@unpublished{WellsteinSchroederEsselbachReinekingetal.2011, author = {Wellstein, Camilla and Schr{\"o}der-Esselbach, Boris and Reineking, Bjoern and Zimmermann, Niklaus E.}, title = {Understanding species and community response to environmental change - A functional trait perspective}, series = {Agriculture, ecosystems \& environment : an international journal for scientific research on the relationship of agriculture and food production to the biosphere}, volume = {145}, journal = {Agriculture, ecosystems \& environment : an international journal for scientific research on the relationship of agriculture and food production to the biosphere}, number = {1}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0167-8809}, doi = {10.1016/j.agee.2011.06.024}, pages = {1 -- 4}, year = {2011}, language = {en} } @article{MoradiFakheranPeintingeretal.2012, author = {Moradi, H. and Fakheran, S. and Peintinger, M. and Bergamini, A. and Schmid, B. and Joshi, Jasmin Radha}, title = {Profiteers of environmental change in the Swiss Alps increase of thermophilous and generalist plants in wetland ecosystems within the last 10 years}, series = {Alpine botany}, volume = {122}, journal = {Alpine botany}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1664-2201}, doi = {10.1007/s00035-012-0102-3}, pages = {45 -- 56}, year = {2012}, abstract = {It has been predicted that Europe will experience a rise in temperature of 2.2-5.3 A degrees C within this century. This increase in temperature may lead to vegetation change along altitudinal gradients. To test whether vegetation composition has already changed in the recent decade due to current warming (and other concomitant environmental changes), we recorded plant species composition in 1995 and 2005/2006 in Swiss pre-alpine fen meadows (800-1,400 m a.s.l.). Despite no obvious changes in the management of these fens, overall, plant species richness (cumulative number of plant species at five plots per site) significantly increased over this period. This was mainly due to an increase in the number of thermophilous, rich-soil-indicator and shade-indicator species, which corresponded to increased community productivity and shading within the vegetation layer. In contrast, fen specialists significantly declined in species numbers. The strongest species shifts occurred at the lowest sites, which overall had a higher colonization rate by new species than did sites at higher altitudes. Vegetation change along the altitudinal gradient was also affected by different types of land management: early-flowering species and species with low habitat specificity had high colonization rates in grazed fens, especially at low altitudes.}, language = {en} } @article{MarquerGaillardSugitaetal.2017, author = {Marquer, Laurent and Gaillard, Marie-Jose and Sugita, Shinya and Poska, Anneli and Trondman, Anna-Kari and Mazier, Florence and Nielsen, Anne Birgitte and Fyfe, Ralph M. and Jonsson, Anna Maria and Smith, Benjamin and Kaplan, Jed O. and Alenius, Teija and Birks, H. John B. and Bjune, Anne E. and Christiansen, Jorg and Dodson, John and Edwards, Kevin J. and Giesecke, Thomas and Herzschuh, Ulrike and Kangur, Mihkel and Koff, Tiiu and Latalowa, Maligorzata and Lechterbeck, Jutta and Olofsson, Jorgen and Seppa, Heikki}, title = {Quantifying the effects of land use and climate on Holocene vegetation in Europe}, series = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal}, volume = {171}, journal = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0277-3791}, doi = {10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.07.001}, pages = {20 -- 37}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Early agriculture can be detected in palaeovegetation records, but quantification of the relative importance of climate and land use in influencing regional vegetation composition since the onset of agriculture is a topic that is rarely addressed. We present a novel approach that combines pollen-based REVEALS estimates of plant cover with climate, anthropogenic land-cover and dynamic vegetation modelling results. This is used to quantify the relative impacts of land use and climate on Holocene vegetation at a sub-continental scale, i.e. northern and western Europe north of the Alps. We use redundancy analysis and variation partitioning to quantify the percentage of variation in vegetation composition explained by the climate and land-use variables, and Monte Carlo permutation tests to assess the statistical significance of each variable. We further use a similarity index to combine pollen based REVEALS estimates with climate-driven dynamic vegetation modelling results. The overall results indicate that climate is the major driver of vegetation when the Holocene is considered as a whole and at the sub-continental scale, although land use is important regionally. Four critical phases of land-use effects on vegetation are identified. The first phase (from 7000 to 6500 BP) corresponds to the early impacts on vegetation of farming and Neolithic forest clearance and to the dominance of climate as a driver of vegetation change. During the second phase (from 4500 to 4000 BP), land use becomes a major control of vegetation. Climate is still the principal driver, although its influence decreases gradually. The third phase (from 2000 to 1500 BP) is characterised by the continued role of climate on vegetation as a consequence of late-Holocene climate shifts and specific climate events that influence vegetation as well as land use. The last phase (from 500 to 350 BP) shows an acceleration of vegetation changes, in particular during the last century, caused by new farming practices and forestry in response to population growth and industrialization. This is a unique signature of anthropogenic impact within the Holocene but European vegetation remains climatically sensitive and thus may continue to respond to ongoing climate change. