'Tree – tree' interactions are important structuring mechanisms for forest community dyna... more 'Tree – tree' interactions are important structuring mechanisms for forest community dynamics. Forest management takes advantage of competition effects on tree growth by removing or retaining trees to achieve management goals. Both competition and silviculture have thus a strong effect on density and distribution of Tree related Microhabitats (TreMs) which are key features for forest taxa at the stand scale (e.g. Bouget et al. 2013, 2014). In particular, spatially explicit data to understand patterns and mechanisms of TreM formation in forest stands are rare. To train and eventually improve decision making capacities related to the integration of biodiversity aspects into forest management 39 usually 1 ha (100 m x 100m) permanent plots were established in dominant forest communities of Europe. Due to their demonstration character the selection of plots was non-systematic. They do, however, cover a broad range of forest types (e.g. beech-oak, beech-fir (-spruce), oak-hornbeam, pine-spruce, etc.), altitudinal gradient (from 25 m – 1850 m) and site conditions (e.g. oligotrophic Luzulo-Fagetum or Vaccinio-Pinetum to mesotrophic Galio-Fagetum or Milio-Fagetum). For each plot the following data is collected: (1) tree location as polar coordinates (stem base map), (2) tree species, (3) forest mensuration data (dbh in [cm], tree height in [m]), (4) tree related microhabitats (TreMs) and (5) tree status (living or standing dead). In addition to the spatial dendrometric data we provide information on plot establishment, management history (year of last intervention), forest type, plot location (state, region, country), elevation, means for annual precipitation and temperature, and the natural forest community.
species for fen mires which is at risk of extinction in its westernmost breeding population due t... more species for fen mires which is at risk of extinction in its westernmost breeding population due to severe habitat loss. We used boosted regression trees to model habitat selection of this species and to make recommendations about effective management of the last remnant habitats. Habitat data were collected in the years 2004-06 in all remaining Aquatic Warbler breeding sites in Pomerania as well as in recently abandoned sites. In Lithuania, we examined similar Aquatic Warbler habitats for spatial validation. Probability of occurrence of Aquatic Warblers in late May/early June is high in areas with low isolation from other Aquatic Warbler sites, less eutrophic conditions, a high proportion of area mown early in the preceding year, vegetation of 60-70 cm high, high prey abundance and high habitat heterogeneity. Early summer land use is needed in the more productive sites to prevent habitat deterioration by succession to higher and denser vegetation. As this also poses a serious threat...
AbstractResource pulses are wide-ranging, influential ecosystem processes with effects permeating... more AbstractResource pulses are wide-ranging, influential ecosystem processes with effects permeating throughout the food web, sometimes over several years. In temperate forests, resource pulses may be triggered by mast seeding of one or several tree species, providing a key food source to a multitude of species. However, direct and indirect consequences of mast seeding for various seed and non-seed consumers, and interactions among them, are often poorly understood. Based on a 16-year data set from Germany, we evaluated several hypotheses concerning the relationships between (1) mast seeding and seed consumers, (2) seed and non-seed consumers, and (3) seed or non-seed consumers and extrinsic factors other than mast seeding. Abundances of Eurasian Jays Garrulus glandarius correlated negatively, but abundances of voles positively, with mast seeding of oak in the previous fall, while the abundances of Great Tits Parus major did not appear to be linked to mast seeding. The abundance of non-seed consumers, such as Wood Warblers Phylloscopus sibilatrix, but not Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita, appeared to be linked indirectly to mast seeding of oak via voles. Specifically, Wood Warbler abundance negatively correlated with abundances of voles. Extrinsic factors other than mast seeding appeared to be unimportant. This study shows how the set of factors affecting a species at a large spatial scale may vary from the set of factors acting at smaller spatial scales, as obtained from the literature. Lastly, we illustrate how several taxa at various trophic levels of a temperate forest ecosystem in Central Europe are linked via resource pulses. Assessing ecological processes revolving around seed-based resource pulses is pivotal to understanding how changing mast seeding dynamics may alter an ecosystem.ZusammenfassungTrophische Konsequenzen der Samenmast für samenfressende und nicht-samenfressende Vögel und Säugetiere in gemäßigten Wäldern Europas. Ressourcenschübe sind weitreichende, bedeutende Ökosystemprozesse und können Nahrungsnetze