Comparison of trends in butterfly populations between monitoring schemes

Butterflies are an important indicator of the impacts of environmental change. Butterfly monitoring schemes (BMS) have provided national and Europe-wide trends in their abundance and been widely used for research. Most schemes sample sites that are self-selected by contributors and therefore tend to cover locations that are rich in butterflies. To provide a more representative assessment of butterfly populations, the wider countryside butterfly survey (WCBS) was developed with a stratified-random sample of survey sites across the UK. We compare butterfly trends from the WCBS locations against those measured from traditional butterfly transects which are typically located in areas of good quality semi-natural habitats. Across the 26 species analysed, there was a significant positive relationship between trends measured from the two schemes between 2009 and 2013, the period when both schemes were operating fully. There was a tendency (17 out of 26 species analysed) for these changes to be greater within WCBS compared to traditional BMS transects, although this effect was not consistent across comparisons between pairs of consecutive years. When assessing these individual year-to-year changes, there was however a significant correlation between the two schemes in all cases. Over relatively short time periods, weather patterns are likely to dominate butterfly population fluctuations and lead to comparable trends across monitoring schemes. Over longer time periods, differences in land management may affect habitat condition differently for protected areas versus the wider countryside and it is therefore important to maintain comprehensive butterfly monitoring programmes to detect and interpret such effects

Spatial and temporal variation in population trends in a long-distance migratory bird

Over the past three decades, evidence has been growing that many Afro-Palaearctic migratory bird populations have suffered sustained and severe declines. As causes of these declines exist across both the breeding and non-breeding season, identifying potential drivers of population change is complex. In order to explore the roles of changes in regional and local environmental conditions on population change, we examine spatial and temporal variation in population trajectories of one of Europe’s most abundant Afro-Palaearctic summer migrants, the willow warbler, Phylloscopus trochilus. Britain and Ireland. We use national survey data from Britain and Ireland (BBS: BTO/RSPB/JNCC Breeding Bird Survey and CBS: BWI/NPWS/Heritage Council Countryside Breeding Survey) from 1994 to 2006 to model the spatial and temporal variation in willow warbler population trends. Across Britain and Ireland, population trends follow a gradient from sharp declines in the south and east of England to shallow declines and/or slight increases in parts of north and west England, across Scotland and Ireland. Decreasing the spatial scale of analysis reveals variation in both the rate and spatial extent of population change within central England and the majority of Scotland. The rates of population change also vary temporally; declines in the south of England are shallower now than at the start of the time series, whereas populations further north in Britain have undergone periods of increase and decline. These patterns suggest that regional-scale drivers, such as changing climatic conditions, and local-scale processes, such as habitat change, are interacting to produce spatially variable population trends. We discuss the potential mechanisms underlying these interactions and the challenges in addressing such changes at scales relevant to migratory species

An experimental evaluation of the effects of geolocator design and attachment method on between-year survival on Whinchats Saxicola rubetra

Data from location logging tags have revolutionised our understanding of migration ecology, but methods of tagging that do not compromise survival need to be identified. We compared resighting rates for 156 geolocator-tagged and 316 colour ringed-only whinchats on their African wintering grounds after migration to and from eastern Europe in two separate years. We experimentally varied both light stalk length (0, 5 and 10 mm) and harness material (elastic or non-elastic nylon braid tied on, leg-loop ‘Rappole’ harnesses) in the second year using a reasonably balanced design (all tags in the first year used an elastic harness and 10 mm light stalk). Tags weighed 0.63 g (0.01 SE), representing 4.1% of average body mass. There was no overall significant reduction in between-year resighting rate (our proxy for survival) comparing tagged and untagged birds in either year. When comparing within tagged birds, however, using a tied harness significantly reduced resighting rate by 53% on average compared to using an elastic harness (in all models), but stalk length effects were not statistically significant in any model considered. There was no strong evidence that the fit (relative tightness) or added tag mass affected survival, although tied tags were fitted more tightly later in the study, and birds fitted with tied tags later may have had lower survival. Overall, on a precautionary principle, deploying tags with non-elastic tied harnesses should be avoided because the necessary fit, so as not to reduce survival, is time-consuming to achieve and does not necessarily improve with experience. Geolocator tags of the recommended percentage of body mass fitted with elastic leg-loop harnesses and with short light stalks can be used without survival effects in small long-distance migrant birds.PostprintPeer reviewe

Spatio-temporal dynamics and aetiology of proliferative leg skin lesions in wild British finches

