Direct and indirect ecological drivers of bird communities in intensively cultivated landscapes

作者：Matteo Anderle, Francesco Ceresa, Andreas Hilpold, Thomas Marsoner, Stephanie Roilo, Jarek Scanferla, Roberto Dellavedova, Ulrike Tappeiner, Mattia Brambilla · 发表于：Journal of Environmental Management · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127169 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies、Botany and Plant Ecology Studies、Avian ecology and behavior

Agriculture has played a pivotal role in shaping European mountain biodiversity. Traditional practices, characterized by low intensity and crop mosaics, have historically created complex, heterogeneous landscapes that supported a high biodiversity level. Agricultural intensification has turned these traditional crop systems into artificial habitats, leading to increased field sizes, habitat fragmentation, and decrease of habitat heterogeneity, contributing to the current farmland biodiversity crisis. We investigated the direct and indirect ecological drivers of bird communities in cultivated landscapes within the Alps. We aimed to disentangle the effects of biotic/abiotic factors on birds in permanent and annual crops (vineyards, apple orchards, arable lands). Using piecewise structural equation models, we analyzed bird indices and indicator species to explore the direct, indirect, and total effects of most relevant drivers, highlighting possible patterns due to degradation induced by intensification. Natural/near-natural habitats and compositional habitat heterogeneity positively influenced species richness and functional diversity. Conversely, structural habitat heterogeneity often had negative effects on bird communities. Topo-climatic variables were also relevant, with elevation promoting functional diversity and species richness, while steeper slopes increased near-natural habitats within the landscapes, indirectly supporting communities and species. These results highli...