Does land use change influence predation of bird nests?

Native forest metacommunity structures in Uruguay shaped by novel land-use types in their surroundings

We explore the effect of land-use change from extensively used grasslands to intensified silvi- and agricultural monocultures on metacommunity structure of native forests in Uruguay. We integrated methods from metacommunity studies, remote sensing, and landscape ecology to explore how woody species distribution was influenced by land-use change from local to regional scale. We recorded richness and composition of adult and juvenile woody species from 32 native forests, created land-use maps from satellite image to calculate spatial metrics at landscape, class, and patch levels. We also analyzed the influence of land use pattern, climate, topography, and geographic distance between sites (d) on metacommunity, and created maps to visualize species richness and (dis)similarity between communities across the country. Woody species communities were distributed in a discrete pattern across Uruguay. Precipitation and temperature seasonality shaped species distribution pattern. Species richness and community dissimilarity increased from West to East. Latitude did not influence these patterns. Number of patches, landscape complexity, and interspersion and juxtaposition indexes determine woody species distribution at landscape level. Increasing areas covered by crops and timber plantation reduced species richness and increased community dissimilarity. The spatial metrics of native forest fragments at patch level did not influence metacommunity structure, species richness, and community dissimilarity. In conclusion, Uruguayan native forests display a high range of dissimilarity. Pressure of neighborhood land uses was the predominant factor for species assemblages. Conserving landscape structures that assure connectivity within and among native forest patches is crucial. On sites with rare target species, the creation of alliances between governmental institution and landowner complemented by incentives for biodiversity conservation provides opportunities to advance in species protection focused on those less tolerant to land-use change.

Revegetation and reproduction: do restoration plantings in agricultural landscapes support breeding populations of woodland birds?

Restoration plantings are frequently occupied by native wildlife, but little is known about how planting attributes influence breeding by, and persistence of, fauna populations. We monitored breeding success of woodland birds in restoration plantings in a fragmented agricultural landscape in south-eastern Australia. We documented nest fate and daily nest survival (DSR) in plantings and remnant woodland sites. We analysed the influence on breeding success of patch attributes (size, shape, type) compared to other potentially influential predictors such as nest-site and microhabitat variables. We found that, in general, patch attributes did not play a significant role in determining breeding success for woodland birds. However, we examined a subset of species of conservation concern, and found higher DSR for these species in restoration plantings than in similarly sized woodland remnants. We also found negative effects of patch size and linearity on DSR in species of conservation concern. The primary cause of nest failure was predation (91%). We used camera trap imagery to identify the most common nest predators in our study sites: native predatory bird species, and the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Our findings are further evidence of the value of restoration plantings and small habitat patches for bird populations in fragmented agricultural landscapes. We recommend controlling for foxes to maximise the likelihood that restoration plantings and other woodland patches in Australia support breeding populations of woodland birds. More broadly, our study highlights the importance of taking a detailed, population-oriented approach to understanding factors that influence habitat suitability for fauna of conservation concern.