Topsoil Seed Bank as Feeding Ground for Farmland Birds: A Comparative Assessment in Agricultural Habitats

Athanassios Sfougaris,Aikaterini Voudouri,Evgenia Chaideftou

doi:10.3390/land10090967

Abstract

The topsoil seed bank was studied in four types of agricultural bird habitats: fields with cereals, maize, clover and tilled fields of a Mediterranean plain to determine the potentially richest habitat based on food supply for the wintering farmland birds. The diversity and abundance of topsoil seeds differed between seasons but did not differ significantly between habitats. The cereal habitat was the richest in food supply for the overwintering of farmland birds. The topsoil seed bank was dominated by Chenopodium album, Polygonum aviculare and Amaranthus retroflexus. The findings of this study provide insight for low-intensity management of higher-elevation mount agricultural areas of southern Mediterranean by preserving seed-rich habitats for farmland avifauna.

Highlights

The management of agricultural land has greatly changed over recent decades
Reviews identified that agricultural intensification [15] and concomitant abandonment [16] remain the major threat to agricultural ecosystems of the 21st century across Europe and elsewhere (e.g., [17]) with many ecological and biodiversity impairments
Investigation of floristic and seed diversity and abundance, along with the physiognomy of the rural landscape, is necessary for identifying the most interesting bird habitats. These habitat features, i.e., high quality or food resources or aboveground floristic components like stubbles or semi-natural with natural habitats suitable for breeding, which can be proved to be beneficial for birdlife per case facilitate biodiversity maintenance [6,18]

Summary

Introduction

The management of agricultural land has greatly changed over recent decades This has resulted in different physiognomy and a reduction of agricultural biodiversity and heterogeneity [1,2,3,4]. Investigation of floristic and seed diversity and abundance, along with the physiognomy of the rural landscape, is necessary for identifying the most interesting bird habitats. These habitat features, i.e., high quality or food resources or aboveground floristic components like stubbles or semi-natural with natural habitats suitable for breeding (low intensity farmland with steppe-like vegetation), which can be proved to be beneficial for birdlife per case facilitate biodiversity maintenance [6,18]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion