caa a22 4500 605526559 CHVBK 20210128100803.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150601xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10531-015-0868-x doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10531-015-0868-x Assessing biodiversity integrity for the conservation of grazed and burnt grassland systems: avian field metabolic rates as a rapid assessment tool [Elektronische Daten] [Ian Little, Philip Hockey, Raymond Jansen] The South African grassland system is home to over 3,300 plant species, 15 of the country's 34 endemic mammal species, 12 of the 40 endemic bird species (four of which are globally threatened) and five RAMSAR wetland sites. To assess and address the ecological integrity of farmed grasslands we used process-oriented techniques, including nesting success and field metabolic rates (FMR) of birds, and an adaptation of the multi-taxon biodiversity intactness index (BII) using plant, arthropod and bird diversity data which is a comprehensive tool for assessing ecological integrity using multiple taxonomic groups. Current pastoral management practices have a significant detrimental effect on avian abundance, species richness, nest density and fledgling output. Overall energy turnover and BII values confirm the importance of conserved areas for birds in moist highland grassland systems and support the need for further conservation efforts in grassland systems by both private landowners and reserve managers. Findings based on both avian FMRs and the BII in this study were found to be comparable, lending support to the use of FMR as a rapid assessment technique for assessing ecosystem integrity for future studies of this nature. Scenarios of potential biodiversity improvement with changes in fire management regimes are also presented. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2015 Birds nationallicence Conservation nationallicence Fire nationallicence Nesting success nationallicence Indicator nationallicence Field metabolic rate nationallicence Little Ian Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, 7701, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa aut Hockey Philip Department of Environmental, Water and Earth Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, Private Bag X680, Pretoria, South Africa aut Jansen Raymond Department of Environmental, Water and Earth Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, Private Bag X680, Pretoria, South Africa aut Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Netherlands 24/6(2015-06-01), 1443-1471 0960-3115 24:6<1443 2015 24 10531 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-015-0868-x text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-015-0868-x text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Little Ian Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, 7701, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Hockey Philip Department of Environmental, Water and Earth Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, Private Bag X680, Pretoria, South Africa aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Jansen Raymond Department of Environmental, Water and Earth Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, Private Bag X680, Pretoria, South Africa aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Netherlands 24/6(2015-06-01), 1443-1471 0960-3115 24:6<1443 2015 24 10531