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1.
Urbanization changes bird community structure during the breeding season but little is known about its effects on migrating birds. We examined patterns of habitat use by birds at the local and landscape level during 2002 spring migration at 71 riparian plots along an urban gradient in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Using linear regression, we examined variation in relative density, species richness, and evenness of four migratory guilds associated with natural land covers and building area at four scales (50, 100, 250, 500 m radial buffers). We also examined the influence of local vegetation using multiple regression models. As building area increased, riparian forests tended to be narrower and have fewer native trees and shrubs. In general, native birds were positively associated with tree cover (within 250-500 m of stream) and native vegetation, and negatively with building area (within 250 m); exotic species responded inversely to these measures. Short-distance migrants and permanent residents displayed the weakest responses to landscape and vegetation measures. Neotropical migrants responded strongest to landscape and vegetation measures and were positively correlated with areas of wide riparian forests and less development (>250 m). Resident Neotropical migrants increased with wider riparian forests (>500 m) without buildings, while en-route migrants utilized areas having a wide buffer of tree cover (250-500 m) regardless of buildings; both were positively associated with native vegetation composition and mature trees. Consequently, developed areas incorporating high native tree cover are important for conserving Neotropical migrants during stopover.  相似文献   

2.
Because forest width is thought to be the most relevant metric to ecological communities, it has persisted as the dominant paradigm and focus of management recommendations for riparian forest conservation. Consequently, managers may overlook important effects of the surrounding landscape matrix. We determined if characteristics of the landscape matrix, particularly the amount of urban development surrounding a forest, were better predictors of bird communities than forest width. We sampled breeding-bird communities 3 times each June 2001-2004 in 33 riparian forest sites (69-565 m wide) in Ohio, USA. We examined if bird community structure and composition were more closely associated with forest width or the amount of urban development within 1 km of each forest using canonical correlation analysis. Results indicate that the landscape matrix surrounding these relatively large forest tracts explained >94% of the variation in bird communities compared to <6% explained by forest width. Numbers of Neotropical migrants were negatively associated with urbanization in the landscapes (r = −0.43), whereas residents (r = 0.57) and short-distance migrants (r = 0.41) were positively associated with urbanization. Similar patterns persisted at the individual species level, particularly for Neotropical migrants as 76% of species in this guild were negatively related to urban development. Our findings suggest that the traditional approach to conserving riparian forests is not sufficient and that explicit consideration of the surrounding landscape matrix also should be a key component in conservation efforts.  相似文献   

3.
Although previous studies have demonstrated high use of shade coffee plantations by Neotropical migratory birds, we still have a poor understanding of the suitability of shade coffee plantations as habitat on the wintering grounds. We studied density, body condition, and survivorship of Neotropical migrants, with emphasis on cerulean warbler (Dendroica cerulea), in primary forest and shade coffee plantations in Venezuela. We worked in three primary forest sites and three shade coffee plantations on the western slope of the Cordillera de Mérida of the Andes Mountains. At each site, we surveyed migrants with distance-based line transects and mist-netted and banded migrants during November–February 2005/06 and 2006/07. In addition, we estimated apparent monthly survival for cerulean warbler based on 29 color-banded individuals. Densities of migrants were 3–14× higher in shade coffee plantations than primary forest sites, even after accounting for differences in detectability. Apparent monthly survival of cerulean warblers was estimated at 97% and overwinter persistence was similarly high. In addition, cerulean warblers demonstrated high between-season fidelity, with 65% of the birds banded the first year being resighted during the second year. Interestingly, immature birds returned at nearly half the rate as did adults. Banding data indicated that body condition increased significantly as the season progressed for cerulean warblers, Tennessee warblers (Vermivora peregrina), and American redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla). Collectively, these data provide evidence that shade coffee plantations offer high quality wintering habitat for Neotropical migrants, including cerulean warblers.  相似文献   

