Establishing protected areas is a key conservation strategy aimed at mitigating the extinction crisis by enhancing biodiversity. A recent study by researchers from the Department of Biosciences explores how these areas impact entire food webs, focusing on predator-prey relationships.
The research analyzed citizen science records from databases like eBird, examining 509 bird species across 45 European protected areas (PAs) spanning from Spain to Finland. The data was combined with information on predator-prey interactions among these species.
The study compared food webs in protected and non-protected environments, assessing differences related to environmental, geographical, and conservation status conditions of the PAs. Factors such as remoteness, habitat diversity, forest cover percentage, agriculture, human pressure, and specific designations of the PAs were considered.
Published in Proceedings B of the Royal Society, the findings revealed mixed effects of protection on food web properties across European bioregions. While some properties showed positive effects due to protection, no consistent trends emerged regarding whether food webs fared better inside or outside protected areas.
Protected food webs generally hosted more species with a larger fraction at intermediate levels. Notably, both intermediate and top predator species had larger body sizes within protected areas. However, no clear trends were observed for other properties like mean length of food chains or network connectivity.
The study identified that remoteness, habitat diversity, human pressure, and agricultural land proportion significantly influenced changes in food webs. Interestingly, stronger protection effects were noted in areas designated under the European Bird Directives initiative.
Dr. Miguel Lurgi from the Computational Ecology Lab stated: "Studies like ours highlight the complexity of conservation action and the importance of considering key aspects of biodiversity beyond species richness."
He added that ecological interactions play crucial roles in structuring communities and maintaining ecosystem functions.
For those interested in further details or pursuing biosciences studies at Swansea University can access additional resources through their platform.
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