e-infrastructure Roadmap for Open Science in Agriculture

A bibliometric study

The e-ROSA project seeks to build a shared vision of a future sustainable e-infrastructure for research and education in agriculture in order to promote Open Science in this field and as such contribute to addressing related societal challenges. In order to achieve this goal, e-ROSA’s first objective is to bring together the relevant scientific communities and stakeholders and engage them in the process of coelaboration of an ambitious, practical roadmap that provides the basis for the design and implementation of such an e-infrastructure in the years to come.

This website highlights the results of a bibliometric analysis conducted at a global scale in order to identify key scientists and associated research performing organisations (e.g. public research institutes, universities, Research & Development departments of private companies) that work in the field of agricultural data sources and services. If you have any comment or feedback on the bibliometric study, please use the online form.

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Title

Functions of extensive animal dung "pavements" around the nests of the Black Lark (Melanocorypha yeltoniensis)

en
Abstract

We used observational and experimental approaches to assess the possible functional significance of the often extensive "pavements" of livestock dung constructed by female Black Larks (Melanocorypha yeltoniensis) around their nests. These pavements are conspicuous to human observers, suggesting that they may also attract predators. The size of the pavement was correlated with, but not limited by, the density of dung in the vicinity of the nest. The relationship between pavement size and local dung density did not differ significantly between habitats or years, suggesting that females might scale their pavements according to the perceived trampling risk. Even in heavily grazed areas nest trampling was rare, and nest survival rates were similar to those in areas with few grazing animals, suggesting that pavements may reduce trampling risk without incurring an additional predation risk or, alternatively, that trampling is currently not an important threat to lark nests. An experimental manipulation of grazing animals around artificial nests yielded equivocal support for a trampling-deterrent effect of dung pavements. Dung pavements might also provide thermal benefits; experiments on artificial nests suggested that dung pavements buffer nests against extremes of heat and cold, and there was equivocal support for a positive effect of pavement size on chick tarsus growth rates. These pavements may therefore be multifunctional, but identifying the adaptive drivers of the behavior requires further research.

en
Year
2015
en
Country
  • NL
  • DE
  • KZ
  • GB
Organization
  • Wageningen_Univ_and_Res_Ctr_WUR (NL)
  • Univ_Munster (DE)
  • RSPB_Royal_Soc_Protect_Birds (UK)
Data keywords
    en
    Agriculture keywords
    • livestock
    en
    Data topic
    • information systems
    en
    SO
    AUK
    Document type

    Inappropriate format for Document type, expected simple value but got array, please use list format

    Institutions 10 co-publis
    • Wageningen_Univ_and_Res_Ctr_WUR (NL)
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    e-ROSA - e-infrastructure Roadmap for Open Science in Agriculture has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 730988.
    Disclaimer: The sole responsibility of the material published in this website lies with the authors. The European Union is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.