Food For Many Species Research Articles

Comprehensive analysis of the state of habitats of Cotoneaster lucidus Schlecht. in the Malo-Istoksky forest park in Yekaterinburg

The article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of Cotoneaster lucidus Schlecht. in the forest park area of the city of Yekaterinburg (Russia) based on population (age and vitality structure) and organismal parameters (morphometric indicators). The purpose of the study is to analyze the features of the ontogenetic and vitality structure of seven habitats of the brilliant cotoneaster Cotoneaster lucidus Schlecht in the Malo-Istoksky forest park of the city of Yekaterinburg. Plants in the habitat are presented in the form of geoxyl bush. In the Age structure, two periods have been identified - pregenerative and generative, and three ontogenetic states. All habitats are young and are in the stage of settlement, exclusively in forb pine forests with a canopy density of 0.3-0.6. The main route of penetration of the brilliant cotoneaster into the Malo-Istoksky Forest Park is artificial plantings along the paths, near equipped recreation areas. Its spread was facilitated by the presence of edible, long-lasting fruits on the shoots, which provided food for many species of birds. The established features indicate the high potential of the species and successful naturalization.

Analysis of the invasive activity of Cotoneaster lucidus Schlecht. in the Kalinovsky forest park in Yekaterinburg

The article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of Cotoneaster lucidus Schlecht. in the forest park area of Yekaterinburg (Russia) based on population (age and vitality structure) and organismal parameters (morphometric indicators). The purpose of the study is to analyze the invasive activity of Cotoneaster lucidus Schlecht. in the Kalinovsky Forest Park in Yekaterinburg. Plants in the habitat are presented in the form of geoxyl bush. In the Age structure, two periods have been identified - pregenerative and generative, and six ontogenetic states. All habitats are at the stage of colonization, exclusively in forb pine forests with a canopy density of 0.6-0.7. The main route of penetration of the brilliant cotoneaster into the Kalinovsky Forest Park is artificial plantings along the paths, near equipped recreation areas. Its spread was facilitated by the presence of edible, long-lasting fruits on the shoots, which provided food for many species of birds. The established features indicate the high potential of the species and successful naturalization.

A framework for identifying bird conservation priority areas in croplands at national level

Global biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate, and the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework requires each country to fulfill the conservation targets in biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning. Croplands provide habitat and food for many species, making them crucial for biodiversity conservation in addition to food production. Assessing conservation priorities in cropland is a prerequisite to allocate conservation resources and plan actions for better conservation outcomes. Yet quantitative methods to assess cropland conservation priority for biodiversity conservation at a national scale are still lacking. We proposed a framework for identifying the conservation priority in cropland for bird species at a national scale and applied the framework in China. We calculated the suitable habitat for each species and used a complementarity-based approach to designate the irreplaceable conservation priority areas considering richness, threatened level, and conservation percentage targets. We identified cropland taking up 6.76% of China's land area as a bird conservation priority, partially covering the suitable habitat of all the study species. By analyzing the landscape pattern of the priority areas and species' foraging traits, we provided policy-making suggestions according to area-specific characteristics. This framework can be used to identify priority areas for large-scale biodiversity conservation for different countries.

Resource pulses and human–wildlife conflicts: linking satellite indicators and ground data on forest productivity to predict brown bear damages

AbstractPulsed resources have prominent effects on community and ecosystem dynamics; however, there is little research on how resource pulses affect human–wildlife interactions. Tree masting is a common type of pulsed resource that represents a crucial food for many species and has important bottom‐up effects in food webs. In anthropogenic landscapes, years of food shortage after mast years can have negative outcomes for both people and wildlife, for instance when an increased use of anthropogenic foods by animals exacerbates human–wildlife conflicts. Here, we used novel remote sensing indicators of forest productivity and phenology, together with weather cues and ground measures of mast production, to assess whether years of masting and crop failures lead to changes in human–wildlife conflict occurrence. We used a unique 14‐year dataset including the production of European beech Fagus sylvatica seeds and brown bear Ursus arctos damage in the northeastern Carpathians as our model system. Linking these data in a panel regression framework, we found that temporal fluctuations in damage occurrence were sensitive to the year‐to‐year variation in beechnut production. Specifically, the number of damages during bear hyperphagia (i.e., September to December, when bears need to accumulate fat reserves prior to hibernation) was significantly higher in years with low beechnut production than in normal or mast years. Furthermore, we provide evidence that beech masting and failure can be predicted through a combination of remote‐sensing, weather, and field indicators of forest productivity and phenology. We demonstrate how pulsed resources, such as tree masting, can percolate through food webs to amplify human–wildlife conflict in human‐dominated landscapes. Given the recent range expansion of large carnivores and herbivores in many regions, including Europe, predicting years of natural food shortage can provide a pathway to proactive damage prevention, and thus to foster coexistence between wildlife and people.

