With rapid urbanization occurring throughout China,the existence of Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus) in big cities is likely to be affected by a decrease in habitat and food availability.Can the urban Tree Sparrow adap...With rapid urbanization occurring throughout China,the existence of Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus) in big cities is likely to be affected by a decrease in habitat and food availability.Can the urban Tree Sparrow adapt to these changes? To elucidate this question,we studied the effect of urbanization on the abundance and distribution of Tree Sparrows in Beijing.We found the abundance of the Tree Sparrow negatively correlated with an urbanization score.Sparrow abundance was very low in residential areas with high-rise buildings,commercial centers and main roads,while their numbers were significantly higher in parks,university campuses,low building residential and suburban areas.Environmental factors within the 50 m and 200 m scales were most suitable in predicting the distribution of Tree Sparrows during winter,while factors within 50 m and 400 m scales are suitable during the breeding season.During winter,the number of conifer trees and pedestrians were the major factors at the 50 m scale,while the area of high-rise buildings and vegetation become the predominant factors on a 200 m scale.Alternatively,during the breeding season the area of low buildings and the number of conifers and pedestrians were the main factors on the 50 m scale while the area of high-rise buildings and vegetation remained the most important factors on the 400 m scale.These results indicate that highly urbanized areas are not suitable habitats for the Tree Sparrow,although this species can adapt to human environments.Food and nest sites for urban birds should be considered in urban planning of big cities in developing countries.展开更多
Background:Small birds in temperate habitats must either migrate,or adjust aspects of their morphology,physiology and behavior to cope with seasonal change in temperature and photoperiod.It is,however,difficult to acc...Background:Small birds in temperate habitats must either migrate,or adjust aspects of their morphology,physiology and behavior to cope with seasonal change in temperature and photoperiod.It is,however,difficult to accurately measure how seasonal changes in temperature and photoperiod affect physiological processes such as basal metabolic rate(BMR)and metabolic activity.To address this problem,we collected data in each month of the year on body mass(Mb)and BMR,and conducted a series of experiments to determine the effect of temperature and photoperiod on Mb,BMR and physiological markers of metabolic activity,in the Eurasian Tree Sparrow(Passer montanus).Methods:In one experiment,we measured monthly change in Mb and BMR in a captive group of birds over a year.In another experiment,we examined the effects of acclimating birds to two different temperatures,10 and 30℃,and a long and a short photoperiod(16 h light:8 h dark and 8 h light:16 h dark,respectively)for 4 weeks.Results:We found that these treatments induced sparrows to adjust their Mb and metabolic rate processes.Acclimation to 30℃for 4 weeks significantly decreased sparrows’Mb,BMR,and energy intake,including both gross energy intake and digestible energy intake,compared to birds acclimated to 10℃.The dry mass of the liver,kidneys and digestive tract of birds acclimated to 30℃also significantly decreased,although their heart and skeletal muscle mass did not change significantly relative to those acclimated to 10℃.Birds acclimated to 30℃also had lower mitochondrial state-4 respiration(S4R)and cytochrome c oxidase(COX)activity in their liver and skeletal muscle,compared to those acclimated to 10℃.Birds acclimated to the long photoperiod also had lower mitochondrial S4R and COX activity in their liver,compared to those acclimated to the short photoperiod.Conclusions:These results illustrate the changes in morphology,physiology,and enzyme activity induced by seasonal change in temperature and photoperiod in a small temperate passerine.Both temperature and photoperiod probably have a strong effect on seasonal variation in metabolic heat production in small birds in temperate regions.The effect of temperature is,however,stronger than that of photoperiod.展开更多
Global surface air temperatures increased during the past 100 years. Many long-term studies of birds have reported a climatic influence on breeding performance. We analysed long-term changes in first laying date and c...Global surface air temperatures increased during the past 100 years. Many long-term studies of birds have reported a climatic influence on breeding performance. We analysed long-term changes in first laying date and clutch size for first clutches of sedentary, hole-nesting and socially monogamous tree sparrows Passer montanus during 1980-2009 in northwestern Croatia. Laying date advanced and spring temperature increased significantly during the study. Date of laying was significantly correlated with mean air spring temperature and advanced by 8.6 days during the 30 years period. Laying date was delayed in extremely cold, but not in extremely warm springs compared to years with normal temperatures. These results suggest that current climate change including extreme change does not have negative effects on timing of laying or clutch size. In contrast to laying date, clutch size did not vary systematically during the study period or with mean spring air temperature changes [Current Zoology 57 （3）： 414-418, 2011].展开更多
