Bird Responses at Inherent and Induced Edges in the Murray Mallee, South Australia. 2. Nest predation as an Edge Effect

Abstract

We assayed nest predation as an edge effect, using artificial ground nests, at inherent (naturally occurring) and induced (human-created) edges in the Murray Mallee, South Australia. Nests were constructed at distances between 0-120 m away from habitat edges. The relative predation rate on nests generally increased close to induced edges with a significant difference (P < 0.05) recorded for two out of five experiments. Predation rate at inherent edges was similar from the edge to the interior, and was lower than that recorded at induced edges. Our results suggest that increased predator numbers, activity or efficiency at locating nests occurred close to the induced edges at our study sites.