北京市麻雀体质水平沿城市化梯度的变化

麻雀是城市和乡村均有分布的鸟类物种.快速的城市化正在使城市麻雀的栖息地和食物资源大量减少.以北京市为例,研究了麻雀的体质水平沿城市化梯度的变化,以期为我国城市化过程中的鸟类保护提供参考.研究结果表明城市高层楼房居民区、低层楼房居民区以及大学校园中麻雀的体质指数显著低于郊区环境,而城市公园和平房居民区麻雀的体质水平则与郊区环境的差异较小.随采样点城市化水平的增加,麻雀的体质水平呈下降趋势,高度城市化的环境导致麻雀的体质水平下降.在城市化过程中,增加城市公园的数量及居民区的植被覆盖量可为麻雀等鸟类提供必要的生活资源,从而实现城市化过程中的生物多样性保护.     

不同针阔树种造林比例下小兴安岭森林景观的动态模拟

采用空间直观森林景观模型（LANDIS）模拟了不同针、阔树种造林比例（P1,100%阔叶树;P2,70%阔叶树、30%针叶树;P3,50%阔叶树、50%针叶树;P4,30%阔叶树、70%针叶树;P5,100%针叶树）和采伐后完全依赖天然更新（P6）6种预案下2001—2201年小兴安岭友好林业局森林景观的动态变化.结果表明：人工更新造林措施可以有效地促进研究区森林资源的恢复,但单一营造针叶树的预案会使其阔叶树的面积百分比低于P6预案,而单一地营造阔叶树会导致该预案下针叶树的面积百分比低于P6预案;随着针叶树种造林比例的增加,针叶树（红松和落叶松）所占面积比例随之增加;随着阔叶树种造林比例的增加,阔叶树（蒙古栎）所占面积亦随之增加;人工更新造林措施减少了研究区白桦的分布面积.不同的造林措施不仅改变树种所占的面积百分比,还影响其空间格局：随着针叶树种造林比例的增加,针叶树（红松和落叶松）的聚集度指数随之增加;随着阔叶树种造林比例的增加,阔叶树（蒙古栎）的聚集度指数随之增加;人工更新造林措施对白桦的聚集度指数无明显影响.     

崇明东滩鸟类栖息地优化区越冬水鸟的栖息地利用及影响因子

阐明水鸟栖息地利用与环境因子的关系有助于制定针对性的水鸟保护对策。本研究在2012~2013年冬季对崇明东滩鸟类栖息地优化区内越冬水鸟的种类、数量以及6种环境因子(植被面积比例、裸地面积比例、水深、地形变异、栖息地结构多样性和干扰)进行调查,以了解水鸟对人工湿地的栖息地利用及其影响因子。野外调查共记录到水鸟24种9 018只,其中优势种为斑嘴鸭(Anas poecilorhyncha)和绿头鸭(A.platyrhynchos);栖息地优化区内水鸟休息的个体数量占总数量的79.2%,这表明优化区是大多数水鸟的休息地,而小(Tachybaptus ruficollis)、白骨顶(Fulica atra)、黑水鸡(Gallinula chloropus)、白琵鹭(Platalea leucorodia)和黑脸琵鹭(P.minor)的觅食个体数量超过60%,说明优化区也为这些鸟类提供了觅食地。逐步回归分析表明,裸地面积比例是影响越冬水鸟种类分布的最主要因子;尽管游禽在地形变异较大、植被面积比例较低的区域数量较多,但在休息时游禽更偏好于裸地面积比例较高的区域,而涉禽休息时偏好于地形变异较大的区域。为增加栖息地优化区内的水鸟多样性,建议在优化区内种植水鸟可食的沉水植物以增加水鸟的食物资源,同时增加裸地面积比例和地形变异程度,更好地为水鸟提供栖息地。     

海南鳽巢址选择的初步调查

1998～2004年6月,对海南鳽(Gorsachius magnificus)的4个巢址进行了研究。研究结果表明,靠近水源、具有一定坡度的高大阔叶林或针阔混交林的水域湿地、山、林环境因子组合的栖息地对海南鳽的巢址选择具有较高的适合程度。水域湿地有利于亲鸟寻找和获得充足的食物,保证雏鸟的生长需要;巢址多选择在坡度大于50。的山坡上。海南鳽对巢树的种类选择似乎不太严格,但可能对巢树和周围植被的物理性状有一定的要求。以高大、枝桠较多、枝叶繁茂的阔叶树或针叶树为特征,筑巢于阔叶林或针阔混交林中,植被覆盖度一般在80％以上,保证巢的稳固性及隐蔽性,以达到保护巢窝的目的。     

