1
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Neumann AE, Suarez-Rubio M, Renner SC. Haemosporidian intensity and nestlings' life-history along an urban-to-rural gradient. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17018. [PMID: 39043828 PMCID: PMC11266576 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67824-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Urban areas, i.e. dense housing and reduced green spaces, can significantly impact avian health, through altering land use and increasing biotic and abiotic stress. This study assessed the association of urbanization on haemosporidian infections, vectors, immune response, and body condition in Parus major nestlings, across four classes of urbanization along an urban-to-rural gradient in Vienna, Austria. Contrary to our expectations, vector abundance remained consistent across the gradient, while an increase in leukocyte count is positively associated with total parasite intensity. We found that nestlings in more urbanized areas exhibited higher parasite intensity and altered immune response, as evidenced by variations in the heterophil to lymphocyte ratio and leukocyte counts. Culicidae female vectors were associated with nestlings' total parasites, scaled mass index, and industrial units. Nestlings in highly developed areas had higher infection rates than those in forests, suggesting increased exposure to infections. However, there was no clear relationship between total female vectors and total parasites. The level of urbanization negatively affected nestling body condition, with a decrease in fat deposits from forested to highly urbanized areas. Our findings highlight the complex interplay between urbanization, vector-borne parasite transmission, and host immune response, emphasizing the need for comprehensive urban planning to improve wildlife health and guarantee ecosystem functioning. Understanding how urbanization affects bird immunity and parasite infections is critical for adapting urban landscapes for wildlife health and ecosystem integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astrid E Neumann
- Urban Productive Ecosystems, Department of Life Science Systems, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Hans Carl-von-Carlowitz Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany
- Institute of Zoology, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, BOKU University, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33/I, 1180, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marcela Suarez-Rubio
- Institute of Zoology, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, BOKU University, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33/I, 1180, Vienna, Austria
| | - Swen C Renner
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Burgring 7, 1080, Vienna, Austria.
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2
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Renner SC, Gossner MM, Ayasse M, Böhm S, Teuscher M, Weisser WW, Jung K. Forest structure, plants, arthropods, scale, or birds' functional groups: What key factor are forest birds responding to? PLoS One 2024; 19:e0304421. [PMID: 38820267 PMCID: PMC11142435 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Forest birds respond to a diverse set of environmental factors, including those altered by forest management intensity, such as resource and habitat availability in the form of food or nesting sites. Although resource/habitat availability and bird traits likely mediate responses of bird diversity to global change drivers, no study has assessed the direct and indirect effects of changes in forest management and traits on bird assemblages jointly at large spatial scales. In this context the questions remain whether (1) the birds' response to forest management changes through alterations in structural properties and/or food availability, or (2) if birds' eco-morphological traits act as environmental filters in response to environmental factors. We audio-visually recorded birds at 150 forest plots in three regions of Germany and assessed the forest structure (LiDAR) as well as the diversity of the herbaceous layer and diversity and biomass of arthropods. We further assessed eco-morphological traits of the birds and tested if effects on bird assemblages are mediated by changes in eco-morphological traits' composition. We found that abundance and species numbers of birds are explained best by models including the major environmental factors, forest structure, plants, and arthropods. Eco-morphological traits only increased model fit for indirect effects on abundance of birds. We found minor differences between the three regions in Germany, indicating spatial congruency of the processes at the local and regional scale. Our results suggest that most birds are not specialized on a particular food type, but that the size, diversity and species composition of arthropods are important. Our findings question the general view that bird traits adapt to the resources available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swen C. Renner
- Ornithology, Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin M. Gossner
- Forest Entomology, Research Unit Forest Health and Biotic Interactions, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Manfred Ayasse
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Stefan Böhm
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Miriam Teuscher
- Centre of Biodiversity and Sustainable Land-use, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Kirsten Jung
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
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3
