We also hypothesized that the improvement of habitat quality
by the alternative practices was likely to outweigh potentially
negative density dependent effects on hatching success. The
presence or absence of prey carrying in each individual territory
was studied in the most abundant species using Generalized Linear
Mixed Models (GLMMs) with binomial error distribution. In the
Saône Valley, the
fixed factors were meadow passerine territory
density in study sites and the situation of each territory either
inside (at least partly) or outside the areas devoted to mowing
postponement; study sites and years were used as random effects.
In the Moskva Valley, the
fixed factors were mowing management
the preceding year (no mowing, mowing for only one year, for
several consecutive years) and passerine territory density in
corresponding replicates; study sites were used as a random effect.