4.
广西沿海红树林区的水鸟   总被引:12,自引:0,他引:12  
广西沿海地区位于一条重要的候鸟迁徙通道上,那里的红树林区给为数众多的水鸟提供了繁殖、越冬和迁徙中途歇息的场所。在红树林区记录到115种水鸟。这些鸟类中,102种是候鸟,包括13种夏候鸟、64种冬候鸟、25种旅鸟,因此红树林区水鸟类的多样性表现出明显的季节性。迁徙季节水鸟的种类和数量都最多,繁殖季节则最少。黑脸瑟鹭(Platalea minor)是世界上最濒危的鸟类之一,一个越冬种群在该地区红树林中被发现。  相似文献   

5.
Introduced pests threaten many species and their control is generally beneficial for conservation, particularly on islands where complete eradication is possible. Unfortunately on ‘nearshore’ islands neighbouring source populations exist and unaided reinvasion is likely. Pest control programmes at these sites thus require a metapopulation context to adequately manage movements between source and sink populations. We investigated the ecology of introduced ship rats (Rattus rattus) on a nearshore island, and gene flow with adjacent mainland populations, in order to understand the metapopulation dynamics and relative levels of pest control required within the landscape. We sampled the entire population by trapping (n = 30), achieving eradication, and found a low rat density (3.2 ha−1) indicative of a sink population. Seed and other plant material constituted the major dietary component of rats. Despite its proximity to mainland source populations, the island population was genetically distinct with reduced allelic diversity caused by a recent reinvasion founder effect. Genetic analyses also detected recent migrants between the populations. In contrast, two mainland populations separated by a similar distance displayed complete genetic mixing. The small water gap therefore provides a sufficient barrier to lower the migration rate to the island and delay reinvasion, which nonetheless eventually happens. In order to maintain nearshore islands pest-free, conservation management will require a metapopulation approach simultaneously focusing on both island and source population pest control.  相似文献   

6.
The interdigitation of the Nearartic and Neotropical biogeographic zones in the Transvolcanic Belt (TVB) of central Mexico provides the region with high faunal richness and endemicity. Biodiversity conservation in the TVB must accommodate the region’s human population of more than 40 million. The current study presents conservation plans for the TVB intended to protect 99 non-volant mammal species while minimizing the impact on the human population. A rarity-complementarity algorithm was used to select a conservation area network (CAN) from sites with untransformed vegetation to represent 10% of each species’ habitat. In addition, a new method was developed for augmenting the connectivity of CANs using graph theory. External sites were assigned quality scores based on the frequency with which they were selected at different targets of representation for species. Graph algorithms identified the highest-quality sites needed to link all conservation areas in an economical manner. These connectivity areas can facilitate migration or egress of biota in the event of local environmental stress. The network initialized with existing protected areas occupied 9.13% of the TVB, whereas the network built from scratch occupied 6.02%. In both cases, an additional area of only about 1.5% of the region was required to link all conservation areas in the network. Finally, a multiple criterion synchronization technique was used to select those connected networks which minimized both total area and human population impact.  相似文献   

7.
As concerns for losses of migratory species heighten globally, scientists are being challenged to characterize diversity in the migratory behaviors to support scientifically defensible conservation programs. Anecdotal observations of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) inhabiting Lake Superior and its tributaries suggest the occurrence of two forms: a large lake form hypothesized to originate in streams and reside in Lake Superior for significant parts of the year and a small stream form hypothesized to be stream resident. Declines in the lake form are a conservation concern and understanding of the variation in migratory behavior is needed to assist conservation efforts. We used analyses of vertebrae and otoliths to test whether the growth histories of lake and stream caught fish differed as expected for adult and juvenile stages from a migratory population (migration), individuals differing in the age of outmigration to the lake (staggered migration), or a combination of residents and migrants (partial migration). Lake caught fish grew faster and lived longer than stream caught fish and differences in length-at-age were apparent by the end of the first year of life. There was no evidence of individuals abruptly changing growth history in a way that would suggest habitat switches later in life. Growth histories of lake and stream caught brook trout were also similar to those of migrants and residents from other brook trout populations or sub-populations. Our findings support the hypothesis of partial migration as an explanation for the diversity observed in Lake Superior brook trout and demonstrate how analyses of growth histories can help clarify migratory systems in species whose movements are challenging to track.  相似文献   

8.
The paper illustrates how the unprecedented changes in the use and management of land in Britain over the last 150 years have been perceived, recorded and explained. It examines their bearing on the development of nature conservation and vegetation studies more generally. Alarmed at the declining status of many species in the late 19th century, naturalists tried to promote a conscious programme of wild-plant protection. Little came of their efforts, partly on account of the distractions caused by a concurrent shift of emphasis from studies of individual species to those of plant associations, as represented by the rise of ecology. It took time for ecologists to appreciate fully the extent to which human activity had influenced both the incidence and character of these associations, and the role which ecologists might play in conserving the more interesting examples of wildlife for posterity.  相似文献   

9.
Many snake species are declining globally, yet data unavailability in temperate grasslands hinders snake conservation in one of the world’s most endangered biomes. To encourage and inform the conservation of snakes in these regions, I examined snake species diversity and abundance during 2 years of a mark-recapture study at 22 sites located in six American tallgrass prairie preserves in northern Illinois, USA. I emphasized landscape-scale relationships after accounting for covariance with environmental factors at both finer (microhabitat) and broader (regional) scales. A total of 120 snakes representing seven species was captured using drift fence arrays associated with funnel traps and sheet metal cover. The low numbers and diversity of snakes captured, when compared to historic evidence, indicate that since the 1930s Midwestern snake populations have declined. Non-metric multidimensional scaling and Mantel tests demonstrate that differences in snake species composition in remnant and degraded prairies are discernable along gradients of urban and agricultural land cover. However, different patterns of abundance for individual snake species indicate that the relative importance of specific landscape factors differ among species, which has significant conservation implications. Here, I recommend that conservationists use a species-specific approach to manage snake populations. I also stress the need for thorough inventory of snake populations and studies of snake-habitat relationships to advance our understanding of snake ecology and conservation within the little studied temperate grassland habitats of South America and eastern Eurasia.  相似文献   

10.
Population declines are now evident across many taxa, but within each assemblage there is often considerable variation in constituent population trends. We used bird population trends produced from the BTO/JNCC Common Birds Census (CBC) and the RSPB/BTO/JNCC Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), to test five main hypotheses to explain population changes of 59 breeding species in England (1967-2006): (1) breeding habitat, (2) predation risk to nest sites, (3) species climatic niche, (4) migration strategy, and (5) over-wintering bioclimatic zones of migrants, accounting for additional demographic and ecological traits. In absence of phylogenetic inter-relatedness, farmland species declined more than woodland species, most pronounced prior to 1986, probably reflecting agricultural intensification (1). We found limited support that ground nesters have declined more than above-ground or cavity nesters (2), and there was some indication that species with more northerly European distributions showed larger declines than more southerly-distributed species (3). Larger population declines were recorded for Afro-tropical migrants than species wintering in Europe or in the UK, most notable prior to 1986 (4). However, declines were not uniform across all migrants (5) - species over-wintering in the arid savannah bioclimatic zone of Africa decreased in population between 1967 and 1976, whereas species wintering in humid West African forest and savannah declined more after 1987. These results suggest both breeding and over-wintering factors influenced population trends. European countries signed to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals are required to protect and conserve populations of migrants. Understanding connectivity between breeding and over-wintering populations, and similar environmental pressures experienced within over-wintering areas may be a useful step towards mitigating against further declines in migrants.  相似文献   