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Stenhouse EH, Bellamy P, Kirby W, Vaughan IP, Drake LE, Marchbank A, Workman T, Symondson WOC, Orozco‐terWengel P. Multi-marker DNA metabarcoding reveals spatial and sexual variation in the diet of a scarce woodland bird. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10089. [PMID: 37206688 PMCID: PMC10191781 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Avian diet can be affected by site-specific variables, such as habitat, as well as intrinsic factors such as sex. This can lead to dietary niche separation, which reduces competition between individuals, as well as impacting how well avian species can adapt to environmental variation. Estimating dietary niche separation is challenging, due largely to difficulties in accurately identifying food taxa consumed. Consequently, there is limited knowledge of the diets of woodland bird species, many of which are undergoing serious population declines. Here, we show the effectiveness of multi-marker fecal metabarcoding to provide in-depth dietary analysis of a declining passerine in the UK, the Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes). We collected fecal samples from (n = 262) UK Hawfinches prior to, and during, the breeding seasons in 2016-2019. We detected 49 and 90 plant and invertebrate taxa, respectively. We found Hawfinch diet varied spatially, as well as between sexes, indicating broad dietary plasticity and the ability of Hawfinches to utilize multiple resources within their foraging environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewan H. Stenhouse
- School of BiosciencesCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The LodgeSandyUK
| | - Paul Bellamy
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The LodgeSandyUK
| | - Will Kirby
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The LodgeSandyUK
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4
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McKinney AB, Barlow KN, Adams HE, White JL, Kellner KF, Ruhl PJ. Foraging Intensity of Tufted Titmice (Baeolophus bicolor) in Response to Feed Type and Extreme Winter Conditions. SOUTHEAST NAT 2023. [DOI: 10.1656/058.022.0107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jon L. White
- Department of Biology, Harding University, Searcy, AR 72149
| | - Kenneth F. Kellner
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824
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5
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Liu D, Li Z, Hou Z, Bao H, Luan X, Zhang P, Liang X, Gong S, Tian Y, Zhang D, She W, Yang F, Chen S, Nathan JR, Jiang G. Ecological relationships among habitat type, food nutrients, parasites and hormones in wild boar
Sus scrofa
during winter. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/wlb3.01020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Dongqi Liu
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry Univ. Harbin China
| | - Zhaoyue Li
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry Univ. Harbin China
| | - Zhijun Hou
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry Univ. Harbin China
| | - Heng Bao
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry Univ. Harbin China
| | - Xue Luan
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry Univ. Harbin China
| | - Ping Zhang
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry Univ. Harbin China
| | - Xin Liang
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry Univ. Harbin China
| | - Shuang Gong
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry Univ. Harbin China
| | - Yumiao Tian
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry Univ. Harbin China
| | - Da Zhang
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry Univ. Harbin China
| | - Wen She
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry Univ. Harbin China
| | - Feifei Yang
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry Univ. Harbin China
| | - Shiyu Chen
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry Univ. Harbin China
| | - James Roberts Nathan
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry Univ. Harbin China
| | - Guangshun Jiang
- Feline Research Center of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry Univ. Harbin China
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Disentangling LiDAR Contribution in Modelling Species–Habitat Structure Relationships in Terrestrial Ecosystems Worldwide. A Systematic Review and Future Directions. REMOTE SENSING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/rs13173447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Global biodiversity is threatened by unprecedented and increasing anthropogenic pressures, including habitat loss and fragmentation. LiDAR can become a decisive technology by providing accurate information about the linkages between biodiversity and ecosystem structure. Here, we review the current use of LiDAR metrics in ecological studies regarding birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, bryophytes, lichens, and fungi (BLF). We quantify the types of research (ecosystem and LiDAR sources) and describe the LiDAR platforms and data that are currently available. We also categorize and harmonize LiDAR metrics into five LiDAR morphological traits (canopy cover, height and vertical distribution, understory and shrubland, and topographic traits) and quantify their current use and effectiveness across taxonomic groups and ecosystems. The literature review returned 173 papers that met our criteria. Europe and North America held most of the studies, and birds were the most studied group, whereas temperate forest was by far the most represented ecosystem. Globally, canopy height was the most used LiDAR trait, especially in forest ecosystems, whereas canopy cover and terrain topography traits performed better in those ecosystems where they were mapped. Understory structure and shrubland traits together with terrain topography showed high effectiveness for less studied groups such as BLF and invertebrates and in open landscapes. Our results show how LiDAR technology has greatly contributed to habitat mapping, including organisms poorly studied until recently, such as BLF. Finally, we discuss the forthcoming opportunities for biodiversity mapping with different LiDAR platforms in combination with spectral information. We advocate (i) for the integration of spaceborne LiDAR data with the already available airborne (airplane, drones) and terrestrial technology, and (ii) the coupling of it with multispectral/hyperspectral information, which will allow for the exploration and analyses of new species and ecosystems.