Moths Diversity in Barsuan Range, Bonai Forest Division, Odisha, India and their Ecological Importance

Moths are a group of insects belonging to Class Insecta and Order Lepidoptera. Butterflies are also coming under the Order Lepidoptera and moths can be mistaken as butterflies. Moths and their caterpillars are important food for many species of amphibians, small mammals (such as bats) and many birds. They pollinate flowers while feeding on their nectar, and therefore help in seed production. This includes wild plants, garden plants and food crops. Keeping the importance of moth, an attempt has been made to document the moth diversity of Barsuan Range, Bonai Forest Division, Odisha during 2021-2022. The results revealed that about 31 species of moths were observed. The ecological importance of the available moths is discussed in the present study. The paper highlights the importance of insects in balancing the ecology of Barsuan range, Bonai Forest Division, Odisha, India.

Malakofauna of the gissar reservoir and the gorge ilonli gissar ridge

The vertical profile was studied from the vicinity of the Gissarak reservoir to the east to the left tributary of the Gissar, then to the south and along the gorge. In many biotopes, they constitute a significant part of the communities of destructors of dead organic matter and phytophages. In turn, molluscs serve as food for many species of vertebrates and invertebrates, often making up a significant part of the diet. Currently, the fauna of terrestrial gastropods in Uzbekistan in general, and in the Gissar ridge, is extremely poorly studied. Only a few works are known. (A. Pazilova, F. Gaibnazarova).

Mesquite (Prosopis spp.) tree as a feed resource for animal growth

Mesquite tree (Prosopis spp.), is an important species in arid zones, due to its nitrogen-fixing and adaptability to drought seasons, it also provides food for many species of wild animals which feed on its nectar, pollen, leaves and pods. This plant is an excellent source of protein, fiber, sugars and phytochemical compounds such as alkaloids, tannins, phenolics, steroids, terpenes and flavonoids. Mesquite has been used in farm animal nutrition as supplement with recommended proportions between 20 and 40%. The nutritional contributions also depend on the usage of pods or foliage, however, most of the studies highly recommend an enzymatic pretreatment to increase the biomass digestibility. Its nutritional characteristics and ability to grow under scarce water conditions turn it as a potential source to replace expensive forages for farm animal feeding especially in semiarid regions; however, the results in animal feeding are diverse. The usage of tree species in arid zones for animal feeding has been long proposed, but, for Prosopis spp. there are few updated studies despite of its potential usage. This work presents a general overview of the mesquite tree usage in animal feed.

Recent decline in vegetative regeneration of bamboo (Yushania alpina), a key food plant for primates in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

The African montane bamboo Yushania alpina provides both habitat and food for many species in the Albertine Rift region. In Volcanoes National Park (VNP), Rwanda, it is especially important as a key food resource for the Endangered mountain gorilla Gorilla beringei beringei and Endangered golden guenon Cercopithecus mitis kandti. We examined temporal and spatial variation in bamboo shoots regeneration and consumption by primates, monitored between 2013 and 2018 in 82 16-m2 plots located along transects in VNP. Our analyses revealed a decline in vegetative regeneration of bamboo in recent years, which is mirrored by a decline in bamboo shoot consumption by primates; but an increase in proportional intake. Local declines in regeneration are potentially due to high intensities of herbivory, decreased amounts of rainfall during growing seasons, and natural processes that form part of the life cycle of bamboo. Moreover, spatial variation in bamboo regeneration can be explained by elevation, as well as by stand-level variation in soil acidity, vegetation density, and the density of dead bamboo culms. We discuss the potential mechanisms underlying observed temporal and spatial variations and outline possible effects of a decline in bamboo regeneration for primates and other aspects of biodiversity in VNP.

