Trends in annual and seasonal survival of Pink-footed Geese Anser brachyrhynchus

Adult Pink-footed Geese Anser brachyrhynchus from the Svalbard breeding population were neck-banded and resighted in staging and wintering areas outside the breeding season 1990–1999. We estimated annual and seasonal survival using capture–recapture statistical models. Mean annual survival was 0.829, declining over the study period from 0.90 to 0.79. The annual cycle was partitioned into three periods: summer (1 April–30 September), including both spring and autumn migration, autumn (1 October–31 December), including most shooting, and winter (1 January–31 March). The parsimonious model selected to describe seasonal survival included a declining trend in summer survival, constant autumn and winter survival with lower survival in the severe winter of 1996, and an additive effect of sex on summer and winter survival. Monthly survival was highest during winter. Decreasing summer survival was the main contributor to the overall decline in annual survival, and was attributed mainly to increasing natural mortality on the breeding grounds. Mean annual survival based on the seasonal survival probabilities was 0.835 for females and 0.805 for males. The effect of sex was most pronounced during summer and remains to be explained.     

雄性大熊猫褪黑素与睾酮季节性变化

褪黑素通过调控下丘脑-垂体-性腺内分泌轴使季节性繁殖动物在适宜的季节进行繁殖活动.大熊猫(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)在春季集中繁殖.为探究雄性大熊猫褪黑素和睾酮的季节性变化规律,本研究选取成都大熊猫繁育研究基地3只成年雄性大熊猫作为实验对象,在自然光照下对这3只大熊猫进行每周1次为期1年(2018年...     

Moults of wild Scottish ptarmigan, Lagopus mutus, in relation to sex, climate and status

The three annual moults and plumages of Scottish ptarmigan ( Lagopus mutus ) were studied from shot specimens but particularly from field observations. Cocks were ahead of hens in showing the grey autumn plumage but hens were ahead of cocks in turning white in winter. Although cocks were ahead in growing summer plumage, after late April the hens passed them. Ptarmigan on the same hill turned dark earlier in mild than in cold springs.     

Predation of released pheasants <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phasianus colchicus</Emphasis> on lowland farmland in the UK and the effect of predator control

We present data accumulated over the last 25 years on predation of radio-tracked released pheasants. In studies of birds during the autumn/winter at six pheasant shoots with high-density releases managed by full-time gamekeepers, predation of released pheasants by foxes before the shooting season began (July–September) averaged 19.2?±?4.0% per site, and during the shooting season (October 1st–February 1st), a further 15.9?±?1.9% were predated. The range in 3-year average predation rates between sites before shooting began was 8.6 to 42.4%. At seven different sites during the spring and summer, between 20 and 71% of released or wild hens that survived the shooting season were predated, mainly by foxes, between mid-March and mid-July. Predation was significantly higher at sites with low-level predator control (59?±?4.7%) compared to those with high-level control (30?±?5.3%). At three of the four sites with low predator control between 5 and 22% of nest failures were caused by incubating hens being predated by foxes. Our data quantify for the first time highly variable predation rates of released pheasants before and during the winter shooting season which we suggest was influenced by a range of site and management factors. During the spring and summer, our data provide evidence that predation of adult hen pheasants as well as nest predation can suppress breeding success and that predator control can reduce these losses.     

Moult Strategies Affect Age Differences in Autumn Migration Timing in East Mediterranean Migratory Passerines

Adult passerines renew their flight feathers at least once every year. This complete moult occurs either in the breeding areas, just after breeding (summer moult), or, in some long-distance migratory species, at the non-breeding areas, after arrival to the southern wintering area at the end of autumn migration (winter moult). The aim of this study was to relate moult strategies with the DMD, the difference in median migration date, through Israel, between juveniles and adults. Our data on autumn migration timing in juveniles and adults was based on ringing data of 49,125 individuals belonging to 23 passerine species that breed in Europe and Western Asia and migrate through Israel. We found that DMD was associated with moult timing. In all species that perform a winter moult, adults preceded juveniles during autumn. Among migrants who perform a summer moult, we found evidence of both migration timing patterns: juveniles preceding adults or adults preceding juveniles. In addition, in summer moulters, we found a significant, positive correlation between mean breeding latitude and DMD. Although previous studies described that moult duration and extent can be affected by migration, we suggest that moult strategies affect both migration timing and migration strategy. These two moult strategies (summer or winter moult) also represent two unique migration strategies. Our findings highlight the evolutionary interplay between moult and migration strategies.     

