Provision of nestboxes raises the breeding density of Great Tits Parus major equally in coniferous and deciduous woodland

Nestbox provision is a technique used to increase nest-site availability for secondary cavity-nesting birds. However, little is known about the demographic consequences of nestbox provision in different habitat types. To assess how nestbox provision affects the density of hole-nesting birds simultaneously in two contrasting habitats, we compared the breeding density of Great Tits along transects without nestboxes with that in transects where nestboxes were provided. Although the initial density of breeders was considerably higher in the deciduous habitat than in the coniferous habitat, provision of nestboxes increased density by a similar number of additional pairs in each habitat type. Thus, the provision of nestboxes in managed coniferous forests may be as effective in increasing the breeding opportunities of cavity nesters as in deciduous stands. Moreover, previous research showed that pairs in deciduous habitat with nestboxes have consistently lower breeding success than those in coniferous habitat with nestboxes. It is possible that the addition of nestboxes in the preferred habitat increased density to such an extent that density-dependent effects became apparent.     

Net primary production and light use efficiency in a mixed coniferous forest in Sweden

Simple light use efficiency (ɛ) models of net primary production (NPP) have recently been given great attention (NPP = ɛ × absorbed photosynthetically active radiation). The underlying relationships have, however, not been much studied on a time step less than a month. In this study daily NPP was estimated as the sum of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and heterotrophic respiration (R_h) of a mixed pine and spruce forest in Sweden. NEE was measured by eddy correlation technique and R_h was estimated from measurements of forest floor respiration (R_f) and the root share of R_f. The total yearly NPP was on average 810 g C m⁻² year⁻¹ for 3 years and yearly ɛ was between 0.58 and 0.71 g C MJ⁻¹, which is high in comparison with other studies. There was a seasonal trend in ɛ with a relatively constant level of approximately 0.90 g C MJ⁻¹ from April to September Daily NPP did not increase for daily intercepted radiation above 6 MJ m⁻² d⁻¹, indicating that between-years variation in NPP is not directly dependent on total Q_i. The light was most efficiently used at an average daytime temperature of around 15 °C. At daytime vapour pressure deficit above 1400 Pa ɛ was reduced by approximately 50%.