Experimental evidence of human recreational disturbance effects on bird-territory establishment
| Autor: | Yves Bötsch, Lukas Jenni, Zulima Tablado |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Conservation of Natural Resources forest birds Wildlife Breeding Territoriality 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Birds Animals Humans Human Activities Ecosystem Recreation General Environmental Science Ecology General Immunology and Microbiology nesting guild nature-based activities 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology General Medicine Annual cycle foraging guild outdoor recreation Geography Habitat Disturbance (ecology) Species richness General Agricultural and Biological Sciences flight-initiation distance |
| DOI: | 10.5281/zenodo.4004280 |
| Popis: | The worldwide increase in human outdoor activities raises concerns for wildlife. Human disturbances, even at low levels, are likely to impact species during sensitive periods of the annual cycle. However, experimental studies during the putative sensitive period of territory establishment of birds which not only investigate low disturbance levels, but which also exclude the effect of habitat modification (e.g. walking trails) are lacking. Here, we experimentally disturbed birds in forest plots by walking through twice a day during territory establishment. Later we compared the breeding bird community of experimentally disturbed plots with that of undisturbed control plots. We discovered that the number of territories (−15.0%) and species richness (−15.2%) in disturbed plots were substantially reduced compared with control plots. Species most affected included those sensitive to human presence (assessed by flight-initiation distances), open-cup nesters and above-ground foragers. Long-distance migrants, however, were unaffected due to their arrival after experimental disturbance took place. These findings highlight how territory establishment is a sensitive period for birds, when even low levels of human recreation may be perceived as threatening, and alter settlement decisions. This can have important implications for the conservation of species, which might go unnoticed when focusing only on already established birds. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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