辽宁滨海(环渤海)湿地鸟类多样性调查与研究

本研究于2019－2020年对辽宁滨海（环渤海）湿地开展了春迁徙季、秋迁徙季、繁殖季和越冬季的鸟类多样性调查,共监测到鸟类150种,隶属于16目38科,其中,留鸟25种,夏侯鸟26种,冬侯鸟26种,旅鸟73种;国家一级保护鸟类11种,国家二级保护鸟类20种。调查显示:调查区内鸟类多样性的季节差异明显,春、秋迁徙季,鸟类种类与数量明显高于其他两季,越冬季鸟类的种类数量均最少,丰富度指数、均匀度指数、多样性指数和优势度指数均最低。空间分布显示,盘锦地区鸟类种类和数量均最多,达到78种,473084只;营口地区调查到的鸟类种类最少,为55种;锦州地区鸟类数量最少,只有57723只。从鸟类多样性对比来看,盘锦地区最高,大连地区最低,各地鸟类群落组成的空间差异较为明显,在一定程度上受到该地区鸟类生境种类数量及面积大小的影响。辽宁滨海（环渤海）湿地作为东亚—澳大利西亚候鸟迁徙带上的关键区域,当前正面临气候变化、人类围垦干扰造成的鸟类栖息地减少等不利情况,建议通过扩大保护范围、实施修复和管理对策措施、强化宣传等手段保护鸟类多样性及其栖息生境,巩固渤海综合治理攻坚战的治理成效。     

随机森林算法在新疆物种丰富度影响因素研究中的应用

基于多源遥感数据及其产品,以2010年新疆地区鸟类与哺乳动物物种丰富度空间分布数据为基础,结合土地利用、植被、气候、地形等遥感数据产品,探讨了影响新疆地区鸟类和哺乳动物物种丰富度的各环境因子空间分布及其差异.通过随机森林算法对影响鸟类和哺乳动物种数的环境解释变量进行了重要性评估,同时采用探索性回归分析对物种丰富度与环境因子的关系进行建模,比较了鸟类和哺乳动物在草地、林地和耕地三种生境中的主要环境影响因子及其差异.结果显示：影响物种丰富度的环境因子中,植被生长状态与能量转换能力对鸟类丰富度十分重要,且草地的海拔高度重要性最高,为38.38%;耕地所处的气候类型对鸟类丰富度有明显影响,其中年均温重要性达到32.98%;哺乳动物的三种生境选择中气候和海拔条件十分重要,共占重要性的60%以上,最高达76.85%,在耕地中哺乳动物更看重气候而非植被生长情况;三种生境中鸟类和哺乳动物的最优模型及其影响因子均不同,耕地对于鸟类、林地对于哺乳动物的模型解释力最高,分别为69.9%和68.9%,随机森林和探索性回归分析均显示年均温、年降水量和海拔高度是哺乳动物丰富度差异的重要解释因子.     

Patterns of bird abundance along the agricultural gradient of the Pampean region

Bird and land-use surveys were conducted along the agricultural gradient covering from pure croplands through mixed-farming to pure pastoral-farming scenario in the Pampean region of Argentina. Simple regression analyses were performed to analyse the responses of bird abundance to the percentage of land devoted to crop-production. The specific variables associated to bird abundance within both the crop and pastoral-farming landscapes were identified by running redundancy analyses (RDA). The abundance of 20 out of 43 species (47%) was significantly related to the percentage of cropland, finding negative (65%), positive (25%) unimodal (5%) and bimodal (5%) responses of birds to increasing intensity of crop production. The results showed three types of negative and two types of positive responses of bird abundance to the agricultural gradient. RDA revealed the importance of crop-field types in the crop-production scenario and of cattle presence and grass height in the pastoral-farming scenario for the structuring of the grassland bird community. As most species were negatively affected by crop production, the current land-use homogenisation towards high-intensity croplands will most likely result in population decline of many birds in the region.     

Winter bird use of seed-rich habitats in agri-environment schemes

To assess the effectiveness of over-winter seed provision by agri-environment schemes, bird use of patches of seed-bearing crops was compared with that of other seed-rich habitats on 53 farms in eastern Scotland over three winters. Seed-bearing crops were the most frequently selected habitat, and held 28% of birds of the 10 species recorded. Outside schemes, cereal stubble was the most selected habitat and held 44% of birds. For nine species, seed-bearing crops were used by more birds than expected from the area of crop available in at least one winter, and five species were more likely to occur in first-winter patches, reflecting a greater abundance of cereal grain than in second-winter patches. For cereal grain specialists such as buntings, sowing cereal-based crops annually would ensure that grain is available in each winter, whilst either a 1-year or a 2-year crop would be appropriate for finches that favour oilseeds, and species with a more generalist diet.     