Effect of month and season of calving on the length of subsequent calving interval in Nili-Ravi buffaloes

Data pertaining to records of 1,274 calving intervals for 400 breeding buffaloes maintained at the Livestock Experiment Station, Qadirabad, District Sahiwal (Pakistan), were analyzed to investigate the magnitude of influence of month and season of calving on the length of subsequent calving interval. The longest average calving interval of 609.9 days was recorded for buffaloes calving in January, while the shortest average calving interval of 502.8 days was observed for those calving in June, the difference being highly significant (P < 0.01). When the data were split in accordance with season of calving, the calving intervals for buffaloes calving in winter, spring, summer and autumn averaged 569.1, 570.6, 506.6 and 515.7 days, respectively. The differences between intervals for winter and spring calvings and between intervals for summer and autumn calvings were non-significant. All other differences were highly significant (P < 0.01). Thus, in most of the buffaloes calving in winter or spring, the first post-partum oestrus and conception are delayed till the following autumn or winter, resulting in significantly longer calving intervals. In contrast, animals calving in summer or autumn exhibit post-partum heat and conception during autumn or winter, resulting in shorter calving intervals.     

Some population dynamics of the Bank vole, Clethrionomys glareolus and the Wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus in mixed woodland

The population dynamics of Clethrionomys glareolus Schr.and Apodemus sylvaticus (L.) in mixed woodland in County Durham, were studied from March 1963 to January 1965. Two areas of 0.9 ha (2.25 acres) each were trapped monthly and information was obtained on population size, reproduction, survival and growth from marked animals.
Clethrionomys populations increased from June to an autumn peak; then declined, at first rapidly, but then more slowly in winter, before reaching a spring trough. The breeding season of Clethrionomys was from May to December; juveniles were caught from mid-June to December. Survival was in general poor during the breeding season but good at other times. Survival of young born early in the summer was particularly good on one of the areas and some individuals lived long enough to breed in two successive years. On both areas young born early in the year matured rapidly and bred in the year of their birth. Young born in late summer and early autumn ceased growing at a weight of about 14.5 g, remained immature, and formed the bulk of the overwintering population. Growth was completed at the time of sexual maturation the following spring.
Trapping failed to provide adequate samples of juvenile Apodemus in summer to account for subsequent recruitment. The possibility that a substantial proportion of the adult population of this species was also either trap shy or had emigrated temporarily is discussed. Breeding occurred from April until the following January, but the numbers trapped remained very low throughout the early months of the breeding season. Large scale recruitment of young fecund animals into the trap-revealed population occurred during the autumn. Apodemus males continued to grow rapidly during the winter.     

The bionomics of the free-living larvae and the transmission of Dictyocaulus filaria between lambs in North-East England.

The bionomics of the free-living larvae of Dictyocaulus filaria on pasture, and the transmission of infection between lambs, were studied during different seasons of the year in North-East England. The rate of development of first-stage larvae to the third stage took 4-9 days in late spring and summer, 1 1/2-4 weeks in autumn and 5 1/2-7 weeks in winter. The proportion of first-stage larvae developing to the third stage ranged from 10-28% in autumn and winter, and 2-25% in spring and summer. The rate of mortality of the third-stage larvae was approximately logarithmic in nature, although the survival time was shorter in spring and summer than in autumn and winter. Third stage larvae were able to survive from autumn until the spring of the following year in sufficient numbers to perpetuate transmission but not to cause clinical disease. In a transmission study, the survival of the infective larvae on the experimental plot was poor in summer, but the larval population increased in the autumn and then declined slowly throughout the winter. Infection in the susceptible lambs was related to the level of infection on the herbage increasing in severity from early summer to late autumn. However, those lambs infected in the summer were resistant to the heavy autumn challenge of larvae on pasture.     

Seasonal Variations in the Frontal Organ of the Frog: Structural Evidence and Physiological Correlates

Histological study of the frontal organ in the frog, Rana esculenta, was performed during spring, summer, autumn and winter. In semithin sections stained with toluidine blue, cells containing a vacuole were clearly detected during spring, and considerably increased during summer. Such cellular elements were absent in the frontal organ during autumn and winter. This morphological evidence of seasonal variation was supported by extracellular recording in the frontal organ in different seasons. Spontaneous firing rate was found to increase from the spring to the summer, and to decrease from the autumn to the winter. Altogether, these data indicate that the frontal organ may represent an autonomic component of the pineal complex with a secretory function producing neurohormonal messages involved in the annual mechanism of the reproduction.     