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.}, language = {en} } @article{LischeidKalettkaHollaenderetal.2018, author = {Lischeid, Gunnar and Kalettka, Thomas and Holl{\"a}nder, Matthias and Steidl, J{\"o}rg and Merz, Christoph and Dannowski, Ralf and Hohenbrink, Tobias Ludwig and Lehr, Christian and Onandia, Gabriela and Reverey, Florian and P{\"a}tzig, Marlene}, title = {Natural ponds in an agricultural landscape}, series = {Limnologica : ecology and management of inland waters}, volume = {68}, journal = {Limnologica : ecology and management of inland waters}, publisher = {Elsevier GMBH}, address = {M{\"u}nchen}, issn = {0075-9511}, doi = {10.1016/j.limno.2017.01.003}, pages = {5 -- 16}, year = {2018}, abstract = {The pleistocenic landscape in North Europe, North Asia and North America is spotted with thousands of natural ponds called kettle holes. They are biological and biogeochemical hotspots. Due to small size, small perimeter and shallow depth biological and biogeochemical processes in kettle holes are closely linked to the dynamics and the emissions of the terrestrial environment. On the other hand, their intriguing high spatial and temporal variability makes a sound understanding of the terrestrial-aquatic link very difficult. It is presumed that intensive agricultural land use during the last decades has resulted in a ubiquitous high nutrient load. However, the water quality encountered at single sites highly depends on internal biogeochemical processes and thus can differ substantially even between adjacent sites. This study aimed at elucidating the interplay between external drivers and internal processes based on a thorough analysis of a comprehensive kettle hole water quality data set. To study the role of external drivers, effects of land use in the adjacent terrestrial environment, effects of vegetation at the interface between terrestrial and aquatic systems, and that of kettle hole morphology on water quality was investigated. None of these drivers was prone to strong with-in year variability. Thus temporal variability of spatial patterns could point to the role of internal biogeochemical processes. To that end, the temporal stability of the respective spatial patterns was studied as well for various solutes. All of these analyses were performed for a set of different variables. Different results for different solutes were then used as a source of information about the respective driving processes. In the Quillow catchment in the Uckermark region, about 100 km north of Berlin, Germany, 62 kettle holes have been regularly sampled since 2013. Kettle hole catchments were determined based on a groundwater level map of the uppermost aquifer. The catchments were not clearly related to topography. Spatial patterns of kettle hole water concentration of (earth) alkaline metals and chloride were fairly stable, presumably reflecting solute concentration of the uppermost aquifer. In contrast, spatial patterns of nutrients and redox-sensitive solutes within the kettle holes were hardly correlated between different sampling campaigns. Correspondingly, effects of season, hydrogeomorphic kettle hole type, shore vegetation or land use in the respective catchments were significant but explained only a minor portion of the total variance. It is concluded that internal processes mask effects of the terrestrial environment. There is some evidence that denitrification and phosphorus release from the sediment during frequent periods of hypoxia might play a major role. The latter seems to boost primary production occasionally. These processes do not follow a clear seasonal pattern and are still not well understood.}, language = {en} } @article{LischeidKalettka2012, author = {Lischeid, Gunnar and Kalettka, Thomas}, title = {Grasping the heterogeneity of kettle hole water quality in Northeast Germany}, series = {Hydrobiologia : acta hydrobiologica, hydrographica, limnologica et protistologica}, volume = {689}, journal = {Hydrobiologia : acta hydrobiologica, hydrographica, limnologica et protistologica}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {0018-8158}, doi = {10.1007/s10750-011-0764-7}, pages = {63 -- 77}, year = {2012}, abstract = {In the young moraine landscape in Northeast Germany, small glacially created ponds, the so-called kettle holes, are very abundant. They exhibit large spatial heterogeneity, seemingly rendering each kettle hole unique. However, this would not be consistent with any scientific approach. Thus, a classification scheme has been developed for kettle holes in Northeast Germany based on morphology, hydrodynamics and connection to stream networks of the kettle