首页 | 本学科首页   官方微博 | 高级检索  
相似文献
 共查询到20条相似文献，搜索用时 31 毫秒
1.
Invasive alien species cause considerable economic and environmental damage. Nevertheless which species should be targeted first and exact control strategies are controversial matters. As no categorization of the impact of alien bird species is available so far, we adopted an impact scoring system for mammals to birds and scored the impact of the alien birds established in Europe. We investigated 26 established alien birds in Europe and compiled all known impact data for these species. The species with highest environmental impact were the Canada goose (Branta canadensis), sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) and ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis). The most severe impact on economy was exerted again by the Canada goose. Also the ring-necked parakeet (Psittacula krameri) and monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) had high impact in this category. Combining these potential impact data with the current distribution generates a list of alien birds with highest actual impact. These two values can be used to prioritise preventive and control measures. In comparison to birds, mammals in general have higher potential and actual impact in Europe, but some bird species reach impact values as high as some of the worst mammal species. Still, these bird species - in contrast to mammals with high impact - are hardly targeted by control programmes. This study shows that there is no scientific reason for this. With the here presented scoring system we offer a decision tool to practitioners which supports them in finding an appropriate reaction to invasive birds.  相似文献   

2.
The Solent, a large estuarine system on the central south coast of England, is an important wintering ground for the dark-bellied brent goose Branta bernicla bernicla: peak winter counts there rose from 300 in 1951–1952 to 23 000 in 1979–1980. Until 1973–1974 the geese remained in the intertidal zone, where they fed on eelgrass Zostera and green algae Enteromorpha and Ulva lactuca. The increase in goose number coincided with the spread of these plants in parts of the Solent. The spread of algae has been linked with increased discharges of sewage. However, only part of the annual production of Zostera and algae is available to geese because of autumn and winter die-back, storm damage and other factors.From 1973 to 1974 geese fed on permanent pasture, playing fields and autumnsown cereals, the last being especially important in 1978–1979 and 1979–1980. The evidence suggests that in some estuaries terrestrial feeding is increasingly attractive even though the intertidal zone could still sustain most of the goose-days spent in the area. The habit appears to be stimulated by large numbers of first winter birds in the population.The geese have evoked great public interest and generated concern for estuarine conservation. However, terrestrial feeding conflicts with farming. Nature conservation organisations have encouraged a policy of scaring from valuable crops by proven methods, whilst seeking to provide alternative terrestrial refuges.  相似文献   

3.
  相似文献   

4.
As most species of geese have increased their numbers in the past 15 years, additional refuges are not needed at present to conserve goose stocks. During this period there have been increasingly frequent claims of agricultural damage and various methods are used and proposed for alleviating the conflict between farmers and geese. Most traditional methods are relatively ineffective in the long term or are prohibitively expensive. It is suggested that the creation of a network of refuges to accommodate geese potentially in conflict with agriculture is the best long-term solution.Examination of existing refuges shows that good management can result in doubling of the ‘carrying capacity’ of pasture, and that the birds can be successfully lured from surrounding farmland. It is calculated that about 7500 ha of well managed refuge would be required to accommodate the 140,000 geese which cause agricultural problems, over the critical period.  相似文献   

5.
Declines in the natural populations of several bumblebee species across Britain and Europe are an increasing cause for concern. In this study the habitat use of bumblebees was investigated on Salisbury Plain Training Area, the largest remaining area of unimproved chalk grassland in north-west Europe. Habitat characteristics influencing the overall abundance, species richness and foraging activity of bumblebees included the diversity and abundance of flowering plant species (particularly of favoured forage plants such as Trifolium pratense), vegetation structure and height. It is suggested that different Bombus species respond to these habitat characteristics depending on their specific foraging and nesting requirements, the case of Bombus humilis being especially relevant. The effects of several grassland management practices were considered in terms of their suitability for the conservation of bumblebee habitats. Cattle grazing was shown to be preferable to both sheep grazing and the absence of any management, although the timing and intensity of such grazing was important. Small-scale disturbances caused by vehicle activity were also of value in producing locally abundant forage resources in less intensively managed grasslands.  相似文献   

6.
This paper applies the cost-benefit analysis framework to the issue of wild geese conservation in Scotland. Wild goose numbers have risen rapidly over the past 30 years, bringing nature conservationists into conflict with farmers whose crops are damaged. We estimate the costs of damage due to goose grazing to farmers in two goose areas, Strathbeg and Islay. Conservation benefits are estimated using a contingent valuation survey of the Scottish population, and we find that benefits outweigh costs by a very considerable margin. This can be seen as providing support for recent UK government moves to compensate farmers in goose areas in order to further conservation.  相似文献   