Proliferative leg skin lesions have been described in wild finches in Europe although there have been no large-scale studies of their aetiology or epizootiology to date. Firstly, disease surveillance, utilising public reporting of observations of live wild finches was conducted in Great Britain (GB) and showed proliferative leg skin lesions in chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs) to be widespread. Seasonal variation was observed, with a peak during the winter months. Secondly, pathological investigations were performed on a sample of 39 chaffinches, four bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula), one greenfinch (Chloris chloris) and one goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) with proliferative leg skin lesions and detected Cnemidocoptes sp. mites in 91% (41/45) of affected finches and from all species examined. Fringilla coelebs papillomavirus (FcPV1) PCR was positive in 74% (23/31) of birds tested: a 394 base pair sequence was derived from 20 of these birds, from all examined species, with 100% identity to reference genomes. Both mites and FcPV1 DNA were detected in 71% (20/28) of birds tested for both pathogens. Histopathological examination of lesions did not discriminate the relative importance of mite or FcPV1 infection as their cause. Development of techniques to localise FcPV1 within lesions is required to elucidate the pathological significance of FcPV1 DNA detection.We thank the members of the public and BTO Garden BirdWatch participants who reported garden bird morbidity and mortality incidents and our colleagues, Katie Beckmann, Shaheed Macgregor, Ricardo Castro Cesar de Sa, Lydia Franklinos and Tim Hopkins from the Zoological Society of London; Kirsi Peck from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; BTO staff members in the Garden BirdWatch team; the staff at Abbey Veterinary Services and the Animal & Plant Health Agency (Daniel Hicks, Richard Irvine, Alejandro Núñez and Scott Reid) for their assistance with this investigation. This work was financially supported by the following organisations; Birdcare Standards Association, British Trust for Ornithology, British Veterinary Association Animal Welfare Foundation, CJ Wildbird Foods, Cranswick Pet Products, UK Department for the Environment Food & Rural Affairs and Welsh Government through the Animal & Plant Health Agency’s Diseases of Wildlife Scheme Scanning Surveillance Programme (Project ED1600), Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Gardman Ltd, Institute of Zoology, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare. RAJW was supported by the Moncloa of Excellence PICATA programme and Crafoord Foundation Sweden (grant number 20160971). Molecular and sequencing costs were funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, (Ref: CGL2013-41642-P/BOS)

Sistema de plantio reduzido influenciando nos teores de nutrientes do solo e na produtividade da cana-de-açúcar: um estudo em Nova Alvorada do Sul, MS

The benefits of the non-revolving soil system for grain cultivation are widely known. This study aims to monitor the effect of planting systems on sugarcane yield and quality, and its influences on soil nutrient contents. A study was carried out during 2019 and 2020, and compared three sugarcane planting systems based on: (i) conventional planting, (ii) reduced planting, (iii) and planting without soil disturbance. Data collections of soil and sugarcane samples (yield and quality parameters) were carried out in the first year of harvest (plant cane) and the first ratoon. Results showed that the reduced planting system promoted an increase in sugarcane yield in short term than conventional planting and planting without soil disturbance. The quality parameters of sugarcane were not affected by planting systems. More studies are requested to compare and explain the sugarcane planting systems and their effect on soil conditions, mainly in long term.Os benefícios do sistema de plantio sem o revolvimento do solo para o cultivo de grãos são amplamente conhecidos. Este estudo tem como objetivo monitorar o efeito dos sistemas de plantio na produtividade e qualidade da cana-de-açúcar e suas influências nos teores de nutrientes do solo. Foi realizado um estudo durante 2019 e 2020, comparando três sistemas de plantio de cana-de-açúcar baseados em: (i) plantio convencional, (ii) plantio reduzido, (iii) e plantio sem revolvimento do solo. A coleta de dados de amostras de solo e cana-de-açúcar (parâmetros de produtividade e qualidade) foi realizada no primeiro ano de colheita (cana planta) e na primeira soca. Os resultados demonstraram que o sistema de plantio reduzido promoveu um aumento na produtividade da cana-de-açúcar em curto prazo do que o plantio convencional e o plantio sem revolvimento do solo. Os parâmetros de qualidade da cana-de-açúcar não foram afetados pelos sistemas de plantio. Mais estudos são necessários para comparar e explicar os sistemas de plantio de cana-de-açúcar e seus efeitos nas condições do solo, principalmente no longo prazo

Stable isotope analysis provides new information on winter habitat use of declining avian migrants that is relevant to their conservation

Winter habitat use and the magnitude of migratory connectivity are important parameters when assessing drivers of the marked declines in avian migrants. Such information is unavailable for most species. We use a stable isotope approach to assess these factors for three declining African-Eurasian migrants whose winter ecology is poorly known: wood warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix, house martin Delichon urbicum and common swift Apus apus. Spatially segregated breeding wood warbler populations (sampled across a 800 km transect), house martins and common swifts (sampled across a 3,500 km transect) exhibited statistically identical intra-specific carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in winter grown feathers. Such patterns are compatible with a high degree of migratory connectivity, but could arise if species use isotopically similar resources at different locations. Wood warbler carbon isotope ratios are more depleted than typical for African-Eurasian migrants and are compatible with use of moist lowland forest. The very limited variance in these ratios indicates specialisation on isotopically restricted resources, which may drive the similarity in wood warbler populations' stable isotope ratios and increase susceptibility to environmental change within its wintering grounds. House martins were previously considered to primarily use moist montane forest during the winter, but this seems unlikely given the enriched nature of their carbon isotope ratios. House martins use a narrower isotopic range of resources than the common swift, indicative of increased specialisation or a relatively limited wintering range; both factors could increase house martins' vulnerability to environmental change. The marked variance in isotope ratios within each common swift population contributes to the lack of population specific signatures and indicates that the species is less vulnerable to environmental change in sub-Saharan Africa than our other focal species. Our findings demonstrate how stable isotope research can contribute to understanding avian migrants' winter ecology and conservation status

