scholarly journals Prioritizing Green Spaces for Biodiversity Conservation in Beijing Based on Habitat Network Connectivity

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2042 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiyuan Lv ◽  
Jun Yang ◽  
Ben Wielstra ◽  
Jie Wei ◽  
Fei Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Urban Biodiversity ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Habitat Requirement ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Habitat Network ◽  
Habitat Patches ◽  
Open Habitat

Rapid urbanization results in changes in land use, biogeochemical cycles, climate, hydrosystems, and biodiversity. Policy-makers have formulated ecological protection measures to facilitate sustainable development. However, traditional conservation planning mainly focuses on protecting specific green spaces, with limited consideration of the connectivity among green spaces from a habitat network perspective. Using citizen science data and occupancy modelling, we predicted habitat suitability, built habitat networks and identified key habitat patches based on their contribution to the functional connectivity of the habitat network for three focal water, forest, and open-habitat bird species. Based on the habitat requirement, small waterbodies and intermediate forest and open-habitat cover facilitate preserving water, forest and open-habitat birds. In regards to the network analysis, we found that key habitat patches with a high conservation priority were generally characterized by a relatively large patch size and/or located at critical positions in the habitat network (at central positions in the habitat network, or near large patches). We suggest that key habitat patches in restricted built-up areas are converted to protected areas or are kept as cropland under future urban planning. We emphasize the usefulness of the focal species concept in urban biodiversity conservation. Our study offers conservation recommendations from a habitat network perspective for urban planners to safeguard urban biodiversity and ecosystem health.

scholarly journals Patterns of geographic distribution and conservation of the open-habitat avifauna of southeastern Brazilian mountaintops (campos rupestres and campos de altitude)

2010 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Ferreira de Vasconcelos ◽  
Marcos Rodrigues
Keyword(s):  
Geographic Distribution ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Vegetation Types ◽  
Campos Rupestres ◽  
Espinhaço Range ◽  
Serra Do Mar ◽  
Campos De Altitude ◽  
Open Habitat ◽  
Analysis And Synthesis

Montane open-habitats of southeastern Brazil are represented by the campos rupestres (principally in the Espinhaço Range) and by the campos de altitude (in the Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira). In spite of the occurrence of endemic species in both vegetation types, an analysis and synthesis of their bird communities have never been conducted. In this paper, we present an avifaunal survey of these areas, describe patterns of geographic distribution, and comment on the conservation of those open-habitats and their avifauna. A total of 231 bird species was recorded in the open-habitats of southeastern Brazilian mountaintops. In the campos rupestres, 205 species were recorded, while in the campos de altitude, the total was 123 species. Five patterns of distribution are recognizable among birds occurring in these habitats: non-endemic (191 species), Atlantic Forest endemics (26 species), Cerrado endemics (6 species), Caatinga endemic (1 species), and montane open-habitat endemics (7 species). In spite of the presence of several protected areas in those regions, the existing reserves do not guarantee the conservation of their important vegetation types and their avifaunas under current low levels of implementation. Since several endemic and threatened bird species live in the campos rupestres and campos de altitude, more efforts must be directed for their conservation.

scholarly journals Use of Citizen Science Data for Characterizing Patterns and Drivers of Avian Altitudinal Migration

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei-Yu Tsai ◽  
Chie-Jen Ko ◽  
Ya-Jung Lu ◽  
Chia Hsieh ◽  
Mao-Ning Tuanmu
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Global Analysis ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Migration Behavior ◽  
Mountain Regions ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Altitudinal Migration

