Global climate change affects many facets of avian ecology, such as shifts in breeding phenology and migration patterns. Migrating bird species respond to changes in climate by shifting their temporal patterns of spri...Global climate change affects many facets of avian ecology, such as shifts in breeding phenology and migration patterns. Migrating bird species respond to changes in climate by shifting their temporal patterns of spring migration. However, variation in species’ responses exists based on various life history traits, which exposes some species to an increased risk of phenological mismatch. This study examined the spring arrival dates of 115 migrating species over 127 years (1889-2015) using archival sources in West Virginia, USA, making this research unique in the length of study, the high number of species studied, and the historical crowd-sourced observations analyzed. Of the 115 taxa, 45 showed significant negative slopes of spring arrival dates (arriving earlier in the spring) plotted against the year. In contrast, only nine species showed positive slopes (arriving later in the spring), albeit non-significant. The average advance of spring arrival date for all species was 1.7 days per decade, and an advance of 2.6 days per decade in species that showed significance. Arrival dates were associated with increasing spring temperatures—for each 1˚C increase, the arrival date advanced by 0.81 days/decade. Several life history traits were linked to species that advanced their first arrival dates, including a shorter distance migrated to reach wintering grounds, increasing populations, and foraging habitat. Most avian species are advancing their spring arrival dates in response to climate change. However, the implications of earlier spring arrival are unclear. We draw attention to shifts in arrival dates and wintering ranges, leading to a possible increase in overwintering in the mid-latitudes of North America.展开更多
Wetlands are often created through wetland mitigation to replace lost natural wetlands, but further evaluation is needed to determine the ability of a created wetland to replace lost wetland functions, especially prov...Wetlands are often created through wetland mitigation to replace lost natural wetlands, but further evaluation is needed to determine the ability of a created wetland to replace lost wetland functions, especially providing wildlife habitat. We used a mesocosm design to compare the water quality between three created wetlands and three natural wetlands in West Virginia, USA and to evaluate how the water quality from the two wetland types were able to support metamorphosis in larval spring peepers (<em>Pseudacris crucifer</em>) and wood frogs (<em>Lithobates sylvaticus</em>) across two years (2014-2015). Responses in metamorphosis rates differed between species and between years. Spring peepers displayed similar metamorphosis rates in the created and natural wetlands in both years of the study. Wood frogs displayed similar metamorphosis rates in created and natural wetlands in 2015, but in 2014 wood frogs reached metamorphosis in less time and at a larger body size in the natural wetlands, suggesting that the wood frogs that developed in the natural wetlands may have higher fitness than those that developed in the created wetlands. Water quality was largely similar between created and natural wetlands, although dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and pH varied between mesocosms and wetlands. Our study suggests that created wetlands may be providing partial mitigation in terms of water quality for amphibian development. We recommend that future monitoring of created wetlands include measures of juvenile amphibian recruitment as well as additional habitat variables to better determine the ability of created wetlands to function as amphibian habitat.展开更多
Exotic bush honeysuckles (</span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Lonicera</span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> spp.) are becoming increasingly com...Exotic bush honeysuckles (</span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Lonicera</span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> spp.) are becoming increasingly common in the eastern and mid-western United States, but little is known about their impacts on invertebrates. We used a modified leaf vacuum to sample invertebrates in the shrub strata and understory of three shrub types (and open plots </span><span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">in the understory): single Morrow’s honeysuckle (</span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">L</span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">. </span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">morrowii</span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> A. Gray) shrubs, </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">single native southern arrowwood (</span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Viburnum</span></i></span></span><span><span><i><span style="font-family:""> </span></i></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">recognitum</span></i></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> Fernald) shrubs, and dense thickets of Morrow’s honeysuckle, in southwestern PA, USA during 2004 and 2005. We also assessed the degree of </span><a name="OLE_LINK26"></a><a name="OLE_LINK25"></a><span style="font-family:Verdana;">herbivory</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> on the two species of shrubs. Within the shrub strata, invertebrate biomass was lower in southern arrowwood shrubs, but there was no difference in invertebrate abundance or family richness. Invertebrate abundance and richness were lowest </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">in August, but there was no difference in biomass among the months. Invertebrate</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> abundance, biomass, and family richness were lowest in the understory below dense thickets of Morrow’s honeysuckle. Overall, the percent cover of herbs was the proximate factor responsible for driving pat展开更多