Analysis of Seagrass Condition Using Spectral Reflection of Quickbird Imagery on Saronde Island North Gorontalo

This study was encouraged by the importance of understanding the conditions of seagrass which becomes the source of food for many species of marine fish. Seagrass condition will indirectly affect the quantity and quality of fish obtained by fishermen who live in coastal areas. High-resolution imagery can simplify and accelerate data collection process of conditions of seagrass on the outer islands of Gorontalo Province. This study used digital remote sensing method using unsupervised classification and also assisted by the measurements of the transcule based on the pixel size that aims to detect and to match the information obtained from QuickBird imagery, to ultimately obtain information about seagrass condition. Seagrass with abundant/good condition can be found at station 1,3,4,5, and 6 with an average cover up to 67,70%, 63,54%, 68,75%, 62,5%, and 65,62% respectively. Meanwhile, seagrass with the less abundant/poor condition can be found at station 2 with an average cover up to 50% and at station 7 with an average cover up to 52,08%. Distribution of seagrass on Saronde Island covers up to 6. 9654 Ha. Seagrass with abundant/good condition covers 4,2025 Ha, and lowly abundant/poor seagrass covers 2,7629 Ha. Seagrass on Saronde Island is still in abundant/good condition with an average cover up to 61,45 % and form mixed vegetation.

A Novel Idea for Freshness Analysis and Classification of Iced Sea Fish

Fish is a source of food for many species including human. It has been an important source of protein and other nutrients for human. Fresh fish are always better for preparing healthy and tasty food. Analysis of fresh fish is an important aspect to get the best quality of the fish for the preparation of healthy food. Sensory evaluation method is usually practiced in fish industry which involves judging of freshness by smell, color, appearance, taste and texture. The validity of this evaluation method has been questioned due to general parameters. In this study we are developing an evaluation method by using image processing of the fish eye. The fish eye image will be captured on different days and it is analyzed by using image processing tools to evaluate its freshness. The analysis will give the freshness index and classification of fish species used in this study. A series of fish images of different days is uploaded, the classification will be done and the result is presented in the excel sheet. In this study we use image processing tools to analyze the freshness of the sea fish. The analysis will be done on 2 species of fish. Initially the eye image of the fish is captured on different days and kept in the database. The images are segmented and its features are extracted. Classification of the image is done and a database is created as per the image captured on different days. KNN Algorithm is used for the classification. When a series of fish images are given as an input to the modeled device, it will crops its eye part, extracts the features and compares with the database. Fishes are classified into different grades and results are stored in the excel sheet to identify their grades. II. Proposed System The Proposed system consists of two stages. Stage one is to capture the images for creating database and in stage two a series of test images are given for classification based on database. In this system two species of fish, King Fish and Makrel are used for the freshness analysis. The images of two fish are captured and stored in day one. The process is repeated in day two, day three with the same setup. The required images are stored in the database. The eye part is extracted by image segmentation process and its features are obtained and stored in database. If a series of fish images of different days is given as the input for the model it will compare with the database and classify them according to their grades and the results are stored in the excel sheet. The block diagram of the proposed system is as shown below in Fig 1.

Spatial ecosystem modelling of marine renewable energy installations: Gauging the utility of Ecospace

