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Title: | Proximity of breeding and foraging areas affects foraging effort of a crepuscular, insectivorous bird | Authors: | EVENS, Ruben BEENAERTS, Natalie NEYENS, Thomas WITTERS, Nele SMEETS, Karen ARTOIS, Tom |
Issue Date: | 2018 | Source: | SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 8 (Art N° 3008) | Abstract: | When complementary resources are required for an optimal life cycle, most animals need to move between different habitats. However, the level of connectivity between resources can vary and, hence, influence individuals' behaviour. We show that landscape composition and configuration affect the connectivity between breeding (heathlands) and foraging habitats (extensively-grazed grasslands) of the European Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus), a crepuscular insectivorous bird. On a daily basis, nightjars connect breeding and foraging sites by rapidly crossing unsuitable habitats in order to exploit a higher prey biomass in foraging sites. However, low availability of foraging habitat near breeding sites and clustered landscapes greatly increase foraging distance. Birds occupying these sub-optimal breeding areas compensate for longer travels by increasing foraging duration, and their physiology shows increased stress levels. All findings suggest that landscape heterogeneity can affect population dynamics of nightjars. Therefore, we recommend an integrated management approach for this EU-protected bird species. | Notes: | Evens, R (reprint author), Hasselt Univ, Ctr Environm Sci, Res Grp Zool Biodivers & Toxicol, Campus Diepenbeek,Agoralaan,Gebouw D, B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium ruben.evens@uhasselt.be | Document URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1942/26556 | ISSN: | 2045-2322 | e-ISSN: | 2045-2322 | DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-018-21321-0 | ISI #: | 000424985800046 | Rights: | © The Author(s) 2018. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. Te images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. | Category: | A1 | Type: | Journal Contribution | Validations: | ecoom 2019 |
Appears in Collections: | Research publications |
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evens 1.pdf | Published version | 1.99 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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