7.
To preserve populations of endangered bee species, sound knowledge of their maximum foraging distance between nest and host plants is crucial. Previous investigations predicted maximum foraging distances of 100-200 m for small bee species and up to 1100 m for very large species based on mainly indirect methods. The present study applied a new and direct approach to experimentally investigate maximum foraging distances in solitary bees. One endangered and two common species of different body sizes, all of which restrict pollen foraging to a single plant genus, were established in a landscape lacking their specific host plants. Females were forced to collect pollen on potted host plants that were successively placed in increasing distance from fixed nesting stands. The maximum foraging distance recorded for the small Hylaeus punctulatissimus was 1100 m, for the medium sized Chelostoma rapunculi 1275 m and for the large Hoplitis adunca 1400 m, indicating that maximum foraging distances at species level have been underestimated. However, the capability to use resources on such a large spatial scale applied only to a small percentage of individuals as 50% of the females of H. punctulatissimus and H. adunca did not forage at distances longer than 100-225 m and 300 m, respectively. This finding suggests that a close neighbourhood of nesting and foraging habitat within few hundred meters is crucial to maintain populations of these species, and that threshold distances at which half of the population discontinues foraging are a more meaningful parameter for conservation practice than the species specific maximum foraging distances.  相似文献   

8.
基于鹅舍气流场CFD模拟的通风系统结构优化与验证   总被引：4，自引：4，他引：0  
针对鹅舍内机械通风时大量气流扩散于鹅舍上方而位于地面鹅只通风效果受阻的气流问题,提出一种基于计算流体力学(computational fluid dynamics,CFD)的结构优化方案。通过在舍内主梁下端安装相同高度且与气流方向呈一定倾角的多个可拉伸卷膜构造方法,提高种鹅舍内有效的通风效率。依据试验现场边界条件,构建并求解了鹅舍的三维稳态模型,舍内40个测点的风速模拟值与实测值均方根误差为0.152 m/s,最大绝对误差为0.29 m/s,平均相对误差为2.04%,验证了建立的鹅舍CFD模型的准确性。根据不同优化方案数值模拟了27组不同改造后鹅舍内气流场分布情况,仿真得出最优组合方案:在42 m长的舍内安装卷膜个数为10个,卷膜与主梁竖直方向倾斜角度为60o以及卷膜最大下拉高度为1.2 m时舍内通风效率最高、气流分布最均匀。通过现场实测,对比改造前后40个测点的风速值,试验结果表明:改造后鹅舍较常规鹅舍平均风速增加0.527 m/s,舍内气流不均匀系数降低32.2%。该试验结果为种鹅舍的结构设计、同类型畜禽舍结构优化以及改善通风降温效果调控提供了一定的参考依据。  相似文献   

9.
Designing conservation strategies that protect wide-ranging marine species is a significant challenge, but integrating regional telemetry datasets and synthesizing modeled movements and behavior offer promise for uncovering distinct at-sea areas that are important habitats for imperiled marine species. Movement paths of 10 satellite-tracked female loggerheads (Caretta caretta) from three separate subpopulations in the Gulf of Mexico, USA, revealed migration to discrete foraging sites in two common areas at-sea in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Foraging sites were 102–904 km away from nesting and tagging sites, and located off southwest Florida and the northern Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Within 3–35 days, turtles migrated to foraging sites where they all displayed high site fidelity over time. Core-use foraging areas were 13.0–335.2 km2 in size, in water <50 m deep, within a mean distance to nearest coastline of 58.5 km, and in areas of relatively high net primary productivity. The existence of shared regional foraging sites highlights an opportunity for marine conservation strategies to protect important at-sea habitats for these imperiled marine turtles, in both USA and international waters. Until now, knowledge of important at-sea foraging areas for adult loggerheads in the Gulf of Mexico has been limited. To better understand the spatial distribution of marine turtles that have complex life-histories, we propose further integration of disparate tracking data-sets at the oceanic scale along with modeling of movements to identify critical at-sea foraging habitats where individuals may be resident during non-nesting periods.  相似文献   