文摘Global climate change affects many facets of avian ecology, such as shifts in breeding phenology and migration patterns. Migrating bird species respond to changes in climate by shifting their temporal patterns of spring migration. However, variation in species’ responses exists based on various life history traits, which exposes some species to an increased risk of phenological mismatch. This study examined the spring arrival dates of 115 migrating species over 127 years (1889-2015) using archival sources in West Virginia, USA, making this research unique in the length of study, the high number of species studied, and the historical crowd-sourced observations analyzed. Of the 115 taxa, 45 showed significant negative slopes of spring arrival dates (arriving earlier in the spring) plotted against the year. In contrast, only nine species showed positive slopes (arriving later in the spring), albeit non-significant. The average advance of spring arrival date for all species was 1.7 days per decade, and an advance of 2.6 days per decade in species that showed significance. Arrival dates were associated with increasing spring temperatures—for each 1˚C increase, the arrival date advanced by 0.81 days/decade. Several life history traits were linked to species that advanced their first arrival dates, including a shorter distance migrated to reach wintering grounds, increasing populations, and foraging habitat. Most avian species are advancing their spring arrival dates in response to climate change. However, the implications of earlier spring arrival are unclear. We draw attention to shifts in arrival dates and wintering ranges, leading to a possible increase in overwintering in the mid-latitudes of North America.
文摘Wetlands are often created through wetland mitigation to replace lost natural wetlands, but further evaluation is needed to determine the ability of a created wetland to replace lost wetland functions, especially providing wildlife habitat. We used a mesocosm design to compare the water quality between three created wetlands and three natural wetlands in West Virginia, USA and to evaluate how the water quality from the two wetland types were able to support metamorphosis in larval spring peepers (<em>Pseudacris crucifer</em>) and wood frogs (<em>Lithobates sylvaticus</em>) across two years (2014-2015). Responses in metamorphosis rates differed between species and between years. Spring peepers displayed similar metamorphosis rates in the created and natural wetlands in both years of the study. Wood frogs displayed similar metamorphosis rates in created and natural wetlands in 2015, but in 2014 wood frogs reached metamorphosis in less time and at a larger body size in the natural wetlands, suggesting that the wood frogs that developed in the natural wetlands may have higher fitness than those that developed in the created wetlands. Water quality was largely similar between created and natural wetlands, although dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and pH varied between mesocosms and wetlands. Our study suggests that created wetlands may be providing partial mitigation in terms of water quality for amphibian development. We recommend that future monitoring of created wetlands include measures of juvenile amphibian recruitment as well as additional habitat variables to better determine the ability of created wetlands to function as amphibian habitat.
文摘Exotic bush honeysuckles (</span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Lonicera</span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> spp.) are becoming increasingly common in the eastern and mid-western United States, but little is known about their impacts on invertebrates. We used a modified leaf vacuum to sample invertebrates in the shrub strata and understory of three shrub types (and open plots </span><span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">in the understory): single Morrow’s honeysuckle (</span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">L</span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">. </span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">morrowii</span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> A. Gray) shrubs, </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">single native southern arrowwood (</span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Viburnum</span></i></span></span><span><span><i><span style="font-family:""> </span></i></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">recognitum</span></i></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> Fernald) shrubs, and dense thickets of Morrow’s honeysuckle, in southwestern PA, USA during 2004 and 2005. We also assessed the degree of </span><a name="OLE_LINK26"></a><a name="OLE_LINK25"></a><span style="font-family:Verdana;">herbivory</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> on the two species of shrubs. Within the shrub strata, invertebrate biomass was lower in southern arrowwood shrubs, but there was no difference in invertebrate abundance or family richness. Invertebrate abundance and richness were lowest </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">in August, but there was no difference in biomass among the months. Invertebrate</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> abundance, biomass, and family richness were lowest in the understory below dense thickets of Morrow’s honeysuckle. Overall, the percent cover of herbs was the proximate factor responsible for driving pat