holes as well as size, topography and land use of the respective catchment. These indices are assumed to be related both to water quality as well as to biological issues of the kettle holes. Starting in the mid-1990s, an extensive monitoring program has been established in the federal state of Brandenburg, Germany. In this study, a subset comprising 1,316 samples from 79 kettle holes was analysed, where 21 parameters had been determined. Sampling intervals varied widely, and were between bi-weekly and three-monthly at most sites. A nonlinear principal component analysis was performed. The first four components explained 90\% of the variance. These components seem to provide quantitative measures of phosphorus release from the sediments during hypoxic periods, agricultural solute input, algae primary production, and geogenic compounds. This allowed differentiating between the natural and anthropogenic impact factors on water quality. In addition, scores of single components were related to properties of the kettle holes and their environments. The results contribute to a better understanding of biological and biogeochemical processes and can be used to verify the effects of conservation and management strategies for kettle holes.}, language = {en} } @article{LeinsBanitzGrimmetal.2020, author = {Leins, Johannes A. and Banitz, Thomas and Grimm, Volker and Drechsler, Martin}, title = {High-resolution PVA along large environmental gradients to model the combined effects of climate change and land use timing}, series = {Ecological modelling : international journal on ecological modelling and systems ecology}, volume = {440}, journal = {Ecological modelling : international journal on ecological modelling and systems ecology}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0304-3800}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109355}, pages = {15}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Both climate change and land use regimes affect the viability of populations, but they are often studied separately. Moreover, population viability analyses (PVAs) often ignore the effects of large environmental gradients and use temporal resolutions that are too coarse to take into account that different stages of a population's life cycle may be affected differently by climate change. Here, we present the High-resolution Large Environmental Gradient (HiLEG) model and apply it in a PVA with daily resolution based on daily climate projections for Northwest Germany. We used the large marsh grasshopper (LMG) as the target species and investigated (1) the effects of climate change on the viability and spatial distribution of the species, (2) the influence of the timing of grassland mowing on the species and (3) the interaction between the effects of climate change and grassland mowing. The stageand cohort-based model was run for the spatially differentiated environmental conditions temperature and soil moisture across the whole study region. We implemented three climate change scenarios and analyzed the population dynamics for four consecutive 20-year periods. Climate change alone would lead to an expansion of the regions suitable for the LMG, as warming accelerates development and due to reduced drought stress. However, in combination with land use, the timing of mowing was crucial, as this disturbance causes a high mortality rate in the aboveground life stages. Assuming the same date of mowing throughout the region, the impact on viability varied greatly between regions due to the different climate conditions. The regional negative effects of the mowing date can be divided into five phases: (1) In early spring, the populations were largely unaffected in all the regions; (2) between late spring and early summer, they were severely affected only in warm regions; (3) in summer, all the populations were severely affected so that they could hardly survive; (4) between late summer and early autumn, they were severely affected in cold regions; and (5) in autumn, the populations were equally affected across all regions. The duration and start of each phase differed slightly depending on the climate change scenario and simulation period, but overall, they showed the same pattern. Our model can be used to identify regions of concern and devise management recommendations. The model can be adapted to the life cycle of different target species, climate projections and disturbance regimes. We show with our adaption of the HiLEG model that high-resolution PVAs and applications on large environmental gradients can be reconciled to develop conservation strategies capable of dealing with multiple stressors.}, language = {en} } @article{LangeTuerkePasalicetal.2014, author = {Lange, Markus and T{\"u}rke, Manfred and Pasalic, Esther and Boch, Steffen and Hessenm{\"o}ller, Dominik and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Prati, Daniel and Socher, Stephanie A. and Fischer, Markus and Weisser, Wolfgang W. and Gossner, Martin M.