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Occupancy-frequency distribution of birds in land-sharing and -sparing urban landscapes in Europe
Towards automation of national scale cropping pattern mapping by coupling Sentinel-1/2 data: A 10-m map of crop rotation systems for wheat in China
Will Brazilian City Dwellers Actively Engage in Urban Conservation? A Case Study with the Charismatic Neotropical Blue-and-Yellow Macaw (Ara ararauna)
The Blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna) is a charismatic and easily recognized species. While they are classified as being of “least concern” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, their populations are declining. In Brazil, the accelerated destruction of one of its key habitats, the Cerrado biome, is a principal cause of their decreasing abundance. As with other species affected by loss of the Cerrado, active conservation measures are required. While usually rare in urban ecosystems, Ara ararauna occurs and breeds in small numbers in the city of Rondonópolis, a medium-sized city located in Mato Grosso, Central-West Region of Brazil. Blue-and-yellow macaw pairs nest in the tops of dead palm trees, but as the macaws are nest-site limited and suitable dead trees are scarce in urban areas, the installation of artificial nest sites in domestic backyards could help that urban population to thrive. To investigate whether local people would be willing to engage with conservation efforts and in particular to support macaw conservation, we surveyed the attitudes of Rondonópolis residents to measure: (1) citizens’ preferences among the bird species that occur in the city; (2) the average area of their yards, and (3) the willingness of residents to: (a) plant fruit trees to attract macaws to their yards and (b) to install artificial nests in their yards. Larger and more colorful birds (Ara ararauna, the Red-and-green macaw Ara chloropterus and Toco Toucan Ramphastos toco) were the bird species most valued across all socio-economic groups, suggesting that the charismatic species would be more likely to be supported by urbanites. Overall, people had good biodiversity knowledge, with respondents being able to identify half of our sample of local bird species, on average, and almost half had seen a nest site. The great majority were willing to plant fruit trees (78%) and provide nest sites (70%) for macaws. This willingness to engage was not affected by socioeconomic differences. These data indicate that a municipal macaw conservation program could be successful in Rondonópolis, and we argue that macaws could be a flagship species which would benefit wider efforts to engage Brazilian urbanites in active engagement with nature.
Niche Overlap Between Two Sympatric Steppe Birds in Inner Mongolia: Habitat Selection and Insights for Conservation
ABSTRACTThe destruction and degradation of natural ecosystems is a major driver of biodiversity loss. The steppe ecosystem is under threat from human activities and habitat degradation. Fine‐scale breeding habitat selection is critical for the survival of steppe birds, but understanding the factors that drive this selection remains challenging. This study uses field point‐count surveys to examine factors influencing habitat selection and quantify niche overlap between two closely related steppe bird species: Jankowski's Bunting (Emberiza jankowskii) and Meadow Bunting (E. cioides) in Inner Mongolia, China. These species share similar ecological traits and overlapping habitats, making them ideal for exploring how fine‐scale habitat selection and resource differentiation enable coexistence despite ecological similarity. We use generalized linear models (GLMs) and niche modeling algorithms to analyze the data. The results reveal distinct habitat preferences at both local and landscape scales. Jankowski's Bunting favors areas with higher vegetation cover and height, while Meadow Bunting prefers sites with greater edge density. GLM results show non‐linear responses of both species to habitat variables, with distinct thresholds for optimal occurrence. Niche overlap analysis indicates considerable overlap (Schoener's D = 0.57), but significant differences in niche centroids suggest niche differentiation between the two species. Our findings emphasize the importance of considering fine‐scale habitat characteristics and non‐linear species –habitat relationships in conservation planning for steppe birds. Understanding how these species respond to habitat changes resulting from anthropogenic activities—such as land‐use conversion and agricultural intensification—can help tailor conservation efforts to mitigate negative impacts and promote species coexistence in sensitive habitats.
