Breeding habitat preferences and reproductive success of Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) in exotic Eucalyptus plantations in southwestern Europe
| Autor: | Salvador Rebollo, R. Domingo-Muñoz, Sara Martínez-Hesterkamp, J. M. Fernández-Pereira, Lorenzo Pérez-Camacho, Jaime Madrigal-González, Gonzalo García-Salgado, E. De la Montaña |
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| Přispěvatelé: | Universidad de Alcalá. Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Forest management Biodiversity Management Monitoring Policy and Law 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Environmental science 010605 ornithology Nest Nature and Landscape Conservation Biodiversity surrogate Reproductive success biology Mature plantation Ecology Density trap Forestry Accipiter biology.organism_classification Eucalyptus Raptor Geography Medio Ambiente Habitat Species richness Smallholding forestry Territoriality |
| Zdroj: | e_Buah Biblioteca Digital Universidad de Alcalá instname |
| Popis: | With ongoing degradation of natural forests and spread of forest plantations, plantations must play an increasinglyimportant role in biodiversity conservation. Study of habitat selection and reproductive success ofsurrogate species in plantations can guide forest management decisions for increasing biodiversity. In this paperwe studied the suitability of exotic Eucalyptus plantations managed at low intensity in northwestern Spain asbreeding habitat for Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), a top predator frequently considered a surrogatespecies in conservation.Goshawks showed high breeding density, high reproductive success and a regular spatial distribution ofnesting territories. Territoriality was the most important determinant of habitat selection. Goshawks selectedextra-mature Eucalyptus trees in areas of high structural complexity (high tree density, tree species richness, andnumber of tree strata) in the most heterogeneous forest stands (old-mixed Eucalyptus). Reproductive successdecreased with increasing local density of breeding pairs, but reproductive success was not related to structuralcharacteristics of nest stands.The studied plantations provided a suitable breeding habitat for Goshawks. The birds preferred to nest inlarge Eucalyptus trees with appropriate structure in their immediate surroundings. The strong preference ofGoshawks for structurally mature forest patches may make them useful as a surrogate species for assessing theability of forest management practices to promote overall biodiversity in exotic Eucalyptus plantations exploited at low intensity. Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología-CICYT Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad REMEDINAL Universidad de Alcalá |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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