}, title = {Effects of forest management on ground-dwelling beetles (Coleoptera; Carabidae, Staphylinidae) in Central Europe are mainly mediated by changes in forest structure}, series = {Forest ecology and management}, volume = {329}, journal = {Forest ecology and management}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0378-1127}, doi = {10.1016/j.foreco.2014.06.012}, pages = {166 -- 176}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Forest management is known to influence species diversity of various taxa but inconsistent or even contrasting effects are reported for arthropods. Regional differences in management as well as differences in regional species pools might be responsible for these inconsistencies, but, inter-regional replicated studies that account for regional variability are rare. We investigated the effect of forest type on the abundance, diversity, community structure and composition of two important ground-dwelling beetle families, Carabidae and Staphylinidae, in 149 forest stands distributed over three regions in Germany. In particular we focused on recent forestry history, stand age and dominant tree species, in addition to a number of environmental descriptors. Overall management effects on beetle communities were small and mainly mediated by structural habitat parameters such as the cover of forest canopy or the plant diversity on forest stands. The general response of both beetle taxa to forest management was similar in all regions: abundance and species richness of beetles was higher in older than in younger stands and species richness was lower in unmanaged than in managed stands. The abundance ratio of forest species-to-open habitat species differed between regions, but generally increased from young to old stands, from coniferous to deciduous stands and from managed to unmanaged stands. The response of both beetle families to dominant tree species was variable among regions and staphylinid richness varied in the response to recent forestry history. Our results suggest that current forest management practices change the composition of ground-dwelling beetle communities mainly by favoring generalists and open habitat species. To protect important forest beetle communities and thus the ecosystem functions and services provided by them, we suggest to shelter remaining ancient forests and to develop near-to-nature management strategies by prolonging rotation periods and increasing structural diversity of managed forests. Possible geographic variations in the response of beetle communities need to be considered in conservation-orientated forest management strategies. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.}, language = {en} } @article{KlausKleinebeckerHoelzeletal.2011, author = {Klaus, Valentin H. and Kleinebecker, Till and Hoelzel, Norbert and Bluethgen, Nico and Boch, Steffen and M{\"u}ller, J{\"o}rg and Socher, Stephanie A. and Prati, Daniel and Fischer, Markus}, title = {Nutrient concentrations and fibre contents of plant community biomass reflect species richness patterns along a broad range of land-use intensities among agricultural grasslands}, series = {Perspectives in plant ecology, evolution and systematics}, volume = {13}, journal = {Perspectives in plant ecology, evolution and systematics}, number = {4}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Jena}, issn = {1433-8319}, doi = {10.1016/j.ppees.2011.07.001}, pages = {287 -- 295}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Understanding changes in biodiversity in agricultural landscapes in relation to land-use type and intensity is a major issue in current ecological research. In this context nutrient enrichment has been identified as a key mechanism inducing species loss in Central European grassland ecosystems. At the same time, insights into the linkage between agricultural land use and plant nutrient status are largely missing. So far, studies on the relationship between chemical composition of plant community biomass and biodiversity have mainly been restricted to wetlands and all these studies neglected the effects of land use. Therefore, we analyzed aboveground biomass of 145 grassland plots covering a gradient of land-use intensities in three regions across Germany. In particular, we explored relationships between vascular plant species richness and nutrient concentrations as well as fibre contents (neutral and acid detergent fibre and lignin) in the aboveground community biomass. We found the concentrations of several nutrients in the biomass to be closely linked to plant species richness and land use. Whereas phosphorus concentrations increased with land-use intensity and decreased with plant species richness, nitrogen and potassium concentrations showed less clear patterns. Fibre fractions were negatively related to nutrient concentrations in biomass, but hardly to land-use measures and species richness. Only high lignin contents were positively associated with species richness of grasslands. The N:P ratio was strongly positively related to species richness and even more so to the number of endangered plant species, indicating a higher persistence of endangered species under P (co-)limited conditions. Therefore, we stress the importance of low P supply for species-rich grasslands and suggest the N:P ratio in community biomass to be a useful proxy of the conservation value of agriculturally used grasslands.}, language = {en} } @article{KalkuhlFernandezMilanSchwerhoffetal.2018, author = {Kalkuhl, Matthias and Fernandez Milan, Blanca and Schwerhoff, Gregor and Jakob, Michael and Hahnen, Maren and Creutzig, Felix}, title = {Can land taxes foster sustainable development?