Effects of land use on nest predation: an experimental study in Spanish croplands

• Published in: Folia zoologica (Brno) Vol. 50; no. 2
• Main Authors: Pescador, M, Peris, S. (University of Salamanca (Spain). Dept. of Animal Biology-Zoology)
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2001
• Subjects: ALFALFA; BARBECHO; BATERIA DE NIDALES; BETTERAVE SUCRIERE; BOITE A NID; BREEDING SEASONS; CAILLE; CAMPO; CEREAL CROPS; CHAMP; CHIEN; CODORNIZ; CORBEAU; CROWS; CUERVO; CULTIVOS DE CEREALES; DEPREDADORES; DOGS; EGGS; EPOCA DE APAREAMIENTO; EQUIPO DE LA EXPLOTACION AGRARIA; ESPAGNE; ESPANA; FALLOW; FARM EQUIPMENT; FIELDS; HABITAT; HABITATS; HELIANTHUS ANNUUS; HUEVOS; IRRIGATION; JACHERE; LUCERNE; LUZERNE; MAIS; MAIZ; MAIZE; MATERIEL AGRICOLE; NEST BOXES; OEUF; PAPA; PASTIZALES; PASTURES; PATURAGES; PERRO; PLANTE CEREALIERE; POMME DE TERRE; POTATOES; PREDATEUR; PREDATOR PREY RELATIONS; PREDATORS; QUAILS; RELACIONES PREDATOR PRESA; RELATION PREDATEUR PROIE; REMOLACHA AZUCARERA; RIEGO; RODENTS; ROEDORES; RONGEUR; SAISON D'ACCOUPLEMENT; SPAIN; SUGAR BEET; SUPERVIVENCIA; SURVIE; SURVIVAL
• ISSN: 0139-7893

We analyzed temporal and spatial patterns of predation in relation to habitat and agricultural land use. During spring 1998, 488 artificial nests containing quail eggs were placed in a variety of habitats in order to evaluate nest predation rates. The results revealed that 61 % of the nests were predated over 1 to 15 days of field exposure and 80.7 % of the nests within 1-30 days of exposure. In the early part of the breeding season, the nest predation rate was 65-75 %, falling to 53-62 % in the late part of the breeding season. Regarding the different agricultural habitats, cereal cropland (51.1 %), pasture (46.8 %) and edges (45.7 %) suffered the lowest nest predation, whereas the highest predation rates were found on fallow land (83.3 %), ploughed land (84.6 %) and maize fields (85.7 %). Birds favour fallow fields for nesting but due to the relatively poor and patchy representation in the study they were subject to a high degree of nest predation. Traditional land use in steppe areas leads to lower predation rates than land used for intensive agriculture, such as irrigated fields.