Nest stage, wind speed, and air temperature affect the nest defence behaviours of burrowing owls

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 707-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan J Fisher ◽  
Ray G Poulin ◽  
L Danielle Todd ◽  
R M Brigham
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Reproductive Investment ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Nest Defence ◽  
Athene Cunicularia ◽  
Burrowing Owls ◽  
Burrowing Owl ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
The Impact

The effect of nest stage on nest defence responses has been fairly well established but the impact of weather conditions has been largely ignored. We examined the effects of nest stage, number of previous visits, wind speed, and air temperature on burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia (Molina, 1782)) defence of nests from a human intruder. We found that burrowing owls changed nest defence tactics from retreat behaviour to more confrontational behaviour once eggs hatched. Aggressiveness was significantly reduced as wind velocity increased and when temperatures were warmer. We found no evidence for a change in owl defence behaviour with the number of previous visits to a nest. Although not statistically significant, there was a tendency for burrowing owls to allow closer approaches and to not retreat as far once eggs had hatched. Wind speed did not have an effect on retreat or approach distances, and owls allowed us to get significantly closer to the nest before retreating when air temperatures were warm. There are a multitude of factors that could affect nesting success and thus fitness of birds, but our study shows that routine climatic events such as warm weather had a measurable impact on how a bird defended its reproductive investment.

scholarly journals Dominant climatic factors driving annual runoff changes at the catchment scale across China

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 2573-2587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongwei Huang ◽  
Hanbo Yang ◽  
Dawen Yang
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Resource Planning ◽  
Annual Runoff ◽  
Net Radiation ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. With global climate changes intensifying, the hydrological response to climate changes has attracted more attention. It is beneficial not only for hydrology and ecology but also for water resource planning and management to understand the impact of climate change on runoff. In addition, there are large spatial variations in climate type and geographic characteristics across China. To gain a better understanding of the spatial variation of the response of runoff to changes in climatic factors and to detect the dominant climatic factors driving changes in annual runoff, we chose the climate elasticity method proposed by Yang and Yang (2011). It is shown that, in most catchments of China, increasing air temperature and relative humidity have negative impacts on runoff, while declining net radiation and wind speed have positive impacts on runoff, which slow the overall decline in runoff. The dominant climatic factors driving annual runoff are precipitation in most parts of China, net radiation mainly in some catchments of southern China, air temperature and wind speed mainly in some catchments in northern China.

scholarly journals Sea surface temperature variations in the south-eastern BalticSea in 1960–2015

Baltica ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktorija Rukšėnienė ◽  
Inga Dailidienė ◽  
Loreta Kelpšaitė-Rimkienė ◽  
Tarmo Soomere
Keyword(s):  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Sea Surface Temperature ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Joint Application ◽  
Open Sea ◽  
And Cluster Analysis

This study focuses on time scales and spatial variations of interrelations between average weather conditions and sea surface temperature (SST), and long-term changes in the SST in south-eastern Baltic Sea. The analysis relies on SST samples measured in situ four times a year in up to 17 open sea monitoring stations in Lithuanian waters in 1960–2015. A joint application of non-metric multi-dimensional scaling and cluster analysis reveals four distinct SST regimes and associated sub-regions in the study area. The increase in SST has occurred during both winter and summer seasons in 1960–2015 whereas the switch from relatively warm summer to colder autumn temperatures has been shifted by 4–6 weeks over this time in all sub-regions. The annual average air temperature and SST have increased by 0.03°C yr–1 and 0.02°C yr–1, respectively, from 1960 till 2015. These data are compared with air temperatures measured in coastal meteorological stations and averaged over time intervals from 1 to 9 weeks. Statistically significant positive correlation exists between the SST and the average air temperature. This correlation is strongest for the averaging interval of 35 days.

scholarly journals Heatwaves during low tide are critical for the physiological performance of intertidal macroalgae under global warming scenarios

