Understanding the diet of farmland raptors is essential for evaluating prey availability, habitat quality, and planning wildlife-friendly agricultural practices. However, individual dietary assessment methods may capture different components of prey use. We therefore investigated the diet of the Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) in Türkiye by combining pellet analysis from a breeding colony in Central Anatolia with photo-based records from citizen science platforms at the national scale. We analysed a total of 93 pellets collected in June and July 2020, yielding 821 identified prey items, with a mean of 8.8 (SD = 5.4) prey items per pellet. Arthropods dominated the diet (99% of individuals). Coleoptera (68%) and Orthoptera (26%) were the dominant prey groups, indicating a relatively narrow trophic niche. Additionally, we screened 1,019 photos from citizen science platforms, yielding 219 unique prey records. Orthoptera were the most frequently recorded prey, and proportionally more often in photos than in pellets, likely reflecting detection bias toward larger and more conspicuous prey. Our results confirm the predominantly insectivorous diet of the Lesser Kestrel in Türkiye and show that pellet- and photo-based approaches provide complementary perspectives on prey composition. Integrating conventional and citizen-science-based dietary data can improve ecological assessments and support bird-friendly agricultural management in pseudo-steppe landscapes.
The concept of space–time equivalence refers to the observation that ecological patterns might look similar when studied in space or time. It has frequently been applied in studies on environmental (mainly climate) change, where appropriate temporal data are lacking. Here, we take advantage of long-term butterfly museum records, taken from 1985 to 2022 at multiple sites from three habitat types in the northern Austrian Alps. We ask whether the pattern of species accumulation, the demographic variability, and the temporal pattern of species turnover (β-diversity) of butterflies are qualitatively and also quantitatively equivalent in space and time. A power function model of species accumulation was able to describe the long-term temporal and large-scale spatial variability of butterfly assemblages. Slopes of the species accumulation curves and β-diversity were always higher in space than in time. Average species ranks of the most frequently occurring species in space were consistently higher than those in time. Both patterns were most pronounced in ecologically more specialised species and in pastures. We conclude that habitat characteristics and heterogeneity are more important for the degree of β-diversity than species traits. We predict that increasing spatial faunal homogenisation should shift butterfly and also other arthropod assemblages towards patterns of species accumulation with similar slopes.
The South African ragwort Senecio inaequidens is among the most invasive plant species in Europe, especially in mountainous and Mediterranean regions, and is suspected to exert allelopathic effects (release of chemical inhibitors) on native vegetation. This study investigated the allelopathic potential of South African ragwort using radish Raphanus sativus as a model species. In laboratory experiments, I treated radish seeds with ragwort leaf extracts at varying concentrations. After three days, the extract reduced radish seed germination by up to 40% in a concentration-dependent manner. High extract concentrations significantly inhibited radish seedling root length, whereas lower concentrations rather stimulated root growth. Measurements of oxidative stress-related parameters, including lipid peroxidation and total antioxidative capacity, showed no changes in treated roots. In a complementary pot experiment, I exposed radish seeds for 36 days to pulverised ragwort leaves mixed with vermiculite. This treatment delayed, but did not suppress seed germination. Subsequent plant growth and physiological status remained unaffected. The results suggest that South African ragwort exerts moderate allelopathic effects, primarily influencing seedlings, whereas mature plants appear less sensitive to its allelochemicals.
Land use change is one of the major drivers of global environmental change, as it affects biodiversity, soil quality, and consequently the functioning of ecosystems. In semi-arid regions of the Middle East, intensive grazing has historically led to soil degradation and loss of vegetation cover. Restoration approaches such as agroforestation with drought-tolerant tree species and grazing exclusion have been widely promoted to counteract these effects. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different land use practices: agroforestation with almond trees (AT), restored grasslands (RG), and heavy grazing (HG) on key soil properties including soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). The goal was to assess how these land uses influence soil fertility and carbon sequestration over time under similar ecological conditions. A total of 150 soil samples were collected from a depth of 0-10 cm across a 2.0-hectare area for each land use type at the Bolbanabad Research Station in Kurdistan, W Iran. Sampling was conducted in both September 1997, before land use transformation, when all areas were grassland used for grazing and September 2023, allowing for a 26-year comparative analysis. The findings revealed significant impacts of land use change on SOC and TN. Both SOC and TN increased substantially in the AT and RG areas, with the highest SOC (8.44 mg/g) and TN (1.46 mg/g) values observed in the AT land. In contrast, the HG area has the lowest SOC (2.02 mg/g) and TN (0.49 mg/g) values. Similarly, N, P, K levels and the C/N ratio mirrored these results, being highest in the AT and lowest in the HG areas. Under similar ecological conditions, agroforestation with suitable commercial tree species and grassland restoration appear to be effective strategies for enhancing soil fertility, increasing carbon sequestration, and promoting ecosystem resilience. However, additional research is necessary to establish sustainable grazing practices that support both livestock productivity and long-term soil health.
