加拿大下弗雷泽河盆地鸟类栖息地使用情况研究：对于城市规划和生态保护的意义

普通生态学原理在生物多样性规划和管理实践中有了发展,但仍需要进一步深入的研究。本研究建立了一个本地和总体的鸟类栖息地模型,用以支持作为全球生物多样性一个组分的城市地区的生物多样性。这个模型用于为相关研究推荐适合当地的栖息地类型。本研究在繁殖季节调查了三处相似的城市地点的鸟类种群和植被覆盖情况,运用地理信息系统分析数据的...     

Contextualizing avian mortality: A preliminary appraisal of bird and bat fatalities from wind,fossil-fuel,and nuclear electricity

This article explores the threats that wind farms pose to birds and bats before briefly surveying the recent literature on avian mortality and summarizing some of the problems with it. Based on operating performance in the United States and Europe, this study offers an approximate calculation for the number of birds killed per kWh generated for wind electricity, fossil-fuel, and nuclear power systems. The study estimates that wind farms and nuclear power stations are responsible each for between 0.3 and 0.4 fatalities per gigawatt-hour (GWh) of electricity while fossil-fueled power stations are responsible for about 5.2 fatalities per GWh. While this paper should be respected as a preliminary assessment, the estimate means that wind farms killed approximately seven thousand birds in the United States in 2006 but nuclear plants killed about 327,000 and fossil-fueled power plants 14.5 million. The paper concludes that further study is needed, but also that fossil-fueled power stations appear to pose a much greater threat to avian wildlife than wind and nuclear power technologies.     

Australasia

Does a notion of unfolding Modernism, enriched by a broadening of the cultural mix, stand up in contemporary Australia? Leon van Schaik cuts to the quick and questions Modernism's relevance for the antipodean itinerant condition. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A habitat model for Parus major minor using a logistic regression model for the urban area of Osaka, Japan

We developed a habitat model for Great Tits, Parus major minor, in an urban area of Osaka, Japan. Although Great Tits play an important role in the urban food web, there are few in most of Osaka and downtown Tokyo, areas that have low vegetation cover. We derived a habitat model for Great Tits using a logistic regression model with GIS. A bird survey was conducted twice in 85 urban parks using the line census method in the breeding season, May–July 2000. A GIS base map was created from aerial photographs. The following variables were measured for each park from public records and GIS for predicting the habitat: park properties (age, distance to the nearest mountains, distance to the nearest forest of more than 10 ha), the number of other habitats occupied by the tits within 500 m and 1 km and area of tree cover (within it and surrounding parks). Number of nearby habitats and distance from the nearest mountains and forest of more than 10 ha are variables related to the regional populations of the tits. Area of tree cover was measured for five radii (50, 100, 150, 200, 250 m) from park centers, and a logistic regression model was calculated for each of these radii. Variables were selected by a stepwise method. The best fitting model of the five models was selected using Akaike’s Information Criteria. In the bird survey, the tit was recorded in 12 parks. The areas of parks occupied by the tit were 0.56–136.0 ha (mean: 26.0 ha±42.06 S.D., n=12). Variables selected in the best fitting model were area of tree cover in a radius of 250 m from park center and the number of other habitats within 1 km as positive factors. This model shows that area of tree cover within a certain range and number of nearby populations are the keys to the distribution of Great Tits. From this model obtained, 6.0 ha (31%), 4.0 ha (20%), 2.6 ha (13%) and 1.8 ha (9%) of tree area are needed to achieve probability of 0.5 in a radius of 250 m when numbers of other habitats within 1 km was 0–3, respectively. A realistic target figure is 10% of tree cover throughout urban areas to create an ecologically sustainable city.     

Birds of Siberian-pine (Pinus sibirica) forests of the south-east part of Western Siberia (Tomsk Region)

Abstract

The article examines the fauna and bird population of Siberian-pine forests in Tomsk Region (the south-east part of Western Siberia) in the summer period. The article is based on data collected by the authors over many years in 12 areas of Siberian-pine forests in various forest subzones. The taxonomical structure of avifauna, the landscape and ecological structure, and species distribution are examined. A comparison has been made of species diversity and population density for birds of sub-taiga Siberian-pine forests in the southern and middle taiga. The authors have identified the leading species of birds in terms of population density in various forest subzones. A tendency towards latitudinal changes in species diversity and population density in Siberian-pine forests has been discovered. The authors have identified the species of birds whose diet includes the nuts of Siberian pines. Data on the bird species of Siberian-pine forests listed in the Red Data Book of Tomsk Region have been included.     

一种基于动态惯性权重的鸟群优化算法

鸟群算法（BSA）作为一种新型的元启发式群智能算法,存在易陷入局部最优、收敛速度慢和求解精度低等问题。针对原鸟群算法在求解最优化问题中的不足,提出一种基于动态惯性权重的鸟群优化算法(DBSA)。该算法通过引入非线性动态惯性权重修正鸟群飞行间隔,平衡种群全局搜索与局部搜索能力;在模拟鸟群生产者觅食的过程中引入莱维飞行,替换原算法中生产者的觅食策略提高算法活力和有效性。实验表明改进后的鸟群算法有效提高了算法的收敛速度和寻优精度。     

Influence of lake levels on water extent,interspersion, and marsh birds in Great Lakes coastal wetlands