Breeding biology of Tenagomysis tasmaniae Fenton,Anisomysis mixta australis (Zimmer) and Paramesopodopsis rufa Fenton from south-eastern Tasmania (Crustacea: Mysidacea)

The number, size and developmental stage of young in the brood pouch of female Tenagomysis tasmaniae, Anisomysis mixta australis and Paramesopodopsis rufa was recorded throughout the year. Breeding was intensive from spring till the end of autumn for the three species. Calculation of the egg ratio for each species showed that their major reproductive peaks occurred during spring and summer. A winter depression in the breeding cycle was observed for T. tasmaniae and P. rufa, but A. mixta australis ceased breeding during winter. Seasonal variation in the length of gravid females and number of young carried was evident for these three species. Females were longer in spring and summer and carried more young than in autumn and winter. A linear relationship between female length and brood size was demonstrated for each species; annual and seasonal equations were calculated for females carrying each developmental stage. The seasonal equations showed that for a female of given length fecundity was greater during spring than any other season. Natality was estimated to be highest during late spring, summer and early autumn for the three species. No seasonal variation in the size of eggs was evident for the three species. The reproduction pattern of T. tasmaniae, A. mixta australis and P. rufa appears to be very similar to that reported for the majority of iteroparous coastal temperate mysids throughout the world.     

The habitat use and diet of Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix in the Pennine hills of northern England

The habitat and dietary preferences of Black Grouse were studied from 1989 to 1991 in a largely treeless habitat within a 17 km² area of the Pennine hills of northern England using radiotelemetry. Grassland habitats were preferred by 84% of 19 birds for much of the year and heather moorland was selected in winter; the other birds, all females, remained in heather habitats all year. Most females reared broods in damp, rushy grass moorlands, but one of six broods used hay fields. Diet closely reflected seasonal plant availability in selected habitats and the leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds of a wide variety of plants were eaten. Cotton-grass Eriophorum vaginatum was important in spring, grassland herbs, grasses, sedges and rushes in summer and autumn and Ling Heather Calluna vulgaris in late autumn and winter. Males fed substantially more on heather in winter than females which partially replaced heather in their diet with the leaves of grasses and herbs. Young chicks showed considerable preference for Sawfly (Symphyta) larvae. Suggested management recommendations include the regulation of sheep-grazing, encouragement of wet flush areas and the late cutting of hay fields.     

基于MODIS-EVI的重庆植被覆盖时空分异特征研究

利用MODIS-EVI数据,采用像元二分模型结合距平百分率、变异系数和分布指数对2000—2015年重庆植被覆盖度变化时空分异特征进行了分析,结果表明:(1)重庆植被年际、夏、秋季和2008—2015年春季以中覆盖度为主,冬季以及2000—2007年春季以低覆盖度为主。(2)植被覆盖年际变化不明显;劣覆盖度在2000、2002、2003年春季,2001、2006年秋季以及2011年冬季异常偏多;低覆盖度在2000、2001年秋季异常偏多;高覆盖度在2000、2008年秋季和2014年春季异常偏少。(3)植被的波动变化除了冬季以中度为主外,年际、春、夏、秋季均以轻度为主;稳定比例最高为夏季,轻度比例最高为秋季,中度和重度比例最高为冬季。(4)稳定和轻度波动类型主要分布在山地森林和草地区,中度和重度波动类型主要是城镇、水域及其周边区域。在400m以下,植被变化为重度波动;在400—800m,植被年际和夏季趋于稳定分布,而春、秋、冬季为轻度波动;在800—1300m,植被年际和夏季为中度波动,春、秋、冬季为稳定分布;在1300m以上,植被年际和夏季呈现轻度波动,春季为中度波动,秋、冬季为稳定分布。     

Population biology of small mammals in Pureora Forest Park .2. The feral house mouse (

Over five years from November 1982 to November 1987, we examined 395 mice collected from unlogged and logged native forest and from exotic forest at Pureora Forest Park, in the central North Island of New Zealand. Sex ratio, litter size, and breeding effort (pregnancy rate in females, proportion of males with visible tubules) were similar in all samples. By contrast, both density (captures per 100 trap-nights = C/ 100TN) and recruitment (proportion of young mice of age classes 1-3) were higher in densely vegetated habitats (along the road edge or in a young exotic plantation) than in the forest interior, whether logged or not. The age structures of the road edge and interior forest samples were significantly different (road edge, 33-35% young; interior, 10-11% young, means adjusted for sex, season and year by GLM). Mice of a given age caught in summer were larger, especially the females, implying that young mice grew faster in summer than at other seasons, and that older mice, especially females, also put on extra weight in summer. Most pregnant mice were found in spring and summer, but there was no winter quiescence in mature mice of either sex, and three of 29 pregnant females were collected in August. In five of 29 litters of embryos, at least one embryo was resorbing, totalling 12 of 161 embryos (7.4%). Litter size (viable embryos only) ranged from 5 to 8 (average 6) in 23 spring and summer pregnancies, but only 1-5 in four autumn and winter pregnancies. At high densities during 1984 in the young plantation (41.1 C/100TN in May) mice were significantly smaller in autumn, though somewhat larger in spring, and fewer young were recruited in 1984 and 1985. In these years we found significantly fewer males fertile, litters smaller and pregnancy rates lower, both in the plantation and in other habitats. The population Peak was much higher than most apparently similar post-seedfall Peaks in beech forest documented by the same methods, but it was different because (1) it developed very suddenly in autumn rather than building up slowly over winter and spring and Peaking in summer; (2) it was not preceded by winter breeding; and (3) it was made up mostly of mice born in the previous summer, whereas Peak populations in beech forests are usually made up of mice born during the previous winter and spring.     

