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Ritz-Radlinská A, Barták V, Hodačová L, Maidlová K, Zasadil P. The singing activity of the Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) under traffic noise around highways. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1020982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Steadily increasing human population is changing the environment in many ways. One of the most disturbing impacts is the development of anthropogenic noise pollution connected to ever-growing traffic intensity. The road network can have both positive and negative effects on biodiversity and populations. Many bird species use acoustic communication to establish and maintain their territories and for intra-pair and adult–young communication. Noise pollution can impact negatively on breeding success and biorhythm if this communication is masked by noise and the individuals must adjust their singing activity. Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) is a common bird species of agricultural landscapes whose population is declining due to agricultural intensification. It is found also in habitats near highways with forest steppe-like characteristics, where it is affected by the high levels of anthropogenic noise pollution. This study aimed to determine how this species adapts to noise from highway traffic by adjusting its singing activity. The influence of locality type, immediate and long-term impact of traffic noise on the average and total length of song sequences in the birdsong, and influence on the total number of recorded song sequences during the second hour after sunrise were evaluated in this study. Our results showed that Yellowhammer’s singing activity changed in localities close to highways compared to agricultural landscape. With increasing long-term traffic intensity on highways, song duration of the Yellowhammer song was decreasing. The present traffic intensity led to later onset of dawn chorus and decreasing strophe length with increasing number of passing vehicles. Furthermore, in the agricultural landscape, Yellowhammer’s song duration increased with increasing distance from the nearest road.
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Chen Y, Li L, Zhu X, Shen Y, Ma A, Zhang X, Chen P, Lu C. Urban Low-Rise Residential Areas Provide Preferred Song Post Sites for a Resident Songbird. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12182436. [PMID: 36139294 PMCID: PMC9494978 DOI: 10.3390/ani12182436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Urbanization is expanding rapidly worldwide, and brings additional selection pressure on animals. The song differences between urban and rural songbirds have been widely verified, but the effects of urban morphological variation on long-settled urban birds have been poorly explored. Here, we investigated the distribution and song differences of a common resident songbird—the oriental magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis) between three urban morphology types (i.e., urban park, low-rise residential area, and high-rise residential area). The results indicated that the population density in low-rise residential areas was significantly higher than in urban parks, while it was the lowest in high-rise residential areas. Males in low-rise residential areas had greater song length, syllable numbers, frequency bandwidth, and song diversity than those in urban parks. The song differences were mainly related to habitat types, independent of singing height and perch type. Our findings suggest that low-rise residential areas may provide preferred song post sites for the oriental magpie-robin, which is well-adapted to the low-rise building morphology, but rejects the emerging high-rise buildings. Future studies are needed to assess the effects of urban morphological variation on more resident animals to determine which urban morphologies are conducive to enhancing biodiversity and encouraging animals to settle in urban areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanhong Chen
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
| | - Lijing Li
- School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
| | - Xiaotian Zhu
- School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
| | - Yicheng Shen
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
| | - Anran Ma
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
| | - Xinyu Zhang
- School of Ecology and Environment, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
| | - Pan Chen
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of the Conservation and Exploitation of Biological Resources, College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241000, China
- Correspondence: (P.C.); (C.L.)
| | - Changhu Lu
- College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
- Correspondence: (P.C.); (C.L.)
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