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Román ◽  
Salvador Román ◽  
Elsa Vázquez ◽  
Jesús Troncoso ◽  
Celia Olabarria
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Sublethal Effects ◽  
Seawater Temperature ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Physiological Performance ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Cystoseira Tamariscifolia ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe abundance and distribution of intertidal canopy-forming macroalgae are threatened by the increase in sea surface temperature and in the frequency and intensity of heatwaves caused by global warming. This study evaluated the physiological response of predominant intertidal macroalgae in the NW Iberian Peninsula (Bifurcaria bifurcata, Cystoseira tamariscifolia and Codium tomentosum) to increased seawater temperature during immersion and increased air temperatures during consecutive emersion cycles. We combined field mensuration and laboratory experiments in which we measured mortality, growth, maximum quantum yield and C:N content of the macroalgae. Air temperature was a critical factor in determining physiological responses and survivorship of all species, whereas high seawater temperature had sublethal effects. Cystoseira tamariscifolia suffered the greatest decreases in Fv/Fm, growth and the highest mortality under higher air temperatures, whereas C. tomentosum was the most resistant and resilient species. Two consecutive cycles of emersion under atmospheric heatwaves caused cumulative stress in all three macroalgae, affecting the physiological performance and increasing the mortality. The potential expansion of the warm-temperate species B. bifurcata, C. tamariscifolia and C. tomentosum in the NW Iberian Peninsula in response to increasing seawater temperature may be affected by the impact of increased air temperature, especially in a region where the incidence of atmospheric heatwaves is expected to increase.

scholarly journals Exposure-Dependent Variations in Air Temperature and Humidity on the Moraine of the Aavatsmark Glacier (Nw Spitsbergen) in the Summer Season of 2010

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-75
Author(s):  
Andrzej Araźny ◽  
Rajmund Przybylak
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Active Surface ◽  
Summer Season ◽  
Lateral Moraine ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Temperature And Humidity ◽  
Surface Air Layer

Abstract The article presents results of research on the development of air temperature and relative humidity at a height of 5 cm above the active surface of the terminal lateral moraine of the Aavatsmark Glacier, relative to its exposure in the summer season of 2010. Variations in the two conditions were analysed for five measurement sites situated on northerly (SN), easterly (SE), southerly (SS) and westerly (SW) slopes, as well as on the flat top surface of the moraine (STop), in different weather conditions. The article also includes a temperature and humidity stratification in the near surface air layer (5-200 cm) above the moraine. The issues were investigated for mean values from the whole period of research, as well as for individual days demonstrating distinct degrees of cloudiness and wind speed.

scholarly journals The Impact of Infiltration on Heating Systems Dimensioning in Estonian Climate

2020 ◽  
Vol 172 ◽  
pp. 05004
Author(s):  
Raimo Simson ◽  
Taaniel Rebane ◽  
Martin Kiil ◽  
Martin Thalfeldt ◽  
Jarek Kurnitski
Keyword(s):  
Air Temperature ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Heat Losses ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
Heating Systems ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Calculation Models

In this study we analysed the climatic conditions for infiltration estimation, different calculation methods and infiltration impact on heat load for heating systems dimensioning. To determine the wind conditions at low air temperatures of the coastal- and inland climatic zones in Estonia, 42 years of climatic data for Tallinn and Tartu were investigated. Calculation models with detailed air leakages were constructed of a single and two-storey detached house using dynamic simulation software IDA ICE. Simulations were carried out with the constructed calculation models, simulating various wind and sheltering conditions to determine the heating load of the buildings under measured wind conditions at the design external air temperatures. The simulation results were compared with results calculated with European Standard EN 12831:2017, methodology given in the Estonian regulation for calculating energy performance of buildings and with simulations using the default settings in IDA ICE based on the ASHRAE design day conditions. The percentage of heat losses caused by infiltration was found as 13-16% of all heat losses for the studied buildings. Simulations with historical climate periods showed that even in windy weather conditions the heating system dimensioned by the methods analysed may not be able to provide the required indoor air temperature. Analysis using the coldest and windiest periods showed that when systems are dimensioned by the studied methods, the highest decline in indoor air temperature occurs on the windiest day and not on the coldest day. The impact of high wind speeds and low sheltering conditions resulted up to 50% of all heat losses.

scholarly journals Burrowing Owl (Athene Cunicularia) Population Genetics: A Comparison of North American Forms and Migratory Habits

The Auk ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 464-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole M. Korfanta ◽  
David B. McDonald ◽  
Travis C. Glenn
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Differentiation ◽  
North American ◽  
Habitat Structure ◽  
Gene Diversity ◽  
Athene Cunicularia ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
The West ◽  
Burrowing Owls ◽  
Burrowing Owl ◽  
Patchy Habitat

