Trophic links of the chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) in transformed forest ecosystems of North-Eastern Ukraine

Keywords: transformed areas; trophic groups; zoophages; phytophages; saprophages.

Abstract

The сhaffinch (Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758; Passeriformes, Fringillidae) is one of the most colourful forest species of birds living in Europe, West Asia and North Africa. The diet of this species was studied as a contribution to the conservation of the population of this species in transformed forests of the north-eastern part of Ukraine. Four forest ecosystems were studied: three model sites in oak forests, transformed under intensive recreation pressure, and one model site in a pine-oak forest. A total of 39 invertebrate taxa, dominated by Insecta (93.0%) were found. The orders Coleoptera (32.6%) and Lepidoptera (63.5%) prevailed in the diet of finch nestlings, the highest number of taxa (52.3–76.2%) was represented by phytophages. The phytophagous species also constituted the majority of the consumed prey items (44.0–55.6%). Environmental conditions provided an important effect on the diet structure. The most favourable foraging conditions for the species were found in protected natural areas. According to the analysis, the finch foraging efficiency was similar in all the studied sites. The highest biodiversity indices were found in a protected area of Homilshanski Forests National Nature Park. Results of the research have indicated the crucial role of Fringilla coelebs in the population management of potentially dangerous agricultural pests.

References

Amar, A., Hewson, C. M., Thewlis, R. M., Smith, K. W., Fuller, R. J., Lindsell, J. A., Conway, G., Butler, S. J., & MacDonald, M. A. (2006). What's happening to our woodland birds? Long-term changes in the populations of woodland birds. BTO Research Report 169/RSPB Research Report 19.


Amrhein, V. (2013). Wild bird feeding (probably) affects avian urban ecology. In: Gil, D., & Brumm, H. (Eds.). Avian urban ecology. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Pp. 29–38.


Assandri, G., Bogliani, G., Pedrini, P., & Brambilla, M. (2017). Insectivorous birds as “non-traditional” flagship species in vineyards: Applying a neglected conservation paradigm to agricultural systems. Ecological Indicators, 80, 275–285.


Baillie, S. R., Marchant, J. H., Crick, H. Q. P., Noble, D. G., Balmer, D. E., Coombes, R. H., Downie, I. S., Freeman, S. N., Joys, A. C., Leech, D. I., Raven, M. J., Robinson, R. A., & Thewlis, R. M. (2006). Breeding birds in the wider countryside: Their conservation status 2005. Research Report 435. BTO, Thetford.


Batáry, P., Fronczek, S., Normann, C., Scherber, C., & Tscharntke, T. (2014). How do edge effect and tree species diversity change bird diversity and avian nest survival in Germany’s largest deciduous forest? Forest Ecology and Management, 319(7), 44–50.


Bergen, F., & Abs, M. (1997). Verhaltensökologische Studie zur Gesangsaktivität von Blaumeise (Parus caeruleus), Kohlmeise (Parus major) und Buchfink (Fringilla coelebs) in einer Großstadt. Journal of Ornithology, 138(4), 451–467.


Blair, R. B., & Johnson, E. M. (2008). Suburban habitats and their role for birds in the urban–rural habitat network: Points of local invasion and extinction? Landscape Ecology, 23(10), 1157–1169.

Blinkova, O., & Shupova, T. (2017). Bird communities and vegetation composition in the urban forest ecosystem: Correlations and comparisons of diversity indices. Ekológia (Bratislava), 36(4), 366–387.


Brobey, B., Kucknoor, A., & Armacost, J. (2017). Prevalence of Trichomonas, Salmonella, and Listeria in wild birds from Southeast Texas. Avian Diseases, 61(3), 347–352.


Browne, S. J. (2004). Some aspects of chaffinch Fringilla coelebs biology, based on an analysis of individuals ringed during 1991 to 2003 in Norfolk, England. Ringing and Migration, 22(2), 75–82.


Brygadyrenko, V. V. (2015a). Community structure of litter invertebrates of forest belt ecosystems in the Ukrainian steppe zone. International Journal of Environmental Research, 9(4), 1183–1192.


Brygadyrenko, V. V. (2015b). Influence of moisture conditions and mineralization of soil solution on structure of litter macrofauna of the deciduous forests of Ukraine steppe zone. Visnyk of Dnipropetrovsk University, Biology, Ecology, 23(1), 50–65.