Habitat suitability models have been used to predict the present and future potential distribution of a variety of spe- cies. Eurasian tree sparrows Passer montanus, native to Eurasia, have established populations in ...Habitat suitability models have been used to predict the present and future potential distribution of a variety of spe- cies. Eurasian tree sparrows Passer montanus, native to Eurasia, have established populations in other parts of the world. In North America, their current distribution is limited to a relatively small region around its original introduction to St. Louis, Missouri. We combined data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility with current and future climate data to create habitat suitability models using Maxent for this species. Under projected climate change scenarios, our models show that the distribution and range of the Eurasian tree sparrow could increase as far as the Pacific Northwest and Newfoundland. This is potentially important in-formation for prioritizing the management and control of this non-native species [Current Zoology 57 （5）： 648--654, 2011].展开更多
Females actively seek extra-pair paternity(EPP)to acquire a fitness advantage for their offspring.The“contextdependence hypothesis”posits that female extra-pair mate choice has plasticity in response to environmenta...Females actively seek extra-pair paternity(EPP)to acquire a fitness advantage for their offspring.The“contextdependence hypothesis”posits that female extra-pair mate choice has plasticity in response to environmental conditions,and therefore magnitude of female genetic benefits from EPP depends on the environmental variation.Furthermore,chronic heavy metal pollution can cause adverse effects on fitness-related traits of wild birds.However,few studies were available on the interactions between heavy metal pollution and EPP.We selected an area that was contaminated by heavy metals for more than 60 years(Baiyin,BY),a relatively unpolluted area(Liujiaxia,LJX),and Tree Sparrows(Passer montanus)as study species to explore the response of female extrapair mate choice and genetic benefits from EPP to heavy metal pollution in socially monogamous birds.The relatedness between social mates and extra-pair mates was investigated.Additionally,we compared the body size and heterozygosity of extra-pair offspring(EPO),within-pair offspring(WPO),social males and extra-pair males from the two Tree Sparrow populations.We found that at BY,female Tree Sparrows tended to choose extra-pair males with larger body size and lower genetic similarity,thereby producing higher heterozygosity and larger body size of EPO compared with those of WPO.However,no similar phenomenon was observed in the Tree Sparrow population from LJX.In addition,there was a significant interaction between population and paternity in the analyses of the fitness-related traits,suggesting that environmental variation could affect female genetic benefits from EPP.This study confirmed the existence of presumed interactions between environmental pollution and EPP within the natural population of socially monogamous Tree Sparrows.Our findings shed lights on the possible effects of long-term environmental stress on mating system in wild birds.展开更多
Background: In temperate-breeding birds, individuals must adjust their physiological states from one life-history stage to another in response to changing conditions to maximize ecological fitness. Previous evidences ...Background: In temperate-breeding birds, individuals must adjust their physiological states from one life-history stage to another in response to changing conditions to maximize ecological fitness. Previous evidences have shown that body mass, size-corrected mass(SCM), and hematocrit(Hct) could be used as estimates of the energetic state of individuals to illustrate life-history trade-offs and individual quality in field physiology. Plasma alkaline phosphatase(ALP) plays critical roles in regulating the metabolism of energy but very limited information is known on its link with body mass or Hct.Methods: We determined the changes of plasma ALP levels in both early breeding and wintering stages of male Eurasian Tree Sparrows(Passer montanus), and examined the relationships between ALP and body mass, SCM, and Hct of the birds.Results: Our study showed that(1) in male Eurasian Tree Sparrows, body mass did not vary with life-history stage but plasma ALP activity significantly increased in the wintering stage compared to the breeding stage;(2) ALP activity was not correlated with individual body mass but was positively correlated with individual SCM and Hct. Such positive correlations, however, only occurred in the wintering but not in the breeding stages.Conclusions: Our results suggest that plasma ALP activities in free-living birds can be used as one of the indicators o body condition or nutritional status for analyzing individual variation in the wintering but not in the breeding stages. The life-history dependent relationships between plasma ALP activity and body condition may contribute to our better understanding of the trade-off between individual survival and reproduction in free-living animals.展开更多
