scholarly journals Prey, management and landscape requirements of an endangered population of the Woodlark Lullula arborea in Southwest Germany

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Verena Rösch ◽  
Pascal Aloisio ◽  
Martin H. Entling
Keyword(s):  
Food Resource ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Main Food ◽  
Vegetation Height ◽  
Endangered Population ◽  
Rhine Valley ◽  
Territory Selection ◽  
Main Food Source ◽  
Upper Rhine

AbstractVineyards can be valuable habitats for biodiversity conservation. For example, in Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany) over a third of the state’s critically endangered Woodlark (Lullula arborea) population breeds in vineyards along the western margin of the Upper Rhine Valley. We here aim to elucidate how local ground cover management, food availability and the proximity to settlements affect territory selection by this bird species in the region. As climate, site conditions and management differ greatly from more continental or Mediterranean wine-growing areas, conditions for Woodlark conservation may differ as well.We compared 26 Woodlark territories in vineyards with 26 nearby reference areas from which Woodlarks were absent. We recorded vineyard ground cover in the inter-rows (% cover) as well as vegetation height and composition (forbs vs. grasses). Arthropods were sampled using pitfall traps, since they are the main food resource of Woodlarks during the breeding season. In addition, the distance to built-up areas was measured. The vegetation in Woodlark territories was shorter (mean 14.2 vs. 19.6 cm) and more dominated by forbs (39% vs. 27% cover) than in absence areas. The vegetation cover in the inter-rows had no effect on Woodlark territory presence or absence. Woodlarks also favoured areas with a higher abundance of arthropods (mean abundance 69.1 vs. 57.5) and a greater distance to built-up areas (mean distance 554 vs. 373 m). We conclude that to promote the Woodlark in wine-growing areas, short, forb-rich swards should be created, facilitating arthropod detectability. This is likely to require low levels of nitrogen fertilization since fertilizers favour tall-growing grasses that outcompete forbs. Pesticide applications should be kept at a minimum to enhance arthropods as the main food source for Woodlarks and their chicks. In addition, the expansion of settlements into breeding areas of Woodlarks should be avoided.

scholarly journals Predicting the Future Distribution of Ara rubrogenys, an Endemic Endangered Bird Species of the Andes, Taking into Account Trophic Interactions

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Alain Hambuckers ◽  
Simon de Harenne ◽  
Eberth Rocha Ledezma ◽  
Lilian Zúñiga Zeballos ◽  
Louis François
Keyword(s):  
Food Resource ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Plant Resources ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Vegetation Models ◽  
Fertilizing Effect ◽  
The Impact

Species distribution models (SDMs) are commonly used with climate only to predict animal distribution changes. This approach however neglects the evolution of other components of the niche, like food resource availability. SDMs are also commonly used with plants. This also suffers limitations, notably an inability to capture the fertilizing effect of the rising CO2 concentration strengthening resilience to water stress. Alternatively, process-based dynamic vegetation models (DVMs) respond to CO2 concentration. To test the impact of the plant modelling method to model plant resources of animals, we studied the distribution of a Bolivian macaw, assuming that, under future climate, DVMs produce more conservative results than SDMs. We modelled the bird with an SDM driven by climate. For the plant, we used SDMs or a DVM. Under future climates, the macaw SDM showed increased probabilities of presence over the area of distribution and connected range extensions. For plants, SDMs did not forecast overall response. By contrast, the DVM produced increases of productivity, occupancy and diversity, also towards higher altitudes. The results offered positive perspectives for the macaw, more optimistic with the DVM than with the SDMs, than initially assumed. Nevertheless, major common threats remain, challenging the short-term survival of the macaw.

scholarly journals Fruiting phenology and consumption by birds in Ficus calyptroceras (Miq.) Miq. (Moraceae)

2002 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 339-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. RAGUSA-NETTO
Keyword(s):  
Food Resource ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Frugivorous Birds ◽  
Fruiting Phenology ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
Seed Dispersers ◽  
Wet And Dry Seasons

Figs are a remarkable food resource to frugivores, mainly in periods of general fruit scarcity. Ficus calyptroceras Miq. (Moraceae) is the only fig species in a type of dry forest in western Brazil. In this study I examined the fruiting pattern as well as fig consumption by birds in F. calyptroceras. Although rainfall was highly seasonal, fruiting was aseasonal, since the monthly proportion of fruiting trees ranged from 4% to 14% (N = 50 trees). I recorded 22 bird species feeding on figs. In the wet season 20 bird species ate figs, while in the dry season 13 did. Parrots were the most important consumers. This group removed 72% and 40% of the figs consumed in the wet and dry seasons, respectively. No bird species increases fig consumption from dry to wet season. However, a group of bird species assumed as seed dispersers largely increases fig consumption from wet to dry season, suggesting the importance of this resource in the period of fruit scarcity. The results of this study points out the remarkable role that F. calyptroceras plays to frugivorous birds, in such a dry forest, since its fruits were widely consumed and were available all year round.

