A species' diet is highly dependent on the availability of food resources in space and time, as well as on intrinsic factors such as sex or age. Accurate assessments of variations in the diet composition of bird populations across spatial scales, seasons and demographic groups are essential not only for understanding the basic ecology of species, but also for the conservation of endangered ones. However, our current knowledge about how birds' diet change according to spatio-temporal variations or intrinsic factors is very limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn recent years, several automated and noninvasive methods for wildlife monitoring, such as passive acoustic monitoring (PAM), have emerged. PAM consists of the use of acoustic sensors followed by sound interpretation to obtain ecological information about certain species. One challenge associated with PAM is the generation of a significant amount of data, which often requires the use of machine learning tools for automated recognition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhilos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci
June 2024
Insects are the most diverse animal taxon on Earth and play a key role in ecosystem functioning. However, they are often neglected by ecological surveys owing to the difficulties involved in monitoring this small and hyper-diverse taxon. With technological advances in biomonitoring and analytical methods, these shortcomings may finally be addressed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe efficient analyses of sound recordings obtained through passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) might be challenging owing to the vast amount of data collected using such technique. The development of species-specific acoustic recognizers (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: The extent and impacts of biological invasions on biodiversity are largely shaped by an array of socio-economic and environmental factors, which exhibit high variation among countries. Yet, a global analysis of how these factors vary across countries is currently lacking. Here, we investigate how five broad, country-specific socio-economic and environmental indices (Governance, Trade, Environmental Performance, Lifestyle and Education, Innovation) explain country-level (1) established alien species (EAS) richness of eight taxonomic groups, and (2) proactive or reactive capacity to prevent and manage biological invasions and their impacts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIberian natural steppes have traditionally been used for extensive sheep grazing, which has been noted to be positively associated with steppe bird abundance and diversity. Sheep numbers in Spain, which harbors the largest European populations of many steppe bird species, decreased by 9.2 million (37.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPassive acoustic monitoring, when coupled with automated signal recognition software, allows researchers to perform simultaneous monitoring at large spatial and temporal scales. This technique has been widely used to monitor cetaceans, bats, birds, and anurans but rarely applied to monitor primates. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness of passive acoustic monitoring and automated signal recognition software for detecting the presence and monitoring the roaring behavior of the Black and Gold Howler Monkey (Alouatta caraya) over a complete annual cycle at one site in the Brazilian Pantanal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnuran advertisement calls are life history traits associated with sexual selection and reproduction, and they play an important role in premating isolation mechanisms between species. Comparative bioacoustical analyses of these calls can be useful for taxonomic purposes. Phylogenetic relationships within the genera Pseudis are controversial, especially those related to P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Steppe-birds face drastic population declines throughout Europe. The Dupont's lark is an endangered steppe-bird species whose European distribution is restricted to Spain. This scarce passerine bird could be considered an 'umbrella species', since its population trends may reveal the conservation status of shrub-steppes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Territorial songbirds vocalise intensively before sunrise and then decrease their vocal activity. This creates a communication network that disseminates essential information for both males and females. The function of dawn chorus in birds has been frequently interpreted according to seasonal variation of singing as the breeding season advances, but potential differences in seasonal variation of song and calls for the same species have not been taken into account.
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