Can current farmland landscapes feed declining steppe birds? Evaluating arthropod abundance for the endangered little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) in cereal farmland during the chick-rearing period: Variations between habitats and localities

Agriculture intensification threatens farmland bird populations because, among other reasons, it reduces the availability of food resources required to rear their offspring. In our study, we sampled and analyzed total arthropod abundance, biomass and richness, and orthopteran and coleopteran abundance and biomass in different agricultural habitats (alfalfa fields, stubble fields, grazed fields, and field margins) across 4 study localities with different levels of agriculture abandonment–intensification, comparing between areas used and not used by one of the most threatened farmland birds in Europe, the little bustard (Tetrax tetrax), during the chick-rearing season. Field margins were the taxonomically richest habitat, while alfalfa fields presented significantly higher total arthropod abundance and biomass than other habitats. All arthropod variables were the highest in the localities with clear conservation-focused agrarian management, and the lowest in the most intensive one. Areas used by little bustards had higher orthopteran and coleopteran abundance and biomass than nonused areas, except for coleopteran biomass in grazed fields. These results highlight the relevance of these arthropods for the species, the importance of dry alfalfa fields as food reservoirs in this critical time of year, the food scarcity in sites where agrarian management disregards farmland bird conservation, and the role of stubbles as providers of food resources during the chick-rearing season in areas used by the species. The adequate management of alfalfa fields and stubbles to provide those key resources seems crucial to improve little bustard breeding success.We thank the International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) and Fundación Patrimonio Natural (FPN) de Castilla y León in the persons of Cédric Ferlat (IFHC), David Cubero (Dirección General de Medio Natural, Junta de CyL), and Francisco Jiménez (FPN) for their financial, administrative, and logistic support. This paper also contributes to project S2018/EMT-4338 REMEDINAL TE-CM from Comunidad de Madrid. We are also thankful to the officers responsible for the Reserve of Villafáfila, Mariano Rodíguez y Jesús Palacios. Little bustard spring survey data were kindly provided by SEO-BirdLife.Peer reviewe

Hunting and Shooting:The Ambiguities of ‘Country Sports’

An introduction to sports shooting as an aspect of animal abuse and the criminal, social and environmental harms - direct, indirect and collateral - associated with the field sports shooting industry

The ecology of Gastrophysa polygoni (L.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in cereals

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:D36827/81 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

A functional group approach to the management of UK arable weeds to support biological diversity

Weeds have an important role in maintaining farmland biodiversity. This needs to be balanced with their potential negative impact on crop yield and quality. Mechanistic models of crop-weed competition are an important tool in striking this balance. A range of common UK annual weeds were screened for the eco-physiological traits required by the models. Using multivariate techniques, a number of functional groups with a similar pattern of productivity and competition were identified, based on trade-offs between traits. A scheme was developed to assign species outside of the data set to one of the groups, based on life cycle, seed mass, maximum height and time of first flowering. As well as having a similar competitive ability, species within a group also appeared to have a similar ecosystem function, in terms of supporting higher trophic groups. Two beneficial groups of species were identified that combined a relatively low competitive ability with a high importance for invertebrates and birds. The identification of functional groups in the UK arable flora is a useful tool for assessing a weed community in the context of reconciling biodiversity provision with crop production. Preserving beneficial plant functional types within the crop would complement non-cropped wildlife refuges, such as field margins.Peer reviewe

Development and reproductive potential of the cereal aphid Sitobion avenae on resistant wheat lines (Triticum monococcum)

International audienc