Alain Butet

Comparative biodiversity along a gradient of agricultural landscapes

The aim of this study is to compare biodivemity in contrasted landscape units within a small region. In western France agricultural intensification leads to changes in landscape structure: permanent grasslands are ploughed, fields enlarged and surrounding hedgerows removed or deteriorated, brooks are straightened and cleaned. South of Mont Saint Michel Bay, four landscape units have been identified along an intensi- fication gradient. Several taxonomic groups (small mammals, birds, insects and plants) have been used to evaluate the characteristics of biodiver- sity along this gradient. The hypothesis that intensification of agricultural practices lead to changes in biodiversity has been tested. Biodiversity is measured by the species richness, Shannons diversity index, equitability and similarity indexes. Our results show that intensification of agriculture does not always lead to a decrease in species richness, but to several functional responses according to taxonomic groups, either no modification, or stability by replacement of species, or loss of species. For most of the studied taxo- nomic groups species richness does not vary greatly along the gradient. Depending on the landscape structure and farming systems this gradient is probably truncated and does not allow to show major changes in species richness. An alternative hypothesis is that used indexes are not sensitive enough to reveal changes in biodiversity. Nevertheless, similarity indexes reveal that sensitivity to changes varies, invertebrates being more likely to perceive the dynamics of the landscapes studied than vertebrates or plants. These points have to be taken into consideration when elaborating policies for sustainable agriculture or nature conservation. 0 Elsevier, Paris

Does Urbanization Filter Birds on the Basis of Their Biological Traits

Abstract Urbanization leads to the biotic homogenization of global avifauna. We hypothesized that urbanization acts as a filter on species traits and, therefore, that urban passerines share biological traits explaining their capacity to tolerate urban constraints. We investigated 18 biological traits of passerines related to their general biology, distribution, breeding, and morphometry. In a regional analysis conducted on passerine data from one Swiss and 11 French cities (regional analysis), we identified urban adapters (tolerant species) and urban avoiders (intolerant species), and compared their traits. In a local analysis conducted on passerine data of 13 woodlands located along a short rural-urban gradient, we identified groups of species associated with particular vegetation structures within or particular landscape structures around woodlands. We associated each of these species groups with a tolerance level to urbanization and compared their traits. Regional analysis revealed that urban adapters prefer forest environments, are sedentary, omnivorous, widely distributed, high-nesters with large wingspans. Urban avoiders seem to allocate more energy to reproduction than do urban adapters, to the detriment of adaptation to new environments such as urban areas. Local analysis did not reveal any link between traits and species tolerance levels. At large spatial scales, urbanization seems therefore to act as a filter on species traits. However, the urban constraints that filter species at such large scales do not seem to be the same ones that determine species distribution at local scales. Analyses of traits are powerful tools to understanding regional community composition between urban and rural areas.

RESPONSES OF AN AVIAN PREDATOR TO VARIATIONS IN PREY DENSITY AT A TEMPERATE LATITUDE

Fluctuating prey populations and their effects on avian predator population dynamics have been studied particularly at high latitudes, where prey populations, especially microtines, are known to be cyclic; raptors show both numerical and functional responses to variations in their prey. In this paper, we investigate the response of a migratory raptor (Montagus Harrier, Circus pygargus) to variations in abundance of its main prey (common vole, Microtus arvalis) in France. We document multiannual fluctuation in the abundance of common voles. The numerical response of Montagus Harrier to this variable food supply was studied using breeding parameters (breeding density, breeding phenology, and various measures of breeding success). Breeding density and mean clutch size were strongly correlated with spring vole abundance, whereas mean brood size at fledging was correlated positively with summer vole abundance. The mechanism involved in the numerical response of Montagus Harrier indicates that dispersal and ...