Abstract We assessed the effects of range disjunction, migratory habit, coloniality, and habitat structure on the genetic differentiation of North American Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) populations. Burrowing Owls in North America comprise two forms or subspecies: A. c. floridana in Florida, separated by ∼1,500 km from the western form, A. c. hypugaea, which ranges from Texas to California and north to southern Canada. Burrowing Owls tend to be loosely colonial, and both the Florida populations and southerly populations of A. c. hypugaea from California to Texas are nonmigratory. To assess genetic structure, we examined 201 individuals from nine western and six Florida populations at seven highly variable microsatellite DNA loci. Mean gene diversity (Hexp) was higher in the west than in Florida (0.539 and 0.341, respectively; P < 0.05). Populations within subspecies were essentially panmictic (A. c. floridana: θ = 0.038, ρ = 0.014; A. c. hypugaea: θ = 0.014, ρ = 0.009) and even genetic differentiation across subspecies was modest (θ = 0.051, ρ = 0.014). Nevertheless, the western and Florida forms were easily distinguished by any of several criteria, such as allelic absences in Florida, assignment tests, and well-supported branches on the inferred phylogenetic tree. Genetic differentiation was at least twice as great in resident Florida (θ = 0.038) and California (θ = 0.021) populations as in migratory western populations (θ = 0.012), though 95% confidence intervals of theta estimates overlapped. We found no evidence of a genetic bottleneck that would result in evolutionary disequilibrium within subspecies. In the west, high observed heterozygosity values and evidence of gene flow suggest that population declines and patchy habitat, which currently imperil this species throughout much of its range, have not led to inbreeding or biologically meaningful genetic differentiation among the sampled populations.

The Influence of Weather On Incubation Scheduling of the White-Rumped Sandpiper (Calidris Fuscicollis): a Uniparental Incubator in a Cold Environment

Behaviour ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 95 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 261-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert D. Montgomerie ◽  
Ralph V. Cantar
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythm ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Barometric Pressure ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Collective Effects ◽  
Incubation Behaviour ◽  
The Individual

AbstractWe studied the incubation scheduling of 8 white-rumped sandpipers (Calidris fuscicollis), a species in which only the female incubates. Because the female is small and nests in the high arctic, these birds are probably under more cold stress than birds nesting in the temperate zone. We examined the individual and collective effects of several weather variables on a female's incubation behaviour to ascertain what amount of the variability within a day was directly attributable to weather conditions. Birds made an average of 25.1 off-nest trips each day, averaging 10.5 min each. This resulted in spending, on average, 82.5% of their time incubating eggs. There was a clear within-day cycle in incubation scheduling; birds made more and longer trips in the middle of the day and, as a result, spent more total time off the nest in that period. Birds adjusted their hour-by-hour schedules to weather largely by altering the number of trips made, and less so by adjusting trip length. There was a circadian rhythm in recess time/h, explaining at least 11% of the variation in recess time/h. When the circadian rhythm was controlled statistically, weather accounted for an average of 38% of the explainable variation in recess time/h. The relative importance of each weather variable on the recess time/h was (in descending order of importance): wind speed, air temperature, solar radiation, barometric pressure, and relative humidity. Weather (primarily wind speed and temperature) exerted its strongest effects early and late in the bird's active day (0400-2300 h). On cold and windy days, birds increased the time spent on their nests early and late in the day, and made more trips than usual in the middle of the day, when air temperature was highest. We suggest that the incubation scheduling of these birds conformed to the long-term predictability of the daily weather cycle by following a circadian rhythm of behaviour modified by a response to concurrent weather that would have reduced egg cooling.

Towards Pedestrian Microclimatic Comfort: A Rapid Predication Model for Street Winds and Pedestrian Thermal Sensation

Nano LIFE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 08 (02) ◽  
pp. 1840006
Author(s):  
Jing Li ◽  
Mengnan Qi ◽  
Qiuhua Duan ◽  
Lei Huo ◽  
Julian Wang
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Outdoor Thermal Comfort ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
The Impact

