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Can landscape composition changes predict spatial and annual variation of little bustard male abundance?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2005

Manuel B. Morales
Affiliation:
Dpto. Interuniversitario de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049 Madrid, Spain
Jesús T. García
Affiliation:
Dpto. de Biología Animal I (Zoología), Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, E-28040, Madrid, Spain
Beatriz Arroyo
Affiliation:
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), Banchory, Aberdeenshire AB31 4BW, UK
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Abstract

We studied variables affecting spatial and inter-annual variations in presence/absence and abundance of little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) males in extensive cereal farmland in central Spain. Both variables were positively influenced by the percentage of arable surface and also by substrate heterogeneity. In addition, male abundance varied significantly between years and among sectors of the study area, even when taking into account variation in landscape variables. A significant interaction between year and sector showed that abundance variations did not follow a fixed pattern, meaning that interannual variation in male abundance among sectors cannot be predicted. We discuss potential alternatives to explain such variation, as well as the implications of our results for the species' population estimates, status assessment and conservation.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
2005 The Zoological Society of London

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