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Research Papers
Introduction
Harvesting of common reed Phragmites australis, a large perennial grass with great economic value, can help to maintain reedbed habitat because it prevents accumulation of organic material and thus colonisation by other plant species (Valkama et al. 2008). However, extensive stands of common reed are an important habitat for birds, including many rare and vulnerable species, which may be either positively or negatively affected by reed cutting (Bibby and Lunn 1982, Kristiansen 1998, Barbraud and Mathevet 2000, Boulord et al. 2010). Understanding the potential effects of harvesting on bird communities is thus important in enhancing reedbed management and balancing economic benefits and biodiversity conservation.
A recent review focusing on reedbed management in Europe concluded that bird numbers are 60% lower in harvested stands (Valkama et al. 2008). For species nesting early in the season, winter harvesting has been shown to reduce vegetation cover and prevent nesting (Baldi and Moskat 1995, Poulin and Lefebvre 2002), increase the risk of nest predation and delay clutch initiation (Graveland 1999), and decrease arthropod abundance which may affect food availability for birds (Graveland 1999, Poulin and Lefebvre 2002).
Most published studies investigating the potential impact of reed harvesting on bird species have focused on breeding density (Kristiansen 1998, Barbraud and Mathevet 2000, Barbraud et al. 2002, Poulin and Lefebvre 2002, Trnka and Prokop 2006, Boulord et al. 2010) but very few have investigated demographic parameters. Of these parameters, reproductive success is of key importance to population viability (Haig et al. 1993), especially in species with short generation times. Understanding harvesting effects on reproductive success is therefore essential in designing reedbed management strategies that are compatible with the conservation of threatened species. Graveland (1999) showed that nesting success is higher in non-harvested than harvested reedbeds for European populations of Eurasian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus and Sedge Warbler A. schoenobaenus. However, a review by Valkama et al. (2008) did not support a generalisation of this pattern.
In this study, we quantify the effects of reed harvesting on the reproductive success of Reed Parrotbill Paradoxornis heudei, a passerine found in reedbeds of the lower Yangtze River, the Yellow Sea coast of north-east China, extreme eastern Mongolia and extreme south-east Russia (Zheng...