Food and habitats requirements of the Eurasian Scops Owl (Otus scops) in Switzerland revealed by very high-resolution multi-scale models.
Details
Serval ID
serval:BIB_189EED5DF605
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Food and habitats requirements of the Eurasian Scops Owl (Otus scops) in Switzerland revealed by very high-resolution multi-scale models.
Journal
Ibis
ISSN
0019-1019
1474-919X
1474-919X
Publication state
Published
Issued date
01/2022
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
164
Number
1
Pages
240-254
Language
english
Abstract
In Europe, agricultural practices have progressively evolved towards high productivity leading either to the intensification of productive and accessible areas or the abandonment of less profitable sites. Both processes have led to the degradation of semi-natural habitats such as extensive grasslands, threatening species like the Scops Owl Otus scops that rely on extensively managed agricultural landscapes. In this work, we aimed to assess the habitat preferences of the Scops Owl using habitat suitability models combined with a multi-scale approach. We generated a set of multi-scale predictors, considering both biotic and abiotic variables, built on two newly developed vegetation management and orthopteran abundance models. To select the variables to incorporate in a ‘best multi-scale model’, we chose the best spatial scale for each variable using univariate models and by calculating their relative importance through multi-model inference. Next, we built ensembles of small models (ESMs) at 10 different scales from 50 m to 1000 m, and an additional model with each variable at its best scale (‘best multi-scale model’). The latter performed better than most of the other ESMs and allowed the creation of a high-resolution habitat suitability map for the species. Scops Owls showed a preference for dry sites with extensive and well-structured habitats with 30-40% bush cover, and relied strongly on semi-extensive grasslands covering at least 30% of surface within 300 m of the nest and high orthopteran availability near the centre of their territories (50 m radius), revealing a need for good foraging grounds near the nest. At a larger spatial scale within a radius of 1000 m, the habitat suitability of Scops Owls was negatively related to forest cover. The resulting ESM predictions provide valuable tools for conservation planning, highlighting sites in need of particular conservation efforts together with offering estimates of the percentage of habitat types and necessary prey abundance that could be used as targets in future management plans to ensure the persistence of the population.
Keywords
Animal Science and Zoology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Web of science
Create date
04/08/2021 14:51
Last modification date
11/07/2023 6:55