Factors affecting farmland bird abundance in different European regions

Farmland is a very important habitat for many open-habitat bird species. It serves as a food source as well as a breeding and wintering ground. In recent years, however, there has been evidence of population decline in some of these species. This decline is caused by various factors linked to human activities. The aim of this work is to summarise these negative factors and create a comprehensive overview of farmland bird populations status in different parts of Europe. I found that in comparison with other parts of Europe, a much more significant population decline of farmland birds occurs in western and northwestern Europe, mainly due to more intensively cultivated landscapes over the last decades. Central and Eastern European countries are less affected as they show lower intensity of land use associated with numerous small farms as well as the cultivation of spring cereals. In contrast, the abandonment of farmland may be one of the most threatening factors for the whole Mediterranean region. From the perspective of biodiversity conservation, one of the possible solutions could be a lower application of different types of pesticides, cultivation of various kinds of crops or longer- lasting stubble fields. Key words: farmland, birds, biodiversity, population decline, EuropeZemědělská krajina představuje velmi podstatný biotop pro řadu druhů ptáků. Ten slouží jako hnízdní prostředí, zdroj potravy a také jako zimoviště. V posledních letech je však u některých druhů prokázán populační pokles, který je zapříčiněn určitými faktory, jejichž účinnost se projevuje převážně vlivem antropogenní činnosti. Hlavním cílem této práce je shrnout tyto negativní faktory a vytvořit ucelený přehled o tom, jak se daří ptačím populacím v jednotlivých oblastech Evropy. Na základě dostupných literárních pramenů jsem ukázal, že ve srovnání s ostatními částmi Evropy je za poslední desítky let mnohem výraznější populační pokles ptáků vázaných na zemědělskou krajinu v oblasti západní a severozápadní Evropy, a to převážně vlivem intenzivněji obhospodařované krajiny. Pro státy střední a východní Evropy se ukázala být výhodou nižší intenzita využívání půdy spojená s četným množstvím malých farem a také pěstování jarních obilovin. Oproti tomu opouštění zemědělské půdy může být dokonce jedním z nejvíce ohrožujících faktorů pro celou oblast Středomoří. Z hlediska ochrany biodiverzity by jedním z možných řešení mohla být nižší aplikace různých druhů pesticidů, pěstování vícero druhů plodin či například déle trvající existence strnišť. Klíčová slova: zemědělství, ptáci, biodiverzita, populační pokles,...Ústav pro životní prostředíInstitute for Environmental StudiesFaculty of SciencePřírodovědecká fakult

Bird conservation status along a successional gradient in abandoned military areas

Populations of open habitat bird species has significantly decreased in the Czech Republic during the last decades due to a number of negative factors, such as urbanization and intensification of agriculture. Due to the deterioration of the quality of these biotopes, a number of bird species (not only those of conservation importance) were forced to look for remaining fragments of favorable habitats, which are, for example, abandoned military training areas. The attractiveness of these territories lies primarily in their former closure for military purposes, which has protected these areas against these negative factors. In addition, army's activities created a heterogeneous landscape characterized by a mosaic of biotopes in different stages of vegetation succession - from bare ground, through grasslands, sparse scrubland, dense scrubland to the forest. However, the significance of abandoned military training areas for birds requires deeper investigation. The main goal of this thesis was to describe conservation importance of bird communities in individual biotopes along the successional gradient, for which a survey of 42 abandoned military training areas was used. The results of my work show that the most declining, endangered and protected species of birds sought out early successional habitats...Početnost ptačích druhů se v otevřených biotopech napříč celou Českou republikou během posledních dekád výrazně snížila z důvodu řady negativních faktorů, jako je například urbanizace a pokračující intenzifikace a mechanizace zemědělství. Řada (nejen ochranářsky významných) druhů ptáků tak začala být z důvodu zhoršené kvality těchto biotopů nucena vyhledávat nezasažené krajinné fragmenty, kterými jsou například opuštěné vojenské výcvikové prostory. Atraktivita těchto prostorů spočívá především v nedotčenosti území, která byla před těmito negativními faktory ochráněna. Vlivem činnosti armády se na těchto územích zachovala heterogenní krajina, charakteristická pestrou mozaikou biotopů v různé fázi vegetační sukcese - od holé půdy, přes traviny, řídké křoviny, husté křoviny až po stromové porosty. Hlavním cílem této diplomové práce bylo zachytit společenstva ptáků v jednotlivých biotopech podél sukcesního gradientu, k čemuž posloužil terénní průzkum 42 opuštěných vojenských výcvikových prostorů, jejichž význam pro ochranu avifauny zůstává doposud stále neprozkoumaný. Výsledky mé práce poukazují na skutečnost, že nejvíce ubývajících a ohrožených druhů ptáků vyhledávalo raně sukcesní typy biotopů (tj. holou půdu, traviny), zatímco sukcesně starší typy biotopů (tj. husté křoviny, stromové porosty)...Institute for Environmental StudiesÚstav pro životní prostředíPřírodovědecká fakultaFaculty of Scienc