10.
Estimating historic distributions of species is a critical step in evaluating current levels of habitat loss, evaluating sites for potential restoration and reintroductions, and for conservation planning at a landscape scale. However historic distributions can be difficult to estimate objectively because substantial habitat changes may have occurred prior to comprehensive surveys. As a means to address this question, we evaluated a novel approach by creating spatial niche models for two species of psammophilic lizards. Using a partitioned Mahalanobis D2 analysis and abiotic variables that were independent of anthropogenic change, we created niche models for the federally threatened Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard (Uma inornata) and for the flat-tailed horned lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii). The niche models estimated that within the Coachella Valley there were originally 32,164 ha of potential habitat for the fringe-toed lizard and 33,502 ha of potential habitat for the horned lizard. After screening these estimates of historic habitat for current conditions that would render that potential habitat unsuitable, we calculated a 91-95% loss of potential habitat for the fringe-toed lizard and an 83-92% loss for the horned lizard. Unlike the fringe-toed lizard, the horned lizard also occurs outside the Coachella Valley. Conducting a similar analysis throughout its range would provide an objective estimate of the total habitat loss experienced by this species. This information could be used to address whether granting it federal or state protection is warranted. For species whose distributions can be modeled with abiotic variables such as soils, elevation, topography, and climate, this approach may have broad applications for resolving questions regarding their current levels of habitat loss and regional conservation planning.  相似文献   

11.
The use of flowers by the apollo butterfly at several sites along the Sierra de Guadarrama (central Spain) is documented. The Apollo butterfly uses a narrow range of flowers as nectar sources. Males feed more frequently on Armeria arenaria, Jasione montana and Carduus carpetanus. Females feed on the same species as males, but incorporate other species in their diet (Jurinea humilis, Thymus bracteata and Anthyllis lotoides). These observations also indicate that Parnassius apollo generally direct their foraging activities towards a limited number of the available plants but that the plants used can differ slightly between sites and change within sites through time. These data on resources for the adult butterflies should serve for the management of the species in future conservation programmes.  相似文献   

12.
The location of roosts of two species of vespertilionid bats, the lesser long-eared bat (Nyctophilus geoffroyi) and Gould’s wattled bat (Chalinolobus gouldii), was investigated in a remnant vegetation-farmland mosaic and adjacent floodplain forest in south-eastern Australia. A total of 45 individuals of N. geoffroyi and 27 C. gouldii were fitted with radio transmitters, which resulted in the location of 139 and 89 roosts respectively. Selection of roosting habitat showed both inter- and intra-specific differences. At the landscape level, locations of roosts used by male and female N. geoffroyi differed markedly. Most males roosted in the farmland mosaic within 3 km (mean 1.9±2.9 km) of where they were captured while foraging in remnant vegetation. In contrast, roost sites of females were predominantly in the floodplain forest, 6-12 km from their capture site in farmland (mean for all females, 6.7±2.9 km). All maternity roosts were in the extensive floodplain forest, 4-10 km from foraging areas. Distances moved by this species were greater than previously recorded and further than predicted by flight morphology. Most C. gouldii roosted in the floodplain forest, 4-10 km from their capture site (6.9±1.6 km). Within the floodplain forest, both species roosted in areas that had higher densities of hollow-bearing trees than generally available; dead hollow-bearing trees for N. geoffroyi and large, live trees for C. gouldii. The scale of movements undertaken by these species means that they can obtain resources from multiple landscape elements. Both species used different habitats for roosting and foraging despite the energetic costs of commuting relatively large distances. Conservation of bat populations in rural environments needs to be considered at the landscape scale, with particular attention to identifying landscape elements that provide key resources.  相似文献   

13.
The numbers and pattern of distribution of dark-bellied brent geese Branta b. bernicla feeding inland around Chichester and Pagham Harbours, West Sussex in winter 1979/80 are described.A maximum of 11,000 birds fed inland. Taking the winter as a whole, 70% fed within 200 m of the coast. 68% of inland-feeding birds occurred on grass. This was partly influenced by deliberate scaring of the geese from cereals. 14% of the available area of grass around Chichester was used by geese but only 6% was heavily grazed. Of the area of cereals, 13% was used with 4% heavily grazed.Unless disturbed, the brent geese usually remained inland for most of the day, regardless of the state of the tide, returning to roost overnight on intertidal areas. The more uniformly distributed food supply in fields enabled the geese to feed in larger, more compact flocks than they could do on the estuary.The provision of grassland refuges is suggested as a means of alleviating conflict with agriculture. For Chichester Harbour up to five refuge areas may be required where the geese can feed undisturbed. Each refuge should not only provide the food requirements of the geese but be large enough to provide a buffer against human disturbance on surrounding land. The total refuge area should probably be not less than about 400 ha, on which many of the normal farming practices can continue. Refuges should be situated adjacent to the coast and the grass sward needs to be closely grazed by livestock or mown in the summer to provide a suitable short sward for the wintering geese.  相似文献   