Europe-Wide Dampening of Population Cycles in Keystone Herbivores

Cycling in Unison Many small mammals, especially voles, display semi-regular cycles of population boom and bust. Given the fundamental importance of small mammals as basal consumers and prey, such cycles can have cascading effects in trophic food webs. Cornulier et al. (p. 63) collated raw data from vole populations across Europe collected over the past 18 years. Reduction in winter growth rate was common across a wide variety of habitats with very different local climates, suggesting the presence of a continental-scale climatic driver of vole populations. Synchronicity in vole population fluctuation across Europe suggests a common climatic driver. Suggestions of collapse in small herbivore cycles since the 1980s have raised concerns about the loss of essential ecosystem functions. Whether such phenomena are general and result from extrinsic environmental changes or from intrinsic process stochasticity is currently unknown. Using a large compilation of time series of vole abundances, we demonstrate consistent cycle amplitude dampening associated with a reduction in winter population growth, although regulatory processes responsible for cyclicity have not been lost. The underlying syndrome of change throughout Europe and grass-eating vole species suggests a common climatic driver. Increasing intervals of low-amplitude small herbivore population fluctuations are expected in the future, and these may have cascading impacts on trophic webs across ecosystems.

Differential response of selected taxa to landscape context and agricultural intensification

Understanding the dynamics of biodiversity in changing agricultural landscapes is a goal for nature conservation and agricultural policies. Agriculture operates at several spatio-temporal levels from field to landscape, and induces differential response of communities according to their ecological traits. Reactions of several taxa to landscape and agricultural changes was conducted along landscape gradients in northern Brittany (France) gathering 14 sites. Landscapes ranged from fine grained areas, with a large proportion of permanent grasslands, wood and hedgerows, to coarse grained ones dominated by crops. Response of communities were either loss of species along the gradient (as for Diptera Chironomidae and Empididae), replacement (Coleoptera Carabidae) and no change in species composition (small mammals). In this paper, we present why these taxa react in such different ways according to their life history traits, their mobility patterns and to which parameters of landscape structure or agriculture intensification they are sensitive. Density of hedgerow networks, and permeability of individual hedgerows determine the spatial distribution of adults Diptera according to their flying ability. Mean body size of carabid beetles significantly decreases along the gradient of agricultural intensification, small species adapted to disturbance replacing large ones that are characteristic of stable habitats. The same small mammal species are found all along the two gradients, but their relative abundance is linked to the importance of crops versus more stable habitats in the landscape. We concluded that species survival in those fine grained agricultural landscapes depends on processes operating at the site scale and defining habitat quality, and processes operating at the landscape and/or metapopulation scale such as landscape modifications in connectivity and habitat availability.

Response of the small mammal community to changes in western French agricultural landscapes

We studied the response of the small mammal community (rodents and shrews) to recent changes in agricultural systems of western French landscapes. Work was conducted on twelve sites representative of the diversity of farming systems in this region. The characteristics of small mammal assemblages in each site were assessed using Barn Owl (Tyto alba) pellet analysis. Relationships between small mammal data and landscape descriptors were performed through co-inertia analysis. Richness and specific composition of the small mammal community were not affected by the degree of cultivation but variations in species frequency could be observed. The prevalence of some species allowed us to distinguish three main assemblages which were characteristic of low, medium, and high intensified landscapes. Status and life traits of these species showed that intensification of agriculture has negative effects on density of rare and habitat-specialist species while it favours habitat-generalist species, some of them being known to exhibit fluctuating density. The two main ways of agricultural intensification (maize vs. other crops) did not show any significant relationships with species assemblages. Our results gave us the opportunity to suggest recommendations on agronomical and conservation problems that may arise from these changes of agriculture in western France.

Landscape context and carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) communities of hedgerows in western France

Dramatic changes have occurred in agricultural landscapes of western Europe since the 1950s. Their effects on biodiversity have been documented at local scales in terms of agricultural practices and management of uncultivated elements, more than at the landscape level. The highest diversity of agricultural landscape structure found in Brittany (France) is characterised by hedgerows surrounding arable fields and permanent grasslands. Some areas did not change much over a few decades, while others were totally transformed by agricultural intensification, field enlargement and removal of hedges. The present paper aimed at examining if this landscape context affected carabid beetles communities in hedgerows. In 11 sites of 1 km 2 each, land use diversity and heterogeneity, hedgerow connectivity and landscape openness were measured. Carabid beetles sampled in hedgerows were identified to species, and grouped in functional units. Multivariate analyses were used to relate the spatial distribution of insects to different parameters of landscape structure. The results show a significant relationship between landscape structure and carabid communities. Forest species were more abundant in dense hedgerow networks with a relatively high ratio of permanent grasslands. Landscape opening induced a shift in species composition; the relative abundance of large species decreased while small, mobile and more ubiquitous species were favoured. Two trajectories of landscape change were identified, which led to different responses in communities, the increase in maize for milk production opening the landscape far more than cereal crops associated with industrial pig or poultry production. Changes were most important in the latter case.