Bulakhov, V. L., Gubkin, A. A., Ponomarenko, O. L., & Pakhomov, O. Y. (2008). Biologichne riznomanittya Ukrainy. Dnipropetrovska Oblast'. Ptahy: Negorobcepodibni (Aves: Non-Passeriformes) [Biological diversity of Ukraine. Dnipropetrovsk Region. Aves: Non-Passeriformes]. Dnipropetrovsk University Press, Dnipropetrovsk (in Ukrainian).


Bulakhov, V. L., Gubkin, A. A., Ponomarenko, O. L., & Pakhomov, O. Y. (2015). Biologichne riznomanittya Ukrainy. Dnipropetrovska Oblast'. Ptahy: Gorobcepodibni (Aves: Passeriformes) [Biological Diversity of Ukraine. Dnipropetrovsk Region. Aves: Passeriformes]. Dnipropetrovsk University Press, Dnipropetrovsk (in Ukrainian).


Caprio, E., & Rolando, A. (2017). Management systems may affect the feeding ecology of great tits Parus major nesting in vineyards. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 243, 67–73.


Chaplygina, A. B. (2000). K voprosu o biotsenoticheskoy roli ptits v ekosistemakh (na primere roda Turdus) [On the issue of a biocoenotical role of birds in ecosystems (by the example of the genus Turdus)]. In: Birds of the Seversky Donets basin. Proceedings of the 6th and 7th conference “Study and protection of birds of the Seversky Donets basin”. Donetsk. Pp. 51–57 (in Russian).


Chaplygina, A. B. (2009). Osoblyvosti roztashuvannya gnizd drozdiv rodu Turdus v transformovanyh landshaftah Pivnichno-Shidnoyi Ukrayini [Characteristics of nest locations of thrushes of the genus Turdus in transformed landscapes of North-Eastern Ukraine]. Berkut, 18, 131–138 (in Ukrainian).


Chaplygina, A. B. (2016). The consortial relations of eurasian blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla L.) in the forest cenoses of Left bank Ukraine. Studia Biologica, 10(1), 99–110.


Chaplygina, A. B., & Savinskaya, N. O. (2016). Sovremennoe sostoyanie ornitofauny transformirovannyh landshaftov Severo-Vostochnoy Ukrainy na primere Muscicapidae i Turdidae [Current status of the avifauna of transformed landscapes of North-Eastern Ukraine by the example of Muscicapidae and Turdidae]. Russian Ornithological Journal, 25, 615–647 (in Russian).


Chaplygina, A. B., Gramma, V. N., Bondarets, D. I., & Savynska, N. O. (2015). Arthropods in trophic-cenosis structure of collared flycatcher consortium in conditions of forest ecosystems of North-Eastern Ukraine. Visnyk of Dnipropetrovsk University, Biology, Ecology, 23(1), 74–85.


Chaplygina, A. B., Pakhomov, O. Y., & Brygadyrenko, V. V. (2019). Trophic links of the song thrush (Turdus philomelos) in transformed forest ecosystems of North-Eastern Ukraine. Biosystems Diversity, 27(1), 51–55.


Chaplygina, A. B., Savynska, N. O., & Brygadyrenko, V. V. (2018). Trophic lincs of the spotted flycatcher, Muscicapa striata, in transformed forest ecosystems of North-Eastern Ukraine. Baltic Forestry, 24(2), 304–312.


Chaplygina, A. B., Yuzyk, D. I., & Savynska, N. O. (2016a). The robin, Erithacus rubecula (Passeriformes, Turdidae), as a component of autotrophic consortia of forest cenoses, Northeast Ukraine. Vestnik Zoologii, 50(4), 369–378.


Chaplygina, A. B., Yuzyk, D. I., & Savynska, N. O. (2016b). The robin, Erithacus rubecula (Passeriformes, Turdidae), as a component of heterotrophic consortia of forest cenoses, Northeast Ukraine. Part 2. Vestnik Zoologii, 50(6), 493–502.


Domancevich, D. G. (2017). Pitanie fonovyh lesnyh vidov pereletnyh vorob’inoobraznyh ptic v rannevesennij period [Nutrition of background forest species of migratory passerine birds in the early spring]. Zhurnal Belorusskogo Gosudarstvennogo Universiteta, Biologija, 3, 101–112 (in Russian).


Domokos, E., & Domokos, J. (2016). Bird communities of different woody vegetation types from the Niraj Valley, Romania. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 40, 734–742.


Dranga, A. O., Gorlov, P. I., Matsyura, A. V., & Budgey, R. (2016). Breeding biology of rook (Corvus frugilegus) in the human transformed steppe ecosystems (the case of Botievo Wind Farm). Biological Bulletin of Bogdan Chmelnitskiy Melitopol State Pedagogical University, 6(1), 41–62.


