Birds in human-modified landscapes: Insights from urban and mining sites

Ing. Lucie Moudrá

Doctoral thesis

Abstract:

Post-mining and urban landscapes undergo substantial modification due to human activities. Mining and urban sprawl completely change original landscapes and affect entire ecosystems by altering topography, degrading soil quality, causing habitat fragmentation, changing microclimates, reducing biodiversity, and disrupting natural water flow and nutrient cycles. As mining activities and urban sprawl continue, driven by increasing human populations and the demand for resources, they further destroy original ecosystems and threaten biodiversity. Understanding the ecological processes in these altered environments is essential for designing effective conservation, restoration, and management strategies. Birds play a crucial role in the initial colonization of newly transformed areas, including urban landscapes and areas affected by mining activities. Due to their high visibility and detectability, birds also serve as valuable bioindicators. This dissertation aims to investigate the habitat preferences of birds in human-altered environments and to provide practical guidelines for urban planning and restoration management to enhance bird species richness. The dissertation is organized into three parts. The first part includes a preface and a theoretical background, offering an introduction to urbanization and restoration practices and their effects on (bird) diversity. The second part presents the actual research and consists of three chapters, which are conceived as independent studies. The first study compares the suitability of new and old housing developments for urban bird species and evaluates the effect it has on their population on the example of house sparrow. The second study utilizes remote sensing data to show how different methods of spoil heap reclamation affect the character of the environment and, subsequently, species richness and rarity. The third study compares the character of the environment and richness of several bird guilds with diverse nesting, foraging, and feeding behaviors on the spoil heap and its surroundings. The final part provides links among individual studies, discusses the most interesting aspects of this research, and provides insight into how the results of these studies have been used and cited. We found that house sparrow abundance was significantly higher in older built-up areas compared to newer ones, a trend that persisted regardless of the age of the newer areas. Sufficient green space and the presence of backyard poultry were key factors contributing to house sparrow abundance. In a post-mining area, we found that spontaneously successional sites emerged as crucial for creating restored ecosystems of high ecological value, as they offer a unique combination of terrain features, vegetation structure, and senescent vegetation that supports high bird species rarity. Furthermore, promoting a mosaic of habitats with heterogeneous vertical structure during restoration can enhance species richness. Integrating habitat heterogeneity metrics derived from airborne remote sensing data into restoration success assessment, along with repeated data acquisition, can support management interventions aiming at promoting biodiversity.

Keywords

Urban birds, Vegetation structure, Spoil heap, Urban ecosystems, Mining

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 20. 10. 2024

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: prof. Ing. Petra Šímová, Ph.D.
• Reader: Kristina Janečková, Ph.D., doc. Ing., David Hořák, externi, Michael Beckmann, externi

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Environmental Sciences

Doctoral programme / field:
Environmental Sciences / Applied and Landscape Ecology