Urban lawn vegetation structure impact arthropod abundance and cattle egret foraging success

• DOI: 10.1016/j.sciaf.2024.e02137
• Publication Date: 2024-02-29T16:54:46Z
• Authors: Carlos Amissah; Soladoye B. Iwajomo; John Abraham; Justus P. Deikumah
• Keywords: Clearing; Arthropod

The vegetation in urban green spaces is often managed by means of machines and/or pesticides including herbicides for aesthetics without regard to the potential consequences on arthropods, particularly insect abundance, and animals, especially birds, that feed insects other arthropods. Using University Cape Coast campus cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis) there as a test case, we investigated influence arthropod abundance structure foraging success egrets. To achieve this, measured efficiency (FE) capture rate (CR) egrets, their correlations with height, cover, mode clearing during wet dry seasons. Foraging were surveyed along seven permanent transects three times each season. sweep nets pitfall traps, arthropods sampled at six randomly selected locations within transect where recorded. General linear models showed did not differ between seasons was positively correlated FE but CR. Moreover, related number days since or method. Vegetation height cover negatively CR FE. significantly higher machine-cleared areas than cutlass-cleared areas. Collectively, these findings highlight management practices, machine-clearing, its implications avian spaces. relationship emphasizes importance sustainable strategies support bird populations environments.