SPECIES COMPOSITION,BIOMASS, AND NUTRIENT CONTENT OF PERIPHYTON IN THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES1

Periphyton biomass, nutrient dynamics in the biomass, and species composition were studied in two Florida Everglades sloughs from August 1991 to August 1992. Periphyton biomass on macrophytes was strongly season-dependent. Maximum biomasses, 1180, 161, and 59 g dry mass.m^?2 on Eleocharis vivipara, E. cellulosa, and Nymphaea odorata, respectively, occurred in summer and early autumn; winter and spring periphyton biomass was very low (practically not measurable). Periphyton was dominated by blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) during the summer and autumn; diatoms dominated during the winter and spring. Green algae occurred mostly during the summer and autumn, but their growth was sparse and did not contribute significantly to periphyton biomass. Nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratios in the periphyton were very high (59–121:1), suggesting phosphorus limitation of periphyton growth. The periphyton contained large concentrations of calcium (up to 22.3% on dry mass basis) especially in late summer and autumn.     

Seasonal changes in density, demography and body composition of small mammals in a southern temperate forest

Eleven small mammal species (nine rodents and two shrews) were recorded in 16 months of trapping in the Karkloof Forest, Natal. Total densities varied seasonally, ranging from 60.7 animals/ha in the dry autumn and winter to 29.1 animals/ha at the onset of the rains in spring and early summer. Peaks in breeding coincided with high body fat and water content in the five common species during summer: in winter, when body fat and water levels were low, there was no breeding. This may be related to poor food quality at this time. Annual changes in density, breeding season and juvenile recruitment of Rhabdomys pumilio, Mastomys natalensis and Myosorex varius are the same as recorded in conspecific populations from other habitat types and do not seem modified by the habitat stability of the forest environment. Of the five common species, only Grammomys dolichurus , one of the few forest-associated small mammals in southern Africa, and Graphiurus murinus demonstrated stable, K-selectéd life-history styles.     

Population dynamics of an outbreak of house mice (Mus domesticus) in the mallee wheatlands of Australia—hypothesis of plague formation

A plague of mice ( Mus domesticus ) in the Victorian mallee wheatlands of south-eastern Australia in autumn 1984 appeared to be generated by a sequence of rainfall events: high autumn (March), mid winter and late winter rainfall in 1983, and high summer rainfall in 1983/84. The March rainfall in 1983 ended a drought; mice began to breed and bred until the end of May. Relatively high survival of mice for 12 months after March 1983, together with early onset of breeding and high reproductive performance throughout the 1983/84 breeding season, including summer, were key demographic processes during the formation of the plague. Temporal differences in mouse abundance and breeding performance between habitats highlighted the relevance of specific habitats to the dynamics of mouse populations in the wheatlands. Fencelines were the most important habitat of mice because they were foci for breeding at the start of the breeding season, good nesting sites which were rarely disturbed, and widespread and in close proximity to crops. Cereal crops were colonized in spring 1983 and in autumn 1984; they became important habitats in 1983 when mice dispersed and bred there in early spring. Redhead's (1988) model was sufficient to explain the 1984 plague, but not the magnitude of the decline of mouse numbers in 1984, nor the absence of a further outbreak in 1985. A new model is proposed based on a sequence of rainfall events beginning at least 10 months prior to a plague.     

