Main landscape metrics affecting abundance and diversity of game species in a semi-arid agroecosystem in the Mediterranean region

  • A. Belda Departamento de Ecología. Universidad de Alicante. Campus San Vicente. 03080, Alicante, Spain
  • J. E. Martinez-Perez Unidad de Cartografía de los Recursos Naturales. Universidad de Alicante. Spain
  • V. Peiro Departamento de Ecología. Universidad de Alicante. Campus San Vicente. 03080, Alicante, Spain
  • E. Seva Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio (IMEM). Universidad de Alicante, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante. Spain
  • J. Arques Departamento de Ecología. Universidad de Alicante. Campus San Vicente. 03080, Alicante, Spain
Keywords: game community, GIS, hunting bags, Mediterranean agrosystem, semi-arid climate

Abstract

Hunting bags provide important information for conservation measures and wildlife management. This study is to assess relationships between landscape structure and game species. The community parameters (abundance, richness and diversity) and landscape/land use indices have been related, using GIS and statistical analysis, in the South-East of Spain (Marina Baja, Alicante). Game species richness (S) is determined by the presence of fruit groves (p = 0.001, R = 0.714) and landscape shape. The total density of species (TD) is influenced positively by fruit groves (p = 0.001, R = 0.783) and wooded shrublands (p = 0.002, R = 0.911), but is influenced negatively by urban areas (p < 0.001, R = 0.844). Small game communities correlate to irrigated fruit (p = 0.002, R = 0.754) and dry vineyard (p = 0.021, R = 0.839) and also with the diversity landscape index (p = 0.029, R = 0.708). Big game density is positively related to holm oak (p = 0.018, R = 0.812) and dense pine forests (p = 0.001, R = 0.849) and also with the total area landscape index (p = 0.011, R = 0.921). Population control species prefer irrigated fruit (p < 0.001, R = 0.775), fruit groves (p < 0.001, R = 0.857) and irrigated vineyard (p = 0.017, R = 0.833) land uses. Our conclusion is that most game species presents a positive relation with landscape structure, such as fractal dimension and shape index, and traditional agriculture based on irrigated and dry fruit crops.

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How to Cite
Belda, A., Martinez-Perez, J. E., Peiro, V., Seva, E., & Arques, J. (1). Main landscape metrics affecting abundance and diversity of game species in a semi-arid agroecosystem in the Mediterranean region. Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research, 9(4), 1197-1212. https://doi.org/10.5424/sjar/20110904-470-10
Section
Agricultural environment and ecology