为城市穿绿衣──无土活动草毡的畅想

众所周知,改善城市环境的最有效办法是城市建设与城市绿化同步。然而按照环境专家的观点,只有当城市的绿化面积达到40％以上时,植被才能真正起到消除大部分污染物,保护城市环境的作用。但是在城市化进程日益加快的今天,在寸土寸金的城市里,拿出近一半的土地来种植花草树木意味着多大的经济代价？况且大量土地用于绿化,会使城市变得更加庞大而松散,严重消弱城市现有的功能。如果说工业革命时期由于大量农村人口涌入城市,城市人均居住面积严重不足而引起了城市住房由平房向楼房的革命的话,那么在城市污染日趋严重,城市绿地面积严重…     

京津冀地区城市化对植被覆盖度及景观格局的影响

定量研究了2000—2010年,京津冀地区植被覆盖度及其景观格局的动态变化,揭示了城市化进程对植被景观的干扰过程及生态质量的影响。结果表明:(1)2000—2010年,城市化进程显著是京津冀城市群土地变化的一大特点,人工表面面积从2000年的1.79×10~4km~2增加至2.16×10~4km~2,增幅高达21.16%;(2)京津冀平均植被覆盖度呈增加趋势但不显著(P=0.46),存在明显的时空动态差异。在覆盖度结构上形成了以中低和中植被覆盖度为主导的格局;(3)从景观空间格局变化来看,中低、高覆盖度区域植被景观更加破碎,而低、中等覆盖度区域的植被面积增加,景观破碎度减小;尤其是低植被覆盖度为主的城市区域,景观格局变化幅度大,表现为绿地面积有所增加,景观破碎化程度降低,生态质量有所改善;(4)在整个研究区范围,城市化对区域植被覆盖度存在负面影响,表现为城市化程度与区域平均植被覆盖度存在负相关(P=0.08);但是在低植被覆盖度的区域(主要为城市区域),城市化程度与植被覆盖面积呈显著正相关(P0.001),表明城市区域在城市化进程中植被覆盖面积有所提高,生态质量有所改善,与城市化过程中,日益重视城市绿地的建设有关。     

城市鸟类对斑块状园林栖息地的选择性

园林因在城市中呈斑块状分布而具有许多岛屿栖息地的特性,其内部结构和景观水平的结构同时也受到城市化的影响。对杭州市20个园林中鸟类物种的选择性分布进行了调查和分析,重点探讨了鸟类物种与园林面积、内部结构、微栖息地类型的分布、景观水平的结构、人为干扰等栖息地因素的关系。结果表明,杭州城市鸟类对园林栖息地具有较强的选择性,这不仅与园林的面积有关,还与园林的形状、植被盖度、微栖息地类型、连通性、隔离度、周围用地以及人为干扰等多种因素密切相关。园林栖息地间的异质性以及鸟类物种与栖息地结构的密切关系是园林鸟类选择性分布的主要原因。     

粤港澳大湾区城市化进程对区域内鸟类分布及栖息地连通性的影响

粤港澳大湾区经济快速发展和城市迅速扩张引起土地利用类型的剧烈转变,这对当地物种的栖息地、物种分布区乃至区域生物多样性均造成了影响。本研究基于82种鸟类的分布数据和15个环境变量数据,利用最大熵(maximumentropy,MaxEnt)模型及等效连接面积(the equivalent connected area, ECA)指数分析了粤港澳大湾区鸟类多样性的空间分布格局及连通性。结果表明:2000–2015年,大湾区林地、水体、耕地等用地类型分别减少3.22%、0.97%和23.19%,草地、建设用地、裸地与滩涂用地类型分别增加33.95%、80.34%和453.52%。30种以森林、农田为主要栖息生境的鸟类分布区面积减少,52种常见的城市鸟类及各类水鸟分布面积增加,鸟类分布面积与土地利用类型密切相关。此外,鸟类栖息地连接度表现出与分布区相一致的变化趋势。其中,对4种分布面积变化最大的鸟类的分析结果显示,乌鹃(Surniculuslugubris)与栗耳凤鹛(Yuhina castaniceps)分布面积及栖息地连通性随城市化进程(包括土地利用类型、植被覆盖度、水源距离和干扰距离等的...     

