Müller Thomas M, Meier Christoph M, Knaus Florian, Korner Pius, Helm Barbara, Amrhein Valentin, Rime Yann
Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach Switzerland.
Department of Environmental Systems Sciences Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) Zurich Switzerland.
Ecol Evol. 2023 May 17;13(5):e10084. doi: 10.1002/ece3.10084. eCollection 2023 May.
Organisms living in high-elevation habitats are usually habitat specialists who occupy a narrow ecological niche. To envision the response of alpine species to a changing environment, it is fundamental to understand their habitat preferences on multiple spatial and temporal scales. However, information on small-scale habitat use is still widely lacking. We investigated the foraging habitat preferences of the migratory northern wheatear during the entire presence at a breeding site in the central Alps. We repeatedly observed 121 adult and juvenile individuals. We applied Bayesian logistic regression models to investigate which habitat characteristics influenced foraging habitat selection on a fine spatial scale, and how habitat use varied temporally. Throughout their presence on the breeding grounds, northern wheatears showed a consistent preference for a mosaic of stones and bare ground patches with slow-growing, short vegetation. The proximity of marmot burrows was preferred, whereas dense and low woody vegetation was avoided. After arrival at the breeding site, short vegetation, preferably close to the snow, was favored. The preference for open habitat patches that provide access to prey underlines the critical role of small-scale habitat heterogeneity for northern wheatears. The strong and consistent preference for a habitat that is under pressure from land-use and climate change suggests that this alpine bird species may be sensitive to habitat loss, leading to a potential range contraction. We highlight the need to conserve habitat diversity on a small spatial scale to ensure the long-term availability of suitable habitat for northern wheatears in the Alps.
生活在高海拔栖息地的生物通常是占据狭窄生态位的栖息地专家。为了设想高山物种对不断变化的环境的反应，了解它们在多个空间和时间尺度上的栖息地偏好至关重要。然而，关于小尺度栖息地利用的信息仍然广泛缺乏。我们调查了迁徙的白斑黑石䳭在阿尔卑斯山中部一个繁殖地整个停留期间的觅食栖息地偏好。我们反复观察了121只成年和幼年个体。我们应用贝叶斯逻辑回归模型来研究哪些栖息地特征在精细空间尺度上影响觅食栖息地选择，以及栖息地利用如何随时间变化。在它们整个在繁殖地停留期间，白斑黑石䳭始终表现出对由缓慢生长的矮植被组成的石头和裸露地面斑块镶嵌体的偏好。土拨鼠洞穴附近是它们喜欢的，而茂密低矮的木本植被则被避开。到达繁殖地后，它们更喜欢短植被，最好靠近积雪。对能获取猎物的开阔栖息地斑块的偏好突出了小尺度栖息地异质性对白斑黑石䳭的关键作用。对受到土地利用和气候变化压力的栖息地的强烈且一致的偏好表明，这种高山鸟类物种可能对栖息地丧失敏感，从而导致潜在的分布范围收缩。我们强调需要在小空间尺度上保护栖息地多样性，以确保阿尔卑斯山白斑黑石䳭长期有合适的栖息地可用。
