Wind turbines acting as ‘apex predators’ by driving down bird numbers, study finds

Wind turbines can act as top predators in ecosystems by driving down populations of birds and triggering knock-on effects across food chains, according to a new study. Scientists found that predatory raptor birds were four times rarer in parts of an Indian mountain range covered in wind turbines, suggesting they were avoiding the structures. The same areas saw an explosion in numbers the raptors’ prey, fan-throated lizards, which also became more confident and less scared of humans due to the lack of predation.

“We have basically added a new apex predator – a wind turbine,” Dr Maria Thaker from the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru told The Independent.“What that predator does is remove the level below it – not kill it, but the outcome is the same.”

These cascading effects on ecosystems suggest that care should be taken to ensure that wind turbines do not have dangerous and far-reaching consequences for nature.

For More: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/wind-power-turbines-birds-predators-renewable-energy-lizards-rspb-a8619236.html

Posted by admin on Nov 7 2018. Filed under Renewable energy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry