0000000001329815
AUTHOR
Raphael Arlettaz
Effects of habitat quality and fragmentation on Woodlarks (Lullula arborea) and their invertebrate prey in intensively managed vineyards
Vineyards in Switzerland are among the most intensively managed perennial crop systems. The vast majority of all parcels are treated with herbicides and do not have any ground vegetation cover, whereas only a small proportion of vineyards is managed extensively, allowing ground vegetation to grow. These contrasting management types lead to a fragmented and almost binary system of few vegetated parcels embedded within herbicide-treated ones. The Woodlark (Lullula arborea) is an endangered insectivorous bird species, which has its Swiss stronghold in this intensively managed agroecosystem. In a first study we assessed Woodlarks' habitat preferences during territory settlement and linked the b…
Effects of habitat fragmentation on bumblebee foraging trip duration and colony fitness
Agricultural intensification with the associated habitat loss and fragmentation are among the most important drivers for the dramatic loss of wild pollinators. In this study, conducted in intensively managed vineyards in southern Switzerland, we tested the interdependent effects of habitat amount (surface of vegetated vineyards per landscape) and fragmentation (number of vegetated vineyards per landscape) on fitness-relevant traits in bumblebee Bombus terrestris terrestris colonies. Individual bumblebee foraging trips were measured with RFID (radio frequency identification) technology while colony fitness was assessed by quantifying nest parameters related to colony size. Vegetation cover i…
Age and season-related habitat selection patterns of the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) in the Swiss Alps: a basis for predicting conflict-zones with wind energy construction
The recent increase of wind energy use in Central Europe incurs potential impacts on wildlife. Large soaring raptors, like the bearded vulture, are particularly exposed to collision risk with wind turbines as they sometimes converge in selecting fairly similar combinations of landscape and wind conditions. Considerable efforts and resources have been invested to re-instate the species in the European Alps. There exists a risk, however, that this success will be jeopardized by the sprawl of the wind parks across the alpine massif. We used a maximum entropy modelling approach to predict the potential distribution of the bearded vulture across the Swiss Alpine range using presence-only data. W…