über mehrere Jahre beeinflussen. In gemäßigten Wäldern ist die in unregelmäßigen Abständen auftretende Samenmast verschiedener Baumarten ein häufiger und wichtiger Ressourcenschub und stellt in kurzer Zeit eine große Menge an Nahrung für verschiedenste Organismen bereit. Die direkten und indirekten Konsequenzen der Samenmast für Samenfresser und Nicht-Samenfresser sind jedoch schlecht untersucht. Anhand eines 16 Jahre umfassenden Datensatzes aus Deutschland testeten wir verschiedene Hypothesen bezüglich der Beziehungen zwischen (1) Samenmast und Samenfressern, (2) Samenfressern und Nicht-Samenfressern sowie (3) Samenfressern und Nicht-Samenfressern zu weiteren extrinsischen Faktoren. Die Abundanzen von Eichelhäher Garrulus glandarius und Wühlmäusen korrelierten negativ beziehungsweise positiv mit der Eichelmast im vorangehenden Herbst. Die Abundanz der Kohlmeise Parus major korrelierte hingegen nicht mit der Samenmast. Der Waldlaubsänger Phylloscopus sibilatrix war über die Wühlmäuse indirekt mit der Eichelmast verbunden, indem die Häufigkeit dieses Nicht-Samenfressers negativ mit jener von Wühlmäusen korrelierte. Für den Zilpzalp P. collybita, ein weiterer Nicht-Samenfresser, fanden wir keine solchen Beziehungen. Andere extrinsische Faktoren wie z.B. die Winterwitterung schienen in Bezug auf die Bestände der hier analysierten Arten nicht wichtig zu sein. Unsere Studie legt nahe, dass die Bestände einer Art großräumig von anderen Faktoren beeinflusst werden können als aufgrund von bisherigen kleinräumigen Studien bekannt war. Wir zeigen auch, wie mehrere Taxa auf verschiedenen trophischen Ebenen eines europäischen Waldökosystems durch Ressourcenschübe miteinander in Beziehung stehen. Deshalb ist es wichtig, die Auswirkungen der Samenmast zu evaluieren, um letztendlich zu verstehen, wie sich ändernde Samenmastdynamik auf das Ökosystem Wald auswirken kann.
Summary Birds that are long-distance migrants partition their annual cycle among a number of loca... more Summary Birds that are long-distance migrants partition their annual cycle among a number of locations over a large spatial range. The conservation of these species is particularly complex because it requires attention to a number of different and distant habitats based on knowledge of migratory phenology, routes and staging areas. In the case of the globally threatened Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola, a habitat specialist that breeds in Europe and spends the boreal winter in sub-Saharan Africa, non-breeding staging areas were widely unknown until recently. We applied light-level geolocators to adult male Aquatic Warblers at breeding sites in Belarus and Ukraine. Data from eight retrieved geolocators confirmed a south-west and then westward migration route through Europe via the northern Mediterranean with staging sites on the Iberian Peninsula and occasionally France and north-west Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa, final staging areas were in Mali, either in the Inner Niger De...
Abstract Data collected by forest inventories like the third National Forest Inventory (NFI-3, 20... more Abstract Data collected by forest inventories like the third National Forest Inventory (NFI-3, 2011–2012) in Germany was proposed to monitor forest biodiversity and evaluate existing forest management practices on a national scale. A data set was created from the NFI-3 data for analysis purposes which contained variables relevant to the habitat requirements of native forest bird species. Information on the distribution and abundance of 20 native forest bird species was taken from the Atlas of German Breeding Birds (2005–2009, 3003 grid cells). They form two important ecological groups: cavity-nesting and deciduous forest birds. For the first time, this data was combined with NFI-3 data and analysed using Random Forest models and partial dependence plots to determine which forest variables recorded by the NFI-3 were most closely related to forest bird species richness and diversity in temperate forests. It was shown that changes in forest bird species diversity and richness correlate with the NFI data but the different sampling methods of the NFI and bird species data also created methodological challenges which are discussed. The most important drivers of the richness and diversity of deciduous forest and cavity-nesting bird species are forest stand age and forest ownership. Deciduous forest and cavity-nesting birds show a preference for the way state, federal and municipal forests are managed over private forests. Private forests have significantly lower deadwood volumes and high proportions of coniferous trees, both of which are forest characteristics that lower the richness and diversity of bird species. Our findings show that efforts to protect forest birds should target managed forests older than 100 and 200 years and forests with total deadwood volumes >46.3 m3/ha. Protected areas also exhibited higher diversity and richness of forest birds which highlight their importance as suitable target areas for the protection of forest birds.
Anhand verfugbarer Daten zur Flachennutzung in der deutschen Agrarlandschaft sowie der Brutvogelm... more Anhand verfugbarer Daten zur Flachennutzung in der deutschen Agrarlandschaft sowie der Brutvogelmonitoring-Daten des Dachverbandes Deutscher Avifaunisten werden die Auswirkungen des Wandels der Agrarlandschaft auf die Bestandsentwicklung der haufigen Brutvogelarten Deutschlands dargestellt und interpretiert. Demnach nehmen die 30 typischen Vogelarten der Agrarlandschaft (von insgesamt 112 betrachteten Arten) in Deutschland ganz uberwiegend ab. Nach einer Bestandserholung eines Teils der Arten in der 1. Halfte der 1990er Jahre, vor allem in Ost-Deutschland, sind die Bestande der meisten Arten seit ca. 1996 wieder rucklaufig. Dabei scheinen sich die Ruckgange aktuell (seit 2007) zu beschleunigen und sind im Westen Deutschlands deutlich starker ausgepragt als im Osten. Phasen mit hohen Anteilen an Ackerbrachen (Stilllegungen) und Okolandbau erwiesen sich als positiv fur die Bestandsentwicklung vieler Feldvogelarten, hohe Anteile an Mais negativ. Die starke Zunahme des Energiemais-Anbaus in der zweiter Halfte der 2000er Jahre nach Inkrafttreten des Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetzes und das Verschwinden der Stilllegungsflachen seit 2007 fuhrten dazu, dass aktuell die meisten Arten abnehmen und auch die z.T. starke Zunahme von Arten, die von Stilllegungsflachen profitierten, sich nicht mehr fortsetzt und in Abnahmen umzuschlagen scheint. Die vorliegenden Daten sprechen dafur, dass etwa 10 % Brache notwendig sind (zurzeit <1 %!), um Bestandsruckgange bei der Mehrzahl der Feldvogelarten zu vermeiden. Die Stilllegungsflache sollte immer groser bzw. Stilllegungsfl ache plus Okolandbau sollten mindestens doppelt so gros wie die Maisflache sein (Verhaltnis Stilllegung zu Mais zurzeit 1 : 20 !). Anteile von 33 % Okolandbau plus 15 % extensive Grunlandnutzung in einem Gebiet von 1.300 km² reichen aus, um die Trends deutlich zu verbessern (Biospharenreservat Schorfheide-Chorin). In einem grosfl achig von Okolandbau (95 %) dominierten Teilgebiet im BR Schorfheide-Chorin nahmen deutlich mehr Arten zu als ab. Stichworter: Brutvogelmonitoring, Bestandstrends, haufi ge Arten, Agrarlandschaft
A 'Research and Development Project' in Brandenburg (Germany) running from 1999 to 2003 a... more A 'Research and Development Project' in Brandenburg (Germany) running from 1999 to 2003 aimed to define nature conservation standards for the management of lowland beech forests. The avifauna, saproxylic beetle fauna, ground beetles, saproxylic fungi, and the stand structures were investigated in twelve managed near-natural beech forests, and in six that had been unmanaged for 12 to more than 100 years near-natural beech forests to identify bioindicators for near-natural forest stands, which maintain the typical biocoenosis of beech forests. Some selected spotlight-like results are presented in this paper. The results show, for example, striking differences in stand structures between near-natural beech stands and managed forests, close dependence of bird species on silviculture influences and effects of forest developmental phases on ground beetles of beech forests. For instance, near-natural stands are much more structured, richer in dead wood (10–20 times of the volume of...
The Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola) is a globally threatened bird species. Around 1900,... more The Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola) is a globally threatened bird species. Around 1900, it was one of the most widespread birds in Central-European fen mires. The population severely decreased as a consequence of wetland drainage. Distinct genetic differences to all other known populations suggest that the remaining birds in Western Pomerania are the last survivors of a separated, presumably large Central European population. Its conservation has high priority, but it is hampered by insufficient knowledge on habitat requirements of the species in Western Pomerania. Additional threats emerge from conflicting land use interests. The coastal sites of the West-Pomeranian population are located around Szczecin bay and consist predominantly of Phragmites australis reeds. The sites in Lower Odra valley are situated on both sides of Odra river and have a mixed vegetation of sedges and grasses with Carex gracilis and Phalaris arundinacea dominating. All current breeding sites in We...
Changes in constitution and quality of the German agricultural landscapes and their effects on th... more Changes in constitution and quality of the German agricultural landscapes and their effects on the population trends of common breeding-bird species are summarised and interpreted. Out of the 112 most common species, 30 species are considered as typical farmland birds. The majority of these farmland birds showed declining trends. A distinct recovery of a part of the species after the German reunification in the early 1990s, in East Germany in particular, was followed by a decline of most species since c. 1996. In the latest period (after 2007) the declines seem to accelerate. Population decreases are stronger in West Germany compared to East Germany. Periods with a high proportion of set-asides (fallows) and organic farming (1993-1995, 2002-2005) were favourable for the population development of many farmland bird species whilst a high proportion of maize crops had a negative effect. The strong increase of maize crops for biofuel production after 2005 (caused by the new German Renew...
The diversity and prevalence of malaria parasites of the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus were ... more The diversity and prevalence of malaria parasites of the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus were determined in the globally-threatened Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola. Birds were sampled during migration in Portugal and at the wintering quarters in Senegal and parasites were detected using molecular methods. Only three generalist parasite lineages (Plasmodium) were found. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of parasites between sexes in Europe, but adults had higher prevalence than first-year birds, and birds in Europe had higher prevalence than those captured in Africa. When comparing with other Acrocephalus species and taking sample size into account, Aquatic Warblers had the lowest prevalence and, together with another threatened species, the Seychelles Warbler Acrocephalus sechellensis, the lowest diversity of malaria parasites. We hypothesize that the low diversity of parasites and absence of specialist lineages of Aquatic Warblers are caused by its ...
'Tree – tree' interactions are important structuring mechanisms for forest community dyna... more 'Tree – tree' interactions are important structuring mechanisms for forest community dynamics. Forest management takes advantage of competition effects on tree growth by removing or retaining trees to achieve management goals. Both competition and silviculture have thus a strong effect on density and distribution of Tree related Microhabitats (TreMs) which are key features for forest taxa at the stand scale (e.g. Bouget et al. 2013, 2014). In particular, spatially explicit data to understand patterns and mechanisms of TreM formation in forest stands are rare. To train and eventually improve decision making capacities related to the integration of biodiversity aspects into forest management 39 usually 1 ha (100 m x 100m) permanent plots were established in dominant forest communities of Europe. Due to their demonstration character the selection of plots was non-systematic. They do, however, cover a broad range of forest types (e.g. beech-oak, beech-fir (-spruce), oak-hornbeam, pine-spruce, etc.), altitudinal gradient (from 25 m – 1850 m) and site conditions (e.g. oligotrophic Luzulo-Fagetum or Vaccinio-Pinetum to mesotrophic Galio-Fagetum or Milio-Fagetum). For each plot the following data is collected: (1) tree location as polar coordinates (stem base map), (2) tree species, (3) forest mensuration data (dbh in [cm], tree height in [m]), (4) tree related microhabitats (TreMs) and (5) tree status (living or standing dead). In addition to the spatial dendrometric data we provide information on plot establishment, management history (year of last intervention), forest type, plot location (state, region, country), elevation, means for annual precipitation and temperature, and the natural forest community.
species for fen mires which is at risk of extinction in its westernmost breeding population due t... more species for fen mires which is at risk of extinction in its westernmost breeding population due to severe habitat loss. We used boosted regression trees to model habitat selection of this species and to make recommendations about effective management of the last remnant habitats. Habitat data were collected in the years 2004-06 in all remaining Aquatic Warbler breeding sites in Pomerania as well as in recently abandoned sites. In Lithuania, we examined similar Aquatic Warbler habitats for spatial validation. Probability of occurrence of Aquatic Warblers in late May/early June is high in areas with low isolation from other Aquatic Warbler sites, less eutrophic conditions, a high proportion of area mown early in the preceding year, vegetation of 60-70 cm high, high prey abundance and high habitat heterogeneity. Early summer land use is needed in the more productive sites to prevent habitat deterioration by succession to higher and denser vegetation. As this also poses a serious threat...
