Variation in Bird Assemblages Along an Agricultural Intensification Gradient: A Case Study of Olive Orchards in North-Eastern Algeria

Abstract

Abstract Despite the fact that the Mediterranean basin is considered to be a global biodiversity hotspot for flora and fauna, studies investigating the benefits of agri-environmental schemes on biodiversity conservation in perennial agro-ecosystems in this region are scarce, particularly for bird communities in North Africa. This study investigated the effect of agricultural intensification on bird assemblages in olive orchards in north-eastern Algeria. Bird counts were conducted along an agricultural intensification gradient during twelve consecutive months (from March 2014 to February 2015). Accumulation curves and non-parametric estimators for incidence-based data were used to estimate the total species richness of birds. GLMMs, PERMANOVA and non-metric multidimensional scaling analyses were conducted to evaluate and to visualize the variation in species composition among the studied sites during the breeding and non-breeding seasons. Overall, the total species richness of birds decreased with the incr...