Coastal wetlands in the Laurentian Great Lakes undergo frequent, sometimes dramatic, physical changes at varying spatial and temporal scales. Changes in lake levels and the juxtaposition of vegetation and open water greatly influence biota that use coastal wetlands. Several regional studies have shown that changes in vegetation and lake levels lead to predictable changes in the composition of coastal wetland bird communities. We report new findings of wetland bird community changes at a broader scale, covering the entire Great Lakes basin. Our results indicate that water extent and interspersion increased in coastal wetlands across the Great Lakes between low (2013) and high (2018) lake-level years, although variation in the magnitude of change occurred within and among lakes. Increases in water extent and interspersion resulted in a general increase in marsh-obligate and marsh-facultative bird species richness. Species like American bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), common gallinule (Gallinula galeata), American coot (Fulica americana), sora (Porzana carolina), Virginia rail (Rallus limicola), and pied-billed grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) were significantly more abundant during high water years. Lakes Huron and Michigan showed the greatest increase in water extent and interspersion among the five Great Lakes while Lake Michigan showed the greatest increase in marsh-obligate bird species richness. These results reinforce the idea that effective management, restoration, and assessment of wetlands must account for fluctuations in lake levels. Although high lake levels generally provide the most favorable conditions for wetland bird species, variation in lake levels and bird species assemblages create ecosystems that are both spatially and temporally dynamic.     

Tolerance to noise in 91 bird species from 27 urban gardens of Iberian Peninsula

Urban noise is one of the most important factors explaining the abundance of birds in urban areas. If urban planners have information on the effects of noise on diverse avian species, they can design better gardens that can be useful for the conservation of endangered species. In this sense, many studies have been realized in diverse urban areas across the world. However, information on the exact effects of noise on urban birds in SW Iberian Peninsula does not exist. In this paper, we show the first study on the effects of urban noise on 91 bird species in 27 parks in diverse cities and villages of Spain and Portugal. Our study includes from rural areas with noise levels below 40 dB, to parks inside big cities such as Madrid and Sevilla that surpass 70 dB. The range of noise conditions, studied parks and the seasonal and annual replication of this study permits extraction clears conclusions. In this sense, the ten species most affected by noise, in terms of percentage of explained variance, are: Regulus regulus with 34.62% variability associated with noise, Streptopelia turtur (24.24%), Dendrocopos minor (20.39%), Buteo buteo (15.15%), Hirundo daurica (13.15), Corvus corax (11.09%), Oriolus oriolus (10.23%), Cettia cetti (6.47%), Passer hispanoliensis (6.33%) and Sylvia melanocephala (5.82%). Our data demonstrates that many of these protected species could be attract to urban gardens if noise levels were reduced below 50 dB by using, for example, acoustic barriers.     

Distribution of generalist and specialist predators along urban gradients

The distribution of predators in urban areas is overlooked by urban planners. Due to the homogenizing power of urbanization, towns are expected to favour the settlement of generalist predators. We compared the frequency of specialist and generalist predators along an urban gradient (centre, inner periphery, outer periphery, and scarcely built areas) in towns of different size (small, medium, large). We obtained data on specialist (diurnal and nocturnal raptors, Dendrocopos major) and generalist (Larus michahellis, corvids) predators breeding in each square of the grid of 27 urban atlases. The number of species per square of specialist predators decreased in more urbanised sectors, whereas the number of generalist predators either did not change or increased in the same sectors. However, some specialist (nocturnal raptors except Athene noctua) and generalist (Garrulus glandarius, Pica pica) predators did not follow such a pattern of distribution. Town size may affect the distribution of predators. Some species (D. major, G. glandarius, P. pica) were more frequent in the more urbanised sectors in small towns. Data gathered in few towns on a limited number of predator species may not fully represent the complex response by predators to urban gradients. Urban planners should consider the distribution of predators in towns to limit risks for urban wildlife.     

Risk to breeding success of fish-eating Ardeids due to persistent organic contaminants in Hong Kong: evidence from organochlorine compounds in eggs

Eggs of two Ardeid species, the Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) and the Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), were collected from two egretries located in the New Territories of Hong Kong with one located near the internationally acclaimed wetland reserve, the Mai Po Marshes, and the other in a remote site (A Chau). The eggs were analysed for organochlorine (OC) compounds including the DDTs, PCBs, hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and the chlordanes (CHLs). All of the OCs under investigation were detected in the eggs of both species with significantly higher levels in the Little Egret (DDTs, 560-2200; PCBs, 270-1700; CHLs, 81-470 ng g(-1) wet weight) than the Night Heron (DDTs, 210-1200; PCBs, 85-600; CHLs 59-75 ng g(-1) wet weight). The DDTs consisted mainly of DDE with levels ranging from 85% to 95% of the total. The HCHs were at about the same levels in both species (8.4-30 ng g(-1) wet weight). All of the OCs had linear concentration probability distributions on a log-normal basis which were used to evaluate exposure associated with these compounds as part of a probabilistic risk analysis. A linear dose/response relationship for the percentage reduction in the survival of young associated with DDE in eggs was developed. This probabilistic relationship was used to establish the threshold level (1000 ng g(-1) wet weight) at which there was a significant level of reduction in the survival of young above zero and the variability in DDE concentrations at this effect level. Using a threshold level of 1000 ng g(-1), the calculated Risk Quotient (RQ) had a 12.4% probability of RQ exceeding unity with the Night Heron, and 40.9% with the Little Egret. These results indicate that the DDTs in eggs would be expected to be associated with adverse effects on the survival of young of both species, particularly the Little Egret.