11.
 The vertical distribution of native earthworm species from natural and disturbed savannas in the Oxisols of the Colombian Llanos was assessed in a native savanna and in a 17-year-old grazed grass-legume pasture during a period of 17 months. Different patterns of vertical stratification were observed for all species with a strong migration of populations to deeper layers in the dry season. The correlation between the size of the earthworms and the average depth at which they were found was not significant (P>0.05), despite the fact that bigger species are located deeper in the soil. The living habits and adaptive strategies of the smallest species, Ocnerodrilidae n. sp., found in both ecosystems studied are responsible for this pattern. This endogeic species is associated with organic pools generated by an anecic species and further studies should assess the role of this species in ecosystem functioning. Mature worms of one anecic species were located deeper than immature ones in the soil (P<0.01). Soil moisture had an important effect on the vertical distribution of earthworms, although differences between immature and mature worms of the anecic Martiodrilus carimaguensis are likely to be of biotic origin. New data on the biology and ecology of these Neotropical species are shown. Received: 24 November 1999  相似文献   

12.
Habitat fragmentation causes drastic changes in the biota and it is crucial to understand these modifications to mitigate its consequences. While studies on Neotropical bats have mainly targeted phyllostomid bats, impacts of fragmentation on the equally important aerial insectivores remain largely unexplored. We studied species richness, composition, count abundance and feeding activity of aerial insectivorous bats in a system of land-bridge islands in Panama with acoustic sampling. We predicted negative effects of fragmentation on forest species while bats foraging in open space should remain essentially unaffected. Rarefaction analyses indicated higher species richness for islands than mainland sites. For forest species, multivariate analyses suggested compositional differences between sites due to effects of isolation, area and vegetation structure. Contrary to our expectations, count abundance of forest species was similar across site categories. Feeding activity, however, was curtailed on far islands compared to near islands. As expected, bats hunting in open space did not reveal negative responses to fragmentation. Interestingly, they even displayed higher abundance counts on far and small islands. On the species level, two forest bats responded negatively to size reduction or site isolation, respectively, while a forest bat and a bat hunting in open space were more abundant on islands, irrespectively of island isolation or size. Our findings suggest that small forest remnants are of considerable conservation value as many aerial insectivores intensively use them. Hence high conservation priority should be given to retain or re-establish a high degree of forest integrity and low levels of isolation.  相似文献   

13.
Freshwaters ecosystems continue to face pressures from pollution, flow regime alterations, habitat destruction and exotic species invasions despite their unique biodiversity. In Europe, National Parks and Special Areas of Conservation aim to provide protection of ‘aggregate’ biodiversity, yet inspection of priority species lists for these sites often reveals a focus towards terrestrial species. In regions such as the Alps and the Pyrénées, this is a particularly serious problem because climate change and other anthropogenic pressures (e.g. hydropower, tourism) are causing widespread hydrological modification which is likely to drive changes in aquatic species abundance, diversity and distribution. Improved understanding of the diversity of rare plants and animals is necessary so efforts can be cost-effectively targeted to conserve the maximum number of species, whilst a clearer picture of these species’ distributions is a precursor to targeting conservation efforts. This paper reports results of a study into the diversity and distribution of 17 endemic mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies from 598 rivers sites across southern France. Endemic macroinvertebrates were found only at sites in the Pyrénées mountain range with richness peaking at 1500–1800 m above sea level. Nine of these 17 species were recorded from <20 sites and two (Protonemura angelieri, Rhithrogena kimminsi) were found at only 10 sites. Despite both the rarity of these species and threats to their existence, none of them have any current conservation status. New conservation policies for freshwater ecosystems in the French Pyrénées need to be developed as a priority due to the rarity of many aquatic species in this area, growing threats to their existence (habitat modification, hydrological change), and to recognise their importance in food webs that may include other rare species of conservation value.  相似文献   