Seasonal use by birds of stream-side riparian habitat in coniferous forest of northcentral British Columbia

To determine use of riparian habitats by birds in the northern coniferous forest of British Columbia, we censused birds and vegetation along 500 m transects placed parallel and perpendicular to three second-order streams. Censuses were conducted during spring, summer, autumn, and winter to investigate how use of riparian habitat changed seasonally. Stream-side riparian zones were characterized by a dense understorey of deciduous vegetation not found in the upslope forest. Nine bird species preferred the riparian understorey for breeding, six preferred it only during migration. Neotropical migrants (16 of 46 species) were more closely associated with stream-sides than year-round residents (11 species). Some breeding birds (five species) were significantly negatively associated with riparian habitats. The density of riparian birds declined with distance upstream but did not decline up to 250 m away from the stream. The more extensive riparian areas downstream supported a greater density of birds in all seasons compared to upstream areas, but more species only in spring and autumn. Species that nested in non-riparian areas in summer used riparian habitat in autumn, making riparian corridors in the northern coniferous forest important during migration. Maintaining both riparian and upslope habitats is necessary to preserve species diversity al the landscape level.     

Growth of Mountain Birch Seedlings in Early-Successional Patches: A Year-Round Perspective

Abstract: Seedlings of mountain birch ( Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii ), a subarctic tree, mainly survive and establish in early-successional patches with low vegetation cover. In particular, during the first years after seed germination, a rapid seedling growth rate is important for winter survival. Seedling growth rate is controlled by plant nitrogen (N) concentration. On a year-round perspective, the N concentration is influenced by N uptake rate during both summer and winter and by N loss during autumn. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of autumn N loss and winter N uptake for seedling growth during summer. The study used young seedlings growing in situ in northern Sweden. Since the growth rate of whole plants cannot be measured in situ, it was estimated using a simple, empirical seedling growth model. The model was based on data from controlled experiments and validated using growth data from a field study. The field study included sequential seedling harvests which were carried out at two sites differing in altitude, from autumn 1994 until autumn 1996. The seedling growth model was used to simulate the effects on growth rate of autumn N losses and winter N uptake. It was found that a decrease in the amount of N lost in autumn and an increase in the amount of N taken up during winter could enhance the growth rate of mountain birch seedlings by the same order of magnitude as an increase in growing season soil temperature by 1 to 2 K.     

Seasonal variation in the range areas of the diurnal rodent Octodon degus

Both breeding activity and abundance and quality of available food are expected to influence daily movements of animals. Animals are predicted to range over large areas to meet high energy demands associated with reproduction (females) or to increase mating success (males). However, animals should expand their range areas whenever food conditions deteriorate. To examine the extent to which breeding activity versus food availability influence space use, we compared the size and location of range areas (home ranges) of the degu (Octodon degus), a diurnal rodent from semiarid environments of north-central Chile, during the austral winter and summer seasons. Degus produce young during the austral spring (September-October) when high-quality food is readily available. In contrast, degus do not breed during the austral summer (January-March) when food is scarce and of low quality. We predicted that degus would range over smaller areas in winter if the availability of food has a greater influence on space than breeding activity. Individuals were radiotracked in winter and the following summer over a 3-year period. Surveys of herbaceous cover were conducted during winter and summer to determine seasonal changes in the abundance and quality of primary food. In summer degus expanded and moved the location of their range areas to locations with available food. Given that preferred food was less abundant in summer than winter, we suggest that degu range areas are strongly influenced by food conditions.     

A Perplexing Outbreak of Mice in Patagonia,Argentina

Early in spring, 1997, remarkably large numbers of mice appeared in the dense forests near the western end of Lago Nahuel Huapi, Argentina. Dead mice that washed up on nearby beaches at this time were fat, had full stomachs and were young or young-adults born unusually late in the preceding autumn and winter. These mice represented an aperiodic outbreak that extended over 300 km along the Andes. By analysis of trapped samples, the demographics of the two main species in this outbreak (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus and Abrothrix longipilis) were compared with demographics of the same species during the preceding 21 years. In spring of 1997, trap success for O. longicaudatus in areas of the outbreak was as high as 46%; for A. longipilis it was 22%. Neither males nor females of either species entered breeding condition in 1997 during the usual season of reproduction in spring, nor in the following summer, leading to the collapse of the populations. Numbers of Oligoryzomys decreased steadily to 15% in autumn and a normal 2% in the following spring, at which time reproduction resumed. The 1997 springtime populations in adjacent ecotone and steppe habitats to the east had not increased, contained no young individuals, and overwinter individuals reproduced normally. During the breeding season, O. longicaudatus in these populations increased more rapidly than did A. longipilis, and during the winter, they decreased faster. The unusual winter reproduction preceding the outbreak may have resulted from an increase in some deep-forest food source that in turn was responding to two successive, unusually warm winters. Predation played a negligible role in the population collapse. The mouse outbreak was not accompanied by an increase in human cases of hanta pulmonary syndrome, a disease for which O. longicaudatus is a reservoir.