Linking Landscape Structure to Demographic Processes in European Landbirds

Binnie, Sarah Elizabeth (2026) Linking Landscape Structure to Demographic Processes in European Landbirds. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Human land-use change is considered the greatest threat to global biodiversity. Declines are increasingly being seen in common and widespread species, including many European landbirds. There is an urgent need to address these declines, and exploration of spatiotemporal variation in demography can serve as a vital tool for identifying and targeting appropriate conservation actions. In this thesis, I examine limitations of current approaches for studying demographic variation in birds, and specifically explore potential drivers of spatial variation in the productivity of European landbirds. In a review of the spatiotemporal structure of avian demographic research, I demonstrate that most studies have taken place over small spatial scales and annual timescales. While this captures local, short-term effects well, our ability to detect the impacts of changes operating over larger scales and longer timescales is limited. To address this, I use a long-term, continent-wide bird ringing dataset to show that spatial variation in the productivity of European landbirds is at least partly driven by landscape characteristics surrounding breeding sites. Sites within landscapes locally dominated by wetlands, and at larger-scales, low-intensity land uses are more frequently associated with higher productivity in both residents and migrants. This identifies landscape-scale conservation actions with potential benefits across the bird community. I then explore whether insect prey availability could be driving associations between productivity and landscape structure with a Pan-European citizen science study at bird ringing sites. This reveals a positive association between cross-community productivity and insect abundance at sites, highlighting the importance of conserving and enhancing insect populations for supporting landbird populations in Europe. Landscape features do not appear to be associated with insect abundance, suggesting investigation of site-level characteristics as an important avenue for future work. Overall, this thesis demonstrates the immense value of collaborative research projects and citizen science for exploring links between local-scale processes and large-scale patterns.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	18 May 2026 08:47
Last Modified:	18 May 2026 08:47
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/103053
DOI:

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