The deployment of offshore structures for renewable energy generation (wind/wave/tidal) will lead to the alteration of access to the area of installation for several users of the sea including: shipping, fishing, tourism and recreational users. Arguably, the largest impact will be upon the fishing industry where access loss may lead to displacement and reduced catch per unit effort in turn leading to conflict. To prevent conflict, it is important to understand mitigating factors. Marine renewable energy devices (MREDs) and associated infrastructure will be placed on the seabed, affecting benthic infauna and epifauna, important sources of food for many species including those of commercial importance, potentially providing benefits to the fishing industry and mitigating the causes of conflict. Two key plausible benefits of MREDs are the ‘artificial reef effect’ and the ‘exclusion zone effect’. This study investigated the utility of the Ecopath with Ecosim and Ecospace modelling software to address the implications of these ‘effects’. Two case study models were developed, one at the whole west coast of Scotland shelf scale and one at a smaller single installation scale. Our results suggested that the Ecospace model could potentially predict the effects of MRED installations, but revealed that there are a number of considerations which should be taken into account before attempting to do this. Key considerations include data availability (an issue in all modelling), spatial scale and resolution. Other limitations to this particular study such as the ability to make changes over time are currently being addressed by ongoing developments of the software. Despite the considerations and limitations, these case studies reveal the usefulness of spatial ecosystem modelling, particularly Ecospace, to investigate this issue.

Sediment organic tin contamination promotes impoverishment of non-biting midge species communities in the Archipelago Sea, S-W Finland

Chironomid species are a vital component in many benthic and terrestrial food webs; they have an important role in the detritus cycle, and are an important source of food for many species. We studied how tributyltin (TBT) in brackish water sediments affect the composition of chironomid species communities. Emergence traps were used at selected sites on a TBT gradient in the Archipelago Sea, S-W Finland. Increased sediment TBT concentration was associated with significant chironomid species turnover, which in turn was related to decreased species diversity (number of species and genera). However, the overall number of individuals did not decrease markedly with increasing TBT contamination. This suggests that the ecological role of chironomids in the food web may be preserved even under severe impoverishment of the chironomid community due to organic tin contamination. The increased prevalence of more TBT tolerant species can potentially lead to a transport of organic tin compounds between aquatic and terrestrial food webs. Furthermore, the reduced diversity of an ecologically influential group might lower the resistance of the entire food web to other environmental hazards and perturbations.

Impacts of Dogwood Anthracnose (Discula destructiva Redlin) on the Fruits of Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida L.): Implications for Wildlife

Abstract Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.) fruits are an important fall food for many species of birds and mammals throughout the eastern United States. However, the rapid spread of the fungal disease dogwood anthracnose (Discula destructiva Redlin) has caused extensive mortality of dogwoods throughout the Appalachians. We examined the impacts of dogwood anthracnose on the production of inflorescences by flowering dogwoods in western North Carolina as an indication of fruit production. We also collected ripe fruits in the fall, weighed the pulps and analyzed them for protein, lipids, Ca, K, Mg and P. Only one-third of 173 live trees flowered. Large trees were significantly more likely to flower than small trees, and as disease severity increased, the probability of flowering decreased. Neither the mean number of inflorescences per tree nor mean pulp weight differed among two size classes or three disease categories of trees. However, pulps from moderately infected trees contained significantly more Ca...

An intraspecific and interspecific comparison of raptor diets in the south-west of the Northern Territory, Australia

Dietary information, collected during 1995–97 in the south-west of the Northern Territory, is presented for 11 raptor species. Unlike better-studied populations of these species in south-eastern and eastern Australia, most of the raptors in the arid inland were found to depend heavily on reptiles and birds, the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) being a particularly important food for many species during those periods when it was plentiful. Between-territory, between-year and seasonal differences in diet are quantified for most species. The raptor assemblages in central Australia included specialists on medium-sized to large mammals, small to medium-sized birds, and small reptiles/invertebrates, as well as several generalists. Indices of prey diversity and evenness were calculated for each species, and diet overlap between them was used to investigate aspects of interspecific competition for food. Overall, diet overlap was greatest among the bird specialists and between some of the generalists. It increased in 1997, a year of comparative plenty, possibly because several species exploited an abundance of some prey taxa and competitive pressure eased.

Small-scale spatial variation of selenium concentrations in Chironomid larvae.

