Poa annuaseed predation cards for summer measurements in Belgian winter cereals v1

The protocol empirically quantifies the short-term predation rate of Poa annua seeds by granivores in a one-hectare winter cereal plot. Seed predation cards - rigid supports with glued seeds - are placed directly on the soil surface for one week in late June or early July. After retrieval, the number of seeds missing from each card, assumed to have been consumed by seed predators, is used to calculate a seed predation rate. The protocol is adapted from the weed seed predation card method developed in the French CASIMIR project, which aimed to simplify the assessment of biotic pressures and biological regulation in agroecosystems (Cellier et al., 2017). It also draws on the comparative study of weed seed predation methodologies by Saska et al. (2014). In addition to these references, the protocol was specifically designed to avoid risks associated with non-decomposable waste or harm to livestock: all materials are free of plastic or metal components.