Does human scent bias the survival of bird nests?

Human-scent contamination of bird nests and the human-made trails leading to them is suspected to influence nest survival by attracting or deterring predatory mammals. This paper (1) reviews studies in which human-scent contamination was suspected to have biased the survival of real and artificial nests by influencing the behaviour of predatory mammals, (2) summarizes the procedures used in attempts to mitigate human-scent contamination in nest-survival studies, and (3) describes procedures to enhance the design and interpretation of nest-survival experiments. The behaviour of various non-domesticated mammals is confirmed or suspected to be affected by human scent, so similar effects on nest predators are plausible. However, suggestions that human scent affects nest survival by influencing the behaviour of predatory mammals are poorly supported, due to a dearth of appropriately designed experiments. Some studies failed to include measures to reduce human-scent contamination, and the effectiveness of scent-mitigation methods used in other studies has seldom been verified. In addition, volatile compounds arising from soil and vegetation disturbed underfoot by field researchers may have confounded many nest-survival studies. Investigators have routinely inferred human-scent effects from post hoc predation patterns or have simply acknowledged possible human-scent effects among other potential influences of nest fate. Studies are needed of the effects of human scent using uniform methods of scent application and verified methods of scent mitigation, where the fates of different types of nests are examined under a range of field conditions. More fundamentally, studies of naïve and experienced mammals are needed to assess their responses to human scent and clarify its salience in wildlife disturbance.     

Habituation and habitat changes can moderate the impacts of human disturbance on shorebird breeding performance

Disturbance by humans is widely expected to reduce the reproductive fitness of nesting birds if disturbance reduces nest attentiveness, and unattended eggs experience increased risk of predation or exposure to potentially lethal temperature extremes. Yet, relatively few studies have examined the physiological or behavioural mechanisms whereby disturbance influences reproductive fitness, or the extent to which the costs of disturbance may be reduced through habituation. We compared the behavioural responses, egg temperatures and reproductive success of shore-nesting white-fronted plovers Charadrius marginatus to disturbance at two breeding sites experiencing low versus high human recreational activity, respectively. Daytime nest attentiveness decreased with increasing experimental disturbance at both sites, but this relationship differed between sites; for any given level of disturbance, incubating birds at the more disturbed site had greater nest attentiveness. They achieved this through habituation, allowing a closer human approach before leaving the nest, and returning to the nest faster after a disturbance event. Despite lower average daytime nest attentiveness at the more disturbed site, incubation temperatures did not differ significantly between sites. Nest mortality, mostly by natural mammalian and corvid predators, was significantly lower at the site experiencing high recreational activity. However, chick mortality was significantly greater at the more disturbed site, most likely because of predation by domestic dogs. Chick mortality may have been increased by the habitation of chicks, whose escape responses were much reduced at the more disturbed site. Nonetheless, annual fecundity was substantially higher at the more disturbed site, showing that the overall reproductive fitness of wild birds is not always compromised by human disturbance and urbanization.     

朱鹮游荡期对人类干扰的耐受性

随着野生动物旅游业的发展,野生动物对人类干扰的耐受性研究在科学管理野生动物旅游业,提高游客体验,促进野生动物保护等方面具有重要的实践意义.2007年10～11月应用可操纵试验法在陕西汉中朱鹮(Nipponia nippon)国家级自然保护区研究了朱鹮游荡期对人类干扰的耐受性.研究结果表明,朱鹮游荡期对人类干扰具有较强的耐受性并表现出一定的适应性.朱鹮的警戒距离为(38.57±14.01)m,惊飞距离为(23.84±9.45)m,警戒距离是惊飞距离的1.6倍左右,两者存在着显著相关性.干扰者的衣着颜色是影响朱鹮对人类干扰的耐受性的主要因子,朱鹮对鲜艳衣物敏感.随着距居民点距离的减小,朱鹮对人类干扰的耐受性逐渐增强,但朱鹮对道路有一定回避效应.建议最小接近区域的面积应该是以警戒距离(AD)为半径的圆形区域,朱鹮最小接近区域的面积=∏×38.572≈4700m2,该区域范围内限制游客进入,并禁止游客穿着鲜艳色衣物进入自然保护区.     

不同母质温带草地植物群落多样性对人为干扰的响应

本研究以赛罕乌拉保护区2种不同土壤母质(黄土和沙母质)与3种利用方式(围栏打草、季节性放牧和自由放牧)草地为对象,基于群落组成调查数据,计算人为干扰指数与物种多样性指数,研究草地植物群落物种多样性与草地退化程度间的关系。结果表明: 土壤母质与人为利用方式的差异使草地处于不同的退化状态,黄土与沙母质类型草地退化程度均随人为利用强度的增加而上升,且当人为利用方式相同时,黄土母质草地人为干扰指数(均值1.21)比沙母质草地(均值1.48)低。各样地物种多样性指数总体随土壤母质的砂质化和人为利用强度的增加而下降,其中Margalef丰富度指数为1.57～4.27,Shannon多样性指数为1.16～2.39,Simpson优势度指数为0.76～0.87,Pielou均匀度指数为0.71～0.80。随着人为干扰指数增加,丰富度指数、多样性指数和优势度指数均下降,而均匀度指数有上升趋势。过度放牧对2种土壤母质草地均会造成严重威胁,黄土与沙母质草地最适宜的利用方式分别为围封打草和季节性放牧。在今后生物多样性保护的实施过程中,需兼顾草地不同土壤母质与人为利用方式的影响,针对不同土壤母质条件规划不同的草地利用方式,实现因地制宜的草地恢复与管理。     

干扰对动物传播森林植物种子有效性影响的研究进展

干扰在森林生态系统中普遍存在,并影响森林的更新和演替.动物传播种子是种子更新的必经阶段,其对森林干扰的响应在一定程度上能够预测未来的森林群落组成和结构变化,对于明确森林演替方向具有重要意义.本文论述了森林干扰对动物传播种子有效性(包括动物传播种子的数量和质量)影响研究的生态学意义,全面揭示了自然干扰(火干扰、林窗干扰等)和人为干扰(生境破碎化、狩猎、采伐等)对动物传播种子数量、传播距离以及传播后幼苗更新影响的研究进展,指出干扰通过影响动物种群动态,进而造成动物传播种子数量发生了改变,动物传播种子的距离对干扰的响应基本表现出轻微负相关;干扰对传播后幼苗更新的影响结果因干扰类型的不同而复杂多变,干扰迹地环境因子的变化也影响着传播后的种子萌发和幼苗更新.干扰对动物传播种子有效性影响研究中存在的问题,主要表现为火干扰迹地恢复过程、增益性的干扰(如抚育、间伐、林窗)等对种子传播有效性影响研究的匮乏,以及忽略了温带森林内的干扰对动物传播种子的影响等.今后,应开展干扰对种子传播有效性的长期研究;对于干扰多发地带的森林,应高度重视增益性干扰影响动物传播植物种子的研究.