Modeling potential climate change impacts on the trees of the northeastern United States

We evaluated 134 tree species from the eastern United States for potential response to several scenarios of climate change, and summarized those responses for nine northeastern United States. We modeled and mapped each species individually and show current and potential future distributions for two emission scenarios (A1fi [higher emission] and B1 [lower emission]) and three climate models: the Parallel Climate, the Hadley CM3, and the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory model. Climate change could have large impacts on suitable habitat for tree species in this region, especially under a high emissions trajectory. Results indicate that while species with potentially increasing areas of suitable habitat in the Northeastern US substantially outnumber those with decreasing areas of habitat, there are key species that show diminishing habitat area: balsam fir (Abies balsamea), paper birch (Betula papyrifera), red spruce (Picea rubens), bigtooth and quaking aspen (Populus grandidentata and P. tremuloides), and black cherry (Prunus serotina). From these results we identified the top 10 losers and gainers for each US state in the region by scenario and emissions trajectory. By combining individual species importance maps and developing assembly rules for various classes, we created maps of potential forest types for the Northeast showing a general loss of the spruce–fir zone with advancing oak–hickory type. Further data, maps, and analysis can be found at http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/atlas.     

Role of winter temperature and climate change on the survival and future range expansion of the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) in eastern North America

Global climate change has already affected the abundances, range limits, and interactions of many species. The hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae), an invasive insect introduced to eastern North America from Japan, has decimated stands of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and Carolina hemlock (T. caroliniana) from Georgia to Connecticut. However, its spread across central and northern New England has been slowed substantially by its inability to tolerate cold winter temperatures. Using data from previous lab and field studies collected over the past 17 years, including adelgid spread and overwintering mortality, we first characterize the temperature conditions that may limit adelgid spread. We then show how, in the future, rising winter temperatures due to climate change are likely to remove the conditions currently limiting adelgid spread, and facilitate the northward expansion as more suitable habitat becomes available.     

Effects of crop diversification and low pesticide inputs on bird populations on arable land

This 6-year experimental study measured the response of bird populations and abundance to combinations of mixed cropping and low pesticide regimes associated with a commercial crop rotation. The results show a rapid and sustained population increase among a wide range of bird species, in contrast to local regional trends for the same species. Seventy percent of the increase occurred within the first 3 years of the experiment, with species of high conservation concern, and those monitored as environmental indicators on lowland farmland in the UK, increasing on average, by 30% and 20% respectively (reaching respective peaks of 44% and 33% after 4 years). For some individual species, the increase was higher still, i.e., 300% (1–4 pairs) for grey partridge (Perdix perdix) and 46% (13–19 pairs) for skylarks (Alauda arvensis) in peak years. The results demonstrate that bird species typical of lowland arable farmland in the UK are responsive to suitable farm-scale changes in habitat and food provision (roughly, manipulation within less than 1-km²). They show that the carrying capacity of modern, commercially viable, arable farmland can be increased significantly for birds, in this case, mainly by using crops mosaics to create habitats alongside the appropriate use of herbicides on non-cropped habitats.     

The perceived psychological distance of climate change impacts and its influence on support for adaptation policy

Factors influencing support for climate mitigation policy in the United States are well researched, however, research regarding individuals’ support for climate adaptation policy is relatively sparse. This study explores how an individual’s perception of climate change impacts may influence their support for adaptation actions. Results of a survey of the U.S. public (n = 653) indicates that individuals who believe climate change impacts are unlikely to happen or will primarily affect other people in other places are less likely to be concerned about climate change impacts and less likely to support climate adaptation. However, an individual’s support for climate change adaptation measures is not influenced by their perception of when climate change impacts will occur even when taking into account concern for climate impacts. Critical for policy-makers, a belief that climate adaptation measures will not be effective attenuates the relationship between psychological distance, concern for climate change impacts, and adaptation policy measures. Our results indicate that to effectively communicate about climate change, policy-makers should emphasize that: (i) climate change impacts are occurring, (ii) that their constituents are being affected now, or will be in the future, and (iii) communicate that adaptation measures can be effective in addressing risks associated with climate change impacts.     

Effects of exotic fish farms on bird communities in lake and marine ecosystems

Salmon farming is a widespread activity around the world, also known to promote diverse environmental effects on aquatic ecosystems. However, information regarding the impact of salmon farming on bird assemblages is notably scarce. We hypothesize that salmon farming, by providing food subsidies and physical structures to birds, will change their local community structure. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a seasonal monitoring of bird richness, abundance, and composition at paired salmon pen and control plots in two marine and two lake sites in southern Chile, from fall 2002 to summer 2004. Overall, salmon farming had no significant effects on species richness, but bird abundance was significantly and noticeably higher in salmon pens than in controls. Such aggregation was mainly accounted for by the trophic guilds of omnivores, diving piscivores, carrion eaters, and perching piscivores, but not by invertebrate feeders, herbivores, and surface feeders. Species composition was also significantly and persistently different between salmon pens and controls within each lake or marine locality. The patterns described above remained consistent across environment types and seasons indicating that salmon farming is changing the community structure of birds in both lake and marine habitats by promoting functional and aggregation responses, particularly by favoring species with broader niches. Such local patterns may thus anticipate potential threats from the ongoing expansion of the salmon industry to neighboring areas in Chile, resulting in regional changes of bird communities, toward a less diverse one and dominated by opportunistic, common, and generalist species such as gulls, vultures, and cormorants.     

Response of the bird cherry-oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi) to climate change in relation to its pest status, vectoring potential and function in a crop-vector-virus pathosystem

Global climate change threatens world food production via direct effects on plant growth and alterations to pest and pathogen prevalence and distribution. Complex relationships between host plant, pest, pathogen and environment create uncertainty particularly involving vector-borne diseases. We attempt to improve the understanding of the effects of climate change via a detailed review of one crop-vector-pathogen system.The bird cherry-oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi, is a global pest of cereals and vector of yellow dwarf viruses that cause significant crop losses in cereals. R. padi exhibits both sexual and parthenogenetic reproduction, alternating between crops and other host plants. In Australia, only parthenogenesis occurs due to the absence of the primary host, thus the aphid continuously cycles from grasses to cereals, allowing for continuous virus acquisition and transmission.We have reviewed the potential impact of future climate projections on R. padi population dynamics, persistence, abundance, dispersal and migration events as well as the interactions between vector, virus, crop and environment, all of which are critical to the behaviour and development of the vector and its ability to transmit the virus. We identify a number of knowledge gaps that currently limit efforts to determine how this pathosystem will function in a future climate.     

Socio-economic impacts of climate change on rural United States

Directly or indirectly, positively or negatively, climate change will affect all sectors and regions of the United States. The impacts, however, will not be homogenous across regions, sectors, population groups or time. The literature specifically related to how climate change will affect rural communities, their resilience, and adaptive capacity in the United States (U.S.) is scarce. This article bridges this knowledge gap through an extensive review of the current state of knowledge to make inferences about the rural communities vulnerability to climate change based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenarios. Our analysis shows that rural communities tend to be more vulnerable than their urban counterparts due to factors such as demography, occupations, earnings, literacy, poverty incidence, and dependency on government funds. Climate change impacts on rural communities differs across regions and economic sectors; some will likely benefit while others lose. Rural communities engaged in agricultural and forest related activities in the Northeast might benefit, while those in the Southwest and Southeast could face additional water stress and increased energy cost respectively. Developing adaptation and mitigation policy options geared towards reducing climatic vulnerability of rural communities is warranted. A set of regional and local studies is needed to delineate climate change impacts across rural and urban communities, and to develop appropriate policies to mitigate these impacts. Integrating research across disciplines, strengthening research-policy linkages, integrating ecosystem services while undertaking resource valuation, and expanding alternative energy sources, might also enhance coping capacity of rural communities in face of future climate change.     

我国鸟类特有种地理分布与气候要素关系的初步分析

分析了我国鸟类特有种与气候要素的关系. 结果表明:我国鸟类特有种中,分布区狭窄的有63种,分布区广泛的有8种,其中呈不连续分布的有38种,连续分布的有33种,留鸟有67种,候鸟有4种;大部分地区鸟类特有种丰富度较低,但在青海东南部、四川中部和西北部、甘肃南部等地区的丰富度较高;在93°E~121°E或26°N~39°N范围内鸟类特有种丰富度较高. 我国鸟类特有种分布受气候因素限制,年均气温过高或过低、年降水量过高或过低、过于干燥、辐照日数过长或过短等都将使鸟类特有种减少. 鸟类特有种的适宜气候可分为低温干燥、较高温湿度、高温高湿和中等温湿度等类型,但以低温干燥和中等温湿度型为主. 鸟类特有种丰富度与各气候要素相关系数较低,气候要素下丰富度变化呈抛物线型趋势,其中在年均气温为1~18 ℃,年降水量为500~1 300 mm的范围内丰富度较高.      