AbstractResource pulses are wide-ranging, influential ecosystem processes with effects permeating... more AbstractResource pulses are wide-ranging, influential ecosystem processes with effects permeating throughout the food web, sometimes over several years. In temperate forests, resource pulses may be triggered by mast seeding of one or several tree species, providing a key food source to a multitude of species. However, direct and indirect consequences of mast seeding for various seed and non-seed consumers, and interactions among them, are often poorly understood. Based on a 16-year data set from Germany, we evaluated several hypotheses concerning the relationships between (1) mast seeding and seed consumers, (2) seed and non-seed consumers, and (3) seed or non-seed consumers and extrinsic factors other than mast seeding. Abundances of Eurasian Jays Garrulus glandarius correlated negatively, but abundances of voles positively, with mast seeding of oak in the previous fall, while the abundances of Great Tits Parus major did not appear to be linked to mast seeding. The abundance of non-seed consumers, such as Wood Warblers Phylloscopus sibilatrix, but not Chiffchaffs Phylloscopus collybita, appeared to be linked indirectly to mast seeding of oak via voles. Specifically, Wood Warbler abundance negatively correlated with abundances of voles. Extrinsic factors other than mast seeding appeared to be unimportant. This study shows how the set of factors affecting a species at a large spatial scale may vary from the set of factors acting at smaller spatial scales, as obtained from the literature. Lastly, we illustrate how several taxa at various trophic levels of a temperate forest ecosystem in Central Europe are linked via resource pulses. Assessing ecological processes revolving around seed-based resource pulses is pivotal to understanding how changing mast seeding dynamics may alter an ecosystem.ZusammenfassungTrophische Konsequenzen der Samenmast für samenfressende und nicht-samenfressende Vögel und Säugetiere in gemäßigten Wäldern Europas. Ressourcenschübe sind weitreichende, bedeutende Ökosystemprozesse und können Nahrungsnetze über mehrere Jahre beeinflussen. In gemäßigten Wäldern ist die in unregelmäßigen Abständen auftretende Samenmast verschiedener Baumarten ein häufiger und wichtiger Ressourcenschub und stellt in kurzer Zeit eine große Menge an Nahrung für verschiedenste Organismen bereit. Die direkten und indirekten Konsequenzen der Samenmast für Samenfresser und Nicht-Samenfresser sind jedoch schlecht untersucht. Anhand eines 16 Jahre umfassenden Datensatzes aus Deutschland testeten wir verschiedene Hypothesen bezüglich der Beziehungen zwischen (1) Samenmast und Samenfressern, (2) Samenfressern und Nicht-Samenfressern sowie (3) Samenfressern und Nicht-Samenfressern zu weiteren extrinsischen Faktoren. Die Abundanzen von Eichelhäher Garrulus glandarius und Wühlmäusen korrelierten negativ beziehungsweise positiv mit der Eichelmast im vorangehenden Herbst. Die Abundanz der Kohlmeise Parus major korrelierte hingegen nicht mit der Samenmast. Der Waldlaubsänger Phylloscopus sibilatrix war über die Wühlmäuse indirekt mit der Eichelmast verbunden, indem die Häufigkeit dieses Nicht-Samenfressers negativ mit jener von Wühlmäusen korrelierte. Für den Zilpzalp P. collybita, ein weiterer Nicht-Samenfresser, fanden wir keine solchen Beziehungen. Andere extrinsische Faktoren wie z.B. die Winterwitterung schienen in Bezug auf die Bestände der hier analysierten Arten nicht wichtig zu sein. Unsere Studie legt nahe, dass die Bestände einer Art großräumig von anderen Faktoren beeinflusst werden können als aufgrund von bisherigen kleinräumigen Studien bekannt war. Wir zeigen auch, wie mehrere Taxa auf verschiedenen trophischen Ebenen eines europäischen Waldökosystems durch Ressourcenschübe miteinander in Beziehung stehen. Deshalb ist es wichtig, die Auswirkungen der Samenmast zu evaluieren, um letztendlich zu verstehen, wie sich ändernde Samenmastdynamik auf das Ökosystem Wald auswirken kann.