Mongolian Lark as an indicator of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of steppe birds
Gender differences in birding specialization from 25 countries: effects are large in skill/knowledge and minimal in commitment
Abstract This study investigates gender differences in birding specialization, a leisure activity characterized by three dimensions: skill/knowledge, behavior, and psychological commitment. We used data from a worldwide survey during December 19th 2020 and April 16th 2021 from 25 countries and psychometrically validated instruments. A total of 4006 people (2737 men, 1269 women; mean age 50.13 years, SD = 16.5) participated in the study. Meta-analytical tools were used to analyze the results. Men reported higher levels of skill/knowledge (effect size d = 0.75), behavior ( d = 0.43), and psychological commitment ( d = 0.18) than women. Gender-related differences in skill/knowledge correlated with gender equality indices, indicating that differences between men and women are large in more gender-equal societies. Gender-related behavioral differences reflect societal constraints on women’s leisure due to care responsibilities, while men’s higher skills could be related to competitive tendencies in birding. The results align with the “gender-equality paradox,” suggesting greater gender differences in contexts of higher societal equality. Recommendations for future research include considering initiation age of the leisure activity, lifetime leisure/recreational experience, and societal factors influencing gender-specific participation in cognitive leisure activities.
Urban birds' tolerance towards humans was largely unaffected by COVID-19 shutdown-induced variation in human presence
AbstractThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and respective shutdowns dramatically altered human activities, potentially changing human pressures on urban-dwelling animals. Here, we use such COVID-19-induced variation in human presence to evaluate, across multiple temporal scales, how urban birds from five countries changed their tolerance towards humans, measured as escape distance. We collected 6369 escape responses for 147 species and found that human numbers in parks at a given hour, day, week or year (before and during shutdowns) had a little effect on birds’ escape distances. All effects centered around zero, except for the actual human numbers during escape trial (hourly scale) that correlated negatively, albeit weakly, with escape distance. The results were similar across countries and most species. Our results highlight the resilience of birds to changes in human numbers on multiple temporal scales, the complexities of linking animal fear responses to human behavior, and the challenge of quantifying both simultaneously in situ.
Threshold Responses of Bird Communities to Human Footprint: Testing the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis and Implications for Biodiversity Conservation
ABSTRACT Human activities have profoundly altered natural ecosystems, driving widespread biodiversity declines. Birds serve as key environmental health indicators and exhibit high sensitivity to such changes. The Human Footprint Index (HFP) quantifies cumulative anthropogenic pressure, providing a robust framework to assess ecological responses to disturbance. We quantified species‐specific and community‐level thresholds in bird communities along an HFP gradient in northeastern Inner Mongolia using Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis (TITAN). Using piecewise regression, we analyzed HFP‐driven changes in species richness and Shannon diversity to test the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis (IDH)—predicting peak biodiversity at intermediate disturbance levels. Our results reveal a community threshold at HFP around 14, indicating a shift in community composition, with species‐specific thresholds ranging from 3.37 to 43.22. Species richness and Shannon diversity peak at intermediate HFP levels (around 23.5), supporting the IDH, but decline at higher levels. These findings highlight the complex interplay between human impact and biodiversity, emphasizing the need for conservation strategies that consider both community composition and overall diversity, whereas addressing potential extinction debts and the roles of species traits in vulnerability.
Disentangling the relative effects of semi-natural habitats within different landscape agricultural intensities on bird communities
Committed Bird-Watchers Gain Greater Psychological Restorative Benefits Compared to Those Less Committed Regardless of Expertise
Recognizing the importance of near-home contact with nature for mental well-being based on the COVID-19 lockdown experience
Opportunities and Limitations of Molecular Methods for Studying Bat-Associated Pathogens
Bats have been identified as reservoirs of zoonotic and potentially zoonotic pathogens. Significant progress was made in the field of molecular biology with regard to infectious diseases, especially those that infect more than one species. Molecular methods, sequencing and bioinformatics have recently become irreplaceable tools in emerging infectious diseases research and even outbreak prediction. Modern methods in the molecular biology field have shed more light on the unique relationship between bats and viruses. Here we provide readers with a concise summary of the potential and limitations of molecular methods for studying the ecology of bats and bat-related pathogens and microorganisms.