Altitudinal migration, the seasonal and repeateing movement of animal individuals between breeding and non-breeding areas at different elevations, is a common and important but understudied behavior in birds. Difficulty in characterizing avian altitudinal migration has prevented a comprehensive understanding of both patterns and drivers of this behavior. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated altitudinal migration patterns and underlying mechanisms for a major proportion (~70%) of an entire resident bird community on a subtropical island with an almost 4000-m elevational gradient. We quantified migration tendency of individual bird species based on the seasonal shift in the elevational distribution of their occurrence records in the eBird database. We then built phylogeny-controlled regression models to examine the associations between the birds’ migration tendencies and their functional traits to test major hypotheses on the mechanisms of altitudinal migration. The results showed a common but variable altitudinal migration behavior among the 118 species examined, with 40 and 11 species conducting post-breeding downhill and uphill migration, respectively. The species that have a narrower thermal tolerance range, can tolerate lower temperatures, have a smaller body size, have a more diverse or invertebrate-rich diet, or use an open nest had a higher downhill migration tendency. In contrast, no traits examined showed consistent associations with the uphill migration tendency. This suggests that post-breeding downhill and uphill migrations are driven by different processes and current hypotheses can only explain the former, but not the latter. This relatively comprehensive study demonstrated the power of citizen science data to provide new insights into an old research question from a novel perspective. Using the same approach, we are investigating the behavior in mountain regions around the world. With the global analysis, we will be able to understand the general patterns and mechanisms of avian altitudinal migration and also investigate their variation among mountain regions in different climate zones. In the face of rapid environmental changes in mountain ecosystems, the approach used in this study may also provide essential information for the conservation of mountainous biodiversity.

scholarly journals A Research Agenda for Urban Biodiversity in the Global Extinction Crisis

BioScience ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonja Knapp ◽  
Myla F J Aronson ◽  
Ela Carpenter ◽  
Adriana Herrera-Montes ◽  
Kirsten Jung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Urban Biodiversity ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Research Education ◽  
Biodiversity Research ◽  
Service Relationships ◽  
Global Extinction ◽  
Underlying Processes

Abstract Rapid urbanization and the global loss of biodiversity necessitate the development of a research agenda that addresses knowledge gaps in urban ecology that will inform policy, management, and conservation. To advance this goal, we present six topics to pursue in urban biodiversity research: the socioeconomic and social–ecological drivers of biodiversity loss versus gain of biodiversity; the response of biodiversity to technological change; biodiversity–ecosystem service relationships; urban areas as refugia for biodiversity; spatiotemporal dynamics of species, community changes, and underlying processes; and ecological networks. We discuss overarching considerations and offer a set of questions to inspire and support urban biodiversity research. In parallel, we advocate for communication and collaboration across many fields and disciplines in order to build capacity for urban biodiversity research, education, and practice. Taken together we note that urban areas will play an important role in addressing the global extinction crisis.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Green Spaces in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region in the Past 20 Years

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huaizhi Tang ◽  
Wenping Liu ◽  
Wenju Yun
Keyword(s):  
Green Space ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Mountainous Areas ◽  
Accurate Identification ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
The Past ◽  
Spatiotemporal Changes ◽  
Elevation Data ◽  
Peripheral Areas

Rapid urbanization has caused the reduction of green spaces in most cities, disrupting the structure and process of urban and rural ecosystems. The accurate identification of spatiotemporal changes in green spaces is important to delineate future management and planning. We investigated green space types of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region in 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, and 2015 based on the elevation data and land use/cover for those years. Spatiotemporal changes in these identified green spaces between 1995 and 2015 were evaluated as well as the spatial hotspots of disappeared and unstable green patches. The results indicate that the cultivated land in plains and forests and cultivated land in medium-high mountainous areas were the main green space types in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region during the period from 1995 to 2015. A large number of green spaces, in particular cultivated lands, in the peripheral areas of big cities were replaced by construction sites over the past 20 years. Hotspots of unstable green spaces were mainly distributed in the western and northern mountainous areas of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region, where green spaces changed from one type to another. These findings provide an important reference for the management and planning of land and green spaces towards an integrative and collaborative development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

scholarly journals Characterizing the cultural niches of North American birds

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (22) ◽  
pp. 10868-10873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin G. Schuetz ◽  
Alison Johnston
Keyword(s):  
Public Interest ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Species Traits ◽  
The United States ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Bird Conservation ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Biodiversity Crisis ◽  
Bird Feeders ◽  
Migratory Strategy

