Conclusions:
Nest predators with different home-range sizes and habitat affinities responded to landscape configuration in different ways. Influence of landscape structure varied across scale.
Thresholds/Learnings:
Herbaceous cover was negatively associated with predation in roadsides whereas the proximity of woody cover was positively associated with predation rates.
Synopsis: This study evaluated the influence of habitat structure and spatial configuration on nest predation in central Iowa. In a multi-scale analysis of 10 artificial ground nests along 136 roadsides across six watersheds, researchers found that predation was affected by the surrounding landscape mosaic. Nest predators with different home-range sizes and habitat affinities responded to landscape configuration in different ways. In general wooded landscapes were associated with greater nest-predation whereas herbaceous habitats were associated with less. Wooded roadsides functioned as important travel corridors for predators, increasing their likelihood of encountering nests. Different landscape variables were important at different spatial scales. Woodlands with continuous forest cover were important at all scales while agricultural fields were important only at large scales. Roadsides were important at small scales, but wooded roadsides were important at all scales. Most landscape metrics, such as patch size and edge density, were important at large scales.