A study on the nest predation edge effect in the Heves Environmentally Sensitive Area
Abstract
Agricultural intensification changes the structure of the landscape and fragments habitats. Fragmentation results in large amount of edges. These edges increase nest predation thus threaten the reproduction of birds. We conducted our study on the Heves Environmentally Sensitive Area, in May, 2008. The aim was to compare the predation of bird nests in different agricultural areas, and to study the edge effect on nest predation. We used artificial ground nests with one plasticine and one Quail eggs. We measured such local factors as the height and density of the vegetation next to the nests. From the 180 nests, 82 were predated upon. Sixty–seven percent of the nests placed in the edges was predated, however, at the distance of 100 meters only 28% of nests was predated. This difference proved to be significant after being tested by binominal linear models. The greatest predation was in wheat, and the least nests were destroyed on the set-aside, so the difference in cultivation is also significant in terms of the level of predation. The average density and average height was greater around the unpredated nests. Both local variables had significantly negative effect on predation. The edge effect can be detected even at 50 meters away from the border in wheat, whereas in case of grassland, the predation is restricted to the borders of the area. These differences may show uneven disturbance in these cultures. The results suggest that both landscape and vegetation structure have an effect on nest predation in agricultural areas.
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