Ornithology FINAL TEST Review

How are passenger pigeons a great conservation example?

they used to exist in flocks of billions

when human populations increased in North America, they would start shooting pigeons out of the sky for the food trade and for fun

they even gunned down passenger pigeons in their big colony nests

When was the last colony of passenger pigeons seen?

Lake Michigan around the late 1800s

Martha the passenger pigeon

she was the last known passenger pigeon

she lived at the Cincinnati Zoo, and her death in 1914 marked the extinction of the species

1700’s Bird Conservation

very few protection for birds, except some upland game birds in North America and the Great Auk in Canada

1800’s Bird Conservation

Missouri attempts to protect the passenger pigeon with the NZ wild bird protection act

What were most of the early bird protection laws aimed at?

creating hunting seasons and regulations, not outright bans on killing birds

Why were Great Egrets hunted?

for their long, feather plumes to be used for hats

Late 1800’s for Bird Conservation

societies speak out against killing of birds for feathers

Early 1900’s Bird Conservation

Lacey Act is passed, along with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918

conservation organizations focus on regulating the trade

these laws would be added to overtime, with various international treaties incorporated

preserves are created (NZ Kakapo and Kiwi sanctuaries)

Lacey Act (1900)

banning of interstate commerce of animal parts harvested in violation of state or local laws

Migratory Bird Treaty Act (1918)

The MBTA provides that it is unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, posses, sell, purchase, or transport any migratory bird, or any part, nest, egg of any such bird

Mid 1900’s Bird Conservation

Significant writings pop up like:

A Sand County Almanac

Silent Spring

A Sand County Almanac

about the observations of nature and the conservation of nature and how the author feels it needs to be protected

Silent Spring

popular writing that kicks off environmental movement in the 70’s, author notices birds not singing and links it to DET

Lynton Caldwell

interested in birds, writes a paper called “Environment: a new cause for public policy”

Environment: A New Cause for Public Policy

calls on the nation to think about how we treat the environment and why we should care

stirs the environmental movement alongside Silent Spring, both result in the National Policy Act of NEPA

1970 and later Bird Conservation

creation of the EPA occurs in response to NEPA

1973 - Endangered Species Act

CWA, CAA, and similar laws are passed

IUCN —> CITES creates a global agreement (175 countries) to monitor, regulate, and prohibit international trade of species which need global protection

Endangered Species Act (1973)

gave legal protections to individual species and recognized their intrinsic value

Conservation Biology

Disciplines of ecology, population biology, evolution, genetics, animal behavior, etc. coalesce into a new discipline

begins in 1980s

What does the relationship between human activity and biological attributes result in?

results in species declining and extinction

What are the 5 steps to achieve conservation?

1. understand natural conditions of avian autecology, populations, and communities

2. determine how natural condition might be disturbed by humans

3. predict how desired natural condition could be restored

4. implement plan to restore natural condition and maintain management

5. consider alternative management strategies

Anthropocene

a very recent epoch defined by tremendous human induced change

How has the spread of humans impacted bird species extinctions

spread of humans has led to an estimated 8000 bird species extinctions

this is a mass extinction event similar to the Chicxulub meteor impact

Meriam’s Teratorn of Western NA

extinct about 10,000 years ago

massive species with 4.3m wingspan

fed on late Pleistocene megafauna

Main cause of extinction for the Merriam’s Teratorn

megafauna went extinct due to climate change and human hunting

Elephant Bird of Madagascar

needs for grazing land

post colonization from humans about 1,000 years ago

conversion of forest to grassland

other human interactions have little evidence (disease, hunting, egg harvest)

Dodo Bird of Mauritius Island

extinct by 1662

was naiive, lured by sailors to be killed and used for food

Pallas’s Cormorant of Russia/Great Auk of North America

meet similar fate to the Dodo, used as food by humans

both went extinct by the mid-1800’s

Busch Wren of New Zealand

extinct by approximately 1972

cause of extinction of the Busch Wren of New Zealand

stoats and rodents are carried via ship to NZ

these mammals established and became invasive, leading to many ground nesting birds going extinct

