| Projekt leader: | Prof. Prof. h. c. Dr. Ursula Siebert |
|---|---|
| Scientific work: | Med. vet. Jennifer Liebing, Dipl.-Biol. U. Voigt, Med. vet. Jan Lakemeyer |
| Project term: | September 2014 until December 2016 |
| Sponsorship: | German Hunting Association e.V. |
Project description
The topic "application of pesticides and their effects on pheasants“ will be investigated in the context of the present study. Currently no particular pesticide is suspected to be connected with the pheasant population decrease. However evidence of an increased chick mortality consolidates, which on the one hand is linked with a reduced availability of insects (main food resource of chicks) as secondary effect of the pesticide application and on the other hand with direct effects like toxicity or immunosuppression. This study mainly aims to determine to what extent data about pesticide application can be collected retrospectively as well as in clearly defined areas and if effects on the population trend can be demonstrated. In this context also random examinations of selected organs of pheasants from different age classes will be conducted, analysing them for specific pesticides. In addition the issue of the insect availability in different habitat structures is to be investigated in the context of a pilot study.