Summary Birds that are long-distance migrants partition their annual cycle among a number of loca... more Summary Birds that are long-distance migrants partition their annual cycle among a number of locations over a large spatial range. The conservation of these species is particularly complex because it requires attention to a number of different and distant habitats based on knowledge of migratory phenology, routes and staging areas. In the case of the globally threatened Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola, a habitat specialist that breeds in Europe and spends the boreal winter in sub-Saharan Africa, non-breeding staging areas were widely unknown until recently. We applied light-level geolocators to adult male Aquatic Warblers at breeding sites in Belarus and Ukraine. Data from eight retrieved geolocators confirmed a south-west and then westward migration route through Europe via the northern Mediterranean with staging sites on the Iberian Peninsula and occasionally France and north-west Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa, final staging areas were in Mali, either in the Inner Niger De...
Abstract Data collected by forest inventories like the third National Forest Inventory (NFI-3, 20... more Abstract Data collected by forest inventories like the third National Forest Inventory (NFI-3, 2011–2012) in Germany was proposed to monitor forest biodiversity and evaluate existing forest management practices on a national scale. A data set was created from the NFI-3 data for analysis purposes which contained variables relevant to the habitat requirements of native forest bird species. Information on the distribution and abundance of 20 native forest bird species was taken from the Atlas of German Breeding Birds (2005–2009, 3003 grid cells). They form two important ecological groups: cavity-nesting and deciduous forest birds. For the first time, this data was combined with NFI-3 data and analysed using Random Forest models and partial dependence plots to determine which forest variables recorded by the NFI-3 were most closely related to forest bird species richness and diversity in temperate forests. It was shown that changes in forest bird species diversity and richness correlate with the NFI data but the different sampling methods of the NFI and bird species data also created methodological challenges which are discussed. The most important drivers of the richness and diversity of deciduous forest and cavity-nesting bird species are forest stand age and forest ownership. Deciduous forest and cavity-nesting birds show a preference for the way state, federal and municipal forests are managed over private forests. Private forests have significantly lower deadwood volumes and high proportions of coniferous trees, both of which are forest characteristics that lower the richness and diversity of bird species. Our findings show that efforts to protect forest birds should target managed forests older than 100 and 200 years and forests with total deadwood volumes >46.3 m3/ha. Protected areas also exhibited higher diversity and richness of forest birds which highlight their importance as suitable target areas for the protection of forest birds.
Anhand verfugbarer Daten zur Flachennutzung in der deutschen Agrarlandschaft sowie der Brutvogelm... more Anhand verfugbarer Daten zur Flachennutzung in der deutschen Agrarlandschaft sowie der Brutvogelmonitoring-Daten des Dachverbandes Deutscher Avifaunisten werden die Auswirkungen des Wandels der Agrarlandschaft auf die Bestandsentwicklung der haufigen Brutvogelarten Deutschlands dargestellt und interpretiert. Demnach nehmen die 30 typischen Vogelarten der Agrarlandschaft (von insgesamt 112 betrachteten Arten) in Deutschland ganz uberwiegend ab. Nach einer Bestandserholung eines Teils der Arten in der 1. Halfte der 1990er Jahre, vor allem in Ost-Deutschland, sind die Bestande der meisten Arten seit ca. 1996 wieder rucklaufig. Dabei scheinen sich die Ruckgange aktuell (seit 2007) zu beschleunigen und sind im Westen Deutschlands deutlich starker ausgepragt als im Osten. Phasen mit hohen Anteilen an Ackerbrachen (Stilllegungen) und Okolandbau erwiesen sich als positiv fur die Bestandsentwicklung vieler Feldvogelarten, hohe Anteile an Mais negativ. Die starke Zunahme des Energiemais-Anbaus in der zweiter Halfte der 2000er Jahre nach Inkrafttreten des Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetzes und das Verschwinden der Stilllegungsflachen seit 2007 fuhrten dazu, dass aktuell die meisten Arten abnehmen und auch die z.T. starke Zunahme von Arten, die von Stilllegungsflachen profitierten, sich nicht mehr fortsetzt und in Abnahmen umzuschlagen scheint. Die vorliegenden Daten sprechen dafur, dass etwa 10 % Brache notwendig sind (zurzeit <1 %!), um Bestandsruckgange bei der Mehrzahl der Feldvogelarten zu vermeiden. Die Stilllegungsflache sollte immer groser bzw. Stilllegungsfl ache plus Okolandbau sollten mindestens doppelt so gros wie die Maisflache sein (Verhaltnis Stilllegung zu Mais zurzeit 1 : 20 !). Anteile von 33 % Okolandbau plus 15 % extensive Grunlandnutzung in einem Gebiet von 1.300 km² reichen aus, um die Trends deutlich zu verbessern (Biospharenreservat Schorfheide-Chorin). In einem grosfl achig von Okolandbau (95 %) dominierten Teilgebiet im BR Schorfheide-Chorin nahmen deutlich mehr Arten zu als ab. Stichworter: Brutvogelmonitoring, Bestandstrends, haufi ge Arten, Agrarlandschaft