生态保护项目对大熊猫栖息地的影响

由于森林砍伐、道路建设、农地扩展等人类活动的干扰,我国特有濒危物种大熊猫的栖息地受到了严重威胁,特别是保护区范围之外的大熊猫栖息地。以平武县木皮藏族乡为例,综合利用遥感图像解析、GIS空间分析以及地面调查的方法,研究了1999 2009年期间大熊猫栖息地的变化情况。Landsat TM卫星图像的解译结果表明,2009年的针叶林、针阔混交林和阔叶林的面积分别比1999年增加了10.87%、4.40%和40.24%,灌木林和草地/耕地的面积则下降了10.74%和33.24%。植被转化矩阵表明这一时期各个植被类型间的变化趋势是农田/草地→灌木林→阔叶林→针阔混交林→针叶林。随着天然林保护和退耕还林工程的实施,当地商业采伐活动全部停止,伐区运输木材的公路减少了12.7km(74.71%),退耕还林对当地剩余劳动力产生的挤出作用使得高山居民点的居民向山下转移。基于社区的保护项目帮助农户装备了沼气池等节柴设施,薪柴消耗量由1999年的5675kg/户减少到2009年的2736kg/户,但高山居民点的节柴设施的装备率与沟谷居民点相比差异显著。随着各个干扰因子的强度和范围下降,当地植被向着有利于大熊猫利用的方向演替,大熊猫栖息地面积和质量均发生了改善。表征栖息地质量的栖息地指数HSI由0.74上升到0.80,增长了7.88%。"最适宜"栖息地面积由1999年的4671.63hm²上升到2009年的6020.28hm²,增加了28.87%。栖息地景观多样性指数由1999年的1.29下降为2009年的1.18,景观破碎化程度降低。但是不同适宜度栖息地的变化情况有所不同,"最适宜"栖息地的斑块数量减少,平均斑块面积增大,其他适宜性较低的栖息地斑块增加、平均斑块面积减小,10a间木皮乡的大熊猫栖息地中的低质量部分向高质量转化。研究结果表明大熊猫栖息地的恢复是消除或减少各种干扰的过程。天保工程消除了大规模商业砍伐这一对大熊猫栖息地威胁最大的干扰,而退耕还林工程则通过减少高山居民点的人口来减少人类对森林的压力,间接促进了大熊猫栖息地的恢复。未来应该开展不同土地利用情景下的大熊猫栖息地的变化情况,为大熊猫栖息地保护提供科学依据。     

红松次生混交林中针叶树与阔叶树的结构差异

红松混交林是中国东北地区最重要的植被类型,在缓解全球气候变化、保证木质产品供给和维护生物多样性中扮演重要角色。该研究以吉林东大坡自然保护区第52林班的水曲柳-红松混交林和第54林班的核桃楸-红松混交林为例,采用林分结构参数一元分布(UDSSP)、二元分布(BDSSP)和非线性模型(NLM)分析了它们的针叶树和阔叶树的结构特征,以探讨混交林中针、阔树种组之间的关系,为低效次生林的改造提供参考。结果显示:(1)多数针叶树同时处于高混交和优势状态,仅有极少数个体处于中庸或劣势;多数阔叶树亦处于高混交状态,且不同优势的树木总数几乎相等。(2)大部分树木都同时处于高度混交和随机分布状态,少量针叶树略偏向规则分布。(3)大部分针叶树同时处于随机分布和优势状态,且不同优势的阔叶树皆倾向随机分布,而处于规则或聚集分布的数量很少。(4)针叶树和阔叶树的径阶分布均能够较好地通过指数函数或幂函数描述。这些特征充分展示了空间格局和径阶分布在不同群落类型之间差异很小,但在不同树种组之间存在明显差异。     

Field observation of predation on adult lepidopterans by the tree sparrow Passer montanus saturatus

Many studies have examined defensive strategies of adult lepidopterans against bird predation. However, detailed field observations that describe how lepidopterans are hunted by wild birds are quite limited. I observed foraging behavior of wild tree sparrows on adult lepidopterans from May to June 2006 at Mt Yoshida, Kyoto, Japan. A total of 253 foraging attempts on at least 14 species of lepidopterans were observed. The tree sparrows attacked both resting and flying lepidopterans. When a tree sparrow approached a resting lepidopteran, the lepidopteran frequently flew to escape predation. The number of feeding attempts for resting and flying lepidopterans was 215 and 38, respectively. This result indicates that resting lepidopterans are the main target of predation by the tree sparrow. It is therefore considered that reducing the risk of detection is important for lepidopterans to avoid predation by the tree sparrow. Coloration as crypsis is probably effective in this respect.     