The Tree Sparrow(Passer montanus)is a dom-inant species in urban bird communities.With the devel-opment of urbanization,the habitats and sources of food for Tree Sparrows are decreasing.Can the urban Tree Sparrow adap...The Tree Sparrow(Passer montanus)is a dom-inant species in urban bird communities.With the devel-opment of urbanization,the habitats and sources of food for Tree Sparrows are decreasing.Can the urban Tree Sparrow adapt to changes in the urban environment?To answer this question,we studied the habitat use of Tree Sparrows in eight types of urban areas in Beijing.The results show that the number of both breeding and winter-ing Tree Sparrows decreased with increasing urbanization.The habitat use of Tree Sparrows,analyzed using stepwise discriminant analysis,was positively correlated with the number of brick bungalows,coniferous and broad-leaved trees and air conditioners.It was negatively correlated with the area of high buildings and hardened roads,pedestrian and automobile flux.This indicates that the Tree Sparrow had not adapted to rapid urbanization even though it is a generally adaptable species.Urban planning should take birds such as the Tree Sparrow into consideration.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 30900181)“111 Project” (2008-B08044)
文摘With rapid urbanization occurring throughout China,the existence of Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus) in big cities is likely to be affected by a decrease in habitat and food availability.Can the urban Tree Sparrow adapt to these changes? To elucidate this question,we studied the effect of urbanization on the abundance and distribution of Tree Sparrows in Beijing.We found the abundance of the Tree Sparrow negatively correlated with an urbanization score.Sparrow abundance was very low in residential areas with high-rise buildings,commercial centers and main roads,while their numbers were significantly higher in parks,university campuses,low building residential and suburban areas.Environmental factors within the 50 m and 200 m scales were most suitable in predicting the distribution of Tree Sparrows during winter,while factors within 50 m and 400 m scales are suitable during the breeding season.During winter,the number of conifer trees and pedestrians were the major factors at the 50 m scale,while the area of high-rise buildings and vegetation become the predominant factors on a 200 m scale.Alternatively,during the breeding season the area of low buildings and the number of conifers and pedestrians were the main factors on the 50 m scale while the area of high-rise buildings and vegetation remained the most important factors on the 400 m scale.These results indicate that highly urbanized areas are not suitable habitats for the Tree Sparrow,although this species can adapt to human environments.Food and nest sites for urban birds should be considered in urban planning of big cities in developing countries.
基金This study was financially supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.31470472 and 31971420).
文摘Background:Small birds in temperate habitats must either migrate,or adjust aspects of their morphology,physiology and behavior to cope with seasonal change in temperature and photoperiod.It is,however,difficult to accurately measure how seasonal changes in temperature and photoperiod affect physiological processes such as basal metabolic rate(BMR)and metabolic activity.To address this problem,we collected data in each month of the year on body mass(Mb)and BMR,and conducted a series of experiments to determine the effect of temperature and photoperiod on Mb,BMR and physiological markers of metabolic activity,in the Eurasian Tree Sparrow(Passer montanus).Methods:In one experiment,we measured monthly change in Mb and BMR in a captive group of birds over a year.In another experiment,we examined the effects of acclimating birds to two different temperatures,10 and 30℃,and a long and a short photoperiod(16 h light:8 h dark and 8 h light:16 h dark,respectively)for 4 weeks.Results:We found that these treatments induced sparrows to adjust their Mb and metabolic rate processes.Acclimation to 30℃for 4 weeks significantly decreased sparrows’Mb,BMR,and energy intake,including both gross energy intake and digestible energy intake,compared to birds acclimated to 10℃.The dry mass of the liver,kidneys and digestive tract of birds acclimated to 30℃also significantly decreased,although their heart and skeletal muscle mass did not change significantly relative to those acclimated to 10℃.Birds acclimated to 30℃also had lower mitochondrial state-4 respiration(S4R)and cytochrome c oxidase(COX)activity in their liver and skeletal muscle,compared to those acclimated to 10℃.Birds acclimated to the long photoperiod also had lower mitochondrial S4R and COX activity in their liver,compared to those acclimated to the short photoperiod.Conclusions:These results illustrate the changes in morphology,physiology,and enzyme activity induced by seasonal change in temperature and photoperiod in a small temperate passerine.Both temperature and photoperiod probably have a strong effect on seasonal variation in metabolic heat production in small birds in temperate regions.The effect of temperature is,however,stronger than that of photoperiod.
文摘Global surface air temperatures increased during the past 100 years. Many long-term studies of birds have reported a climatic influence on breeding performance. We analysed long-term changes in first laying date and clutch size for first clutches of sedentary, hole-nesting and socially monogamous tree sparrows Passer montanus during 1980-2009 in northwestern Croatia. Laying date advanced and spring temperature increased significantly during the study. Date of laying was significantly correlated with mean air spring temperature and advanced by 8.6 days during the 30 years period. Laying date was delayed in extremely cold, but not in extremely warm springs compared to years with normal temperatures. These results suggest that current climate change including extreme change does not have negative effects on timing of laying or clutch size. In contrast to laying date, clutch size did not vary systematically during the study period or with mean spring air temperature changes [Current Zoology 57 （3）： 414-418, 2011].
