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Doremus J, Li L, Jones D. Covid-related surge in global wild bird feeding: Implications for biodiversity and human-nature interaction. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0287116. [PMID: 37531331 PMCID: PMC10395953 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The global extent of supplementary bird feeding is unknown but has consequences for bird conservation and human well-being. Using a measure of search intensity for words related to bird feeding from Google, we document a surge of interest in bird feeding that occurred around the world after Covid-19 led to lockdowns where people stayed home: 115 countries saw an increase in bird feeding search interest. We test whether the existence of interest in bird feeding is associated with greater species richness of bird species, our proxy for biodiversity, and find the relationship is highly significant. Covid-19 lockdowns may have persistent influences on global bird populations and humans' connection to nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Doremus
- Economics Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California, United States of America
| | - Liqing Li
- Department of Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University College Station, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Darryl Jones
- Centre for Planetary Health & Food Security and School of Environment & Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia
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Jensen JK, Ekroos J, Watson H, Salmón P, Olsson P, Isaksson C. Urban tree composition is associated with breeding success of a passerine bird, but effects vary within and between years. Oecologia 2023; 201:585-597. [PMID: 36681784 PMCID: PMC10038977 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05319-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Birds breeding in urban environments have lower reproductive output compared to rural conspecifics, most likely because of food limitation. However, which characteristics of urban environments may cause this deficiency is not clear. Here, we investigated how tree composition within urban territories of passerine birds is associated with breeding probability and reproductive success. We used 7 years of data of breeding occupancy for blue and great tits (Cyanistes caeruleus; Parus major) and several reproductive traits for great tits, from 400 urban nest boxes located in 5 parks within the city of Malmö, Sweden. We found that tits, overall, were less likely to breed in territories dominated by either non-native trees or beech trees. Great tit chicks reared in territories dominated by non-native trees weighed significantly less, compared to territories with fewer non-native trees. An earlier onset of breeding correlated with increased chick weight in great tits. Increasing number of common oak trees (Quercus robur) was associated with delayed onset of breeding in great tits. Notably, as offspring survival probability generally increased by breeding earlier, in particular in oak-dominated territories, our results suggest that delayed onset of breeding induced by oak trees may be maladaptive and indicate a mismatch to this food source. Our results demonstrate that tree composition may have important consequences on breeding success of urban birds, but some of these effects are not consistent between years, highlighting the need to account for temporal effects to understand determinants of breeding success and inform optimal management in urban green spaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Kjellberg Jensen
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC), Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Johan Ekroos
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC), Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hannah Watson
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Pablo Salmón
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Peter Olsson
- Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC), Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Hill SC, François S, Thézé J, Smith AL, Simmonds P, Perrins CM, van der Hoek L, Pybus OG. Impact of host age on viral and bacterial communities in a waterbird population. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:215-226. [PMID: 36319706 PMCID: PMC9860062 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01334-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Wildlife harbour pathogens that can harm human or livestock health and are the source of most emerging infectious diseases. It is rarely considered how changes in wildlife population age-structures or how age-stratified behaviours might alter the level of pathogen detection within a species, or risk of spillover to other species. Micro-organisms that occur in healthy animals can be an important model for understanding and predicting the dynamics of pathogens of greater health concern, which are hard to study in wild populations due to their relative rarity. We therefore used a metagenomic approach to jointly characterise viral and prokaryotic carriage in faeces collected from a healthy wild bird population (Cygnus olor; mute swan) that has been subject to long-term study. Using 223 samples from known individuals allowed us to compare differences in prokaryotic and eukaryotic viral carriage between adults and juveniles at an unprecedented level of detail. We discovered and characterised 77 novel virus species, of which 21% belong putatively to bird-infecting families, and described the core prokaryotic microbiome of C. olor. Whilst no difference in microbiota diversity was observed between juveniles and adult individuals, 50% (4/8) of bird-infecting virus families (picornaviruses, astroviruses, adenoviruses and bornaviruses) and 3.4% (9/267) of prokaryotic families (including Helicobacteraceae, Spirochaetaceae and Flavobacteriaceae families) were differentially abundant and/or prevalent between juveniles and adults. This indicates that perturbations that affect population age-structures of wildlife could alter circulation dynamics and spillover risk of microbes, potentially including pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C Hill
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, London, UK.
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Sarah François
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Julien Thézé
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- UMR EPIA, Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France
| | - Adrian L Smith
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Peter Medawar Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK
| | - Peter Simmonds
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Peter Medawar Building, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Lia van der Hoek
- Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Oliver G Pybus
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, London, UK.
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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Lever D, Rush LV, Thorogood R, Gotanda KM. Darwin's small and medium ground finches might have taste preferences, but not for human foods. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211198. [PMID: 35116148 PMCID: PMC8790341 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization is rapidly changing ecological niches. On the inhabited Galapagos Islands, Darwin's finches consume human-introduced foods preferentially; however, it remains unclear why. Here, we presented pastry with flavour profiles typical of human foods (oily, salty and sweet) to small ground finches (Geospiza fuliginosa) and medium ground finches (Geospiza fortis) to test if latent taste preferences might drive the selection of human foods. If human food flavours were consumed more than a neutral or bitter control only at sites with human foods, then we predicted tastes were acquired after urbanization; however, if no site differences were found then this would indicate latent taste preferences. Contrary to both predictions, we found little evidence that human food flavours were preferred compared with control flavours at any site. Instead, finches showed a weak aversion to oily foods, but only at remote (no human foods present) sites. This was further supported by behavioural responses, with beak-wiping occurring more often at remote sites after finches tasted flavours associated with human foods. Our results suggest, therefore, that while Darwin's finches regularly exposed to human foods might have acquired a tolerance to human food flavours, latent taste preferences are unlikely to have played a major role in their dietary response to increased urbanization.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Lever
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - L. V. Rush
- Department of Geology, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - R. Thorogood
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
- Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
- Research Program in Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - K. M. Gotanda
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
- Départment de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500, boul de l'Université, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 2R1, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St Catharine's, Ontario L2S 3A1, Canada
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