14.
We examined the occurrence of Dactylorhiza majalis, the most abundant terrestrial orchid species growing in rapidly disappearing wet meadows, at 50 historical sites for 3 years. We aimed to find the most frequent reasons for its recent extinction at many sites. We found that the main reasons for its extinction were absence of mowing, intensive fertilisation and washouts of fertilisers from fields nearby. At extant sites, we studied its biometric characteristics and composition of surrounding vegetation, to determine factors affecting its persistence. Bad performance of persisting populations of this species was associated with prevalence of grasses, low May temperatures and absence of mowing. This confirms, at metapopulation level, what has previously been observed at the level of individual populations. We suggest that the system of agricultural subsidies in the country should change towards more sensitive allocation of funds to those farmers, who will adopt the appropriate management of wet meadows and their surroundings.  相似文献   

15.
Populations of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris) are only slowly recovering in Central Europe after a severe decline in the last centuries and require specific conservation plans in many areas. However, detailed information on wildcat occurrence and habitat requirements is still scarce and controversial. We present a fine-scale habitat selection model for wildcats based on detailed species and land use information and evaluate its accuracy to predict habitat distribution in new areas. We analysed habitat use within home ranges using single locations of 12 radio-tracked individuals from south western Germany. Several competing models were fitted and compared using generalised linear mixed models (GLMM) and information-theoretic approaches. Radio-tracking data of 9 and 10 wildcats from two distant areas were used to evaluate the models. The selected model predicted habitat associated to close distance to forest, watercourses and meadows and a critical distance to villages, single houses and roads. To predict area suitable for home ranges we superimposed rules derived from home range attributes at a higher level of selection. Predictions from the combination of the fine-scale habitat model and home range rules matched well with more than 2000 wildcat observations of south-western Germany. We discuss the application of the model in wildcat conservation for finding potential reintroduction sites, identifying small isolated populations and aiding in the evaluation of the needs of mitigation and compensation within the scope of the European Habitats Directive.  相似文献   

16.
The Chinese alligator, Alligator sinensis, is on the verge of becoming extinct in the wild as a result of loss of natural wetlands in the lower Changjiang valley. Chinese alligators are only known from a small region in southeastern Anhui province, a fraction of its former distribution. Within this area, a 433 km2 reserve has been declared that contains 13 designated habitat sites totaling 41 ha. The sites consist of small ponds located within or adjacent to villages, are completely surrounded by rice fields, or are biologically marginal oligotrophic ponds set in low hills. Alligators are only present at 10 of the 13 designated sites, with the largest groups containing a maximum of 10-11 animals and one adult female. In recent years nesting is known from only four areas, but the eggs are routinely collected and hatchlings retained in the Anhui alligator breeding center. The total population of wild Chinese alligators is probably <130 and is declining at an annual rate of 4-6%. If present trends continue, the Chinese alligator will be the first species of crocodilian to become extinct in the wild in historical times. Conservation efforts need to focus on protection of remaining wetlands and wetland restoration, and the inclusion of Chinese alligators in the active management of protected wetlands sites throughout the species' historic distribution.  相似文献   

17.
Those sites designated under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat constitute the most important wetland conservation network at a global level, with more than 1000 sites of international importance. With only seven designated sites, waterfowl and wetlands in Mexico are evidently under-represented in the list. We identify 34 currently undesignated sites in Mexico that qualify as wetlands of international importance, based on waterfowl count data from 1991-1997, using the Ramsar Convention criteria based on waterfowl. Using a complementarity approach implemented by linear integer programming, the sites were prioritised into two categories on the basis of their importance for designation. Twelve sites were categorised as Priority 1 (higher), and 22 sites as Priority 2 (lower). The Priority 1 set has held a waterfowl count average of 1.2 million individuals, and between 1% (ruddy duck, Oxyura j. jamaicensis) and 51% (black brant, Branta bernicla nigricans) of the populations of 10 species of waterfowl, and includes sites from eight biogeographic regions.  相似文献   