Selenium is an important contaminant of many freshwater wetlands receiving agricultural drainage water (Ohlendorf et al. 1986) or natural runoff from seleniferous soils (Maier and Knight 1994). One such wetland is the Benton Lake basin at Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge in central Montana. Selenium-contaminated water originating from agricultural drainage and selenium-containing natural runoff enters the refuge primarily by way of its main tributary. After entry into the lake, water moves through the diked wetland units as water flow is manipulated for management purposes within this closed basin (Nimick 1997). We have been monitoring selenium concentrations in aquatic invertebrates at Benton Lake since 1988. At least some samples of all invertebrate taxa collected exceeded the 5 μg/g selenium dry wt concentration which, in the diets of migratory birds, has been associated with embryo teratogenesis under some field and laboratory conditions (Skorupa and Ohlendorf 1991). Selenium concentrations were consistently higher in the sediment-dwelling larvae of the family Chironomidae (Order: Diptera) than in any other taxon sampled. Chironomids are an important food for many species of migratory birds breeding at Benton Lake (Bartonek and Hickey 1969, Sugden 1973).

Le Cladocère Planctonique Bosmina Longirostris (O. F. Müller) Dans Les Étangs De Pisciculture

Many observations carried out in several fish ponds (Dombes and Centre areas, France) confirm that the planktonic cladoceran Bosmina longirostris constitutes a large fraction of the zooplankton and the most important part of the cladocerans (60 to 80%). During summer, populations often are up to several thousands 1 -1 , and up to several hundreds 1 -1 during winter in fertilized ponds. Environmental conditions are very favourable for this species. There is no competition with large cladocerans eliminated by fish predation, and phytoplankton blooms reduce water transparency; so B. longirostris can more easily escape to fish predation. In fish ponds, predators of B. longirostris are chiefly carnivorous copepods. Fish do not consume B. longirostris in the water column, but this species after its death can constitute an appreciable source of food for many species of fish, when the dead bodies have settled on the bottom.

Dynamic energy budgets in biological systems

The deployment of offshore structures for renewable energy generation (wind/wave/tidal) will lead to the alteration of access to the area of installation for several users of the sea including: shipping, fishing, tourism and recreational users. Arguably, the largest impact will be upon the fishing industry where access loss may lead to displacement and reduced catch per unit effort in turn leading to conflict. To prevent conflict, it is important to understand mitigating factors. Marine renewable energy devices (MREDs) and associated infrastructure will be placed on the seabed, affecting benthic infauna and epifauna, important sources of food for many species including those of commercial importance, potentially providing benefits to the fishing industry and mitigating the causes of conflict. Two key plausible benefits of MREDs are the ‘artificial reef effect’ and the ‘exclusion zone effect’. This study investigated the utility of the Ecopath with Ecosim and Ecospace modelling software to address the implications of these ‘effects’. Two case study models were developed, one at the whole west coast of Scotland shelf scale and one at a smaller single installation scale. Our results suggested that the Ecospace model could potentially predict the effects of MRED installations, but revealed that there are a number of considerations which should be taken into account before attempting to do this. Key considerations include data availability (an issue in all modelling), spatial scale and resolution. Other limitations to this particular study such as the ability to make changes over time are currently being addressed by ongoing developments of the software. Despite the considerations and limitations, these case studies reveal the usefulness of spatial ecosystem modelling, particularly Ecospace, to investigate this issue.

Fish of Trinity Inlet system of north Queensland with notes on the ecology of fish faunas of tropical Indo-Pacific estuaries

The fish faunas of tropical Trinity estuary and adjacent Trinity Bay are described. The fauna of the estuary is compared with that of other tropical Indo-Pacific estuaries and is found to be similar: all are dominated by juvenile marine fish. Numbers of planktivores are high and swimming prawns are an important food for many species. Absence of extensive shallow areas and a low biomass of benthic animals in Trinity estuary apparently limits the numbers of benthic feeding fish. Piscivores are few in the estuary and mainly represented by juveniles. Trinity Bay has fewer species represented by juveniles than the estuaries. higher numbers of piscivores, mainly adults, and fewer planktivores. The species diversity of Mugilidae in all areas is probably influenced by substrate diversity. Physical data indicate that substrate, turbidity and depth, together with relatively calm water in estuaries, affect the distribution ofjuvenile marine fish. If Trinity Bay is representative of areas of open water adjacent to tropical estuaries, the significantly lower numbers of piscivores in the estuaries may increase their advantage as sanctuaries for juvenile fish.