Changes in the Triterpenoid Content of Cuticular Waxes during Fruit Ripening of Eight Grape (Vitis vinifera) Cultivars Grown in the Upper Rhine Valley

2014 ◽  
Vol 62 (32) ◽  
pp. 7998-8007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flora Pensec ◽  
Cezary Pączkowski ◽  
Marta Grabarczyk ◽  
Agnieszka Woźniak ◽  
Mélanie Bénard-Gellon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitis Vinifera ◽  
Fruit Ripening ◽  
Cuticular Waxes ◽  
Rhine Valley ◽  
Upper Rhine

scholarly journals Supplementary material to "Composition and origin of PM<sub>2.5</sub> aerosol particles in the upper Rhine valley in summer"

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoli Shen ◽  
Heike Vogel ◽  
Bernhard Vogel ◽  
Wei Huang ◽  
Claudia Mohr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Supplementary Material ◽  
Rhine Valley ◽  
Upper Rhine

scholarly journals Feeding habits of Chironomid larvae (Insecta: Diptera) from a stream in the Floresta da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

2003 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Henriques-Oliveira ◽  
J. L. Nessimian ◽  
L. F. M. Dorvillé
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Particulate Organic Matter ◽  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Chironomid Larvae ◽  
Main Food ◽  
Animal Remains ◽  
Aquatic Food ◽  
Main Food Source

Chironomids larvae are frequently one of the most abundant and diverse groups of insects in several kinds of aquatic environments. Also, they play a major role in the aquatic food webs, representing a major link among producers and secondary consumers. This work investigates the feeding behavior of the chironomid larvae present in the Rio da Fazenda, situated in the Parque Nacional da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between August 1994 and May 1995. Algae, fungi, pollen, leaf and wood fragments, animal remains, detritus and silt were the main gut contents found in the larvae studied. The main food item ingested by the larvae was detritus, except for the Stenochironomus whose main food source was leaf and wood fragments. Tanypodinae exhibited a large quantity of animal remains of several kinds in the diet. During the period studied it was observed that the diet of 16 genera (out of 24 studied) varied. Tanypodinae had mainly coarse particulate organic matter (> 1 mm) in the gut contents, while Chironominae and Orthocladiinae had fine particulate organic matter (< 1 mm).

scholarly journals Aquatic insects as the main food resource of fish the community in a Neotropical reservoir

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 701-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Paula Vidotto-Magnoni ◽  
Edmir Daniel Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Aquatic Insects ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Gravimetric Method ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Food Resources ◽  
Food Category ◽  
Main Food ◽  
Tietê River ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Terrestrial Insects

We evaluated the feeding of fish species of the Nova Avanhandava Reservoir, low Tietê River, São Paulo State, Brazil. Fishes were collected in two stretches of the reservoir: Santa Bárbara (14 samples) and Bonito (two samples) between September 2002 and March 2004, using gill and seining nets. The results of stomach contents analysis were expressed with the frequency of occurrence and gravimetric method, combined in the Alimentary Index (AI). The 20 species studied consumed 52 food items, grouped in 10 food categories: aquatic insects, terrestrial insects, crustaceans, fish, macroinvertebrates, microcrustaceans, algae, vegetal matter, detritus/sediment and scales. The aquatic insects (mainly Chironomidae, Odonata and Ephemeroptera) were the most common food resources, consumed by 18 species. The diet composition of the community (species grouped) indicated that the dominant food category in the diet of fishes was aquatic insects (AI = 77.6%), followed by crustaceans (AI = 7.1%). Four trophic guilds were identified according a cluster analysis (Pearson distance): insectivorous (10 species), omnivorous (4 species), detritivorous (3 species) and piscivorous/carcinophagous (3 species). Despite the highest number of species, the insectivorous guild was responsible for more than 80% in captures in number and biomass (CPUEn and CPUEb). The low values of niche breadth presented by all species, along with the low values of diet overlap between species pairs indicate a high degree of food resources partitioning among species. The aquatic insects, despite being the main food resource of insectivorous fishes, also complemented the diet of other species, which demonstrate the importance of this food resource for the fish community, sustaining a high diversity, abundance and biomass of fishes.

Analysis of an Instaneous Census Method for Heathland Birds

1983 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 521 ◽  
Author(s):  
GH Pyke
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Distribution ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Vegetation Height ◽  
Time Of Year

Birds were censused from the top of a 2.5-m ladder positioned at the centre of circles of radius 20 m. Every 1 min the observer visually scanned one half of a circle, recording the identity of and the distance to every bird seen. This procedure was carried out for about eight scans and then repeated for the complementary semicircle. Birds tended to be repulsed from the observer and/or ladder. Consequently the census method cannot be used to estimate absolute densities. However, the frequency distribution of bird-observer distances was found to be independent of time of day, time of year, and bird species. The method can, therefore, be used at a particular location to compare different bird species and different times. Vegetation height affected the frequency distribution of bird-observer distances and so the method cannot provide accurate comparisons of bird densities in different areas. Fewer birds were seen per scan when the census was carried out 4-6 h after sunrise. The two observers in the study saw the same average number of birds per scan.

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