Colonisation of a site by despotic bell miners: dispersal, establishment and diversity influences of banded birds

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 84
Author(s):  
Kathryn T. A. Lambert ◽  
Alan Leishman
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
First Year ◽  
Botanic Garden ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Satin Bowerbird ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
A Site ◽  
Airport Site ◽  
Banding Study

The bell miner (Manorina melanophrys) is a despotic honeyeater. Little is known about permanent colonisation in this species. Our banding study aimed to document changes in species richness over time and capture the effect of a despotic species. Our study is the first to document individual movements that led to the establishment of two permanent breeding colonies over 22 years of banding. One site in the Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan where birds moved in, compared to Camden Airport where bell miners have been present since the mid-1950s. Over the first 12 years there were three short-term visits by small groups of bell miners into the Conservation Woodland Area, in the Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, for a maximum of three months. Retrapping of individuals showed that birds were first-year and older and travelled 2.1–4.2km. In 2016, both colonies contained over 120 birds and species richness changed, particularly of canopy-foraging species. At the Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, 18 bird species decreased in number, with three no longer present (F33,34=2.50, P=0.00). Two other species also colonised the area and 13 increased in number. Understorey species such as the satin bowerbird, the eastern spinebill and the superb fairy-wren increased significantly. Movements of 0.3–1.0km were also detected at the Camden Airport site. At Camden Airport, five species decreased in number and four species increased but species richness stayed the same. Interestingly, bell miners decreased in number. After a heat wave in Summer 2016/17, bell miner weights declined and the colony disappeared. No eucalypt defoliation was observed in November 2017. Understorey modifications occurred only in areas away from the study sites during this project, suggesting that weather and food resources are the main contributing factors to colony establishment and longevity.

The effects of tree age and tree species composition on bird species richness in a Central European montane forest

Biologia ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 70 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomáš Birčák ◽  
Jiří Reif
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Montane Forest ◽  
Tree Age ◽  
Tree Species Composition ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Study Sites

AbstractLarge areas of montane forests are commercially harvested, while some other parts remain unmanaged. These conditions provide an opportunity to study the response of bird communities to forest management. Here we focused on the effects of tree species composition and tree age on bird species richness. We counted birds in two types of montane forest (beech and mixed) replicated in three age classes (managed 55-65 years, managed 85-95 years, unmanaged over 200 years) in the Vtačnik Mountains, Slovakia. Number of bird species at individual study sites (local richness) was predicted solely by the tree age and not by the forest type. Specifically, the number of species was highest in the oldest stands, while the stands of 55-65 and 85-95 years did not differ from each other. By contrast, forest type seems important for total bird species richness (number of species recorded in all study sites of a given type) with more species recorded in mixed forests than in beech forests. The local richness seems thus limited by the amount resources available at a given site, which is highest in the oldest stands irrespective to forest type, probably due to largest amount of food, dead wood or tree cavities, being particularly suitable for habitat specialists. However, larger species pool in mixed forest, enriched by birds adapted to coniferous trees, increases the total number of species observed in this type. We thus recommend to shift the harvest to the highest possible age and to include some other tree species into parts of beech monocultures.

Taxonomic survey compared to ecological sampling: are the results consistent for woodland epiphytes?

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. ELLIS ◽  
B. J. COPPINS
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Statistical Treatment ◽  
Ecological Monitoring ◽  
Conservation Strategy ◽  
Habitat Dynamics ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Ecological Sampling ◽  
A Site ◽  
High Degree

AbstractField survey by a taxonomist or specialist biologist (‘taxonomic survey’) provides a comprehensive inventory of species in a habitat. Common and conspicuous species are rapidly recorded and search effort can be targeted to inconspicuous or rare species. However, the subjective nature of taxonomic survey limits its usefulness in ecological monitoring and analysis. In contrast, ‘ecological sampling’, focused on the standardized use of repeated sub-units such as quadrats, is designed to quantify the observational error of results, allowing for more robust statistical treatment. Nevertheless, the spatial extent of recording will be lower during ecological sampling, and rarities might be missed. Despite their differences, these two approaches are often assumed to be congruent for decision making. Taxonomic survey is commonly used to identify priority sites for conservation (including species-rich sites, or those with many rare/threatened species) while ecological sampling is used to design conservation strategy by relating species richness or composition to habitat dynamics. If these contrasting approaches are indeed congruent, then trends in species richness and community composition, detected by ecological sampling, will mirror the results of taxonomic survey so that management confidently protects the attributes for which a site was prioritized. This study performed both taxonomic survey and ecological sampling for lichen epiphytes in 13 woodland study sites in Scotland. To understand the procedure of taxonomic survey, fieldwork by a professional taxonomist was structured by effort into 15-minute time intervals. As expected, taxonomic survey discovered more species per site, while ecological sampling (allowing a measure of species frequency) resolved greater variation in community composition. However, the patterns of richness and species composition obtained from the different methods were correlated, suggesting an overall high degree of congruence in identifying and then managing priority sites. Furthermore, when exploring the taxonomic survey in detail, we found that a minimum effort of 45 minutes was required to accurately determine species richness differences among contrasting woodland sites.

