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Temporal and spatial variation in the distribution of predators of the Black-tailed Godwit in Southwest Friesland

Zijlstra, Natsja (2025) Temporal and spatial variation in the distribution of predators of the Black-tailed Godwit in Southwest Friesland. Master's Research Project 2, Ecology and Evolution.

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Abstract

In Europe, populations of many farmland bird species declined dramatically in the last decades. Besides intensification of agriculture, another factor often mentioned as cause of the decline of meadow breeding bird populations, is increased nest and chick predation. I focussed on better understanding top-down processes in the food-web of the European Black-tailed Godwit. In particular, I aimed to determine temporal and spatial variation in the distribution of both avian and mammalian predators of godwits. In doing so, I also considered the influence of biological factors such as the presence of prey and different land-use regimes. By using generalised linear mixed models, we found a significant negative relationship between the abundance of prey (voles and godwits) and land-use intensity. Predator occurrence varied in both time and space. Both avian and mammalian predators had species-specific relationships with land-use intensity, and avian predators had a species-specific relationship with the presence of godwit families. These findings underscore the dynamic nature of predator presence and the intricate relationship between agricultural practices and the composition of the local predator community. In the protection of meadow birds, one should not focus on predator control exclusively, but rather focus on better understanding the influence of the agricultural landscape in determining predator presence and how land-use can be changed to the meadow-birds’ advantage.

Item Type: Thesis (Master's Research Project 2)
Supervisor name: Fokkema, R.W. and Piersma, T.
Degree programme: Ecology and Evolution
Thesis type: Master's Research Project 2
Language: English
Date Deposited: 14 Jan 2025 08:52
Last Modified: 14 Jan 2025 08:52
URI: https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/34559

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