AUTOMATIC FEATURE EXTRACTION AND CLASSIFICATION OF CROSSBILL (LOXIA SPP.) FLIGHT CALLS

ABSTRACT

In this paper a new method for the automatic classification of bird sounds is presented. Our method is based on acoustic parameters (features) taken from the first harmonic component computed from the sound spectrogram. The features are based on a line segment approximation of the first harmonic component. The final feature vectors, consisting of 16 real numbers, are then classified using a self-organizing map (SOM) neural network. Flight calls of four crossbill species (Loxia spp.) are used as a test example. In the first phase, an unsupervised network was trained and tested using common crossbill L. curvirostra flight calls recorded mainly in the Netherlands. The network was tested using two-barred L. leucoptera, Scottish L. scotica and parrot L. pytyopsittacus crossbill flight calls in the second phase. Finally, the results were validated applying the same network to flight calls of common crossbills and parrot crossbills recorded in Finland. The method automatically separated common crossbill flight calls from those of parrot crossbills. The classification accuracy of the Dutch recordings was 58% in the first phase and 54% in the second phase. The Finnish recordings were classified with 54% accuracy.     

Life history of the Glanville fritillary butterfly in fragmented versus continuous landscapes

Habitat loss and fragmentation threaten the long‐term viability of innumerable species of plants and animals. At the same time, habitat fragmentation may impose strong natural selection and lead to evolution of life histories with possible consequences for demographic dynamics. The Baltic populations of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) inhabit regions with highly fragmented habitat (networks of small dry meadows) as well as regions with extensive continuous habitat (calcareous alvar grasslands). Here, we report the results of common garden studies on butterflies originating from two highly fragmented landscapes (FL) in Finland and Sweden and from two continuous landscapes (CL) in Sweden and Estonia, conducted in a large outdoor cage (32 by 26 m) and in the laboratory. We investigated a comprehensive set of 51 life‐history traits, including measures of larval growth and development, flight performance, and adult reproductive behavior. Seventeen of the 51 traits showed a significant difference between fragmented versus CL. Most notably, the growth rate of postdiapause larvae and several measures of flight capacity, including flight metabolic rate, were higher in butterflies from fragmented than CL. Females from CL had shorter intervals between consecutive egg clutches and somewhat higher life‐time egg production, but shorter longevity, than females from FL. These results are likely to reflect the constant opportunities for oviposition in females living in continuous habitats, while the more dispersive females from FL allocate more resources to dispersal capacity at the cost of egg maturation rate. This study supports theoretical predictions about small population sizes and high rate of population turnover in fragmented habitats selecting for increased rate of dispersal, but the results also indicate that many other life‐history traits apart from dispersal are affected by the degree of habitat fragmentation.     

Trophy hunting and perceived risk in closed ecosystems: Flight behaviour of three gregarious African ungulates in a semi‐arid tropical savanna

Although being an important conservation tool in Africa, trophy hunting is known to influence risk perception in wildlife species, thus affecting the behaviour and fitness of most targeted species. We studied the effects of trophy hunting on the flight behaviour of impala (Aepyceros melampus), greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) and sable (Hippotragus niger) in two closed ecosystems, Cawston Ranch (hunting area) and Stanley and Livingstone Private Game Reserve (tourist area), western Zimbabwe. Using standardized field procedures, we assessed the flight behavioural responses of the three species in two seasons: non‐hunting (December–March) and hunting (April–November) between March 2013 and November 2014. We tested the effect of habitat, group size, sex, season, start distance and alert distance on flight initiation distance using linear mixed models. Habitat, group size sex and alert distance did not have any effect on flight initiation distance for the three species. The three species were more alert and displayed longer flight initiation distances in the hunting area compared with the tourist area. Flight initiation distances for the three species were higher during the hunting season for the hunting area and low during the non‐hunting season. Flight distances of the three species did not differ between the hunting area and the tourist area. We concluded that trophy hunting increased perceived risk of wild ungulates in closed hunting areas, whereas ungulates in non‐hunting areas are less responsive and somehow habituated to human presence. Management plans should include minimum approach distances by tourists as well as establishing seasonal restrictions on special zones to promote species viability. Research aimed at integrating behavioural responses with physiological aspects of target species should be promoted to ensure that managers are able to deal with the behavioural trade‐offs of trophy hunting at local and regional scale.     

太空诱变玉米核不育突变体矮化的遗传及外施赤霉素分析

为了解太空诱变玉米核不育突变体矮化的遗传规律和原因,该研究以不育突变体为母本,自交系178、478为父本,对测交 F1、F2群体进行育性鉴定和株高分析,对 F2可育株进行基因型和株高分析,对姊妹交后代分离群体进行育性鉴定和株高、雄穗长度、节间数、节间长度分析,同时,还对姊妹交后代分离群体进行施赤霉素处理,调查育性和株高的变化。结果表明：178和478背景下的 F1表现出与测交母本一样的极显著差异;在178和478核背景下的 F2中,不育株株高极显著矮于可育株,两核背景下的不育株间株高差异不显著,而可育株间株高差异极显著;F2中纯合和杂合可育株的株高差异不显著;姊妹交后代分离群体中不育株株高、雄穗长度、节间数和节间长度极显著小于可育株;外施赤霉素的不育株在苗期表现出对赤霉素一定的敏感性,但株高最终未恢复正常高度。因此,得出该突变体矮化表现稳定,与不育性状并存,且不受细胞核背景的影响;核不育基因对植株株高的矮化无剂量效应;突变体的矮化与雄穗长度、节间数和节间长度有关;突变体不完全属于赤霉素不敏感型,其矮化并不是单一缺乏赤霉素而引起。该研究结果为认识太空诱变玉米核不育突变体矮化的遗传和生理机制提供了参考。     

Rapid and comprehensive evaluation of microalgal fatty acids via untargeted gas chromatography and time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

Due to their high triacylglyceride content, microalgae are intensively investigated for bio‐economy and food applications. However, lipid analysis is a laborious task incorporating extraction, transesterification and typically gas chromatographic measurement. Co‐elution induces a significant risk of fatty acid misidentification and thus, additional purification steps like thin layer chromatography are needed. Contrary to database matching approaches, solely targeted analysis is facilitated as compound identification is driven by matching retention times or indices with standard substances. In this context, a rapid workflow for the analysis of algal fatty acids is presented. In‐situ transesterification was used to simplify sample preparation and conditions were optimized towards fast processing. If results are needed at the very day of sampling, direct processing without a preceding drying step is feasible to obtain a rough estimate about the occurrence of the major compounds. Coupling gas chromatography and time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry enables untargeted analysis. Unknown compounds may be identified by structural reconstruction of their respective fragmentation patterns and by database matching to routinely avoid mismatches by co‐elution of disturbing agents. The developed workflow was successfully applied to derive the exact stereochemistry of all fatty acids from Chlorella vulgaris and a systematic shift depending on physiological state of the cells was confirmed.