scholarly journals Structure and Organization of Canopy Bird Assemblages in Central Amazonia

The Auk ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciano Nicolás Naka
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Feeding Guild ◽  
Bird Assemblages ◽  
Second Growth ◽  
Composition Structure ◽  
Study Sites

AbstractI analyzed the species composition, structure, and trophic organization of bird assemblages in the forest canopy around Manaus, Brazil. Using three canopy towers located in primary terra firme forests, I conducted 117 censuses over a 13 month period, recording 160 bird species. The three study sites had similar species richness (between 126 and 128 species), sharing 95 species in common, which accounted for >90% of all individual records. Most species recorded in the canopy (110) belonged to the core canopy avifauna. The other 50 species included migrants (13), species that feed overhead (8), species from lower strata (15), night birds (3), and vagrants or visitors from open areas and second-growth forests (11). Most of those species, however, appeared in very low numbers in the forest canopy, except understory frugivores, which regularly fed on canopy fruits. Among the migratory species were some Nearctic (6), Austral (3), and species probably holding both migratory and resident populations in the area (4). Additionally, I found evidence that two species of parrots perform seasonal movements, leaving the forest canopy around Manaus during the dry season. Frugivores dominated the canopy avifauna in abundance, but contradicting results reported from other Neotropical forest canopies, insectivores and frugivores had equal species richness. The canopy avifauna was highly homogeneous among sites in terms of species richness, distribution among abundance classes, and number of species in each feeding guild, habitat, and microhabitat. As in Costa Rica, the canopy avifauna of Manaus was mostly composed by typical canopy bird species, and not by edge-living species as reported from Panama. I suggest that habitat fragmentation may affect the bird community composition in the forest canopy, allowing a higher influx of opportunistic species.

Functional evenness of bird communities varies along the elevational gradient in Europe: Conservation implications

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Morelli ◽  
Yanina
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Elevation Gradient ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Breeding Bird ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Large Spatial Scale ◽  
Functional Evenness

ContextThe negative association between elevation and species richness is a well-recognized pattern in macro-ecology. ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate changes in functional evenness of breeding bird communities along an elevation gradient in Europe. MethodsUsing the bird data from the EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds we estimated an index of functional evenness which can be assumed as a measure of the potential resilience of communities.ResultsOur findings confirm the existence of a negative association between elevation and bird species richness in all European eco regions. However, we also explored a novel aspect of this relationship, important for conservation: Our findings provide evidence at large spatial scale of a negative association between the functional evenness (potential community resilience) and elevation, independent of the eco region. We also found that the Natura2000 protected areas covers the territory most in need of protection, those characterized by bird communities with low potential resilience, in hilly and mountainous areas.ConclusionsThese results draw attention to European areas occupied by bird communities characterized by a potential lower capacity to respond to strong ecological changes, and, therefore, potentially more exposed to risks for conservation.

Wing lengths of Clamorous Reed Warblers Acrocephalus stentoreus in Israel

Ring ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-92
Author(s):  
John Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Wing Length ◽  
First Year ◽  
Comparable Data ◽  
Reed Warbler ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Acrocephalus Scirpaceus ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
A Site ◽  
Made In ◽  
New Discovery

Wing lengths of Clamorous Reed Warblers Acrocephalus stentoreus in Israel Wing length measurements taken from first-year, pre- and post-moulting (annual, complete) Clamorous Reed Warblers were recorded at a site in northern Israel. The resulting data set was examined using a time-series of residuals (CUSUM). Results from this analysis can explain the reported heterogeneity found in a comparable data set by Merom et al. (1999). Further observations made in their paper are rebutted: (1) an implied assumption that Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) spring migration in Israel ends by 1 May is contrary to other publications; (2) the late autumn occurence in N Israel of longer-winged 1st cal. yr. Reed Warblers, unconvincingly explained as either delayed migration by larger individuals or post fledging feather growth, is most likely due to birds from different provenances origins moving at different seasons; (3) growth during adulthood in Reed Warbler is not a new discovery, though presented as such.

