The importance of non-forest tree stand features for protection of the Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus in agricul
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The importance of non-forest tree stand features for protection of the Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus in agricultural landscape: a case study from SouthEastern Poland Jerzy Michalczuk
Received: 12 October 2019 / Accepted: 4 May 2020 Ó The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Non-forest tree stands are important habitats for many species of birds in the agricultural landscape. They are also the main habitat of the Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus, whose numbers have been decreasing in recent years in some parts of Europe. Recognition of the habitat requirements of this species may help better planning of its protection in the context of the treed agricultural landscapes. During this study, the habitat preferences of the Syrian Woodpecker were determined in the agricultural landscape of South-Eastern Poland. A set of 12 habitat parameters of tree stands located in the breeding territories of the Syrian Woodpecker (n = 122) and in randomly chosen control areas (n = 122) located outside the range of the breeding territories of this species were characterized. The number and species diversity of trees was significantly higher in stands located in Syrian Woodpecker territories than in the random control areas. Stands occupied by breeding pairs also had trees of worse health condition and a larger proportion of fruit trees. The model best explaining the probability of the occurrence of the species indicates that the Syrian Woodpecker requires mainly the presence of tree stands with a greater species diversity of trees, as well as tree stands in
J. Michalczuk (&) Department of Nature Conservation and Landscape Ecology, University of Rzeszo´w, Zelwerowicza 4, 35-601 Rzeszow, Poland e-mail: [email protected]
worse health condition. When planning the protection of this species’ habitats in the agricultural landscape, the characteristics of non-forest tree stands noted above should be taken into account. Keywords Rural landscape Semi-open landscape Human-settlements tree stands Synanthropic environments Habitat conservation Bird protection planning
Introduction The presence of various types of tree stands in the agricultural landscape is important for the occurrence of many bird species in Europe (e.g. Berg 2002; Domokos and Domokos 2016; Dorresteijn et al. 2018). Such habitats may also be valuable for woodpeckers whose populations are concentrated mainly in small woodlots or non-forest tree stands. Such species include, for example, the European Green Woodpecker Picus viridis and the Wryneck Jynx torquilla (Spitznagel 1990; Glue and Boswell 1994; Michalczuk et al. 2018). In the semi-open landscape, Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major is also commonly found, often occurring in parks, but additionally inhabiting orchards, tree-lined avenues and clumps of trees (Glue and Boswell 1994; Hebda 2009; Michalczuk and Michalczuk 2016c). Such tree
123
Agroforest Syst
stands in the agricultural landscape are preferred primarily by the Syrian Woodpecker Dendro
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