Bird biodiversity

Endemic Bird Areas of the World. Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation by A.J. Stattersfield, M.J. Crosby, A.J. Long and D.C. Wege, Birdlife International, 1997. £37.00 pbk (860 pages) ISBN 0946 888 33 7CDROM: Birds of the World—A Multimedia Encyclopedia, Ransom, 1997. £14.99 ISBN 1 863 89 1748     

The biodiversity and conservation of the birds of São Tomé and Príncipe

At present the majority of the endemic bird species occurring on São Tomé and Príncipe remain common, the rarer species being those largely confined to primary rainforest. In 1990 the dwarf olive ibis (Bostrychia bocagei), São Tomé fiscal shrike (Lanius newtoni), São Tomé short-tail (Amaurocichla bocagii) were rediscovered and in 1991 the São Tomé grosbeak (Neospiza concolor) was seen for the first time since 1888. Lowland primary forest is the only habitat on São Tomé in which all the endemic species are found. Primary forest on Príncipe remains largely unsurveyed since the beginning of the century. Due to the decline in the cocoa industry and poor infra-structure post-independence the extent of secondary forest is probably at its greatest since the late 1800s. This habitat is an important buffer zone against development for the remaining primary forest and also contains important populations of many of the endemic species, in particular the São Tomé scops owl (Otus hartlaubi), São Tomé oriole (Oriolus crassirostris) and giant weaver (Ploceus grandis). On both islands the remaining areas of primary forest need immediate protection and suitable boundaries have been designated under the Zona Ecológica plan. Fortunately, except for an important area around Lagôa Amélia, primary forest is not under immediate threat, although a variety of pressures are likely to increase. In conjunction with the protection of primary forest, a plant for managing the remaining timber resource on the islands will be a vital requirement, particularly if areas of shade forest, an important habitat for endemic bird species and a potentially valuable economic resource, are to be conserved and sustainably managed.     

Complex patterns of genetic and phenotypic divergence in an island bird and the consequences for delimiting conservation units

Substantial phenotypic and genetic variation is often found below the species level and this may be useful in quantifying biodiversity and predicting future diversification. However, relatively few studies have tested whether different aspects of intraspecific variation show congruent patterns across populations. Here, we quantify several aspects of divergence between 13 insular populations of an island endemic bird, the Vanuatu white-eye ( Zosterops flavifrons ). The components of divergence studied are mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), nuclear DNA microsatellites and morphology. These different aspects of divergence present subtly different scenarios. For instance, an mtDNA phylogenetic tree reveals a potential cryptic species on the most southerly island in Vanuatu and considerable divergence between at least two other major phylogroups. Microsatellite loci suggest that population genetic divergence between insular populations, both between and within phylogroups, is substantial, a result that is consistent with a low level of interisland gene flow. Finally, most populations were found to be strongly morphologically divergent, but no single population was morphologically diagnosable from all others. Taken together, our results show that, although many measures of divergence are concordant in this system, the number of divergent units identified varies widely depending on the characters considered and approach used. A continuum of divergence and a degree of discordance between different characters are both to be expected under simple models of evolution, but they present problems in terms of delimiting conservation units.     

云南省玉龙雪山自然保护区鸟类资源调查

2007年9～11月和2008年4～5月,对云南省丽江玉龙雪山自然保护区的鸟类资源进行了调查,共记录鸟类184种,结合中国科学院昆明动物研究所鸟类标本室收藏的该地区标本和文献记录的种类,保护区内共记录鸟类330种(另13亚种),隶属47科(另4亚科),18目,占云南省所录鸟类种数848种的38.92%,全国鸟类种数1329种的24.83%.其中国家一级保护物种1种,二级保护物种29种.黑眉长尾山雀Aegithalos iouschistos和大嘴乌鸦Corvus macrorhynchos为保护区内的优势种类.保护区记录的鸟类有留鸟230种和亚种,占所录鸟类种和亚种数的67.05%.区系成分以东洋界物种为主,有182种,占繁殖鸟类总种数的66.42%.亚区级区系分析表明保护区的鸟类以西南山地亚区的种类为主.结合该区鸟类生境分布的特点,提出云南松高山松林、针阔混交林和寒温性暗针叶林的保护是保护工作的重点.     

Using patterns of distribution and diversity of Kenyan birds to select and prioritize areas for conservation

Patterns and environmental correlates of species distributions and richness are identified for Kenyan birds at a quarter degree-square scale. This information is used together with iterative complementarity analyses, which employ species richness, taxonomic dispersion and range-restrictedness, to identify priority areas for possible conservation attention. Bird species apparently not conserved by existing protected areas in Kenya are identified. Six avifaunal zones (and one transitional zone) are distinguished based on distributions of suites of bird species. Variation in biotope diversity (the number of forest and aquatic systems) accounts for 79% of the observed variation in Kenyan bird species richness. Although both rainfall and altitudinal range are significantly correlated with species richness, they only explain an additional 3% of the observed variation. The priority areas identified are situated mainly within highlands and coastal lowlands. Although few priority areas are identified in northern Kenya, this region also constitutes a priority, as it contains a suite of xeric species with habitats that are not represented elsewhere in Kenya. The papyrus yellow warbler, Chloropeta gracilirostris, William's bush lark, Mirafra williamsi, white-winged dove, Streptopelia reichenowi, and Jubaland weaver, Ploceus dichrocephalus, are identified as endemics or near-endemics that are probably not adequately conserved in Kenya at present.     

Landscape-dependent use of a seed-rich habitat by farmland passerines: relative importance of game cover crops in a grassland versus an arable region of Scotland

Capsule Game cover crops in a pastoral region of southwest Scotland supported passerines at more than twice the density found in similar crops in an arable region.

Aims To investigate the use of seed-rich habitats (game cover crops) by farmland passerines in the agricultural grasslands of southwest Scotland relative to the arable east.

Methods Birds were counted in game cover crops and conventional crops on nine farms in Dumfries and Galloway, and Ayrshire, during the winters of 2003/04 and 2004/05. Similar data from eastern Scotland were re-analysed to compare the relative use of the two crop types in the contrasting regions.

Results Passerine densities in game cover crops in southwest Scotland were two orders of magnitude greater than in conventional crops. Furthermore, densities within grassland game cover crops were more than double those in arable areas and densities in grassland conventional crops were just 14% of those in equivalent arable habitats.

Conclusion The significantly greater difference between passerine densities in game cover crops and conventional crops in a grassland versus an arable region of Scotland could not be explained by differences in the bird communities, crop types, boundary habitats, weather, observer effects or survey methods used. We suggest that game cover crops may be more attractive in grassland regions because alternative food sources are rarer than in arable regions.     

Thirty polymorphic microsatellite loci from the critically endangered kakapo (Strigops habroptilus)

Thirty polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed from the critically endangered kakapo (Strigops habroptilus), using an enriched genomic library. Characterization of loci using 90 kakapo revealed an average of 3.3 alleles per locus (range: 2–5) and an average expected heterozygosity of 0.47 (range: 0.17–0.70). The probability of identity (7.2 × 10^?15) and probability of exclusion (0.999999) demonstrate that these loci are a highly informative marker set that can aid the genetic management of the kakapo.     

Avian rarity in ten cloud-forest communities in the Andes of Ecuador: implications for conservation

Avian rarity was investigated in ten high-altitude cloud forests in the Andes of Ecuador. Data on species compositions and abundances were obtained by a fully standardized method (standardization for area, altitude, habitat, effort and seasonality). The rare species were isolated from rank-abundance plots on the basis of the quartile definition of rarity. A positive correlation between mean abundances of species and number of sites occupied suggests that high-altitude bird species classified rare by abundance generally can also be classified rare by range. However, it is necessary to be cautious using this result in ranking conservation priorities since the generality is not obeyed by all species. Within the two abundance classes (contains one and two individuals, respectively) represented among the rare species, the one-individual class had significantly more species than the two-individual class. The quantitative rarity of taxa and ecological groupings produced similar results for all sites, while pairwise similarity of rare species between sites was very low. Together with the difficulty of identifying species that are truly rare by abundance, these results imply that sites selected for conservation preferably should be based upon a qualitative evaluation of lists of species referred to vulnerability categories such as endemic, restricted-range, CITES or IUCN threatened/near-threatened species. However, it is necessary also to incorporate other aspects of biodiversity to cover a full range of biotic diversity.     

Cyphoderus (Cyphoderidae) as a major component of collembolan cave fauna in Thailand,with description of two new species

Distinguishing features of Cyphoderus Collembola of the bidenticulati group are described. Taxonomic problems in the bidenticulati group of Cyphoderus are emphasized, and new characters of taxonomic value are introduced and discussed. Two new species are described from caves of Thailand, differing mainly in claw morphology.