Winter tourism increases stress hormone levels in the Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus

Montane and alpine habitats in Europe remained relatively undisturbed until the beginning of the last century. Today, outdoor recreation activities are a major economic factor in alpine regions. Many tourism areas coincide with winter habitats of shy and endangered species. The Western Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus has suffered from rapid population declines during recent decades over much of its range. In central Europe, many Capercaillie are exposed to intensive human recreation activities in their habitats, which may contribute to this decline. However, little is known about their susceptibility to human recreation activities. This study assessed whether human recreation in winter evokes physiological stress responses in several populations of Capercaillie. During two winters, we sampled 1130 Capercaillie droppings in Germany and Switzerland of populations at various distances from winter recreation activities and measured concentrations of faecal corticosterone metabolites. Capercaillie in relatively dense and homogeneous mountain forests dominated by Norway Spruce Picea abies showed markedly increased stress hormone levels closer to locations with winter recreation activity. However, this physiological response to human recreation was not detectable in forests dominated by various pine species and a heterogeneous structure. Capercaillie may be particularly sensitive to recreation because any factor affecting their fine‐tuned physiological and behavioural adaptations to survive under harsh winter conditions may lead to harmful fitness costs.     

New species and new records of recently described species of the coral genus Acropora (Scleractinia: Astrocoeniina: Acroporidae) from Indonesia

Six new species of the coral genus Acropora arc described from Indonesia. These include a species which is remarkable for tubercular cocnostcal structures similar to those of the confamilial genus Montipora. The new species include three regional endemics (A. togianensis and A. batunai from central east Sulawesi and A. derawanensis from east Kalimantan), one species with broad distribution across the southern island chains (A. sukarnoi) and two species which occur throughout most of the Indonesian archipelago (A. Indonesia and A. hoeksemai). A further two species described from Western Australia and Papua New Guinea in 1994 (A. turaki and A. jacquelineae respectively) are recorded from Indonesia for the first time, as common members of an unusual assemblage type in the Togian Islands. The range of another species described from Lombok in 1994 (A. suharsonoi) is extended into Bali. With A. desalwii, A. lokani and A. indiana , this brings to 12 the number of Acropora species newly recorded as being endemic to the Indonesian archipelago or to Indonesia and one adjoining region (either the Indian Ocean or the western Pacific).     

Recognizability of different food types in faeces and in alimentary flushes of Sylvia warblers

The efficiency of the analysis of faeces and flushes of the digestive tract was examined by feeding captive Garden Warblers Sylvia borin and Blackcaps S. atricapilla with different food types (arthropods, fruits). Faecal analysis underestimated aphids; the analysis of flushes overestimated beetles and underestimated aphids and fruits. Correction factors to remove these biases are given. Flushing free-living birds showed no noticeable effect on recapture rates and body mass. Methods of calculating the number of prey items from different fragments are evaluated.     

Regulation of stress response is heritable and functionally linked to melanin‐based coloration

Sexual selection theory posits that ornaments can signal the genetic quality of an individual. Eumelanin‐based coloration is such an ornament and can signal the ability to cope with a physiological stress response because the melanocortin system regulates eumelanogenesis as well as physiological stress responses. In the present article, we experimentally investigated whether the stronger stress sensitivity of light than dark eumelanic individuals stems from differential regulation of stress hormones. Our study shows that darker eumelanic barn owl nestlings have a lower corticosterone release after a stressful event, an association, which was also inherited from the mother (but not the father) to the offspring. Additionally, nestlings sired by darker eumelanic mothers more quickly reduced experimentally elevated corticosterone levels. This provides a solution as to how ornamented individuals can be more resistant to various sources of stress than drab conspecifics. Our study suggests that eumelanin‐based coloration can be a sexually selected signal of resistance to stressful events.     

Effects of Recreation and Hunting on Flushing Distance of Capercaillie

Abstract: The capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) in Central Europe is an endangered species of grouse that is thought to be highly susceptible to human disturbance, possibly causing local populations to decline. We investigated the behavioral response of capercaillie in the Black Forest, Germany, and the French Pyrenees to an off-trail hiker by measuring flushing distances. Flushing distance varied with capercaillie sex, visibility of the hiker, intensity of winter tourism, and hunting pressure. Independent of the study area, males flushed at consistently longer distances than females, and lower visual blocking between bird and hiker resulted in longer flushing distances. Capercaillie flew at longer distances from an approaching hiker in areas with high intensity of winter tourism or hunting pressure than in undisturbed areas. We recommend the establishment of regulations requiring hikers to stay on trails and to close trails where intertrail distances fall below 100 m (90% of all flushing events appeared within 50 m). Furthermore, planting or preserving evergreen conifer trees in dense rows along critical parts of disturbance sources, reducing the degree of visibility between capercaillie and recreationists would increase habitat for capercaillie in forests with predictable recreation activities.     

The daily pattern of autumn bird migration in the northern Sahara

The temporal pattern of migration by passerine birds during the night, and their arrival during the day at the Egyptian coast and in the northern Sahara Desert was investigated. The mean direction of nocturnal migration at the coast was south-southeast, while at all desert sites it was south-southwest.
Birds arrived at the Egyptian coast only during the second half of the night which is explained by the fact that no birds could have taken off from the Mediterranean Sea. At least some of the birds landed at the coast where they spent the day before taking off shortly after sunset. These birds passed the desert sites at the expected time of day assuming a ground speed of 18 m per second. However, the origin of the birds passing the desert sites early at night is unclear. They must either have spent the day in the desert north of the study sites or they had overflown the Egyptian coast in the afternoon without landing.
The landing of birds during the day at the desert sites was bimodal. This pattern of arrival is explained either by some birds having landed at the Egyptian coast in the early morning before continuing, or by deteriorating conditions later in the day during flight or when resting in the desert, that obliged them to seek shelter at the desert sites.
A correlation between the number of migrants observed during the night and the number of resting birds in the desert on the following day suggests that an unknown proportion of birds might regularly use an intermittent migratory strategy that includes rest periods by day when crossing the desert, whereas others might adapt a non-stop migratory strategy.     