}, series = {Land use policy : the international journal covering all aspects of land use}, volume = {78}, journal = {Land use policy : the international journal covering all aspects of land use}, publisher = {Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd.}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {0264-8377}, doi = {10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.07.008}, pages = {338 -- 352}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Economists argue that land rent taxation is an ideal form of taxation as it causes no deadweight losses. Nevertheless, pure land rent taxation is rarely applied. This paper revisits the case of land taxation for developing countries. We first provide an up-to-date review on land taxation in development countries, including feasibility and implementation challenges. We then simulate land tax reforms for Rwanda, Peru, Nicaragua and Indonesia, based on household surveys. We find that (i) land taxes provide a substantial untapped potential for tax revenues at minimal deadweight losses; that (ii) linear land value taxes tend to put a high relative burden on poor households as land ownership is pervasive; (iii) non-linear tax schemes could avoid adverse effects on the poor; and that (iv) with technological advances, administrative costs of land taxes have reduced substantially and are outweighed by tax revenues and co-benefits of formalized land tenure. Enforcement and compliance remain, however, a key challenge.}, language = {en} } @article{HasslerZimmermannvanBreugeletal.2011, author = {Haßler, Sibylle Kathrin and Zimmermann, Beate and van Breugel, Michiel and Hall, Jefferson S. and Elsenbeer, Helmut}, title = {Recovery of saturated hydraulic conductivity under secondary succession on former pasture in the humid tropics}, series = {Forest ecology and management}, volume = {261}, journal = {Forest ecology and management}, number = {10}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0378-1127}, doi = {10.1016/j.foreco.2010.06.031}, pages = {1634 -- 1642}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Landscapes in the humid tropics are undergoing a continuous change in land use. Deforestation is still taking its toll on forested areas, but at the same time more and more secondary forests emerge where formerly agricultural lands and pastures are being abandoned. Regarding soil hydrology, the extent to which secondary succession can recover soil hydrological properties disturbed by antecedent deforestation and pasture use is yet poorly understood. We investigated the effect of secondary succession on saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) at two soil depths (0-6 and 6-12 cm) using a space-for-time approach in a landscape mosaic in central Panama. The following four land-use classes were studied: pasture (P), secondary forest of 5-8 years of age (SF5), secondary forest of 12-15 years of age (SF12) and secondary forest of more than 100 years of age (SF100), each replicated altogether four times in different micro-catchments across the study region. The hydrological implications of differences in Ks in response to land-use change with land use, especially regarding overland flow generation, were assessed via comparisons with rainfall intensities. Recovery of Ks could be detected in the 0-6 cm depth after 12 years of secondary succession: P and SF5 held similar Ks values, but differed significantly (alpha = 0.05) from SF12 and SF100 which in turn were indistinguishable. Variability within the land cover classes was large but, due to sufficient replication in the study, Ks recovery could be detected nonetheless. Ks in the 6-12 cm depth did not show any differences between the land cover classes; only Ks of the uppermost soil layer was affected by land-use changes. Overland flow - as inferred from comparisons of Ks with rainfall intensities - is more likely on P and SF5 sites compared to SF12 and 5E100 for the upper sample depth; however, generally low values at the 6-12 cm depth are likely to impede vertical percolation during high rainfall intensities regardless of land use. We conclude that Ks can recover from pasture use under secondary succession up to pre-pasture levels, but the process may take more than 8 years. In order to gain comprehensive understanding of Ks change with land use and its hydrological implications, more studies with detailed land-use histories and combined measurements of Ks, overland flow, precipitation and throughfall are essential.