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7
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van Hoesel W, Santiago-Alarcon D, Marzal A, Renner SC. Effects of forest structure on the interaction between avian hosts, dipteran vectors and haemosporidian parasites. BMC Ecol 2020; 20:47. [PMID: 32814584 PMCID: PMC7437053 DOI: 10.1186/s12898-020-00315-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Forest habitats are important biodiversity refuges for a wide variety of bird species. Parasitism may modulate host species presence and abundance, and parasite effects can change according to forest management practices. Such processes are not well studied in vector-borne avian haemosporidians. We analyzed the effects of forest management on bird-dipteran-haemosporidian interactions, using seven common bird species in managed and unmanaged beech forest habitats in northeastern Germany. We assumed that forest structural heterogeneity affects parasite population parameters in avian hosts (i.e., prevalence and parasitemia), through its effect on the condition of the avian host but also through varying vector abundances. Results Parasite prevalence was high (about 80%) and homogeneous across different beech forest categories (i.e., young, old, unmanaged) and for all bird species, except Erithacus rubecula (35%). Parasitemia varied across bird species but not across forest categories within each avian species (lowest parasitemia were found in E. rubecula, Turdus merula, and Turdus philomelos). In our study system, we found that vector abundance was not the main driver of parasite dynamics. We found that forest structure affects parasite infection probability directly and potentially host condition via available resources that have to be used either to combat infections (i.e., high parasitemia) or to maintain a good body condition. Conclusions The effects of each of the predictors were bird species-specific, and we found that Diptera vectors were not the foremost influence in our host-vector-parasite system. Effects of forest habitat variables indicated that for most bird species in this study, habitat regulation of infection probability was more likely (i.e., E. rubecula, Fringilla coelebs, Sylvia atricapilla), whereas for Parus major habitat characteristics impacted first individuals' body condition and subsequently the probability of infection. Our findings emphasize the need of species-specific analyses and to use continuous forest structural parameters (e.g., the proportion of gap, south facing aspect) to better understand habitat and land use effects on host-vector-parasite dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willem van Hoesel
- Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel Straße 33, 1180, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Diego Santiago-Alarcon
- Instituto de Ecología, Red de Biología Y Conservación de Vertebrados, Coatepec 351 El Haya, 91070, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Alfonso Marzal
- Department of Zoology, University of Extremadura, Avenida de Elvas s/n, 06006, Badajoz, Spain
| | - Swen C Renner
- Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel Straße 33, 1180, Vienna, Austria.,Ornithology, Natural History Museum Vienna, Burggasse 7, 1010, Vienna, Austria
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8
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Sottas C, Reif J, Kreisinger J, Schmiedová L, Sam K, Osiejuk TS, Reifová R. Tracing the early steps of competition-driven eco-morphological divergence in two sister species of passerines. Evol Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-020-10050-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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9
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Affiliation(s)
- Takefumi Nakazawa
- Dept of Life Sciences, National Cheng Kung Univ. No.1, University Road Tainan City 701 Taiwan
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10
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van Hoesel W, Marzal A, Magallanes S, Santiago-Alarcon D, Ibáñez-Bernal S, Renner SC. Management of ecosystems alters vector dynamics and haemosporidian infections. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8779. [PMID: 31217486 PMCID: PMC6584559 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45068-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of insect vectors is a key prerequisite for transmission of vector-borne disease such as avian haemosporidians. In general, the effects of land use change on Diptera vectors are not well studied; the response of vectors to forest management depends on vector species, as has been shown previously for the birds. We tested if abundance of insects from different Diptera families and haemosporidian infection are affected through alteration of habitat structural variables (measured by LiDAR) and forest management intensities. We identified higher large-scale variation of female insect abundance in northeastern than in southwestern Germany. Unmanaged forest stands had higher Diptera insect abundances. We found that abundance of female Diptera increased with the amount of forest gaps but decreased in forest plots with more south facing aspect, higher habitat structural heterogeneity, temperature and humidity. We found that haemosporidian infections in Diptera insects increased with increased management intensity and more canopy structural diversity (e.g., amount of edge habitat), but decreased with a denser shrub layer, deeper leaf litter and higher humidity (characteristics for unmanaged forest stands). Although higher forest management intensity decreased vector abundance, the haemosporidian infections in the vectors increased, indicating a significant effect of forest management on disease dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willem van Hoesel
- Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1880, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alfonso Marzal
- Department of Zoology, University of Extremadura, Avenida de Elvas s/n, 06006, Badajoz, Spain
| | - Sergio Magallanes
- Department of Zoology, University of Extremadura, Avenida de Elvas s/n, 06006, Badajoz, Spain
| | - Diego Santiago-Alarcon
- Red de Biología y Conservación de Vertebrados, Instituto de Ecología, A.C. Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Sergio Ibáñez-Bernal
- Red de Ambiente y Sustentabilidad, Instituto de Ecología, A.C. Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Swen C Renner
- Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1880, Vienna, Austria.