18.
Within species habitat use may depend on age, season or sex of an individual. The distribution of males and females may vary both temporally and spatially due to differences in the costs of reproduction and the distribution of critical resources. Conservation of a species requires knowledge of the habitat use of both sexes in order to predict the population size and protect all habitats that a species requires. Adult dragonfly populations often have highly male-biased sex ratios at the breeding habitat. This bias has been attributed to females using alternative habitats to avoid male harassment, or to high female mortality. We monitored adult Hine’s emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana Williamson) populations, in breeding and non-breeding habitats in Door County, Wisconsin and found significant differences in habitat use between males and females. Males primarily used wetland habitats, while females primarily used dry meadows and marginal breeding habitats, only coming into wetlands to lay-eggs or find mates. We assessed food resources in the different habitats and found that high quality insect prey (primarily adult Diptera) were more available in the wetland habitat, indicating that these areas were likely a more productive foraging area for adult dragonflies. The fact that females appear to avoid the wetland habitat is consistent with the hypothesis that male harassment alters female distribution patterns. Consideration of the patterns of habitat use by S. hineana indicates the need to develop a broader understanding of the importance of non-wetland areas in the conservation of wetland species.  相似文献   

19.
Many animals create disturbances on the soil surface while constructing habitat and resting sites, or foraging for food. This soil disturbance, which is sometimes known as biopedturbation, is a major contributor to landscape patchiness in arid and semi-arid environments. In the semi-arid woodlands of eastern Australia, the Short-Beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) creates a mosaic of foraging pits close to the canopies of large trees. The effects of pits on physical, chemical and biological properties of soils were compared at seven sites, each with two levels of disturbance (foraging pit vs. surface) and two canopy locations (under the canopy, in the open) associated with two tree species (Eucalyptus intertexta, Alectryon oleifolius). Foraging pits trapped twice the mass of litter compared with adjacent non-pit surfaces, and there was more litter under the tree canopies than in the open. Pits contained more bark and leaf material, and larger pits tended to trap more litter. Soil electrical conductivity levels were lower in the pits, and although there were greater concentrations of soil nutrients under the canopy, the concentrations of total carbon, nitrogen and sulphur were lower in the pits compared with the surface. Changes in litter mass did not explain differences in soil carbon, nitrogen or phosphorus. Soil in the pit was moister and more porous, and surface temperatures below the litter in the pits about 2 °C lower than at the surface. Respiration was about 30% greater in the pits, and both the early (sorptivity) and late (steady-state infiltration) stages of infiltration were significantly greater in the pits. Soil micro-arthropods were more abundant in the pits, which supported a different complement of taxa, but a similar diversity, to non-pit surfaces. Our results indicate that echidna foraging pits act as substantial resource traps. Given their extensive distribution in semi-arid woodlands, and their marked influence on soil biogeochemistry, echidnas should be seen as important ecosystem engineers in woodland critical for the maintenance of small-scale patchiness and, therefore, the efficient functioning of arid and semi-arid ecosystems.  相似文献   

20.
Twenty-one years of carefully documented barn owl (Tyto alba) study and release in England by the South Midlands Barn Owl Conservation Group (SMBOCG) have necessitated a re-examination of some of the premises on which such release schemes are judged. Fifteen years after the first releases, the number of independently breeding owls (i.e. breeding ‘wild’ or ‘as though wild’) in a 1200 km2 study area is still increasing sharply and now far exceeds the number released in any one year, with the rate of increase outstripping the cumulative number of release events. Ringing returns indicate that fledged young dispersed further than adults, and that released adults which immediately deserted their release sites were less likely to survive their first 30 days than those staying in the vicinity of their release, where they could take advantage of supplementary feeding. Artificial feeding at release sites led to pellets containing lower liveweight equivalent of wild-caught prey but higher numbers of fledged young. Otherwise, and importantly, no significant difference in survival, mortality, dispersal, foraging success or breeding success was found between wild/independent owls and various categories of released bird. Availability of field vole habitat was not as important for barn owl breeding success as was found in previous studies, with owls able to replace this species in their diet with the less habitat-specific wood mouse. Evidence is provided that starvation was not as important a cause of mortality as has been proved elsewhere. Although barn owl nests often occurred in extreme close proximity, breeding density had no effect on either foraging or breeding success. The possible genetic consequences of barn owl release in Britain are briefly discussed. Very few barn owl release schemes have attempted to prove that their work is worthwhile, so long-term, well-documented studies such as that presented here are vital in establishing some of the principles involved in releasing barn owls into the wild.  相似文献   

设为首页 | 免责声明 | 关于勤云 | 加入收藏

Copyright©北京勤云科技发展有限公司  京ICP备09084417号