Spatial dynamics of wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) in an agricultural landscape under intensive use in the Mont Saint Michel Bay (France)

Over the last decades intensification in agricultural use has lead to changes in landscape structure and composition. Seasonal fluctuations of the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) are well known in cultivated landscapes, but not well explained. The main question relates to the fate of individuals during summer. The hypothesis of a seasonal dispersal of individuals from hedges to crops was investigated in the polder of the Mont Saint Michel Bay (France) at different landscape scales using GIS. Field and landscape scale parameters were analysed in relation to wood mouse abundance in the crops mosaic. The results tend to demonstrate that dilution of the population due to dispersal toward crops could be the main factor explaining the population drops in hedges. Hedgerows act as source habitat in spring whereas field colonisation rate depends on crop quality in summer. The heterogeneity of the crops matrix for the presence of wood mouse has been studied. Variations in vegetation cover of the field plot and its surroundings appear to determine dispersal of mice during summer. Results may have implications in terms of pest management and/or food webs preservation in cultivated landscapes.

Effects of agriculture development on vole dynamics and conservation of Montagu's harrier in western French wetlands

Abstract Nesting populations of Montagus harrier (Circus pygargus) are declining in most parts of Europe; in France, western marshes remain the most important nesting sites in terms of breeding pairs. In this open field landscape dominated by grasslands, the common vole (Microtus arvalis) displays regular population outbreaks and constitutes a favourite prey of this raptor. Twelve years of field data indicate significant variations in nesting population size and young harriers produced, which correlate with yearly differences in vole densities. Up to 10 years ago, these marshes were traditionally used as extensive pastures but recent agricultural changes have resulted in almost 50% of the pastures being converted to drained agricultural production, as already observed in many localities of this region next to our study area. Our data, together with previous data collected from 1968 in this region, demonstrate that agricultural changes have resulted in a decrease of frequency and intensity of vole population peaks. A summer density of 100 voles/ha appears as a threshold value to support a good breeding success of harriers. These modifications of the vole fluctuation pattern suggest that nesting populations of Montagus harrier from western French marshes could be endangered in future under these current trends in agricultural changes.

Diet differentiation between European arvicoline and murine rodents

Small European muroid rodents are generally divided into species which feed on seeds and/or invertebrates and species which feed on green plant material; however, there is considerable plasticity in feeding behavior among species. Here, we analyze diets of 14 low-latitude rodent species from Western Europe based on published studies. The 77 studies were submitted to principal component analysis in order to compare diet plasticity within and between the 14 species. We observed variations in food composition of arvicoline and murine rodents which are associated with differences in morphology and habitat use. Most arvicoline rodents eat mainly green matter of the herbaceous layers of open habitats whereas most murine species are able to use a greater diversity of high energetic plant tissues from denser habitats, where they can exploit the different vegetation layers. Despite its phylogenetic position among arvicoline rodents, the bank vole (Myodes glareolus) shows morpho-physiological and ecological traits which tend to be more similar to murine species. These intermediate evolutionary characters seem consistent with the fact that bank voles are able to exploit a wide spectrum of trophic resources from low energetic lignified tissues to high calorific invertebrate prey. This results in a very diverse diet, which is intermediate between true herbivorous arvicolines and typical seed- and invertebrate-eating murine species. More investigations on genetic affiliation and ecological driving forces will help understand this intermediate position of bank vole diet, and further investigations among other arvicoline species will help determine if bank voles and other Myodes species are unique.