Data from: Land use type, forest cover, and forest edges modulate avian cross-habitat spillover

1.Natural habitats adjacent to agricultural areas are often considered
sources of species that provide beneficial regulating ecosystem services
through cross-habitat spillover. Both inter-habitat matrix and landscape
configuration can influence spillover by controlling organismal ability to
disperse through landscapes, and affecting the provision of additional or
supplementary resources that impact organism survival. 2.To understand how
landscape structure in terms of matrix land use type, forest cover, and
edge density might facilitate avian cross-habitat spillover, we sampled
avian communities in forest patches and adjacent land use types (coffee
plantations or cattle pastures) using a well-replicated study design
across 92 sampling sites across a landscape-context forest cover gradient
(6-60%). 3.Land use type was a key factor influencing avian cross-habitat
spillover, facilitating species movement into coffee plantations and
acting as a barrier to spillover into cattle pastures. We found that 24%
of the forest-dependent species pool was capable of spillover into coffee
plantations, while spillover was nearly non-existent in cattle pastures.
4.Forest cover was also the main driver of spillover into coffee
plantations. There was a positive relationship between forest cover and
spillover, potentially due to processes related with i) a higher density
of organisms in-patches, ii) decreased isolation among patches
facilitating species movement, and iii) higher landscape supplementation
processes. 5.Finally, we found edge density had an additive effect with
forest cover on spillover. Spillover was higher in high-forested
landscapes with many forest-matrix edges, possibly due to increased
structural connectivity for species able to move through edges, and to
improved access for forest-dwelling species to different resource types
(complementation processes). 6.Synthesis and applications. We demonstrate
that land use type is a key factor facilitating species spillover into
agricultural matrices and that the influence of land use type on spillover
is further modulated by a combination of native habitat amount and edge
density. These results should be considered in efforts to design or manage
sustainable agricultural landscapes in order to enhance both bird
persistence and the provision of bird-mediated ecosystem services.