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Center, National Zoological Park, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA.
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11
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Nyffeler M, Şekercioğlu ÇH, Whelan CJ. Insectivorous birds consume an estimated 400-500 million tons of prey annually. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2018; 105:47. [PMID: 29987431 PMCID: PMC6061143 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-018-1571-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Revised: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
In this paper, we present an estimate of the predation impact of the global population of insectivorous birds based on 103 (for the most part) published studies of prey consumption (kg ha-1 season-1) of insectivorous birds in seven biome types. By extrapolation-taking into account the global land cover of the various biomes-an estimate of the annual prey consumption of the world's insectivorous birds was obtained. We estimate the prey biomass consumed by the world's insectivorous birds to be somewhere between 400 and 500 million metric tons year-1, but most likely at the lower end of this range (corresponding to an energy consumption of ≈ 2.7 × 1018 J year-1 or ≈ 0.15% of the global terrestrial net primary production). Birds in forests account for > 70% of the global annual prey consumption of insectivorous birds (≥ 300 million tons year-1), whereas birds in other biomes (savannas and grasslands, croplands, deserts, and Arctic tundra) are less significant contributors (≥ 100 million tons year-1). Especially during the breeding season, when adult birds feed their nestlings protein-rich prey, large numbers of herbivorous insects (i.e., primarily in the orders Coleoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, and Orthoptera) supplemented by spiders are captured. The estimates presented in this paper emphasize the ecological and economic importance of insectivorous birds in suppressing potentially harmful insect pests on a global scale-especially in forested areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Nyffeler
- Section of Conservation Biology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, CH-4056, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Çağan H Şekercioğlu
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
- College of Sciences, Koç University, Rumelifeneri, Istanbul, Sariyer, Turkey
| | - Christopher J Whelan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA
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12
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Ribeiro-Silva L, Perrella DF, Biagolini-Jr C, Zima P, Piratelli AJ, Schlindwein M, Galetti-Jr P, Francisco M. Testing camera traps as a potential tool for detecting nest predation of birds in a tropical rainforest environment. ZOOLOGIA 2018. [DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.e14678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Identification of the predators of bird nests is essential to test ecological and evolutionary hypotheses and to make practical management decisions. A variety of nest monitoring devices have been proposed but many remain difficult to set up in the field. The aim of this study was to test camera traps as a potential tool to study predation of natural nests in a tropical rainforest environment. Specifically, we registered the predators, assessed their size range, and we compared the use of one and two cameras per nest. Of 122 nests from 24 bird species, 45 (37%) were depredated, and the cameras recorded the predator species in 29 of the total of depredated nests (64%). We identified predators in eight of 16 depredated nests (50%) in which we used one camera trap per nest, and we identified predators in 21 of 29 depredated nests (72%) when we used two camera traps per nest. The predators included six species of birds and six species of mammals, with body masses varying from 20 g to 16.5 kg. Causes for 10 of the 16 detection failures were identified and are discussed. These results suggest that camera traps are viable tools to investigate nest predation in a tropical rainforest area.
