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Bird and small mammal community composition and abundance in upland open habitats and early conifer forests

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Abstract

Anthropogenic land-use change, such as commercial afforestation, is a significant driver of shifts in ecological communities and species abundance. In this study, the consequences of afforestation of upland habitats for two distinct animal groups, birds and small mammals, were examined by comparing open moorland, early pre-thicket conifer forests (2–4 years post-replanting) and late pre-thicket conifer forests (6–8 years post-replanting) across 24 upland study sites in Ireland. Field data were collected using bird point counts, live trapping of small mammals and detailed vegetation surveys. A total of 17 bird species and four small mammal species were detected. Both groups showed contrasting patterns of abundance between moorland and pre-thicket forests, with bird density being higher in moorland, while small mammal abundance was higher in pre-thicket forests. Bird diversity was lowest in moorland and highest in late pre-thicket forests, while small mammal diversity was highest in moorland and lowest in late pre-thicket forests. Our study shows that afforestation can alter the abundance and community composition of bird and small mammal populations and that the consequences of land-use change associated with afforestation in upland areas vary across different taxa. Our findings have important implications for forest management practices and conservation of upland habitats and species.

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Acknowledgements

This research would not have been possible without the outstanding assistance provided by the research assistants involved in this project, particularly Michael O’Clery, Irene Sullivan, Jack Kennedy and Tony Kenneally. Sincere thanks to Caitriona Carlin, Gesche Kindermann, Colin Lawton and David Rees for providing essential field equipment. We would also like to thank the Coillte establishment foresters in our study areas, particularly Billy Horgan, Colm Lyons, Leo Byrne and Piotr Jonca. We would also like to extend our thanks to Tony Nagle, Allan Mee and David Cooke for their help and advice. We are particularly grateful to Mark Wilson, Niamh Hennessy, Pat Neville, Kevin Collins, David Tierney, Ilse Corkery, John Ballinger, Mark Ruddock, Lorcan O’Toole and Ryan Wilson-Parr who contributed to the Supporting Hen Harriers in Novel Environments (SHINE) research project. Finally, we would like to thank the editor and reviewer who provided useful feedback that helped to improve this manuscript. This research was funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine and the National Parks & Wildlife Service.

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  1. School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES), University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland

    Alan McCarthy, Anthony Caravaggi, Darío Fernández-Bellon, Sandra Irwin & John O’Halloran

  2. University of South Wales, 9 Graig Fach, Pontypridd, Wales, UK

    Anthony Caravaggi

  3. MKO Research, McCarthy Keville O’Sullivan, Tuam Road, Galway, Ireland

    Darío Fernández-Bellon

  4. BirdWatch Ireland, Kilcoole, County Wicklow, Ireland

    John Lusby

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Correspondence to Alan McCarthy.

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All applicable international, national and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. All small mammal trapping was in accordance with the ethical standards of the University College Cork’s Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee, where the study was conducted.

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McCarthy, A., Caravaggi, A., Fernández-Bellon, D. et al. Bird and small mammal community composition and abundance in upland open habitats and early conifer forests. Eur J Wildl Res 67, 26 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-021-01459-5

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