Abstract
Afforestation programs such as the one promoted by the EU Common Agricultural Policy have spread tree plantations on former cropland. These afforestations attract generalist forest and ubiquitous species but may cause severe damage to open habitat species, especially birds of high conservation value. We investigated the effects of young (<20 yr) tree plantations dominated by pine P. halepensis on bird communities inhabiting the adjacent open farmland habitat in central Spain. We hypothesize that pine plantations located at shorter distances from open fields and with larger surface would affect species richness and conservation value of bird communities. Regression models controlling for the influence of land use types around plantations revealed positive effects of higher distance to pine plantation edge on community species richness in winter, and negative effects on an index of conservation concern (SPEC) during the breeding season. However, plantation area did not have any effect on species richness or community conservation value. Our results indicate that the effects of pine afforestation on bird communities inhabiting Mediterranean cropland are diluted by heterogeneous agricultural landscapes.
Highlights
A significant amount of abandoned cropland, low productive cropland and pastureland has been converted into tree plantations in the last few decades, and ca. 7% of forest land in the world are tree plantations at present (FAO, 2011)
In a worryingly frame of open farmland species declines that, despite the efforts, is not being reverted, this study aims at investigating the effects of young (
We found that young tree plantations established on former cropland in a Mediterranean mosaic located in central Spain had (1) a low detrimental effect on bird species richness in winter and (2) a marginal positive effect on conservation value of bird communities at adjacent open farmland habitat in the breeding season
Summary
A significant amount of abandoned cropland, low productive cropland and pastureland has been converted into tree plantations in the last few decades, and ca. 7% of forest land in the world are tree plantations at present (FAO, 2011). 7% of forest land in the world are tree plantations at present (FAO, 2011). How to cite this article Sanchez-Oliver et al (2015), Low effect of young afforestations on bird communities inhabiting heterogeneous Mediterranean cropland. Tree plantations pursue a number of environmental and societal services such as soil retention and carbon sequestration (Rey Benayas et al, 2007). They may have noticeable effects on biological communities. Bremer & Farley (2010) found that tree plantations are most likely to contribute to biodiversity when established on degraded lands rather than replacing natural ecosystems, and when indigenous tree species rather than exotic species are used. A meta-analysis of faunal and floral species richness and abundance in timber plantations and pasture lands on 36 sites across the world concluded that plantations support higher species richness or abundance than pasture land only for particular taxonomic groups (i.e., herpetofauna), or specific landscape features (i.e., absence of remnant vegetation within the pasture matrix) (Felton et al, 2010)
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