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Old and unmowed saltmarsh patches provide attractive habitats for breeding passerines

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Abstract

Although the conservation stakes of saltmarshes are widely documented, these areas are still subjected to strong anthropic pressures, including land reclamation, leading to their conversion into arable lands, and agricultural exploitation (mainly cattle grazing and mowing), which modifies their floral and faunal composition. Through the example of one of the largest French saltmarshes, we first assessed how the age of the saltmarsh patches and the mowing intensity determined the spatial distribution of the different saltmarsh habitats. We then tested how the five commonest breeding passerines were distributed in accordance with the mowing activity and the distribution of these habitats. We found that the oldest and the unmowed patches promote the development of habitats dominated by Elymus pungens and Atriplex portulacoides, and also host the highest abundance of four of the five bird species studied. In the current context of an intense artificialization of the littoral area, this study highlights the importance of maintaining the oldest and the least human-impacted patches of natural habitats to conserve their associated biodiversity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMR 6554-LETG-Nantes-Géolittomer, Université de Nantes, BP 81227, 44312, Nantes Cedex 03, France

    Adrien Guetté

  2. Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage (ONCFS), Réserve Naturelle Nationale de la Baie de l’Aiguillon, Ferme de la Prée-Mizottière, 85450, Sainte-Radégonde-des-Noyers, France

    Emmanuel Joyeux

  3. Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO), Réserve Naturelle Nationale de la Baie de l’Aiguillon, Ferme de la Prée-Mizottière, 85450, Sainte-Radégonde-des-Noyers, France

    Frédéric Corre & Sylvain Haie

  4. CNRS, UMR 6554 LETG-Nantes-Géolittomer, Université de Nantes, BP 81227, 44312, Nantes Cedex 03, France

    Laurent Godet

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  1. Adrien Guetté
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  2. Emmanuel Joyeux
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  3. Frédéric Corre
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  4. Sylvain Haie
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  5. Laurent Godet
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Correspondence to Adrien Guetté.

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Guetté, A., Joyeux, E., Corre, F. et al. Old and unmowed saltmarsh patches provide attractive habitats for breeding passerines. Wetlands Ecol Manage 24, 477–493 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-015-9473-8

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