Nest cameras do not affect nest survival in a meadow-nesting shorebird

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
VOLKER SALEWSKI ◽  
LUIS SCHMIDT
Keyword(s):  
Nest Survival ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Survival Models ◽  
Northern Germany ◽  
Term Study ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Limosa Limosa ◽  
Study Sites

Summary Identifying the fate of birds’ nests and the causes of breeding failure is often crucial for the development of conservation strategies for threatened species. However, collecting these data by repeatedly visiting nests might itself contribute to nest failure or bias. To solve this dilemma, automatic cameras have increasingly been used as a time-efficient means for nest monitoring. Here, we consider whether the use of cameras itself may influence hatching success of nests of the Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa at two long-term study sites in northern Germany. Annually between 2013 and 2019, cameras were used to monitor godwit nests. In 2014 and 2019, nests were randomly equipped with cameras or not, and nest survival checked independently of the cameras. Nest-survival models indicated that survival probabilities varied between years, sites and with time of the season, but were unaffected by the presence of cameras. Even though predation is the main cause of hatching failure in our study system, we conclude that predators did not learn to associate cameras with food either when the cameras were initially installed or after they had been used for several years. Cameras were thus an effective and non-deleterious tool to collect data for conservation in this case. As other bird species may react differently to cameras at their nests, and as other sets of predators may differ in their ability to associate cameras with food, the effect of cameras on breeding success should be carefully monitored when they are used in a new study system.

scholarly journals Cross-sector pre-registration pharmacist placements in general practice in England: lessons from a national evaluation

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. i40-i41
Author(s):  
A Hindi ◽  
S Willis ◽  
S Jacobs ◽  
E Schafheutle
Keyword(s):  
General Practice ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Training Experience ◽  
Good Communication ◽  
Patient Pathways ◽  
Study Sites

Abstract Introduction In 2019/2020, the Pharmacy Integration Fund commissioned delivery of cross-sector pre-registration pharmacist training incorporating 3–6 month placements in general practice (GP). GP placements were managed by Health Education England (HEE) and organised as one (or more) blocks, or as spilt weeks/days across base sector (hospital/community) and GP. Trainees had a pharmacist tutor at base and in GP. Aim to evaluate the implementation of cross-sector pre-registration pharmacy placements in GP in England, and to identify barriers and enablers of a successful placement. Methods A qualitative approach was taken, with case study sites purposively sampled for maximum variation: pharmacy base (hospital/community), number of pre-registration pharmacist trainees in base doing GP placement, length of GP placement, organisation of GP placement and geographical location. With consent, trainees and tutors identified as meeting sampling criteria were emailed invitation letters and participant information sheets. Where the trainee and their tutor(s) agreed to participate, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted January - July 2020. Questions developed from literature(1, 2) and the HEE handbook were tailored to understanding trainees’ and tutors’ views on the implementation of pre-registration pharmacist placements in GP, including benefits, unintended consequences and impacts. Thematic analysis across sites was undertaken with a focus on exploring inter and intra group themes. Results Thirty-four interviews were completed in 11 study sites (5 GP/hospital; 6 GP/community pharmacy). Trainees and tutors considered GP placements had been successful. Contributing factors were: placement planning (induction, contingency arrangements for cover should GP tutor be unavailable); tutors working together (good communication and collaboration); GP tutor support (regular contact, reflection; identifying learning needs; opportunities for learning); integration of GP placements within training year (specific learning/training activities at base during GP placement); and GP tutors having backing of their organisation to supervise effectively. A lack of these impacted negatively. Trainees completed a wide spectrum of activities and gradually moved from administrative to clinical tasks. They built up confidence to undertake patient-facing activities, with more direct supervision at the beginning moving to indirect supervision using debriefing. Thirteen weeks in GP was considered an appropriate minimum duration by all trainees and tutors; those based in community felt that 26 weeks in GP provided more opportunities for clinical and consultation skills learning. Cross-sector experience facilitated a better understanding of patient pathways and the importance of holistic patient care. All trainees considered working in GP in future but highlighted the lack of a cross-sector GP foundation programme. Base tutors felt the time commitment was comparable to single sector placements. Base and GP tutors felt that a clear set of competencies for GP placements and a broader governance framework would ensure standards and consistency. Conclusion This is the first national evaluation of cross-sector pre-registration pharmacists in general practice placements in England. Sampling as case studies enabled data triangulation and generated a multi-faceted understanding on factors impacting GP placements. A key limitation was the volunteer bias associated with recruitment. Key attributes of a successful pre-registration cross-sector training experience are highlighted and can inform policy reforms including change from pre-registration to foundation year training. References 1. Gray N. Review of Experience of Pre-registration Pharmacist Placements in the General Practice Setting – Final Report. 2019. 2. Jee SD, Schafheutle EI, Noyce PR. Is pharmacist pre-registration training equitable and robust? Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning. 2019;9(3):347–58.

