Movement of avian predators points to biodiversity hotspots in agricultural landscape.

ABSTRACT: Global agricultural landscapes are witnessing a concerning decline in biodiversity, and this trend is predicted to persist. To safeguard these biodiversity-rich areas, it is crucial to pinpoint hotspots effectively. In doing so, we used various species of avian predators as suitable sentinel animals due to their mobility and dependence on prey diversity and abundance. Between 2019 and 2021, we tracked 62 individuals from four bird of prey species using GPS loggers in Estonian farmland. Dividing the study area into 50 m grids and overlaying them with tracked individuals' locations enabled us to differentiate between hotspots of their activity and control sites. We conducted surveys on amphibian, bird, small mammal and plant abundance and diversity to determine if avian predator activity hot

SUBMITTER: Mirski P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10776223 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature