Climate change can affect rainfall and temperature worldwide,and the ability of birds to react to these changes can be mirrored by studying population phenology and their breeding success.Some European species have ad...Climate change can affect rainfall and temperature worldwide,and the ability of birds to react to these changes can be mirrored by studying population phenology and their breeding success.Some European species have advanced arrival and breeding dates in response to local spring advancement,but conditions experienced during winter seasons may also affect arrival dates and subsequent breeding success.We utilized data collected from 1983 to 2020 in four colonies of Common Swift(Apus apus)in Northern Italy(5486 breeding attempts)to examine the variations of laying date and breeding success in relation to non-breeding conditions(previous winter in Africa)and local conditions in breeding period(spring).Climatic conditions were monitored using the North Atlantic Oscillation(NAO)and El Nino Southern Oscillation(ENSO)indices to describe conditions experienced in winter quarters and the local temperature and rainfall conditions of the breeding area.Common Swifts laid their eggs earlier in warmer springs,and this in turn had a positive effect on breeding success.We did not find evidence for any effects of African winter conditions on laying date nor on breeding success.However,because studies made in the same area have demonstrated a relationship of winter conditions(NAO)on individual survival,our data highlight the importance of considering environmental variables across the annual life cycle to understand variation in Common Swift populations.展开更多
The Beijing Swift(Apus apus pekinensis)is a typical cavity-nesting bird that often nests inside holes and crevices in old architectures.Direct observation of their breeding behaviour is challenging and their breeding ...The Beijing Swift(Apus apus pekinensis)is a typical cavity-nesting bird that often nests inside holes and crevices in old architectures.Direct observation of their breeding behaviour is challenging and their breeding ecology is thus poorly studied.In this study,we analysed light-level geolocation data collected from six Beijing Swifts for the first time.Our results showed that geolocators can make comprehensive inference of their incubation period and behaviour.As a cost-effective and non-invasive method,geolocators can not only facilitate discovering migration routes,but also can be widely applied in the study of avian reproductive behaviour,especially in cavity-nesting bird species.We further discussed the characteristics and merits of this method and compared with other conventional nest-monitoring methods in recording birds.展开更多
Pallid Swifts(Apus pallidus),as other swifts,are birds extremely adapted to an aerial lifestyle,showing unique adaptations that allow them to fly almost continuously.The diet of these non-stopping high-altitudinal aer...Pallid Swifts(Apus pallidus),as other swifts,are birds extremely adapted to an aerial lifestyle,showing unique adaptations that allow them to fly almost continuously.The diet of these non-stopping high-altitudinal aerial birds has been mostly studied through techniques that fail to produce highly resolved prey identifications,and for that have been replaced by molecular techniques,such as DNA metabarcoding.Faecal samples of Pallid Swifts were monthly collected from a colony in the north of Portugal during the breeding season.DNA from the faecal samples was used to sex the birds and to identify the arthropods present in the diet through DNA metabarcoding.From the detected prey items,74 families were identified belonging to 16 orders,with Hymenoptera and Hemiptera being the most frequently consumed.There were seasonal variations in diet richness,composition and prey size.Regarding the diet of males and females,although no differences were found between the diet of males and females in terms of composition and richness,there were differences in the size of arthropods preyed by the different sexes,with males feeding on larger arthropods.The large seasonal variation in Pallid Swifts’diet during the breeding season is probably a result of spatiotemporal variation in aerial prey,of which swifts likely predate opportunistically.Although no significant differences were detected in diet richness and composition between sexes,the fact that males consumed larger prey may suggest the existence of sexual dietary segregation in this group of birds.At last,several pest species were found in these swifts’diet,which,if studied through DNA metabarcoding,can be used to monitor small arthropods,including airborne pests.展开更多
文摘Climate change can affect rainfall and temperature worldwide,and the ability of birds to react to these changes can be mirrored by studying population phenology and their breeding success.Some European species have advanced arrival and breeding dates in response to local spring advancement,but conditions experienced during winter seasons may also affect arrival dates and subsequent breeding success.We utilized data collected from 1983 to 2020 in four colonies of Common Swift(Apus apus)in Northern Italy(5486 breeding attempts)to examine the variations of laying date and breeding success in relation to non-breeding conditions(previous winter in Africa)and local conditions in breeding period(spring).Climatic conditions were monitored using the North Atlantic Oscillation(NAO)and El Nino Southern Oscillation(ENSO)indices to describe conditions experienced in winter quarters and the local temperature and rainfall conditions of the breeding area.Common Swifts laid their eggs earlier in warmer springs,and this in turn had a positive effect on breeding success.We did not find evidence for any effects of African winter conditions on laying date nor on breeding success.However,because studies made in the same area have demonstrated a relationship of winter conditions(NAO)on individual survival,our data highlight the importance of considering environmental variables across the annual life cycle to understand variation in Common Swift populations.
基金funded by SHAN SHUI Conservation Centre,Beijing。
文摘The Beijing Swift(Apus apus pekinensis)is a typical cavity-nesting bird that often nests inside holes and crevices in old architectures.Direct observation of their breeding behaviour is challenging and their breeding ecology is thus poorly studied.In this study,we analysed light-level geolocation data collected from six Beijing Swifts for the first time.Our results showed that geolocators can make comprehensive inference of their incubation period and behaviour.As a cost-effective and non-invasive method,geolocators can not only facilitate discovering migration routes,but also can be widely applied in the study of avian reproductive behaviour,especially in cavity-nesting bird species.We further discussed the characteristics and merits of this method and compared with other conventional nest-monitoring methods in recording birds.
基金supported by the project TOPDEVILfinanced by Fundacão para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia(FCT)and the European Regional Development Fund(FEDER)through Portugal 2020 Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Programme(POCI),reference POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030250 and PTDC/ASP-SIL/30250/2017funded by FCT through the research contracts 2020.02547.CEECIND and CEECIND/02064/2017,respectively。
文摘Pallid Swifts(Apus pallidus),as other swifts,are birds extremely adapted to an aerial lifestyle,showing unique adaptations that allow them to fly almost continuously.The diet of these non-stopping high-altitudinal aerial birds has been mostly studied through techniques that fail to produce highly resolved prey identifications,and for that have been replaced by molecular techniques,such as DNA metabarcoding.Faecal samples of Pallid Swifts were monthly collected from a colony in the north of Portugal during the breeding season.DNA from the faecal samples was used to sex the birds and to identify the arthropods present in the diet through DNA metabarcoding.From the detected prey items,74 families were identified belonging to 16 orders,with Hymenoptera and Hemiptera being the most frequently consumed.There were seasonal variations in diet richness,composition and prey size.Regarding the diet of males and females,although no differences were found between the diet of males and females in terms of composition and richness,there were differences in the size of arthropods preyed by the different sexes,with males feeding on larger arthropods.The large seasonal variation in Pallid Swifts’diet during the breeding season is probably a result of spatiotemporal variation in aerial prey,of which swifts likely predate opportunistically.Although no significant differences were detected in diet richness and composition between sexes,the fact that males consumed larger prey may suggest the existence of sexual dietary segregation in this group of birds.At last,several pest species were found in these swifts’diet,which,if studied through DNA metabarcoding,can be used to monitor small arthropods,including airborne pests.