Effects of landscape complexity on farmland birds in the Baltic States

Data on birds occurring in farmland in the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were related to the spatial organisation of farmed habitats in three different agricultural landscape types. Species richness, abundance, and diversity of farmland bird communities, as well as abundance of the most frequently observed species were positively related to the number of residual non-cropped elements within farmland, the local mixture of annual crop and grass fields, and the variety of field types. The positive association of the species richness and abundance of the farmland bird community with richness in residual habitats and crops was most prominent in open landscapes. The results suggest that, by simplifying farmland structure and making it more homogenous, EU agricultural policies will have a detrimental effect on farmland bird populations in Eastern Europe. Ways of better targeting of the agri-environment schemes are suggested.     

内蒙古辉河国家级自然保护区湿地保护成效

为科学评估内蒙古辉河国家级自然保护区湿地保护成效,基于定量化、动态性和可操作性原则,构建了保护成效评估指标体系,并以保护区内湿地面积和水鸟多样性的动态监测结果为基础,对2004—2013年保护区湿地保护成效进行了研究. 结果表明:随着辉河国家级自然保护区管理局的组建以及对周边社区放牧和芦苇收割等管控力度的加强,近10 a来湿地保护效果良好,具体表现在保护区内湿地面积基本保持稳定(动态度指数为-0.178%),成片分布趋势增加(平均斑块面积增加53.44%),破碎化程度降低;此外,保护区内水鸟Shannon-Wiener多样性指数和Pielou均匀度指数均增加较为明显,分别增加83.53%和88.50%;物种丰富度和濒危水鸟数量也呈缓慢增加趋势. 构建的湿地保护成效评估指标体系能够在一定程度上反映自然保护区对湿地的管护效果,建议保护区管理局进一步加强气候因素、水鸟生境质量以及辉河上游湿地的监测工作,并依据当地气候变化情况适当补水.      

Colour change in a structural ornament is related to individual quality,parasites and mating patterns in the blue tit

Carry-over effects refer to processes that occur in one season and influence fitness in the following. In birds, two costly activities, namely reproduction and moult, are restricted to a small time window, and sometimes overlap. Thus, colour in newly moulted feathers is likely to be affected by the costs of reproduction. Using models of bird vision we investigated male colour change in a free-living population of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) in three sampling occasions: spring 1, winter and spring 2. We related crown, tail, breast and cheek feather colouration after the moult (winter) to the intensity of infections by blood parasites during reproduction (spring 1). In the following spring (spring 2), we explored mating patterns with respect to changes in feather colour (springs 1 vs. 2). Males that were less intensely infected by the malaria parasite Plasmodium while breeding showed purer white cheek feathers in winter, which may indicate higher feather quality. Increased brightness in the white cheek was associated with better body condition during reproduction. In the following season, males with brighter cheeks paired with females that had noticeably brighter cheek patches compared to the male’s previous mate. These results suggest that the conditions experienced during reproduction are likely to affect moult and thus feather colouration, at least in the white patch. High quality individuals may allocate resources efficiently during reproduction increasing future reproductive success through variation in mating patterns. Carry-over effects from reproduction might extend not only to the non-breeding phase, but also to the following breeding season.     

Breeding birds in short-rotation coppices on farmland in central Sweden—the importance of Salix height and adjacent habitats

Plantations of short-rotation coppice (SRC) have a potential for being a useful measure to stop the ongoing impoverishment of farmland biodiversity by increasing structural diversity, and decreasing cultivation intensity and use of pesticides in intensively managed farmland landscapes. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative importance of the structure of the plantation and composition of adjacent habitats for breeding birds in 41 SRCs (meansize±S.E.=9.4±1.6 ha). Mean number of species per ha in the SRCs was 2.8±0.3 species and there were more farmland birds (32 species, 808 territories) than forest birds (22 species, 400 territories). A major result of the present study was the strong influence of adjacent habitats on bird community composition (18 of 22 analysed species affected). There were large differences in bird communities between forest-bordered and open-bordered sites, but occurrence of residual habitats (i.e. other habitats than forest, pastures, shrub areas and arable fields) was also associated with occurrence of several species. The second factor of major importance for the bird fauna was the height of the plantations. Most species (14) were associated with tall plantations (>2 m), seven species were associated with plantations of intermediate (1–2 m) height, and six species were associated with plantations of low height (<1 m). A comparison of ecological traits between species classified as preferring SRC and species classified as avoiding SRC suggests that nest height was the only ecological character associated with a preference for Salix habitats, i.e. species with nests on the ground or in shrubs were more abundant in Salix habitats than in farmland landscapes in general. However, a broad spectrum of species was found in the SRCs and many of these seemed to be dependent on habitat features outside the plantations. Planting of Salix in intensively managed farmland plains will have positive effects on bird diversity by increasing the structural diversity of the landscape. In contrast, plantations on infields in forest-dominated landscapes will have negative effects, since the mosaic structure (i.e. mixture of open and forested habitats) positive for most farmland birds will disappear, and Salix plantations favour relatively few forest species. Additionally, Salix could be planted along sharp edges between coniferous plantations and open farmland in order to increase the complexity of the ecotone in intensively managed forest-farmland landscapes.     