Using Scenarios for Reducing Uncertainties in Biodiversity Conservation: From Global Targets to European Steppes
ABSTRACTScenario analysis allows assessing how complex socio‐ecological systems might respond to different policy pathways. We used an expert‐based participatory approach to explore how four different European socio‐ecological scenarios could impact (1) the implementation of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM‐GBF) and (2) the achievement of priority conservation actions for safeguarding European steppe ecosystems. KM‐GBF targets were expected to be met only under the scenario with increased commitment for sustainable development goals and global cooperation, but hardly achievable under the most environment‐adverse and resource‐demanding scenarios. Integrating different views from these scenarios, we identified six overarching recommendations for the conservation of European steppe ecosystems, including improving public awareness, empowering local communities, and promoting the engagement of private companies into conservation planning. Our approach identifies how socioeconomic drivers influence the success of the KM‐GBF and the conservation of European steppes, providing a range of general conservation actions structured and prioritized to be effective under a wide range of likely future developments.
Mentoring akademicki w naukach przyrodniczych: potrzeby, wyzwania, perspektywy
Mentoring akademicki odgrywa kluczową rolę w rozwoju młodych naukowców, zwłaszcza w naukach przyrodniczych, gdzie oprócz wiedzy teoretycznej niezbędne są również kompetencje praktyczne i umiejętności miękkie. W artykule przedstawiono definicje, formy i filary mentoringu oraz jego znaczenie dla rozwoju kariery akademickiej. Analizując literaturę przedmiotu oraz konkretne programy mentoringowe z kraju i zagranicy, autorzy identyfikują wyzwania stojące przed instytucjami akademickimi, takie jak brak formalnego wsparcia, niewystarczające kompetencje interpersonalne mentorów oraz ograniczone finansowanie. Wskazano również potencjał mentoringu sieciowego i interdyscyplinarnego w kształtowaniu innowacyjnych ścieżek kariery oraz podkreślono znaczenie jego instytucjonalizacji w środowisku akademickim.
Phyllosphere bacterial communities in urban green areas throughout Europe relate to urban intensity
Abstract The phyllosphere harbours a diverse and specific bacterial community, which influences plant health and ecosystem functioning. In this study, we investigated the impact of urban green areas connectivity and size on the composition and diversity of phyllosphere bacterial communities. Hereto, we evaluated the diversity and composition of phyllosphere bacterial communities of 233 Platanus x acerifolia and Acer pseudoplatanus trees in 77 urban green areas throughout 6 European cities. The community composition and diversity significantly differed between cities but only to a limited extent between tree species. We could show that urban intensity correlated significantly with the community composition of phyllosphere bacteria. In particular, a significant correlation was found between the relative abundances for 29 out of the 50 most abundant families and the urban intensity: the abundances of classic phyllosphere families, such as Acetobacteraceae, Planctomycetes, and Beijerinkiaceae, decreased with urban intensity (i.e. more abundant in areas with more green, lower air pollution, and lower temperature), while those related to human activities, such as Enterobacteriaceae and Bacillaceae, increased with urban intensity. The results of this study suggest that phyllosphere bacterial communities in European cities are associated with urban intensity and that effect is mediated by several combined stress factors.
Jizz in birdwatching activity and clinical practice: how it works and why?
The world “jizz” is part of the language of birding in the English-speaking nations. It’s meaning is combination of characteristics which identify kind of a bird, but this characteristics may not be distinguished individually. Jizz is described as embodied way of seeing that instantaneously reveals the identity of a birds species, suspending the laborious and meticulous study of an diagnostic characteristics. In medicine there is an idea of “clinical intuition” - making judgments and clinical diagnoses without clear awareness of consecutive stages of reasoning. Intuitive decision making has been found in some cases to improve decisions and eventually lead into better performance than analytic deliberation. Can a certain sudden conclusions that appear in minds of both birdwatchers (about bird species) and medical doctors (established diagnosis), based on the use of an incomplete set of information, be accurate? And how we can use this similarity to understand process of formulating medical diagnoses? In this paper we discuss the phenomena of jizz and “clinical intuition” in the light of theory of brain as a tool of making predictions. According to this view the primary function of the brain is to make predictions about the word, rather than laborious analysis of the stimuli coming in from the environment at each successive moment. That theory according to us can explain both Jizz observed by birdwatchers and clinical intuition in medical practice.
