Ograniczanie wyników

Czasopisma help
Autorzy help
Lata help
Preferencje help
Widoczny [Schowaj] Abstrakt
Liczba wyników

Znaleziono wyników: 41

Liczba wyników na stronie
Pierwsza strona wyników Pięć stron wyników wstecz Poprzednia strona wyników Strona / 3 Następna strona wyników Pięć stron wyników wprzód Ostatnia strona wyników

Wyniki wyszukiwania

help Sortuj według:

help Ogranicz wyniki do:
Pierwsza strona wyników Pięć stron wyników wstecz Poprzednia strona wyników Strona / 3 Następna strona wyników Pięć stron wyników wprzód Ostatnia strona wyników
Serious errors in the statistical analysis conducted in a paper on the aurochs Bos primigenius (Lasota-Moskalewska and Kobryń 1990) are revealed in this article. A linear coding method transforming raw measurements into dimensionless numbers ranging from 0 to 100 was applied by the authors. Pooling the coded data on different traits is criticised and so is their application to any statistical tests. Correct tests are proposed.
Egg dimensions in 551 complete clutches (2469 eggs) of the Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica in the central part of Poland in 1979-1981 and 1994 were studied. Mean length ranged 19.4-19.7 mm, breadth 13.5-13.8 mm, and volume 1.8—1.9 cm³. The length was not significantly different among years, but both the breadth and volume were. These mean egg dimensions were similar to those reported in a few other European studies, suggesting low geographic variation. Clutch mean egg lengths were weakly correlated with egg breadths. In some breeding seasons or parts of seasons egg size was significantly negatively correlated with the date of laying, hatching success and fledging success. Directions of some of these correlations were opposite to what was expected. No significant correlation was found between egg dimensions and clutch size or female/male wing lengths.
A simple index of sensitivity to frost in insects for the general use in ecological studies was introduced. The index is based on a cooling experiment that leads to the estimation of the subzero temperature at which 50% of a sample of particular species life form individuals are killed within 24 hours. By analogy to toxicology, such an estimate was called LTemp₅₀. We present the method using our results from a series of simple cooling experiments conducted on larval gooseberry sawflies Nematus ribesii (Scopoli) and imagine queens, workers and males of the hornet Vespa crabro L. LTemp₅₀ indices were –7.2°C for gooseberry sawfly larvae and ranged from –5.0°C for male hornets to –9.1°C for queen hornets. These differences seem to reflect reasonably the specific thermal environment adaptations of the studied insects.
Long-term changes in wetland habitats have been lately reported all over the world. Global warming and, in particular, irrigation and eutrophication of shallow lakes cause changes in vegetation, often in directions differing from the natural ecological succession. As a result, from the viewpoint of waterbirds, their nesting habitats deteriorate, which leads to changes in their breeding biology and distribution. In this paper the nesting of Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida (L.) was studied in changing habitat of Lake Tonga, the El-Kala National Park, NE Algeria in 1996 and 2005–2006. Since the 1960s, there has been a clear trend of extensive development of emergent and floating-leaved vegetation, with up to 80% of the lake surface being currently covered during summer. Nesting colonies of Whiskered Terns are mostly connected with beds of the white water-lily (Nymphaea alba L.). The average distance of breeding colonies from the shore line increased from 176 m in 1966 to 786 m in 2005 and 933 m in 2006. Over the study period, average nest size got twice smaller. Nest diameter was on the average 470 mm in 1996 and 236 mm in 2005–2006. The nests also changed shape and composition. The size and shape of nests were correlated with measures of their composition. Variables characterizing size, shape and composition of nests indeed differed in response to ecological variation of habitat between and within years. Our results suggest that the main function of Whiskered Tern nests is providing a firm support for eggs, incubating adults and young nestlings, which would correspond to the nest support hypothesis of Collias and Collias (1984). Nest size was influenced by ecological conditions in two ways: directly, by changing the availability of construction materials, and indirectly, by changing the distribution of colonies and, thus, physical conditions for nests. We also suggest that some components of the changes in nest size, shape and composition may be linked with the social and sexual signaling system of Whiskered Terns.
Different aspects of the breeding biology of the Black-winged Shit were studied in a natural oasis wetland area in the Sahara Desert, the Chott of Aïn El Beïda, near Ouargla, E Algeria in 2004-2007. In this wetland the water level is independent of rainfall and Stilts start egg laying when average daily temperature increases to ca. 15°C, mostly in April-May, with no significant differences between years. Complete clutches usually consist of 4 eggs but 3 egg clutches happen with low frequency (2.9-5.6%). Egg size traits (mass, length, breadth and volume) tended to decrease from 2004 to 2007, probably due to deteriorating hydrological conditions of the wetland. Within-clutch variability showed both significant repeatability and laying-sequence-dependent differences among eggs, with the final egg being smaller than the clutch mean value. We found that all egg traits studied showed a negative correlation with the date of laying, which seems to be a phenomenon analogous to the seasonal decrease in clutch size, typical of birds with more variable clutch sizes. Hatching tended to be asynchronous, with average clutch hatching time being 1.84 days. The small final egg and hatching asynchrony are typical components of the adaptive brood reduction, the phenomenon not being recorded so far and remaining for future studies on the Black-winged Stilt. These are the first published data on breeding characteristics for any N African population of the Black-winged stilt.
Insectivorous birds have very diversified diet, but particular species usually show some specialisation, which leads to a varying level of dependence on special prey. Their reproductive cycles are dependent on the availability of appropriate arthropods; in the case of Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus and Great Tits Parus major reproduction is usually coordinated with the availability of caterpillars as the key food for nestlings. Therefore a picture of nestling diet, with some estimates of the actual frequency of caterpillars and alternative prey, is an important component of explanations of aspects of Tit life-histories. As in most cases a rough assessment of diet composition and relative proportions of prey items is satisfactory, we suggest that faecal analysis is a feasible method to get such a picture. Droppings may be collected to examine the diet of individual nestlings grouped in broods, at a particular age stage or at many stages reflecting development. The most time-consuming part of this method includes segregation and identification of prey remains in the laboratory. We draw attention to the procedures and the most diagnostically useful features of arthropod prey of Tits. Especially, we provide clues to identification of the remains of different arthropods. As an example, clypeus proved to be the most valuable structure to identify caterpillars, while chelicerae were the most diagnostically significant in Arachnids. Exemplary results on diet spectrum for the Blue Tit and Great Tit are also presented. Faecal analysis is fast and effortless at the sampling stage, with almost all effort being postponed to the stage of laboratory work.
Pierwsza strona wyników Pięć stron wyników wstecz Poprzednia strona wyników Strona / 3 Następna strona wyników Pięć stron wyników wprzód Ostatnia strona wyników
JavaScript jest wyłączony w Twojej przeglądarce internetowej. Włącz go, a następnie odśwież stronę, aby móc w pełni z niej korzystać.