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Tree characteristics, microhabitat and edge effect in plantations govern European Turtle-dove Streptopelia turtur nest habitat selection at the edge of Sahara: implications for conservation of a vulnerable species

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2021

NASRINE SAÂD ,
SAÂD HANANE Open the ORCID record for SAÂD HANANE [Opens in a new window] ,
KAMILIA FARHI ,
NACERDDINE MATALLAH  and
MOHAMED DHAYA EL HAK KHEMIS
NASRINE SAÂD
Affiliation:
Laboratory Promotion of Innovation in Agriculture in Arid Regions, Mohamed Khider University, Biskra, Algeria.
SAÂD HANANE*
Affiliation:
Forest Research Center, Department of Water and Forests, Avenue Omar Ibn El Khattab, BP 763, 10050 Rabat-Agdal, Morocco.
KAMILIA FARHI
Affiliation:
Laboratory Promotion of Innovation in Agriculture in Arid Regions, Mohamed Khider University, Biskra, Algeria.
NACERDDINE MATALLAH
Affiliation:
National Plant Protection Institute, 12 Avenue of the brothers Quadek Hacen Badi, BP 80, El Harrach, Alger, Algeria.
MOHAMED DHAYA EL HAK KHEMIS
Affiliation:
University of Badji Mokhtar, Annaba, 23000, Algeria.
*
*Author for correspondence; e-mail: sdhan333@gmail.com
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Summary

Tree characteristics, microhabitat, and human presence were measured around nest trees (n = 92) and non-nest trees (n = 92) to identify the best predictors of the European Turtle-dove Streptopelia turtur nest occurrence in date palm plantations of the Biskra region (Algeria). Nest occurrence was (i) positively influenced by the height of trees and that of the herbaceous layer, and (ii) quadratically affected by diameter at breast height (DBH), the cover of trees, the cover of the herbaceous vegetation, and the distance to the edge of date palm plantation. Variation partitioning analysis revealed that the pure effect of tree physical characteristics (tree height and DBH) was robust in explaining the occurrence of Turtle Dove nests (adj. R2 = 0.52, P = 0.001). For an efficient management of this Saharan population, special attention should be paid in the short term to keeping high date palm trees while ensuring, in the medium and long term, the presence of different-sized palm tree classes at each exploitation. There is no doubt that date palm plantations of Biskra are of paramount importance because they offer good opportunities for consolidating and improving the knowledge on this threatened species and other species at the Sahara edge.

Keywords

Conservationnest habitat useStreptopelia turturdate palm plantationsNorth Africa
Type
Research Article
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 32 , Issue 2 , June 2022 , pp. 322 - 336
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of BirdLife International

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