14.
Catostomid fishes are a diverse family of 76+ freshwater species that are distributed across North America in many different habitats. This group of fish is facing a variety of impacts and conservation issues that are somewhat unique relative to more economically valuable and heavily managed fish species. Here, we present a brief series of case studies to highlight the threats such as migration barriers, flow regulation, environmental contamination, habitat degradation, exploitation and impacts from introduced (non-native) species that are facing catostomids in different regions. Collectively, the case studies reveal that individual species usually are not threatened by a single, isolated factor. Instead, species in general face numerous stressors that threaten multiple stages of their life history. Several factors have retarded sucker conservation including widespread inabilities of field workers to distinguish some species, lack of basic natural history and ecological knowledge of life history, and the misconception that suckers are tolerant of degraded conditions and are of little social or ecological value. Without a specific constituent group lobbying for conservation of non-game fishes, all such species, including members of the catostomid family, will continue to face serious risks because of neglect, ignorance, and misunderstanding. We suggest that conservation strategies should incorporate research and education/outreach components. Other conservation strategies that would be effective for protecting suckers include freshwater protected areas for critical habitat, restoration of degraded habitat, and design of catostomid-friendly fish bypass facilities. We believe that the plight of the catostomids is representative of the threats facing many other non-game freshwater fishes with diverse life-history strategies globally.  相似文献   

15.
Kunzea sinclairii is a local endemic on Great Barrier Island, northeastern New Zealand. While variously ranked as vulnerable and endangered in the past, we show that this species is naturally uncommon and under no threat of extinction. Previous assessments of its conservation status have been based on inadequate knowledge of its ecology. K. sinclairii is a rupestral species whose optimum habitat is low shrubland on rhyolitic rock outcrops and cliffs. Because of past logging and burning of forest adjacent to the habitat to which it is adapted, K. sinclairii expanded its range. However, in regeneration back to forest, K. sinclairii is being excluded as it is overtopped by other species. This has led to the impression that it is declining. Similarly, a suggestion that K. sinclairii could be threatened by hybridisation with the more abundant closely related K.ericoides is not supported as the hybrids are confined to the disturbed sites created by logging and fire. This case study highlights the importance of having a good understanding of the ecology of uncommon plant species before making decisions on their conservation. Natural rarity does not itself necessarily equate with increased extinction risk and these taxa should not be classified as threatened.  相似文献   

16.
Roughly 90% of butterfly species live in the tropics. Despite this, we know very little about tropical butterfly ecology particularly when compared to temperate butterfly systems. The relative scarcity of data on tropical butterfly populations hampers our ability to effectively conserve them. In this review we summarize recurring themes from ecological research on tropical butterflies to serve as a framework for understanding their conservation. Key themes include: (1) the tropics represent the evolutionary origins of butterfly diversity, (2) while some tropical butterflies exhibit relatively stable population dynamics, longer-lived adult stages, and more continuous age-specific reproduction compared to temperate zone species, the generality of these patterns is debatable, and (3) complex species interactions (e.g. mimicry, parasitism and predation) can have significantly greater influences on ecological and evolutionary processes in tropical butterflies than in temperate ones. This state of ecological knowledge, combined with scarce resources, has traditionally constrained tropical butterfly conservation efforts to habitat level approaches, unlike the species- and population-specific approaches familiar in North America and Europe. Consequently, much conservation research on butterflies in the tropics has focused on the relationship between habitat quality (e.g. forest fragmentation) and butterfly diversity, though predictive patterns even in this regard remain elusive. We argue that with the increasing threats of habitat destruction, fragmentation and climate change, it is necessary to move beyond this diversity and habitat relationship if we are to improve predictive capabilities when evaluating anthropogenic impacts on tropical butterfly communities. Tropical butterflies are more than just useful indicator species. They represent some of the most spectacular and visually appealing organisms in the world and play many vital roles in tropical ecosystems. We hope that this synthesis will lay the groundwork for future ecological studies of tropical butterfly populations, species, communities and conservation.  相似文献   

17.
Biodiversity conservation policies focus on securing the survival of species and habitats according to their current distribution. This basic premise may be inappropriate for halting biodiversity decline under the dynamic changes caused by climate change. This study explores a dynamic spatial conservation prioritization problem where climate change gradually changes the future habitat suitability of a site’ current species. This has implications for survival probability, as well as for species that potentially immigrate to the site. The problem is explored using a set of heuristics for both of two policy objectives focusing on (1) the protection on current (native) species, and (2) all species, including immigrating species. The trade-offs between the protection of native species versus all species is illustrated. The study shows that the development of prediction models of future species distributions as the basis of decision rules can be crucial for ensuring the effectiveness of conservation plans. Finally, it is discussed how more adaptive strategies, that allow for the redirection of resources from protected sites to privately-owned sites, may increase the effectiveness of the conservation networks. Climate change induced shifts in the suitability of habitats for species may increase the value of such adaptive strategies, the benefit decreasing with increasing migration probabilities and species distribution dynamics.  相似文献   

