Effects of large-scale gold mining on habitat use and selection by American pronghorn

Anthropogenic disturbances, including extraction of natural resources and development of alternative energy, are reducing and fragmenting habitat for wildlife across the globe. Effects of those disturbances have been explored by studying populations that migrate through oil and gas fields or alternative energy facilities. Extraction of minerals, including precious metals and lithium, is increasing rapidly in remote areas, which results in dramatically altered landscapes in areas of resident populations of wildlife. Our goal was to examine how a resident population of American pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) in the Great Basin ecosystem selected resources near a large-scale disturbance year around. We investigated how individuals selected resources around a large, open-pit gold mine. We classified levels of disturbance associated with the mine, and used a random forest model to select ecological covariates associated with habitat selection by pronghorn. We used resource selection functions to examine how disturbances affected habitat selection by pronghorn both annually and seasonally. Pronghorn strongly avoided areas of high disturbance, which included open pits, heap leach fields, rock disposal areas, and a tram. Pronghorn selected areas near roads, although selection was strongest about 2 km away. We observed relatively broad variation among individuals in selection of resources, and how they responded to the mine. The Great Basin is a mineral-rich area that continues to be exploited for natural resources, especially minerals. Sagebrush-dependent species, including pronghorn, that rely on this critical habitat were directly affected by that transformation of the landscape, which is likely to increase with expansion of the mine. As extraction of minerals from remote landscapes around the world continues to fragment habitats for wildlife, increasing our understanding of impacts of those changes on behaviors of wildlife before populations decline, may assist in the mitigation and minimization of negative impacts on mineral-rich landscapes and on wildlife populations.

Changes in bird assemblages following an outdoor music festival: A BACI (before-after-control-impact) monitoring from central Italy

An assessment of the short-term effects of an outdoor music festival (Jova Beach Party event; July 2019; central Italy) on bird assemblages has been carried out, adopting a BACI (Before-After-Control-Impact) survey design, and using the point counts method both in the impact site (Impact, I; where the concert was held) and in comparable Control site (C). In the I site, data have been stratified both for urban (U) and agro-mosaic (M) habitats. When comparing before and after the music event, in IU site, the species richness and the Hill diversity index decreased, differently from CU where species richness a species abundance increased. Diversity profiles highlighted the impoverishment of bird assemblages after the event, but only in the Impact urban habitats. After the musical event, individual rarefaction curves for richness were lower in IU after the concert, while, differently in CU curves are higher. These data suggest an impact in bird assemblages limited to the urban site, due to the stress mainly induced by high intensity noise pollution. Musical events may disrupt the structure of synanthropic bird assemblages, inducing a dispersal of individuals towards the surrounding landscape. Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) appeared a particularly sensitive bird. However, further efforts are necessary to study the effects of these events at species level.

Noise interfere on feeding behaviour but not on food preference of saffron finches (Sicalis flaveola)

Noise pollution exerts negative well-being effects on animals, especially for captive individuals. A decrease in feeding, reproduction, attention, and an increase in stress are examples of negative effects of noise pollution on animals. Noise pollution can also negatively impact animals' lives by decreasing the efficiency of food choice: attention decrease can cause animals choose the least profitable food, which can affect their fitness. The aims of this study were to analyse the effects of noise on feeding behaviour and food preference of saffron finches. Foraging tests were performed under background sound pressure levels and under a noisy condition. The behaviours exhibited by the birds during the tests were recorded using focal sampling with instantaneous recording of behaviour every 10 s. Results showed that finches consumed more the higher energetic food, and that noise pollution did not impact food consumption by the birds. Noise changed the number of visits on the feeders, and increased the expression of the 'lower the head' and vigilance behaviours during feeding. These findings could be important for wild and captive animals because an increase in vigilance and in changes in foraging behaviour could ultimately impact their fitness. Thus, mitigation measures should be taken in relation to noise impact on wildlife, this is especially the case for captive animals, which have no chance to avoid noisy environments.

Environmental health and risk assessment metrics with special mention to biotransfer, bioaccumulation and biomagnification of environmental pollutants

The environment pollutants, which are landed up in environment because of human activities like urbanization, mining and industrializations, affects human health, plants and animals. The living organisms present in environment are constantly affected by the toxic pollutants through direct contact or bioaccumulation of chemicals from the environment. The toxic and hazardous pollutants are easily transferred to different environmental matrices like land, air and water bodies such as surface and ground waters. This comprehensive review deeply discusses the routes and causes of different environmental pollutants along with their toxicity, impact, occurrences and fate in the environment. Environment health and risk assessment tools that are used to evaluate the harmfulness, exposure of living organisms to pollutants and the amount of pollutant accumulated are explained with help of bio-kinetic models. Biotransfer, toxicity factor, biomagnification and bioaccumulation of different pollutants in the air, water and marine ecosystems are critically addressed. Thus, the presented survey would be collection of correlations those addresses the factors involved in assessing the environmental health and risk impacts of distinct environmental pollutants.

Noise and landscape features influence habitat use of mammalian herbivores in a natural gas field

Anthropogenic noise is a complex disturbance known to elicit a variety of responses in wild animals. Most studies examining the effects of noise on wildlife focus on vocal species, although theory suggests that the acoustic environment influences non-vocal species as well. Common mammalian prey species, like mule deer and hares and rabbits (members of the family Leporidae), rely on acoustic cues for information regarding predation, but the impacts of noise on their behaviour has received little attention. We paired acoustic recorders with camera traps to explore how average daily levels of anthropogenic noise from natural gas activity impacted occupancy and detection of mammalian herbivores in an energy field in the production phase of development. We consider the effects of noise in the context of several physical landscape variables associated with natural gas infrastructure that are known to influence habitat use patterns in mule deer. Our results suggest that mule deer detection probability was influenced by the interaction between physical landscape features and anthropogenic noise, with noise strongly reducing habitat use. In contrast, leporid habitat use was not related to noise but was influenced by landscape features. Notably, mule deer showed a stronger predicted negative response to roads with high noise exposure. This study highlights the complex interactions of anthropogenic disturbance and wildlife distribution and presents important evidence that the effects of anthropogenic noise should be considered in research focused on non-vocal specialist species and management plans for mule deer and other large ungulates.