Does urbanization cause stress in wild birds during development? Insights from feather corticosterone levels in juvenile house sparrows (Passer domesticus)

Urban landscapes are associated with abiotic and biotic environmental changes that may result in potential stressors for wild vertebrates. Urban exploiters have physiological, morphological, and behavioral adaptations to live in cities. However, there is increasing evidence that urban exploiters themselves can suffer from urban conditions, especially during specific life‐history stages. We looked for a link between the degree of urbanization and the level of developmental stress in an urban exploiter (the house sparrow, Passer domesticus), which has recently been declining in multiple European cities (e.g., London, UK). Specifically, we conducted a large‐scale study and sampled juvenile sparrows in 11 urban and rural sites to evaluate their feather corticosterone (CORT) levels. We found that juvenile feather CORT levels were positively correlated with the degree of urbanization, supporting the idea that developing house sparrows may suffer from urban environmental conditions. However, we did not find any correlation between juvenile feather CORT levels and body size, mass, or body condition. This suggests either that the growth and condition of urban sparrows are not impacted by elevated developmental CORT levels, or that urban sparrows may compensate for developmental constraints once they have left the nest. Although feather CORT levels were not correlated with baseline CORT levels, we found that feather CORT levels were slightly and positively correlated with the CORT stress response in juveniles. This suggests that urban developmental conditions may potentially have long‐lasting effects on stress physiology and stress sensitivity in this urban exploiter.     

Habitat use of urban Tree Sparrows in the process of urbanization:Beijing as a case study

The Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) is a dom-inant species in urban bird communities.With the devel-opment of urbanization,the habitats and sources of food for Tree Sparrows are decreasing.Can the urban Tree Sparrow adapt to changes in the urban environment? To answer this question,we studied the habitat use of Tree Sparrows in eight types of urban areas in Beijing.The results show that the number of both breeding and winter-ing Tree Sparrows decreased with increasing urbanization.The habitat use of Tree Sparrows,analyzed using stepwise discriminant analysis,was positively correlated with the number of brick bungalows,coniferous and broad-leaved trees and air conditioners.It was negatively correlated with the area of high buildings and hardened roads,pedestrian and automobile flux.This indicates that the Tree Sparrow had not adapted to rapid urbanization even though it is a generally adaptable species.Urban planning should take birds such as the Tree Sparrow into consideration.     

Does urbanization select for weak competitors in house sparrows?

How urbanization affects animal populations is in the focus of current ecological research. Existing theory of this topic suggests that the cities' more constant food supplies and lower predation pressure lead to a high proportion of weak competitors in urban populations. To evaluate this hypothesis, we tested whether competitive performance differs between differently urbanized populations of house sparrows Passer domesticus. We previously showed that wild urban sparrows are smaller and leaner than rural conspecifics, and this difference persists for months under identical captive conditions. Here we compared several aspects of their competitiveness (fighting, scrambling and searching for food) in captive mixed flocks of urban and rural birds. We found that sparrows exhibited consistent individual differences in competitiveness, but these differences were not related either to the degree of urbanization of their original habitats or to their body mass. Moreover, the variance in competitive abilities also did not differ between birds from more and less urbanized habitats. Thus our results did not support the hypothesis that urbanization shifts population structure towards an over‐abundance of weak competitors in house sparrows. We discuss possible explanations why sparrow populations may not differ in competitiveness despite the smaller body mass of urban birds.     

Urbanization,nestling growth and reproductive success in a moderately declining house sparrow population

Ecological conditions are likely to change with increasing urbanization, influencing the demography and size of animal populations. Although one of the most tightly linked species to humans, the house sparrow has been suffering a significant decline worldwide, especially in European cities. Several factors have been proposed to explain this conspicuous loss of urban sparrows, but studies evaluating these factors are usually restricted to Britain where the decline was very drastic, and it is unclear whether similar or different processes are affecting urban populations of the species elsewhere. In this study we investigated the reproductive success of urban and rural sparrows in a central European country, Hungary where our census data indicate a moderate decline during the last decade. We found that rural pairs produced more and larger fledglings than suburban pairs, and the difference remained consistent in two years with very contrasting meteorological conditions during breeding. This difference is likely explained by habitat differences in nestling diet, because we found that 1) rural parents provided large prey items more often than suburban parents, 2) birds from differently urbanized habitats produced fledglings of similar number and size in captivity under identical rearing conditions with ample food for nestlings, and 3) in a cross‐fostering experiment, nestlings tended to grow larger in rural than in suburban nests irrespective of their hatching environment. These results agree with those found in a recent British study, indicating that poor nestling development and survival due to inadequate diet may be widespread phenomena in urbanized habitats.     

