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Modelling the Impacts of Habitat Changes on the Population Density of Eurasian Skylark ( Alauda arvensis ) Based on Its Landscape Preferences

Author

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  • Nándor Csikós

    (Department of Geoinformatics, Physical and Environmental Geography, University of Szeged, Egyetem utca 2-6, H-6722 Szeged, Hungary)

  • Péter Szilassi

    (Department of Geoinformatics, Physical and Environmental Geography, University of Szeged, Egyetem utca 2-6, H-6722 Szeged, Hungary)

Abstract

The dramatic decline of the abundance of farmland bird species can be related to the level of land-use intensity or the land-cover heterogeneity of rural landscapes. Our study area in central Europe (Hungary) included 3049 skylark observation points and their 600 m buffer zones. We used a very detailed map (20 × 20 m minimum mapping unit), the Hungarian Ecosystem Basemap, as a land-cover dataset for the calculation of three landscape indices: mean patch size (MPS), mean fractal dimension (MFRACT), and Shannon diversity index (SDI) to describe the landscape structure of the study areas. Generalized linear models were used to analyze the effect of land-cover types and landscape patterns on the abundance of the Eurasian skylark ( Alauda arvensis ). According to our findings, the proportions of arable land, open sand steppes, closed grassland patches, and shape complexity and size characteristics of these land cover patches have a positive effect on skylark abundance, while the SDI was negatively associated with the skylark population. On the basis of the used statistical model, the abundance density (individuals/km*) of skylarks could be estimated with 37.77% absolute percentage error and 2.12 mean absolute error. We predicted the skylark population density inside the Natura 2000 Special Protected Area of Hungary which is 0–6 individuals/km* and 23746 ± 8968 skylarks. The results can be implemented for the landscape management of rural landscapes, and the method used are adaptable for the density estimation of other farmland bird species in rural landscapes. According to our findings, inside the protected areas should increase the proportion, the average size and shape complexity of arable land, salt steppes and meadows, and closed grassland land cover patches.

Suggested Citation

  • Nándor Csikós & Péter Szilassi, 2021. "Modelling the Impacts of Habitat Changes on the Population Density of Eurasian Skylark ( Alauda arvensis ) Based on Its Landscape Preferences," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-17, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:3:p:306-:d:519272
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gippoliti, Spartaco & Battisti, Corrado, 2017. "More cool than tool: Equivoques, conceptual traps and weaknesses of ecological networks in environmental planning and conservation," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 686-691.
    2. Georgiana Toth & Alina Huzui-Stoiculescu & Alexandru-Ioan Toth & Robert Stoiculescu, 2020. "How Do Natura 2000 Areas Intersect with Peoples’ Livelihood Strategies in High Nature Value Farmlands in Southern Transylvania?," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-18, December.
    3. P. Schlager & C. Ruppert-Winkel & K. Schmieder, 2020. "Assessing the potential impacts of bioenergy cropping on a population of the ground-breeding bird Alauda arvensis: a case study from southern Germany," Landscape Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(8), pages 1000-1017, November.
    4. Nándor Csikós & Péter Szilassi, 2020. "Impact of Energy Landscapes on the Abundance of Eurasian Skylark ( Alauda arvensis ), an Example from North Germany," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-14, January.
    5. Miguet, Paul & Gaucherel, Cédric & Bretagnolle, Vincent, 2013. "Breeding habitat selection of Skylarks varies with crop heterogeneity, time and spatial scale, and reveals spatial and temporal crop complementation," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 266(C), pages 10-18.
    6. P. Michael Link & Christine Schleupner, 2007. "Agricultural land use changes in Eiderstedt," Working Papers FNU-137, Research unit Sustainability and Global Change, Hamburg University, revised Jun 2007.
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    2. Julieta Benitez & Marcelo D. Barrera & Yamina M. Rosas & Guillermo J. Martínez Pastur & María V. Lencinas, 2022. "Landscape and Stand Characteristics Influence on the Bird Assemblage in Nothofagus antarctica Forests of Tierra del Fuego," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-16, August.

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