scholarly journals Diversity, Concentration and Dynamics of Culturable Fungal Bioaerosols at Doha, Qatar

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 182
Author(s):  
Raghdaa K. Fayad ◽  
Roda F. Al-Thani ◽  
Fatima A. Al-Naemi ◽  
Mohammed H. Abu-Dieyeh
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Gravimetric Method ◽  
Fungal Spore ◽  
Industrial Area ◽  
Airborne Fungi ◽  
Culture Collection ◽  
Colony Count ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Future Work

This research was conducted to investigate the dynamics of airborne fungi using viable culture collection and in respect to different abiotic variables, including seasonal and intra-diurnal variations. A gravimetric method was used to sample airborne fungal deposition on potato dextrose agar plates on alternate days, for a year between April 2015 to March 2016. From 176 settle plate exposures, a total of 1197 mould and 283 yeast colony-forming units (CFU), 21 genera and 62 species were retrieved. The highest fungal spore count was recorded in February 2016, whereas the lowest count occurred in August 2015. The main constituents of the fungal airspora were attributed to Cladosporium (60.2%), Aspergillus (10.4%), Fusarium (9.4%), Alternaria (8.5%), and Ganoderma spp. (2.3%). Temperature was negatively correlated with total colony count (r = −0.231, p ≤ 0.05) or species richness (r = −0.267, p ≤ 0.001), while wind speed was positively correlated with total colony count (r = 0.484, p ≤ 0.001) or species richness (r = 0.257, p ≤ −0.001). The highest dispersal of fungal spores was obtained at 18:00, whereas the lowest fungal spores release was recorded at 00:00 (midnight). There were no significant differences in species composition and richness of the airborne fungal population between two study sites, the Industrial area and Qatar University Campus. The count of Alternaria spp. and Fusarium spp. were significantly higher at the Industrial area site, which corresponds to a higher CO2 level than the Qatar University site. This study lays the foundation for future work to assess the implications of such aeromycological data on public health.

scholarly journals Patterns of bird species richness explained by annual variation in remotely sensed Dynamic Habitat Indices

2021 ◽  
Vol 127 ◽  
pp. 107774
Author(s):  
Martina L. Hobi ◽  
Laura S. Farwell ◽  
Maxim Dubinin ◽  
Dmitrij Kolesov ◽  
Anna M. Pidgeon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Annual Variation ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Dynamic Habitat

scholarly journals Can clearcuts increase bird species richness in managed forests?

2008 ◽  
Vol 54 (No. 4) ◽  
pp. 189-193
Author(s):  
M. Żmihorski
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
Managed Forests ◽  
Managed Forest ◽  
Bird Species Richness ◽  
Forest Interior ◽  
Transect Counts ◽  
The Difference

Clearcuts are one of the results of forest management. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of clearcuts on bird communities in a managed forest in Western Poland. I applied the method of point transect counts. 20 points were located near clearcuts (less than 100 m from the nearest clearcut) and 25 points in the forest interior. In total, 36 bird species were recorded. On average, I found 9.20 bird species at points located near clearcuts and 6.72 species at points situated in the forest interior, and the difference was significant. The cumulative number of bird species for a given number of sampling points in the vicinity of clearcuts was higher than in the forest interior. The obtained results indicate that in managed, even-aged forests the generation of clearcuts can lead to an increase in local bird species richness.

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