Urbanization of species is an ongoing process where successful urban colonizers usually obtain large fitness benefits. Mechanisms proposed to explain associations between urbanization and lifehistory traits are based ...Urbanization of species is an ongoing process where successful urban colonizers usually obtain large fitness benefits. Mechanisms proposed to explain associations between urbanization and lifehistory traits are based on behavioral flexibility in food and habitat use and reduced fear responses. We test the novel hypothesis that interspecific competition for proximity to humans is driving ur- banization. We recorded the distance during the breeding season to human habitation for 50 pairs of closely related bird species, where one was closely associated with humans while the other species was not. The degree of urbanization was larger as was range size and abundance in the species more closely associated to humans. Flight initiation distance was shorter, and species closely associated with humans were more abundant in ancestral rural habitats. Likewise, species more closely associated with humans reproduced earlier and during longer periods. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that urbanization is promoted by interspecific competition. Resulting isolation by urban habitat may further facilitate contemporary adaptation to urban environments.展开更多
Habitat fragmentation is a major threat for beneficial organisms and the ecosys- tem services they provide. Multiple-habitat users such as wild bees depend on both nesting and foraging habitat. Thus, they may be affec...Habitat fragmentation is a major threat for beneficial organisms and the ecosys- tem services they provide. Multiple-habitat users such as wild bees depend on both nesting and foraging habitat. Thus, they may be affected by the fragmentation of at least two habitat types. We investigated the effects of landscape-scale amount of and patch isolation from both nesting habitat （woody plants） and foraging habitat （specific pollen sources） on the abundance and diet of Osmia bicornis L. Trap-nests of O. bicornis were studied in 30 agricultural landscapes of the Swiss Plateau. Nesting and foraging habitats were mapped in a radius of 500 m around the sites. Pollen composition of larval diet changed as isolation to the main pollen source, Ranunculus, increased, suggesting that （9. bicornis adapted its foraging strategy in function of the nest proximity to main pollen sources. Abundance of O. bicornis was neither related to isolation or amount of nesting habitat nor to isolation or abundance of food plants. Surprisingly, nests ofO. bicornis contained fewer larvae in sites at forest edge compared to isolated sites, possibly due to higher parasitism risk. This study indicates that O. bicornis can nest in a variety of situations by compensating scarcity of its main larval food by exploiting alternative food sources.展开更多
文摘Urbanization of species is an ongoing process where successful urban colonizers usually obtain large fitness benefits. Mechanisms proposed to explain associations between urbanization and lifehistory traits are based on behavioral flexibility in food and habitat use and reduced fear responses. We test the novel hypothesis that interspecific competition for proximity to humans is driving ur- banization. We recorded the distance during the breeding season to human habitation for 50 pairs of closely related bird species, where one was closely associated with humans while the other species was not. The degree of urbanization was larger as was range size and abundance in the species more closely associated to humans. Flight initiation distance was shorter, and species closely associated with humans were more abundant in ancestral rural habitats. Likewise, species more closely associated with humans reproduced earlier and during longer periods. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that urbanization is promoted by interspecific competition. Resulting isolation by urban habitat may further facilitate contemporary adaptation to urban environments.
文摘Habitat fragmentation is a major threat for beneficial organisms and the ecosys- tem services they provide. Multiple-habitat users such as wild bees depend on both nesting and foraging habitat. Thus, they may be affected by the fragmentation of at least two habitat types. We investigated the effects of landscape-scale amount of and patch isolation from both nesting habitat （woody plants） and foraging habitat （specific pollen sources） on the abundance and diet of Osmia bicornis L. Trap-nests of O. bicornis were studied in 30 agricultural landscapes of the Swiss Plateau. Nesting and foraging habitats were mapped in a radius of 500 m around the sites. Pollen composition of larval diet changed as isolation to the main pollen source, Ranunculus, increased, suggesting that （9. bicornis adapted its foraging strategy in function of the nest proximity to main pollen sources. Abundance of O. bicornis was neither related to isolation or amount of nesting habitat nor to isolation or abundance of food plants. Surprisingly, nests ofO. bicornis contained fewer larvae in sites at forest edge compared to isolated sites, possibly due to higher parasitism risk. This study indicates that O. bicornis can nest in a variety of situations by compensating scarcity of its main larval food by exploiting alternative food sources.