Faly, L. I., & Brygadyrenko, V. V. (2014). Patterns in the horizontal structure of litter invertebrate communities in windbreak plantations in the steppe zone of the Ukraine. Journal of Plant Protection Research, 54(4), 414–420.


Felton, A., Hedwall, P. O., Lindbladh, M., Nyberg, T., Felton, A. M., Holmström, E., Wallin, I., Löf, M., & Brunet, J. (2016). The biodiversity contribution of wood plantations: Contrasting the bird communities of Sweden’s protected and production oak forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 365, 51–60.


Fesenko, H. V., & Bokotej, A. A. (2002). Ptahy fauny Ukrainy: Pol’ovyj vyznachnyk [Birds of the Ukrainian fauna: Field reference book]. Novyj Druk, Kyiv (in Ukrainian).


Gensiruk, S. A. (2002). Lisy Ukrainy [Forests of Ukraine]. Scientific Organization Named after T. G. Shevchenko, Lviv (in Ukrainian).


Gorlov, P. I., Siokhin, V. D., & Matsyura, A. V. (2016). Assessment of potential threats of wind farms for migratory birds in the south of Ukraine. Biological Bulletin of Bogdan Chmelnitskiy Melitopol State Pedagogical University, 6(3), 175–186.


Gregory, R. D., Noble, D., Field, R., Marchant, J., Raven, M., & Gibbons, D. W. (2003). Using birds as indicators of biodiversity. Ornis Hungarica, 12–13, 11–24.


Hamer, K. C., Newton, R. J., Edwards, F. A., Benedick, S., Bottrell, S. H., & Edwards, D. P. (2015). Impacts of selective logging on insectivorous birds in Borneo: The importance of trophic position, body size and foraging height. Biological Conservation, 188, 82–88.


Heleno, R. H., Ross, G., Everard, A., Memmott, J., & Ramos, J. A. (2010). The role of avian “seed predators” as seed dispersers. Ibis, 153(1), 199–203.


Hernández, Á. (2009). Summer-autumn feeding ecology of pied flycatchers Ficedula hypolueca and spotted flycatchers Muscicapa striata: The importance of frugivory in a stopover area in North-West Iberia. Bird Conservation International, 19(3), 224.


Jackson, J. L., & Kannan, R. (2018). Avian frugivory in a fruiting mulberry tree (Morus rubra) in Arkansas. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, 72(1), e10.


James, M. C., Furness, R. W., Bowman, A. S., Forbes, K. J., & Gilbert, L. (2011). The importance of passerine birds as tick hosts and in the transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease: A case study from Scotland. Ibis, 153(2), 293–302.


Kempenaers, B., Borgström, P., Loës, P., Schlicht, E., & Valcu, M. (2010). Artificial night lighting affects dawn song, extra-pair siring success, and lay date in songbirds. Current Biology, 20(19), 1735–1739.


Kirby, W., Black, K., Pratt, S., & Bradbury, R. (2005). Territory and nest-site habitat associations of spotted flycatchers Muscicapa striata breeding in Central England. Ibis, 147(2), 420–424.


Korňan, M., & Adamík, P. (2017). Tree species preferences of foraging insectivorous birds in a primeval mountain mixed forest: Implications for management. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, 32(8), 671–678.


Koshelev, V. A., Pakhomov, O. Y., & Busel, V. A. (2020). The formation of sclerophilic ornythocomplexes in the quarries in the south of Ukraine and their conservation prospects. Ecology, Environment and Conservation, 26(1), 411–419.


Kryvitsky, I. A., & Chaplygina, A. B. (2010). Ecological and faunistic review of changes and the current state. Representatives finches birds in the Kharkiv Region. In: Birds of the Seversky Donets Basin. Materials of 15 Scientific Conference (Donetsk, 16–18 October 2009). Donetsk. Pp. 25–35 (in Russian).


Lommano, E., Dvořák, C., Vallotton, L., Jenni, L., & Gern, L. (2014). Tick-borne pathogens in ticks collected from breeding and migratory birds in Switzerland. Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases, 5(6), 871–882.


Macleod, C. J., Parish, D. M. B., & Hubbard, S. F. (2004). Habitat associations and breeding success of the chaffinch Fringilla coelebs. Bird Study, 51(3), 239–247.


Malchevskij, А. S., & Kadochnikov, A. S. (1953). A method of in vivo study of the nestlings’ diet of insectivorous birds. Zoologicheskij Zhurnal, 32(2), 227–282.


