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Temporal variation in nest predation risk along habitat edges between grassland and secondary forest in Central Europe

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Abstract

Habitat fragmentation alters many ecological processes, including trophic cascades. For example, increased predation pressure along habitat edges has often been observed in fragmented landscapes. Here, we studied how nest predation risk varies along the transition zone between grassland and mixed forest in Central Europe. Using artificial nests, we tested the two mechanisms that are expected to underlie higher predation rates along edges: (1) the matrix effect model that supposes predator penetration from a habitat type with higher predator density to one with lower predator density and (2) the ecotonal effect model that assumes specific predator preferences for habitat edges. Although our results do not fully support either of these scenarios, our data show high temporal instability in nest predation along forest–grassland edges. Predation was higher in habitat interiors compared to edges during the first year, whereas the opposite pattern was observed during the subsequent year. In addition, dramatic between-year differences in the species composition of nest predators were observed. Therefore, we hypothesise that the effect of edges on nest predation is difficult to predict in landscapes with high predator diversity. In addition, our data indicate that a high abundance of wild boar considerably increases the risk of predation for ground-nesting birds.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Častoral O., Dýnková E., Kukač P. and Soustružník L. for their help with field work. Helpful comments to the manuscript were given by Batáry P. and Spanhove T. (reviewers of the manuscript), Gortázar Ch. (Editor-in-Chief of EJWR) and Šálek M.E. This study was supported by the internal grant agencies of the Czech University of Environmental Sciences (CIGA 20094205 and IGA FŽP 42110/1313/3108). T.A. and J.K. were partially supported by the Research Centrum project no. LC06073 and by the grant of the Ministry of Environment VAV no. SP/2d3/60/08.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Faculty of Environmental Science, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 1176, 165 21, Prague 6, Czech Republic

    Jana Svobodová, Martina Koubová & Ladislav Mrštný

  2. Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, 128 44, Prague 2, Czech Republic

    Tomáš Albrecht & Jakub Kreisinger

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  1. Jana Svobodová
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  2. Martina Koubová
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  4. Tomáš Albrecht
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Correspondence to Jana Svobodová.

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Communicated by C. Gortázar

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Svobodová, J., Koubová, M., Mrštný, L. et al. Temporal variation in nest predation risk along habitat edges between grassland and secondary forest in Central Europe. Eur J Wildl Res 58, 315–323 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-011-0582-2

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