River Basin Management in the Past and at Present and its Impact on Extreme Hydrological Events

River basin and small watercourse river basins should be seen as interdependent and interconnected elements and components. Activities within the river basin can affect water conditions in terms of quality and quantity. Nevertheless, river basin management has an impact on other areas, such as on the social or economic conditions

Bird conservation status along a successional gradient in abandoned military areas

Populations of open habitat bird species has significantly decreased in the Czech Republic during the last decades due to a number of negative factors, such as urbanization and intensification of agriculture. Due to the deterioration of the quality of these biotopes, a number of bird species (not only those of conservation importance) were forced to look for remaining fragments of favorable habitats, which are, for example, abandoned military training areas. The attractiveness of these territories lies primarily in their former closure for military purposes, which has protected these areas against these negative factors. In addition, army's activities created a heterogeneous landscape characterized by a mosaic of biotopes in different stages of vegetation succession - from bare ground, through grasslands, sparse scrubland, dense scrubland to the forest. However, the significance of abandoned military training areas for birds requires deeper investigation. The main goal of this thesis was to describe conservation importance of bird communities in individual biotopes along the successional gradient, for which a survey of 42 abandoned military training areas was used. The results of my work show that the most declining, endangered and protected species of birds sought out early successional habitats..

Factors affecting farmland bird abundance in different European regions

Farmland is a very important habitat for many open-habitat bird species. It serves as a food source as well as a breeding and wintering ground. In recent years, however, there has been evidence of population decline in some of these species. This decline is caused by various factors linked to human activities. The aim of this work is to summarise these negative factors and create a comprehensive overview of farmland bird populations status in different parts of Europe. I found that in comparison with other parts of Europe, a much more significant population decline of farmland birds occurs in western and northwestern Europe, mainly due to more intensively cultivated landscapes over the last decades. Central and Eastern European countries are less affected as they show lower intensity of land use associated with numerous small farms as well as the cultivation of spring cereals. In contrast, the abandonment of farmland may be one of the most threatening factors for the whole Mediterranean region. From the perspective of biodiversity conservation, one of the possible solutions could be a lower application of different types of pesticides, cultivation of various kinds of crops or longer- lasting stubble fields. Key words: farmland, birds, biodiversity, population decline, Europ

Drainage Runoff Separation of New and Old Water Based on Precipitation, Air, Water, and Soil Temperature Compared to Stable Isotopes ¹⁸O and ²H

In order to evaluate the proportion of old and new water in drainage runoff, we recorded air temperature, drainage discharge, drainage runoff temperature, soil temperature, precipitation totals, and temperature. The results of separation by temperature were compared with the results of chemical separation using the stable isotopes δ 18O and δ 2H measured in causal precipitation and monitored in drainage runoff. Separation was determined based on precipitation temperature in 18 rainfall–runoff events and on soil temperature in 20 rainfall–runoff events, with no significant difference between results of separation of drainage runoff based on temperature and that based on isotopes. Separation of runoff based on temperature is feasible only for simple isolated rainfall–runoff events as opposed to those involving multiple rainfalls. Time to peak discharge was identified as a viable factor to determine whether to employ separation based on soil temperature or on precipitation temperature. Time to peak discharge showed a strong correlation with the intensity of precipitation. The results suggest that, conditional on analysis of a larger dataset, isotope separation of drainage runoff and, possibly, runoff in watercourses may potentially be replaced with more economical and technically simple measurement of soil and precipitation/air temperature