文摘Habitat suitability models have been used to predict the present and future potential distribution of a variety of spe- cies. Eurasian tree sparrows Passer montanus, native to Eurasia, have established populations in other parts of the world. In North America, their current distribution is limited to a relatively small region around its original introduction to St. Louis, Missouri. We combined data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility with current and future climate data to create habitat suitability models using Maxent for this species. Under projected climate change scenarios, our models show that the distribution and range of the Eurasian tree sparrow could increase as far as the Pacific Northwest and Newfoundland. This is potentially important in-formation for prioritizing the management and control of this non-native species [Current Zoology 57 （5）： 648--654, 2011].
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.32370508)the Foundation for Excellent Doctoral Student of Science and Technology Program of Gansu Province(No.23JRRA1125)。
文摘Females actively seek extra-pair paternity(EPP)to acquire a fitness advantage for their offspring.The“contextdependence hypothesis”posits that female extra-pair mate choice has plasticity in response to environmental conditions,and therefore magnitude of female genetic benefits from EPP depends on the environmental variation.Furthermore,chronic heavy metal pollution can cause adverse effects on fitness-related traits of wild birds.However,few studies were available on the interactions between heavy metal pollution and EPP.We selected an area that was contaminated by heavy metals for more than 60 years(Baiyin,BY),a relatively unpolluted area(Liujiaxia,LJX),and Tree Sparrows(Passer montanus)as study species to explore the response of female extrapair mate choice and genetic benefits from EPP to heavy metal pollution in socially monogamous birds.The relatedness between social mates and extra-pair mates was investigated.Additionally,we compared the body size and heterozygosity of extra-pair offspring(EPO),within-pair offspring(WPO),social males and extra-pair males from the two Tree Sparrow populations.We found that at BY,female Tree Sparrows tended to choose extra-pair males with larger body size and lower genetic similarity,thereby producing higher heterozygosity and larger body size of EPO compared with those of WPO.However,no similar phenomenon was observed in the Tree Sparrow population from LJX.In addition,there was a significant interaction between population and paternity in the analyses of the fitness-related traits,suggesting that environmental variation could affect female genetic benefits from EPP.This study confirmed the existence of presumed interactions between environmental pollution and EPP within the natural population of socially monogamous Tree Sparrows.Our findings shed lights on the possible effects of long-term environmental stress on mating system in wild birds.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 31672292, 31372201)the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (C2017205059)
文摘Background: In temperate-breeding birds, individuals must adjust their physiological states from one life-history stage to another in response to changing conditions to maximize ecological fitness. Previous evidences have shown that body mass, size-corrected mass(SCM), and hematocrit(Hct) could be used as estimates of the energetic state of individuals to illustrate life-history trade-offs and individual quality in field physiology. Plasma alkaline phosphatase(ALP) plays critical roles in regulating the metabolism of energy but very limited information is known on its link with body mass or Hct.Methods: We determined the changes of plasma ALP levels in both early breeding and wintering stages of male Eurasian Tree Sparrows(Passer montanus), and examined the relationships between ALP and body mass, SCM, and Hct of the birds.Results: Our study showed that(1) in male Eurasian Tree Sparrows, body mass did not vary with life-history stage but plasma ALP activity significantly increased in the wintering stage compared to the breeding stage;(2) ALP activity was not correlated with individual body mass but was positively correlated with individual SCM and Hct. Such positive correlations, however, only occurred in the wintering but not in the breeding stages.Conclusions: Our results suggest that plasma ALP activities in free-living birds can be used as one of the indicators o body condition or nutritional status for analyzing individual variation in the wintering but not in the breeding stages. The life-history dependent relationships between plasma ALP activity and body condition may contribute to our better understanding of the trade-off between individual survival and reproduction in free-living animals.
基金This study was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China(Grant No.30170187)the Young Teacher Research Foundation of Central University for Nationality,China.
文摘The Tree Sparrow(Passer montanus)is a dom-inant species in urban bird communities.With the devel-opment of urbanization,the habitats and sources of food for Tree Sparrows are decreasing.Can the urban Tree Sparrow adapt to changes in the urban environment?To answer this question,we studied the habitat use of Tree Sparrows in eight types of urban areas in Beijing.The results show that the number of both breeding and winter-ing Tree Sparrows decreased with increasing urbanization.The habitat use of Tree Sparrows,analyzed using stepwise discriminant analysis,was positively correlated with the number of brick bungalows,coniferous and broad-leaved trees and air conditioners.It was negatively correlated with the area of high buildings and hardened roads,pedestrian and automobile flux.This indicates that the Tree Sparrow had not adapted to rapid urbanization even though it is a generally adaptable species.Urban planning should take birds such as the Tree Sparrow into consideration.
