Effects of management intensity and orchard features on bird communities in winter

Piotr Tryjanowski,Zuzanna M. Rosin,Monika Fliszkiewicz,Łukasz Myczko,Tadeusz Mizera,Piotr Skórka,Marcin Tobolka,Przemysław Wylegała

doi:10.1007/s11284-013-1039-8

Abstract

AbstractThe knowledge and conservation of diminishing valuable habitats in agricultural landscapes are of key importance in saving declining farmland biodiversity. One of these habitats is the traditional orchard whose role in supporting birds is still poorly known, especially in winter. We counted birds in 106 orchards differing in management intensity (abandoned, traditional, and intensive) during December 2009 and January 2010 in Wielkopolska, western Poland and measured site characteristics and composition of surrounding landscapes for every orchard. Old abandoned and traditionally managed orchards had significantly higher bird species richness than intensive ones. Irrespective of orchard type, bird species richness as well as density were positively influenced by the cover of unmown herb layer in orchards and tree diversity. Tree and fruit densities positively affected bird species richness and density mainly in abandoned orchards while in other orchard types the effect of these variables was less pronounced. Land cover diversity in a landscape had a positive effect on species richness and density mostly in abandoned orchards and we believe that this effect reflects the elevated utilization of such orchards by birds from the surrounding landscape. Thus, abandoned, as well as traditionally managed orchards seems to be especially important habitats that offer food source and refuge for wintering birds and should be protected. We propose to diversify fruit production by planting various tree species, leaving part of the herb layer unmown and several trees unharvested in intensive orchards in order to improve suitability of modern orchards for birds.

Highlights

Agricultural intensification and changes in farming practice has led to the fragmentation and loss of seminatural habitats, the disappearance of field margins, as well as midfield woods and hedges and, in effect, the formation of large monoculture crop fields (Meeus 1990; Burel and Baudry 1995; EEA 2010)
The knowledge and conservation of diminishing valuable habitats in agricultural landscapes are of key importance in saving declining farmland biodiversity
Conservation and knowledge of diminishing valuable habitats in agricultural landscapes are of key importance for saving endangered farmland biodiversity (Wenzel et al 2006; Tryjanowski et al 2011)

Summary

Introduction

Agricultural intensification and changes in farming practice has led to the fragmentation and loss of seminatural habitats, the disappearance of field margins, as well as midfield woods and hedges and, in effect, the formation of large monoculture crop fields (Meeus 1990; Burel and Baudry 1995; EEA 2010). Conservation and knowledge of diminishing valuable habitats in agricultural landscapes are of key importance for saving endangered farmland biodiversity (Wenzel et al 2006; Tryjanowski et al 2011). Old traditional orchards belong to species-rich High Nature Value farming systems in Europe (Cooper et al 2007). They constitute a refuge for many arthropod and breeding bird species that are attached to woody habitats and do not occur in intensive open agricultural landscapes (Herzog 1998; Bailey et al 2010). There are only a few studies on the influence of orchard characteristics and their surroundings on bird communities (Agerberg 2007; Wiacek and Polak 2008; Bailey et al 2010)

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Conclusion