Influence of forest road on breeding of tits in artificial nest boxes

A study was conducted to determine the influence of forest road on breeding of tits in artificial nest boxes in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests in the Gwanak Arboretum （37° 25′ 05＂ N, 126° 56′ 85＂ E） of Seoul National University, Anyang, Korea from November 2002 to June 2003. Three tits species, varied tit （Parus varius）, marsh tit （P. palustris） and great tit （P. major）, breeding in artificial t nest boxes were investigated on number of breeding pairs, cultch size, and egg measurement. Resuls showed that the breeding pairs of varied tit was more in 75-150 m area than in 0-75m area from forest road for all the three study sites, and the clutch size and egg measurements （weight, Major axis and Minor axis） of varied tit was also higher in the area of 75-150 m than in the area of 0-75 m, while no differences in number of breeding pairs and clutch size were found for marsh tit and great tit between the two areas. Egg measurement of great tit was also higher in forest interior area than in forest edge area. It is concluded that varied tit were most significantly influenced by forest road, followed by great tit, whereas marsh tit were not influenced by forest road. Artificial nest box is roved to be good for cavity nester in disturbed areas by human activities. Supply of artificial nest can help population protection and management of bird species.

Nest survival rate of Reeves＇s pheasant(Syrmaticus reevesii) based on artificial nest experiments

To explore the nest survival rate of Reeves＇ s pheasant（Syrmaticus reevesii） and the nest-site factors that affect it, we conducted artificial nest experiments with reference to natural nests at Dongzhai National Nature Reserve（DNNR）, Henan Province and Pingjingguan, Hubei Province from April to June 2014 simulating the situation in its early and later breeding season. We also determined distance characteristics of the nest sites by Arc GIS 10.0. Nest survival models were constructed in Program MARK for data analysis. Results indicated that in the early breeding season, the apparent survival rate（ASR） in DNNR（52.4%） was significantly greater than that in Pingjingguan（13.5%）, and the ASR in the later breeding season in DNNR（26.7%） was not indistinctively correlated with Pingjingguan（3.2%）. The daily survival rate（DSR） in the later breeding season was 93.8% in DNNR and 92.0% in Pingjingguan, respectively. The DSRs were both negatively correlated with nest distance to forest edges and settlements. The DSR in Pingjingguan was positively correlated with nest distance to paths and negatively correlated with nest distance to water sources. However, the DSR in DNNR was negatively correlated with nest distance to paths but positively correlated with nest distance to water sources.

The effects of anthropogenic noise on nest predation with respect to predator species across different habitats and seasons

Noise pollution is a maj or component of sensory pollution that can disrupt the well-being and functioning of living organisms,affect a variety of life history traits in animals,and reduce their reproductive success.In this study,we used artificial nest experiments with noise manipulation to investigate the influence of anthropogenic noise on nest predation during the breeding and non-breeding seasons and in different forest habitats.We found that the noise treatment did not alter the predation rates or survival probabilities of birds in artificial nests.However,the diversity and species composition of nest predators in artificial pine forests varied between breeding and nonbreeding seasons,which may be explained by season-specific adaption of nest predators to bird nests or the unstable ecosystems of artificial forests.The diversity and species composition of nest predators differed between the different forests,probably because of differences in habitat heterogeneity.Predation time varied with treatment,season,and habitat,although most predators were nocturnal mammals.Niche segregation or changes in optimal foraging time may explain this phenomenon.

Negative effects of artiffcial nest boxes on birds:A review

Artificial nest boxes are placed to attract birds to nest and breed in a specific location,and they are widely used in avian ecology research and in the attraction of insectivorous birds.There is evidence that artificial nest boxes can adversely affect breeding fitness but no great focus has been placed on this issue by researchers.Therefore,we retrieved 321 research papers regarding artificial nest boxes published from 2003 to 2022 and used the'Biblioshiny'program to extract and integrate keywords;we then summarized the adverse effects of artificial nest boxes on avian breeding success.The studies highlighted many drawbacks and misuses in the designing and placement of nest boxes;furthermore,bird attraction was decreased by their inappropriate selection,thus reducing breeding success.Regarding nest box production,there were shortcomings in the construction material,color,smell,and structural design of the boxes used.Nest boxes were also placed at inappropriate densities,locations,orientations,heights,and managed incorrectly.Finally,we propose suggestions for more efficient and safer artificial nest boxes for future use in avian ecology research and bird conservation.

An Evaluation of Artificial Fish Nest for Assessment Enhancement Effects of Fishery Resources of in Xiangjiang River

Artificial fish nests are set in Lukou section and Hengyang section of Xiangjiang River from March 20 to May 10, 2019. The structure of artificial fish nest is bamboo frame, with the size of 2.5 m × 5.0 m × 4 and a unit frame area of 60 m2. A total of 58,201 eggs were collected by 24 monitoring times, of which 30,441 were from Lukou and 27,760 from Hengyang. 3831 fish eggs identify 8 fish species using morphological or molecular biological methods. The results showed that the number of eggs peaked from the 8th day to the 24th day after the nest entered the water, and then decreased rapidly. There was significant negative correlation between egg number in per m2 fish nest and days of fish nest (P < 0.01). The economic benefits of artificial fish nests were RMB 11.81 million. The artificial fish nest can not only increase the population of fish, but also has significant economic benefits.

Nest-site Use by the Chinese Alligator (Alligator sinensis) in the Gaojingmiao Breeding Farm,Anhui,China

Nest-site and nesting material used by the Chinese alligator （Alligator sinensis） was studied at the Gaojingmiao Breeding Farm, Langxi County, Anhui, China from May to September 2009. In this study, artificial nesting materials were placed in 43 potential nesting sites before the nesting season, 11 of which were used. Additionally, eight nests were built at natural sites without artificial nesting materials provided. Seven environmental variables were measured at each nest site： distance from water, height from water surface, sunlight duration, nearest bank slope, nest site slope, vegetation coverage and concealment. Statistical analyses indicated that concealment was significantly different between used and unused nest sites, with concealment being significantly correlated to the use of materials- placed sites. In comparing the nests at artificial vs. natural sites, only the nearest bank slope differed significantly. Further, principal component analysis of natural nests indicated that the duration of nest exposure to sunlight and vegetation coverage were more influential than the other factors studied.

Nest-cavity characteristics of the Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major in shelter plantations of west Inner Mongolia

The Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major （L.）, one of the natural predators of Anoplophora glabripennis （Motsch.） （Coleoptera： Cerambycidae）, is resident to Wulate Qianqi County of the Inner Mongolia and widely found in shelter plantations. In August 2005 and 2006, 174 and 153 nest-cavities of Great Spotted Woodpeckers were found respectively in Wulate Qianqi County and 22 breeding nest-cavities were investigated in 2007. The results showed that mostly willow species were selected for nesting by the Great Spotted Woodpecker, but mature poplar trees also could be chosen. Nest cavities were often found with a protuberance above the cavity entrance or with a downward sloping gradient, or both. The selection of the height of the nest-cavity height was not significant. The vertical diameter of the nest-cavity entrance （VDE） and the horizontal diameter of the nest-cavity entrance （HDE） ranged from 5.0 to 5.8 cm. The results also indicated that the compass orientation of more than 60% of nest-cavities were towards the north, northeast and east. This study suggests a convergence of some nest-cavity characteristics of the Great Spotted Woodpecker in shelter plantations and will help us to make artificial nest for conserving the woodpecker and, as well, use the bird for controlling pests.

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.