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13
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Ribeiro-Silva L, Perrella DF, Biagolini-Jr C, Zima P, Piratelli AJ, Schlindwein M, Galetti-Jr P, Francisco M. Testing camera traps as a potential tool for detecting nest predation of birds in a tropical rainforest environment. ZOOLOGIA 2018. [DOI: 10.3897/zoologia.35.14678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Identification of the predators of bird nests is essential to test ecological and evolutionary hypotheses and to make practical management decisions. A variety of nest monitoring devices have been proposed but many remain difficult to set up in the field. The aim of this study was to test camera traps as a potential tool to study predation of natural nests in a tropical rainforest environment. Specifically, we registered the predators, assessed their size range, and we compared the use of one and two cameras per nest. Of 122 nests from 24 bird species, 45 (37%) were depredated, and the cameras recorded the predator species in 29 of the total of depredated nests (64%). We identified predators in eight of 16 depredated nests (50%) in which we used one camera trap per nest, and we identified predators in 21 of 29 depredated nests (72%) when we used two camera traps per nest. The predators included six species of birds and six species of mammals, with body masses varying from 20 g to 16.5 kg. Causes for 10 of the 16 detection failures were identified and are discussed. These results suggest that camera traps are viable tools to investigate nest predation in a tropical rainforest area.
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14
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Liu G, Shafer ABA, Hu X, Li L, Ning Y, Gong M, Cui L, Li H, Hu D, Qi L, Tian H, Wang B. Meta-barcoding insights into the spatial and temporal dietary patterns of the threatened Asian Great Bustard ( Otis tarda dybowskii) with potential implications for diverging migratory strategies. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:1736-1745. [PMID: 29435248 PMCID: PMC5792609 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Revised: 11/24/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Food resources are often not sufficient to satisfy the nutritional and energetic requirements during winter conditions at high latitudes. Dietary analysis is a prerequisite to fully understanding the feeding ecology of a species and the nature of trophic interactions. Previous dietary studies of Asian Great Bustard (Otis tarda dybowskii) relied on behavioral observations, resulting in categorization of diet limited to broad taxonomic groupings. Here, we applied a high-throughput sequencing meta-barcoding approach to quantify the diet of resident and migratory Asian Great Bustard in three wintering sites during early winter and late winter. We detected 57 unique plant taxa in the bustard diet, among which 15 species were confirmed by a local plant database we generated. Both agricultural and natural foods were detected, indicating a relatively broad dietary niche. Spatiotemporal dietary changes were discovered, revealing diet differences among wintering sites and a general shift toward lower plant diversity later in winter. For the nonmigratory population, we detected a significantly more diverse array of plant species in their diet. We hypothesize that dietary variation between resident and migratory populations could be involved in the recent transition to partial migration in this species, although climate change can not be excluded. Collectively, these results support protecting unharvested grain fields and naturally unplowed lands to help conserve and promote population growth of Asian Great Bustard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Liu
- Research Institute of WetlandBeijing Key Laboratory of Wetland Services and RestorationChinese Academy of ForestryBeijingChina
| | - Aaron B. A. Shafer
- Forensics & Environmental and Life SciencesTrent UniversityPeterboroughONCanada
| | - Xiaolong Hu
- College of Nature ConservationBeijing Forestry UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Linhai Li
- State Forestry Planning and Design Institute of Forest Products IndustryBeijingChina
| | - Yu Ning
- Research Institute of WetlandBeijing Key Laboratory of Wetland Services and RestorationChinese Academy of ForestryBeijingChina
| | - Minghao Gong
- Research Institute of WetlandBeijing Key Laboratory of Wetland Services and RestorationChinese Academy of ForestryBeijingChina
| | - Lijuan Cui
- Research Institute of WetlandBeijing Key Laboratory of Wetland Services and RestorationChinese Academy of ForestryBeijingChina
| | - Huixin Li
- Research Institute of WetlandBeijing Key Laboratory of Wetland Services and RestorationChinese Academy of ForestryBeijingChina
| | - Defu Hu
- College of Nature ConservationBeijing Forestry UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Lei Qi
- College of Nature ConservationBeijing Forestry UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Hengjiu Tian
- Beijing Wildlife Rescue and RehabilitationBeijingChina
| | - Bojun Wang
- Beijing Wildlife Rescue and RehabilitationBeijingChina
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15
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Ecological and Functional Traits in 99 Bird Species over a Large-Scale Gradient in Germany. DATA 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/data2020012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
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16
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Seasonal Changes in Bird Species and Feeding Guilds along Elevational Gradients of the Central Himalayas, Nepal. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0158362. [PMID: 27367903 PMCID: PMC4930183 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 06/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Himalayas are a global hotspot for bird diversity with a large number of threatened species, but little is known about seasonal changes in bird communities along elevational gradients in this region. We studied the seasonality of bird diversity in six valleys of the Central Himalayas, Nepal. Using 318 plots with a 50 m radius, located from 2200 to 3800 m a.s.l., and repeated sampling during different seasons (mainly pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon), we analyzed 3642 occurrences of 178 species. Birds classified in the literature as resident were more species-rich than migratory birds (140 vs. 38 species). In all six valleys and within the studied elevation range, species richness of all birds showed a peak at mid-elevation levels of 2600 or 3000 m a.s.l. Similar patterns were found for the most species-rich feeding guilds of insectivores (96 species) and omnivores (24 species), whereas the species richness of herbivores (37 species including frugivores) increased towards higher elevations. Among these feeding guilds, only species richness of insectivores showed pronounced seasonal changes with higher species numbers during post-monsoon season. Similarly, individual bird species showed distinct spatio-temporal distribution patterns, with transitions from species dominated by elevational differences to those characterized by strong seasonal changes. In an era of climate change, the results demonstrate that individual bird species as well as feeding guilds might greatly differ in their responses to climate warming and changes in the seasonality of the precipitation regime, two aspects of climate change which should not be analyzed independently.
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Renner SC, Lüdtke B, Kaiser S, Kienle J, Schaefer HM, Segelbacher G, Tschapka M, Santiago-Alarcon D. Forests of opportunities and mischief: disentangling the interactions between forests, parasites and immune responses. Int J Parasitol 2016; 46:571-9. [PMID: 27247106 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2016.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2015] [Revised: 04/18/2016] [Accepted: 04/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Habitat characteristics determine the presence of individuals through resource availability, but at the same time, such features also influence the occurrence of parasites. We analyzed how birds respond to changes in interior forest structures, to forest management regimes, and to the risk of haemosporidian infections. We captured and took blood samples from blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) and chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs) in three different forest types (beech, mixed deciduous, spruce). We measured birds' body asymmetries, detected avian haemosporidians, and counted white blood cells as an immune measure of each individual per forest type. We used, to our knowledge for the first time, continuous forest structural parameters to quantify habitat structure, and found significant effects of habitat structure on parasite prevalence that previously have been undetected. We found three times higher prevalence for blackcaps compared with chaffinches. Parasite intensity varied significantly within host species depending on forest type, being lowest in beech forests for both host species. Structurally complex habitats with a high degree of entropy had a positive effect on the likelihood of acquiring an infection, but the effect on prevalence was negative for forest sections with a south facing aspect. For blackcaps, forest gaps also had a positive effect on prevalence, but canopy height had a negative one. Our results suggest that forest types and variations in forest structure influence the likelihood of acquiring an infection, which subsequently has an influence on host health status and body condition; however, responses to some environmental factors are host-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swen C Renner
- Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria; Smithsonian Conservation Biology Center, National Zoological Park, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA.
| | - Bruntje Lüdtke
- Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Sonja Kaiser
- Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Julia Kienle
- Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - H Martin Schaefer
- Institute of Biology I (Zoology), University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Gernot Segelbacher
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Management, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Marco Tschapka
- Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Diego Santiago-Alarcon
- Red de Biología y Conservación de Vertebrados, Instituto de Ecología, A.C. Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
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Renner SC, Gossner MM, Kahl T, Kalko EKV, Weisser WW, Fischer M, Allan E. Temporal changes in randomness of bird communities across Central Europe. PLoS One 2014; 9:e112347. [PMID: 25386924 PMCID: PMC4227846 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0112347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2014] [Accepted: 10/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Many studies have examined whether communities are structured by random or deterministic processes, and both are likely to play a role, but relatively few studies have attempted to quantify the degree of randomness in species composition. We quantified, for the first time, the degree of randomness in forest bird communities based on an analysis of spatial autocorrelation in three regions of Germany. The compositional dissimilarity between pairs of forest patches was regressed against the distance between them. We then calculated the y-intercept of the curve, i.e. the ‘nugget’, which represents the compositional dissimilarity at zero spatial distance. We therefore assume, following similar work on plant communities, that this represents the degree of randomness in species composition. We then analysed how the degree of randomness in community composition varied over time and with forest management intensity, which we expected to reduce the importance of random processes by increasing the strength of environmental drivers. We found that a high portion of the bird community composition could be explained by chance (overall mean of 0.63), implying that most of the variation in local bird community composition is driven by stochastic processes. Forest management intensity did not consistently affect the mean degree of randomness in community composition, perhaps because the bird communities were relatively insensitive to management intensity. We found a high temporal variation in the degree of randomness, which may indicate temporal variation in assembly processes and in the importance of key environmental drivers. We conclude that the degree of randomness in community composition should be considered in bird community studies, and the high values we find may indicate that bird community composition is relatively hard to predict at the regional scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swen C. Renner
- Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, Virginia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Martin M. Gossner