Diverse migration strategies in hoopoes (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Upupa epops</Emphasis>) lead to weak spatial but strong temporal connectivity

The annual cycle of migrating birds is shaped by their seasonal movements between breeding and non-breeding sites. Studying how migratory populations are linked throughout the annual cycle—migratory connectivity, is crucial to understanding the population dynamics of migrating bird species. This requires the consideration not only of spatial scales as has been the main focus to date but also of temporal scales: only when both aspects are taken into account, the degree of migratory connectivity can be properly defined. We investigated the migration behaviour of hoopoes (Upupa epops) from four breeding populations across Europe and characterised migration routes to and from the breeding grounds, location of non-breeding sites and the timing of key migration events. Migration behaviour was found to vary both within and amongst populations, and even though the spatial migratory connectivity amongst the populations was weak, temporal connectivity was strong with differences in timing amongst populations, but consistent timing within populations. The combination of diverse migration routes within populations and co-occurrence on the non-breeding grounds between populations might promote exchange between breeding populations. As a result, it might make hoopoes and other migrating bird species with similar strategies more resilient to future habitat or climatic changes and stabilise population trends.     

Croppers to livestock keepers: livelihood transitions to 2050 in Africa due to climate change

The impacts of climate change are expected to be generally detrimental for agriculture in many parts of Africa. Overall, warming and drying may reduce crop yields by 10–20% to 2050, but there are places where losses are likely to be much more severe. Increasing frequencies of heat stress, drought and flooding events will result in yet further deleterious effects on crop and livestock productivity. There will be places in the coming decades where the livelihood strategies of rural people may need to change, to preserve food security and provide income-generating options. These are likely to include areas of Africa that are already marginal for crop production; as these become increasingly marginal, then livestock may provide an alternative to cropping. We carried out some analysis to identify areas in sub-Saharan Africa where such transitions might occur. For the currently cropped areas (which already include the highland areas where cropping intensity may increase in the future), we estimated probabilities of failed seasons for current climate conditions, and compared these with estimates obtained for future climate conditions in 2050, using downscaled climate model output for a higher and a lower greenhouse-gas emission scenario. Transition zones can be identified where the increased probabilities of failed seasons may induce shifts from cropping to increased dependence on livestock. These zones are characterised in terms of existing agricultural system, current livestock densities, and levels of poverty. The analysis provides further evidence that climate change impacts in the marginal cropping lands may be severe, where poverty rates are already high. Results also suggest that those likely to be more affected are already more poor, on average. We discuss the implications of these results in a research-for-development targeting context that is likely to see the poor disproportionately and negatively affected by climate change.     

Biodiversity,profitability, and vegetation structure in a Mexican coffee agroecosystem

We studied the relationships of bird and small mammal species richness, composition, and abundance to vegetation structure and economic profitability across a coffee intensification gradient in central Veracruz, Mexico. We conducted 2 years of point count censuses for summer resident birds, 2 years of Sherman live trapping for small mammals, and gathered vegetation structure data at 147 sampling points distributed over 16 sites spanning a cultivation intensification gradient. We calculated net annual revenue per hectare as an index of profitability from economic and management data collected during interviews with plantation owners/managers. Both the species richness and abundance of forest-affiliated birds were significantly greater in floristically and structurally diverse ‘bajo monte’ coffee and forest compared with commercial polyculture coffee, which was, in turn, significantly richer than statistically indistinguishable specialized shade and sun coffee. Mammal capture rates were extremely low at all but two sites. Forest bird species richness and abundance were explained by multiple linear regression models that included statistically significant effects of shade cover, percent of trees with epiphytes, and canopy height. We found no clear relationship between profitability and biodiversity, with biodiverse bajo monte coffee plantations ranking among the most profitable under all price scenarios. The high profitability of biodiverse bajo monte coffee systems was not dependent on the inclusion of long-term environmental costs or premium pricing systems. Our results demonstrate that high-biodiversity coffee cultivation can be compatible with high profitability, and has significant potential for conserving biodiversity in coffee-growing regions, but only as a substitute for low-biodiversity coffee cultivation, not forest.