Genetic admixture despite ecological segregation in a North African sparrow hybrid zone (Aves,Passeriformes, Passer domesticus × Passer hispaniolensis)

Under different environmental conditions, hybridization between the same species might result in different patterns of genetic admixture. Particularly, species pairs with large distribution ranges and long evolutionary history may have experienced several independent hybridization events over time in different zones of overlap. In birds, the diverse hybrid populations of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) and the Spanish sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) provide a striking example. Throughout their range of sympatry, these two species do not regularly interbreed; however, a stabilized hybrid form (Passer italiae) exists on the Italian Peninsula and on several Mediterranean islands. The spatial distribution pattern on the Eurasian continent strongly contrasts the situation in North Africa, where house sparrows and Spanish sparrows occur in close vicinity of phenotypically intermediate populations across a broad mosaic hybrid zone. In this study, we investigate patterns of divergence and admixture among the two parental species, stabilized and nonstabilized hybrid populations in Italy and Algeria based on a mitochondrial marker, a sex chromosomal marker, and 12 microsatellite loci. In Algeria, despite strong spatial and temporal separation of urban early‐breeding house sparrows and hybrids and rural late‐breeding Spanish sparrows, we found strong genetic admixture of mitochondrial and nuclear markers across all study populations and phenotypes. That pattern of admixture in the North African hybrid zone is strikingly different from i) the Iberian area of sympatry where we observed only weak asymmetrical introgression of Spanish sparrow nuclear alleles into local house sparrow populations and ii) the very homogenous Italian sparrow population where the mitogenome of one parent (P. domesticus) and the Z‐chromosomal marker of the other parent (P. hispaniolensis) are fixed. The North African sparrow hybrids provide a further example of enhanced hybridization along with recent urbanization and anthropogenic land‐use changes in a mosaic landscape.     

New genotype of avian influenza H5N1 viruses isolated from tree sparrows in China

The 2004 outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 disease in China led to a great poultry loss and society attention. A survey of avian influenza viruses was conducted on tree sparrows (Passer montanus) collected in China in 2004. Four viruses were isolated from free-living tree sparrows. The results of the whole-genome analysis indicated that an H5N1 virus with a new genotype is circulating among tree sparrows. The hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes of the new genotype were derived from Gs/Gd/96-like viruses and the nuclear protein gene descended from the 2001 genotype A H5N1 viruses, while the other inner genes originated from an unknown influenza virus. In experimental infection, all four viruses were highly pathogenic to chickens but not pathogenic to ducks or mice. The four tree sparrow viruses were different from the 2003 tree sparrow strain (genotype Z) in Hong Kong. The results suggested that H5N1 viruses might be distributed widely in tree sparrows.     

Contrasting adaptive immune defenses and blood parasite prevalence in closely related Passer sparrows

Immune system components differ in their functions and costs, and immune defense profiles are likely to vary among species with differing ecologies. We compared adaptive immune defenses in two closely related species that have contrasting inflammatory immune responses, the widespread and abundant house sparrow (Passer domesticus) and the less abundant tree sparrow (Passer montanus). We found that the house sparrow, which we have previously shown mounts weaker inflammatory responses, exhibits stronger adaptive immune defenses, including antibody responses, natural antibody titers, and specific T-cell memory, than the tree sparrow. Conversely, tree sparrows, which mount strong inflammatory responses, also mount stronger nonspecific inflammatory T-cell responses but weaker specific adaptive responses. Prevalence of avian malaria parasite infections, which are controlled by adaptive immune defenses, was higher in the geographically restricted tree sparrow than in the ubiquitous house sparrow. Together these data describe distinct immune defense profiles between two closely related species that differ greatly in numbers and distributions. We suggest that these immunological differences could affect fitness in ways that contribute to the contrasting abundances of the two species in North American and Western Europe.     

Habitat use of urban Tree Sparrows in the process of urbanization: Beijing as a case study

The Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) is a dominant species in urban bird communities. With the development of urbanization, the habitats and sources of food for Tree Sparrows are decreasing. Can the urban Tree Sparrow adapt to changes in the urban environment? To answer this question, we studied the habitat use of Tree Sparrows in eight types of urban areas in Beijing. The results show that the number of both breeding and wintering Tree Sparrows decreased with increasing urbanization. The habitat use of Tree Sparrows, analyzed using stepwise discriminant analysis, was positively correlated with the number of brick bungalows, coniferous and broad-leaved trees and air conditioners. It was negatively correlated with the area of high buildings and hardened roads, pedestrian and automobile flux. This indicates that the Tree Sparrow had not adapted to rapid urbanization even though it is a generally adaptable species. Urban planning should take birds such as the Tree Sparrow into consideration. __________ Translated from Biodiversity Science, 2006, 14(5): 372–381 [译自:生物多样性]