Markova, A. O. (2016). Aggressive behaviour of robins Erithacus rubecula (Passeriformes, Muscicapidae) at watering places in the forest steppe zone of Ukraine. Visnyk of Dnipropetrovsk University, Biology, Ecology, 24(2), 283–289.


Marochkina, E. A. (2004). Troficheskie i prostranstvennye otnoshenija vorob'inyh ptic v lesnyh biotopah Meshherskoj nizmennosti [Trophic and spatial relationships of passerines in forest biotopes of the Meshchera lowland]. Riazan’ (in Russian).


Matsyura, A. V. (2018). Effectiveness of antiperching devices against the feral pigeons. Ukrainian Journal of Ecology, 8(2), 326–328.


Moreno-Rueda, G., & Pizarro, M. (2008). Relative influence of habitat heterogeneity, climate, human disturbance, and spatial structure on vertebrate species richness in Spain. Ecological Research, 24(2), 335–344.


Nadtochiy, A. S., & Chaplygina, A. B. (2010). Dolgovremennyie izmeneniya srokov prileta ptits v Harkovskuyu oblast [Long-term changes in timing of bird arrival in Kharkov region]. Branta, 13, 50–62 (in Russian).


Paker, Y., Yom-Tov, Y., Alon-Mozes, T., & Barnea, A. (2014). The effect of plant richness and urban garden structure on bird species richness, diversity and community structure. Landscape and Urban Planning, 122, 186–195.


Paralikidis, N., Papageorgiou, N., Tsiompanoudis, A., & Kontsiotis, V. (2009). Song thrush Turdus philomelos winter diet in Mediterranean habitats: A case study in Greece. Avocetta, 33, 109–111.


Peach, W. J., Robinson, R. A., & Murray, K. A. (2004). Demographic and environmental causes of the decline of rural song thrushes Turdus philomelos in lowland Britain. Ibis, 146, 50–59.


Perea, R., & Gil, M. V. L. (2014). Seed predation on the ground or in the tree? Size-related differences in behavior and ecology of granivorous birds. Acta Ornithologica, 49(1), 119–130.


Peris, S., & Montelongo, T. (2014). Birds and small urban parks: A study in a high plateau city. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 38, 316–325.


Prokofieva, I. V. (1963). Materialy po pitaniju zjablika v Leningradskoj oblasti [Materials for finch nutrition in the Leningrad region]. Ecology of vertebrates of the Leningrad region. Uchenye Zapiski LSPI imeni A. I. Hercena. Leningrad. Vol. 230. Pp. 71–86.


Quinn, J. L., Whittingham, M. J., Butler, S. J., & Cresswell, W. (2006). Noise, predation risk compensation and vigilance in the chaffinch Fringilla coelebs. Journal of Avian Biology, 37(6), 601–608.


Ramdani, K., Kouidri, M., Ouakid, M. L., & Houhamdi, M. (2019). Breeding biology of the chaffinch Fringilla coelebs africana in the El Kala National Park (North East Algeria). Arxius de Miscellània Zoològica, 109–121.


Shemiakina, O. A. (2009). Troficheskie i prostranstvennye svjazi ptic v estestvennyh i antropogennyh mestoobitanijah [Trophic and spatial relationships of birds in natural and anthropogenic transformed habitats]. In: Behavior, animal ecology: Monographs, articles, reports. Ryazan’. Vol. 1. Pp. 151–294.


Sobolev, А., Gutyj, B., Grynevych, N., Bilkevych, V., & Mashkin, Y. (2017). Enrichment of meat products with selenium by its introduction to mixed feed compounds for birds. Regulatory Mechanisms in Biosystems, 8(3), 417–422.


Suri, J., Anderson, P. M., Charles-Dominique, T., Hellard, E., & Cumming, G. S. (2017). More than just a corridor: A suburban river catchment enhances bird functional diversity. Landscape and Urban Planning, 157, 331–342.


Vanderhoff, E. N., & Eason, P. K. (2008). Comparisons between juvenile and adult american robins foraging for mulberry fruit. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 120(1), 209–213.


Whittingham, M. J., Bradbury, R. B., Wilson, J. D., Morris, A. J., Perkins, A. J., & Siriwardena, G. M. (2001). Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs foraging patterns, nestling survival and territory distribution on lowland farmland. Bird Study, 48(3), 257–270.


Zimaroeva, A., Zhukov, A., Ponomarenko, A., & Matsura, A. (2015). Ecological niche modelling of Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 (сommon chaffinch) using GIS tools. Romanian Journal of Biology – Zoology, 60(2), 135–146.

Published
2020-02-10
Section
Articles

Most read articles by the same author(s)

> >>