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Zhu Y, Liu Y, Sheng S, Zheng J, Wu S, Cao Z, Zhang K, Xu Y. Quantifying the effects of landscape and habitat characteristics on structuring bird assemblages in urban habitat patches. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12707. [PMID: 38830929 PMCID: PMC11148024 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63333-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding the determinants of biodiversity in fragmented habitats is fundamental for informing sustainable landscape development, especially in urban landscapes that substantially fragment natural habitat. However, the relative roles of landscape and habitat characteristics, as emphasized by two competing frameworks (the island biogeography theory and the habitat diversity hypothesis), in structuring species assemblages in fragmented habitats have not been fully explored. This study investigated bird assemblages at 26 habitat patches (ranging in size from 0.3 to 290.4 ha) in an urban landscape, southwest China, among which habitat type composition and woody plant species composition varied significantly. Through 14 bird surveys conducted over six breeding seasons from 2017 to 2022, we recorded 70 breeding bird species (excluding birds recorded only once and fly-overs, such as raptors, swallows and swifts), with an average of 26 ± 10 (SD) species per patch. We found that patch area had significant direct and indirect effects on bird richness, with the indirect effects mediated by habitat richness (i.e., the number of habitat types). Isolation (measured as the distance to the nearest patch), perimeter to area ratio (PAR), and woody plant richness did not significantly predict variation in bird richness. Furthermore, none of these factors significantly sorted bird species based on their functional traits. However, the overall makeup of bird assemblages was significantly associated with the specific habitat types and woody plant species present in the patches. The results suggest that neither the island biogeography theory nor the habitat diversity hypothesis can fully explain the impacts of habitat fragmentation on bird richness in our study system, with their roles primarily being linked to patch area. The findings that habitat and plant compositions were the major drivers of variation in bird assemblage composition offer valuable insights into urban planning and green initiatives. Conservation efforts should focus not only on preserving large areas, but also on preventing urban monocultures by promoting diverse habitats within those areas, contributing to the persistence of meta-communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Zhu
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration On Biodiversity Conservation in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwestern China, School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 550001, China
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Yu Liu
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration On Biodiversity Conservation in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwestern China, School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 550001, China
| | - Shang Sheng
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration On Biodiversity Conservation in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwestern China, School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 550001, China
| | - Jinfeng Zheng
- School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Su Wu
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration On Biodiversity Conservation in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwestern China, School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 550001, China
| | - Zhaoyang Cao
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration On Biodiversity Conservation in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwestern China, School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 550001, China
| | - Kai Zhang
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration On Biodiversity Conservation in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwestern China, School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 550001, China
| | - Yu Xu
- Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration On Biodiversity Conservation in Karst Mountainous Areas of Southwestern China, School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang, 550001, China.
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Raymond S, St Clair CC. Urban Magpies Frequently Feed on Coyote Scats and May Spread an Emerging Zoonotic Tapeworm. ECOHEALTH 2023; 20:441-452. [PMID: 38109036 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-023-01664-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Allocoprophagy, in which animals feed on the feces of other individuals or species, has been little studied in vertebrates, despite its relevance to parasite transmission. These relationships may be especially important in cities, where animal density, disease incidence, and spatial overlap of humans and wildlife increase. Our goal was to document the incidence and predictors of coprophagy by black-billed magpies (Pica hudsonia) at coyote (Canis latrans) scats in Edmonton, Canada. We detected scats by following coyote trails and recorded whether coprophagy had occurred. We used multiple logistic regression to determine the top contextual and environmental predictors of coprophagy. Of 668 coyote scats, 37.3% had apparently been fed on. Coprophagy was more likely in winter and when scats were not fresh and did not contain vegetation or garbage. Environmental predictors of coprophagy included proximity to other coyote scats and playgrounds, distance from water and maintained trails, abundant natural land cover, and proximity to encampments of people experiencing homelessness. Our results reveal that magpies frequently access coyote scat and often do so near human-use areas. In Edmonton, where > 50% of coyotes are infected with a zoonotic tapeworm, coprophagy likely causes magpies to transport parasites with implications for zoonotic disease risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sage Raymond
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, 77 University Campus, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2R3, Canada.