18.
A problem of interest for ecology and conservation is that of determining the best allocation of survey effort in studies aimed at estimating the proportion of sites occupied by a species. Many species are difficult to detect and often remain undetected during surveys at sites where they are present. Hence, for the estimator of species occupancy to be unbiased, detectability needs to be taken into account. In such studies there is a trade-off between sampling more sites and expending more survey effort within each site. This design problem has not been addressed to date with an explicit consideration of the uncertainty in assumed parameter values. In this article we apply sequential and Bayesian design techniques and show how a simple two-stage design can significantly improve the efficiency of the study. We further investigate the optimal allocation of survey effort between the two study stages, given a prior distribution for the parameter values. We address this problem using asymptotic approximations and then explore how the results change when the sample size is small, considering second-order approximations and highlighting the value of simulations as a tool for study design. Given the efficiency gain, we recommend following the sequential design approach for species occupancy estimation. This article has supplementary material online.  相似文献   

19.
Concern about declines in scrub–shrub bird populations has resulted in efforts to create and maintain habitat for these species. Vegetation within powerline corridors is managed to prevent contact of vegetation with transmission lines, and comprises approximately 2% of all of habitat for scrub–shrub birds in southern New England. Although previous studies have documented the use of powerline corridors by scrub–shrub birds, important questions remain about the factors affecting the quality of corridors as habitat for these species. We surveyed birds and monitored nests on 15 corridors in western Massachusetts during 2002 and 2003 to determine whether scrub–shrub birds occupy and successfully reproduce in powerline corridors, and to identify the principal factors affecting scrub–shrub abundance and nesting success. We found that corridors were occupied by scrub–shrub birds of high regional conservation priority, however, four of seven focal scrub–shrub bird species were scarce or absent in narrow corridors, and the abundance of these species was highest in corridors of intermediate width. Overall, nest survival was low (0.14) at these sites relative to other types of early successional habitats in the region, however, if we consider only our sites that were wider than the median width (49 m), nest survival in corridors was (0.33), similar to survival rates reported in other studies of scrub–shrub birds. We conclude that powerline corridors provide habitat for early successional birds of conservation concern, with wider corridors (50 m) contributing more to regional conservation of these species.  相似文献   

20.
Connectivity among habitat patches has mainly been studied in relation to species-specific behaviours. However, the movements of animals among patches may have different functions, and tolerance to gaps between habitat patches may vary between these functions. We tracked the movements of greater flamingos during the breeding and post-breeding periods with the aim of illustrating how the degree of connectivity may vary depending on the biological processes underlying the movements between wetlands. Most foraging sites used by breeding adults in a colony in southern Spain were within 200 km of the colony site, although some birds eventually moved 400 km. After the breeding season, the adults remained for several weeks in specific wetlands, moving to other sites located 280-2100 km away to overwinter. During these movements the birds may use stopover sites, the conservation of which may be critical to facilitate long-range movements. Our results suggest that wetland connectivity during chick rearing does not seem to be determined by whether or not central-place foraging flamingos are able to reach wetlands located at the longest distance that they are able to fly during non-stop flights (>1000 km), but by whether they are able to sustain the energetic costs derived from frequent commuting. In contrast, long-distance movements were occasionally undertaken during the post-breeding period. The energetic costs of such flights could be paid by flamingos because these movements were infrequent. Thus, in the case of flamingos, connectedness thresholds between wetlands vary depending on the biological process involved (chick rearing or post-breeding movements). This emphasizes the need to consider different types of connectivity in conservation planning.  相似文献   

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