In Vitro Cultivation of Bloodstream Forms of Trypanosoma brucei,T. rhodesiense,and T. gambiense1

ABSTRACT. A series of new in vitro systems for the cultivation of bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma (Trypanozoon) brucei brucei, T. (T.) b. rhodesiense, and T. (T.) b. gambiense was developed. The standard system consists of a feeder layer of fibroblast-like cells derived from embryos of New Zealand White rabbits (REF) or a mountain vole, Microtus montanus (MEF), with HEPES-buffered Minimum Essential Medium (MEM), with Earle's salts, supplemented with 15% inactivated rabbit serum. These two and other feeder layers were cross-checked with different sera to test for growth support of bloodstream forms of the three trypanosome subspecies studied. Cultures could be initiated with bloodstream forms from mammalian hosts or from cryopreserved stabilates. Metacyclic forms from infected Glossina m. morsitans could also be used as inoculum; they transformed within 6 h to bloodstream forms. Maintenance of cultures and growth properties are described in detail. Experiments were undertaken to confirm that the cultivated bloodstream forms still possess some of the characteristic features of pleomorphic bloodstream populations. Cultivated bloodstream forms were always infective for mice, and a surface coat could be demonstrated by electron microscopy. They could also be cyclically transmitted through tsetse flies, and the metacyclic forms from these flies could be brought back into culture. In vitro cloning with single bloodstream forms and metacyclic forms could be achieved with high cloning efficiency. The consumption of glucose and the production of pyruvate and lactate were determined.     

Habitat structure is more important than vegetation composition for local‐level management of native terrestrial reptile and small mammal species living in urban remnants: A case study from Brisbane,Australia

Abstract As urban areas continue to expand and replace natural and agricultural landscapes, the ability to manage and conserve native wildlife within urban environments is becoming increasingly important. To do so we first need to understand species' responses to local‐level habitat attributes in order to inform the decision‐making process and on‐ground conservation actions. Patterns in the occurrence of native terrestrial reptile and small mammal species in 59 sites located in remnant urban habitat fragments of Brisbane City were assessed against local‐level environmental characteristics of each site. Cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling ordination, and principal axis correlation were used to investigate relationships between species' occurrences and environmental characteristics. Native reptiles were most strongly associated with the presence of termite mounds, a high amount of fallen woody material, and a moderate amount of weed cover. Native small mammals were most strongly associated with the presence of grass trees (Xanthorrhoea spp.), and both reptiles and small mammals were negatively influenced by increased soil compaction. Significant floristic characteristics were considered to be important as structural, rather than compositional, habitat elements. Therefore, habitat structure, rather than vegetation composition, appears to be most important for determining native, terrestrial reptile and small mammal species assemblages in urban forest fragments. We discuss the management implications in relation to human disturbances and local‐level management of urban remnants.     

Estimating fat and protein fuel from fat and muscle scores in passerines

Fat is the prime energy source for birds during prolonged exercise, but protein is also catabolized. Estimates of the amount of catabolizable fat and protein (termed fat and protein fuel) are therefore important for studying energetics of birds. As fat and protein fuel can only be measured by sacrificing individuals or by use of technically complex methods, scoring systems were invented to estimate fat and protein fuel of birds in the field. The visible subcutaneous fat deposits and the thickness of the flight muscles are each scored on an ordinal scale but these scales do not correspond linearly to fat and protein fuel within species, which is needed for analyses such as flight range estimates. We developed an anova ‐type model to estimate fat and protein fuel from fat scores (FS) and muscle scores (MS) along with total mass and a size measurement. Using data from 11 337 individuals of eight passerine species (Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos, Eurasian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus, Melodious Warbler Hippolais polyglotta, Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus, Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis, Garden Warbler Sylvia borin, Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis, Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans) mist‐netted in Mauritania, West Africa, we tested for independence of FS and MS and for variation in the relationship between scores and associated mass in response to physiological state. FS, MS and third primary length (size) explained variation in body mass of all eight species analysed (R²: 0.56–0.77). The parameter estimates of the model showed that fat and protein fuel increased monotonically with increasing fat and muscle scores. In two species we found small differences in the estimates between physiological states (seasons). We evaluated our model by comparing the predicted body mass of birds with both FS and MS equal to 0 with the mean body mass of individuals mist‐netted with both scores equal to zero. The values were very close. The amount of fat extracted from dead Garden and Willow Warblers was within the range of predicted fat fuel derived from the model. We conclude that our model is a useful non‐invasive method to estimate simultaneously mean fat and protein fuel of small passerines and we provide recommendations on its use.     

Decomposition of leaf litter exposed to simulated acid rain in a buffered lotic system

SUMMARY. 1. Exposure to simulated acid rain resulted in changes in the chemical content of riparian vegetation and terrestrial leaf litter and had significant effects on leaf litter decay rates in a well-buffered lotic ecosystem.
2. Foliar nitrogen and phosphorus decreased with decreasing pH of the simulated acid rain and microbial activity was greater on leaf litter exposed to rain of pi I 5.4 than on leaf litter exposed to pH 3.0 or pH 4.0.
3. Detritivore numbers and biomass were significantly higher on leaf litter exposed to pH 5.4, probably due to the greater palatability of the leaf substrate.
4. Decay rates of leaf litter processed in the summer months were significantly lower than decay rates of leaf litter processed during the autumn/winter due to reduction in nitrogen content and microbial respiration.