ECOSYSTEM SERVICES ASSOCIATED WITH TROPHIC ANALYSIS OF THE AVIFAUNA OF THE DAM LAKES IN THE MIDDLE AREA OF THE ARGEȘ VALLEY

Abstract

Ecosystem services are becoming an integral part of science and biodiversity conservation strategies, however, our knowledge is limited to only a few services and in the study area they were not yet evaluated. Birds are ecologically diverse and more beloved and well-known than other vertebrate groups. Some bird species are useful in applications such as environmental quality and are used as early warnings of environmental change and climate change assessment. The economic relevance of birds is not widely quantified and appreciated, and the economic relevance to human society of the ecological roles of birds is neglected. Our research contributes to the improvement of knowledge about birds in the area, to the quantification of some services provided by birds through the trophic analysis of avifauna. This research is useful in understanding their importance to ecosystems and the people who benefit from them, as well as in developing conservation strategies for birds and their habitats. Of the 207 bird species identified in the study area, belonging to 17 orders and 49 families, species with a zoophagous - polyphagous trophic regime and insectivorous species predominate. Thus, representatives of seven food guilds were found, with the predominance of zoophagous - polyphagous and insectivorous species, and the food guilds with the lowest number of species were the piscivorous and vegetarian dietary guilds. The majority (34 - 51 %) of insectivorous species populate the habitats of forests and riparian forests and localities (building area), while among zoophagous – polyphagous (43) and omnivores (19) species dependent on wetlands; most of the insectivorous species are summer visitors (35). Most of the bird species studied also are important from an ecological and economic point of view, providing numerous ecosystem services and play a vital role in agriculture and forestry by managing pest and rodent populations. Thus, insectivorous species (55 species) have a special role in controlling pest insects, in reducing insect populations, and nocturnal birds of prey (with a zoophagous – polyphagous and carnivore - predator trophic regime) have a role in managing rodent populations harmful to agriculture. Some bird species, omnivorous or vegetarian, pollinate or disperse the seeds of plants, and others (Sturnus vulgaris) clean the bodies of other animals (sheep, goats etc.). Corvids and some larids have a certain role on garbage ramps. Birds in the study area also have a cultural role, they are emblematic of nature, they are loved, observed, monitored (birdwatching - recreational activity), fed and used as artistic inspiration and with traditional value in the study area. On the other hand, huge flocks of anseriformes, in the winter aspect, feed on arable land, but they cause damage to farmers, ecosystem disservices, and it is necessary to grant a subsidy per land surface for feeding goose species. By determining the contributions of birds (and biodiversity in general) to humans, their value can be better understood and appreciated at the level of strategies regarding the conservation of biodiversity with special benefits for people.