Sheep dung input enhances arthropod biomass and a threatened insectivorous bird: Experimental management for conservation
| dc.contributor.author | Reverter, Margarita | |
| dc.contributor.author | Traba, Juan | |
| dc.contributor.author | Barrero, Adrián | |
| dc.contributor.author | Bustillo-de la Rosa, Daniel | |
| dc.contributor.author | Gómez-Catasús, Julia | |
| dc.contributor.author | Zurdo, Julia | |
| dc.contributor.author | Pérez-Granados, Cristian | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-07-08T09:15:10Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-07-08T09:15:10Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.description.abstract | 1. In recent decades, Europe has seen a notable decrease in extensive grazing bydomestic livestock; endangering semi-natural open habitats; and impacting soil,vegetation, arthropods and insectivores.2. Despite the known ecological consequences of grazing decline, little research hasexplored the role of sheep dung in influencing plant cover, arthropod biomass andhigher trophic levels, such as insectivorous birds.3. To address this gap, a 3-year study (2017–2019) was conducted in a Mediterraneanshrub-steppe in central Spain. Two 10-hectare non-grazed experimental plotsreceived different doses of sheep dung, while a grazed area served as a reference.Vegetation structure was assessed annually, arthropods were sampled six timesper year and the breeding space use of a threatened insectivorous bird wasestimated annually.4. While dung input did not affect vegetation structure, it had short-term positiveeffects on some arthropods, particularly epigeous and coprophagous species.Additionally, the insectivorous bird increased its use of space in response to dungapplication, likely due to the rise in arthropod biomass, a critical food resource.5. In areas where sheep grazing is declining, sheep dung inputs may serve as aneffective short-term strategy to increase the biomass of specific arthropodgroups, indirectly benefiting their predators. Further research is needed to assesslong-term effects on arthropod communities and a wider range of insectivorousspecies, aiding conservation efforts in areas facing low grazing pressures. | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | European Commission, Grant/AwardNumber: LIFE15-NAT-ES- 00 | |
| dc.identifier.doi | https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.70024 | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 2688-8319 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10459.1/470823 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.publisher | British Ecological Society | |
| dc.relation.isformatof | Reproducció del document publicat a https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.70024 | |
| dc.relation.ispartof | Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 2025, vol. 6, núm. 2 | |
| dc.rights | © The Author(s) 2025 | |
| dc.rights | Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International | * |
| dc.rights.accessRights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess | |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ | * |
| dc.subject | Coprophagous biomass | |
| dc.subject | Dung input | |
| dc.subject | Epigeous biomass | |
| dc.subject | Habitat management | |
| dc.subject | Sheep grazing | |
| dc.subject | Step bird | |
| dc.title | Sheep dung input enhances arthropod biomass and a threatened insectivorous bird: Experimental management for conservation | |
| dc.type | info:eu-repo/semantics/article | |
| dc.type.version | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |