DOI: 10.5061/dryad.7h44j1085
title: Data from: Restoring Mediterranean heathlands for declining birds: Initial responses to mosaic cutting and burning in the Natura 2000 LIFE Program

description: Bird counts and environmental covariates associated with sampling units in
 a heathland ecosystem subjected to annual treatments of cutting and
 burning. Also included are vegetation structural attributes measured in 5
 m-radius plots located in treatment and control patches. Data were used to
 build models of relative abundance of open habitat bird species as a
 function of spatio-temporal treatment mosaics.
description: # Data from: Restoring Mediterranean heathlands for declining birds:
 Initial responses to mosaic cutting and burning in the Natura 2000 LIFE
 Program Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.7h44j1085](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.7h44j1085) ##
 Description of the data and file structure BIRD_DATA Open-habitat bird
 species were surveyed along transects within control and treatment areas.
 Three surveys were undertaken per transect per year from 2017/2018 to 2022
 (excluding 2020 because of covid restrictions). The location of first
 detection of all singing individuals was recorded on high-resolution maps.
 3-ha sampling units were overlaid on the transects in QGIS and these are
 the units that were used to calculate all variables in the dataset. cells
 with 'n/a' values indicate no data were collected for that year.
 For sites with 'n/a' in 2017, this is because they were not
 established until 2018. For sites with 'n/a' in 2018, it is
 because they were surveyed first in 2017 and then not surveyed in 2018.
 For sites in 2020, 'n/a' values are because no surveys were
 conducted due to covid19 restrictions. 
 
 VEGETATION_DATA 5 m-radius circular plots were used to survey vegetation
 structural attributes in areas that were subjected to treatments -
 cutting, burning, cutting + burning, hand cutting - and control areas.
 Plots were sampled pre and up to four years post treatment. The cover of
 tree and shrub species, grass, litter, and bareground were estimated as
 well as the height of tree and shrub species. Cells with 'n/a'
 indicate no data were collected for that plot that year because of
 logistical reasons. ### Files and variables #### File:
 Rainsford_et_al_JAE_VEGETATION_DATA.csv **Description:** Vegetation
 structural attributes sampled in 5 m-radius plots. ##### Variables * time:
 year since treatment. 0 = pre treatment. * etichetta: unique plot ID *
 sup_area: plot area m^2^ * site: block location * tr: treatment *
 tr_codice: numerical code to represent treatment * D_prunus: mean diameter
 of prunus sp. * D_tree: mean diameter of trees. * H_prunus: mean height of
 prunus sp. * H_tree: mean height of tree sp. * trees_cov: mean cover of
 prunus sp. * G_basimetrica: basal area * Sprout_tree: number of sprouting
 shoot on trees. * Sprout_prunus: number of sprouting shoot on prunus. *
 Erica_stumps: cover of erica stumps * soilrock: cover of bare soil and
 rocks * cwd: coarse woody debris * grass_fern_cov: cover of grass and
 ferns * shrub_cov: cover of srubs * H_erica: mean height of living erica
 spp. * Erica_sprouts: number if sprouts from erica spp. * erica_cov: cover
 of erica spp. * grass_cov: cover of grass * fern_cov: cover of ferns *
 H_media_ginestra: mean height of broom * altro: cover of other shrub spp.
 * soil: soil cover * rocks: rock cover * ulex: ulex cover * ginestra:
 ginestra cover * Abete bianco: albes alba cover * Bianco spino: Crataegus
 monogyna cover * Carpino nero: Ostrya carpinifolia cover * Ciliegio:
 Prunus avium cover * Ginepro: *Juniperus cover* * Ligustro: *Ligustrum
 cover* * Melo selvatico: Malus sylvestris cover * Olmo: Ulmus cover *
 Orniello: *Fraxinus ornus cover* * Pero selvatico: Pyrus pyraster cover *
 Pino nero: Pinus nigra * Quercia sp.: Quercus spp. cover * Sorbo sp.:
 Sorbus aucuparia cover * Noce: Juglans regia cover * Douglasia: Douglasia
 cover * Cedro: Cedrus cover * Corniolo: Cornus mas cover * Frangula:
 Frangula alnus cover #### File: Rainsford_et_al_JAE_BIRD_DATA.csv
 **Description:**  ##### Variables * new_id: unique sampling unit ID *
 Macroarea: block with 4 levels * TreatCont: treatment or control area *
 year: survey year * TST_cat: time since treatment category * elevation:
 height above sea level * slope: mean slope * aspect: mean aspect *
 southness: mean southness index * tpi: mean topographic complexity index *
 AreaTreated_cum: cumulative area treated from 2018-2022 * AT_recent:
 extent of sampling unit treated less than one year prior * AT_1year:
 extent of sampling unit treated one year prior * AT_2year: extent of
 sampling unit treated more than one year prior * broadleaved_forest: cover
 of broadleaved forest % * conifer_forest: cover of conifer forest % *
 forest: forest cover % * grass: grassland cover % * grass_tree_shrub:
 cover of grasslands with scattered trees and shrubs % * rocks: cover of
 exposed rocks % * shrubs: cover of shrublands % * shrubs_rocks: cover of
 rocks with scattered shrubs % * shrubs_trees: cover of shrublands with
 scattered trees % * cultivated: cover of cultivated lands * Hab.Div:
 shannon's diversity index of land use types * NDVI_mean: mean ndvi *
 NDVI_median: median ndvi * NDVI_stdev: standard deviation of ndvi * Long:
 longitude * Lat: latitude * MoltonisWarbler: maximum count of singing
 individuals of moltoni's warbler * CirlBunting: maximum count of
 singing individuals of cirl bunting * Woodlark: maximum count of singing
 individuals of woodlark * CommonStonechat: maximum count of singing
 individuals of common stonechat * CommonWhitethroat: maximum count of
 singing individuals of common whitethroat * SardinianWarbler: maximum
 count of singing individuals of sardinian warbler * CommonLinnet: maximum
 count of singing individuals of common linnet * DartfordWarbler: maximum
 count of singing individuals of dartford warbler * RockBunting: maximum
 count of singing individuals of rock bunting * EurasianSkylark: maximum
 count of singing individuals of eurasian skylark * TawnyPipit: maximum
 count of singing individuals of tawny pipit * RedbackedShrike: maximum
 count of singing individuals of redbacked shrike * Transect_length: total
 transect length within the sampling unit