Efforts to mitigate the current biodiversity crisis require a better understanding of how and why humans value other species. We use Internet query data and citizen science data to characterize public interest in 621 bird species across the United States. We estimate the relative popularity of different birds by quantifying how frequently people use Google to search for species, relative to the rates at which they are encountered in the environment. In intraspecific analyses, we also quantify the degree to which Google searches are limited to, or extend beyond, the places in which people encounter each species. The resulting metrics of popularity and geographic specificity of interest allow us to define aspects of relationships between people and birds within a cultural niche space. We then estimate the influence of species traits and socially constructed labels on niche positions to assess the importance of observations and ideas in shaping public interest in birds. Our analyses show clear effects of migratory strategy, color, degree of association with bird feeders, and, especially, body size on niche position. They also indicate that cultural labels, including “endangered,” “introduced,” and, especially, “team mascot,” are strongly associated with the magnitude and geographic specificity of public interest in birds. Our results provide a framework for exploring complex relationships between humans and other species and enable more informed decision-making across diverse bird conservation strategies and goals.

scholarly journals Obtaining New Insights for Biodiversity Conservation from Broad-Scale Citizen Science Data

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Kelling ◽  
Daniel Fink ◽  
Wesley Hochachka ◽  
Marshall Iliff ◽  
Brian Sullivan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Broad Scale

scholarly journals Exotic parrots breeding in urban tree cavities: nesting requirements, geographic distribution, and potential impacts on cavity nesting birds in southeast Florida

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua M. Diamond ◽  
Michael S. Ross
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Geographic Distribution ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Interference Competition ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Inspection System ◽  
Dade County ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Tree Cavities ◽  
Cavity Nesting

Abstract Background Exotic parrots have established breeding populations in southeast Florida, including several species that nest in tree cavities. We aimed to determine the species identity, nest site requirements, relative nest abundance, geographic distribution, and interactions of parrots with native cavity-nesting bird species. Methods We searched Miami-Dade County, Florida, and nearby areas for natural cavities and holes excavated by woodpeckers, recording attributes of potential nest trees. We inspected all cavities with an elevated video inspection system to determine occupancy by parrots or other birds. We mapped nearly 4000 citizen science observations of parrots in our study area corresponding to our study period, and used these to construct range maps, comparing them to our nesting observations. Results Not all parrots reported or observed in our study area were actively breeding. Some parrots were observed at tree cavities, which previous studies have suggested is evidence of reproduction, but our inspections with an elevated video inspection system suggest they never initiated nesting attempts. Several parrot species did successfully nest in tree cavities, Red-masked Parakeets (Psittacara erythrogenys) and Orange-winged Parrots (Amazona amazonica) being the most common (n = 7 and 6 nests, respectively). These two parrots had similar nesting requirements, but Orange-winged Parrots use nests with larger entrance holes, which they often enlarge. Geographic analysis of nests combined with citizen science data indicate that parrots are limited to developed areas. The most common parrots were less abundant cavity nesters than the native birds which persist in Miami’s urban areas, and far less abundant than the invasive European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Conclusions Exotic parrots breeding elsewhere in the world have harmed native cavity-nesting birds through interference competition, but competitive interference in southeast Florida is minimized by the urban affinities of parrots in this region. The relative abundance and geographic distribution suggest that these parrots are unlikely to invade adjacent wilderness areas.

Conservation of Urban Biodiversity Under Climate Change: Climate-Smart Management for Chicago Green Spaces

2015 ◽  
pp. 277-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail Derby Lewis ◽  
Robert K. Moseley ◽  
Kimberly R. Hall ◽  
Jessica J. Hellmann
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Urban Biodiversity ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Change Climate
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