RT Journal Article
T1 Use of restoration plantings to enchance bird seed dispersal at the roadside: failures and prospects
A1 Torre Ceijas, Rocío de la
A1 Jiménez Escobar, María Dolores
A1 Ramírez  García, Álvaro
A1 Mola, Ignacio
A1 Casado González, Miguel Ángel
A1 Balaguer Núñez, Luis
AB Plantings are commonly used in roadside reclamation for ornamental purposes and for increasing slope stability and road safety. However, the role of these plantings in restoring ecological processes, such as seed dispersal, has received little attention. We carried out a study to assess the potential role of plantings on roadside embankments to attract frugivorous birds and to enhance seed dispersal mediated by birds from the surrounding landscape. We examined: (1) bird species richness and abundance; (2) patterns of avian spatial distribution within embankments and (3) seed dispersal mediated by birds. Bird richness and abundance did not differ between embankments with and without plantings. However, birds were not distributed randomly within embankments, with levels of species richness and abundance for facultative frugivorous between 4.8–8 times higher in areas closer to plantings. An analysis of bird droppings showed that birds only dispersed seeds of the planted species since no seeds of woody plants from matrices were detected. These results suggest that plantings acted as selective birdattractors, providing food and perches for frugivorous species. Nevertheless, the scarcity of seed-dispersing birds in the surrounding agricultural landscape prevented plantings from enhancing seed dispersal and connectivity to adjacent habitat.
PB Taylor & Francis
SN 1648-6897, ESSN: 1822-4199
YR 2015
FD 2015-10
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/23195
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/23195
LA eng
NO Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)
NO Comunidad de Madrid
DS Docta Complutense
RD 23 jul 2024