RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Breeding habitat preferences and reproductive success of Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) in exotic Eucalyptus plantations in southwestern Europe
A1 Rebollo de la Torre, Salvador
A1 Pérez Camacho, Lorenzo
A1 Fernández Pereira, José Manuel
A1 Martínez Hesterkamp, Sara
A1 Madrigal González, Jaime
A1 Montaña , Enrique de la
A1 García Salgado, Gonzalo Jesús
A1 Domingo Muñoz, Rodrigo
K1 Biodiversity surrogate
K1 Density trap
K1 Mature plantation
K1 Raptor
K1 Smallholding forestry
K1 Territoriality
K1 Medio Ambiente
K1 Environmental science
AB With ongoing degradation of natural forests and spread of forest plantations, plantations must play an increasinglyimportant role in biodiversity conservation. Study of habitat selection and reproductive success ofsurrogate species in plantations can guide forest management decisions for increasing biodiversity. In this paperwe studied the suitability of exotic Eucalyptus plantations managed at low intensity in northwestern Spain asbreeding habitat for Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), a top predator frequently considered a surrogatespecies in conservation.Goshawks showed high breeding density, high reproductive success and a regular spatial distribution ofnesting territories. Territoriality was the most important determinant of habitat selection. Goshawks selectedextra-mature Eucalyptus trees in areas of high structural complexity (high tree density, tree species richness, andnumber of tree strata) in the most heterogeneous forest stands (old-mixed Eucalyptus). Reproductive successdecreased with increasing local density of breeding pairs, but reproductive success was not related to structuralcharacteristics of nest stands.The studied plantations provided a suitable breeding habitat for Goshawks. The birds preferred to nest inlarge Eucalyptus trees with appropriate structure in their immediate surroundings. The strong preference ofGoshawks for structurally mature forest patches may make them useful as a surrogate species for assessing theability of forest management practices to promote overall biodiversity in exotic Eucalyptus plantations exploited at low intensity.
SN 0378-1127
YR 2018
FD 2018
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10017/41275
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10017/41275
LA eng
NO Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología-CICYT
DS MINDS@UW
RD 19-abr-2024