Bachman’s Warbler of southeastern NA

very likely extinct, not confirmed, last seen in 1961

unconfirmed reports end in the 80’s

Cause of extinction of the Bachman’s Warbler

breeding ground habitat conversion to farmland

overwintering habitat conversion to sugarcane

Ivory-billed Woodpecker of southeastern NA

very likely extinct

last seen in 1948, unconfirmed reports still occur

Cause of extinction of the ivory-billed woodpecker

required dead trees in old growth forests

due to logging and fire suppression, this destroyed much of their needs

Life History Traits

evolutionary history of populations leads to accumulated life history traits

List of Life History Traits

nest dependency duration

juvenile dependency duration

age at first breeding

mating systems

clutch size (and age dependency)

reproductive lifespan

dispersal migration

What does the interaction between life history traits and environmental/habitat change determine?

birth rate, death rate, immigration, and emigration

Habitat Specialization

generalist species tend to be less prone to extinction than specialists

What may birds be classified by?

based on their distribution, abundance, and habitat specifically

grouped into six categories

Rarity Form 1

Wide distribution, small location populations, broad habitat tolerance

Ex: red-tailed hawk

Rarity Form 2

widely distributed, large local populations, narrowly specialized habitat requirements

ex: red-cockaded woodpecker

Rarity Form 3

widely distributed, small local populations, narrowly specialized habitat

ex: piping plover

Rarity Form 4

small geographic range, large local populations, broad habitat tolerance

ex: island birds such as the Gray Trembler

Rarity Form 5

small geographic range, large local populations, narrowly specialized habitat requirements

Ex: strange-tailed tyrant

Rarity Form 6

small geographic range, small local populations, and narrowly specialized habitat

Ex: Bannerman’s Turaco

What is the largest group of at risk bird species?

Rarity Form 5

What is the world’s most vulnerable species?

Rarity Form 6

Major Threats to bird populations

habitat loss

habitat fragmentation

introduced predators

direct exploitation

chemical toxins and pollution

climate change

introduced disease (Avian malaria)

Stochasticity in Populations

randomness; unpredictability

all populations go through it at some point (natural disasters, volcanoes)

Allee Affects

a decrease in per capita reproductive success with decreasing population size

Example of Allee Affects

passenger pigeons after the last MI hunt had some individuals

What is considered to be a cornerstone of good conservation?

protecting genetic diversity

What does sexual reproduction over generations produce in combination with beneficial genetic mutation

a diverse gene pool

Incest Taboo

very strong in birds, almost all of them avoid pairing with relatives

Genetic Drift

a random change in allele diversity in a population over time

What occurs with random chance in small populations?

there is a possibility that it may eliminate rare alleles completely

What can happen if a population becomes small?

an inbreeding depression may result

Inbreeding depression

reduced survival and fertility of the offspring of related individuals

Genetic Bottleneck

result of stochastic events limiting genetic variation so that:

the ability of the population to adapt to a changing environment is reduced

birth rate declines and death rate increases

Extinction Vortex

population size gets smaller, impacting the population negatively affecting the genetics, impacts the ability to reproduce, gets smaller until a threshold population is reached

this vortex keeps cycling

Do all human activities reduce avian population size?

not all of them, sometimes a bird species does better in human areas than their natural habitats and respond better to a new habitat that is created

Cascading Effects

snow geese population explodes due to man-made crops, leaves nothing but barren lands, therefore the yellow-legs cannot survive in this habitat since they have no food

snow goose population goes up, yellow-leg population goes down

Priorities for Population Monitoring

triage

genetic distinctiveness

taxonomic distinctiveness

endemism

biodiversity hotspots

VU/EN

ecological role

utilitarian role

How to manage exploitation?

through different laws

Duck Stamp Act

early 1900s

requires those who want to hunt ducks to purchase a duck stamp to hunt them

Habitat Reserve Networks

need multiple populations

need connectivity

bigger is better

round/square avoids edge effects

2-D not 1-D shape

Genetic Augmentation

use of a studbook to track genetic lineages and ensure genetically diverse mating pairs

Genetic Rescue

introducing individuals with new genetics from separate populations to an at-risk populations

reinvigorates genetics of the population and can stop a genetic bottleneck

Translocation

moving an animal from one location to another where threats have been reduced or eliminated

What can members of the public do to help promote conservation for birds?

backyard conservation - manage your property to be bird friendly

citizen science - contribute to pop monitoring efforts (bird, etc.)

adopting a place - get to know one place and volunteer to help it

grassroots activism - reporting environmental violations, voting for conservation minded politicians, joining orgs

consumer choice - make eco friendly consumption choices

environmental education - promote, participate, contribute

birding with youth

donating