Landscape composition governs the abundance patterns of native and invasive Columbidae species along an urban-rural gradient and contribute to their partitioning

Assessing the effects of landscape composition on invasive and native wildlife abundance patterns is necessary to reach effective biodiversity management planning, especially on the margins of cities. However, we still have a limited understanding on the relationships between the landscape components and bird abundance. Given this knowledge gap, an urban-rural gradient approach was performed (1) to evaluate relationships between abundances of three sympatric dove species, namely invasive Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto), expanding laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis), and native European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur), and landscape composition, and (2) to identify the elements of the landscape that are determining in explaining the abundance patterns for these three species. Our results showed (1) the presence of a substantial segregation in the abundances of the three species along urban-rural gradient depending on the cover of built-up areas, (2) that the abundance of Eurasian collared dove increased with high cover (%) of built-up areas and low cover of cereals, (3) that laughing dove abundance increased with a high cover of permanent crops and low road lengths, but decreased when there are more than three fruit trees species, and (4) that of European turtle dove increased with a high cover of permanent crops, vegetable crops, and a high richness of fruit trees, but decreased with high built-up areas cover and when roads lengths exceed 1 km. Considering these responses to urban-rural gradient, these species can be classified into three distinct spatial categories: (1) urban dweller for the invasive Eurasian collared dove, (2) urban utilizer for expanding laughing dove, and (3) urban avoider for the native European turtle dove. The possible expansion of the urban areas at the detriment of permanent crops could be unfavourable for the native European turtle dove. Further monitoring, by a fixed time step, to detect environmental factors behind the changes in the composition of landscape and distribution of wildlife (both invasive and native) would be of great importance. The synergy among farmers, urban managers and researchers is recommended for the conservation of biodiversity in this region.

Automated summary

The study revealed a significant correlation between landscape composition and the abundance patterns of three sympatric dove species along an urban-rural gradient. Specifically, the Eurasian collared dove, laughing dove, and European turtle dove showed distinct responses to different landscape elements, categorizing them into three spatial categories based on their relationship with urbanization. Monitoring environmental factors and promoting collaboration among stakeholders are crucial for biodiversity conservation in the region.