| | - Colleen Cassady St Clair
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, 77 University Campus, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2R3, Canada
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Abou Zeid F, Morelli F, Ibáñez-Álamo JD, Díaz M, Reif J, Jokimäki J, Suhonen J, Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki ML, Markó G, Bussière R, Mägi M, Tryjanowski P, Kominos T, Galanaki A, Bukas N, Pruscini F, Jerzak L, Ciebiera O, Benedetti Y. Spatial Overlap and Habitat Selection of Corvid Species in European Cities. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13071192. [PMID: 37048448 PMCID: PMC10093487 DOI: 10.3390/ani13071192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding habitat and spatial overlap in sympatric species of urban areas would aid in predicting species and community modifications in response to global change. Habitat overlap has been widely investigated for specialist species but neglected for generalists living in urban settings. Many corvid species are generalists and are adapted to urban areas. This work aimed to determine the urban habitat requirements and spatial overlap of five corvid species in sixteen European cities during the breeding season. All five studied corvid species had high overlap in their habitat selection while still having particular tendencies. We found three species, the Carrion/Hooded Crow, Rook, and Eurasian Magpie, selected open habitats. The Western Jackdaw avoided areas with bare soil cover, and the Eurasian Jay chose more forested areas. The species with similar habitat selection also had congruent spatial distributions. Our results indicate that although the corvids had some tendencies regarding habitat selection, as generalists, they still tolerated a wide range of urban habitats, which resulted in high overlap in their habitat niches and spatial distributions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farah Abou Zeid
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic; (F.M.); (Y.B.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Federico Morelli
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic; (F.M.); (Y.B.)
- Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Zielona Góra, Prof. Z. Szafrana St. 1, 65-516 Zielona Góra, Poland; (L.J.); (O.C.)
| | | | - Mario Díaz
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (BGC-MNCN-CSIC), 28006 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Jiří Reif
- Institute for Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Benatska 2, 128 01 Praha, Czech Republic;
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Palacky University in Olomouc, 17. Listopadu 50, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Jukka Jokimäki
- Nature Inventory and EIA-Services, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, P.O. Box 122, 96101 Rovaniemi, Finland; (J.J.); (M.-L.K.-J.)
| | - Jukka Suhonen
- Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland;
| | - Marja-Liisa Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki
- Nature Inventory and EIA-Services, Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, P.O. Box 122, 96101 Rovaniemi, Finland; (J.J.); (M.-L.K.-J.)
| | - Gábor Markó
- Department of Plant Pathology, Institute of Plant Protection, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Ménesi út 44, 1118 Budapest, Hungary;
| | | | - Marko Mägi
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 50409 Tartu, Estonia;
| | - Piotr Tryjanowski
- Institute of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, 60-625 Poznań, Poland;
| | - Theodoros Kominos
- Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; (T.K.); (A.G.)
| | - Antonia Galanaki
- Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; (T.K.); (A.G.)
| | - Nikos Bukas
- Plegadis, Riga Feraiou 6A, 45444 Ioannina, Greece;
| | | | - Leszek Jerzak
- Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Zielona Góra, Prof. Z. Szafrana St. 1, 65-516 Zielona Góra, Poland; (L.J.); (O.C.)
| | - Olaf Ciebiera
- Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Zielona Góra, Prof. Z. Szafrana St. 1, 65-516 Zielona Góra, Poland; (L.J.); (O.C.)
| | - Yanina Benedetti
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic; (F.M.); (Y.B.)