A 'Research and Development Project' in Brandenburg (Germany) running from 1999 to 2003 a... more A 'Research and Development Project' in Brandenburg (Germany) running from 1999 to 2003 aimed to define nature conservation standards for the management of lowland beech forests. The avifauna, saproxylic beetle fauna, ground beetles, saproxylic fungi, and the stand structures were investigated in twelve managed near-natural beech forests, and in six that had been unmanaged for 12 to more than 100 years near-natural beech forests to identify bioindicators for near-natural forest stands, which maintain the typical biocoenosis of beech forests. Some selected spotlight-like results are presented in this paper. The results show, for example, striking differences in stand structures between near-natural beech stands and managed forests, close dependence of bird species on silviculture influences and effects of forest developmental phases on ground beetles of beech forests. For instance, near-natural stands are much more structured, richer in dead wood (10–20 times of the volume of...
The Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola) is a globally threatened bird species. Around 1900,... more The Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola) is a globally threatened bird species. Around 1900, it was one of the most widespread birds in Central-European fen mires. The population severely decreased as a consequence of wetland drainage. Distinct genetic differences to all other known populations suggest that the remaining birds in Western Pomerania are the last survivors of a separated, presumably large Central European population. Its conservation has high priority, but it is hampered by insufficient knowledge on habitat requirements of the species in Western Pomerania. Additional threats emerge from conflicting land use interests. The coastal sites of the West-Pomeranian population are located around Szczecin bay and consist predominantly of Phragmites australis reeds. The sites in Lower Odra valley are situated on both sides of Odra river and have a mixed vegetation of sedges and grasses with Carex gracilis and Phalaris arundinacea dominating. All current breeding sites in We...
Changes in constitution and quality of the German agricultural landscapes and their effects on th... more Changes in constitution and quality of the German agricultural landscapes and their effects on the population trends of common breeding-bird species are summarised and interpreted. Out of the 112 most common species, 30 species are considered as typical farmland birds. The majority of these farmland birds showed declining trends. A distinct recovery of a part of the species after the German reunification in the early 1990s, in East Germany in particular, was followed by a decline of most species since c. 1996. In the latest period (after 2007) the declines seem to accelerate. Population decreases are stronger in West Germany compared to East Germany. Periods with a high proportion of set-asides (fallows) and organic farming (1993-1995, 2002-2005) were favourable for the population development of many farmland bird species whilst a high proportion of maize crops had a negative effect. The strong increase of maize crops for biofuel production after 2005 (caused by the new German Renew...
The diversity and prevalence of malaria parasites of the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus were ... more The diversity and prevalence of malaria parasites of the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus were determined in the globally-threatened Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola. Birds were sampled during migration in Portugal and at the wintering quarters in Senegal and parasites were detected using molecular methods. Only three generalist parasite lineages (Plasmodium) were found. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of parasites between sexes in Europe, but adults had higher prevalence than first-year birds, and birds in Europe had higher prevalence than those captured in Africa. When comparing with other Acrocephalus species and taking sample size into account, Aquatic Warblers had the lowest prevalence and, together with another threatened species, the Seychelles Warbler Acrocephalus sechellensis, the lowest diversity of malaria parasites. We hypothesize that the low diversity of parasites and absence of specialist lineages of Aquatic Warblers are caused by its ...
Uploads
Papers by Martin Flade