pubmed: 21047852google scholar: lookup
        Subscribe to our newsletter
        Join 99,344 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.