Preço de equilíbrio dos créditos de CO2 levando os agricultores a usar a área para plantar florestas em vez de grãos

Afforestation and reforestation were the challenges the farmer can seize to plant a culture that can capture more carbon than the amount emitted for cultivation. Assuming that the land was legally rented and owned, and part of an area that had not been obtained through recent deforestation, the main questions were: “why a farmer should have preferred to reserve the area to plant trees?”; and “How much did one ton of Carbon Dioxide [CO2] have to be rewarded to buy this opportunity?” This work had the target to estimate which was the minimum price for carbon credit so that the farmer will plant a forest instead of using the soil for grain cultivation. Based on the analysis that economic aspects and profit were the main drivers considered by the farmer to decide how to use the soil in case the area was not classified as Legal Reserve or Permanent Protection Area, seeking the usage which maximized the value per hectare. Considering a eucalyptus commercial forest planted under the premises of the current study, results showed that a price of around 24 BRL per ton of CO2 in 2021 is enough to turn it economically feasible. Business case had been estimated with and without profit coming from the commercial use of forest, and even assuming that no wood is cut and sold, the 2021 price of 40,48 BRL per ton of CO2 can ensure more profit than grain production over 14 years timeframe, allowing the farmer to make money beyond the usual commercial use of a forest.Florestar e reflorestar foram os desafios que o agricultor pode enfrentar para plantar uma cultura capaz de capturar mais carbono do que a quantidade emitida para o cultivo. Partindo do pressuposto de que a terra era legalmente arrendada e própria, e parte de uma área que não havia sido obtida por meio de desmatamento recente, as principais questões eram: “por que um agricultor teria preferido reservar a área para plantar árvores?” e “Quanto uma tonelada de Dióxido de Carbono [CO2] teve que ser recompensada para comprar esta oportunidade?” Este trabalho teve como objetivo estimar qual o preço mínimo do crédito de carbono para que o agricultor plante uma floresta ao invés de usar o solo para cultivo de grãos. Com base na análise, os aspectos econômicos e de lucro foram os principais direcionadores considerados pelo agricultor para decidir como usar o solo caso a área não fosse classificada como Reserva Legal ou Área de Proteção Permanente, buscando o uso que maximizasse o valor por hectare. Considerando uma floresta comercial de eucalipto plantada nas dependências do presente estudo, os resultados mostraram que um preço em torno de R$24 por tonelada de CO2 em 2021 é suficiente para torná-la economicamente viável. O caso de negócios foi estimado com e sem lucro proveniente do uso comercial da floresta e, mesmo assumindo que nenhuma madeira seja cortada e vendida, o preço de 2021 de R$ 40,48 por tonelada de CO2 pode garantir mais lucro do que a produção de grãos ao longo de 14 anos, permitindo ao agricultor ganhar dinheiro além do uso comercial usual de uma floresta

Development of coffee seedlings with biostimulants

The production of sustainable coffee (Coffea sp.) has become an alternative to add value to coffee production, reaching new world markets and increasing the farmer's profitability. Biostimulants have been presented as a tool to increase coffee production. The hypothesis is that the use of biostimulants improves the germination rate and the development of coffee seedlings. This study aims to compare and evaluate the application of biostimulants in the initial development of coffee seedlings. An experiment was carried out in Monte Carmelo, Minas Geras. Applications of biostimulants (i) 4-indole-3-ylbutyric acid + gibberellic acid + cinetina, AIA+AG+C; (ii) foliar fertilizer + algae, F+A; (iii) vegetal extracts + gibberellic acid, EV+AA were carried out on coffee seedlings. After 94 days of applying the biostimulants, monitored the length of the aerial part, the number of leaves, stem diameter, root biomass (pivoting, auxiliary and total). Results showed that the application of F+A promoted the greatest length of the aerial part, the number of leaves, and biomass of the roots. The application of AIA+AG+C showed the same performance as F+A in the number of leaves of the coffee seedlings. Given the results, we concluded that the application of biostimulants based on mixed foliar fertilizer + algae demonstrated to be a better alternative to increase the development of the aerial and root part of coffee seedlings. Key words: Coffea sp.; Organomineral; Root system; Phytohormones.