The Birds of the Western Palearctic

Climate change will increase the recurrence of extreme weather events such as drought and heavy rainfall. Evidence suggests that modifications in extreme weather events pose stronger threats to ecosystem functioning than global trends and shifts in average conditions. As ecosystem functioning is connected with ecological services, this has far-reaching effects on societies in the 21st century. Here, we: (i) present the rationale for the increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events in the near future; (ii) discuss recent findings on meteorological extremes and summarize their effects on ecosystems and (iii) identify gaps in current ecological climate change research.

Iconographies supplémentaires de l'article : Research frontiers in climate change: Effects of extreme meteorological events on ecosystems

Across a range of organisms, related species or even populations of the same species exhibit strikingly different scales and patterns of movement. A significant proportion of the phenotypic variance in migratory traits is genetic, but the genes involved in shaping these phenotypes are still unknown. Although recent achievements in genomics will evolve migratory genetics research from a phenotypic to a molecular approach, fully sequenced and annotated genomes of migratory species are still lacking. Consequently, many of the genes involved in migration are unavailable as candidates. Migration is central to the life-history adaptations of many animals. Here, we review current understanding of the genetic architecture of migratory traits and discuss the significant implications this will have for other areas of biology, including population responses to climate change, speciation and conservation management.

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The genetics of migration on the move.

Low-virulence Newcastle disease viruses (loNDV) are frequently recovered from wild bird species, but little is known about their distribution, genetic diversity, or potential to cause disease in poultry. NDV isolates recovered from cloacal samples of apparently healthy waterfowl and shorebirds (WS) in the United States during 1986 to 2005 were examined for genomic diversity and their potential for virulence (n = 249). In addition 19 loNDV isolates from U.S. live bird markets (LBMs) were analyzed and found to be genetically distinct from NDV used in live vaccines but related to WS-origin NDV. Phylogenetic analysis of the fusion protein identified nine novel genotypes among the class I NDV, and new genomic subgroups were identified among genotypes I and II of the class II viruses. The WS-origin viruses exhibited broad genetic and antigenic diversity, and some WS genotypes displayed a closer phylogenetic relationship to LBM-origin NDV. All NDV were predicted to be lentogenic based upon sequencing of the fusion cleavage site, intracerebral pathogenicity index, or mean death time in embryo assays. The USDA real-time reverse transcription-PCR assay, which targets the matrix gene, identified nearly all of the class II NDV tested but failed to detect class I viruses from both LBM and WS. The close phylogenetic proximity of some WS and LBM loNDV suggests that viral transmission may occur among wild birds and poultry; however, these events may occur unnoticed due to the broad genetic diversity of loNDV, the lentogenic presentation in birds, and the limitations of current rapid diagnostic tools.

Phylogenetic diversity among low-virulence newcastle disease viruses from waterfowl and shorebirds and comparison of genotype distributions to those of poultry-origin isolates

The Basal Ganglia Is Necessary for Learning Spectral, but Not Temporal, Features of Birdsong

We examined breeding dispersal directions in the white stork (Ciconia ciconia), a migratory bird breeding in large parts of Europe. We asked whether and how the direction of the major spring/autumn migration route (from south-east to north-west and vice versa) affects breeding dispersal directions. Breeding dispersal directions were clearly nonrandomly distributed and were influenced by the major spring migration direction, leading to a bias toward south-eastward and north-westward breeding dispersal.

Breeding dispersal directions in the white stork (Ciconia ciconia) are affected by spring migration routes

Numerous studies have explored the relationship between environmental factors and White Stork Ciconia ciconia reproduction, mainly expressing breeding success as the number of fledglings. Nonetheless, one of the most critical life-history stages in birds falls between egg-laying and fledging, and identifying the factors causing offspring mortality during this period provides valuable knowledge. We quantified the number of laid White Stork eggs and the proportion of eggs that turned into fledglings in an agriculture-dominated region in Eastern Germany. Moreover, we identified the factors among land cover, weather and arrival dates, which influenced these two reproductive measures the most, and analysed the monitored mortality causes. On average, four eggs were laid per nest, and 57.8 % of the eggs turned into fledglings. The number of eggs laid was best explained by the negative effect of the arrival date of the second stork, while the percentage of eggs that turned into fledglings was more dependent on weather: most important parameters were mean temperature in the fifth and seventh weeks after the assumed breeding start (i.e. around the assumed hatching date), and the number of consecutive days with precipitation when nestlings are assumed to be approximately 3 weeks old. In an agricultural environment, weather effects that potentially disturb food availability might be more important than effects directly affecting the survival of White Stork offspring. The most frequent observed mortality cause, nest fights, furthermore revealed the relevance of intraspecific competition in the study population.

To fledge or not to fledge: factors influencing the number of eggs and the eggs-to-fledglings rate in White Storks Ciconia ciconia in an agricultural environment

Sandboden kommen in Mitteleuropa grosflachig im gesamten pleistozanen Tiefland vor. In raumlich geringerer Ausdehnung sind sie ferner in einem Gurtel im Mittelgebirgsraum vertreten. Einen uberblick Uber die Verbreitung von Sandboden in Deutschland gibt die Verbreitungskarte des Silbergrases (Corynephorus canescens), da diese Pflanzenart eng an offene Sandboden gebunden und auf diesen weit verbreitet ist (Abb. 1.1).

Einführung: Offene Sandlandschaften Mitteleuropas, Truppenübungsplätze und Naturschutz

In order to investigate the potential role of arctic geese in the epidemiology, the spatial and temporal spread of selected avian diseases, in autumn 2002, a virological and serological survey designed as capture-mark-resighting study was conducted in one of the most important coastal resting sites for migratory waterfowl in Germany. Oropharyngeal, cloacal swabs and blood samples were collected from a total of 147 birds comprising of three different arctic geese species including White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons), Tundra Bean Goose (Anser fabalis rossicus), Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) as well as from 29 non-migratory Canada Geese (Branta canadensis). Altogether, six adeno-like viruses (ALV; 95% CI, 1.74–9.92%) and two avian paramyxoviruses (APMV-4; 95% CI, 0.19–5.53%) were isolated mainly from juvenile White-fronted Geese. In addition, four Canada Geese were infected with lentogenic APMV-1 (95% CI, 3.89–31.66%) at the date of sampling. No avian influenza viruses, reo-like viruses could be isolated despite serological evidence. Likewise, no evidence of current or previous infection by West Nile virus was found. Of the 147 birds tagged in the following years, 137 birds were re-sighted between 2002 and 2008 accumulating to 1925 sightings. About 90% of all sightings were reported from the main wintering and resting sites in Germany and The Netherlands. Eight of the resighted geese were virus positive (ALV and APMV-4) at the time point of sampling in 2002.

Dieter Wallschläger

Papers

Breeding dispersal directions in the white stork (Ciconia ciconia) are affected by spring migration routes

To fledge or not to fledge: factors influencing the number of eggs and the eggs-to-fledglings rate in White Storks Ciconia ciconia in an agricultural environment

Einführung: Offene Sandlandschaften Mitteleuropas, Truppenübungsplätze und Naturschutz

Serological and virological survey and resighting of marked wild geese in Germany

Chronoethologische Untersuchung zur Jungtierentwicklung beim Weißlippenhirsch (Cervus albirostris) im Tierpark Berlin