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Centre for Food and Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany
| | - Tiemo Kahl
- Chair of Silviculture, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Wolfgang W. Weisser
- Terrestrial Ecology Research Group, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Centre for Food and Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany
| | - Markus Fischer
- Institute of Plant Sciences and Botanical Garden, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Eric Allan
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Sunde P, Thorup K, Jacobsen LB, Rahbek C. Weather conditions drive dynamic habitat selection in a generalist predator. PLoS One 2014; 9:e88221. [PMID: 24516615 PMCID: PMC3916403 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2013] [Accepted: 01/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the dynamic nature of habitat selection, temporal variation as arising from factors such as weather are rarely quantified in species-habitat relationships. We analysed habitat use and selection (use/availability) of foraging, radio-tagged little owls (Athene noctua), a nocturnal, year-round resident generalist predator, to see how this varied as a function of weather, season and availability. Use of the two most frequently used land cover types, gardens/buildings and cultivated fields varied more than 3-fold as a simple function of season and weather through linear effects of wind and quadratic effects of temperature. Even when controlling for the temporal context, both land cover types were used more evenly than predicted from variation in availability (functional response in habitat selection). Use of two other land cover categories (pastures and moist areas) increased linearly with temperature and was proportional to their availability. The study shows that habitat selection by generalist foragers may be highly dependent on temporal variables such as weather, probably because such foragers switch between weather dependent feeding opportunities offered by different land cover types. An opportunistic foraging strategy in a landscape with erratically appearing feeding opportunities in different land cover types, may possibly also explain decreasing selection of the two most frequently used land cover types with increasing availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Sunde
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Rønde, Denmark
- * E-mail:
| | - Kasper Thorup
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lars B. Jacobsen
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Carsten Rahbek
- Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Lüdtke B, Moser I, Santiago-Alarcon D, Fischer M, Kalko EKV, Schaefer HM, Suarez-Rubio M, Tschapka M, Renner SC. Associations of forest type, parasitism and body condition of two European passerines, Fringilla coelebs and Sylvia atricapilla. PLoS One 2013; 8:e81395. [PMID: 24339923 PMCID: PMC3855328 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0081395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2013] [Accepted: 10/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Human-induced forest modification can alter parasite-host interactions and might change the persistence of host populations. We captured individuals of two widespread European passerines (Fringilla coelebs and Sylvia atricapilla) in southwestern Germany to disentangle the associations of forest types and parasitism by haemosporidian parasites on the body condition of birds. We compared parasite prevalence and parasite intensity, fluctuating asymmetries, leukocyte numbers, and the heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (H/L-ratio) among individuals from beech, mixed-deciduous and spruce forest stands. Based on the biology of bird species, we expected to find fewer infected individuals in beech or mixed-deciduous than in spruce forest stands. We found the highest parasite prevalence and intensity in beech forests for F. coelebs. Although, we found the highest prevalence in spruce forests for S. atricapilla, the highest intensity was detected in beech forests, partially supporting our hypothesis. Other body condition or health status metrics, such as the heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (H/L-ratio), revealed only slight differences between bird populations inhabiting the three different forest types, with the highest values in spruce for F. coelebs and in mixed-deciduous forests for S. atricapilla. A comparison of parasitized versus non-parasitized individuals suggests that parasite infection increased the immune response of a bird, which was detectable as high H/L-ratio. Higher infections with blood parasites for S. atricapilla in spruce forest indicate that this forest type might be a less suitable habitat than beech and mixed-deciduous forests, whereas beech forests seem to be a suboptimal habitat regarding parasitism for F. coelebs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruntje Lüdtke
- Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Institute for Zoology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Markus Fischer
- Institute of Plant Sciences and Botanical Garden, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Elisabeth KV. Kalko
- Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Bilbao, Panama
| | | | - Marcela Suarez-Rubio
- Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marco Tschapka
- Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Bilbao, Panama
| | - Swen C. Renner
- Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Center, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, Virginia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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