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Consistent Nest Site Selection by Turtles across Habitats with Varying Levels of Human Disturbance. DIVERSITY 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/d15020275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Human disturbance impacts the breeding behavior of many species, and it is particularly important to understand how these human-caused changes affect vulnerable taxa, such as turtles. Habitat alteration can change the amount and quality of suitable nesting habitat, while human presence during nesting may influence nesting behavior. Consequently, both habitat alteration and human presence can influence the microhabitat that females choose for nesting. In the summer of 2019, we located emydid turtle nests in east-central Alabama, USA, in areas with varying levels of human disturbance (high, intermediate, low). We aimed to determine whether turtles selected nest sites based on a range of microhabitat variables comparing maternally selected natural nests to randomly chosen artificial nests. We also compared nest site choice across areas with different levels of human disturbance. Natural nests had less variance in canopy openness and average daily mean and minimum temperature than artificial nests, but microhabitat variables were similar across differing levels of disturbance. Additionally, we experimentally quantified nest predation across a natural to human-disturbed gradient. Nest predation rates were higher in areas with low and intermediate levels of disturbance than in areas with high human disturbance. Overall, these results show that turtles are not adjusting their choices of nest microhabitat when faced with anthropogenic change, suggesting that preserving certain natural microhabitat features will be critical for populations in human-disturbed areas.
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Benmazouz I, Jokimäki J, Lengyel S, Juhász L, Kaisanlahti-Jokimäki ML, Kardos G, Paládi P, Kövér L. Corvids in Urban Environments: A Systematic Global Literature Review. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11113226. [PMID: 34827957 PMCID: PMC8614296 DOI: 10.3390/ani11113226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Urbanization is one of the most prevalent drivers of biodiversity loss, yet few taxonomic groups are remarkably successful at adapting to urban environments. We systematically surveyed the global literature on the effects of urbanization on species of family Corvidae (crows, choughs, jackdaws, jays, magpies, nutcrackers, ravens, rooks, treepies) to assess the occurrence of corvids in urban environments and the factors affecting their success. We found a total of 424 primary research articles, and the number of articles has increased exponentially since the 1970s. Most studies were carried out in cities of Europe and North America (45.5% and 31.4%, respectively) and were directed on a single species (75.2). We found that 30 corvid species (23% of 133 total) regularly occur in urban environments. The majority (72%) of the studies reported positive effects of urbanization on corvids, with 85% of studies detecting population increases and 64% of studies detecting higher breeding success with urbanization. Of the factors proposed to explain corvids' success (availability of nesting sites and food sources, low predation and persecution), food availability coupled with diet shifts emerged as the most important factors promoting Corvidae to live in urban settings. The breeding of corvids in urban environments was further associated with earlier nesting, similar or larger clutches, lower hatching but higher fledging success, reduced home range size and limited territoriality, increased tolerance towards humans and increasing frequency of conflicts with humans. Despite geographic and taxonomic biases in our literature sample, our review indicates that corvids show both flexibility in resource use and behavioral plasticity that enable them to exploit novel resources for nesting and feeding. Corvids can thus be urban exploiters of the large-scale modifications of ecosystems caused by urbanization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isma Benmazouz
- Animal Husbandry Doctoral School, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary;
- Correspondence:
| | - Jukka Jokimäki
- Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, 96300 Rovaniemi, Finland; (J.J.); (M.-L.K.-J.)
| | - Szabolcs Lengyel
- Department of Tisza Research, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, Centre for Ecological Research, Eötvös Loránd Research Network, 4026 Debrecen, Hungary;
| | - Lajos Juhász
- Department of Nature Conservation Zoology and Game Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (L.J.); (L.K.)
| | | | - Gábor Kardos
- Institute of Metagenomics, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary;
| | - Petra Paládi
- Animal Husbandry Doctoral School, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary;
| | - László Kövér
- Department of Nature Conservation Zoology and Game Management, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary; (L.J.); (L.K.)
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Song N, Xu H, Zhao S, Liu N, Zhong S, Li B, Wang T. Effects of wind farms on the nest distribution of magpie (Pica pica) in agroforestry systems of Chongming Island, China. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
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