Variation in reproductive life-history traits of Chinese Bulbuls(Pycnonotus sinensis)along the urbanization gradient in Hangzhou,China

Urbanization brings new selection pressures to wildlife living in cities,and changes in the life-history traits of urban species can reflect their responses to such pressures.To date,most of the studies investigating the impacts of urbanization on avian life-history traits are conducted in Europe and North America,while such studies are often lacking in quickly developing countries in Asia(e.g.,China).In this study,we examined the variations in reproductive life-history traits of Chinese Bulbuls(Pycnonotus sinensis)along the urbanization gradient in Hangzhou,China.We detected 234 natural nests of Chinese Bulbuls and continuously monitored them in two continuous breeding seasons from 2012 to 2013.We collected data on seven life-history traits(laying date,incubation period,nestling period,clutch size,egg volume,hatching success rate,and fledging success rate).We used infrared cameras to record the number of feedings per hour as the measure of food resources for the nestlings.We measured nest predation pressure by monitoring 148 natural breeding nests during breeding seasons and 54 artificial nests immediately after breeding seasons.We then calculated the urbanization synthetic index(USI)as a measure of the level of urbanization and examined its relationship with the seven life-history traits.We found that Chinese Bulbuls laid eggs significantly earlier with increasing USI.However,the other six life-history traits did not vary significantly with the USI.Moreover,the feeding frequency of chicks increased significantly with the USI,but the nest predation pressure of Chinese Bulbuls decreased significantly with the USI.Increased food resources and reduced nest predation pressure in cities may lead to earlier laying date of Chinese Bulbuls.Further study should test whether the earlier laying date of Chinese Bulbuls is the result of phenotypic plasticity or genetic change.

Nest predation pressure on Chinese Bulbuls decreases along the urbanization gradient in Hangzhou,China

Nest predation is an essential factor affecting bird population density,reproductive ecology and life cycle.However,there are still contradictory results about how nest predation pressure changes with urbanization.One of the reasons for the controversy is that previous studies often use artificial nests to investigate nest predation,but the result of artificial nests is often biased and contrary to that of natural nests.Therefore,it is important to perform nest predation experiments simultaneously with both natural and artificial nests.In this study,we examined the change of nest predation pressure on the Chinese Bulbul(Pycnonotus sinensis)along the urbanization gradient in Hangzhou,China.We detected 148 natural nests of Chinese Bulbuls and continuously monitored them in two continuous breeding seasons from 2012 to 2013.After the breeding season,we placed artificial eggs in natural nests of Chinese Bulbuls to investigate the changes in nest predation pressure and used infrared cameras to record the predators.We then calculated the urbanization synthetic index(USI)as the measure of the degree of urbanization and examined its relationship with nest predation pressure.We found that no matter whether natural nests or artificial eggs were used,the nest predation pressure always decreased significantly with the degree of urbanization.The average height of shrubs within 10 m of the nest differed significantly between the predated and unpredated nests,which also affected the risk of nest predation.Our study highlights the importance of using natural and artificial nests simultaneously to conduct nest predation experiments,which can reduce the bias or errors caused by only using artificial nests.We also recommend the use of infrared cameras in future nest predation studies,which has obvious advantages in monitoring and identifying potential predators.

Construction of Z-scheme Cu-CeO_(2)/BiOBr heterojunction for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of sulfathiazole

The utilization of an efficient photocatalyst is crucial for the photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics in water through visible light,which is an imperative requirement for the remediation of water environments.In this study,a novel Cu-CeO_(2)/BiOBr Z-type heterojunction was synthesized by calcination and hydrothermal methods,and the degradation rate of sulfathiazole(STZ)antibiotic solution was studied using simulated illumination(300 W xenon lamp).The results indicated that 3%Cu-CeO_(2)/BiOBr achieved a degradation rate of 92.3%within 90 min when treating 20 mg/L STZ solution,demonstrating its potential for practical water treatment applications.Characterization using various chemical instruments revealed that 3%Cu-CeO_(2)/Bi OBr exhibited the lowest electron-hole recombination rate and electron transfer resistance.Furthermore,the utilization of ESR data and quenching experiments has substantiated the involvement of hydroxyl radicals(·OH)and superoxide radicals(·O_(2)^(-))as the primary active species.Consequently,a plausible degradation mechanism has been inferred.These findings offer a prospective approach for the development of heterojunction materials with appropriate band matching.

Efficient adsorption of europium(Ⅲ)and uranium(Ⅵ)by titanate nanorings:Insights into radioactive metal species

Radioactive wastewater containing high concentration of radionuclides poses severe threats to ecosystem and human health,so efficient removal of these toxic heavy metals is urgently needed.Titanate nanomaterials have been demonstrated good adsorbents for heavy metals due to ion exchange property.In this study,titanate nanorings(TNRs)were synthesized using the facile hydrothermal-cooling method.The TNRs were composed of sodium trititanate,with a chemical formula of Na_(0.66)H_(1.34)-Ti_(3)O_(7)·0.27H_(2)O and a Na content of 2.38 mmol/g.The TNRs demonstrated sufficient adsorption performance to radionuclides europium(Eu)and uranium(U)ions.Specifically,even at a high initial concentration of 50 mg/L,86.5% and 92.6% of the two metal ions can be rapidly adsorbed by the TNRs within 5 min,and equilibrium was reached within 60 min at pH 5.The maximum adsorption capacity(Qmax)obtained by the Langmuir isotherm model was 115.3 mg/g for Eu(Ⅲ)and 282.5 mg/g for uranium U(Ⅵ)at pH 5,respectively.The adsorption capacities of the two metals under various water chemical conditions were highly related to their species.Ion exchange between metal cations and Na^(+) in the TNR interlayers was the dominant adsorption mechanism,and adsorption of U(Ⅵ)was more complicated because of the co-existence of various uranyl(UO_(2)^(2+))and uranyl-hydroxyl species.The spent TNRs were effectively regenerated through an acid-base or ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid(EDTA)treatment and reused.Considering the large adsorption capacity and quick kinetic,TNRs are promising materials to remove radionuclides in environmental purification applications,especially emergent treatment of leaked radionuclides.