Significant changes in the urban built environment have occurred due to rapid urbanization and increases in the urban population. Such alterations may produce environmental health-related issues such as urban heat stress, air pollution and traffic noise. This research undertook a field study to collect data including urban design parameters, micro-environmental factors and city climatic information. This work was conducted over a two-year period on three pedestrian streets located in high-density urban areas in Beijing. These areas were selected in order to study the influences of urban street canyon texture within a particular geometric layout, wind flow corridors and variations in air temperature on pedestrian microclimatic comfort. The results will facilitate the work of urban planners by providing them with information for use in improving outdoor thermal comfort through their designs. A total of 60[Formula: see text]485 samples were organized into training, validation and test sets. We confirmed our hypothesis that internal wind speed ([Formula: see text] is attributable mainly to the urban texture coefficient ([Formula: see text], air temperature ([Formula: see text] and leading-in wind speed ([Formula: see text]. The model was tested using the test data collected onsite, which demonstrated a very accurate goodness-of-fit; the model achieved an R-squared value of 0.82, which meant that [Formula: see text] as a dependent variable was 82% correlated to the three predictors as independent variables. With this computer simulation, urban planners can now predict and visualize the impact of changes on the built environment in terms of either the direction of solar radiation received or increases in wind speed, in return for the desired thermal comfort level for residents of the neighborhood.

scholarly journals The Impact of Site Extremes on the Onset of Phenological Phases of Selected Tree Species

2014 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1117-1124
Author(s):  
Jana Škvareninová
Keyword(s):  
Air Temperature ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Corylus Avellana ◽  
Extreme Conditions ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Phenological Phases

In the years 2007–2013 we performed phenological observations of common hazel (Corylus avellana L.), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.), and hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha L.) at two locations of central Slovakia situated at elevations of 300 m and 530 m a.s.l. The phenophase of first leaves of all tree species started in the second half of April on average, and was conditioned by the average daily air temperatures above 0 °C. The earliest onset was observed at both locations in 2007 due to the highest average air temperature during the observed period, which in March reached the value of 6.1 °C. Colouring of leaves started in the second and third decades of September. Both phenophases began earlier at the location situated at the higher elevation due to the effect of aspect, terrain, and soil depth. During the last 7 years, the average length of the growing season of tree species situated at an elevation of 300 m was from 136 to 152 days, in more extreme conditions at an elevation of 530 m the growing season was shorter by 12 days in the case of blackthorn and by 5 days in the case of hawthorn.

Investigation of the geographic origin of burrowing owl fleas with implications for the ecology of plague

The Auk ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kara A Navock ◽  
David H Johnson ◽  
Samantha Evans ◽  
Matthew J Kohn ◽  
James R Belthoff
Keyword(s):  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Geographic Origin ◽  
Breeding Ground ◽  
Athene Cunicularia ◽  
Wintering Grounds ◽  
Burrowing Owls ◽  
Burrowing Owl ◽  
Isotopic Compositions ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Host Parasite

ABSTRACT Host-parasite relationships between Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) and the fleas (Pulex irritans, Siphonaptera:Pulicidae) they harbor were studied to understand the extent to which migratory Burrowing Owls translocated fleas from wintering grounds to breeding grounds. This has implications for host-parasite relationships in Burrowing Owls and also potentially for the dynamics of plague, as Burrowing Owl distributions overlap plague foci, owls inhabit fossorial mammal colonies where epizootic outbreaks of plague occur, and owls may harbor species of flea that are competent plague vectors. We used hydrogen stable isotope analysis to help elucidate geographic origins of fleas collected from adults and nestlings in 2 migratory populations of Burrowing Owls in Idaho and Oregon, USA. For adults, we posited that bird-mediated dispersal would impart flea isotopic compositions representative of southern latitudes and be similar to owl toenail tissue recently grown on wintering grounds, but they would differ from contour feathers presumably grown on breeding grounds the previous year. We assumed nestling feathers and toenails would have isotopic compositions representative of the breeding grounds. We analyzed contour feathers and toenails from adults collected shortly after they arrived in breeding grounds following spring migration and from nestlings later in the breeding season, to which we compared isotopic compositions in fleas collected from individuals of both age classes. Fleas on nestlings in both populations had isotopic compositions that did not differ from nestling feathers and toenails, suggesting that nestling fleas had breeding ground origins. Fleas on adults in one population (Oregon) had breeding ground isotopic signatures, as flea compositions did not differ from nestling feathers or toenails. Adult owls in Idaho had fleas that similarly did not express a wintering ground signature, but they were enriched in the heavy isotope (deuterium) relative to nestling feathers and toenails. Therefore, we discuss the possibility that adult owls in Idaho acquired fleas at migratory stopover sites. While the latter indicates that Burrowing Owls have the potential to disperse fleas, there was no evidence of continent-wide movement of fleas by owls from wintering grounds to breeding grounds.

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