}, language = {en} } @article{EggersArensFirlaetal.2015, author = {Eggers, Ute and Arens, Michael and Firla, Mario and Wallschl{\"a}ger, Hans-Dieter}, title = {To fledge or not to fledge: factors influencing the number of eggs and the eggs-to-fledglings rate in White Storks Ciconia ciconia in an agricultural environment}, series = {Journal of ornithology}, volume = {156}, journal = {Journal of ornithology}, number = {3}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {0021-8375}, doi = {10.1007/s10336-015-1182-9}, pages = {711 -- 723}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Numerous studies have explored the relationship between environmental factors and White Stork Ciconia ciconia reproduction, mainly expressing breeding success as the number of fledglings. Nonetheless, one of the most critical life-history stages in birds falls between egg-laying and fledging, and identifying the factors causing offspring mortality during this period provides valuable knowledge. We quantified the number of laid White Stork eggs and the proportion of eggs that turned into fledglings in an agriculture-dominated region in Eastern Germany. Moreover, we identified the factors among land cover, weather and arrival dates, which influenced these two reproductive measures the most, and analysed the monitored mortality causes. On average, four eggs were laid per nest, and 57.8 \% of the eggs turned into fledglings. The number of eggs laid was best explained by the negative effect of the arrival date of the second stork, while the percentage of eggs that turned into fledglings was more dependent on weather: most important parameters were mean temperature in the fifth and seventh weeks after the assumed breeding start (i.e. around the assumed hatching date), and the number of consecutive days with precipitation when nestlings are assumed to be approximately 3 weeks old. In an agricultural environment, weather effects that potentially disturb food availability might be more important than effects directly affecting the survival of White Stork offspring. The most frequent observed mortality cause, nest fights, furthermore revealed the relevance of intraspecific competition in the study population.}, language = {en} } @article{DrechslerWaetzoldGrimm2022, author = {Drechsler, Martin and W{\"a}tzold, Frank and Grimm, Volker}, title = {The hitchhiker's guide to generic ecological-economic modelling of land-use-based biodiversity conservation policies}, series = {Ecological modelling : international journal on ecological modelling and engineering and systems ecolog}, volume = {465}, journal = {Ecological modelling : international journal on ecological modelling and engineering and systems ecolog}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0304-3800}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2021.109861}, pages = {22}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Biodiversity loss is a result of interacting ecological and economic factors, and it must be addressed through an analysis of biodiversity conservation policies. Ecological-economic modelling is a helpful approach to this analysis, but it is also challenging since modellers often have a specific disciplinary background and tend to misrepresent either the ecological or economic aspects. Here, we introduce some of the most important concepts from both disciplines, and since the two modelling cultures also differ between the two disciplines, we present an integrated, consistent guide through all the steps of generic ecological-economic modelling, such as formulation of the research question, development of the conceptual model, model parametrisation and analysis, and interpretation of model results. Although we focus on generic models aimed at a general understanding of causes and remedies for biodiversity loss, the concepts and guidance provided here may also help in the modelling of more specific conservation problems. This guide is aimed at the intersection of three disciplines: ecology, economics and mathematical modelling, and addresses readers who have some knowledge in at least one of these disciplines and want to learn about the others to build and analyse generic ecological-economic models. Compared to textbooks, the guide focuses on the practice of modelling rather than lengthy explanations of theoretical concepts. We attempt to demonstrate that generic ecological-economic modelling does not require magical powers and instead is a manageable exercise.}, language = {en} } @article{BlumroederEccardBlaum2012, author = {Blumroeder, J. and Eccard, Jana and Blaum, Niels}, title = {Behavioural flexibility in foraging mode of the spotted sand lizard (Pedioplanis l. lineoocellata) seems to buffer negative impacts of savanna degradation}, series = {Journal of arid environments}, volume = {77}, journal = {Journal of arid environments}, number = {2}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {London}, issn = {0140-1963}, doi = {10.1016/j.jaridenv.2011.10.005}, pages = {149 -- 152}, year = {2012}, abstract = {In this field experiment we investigate the impact of land use induced savanna degradation on movement behaviour of the spotted sand lizard (Pedioplanis l. lineoocellata) in the southern Kalahari. Foraging behaviour of lizards was tested in a factorial design (low vs. high prey availability) in degraded and non-degraded habitats. An interaction between habitat structure and prey availability affected movement behaviour. In degraded habitats with low prey availability and in non-degraded habitats with high prey availability the spotted sand lizard moved more like an active forager. In contrast, in degraded habitats with high prey availability and in non-degraded habitats with low prey availability lizards moved like sit-and-wait foragers. Interestingly, the behavioural flexibility of the spotted sand lizard seems to buffer extreme conditions and negative effects of land use impacts.}, language = {en} }