Search Results (384)

Grassland ecosystems are among the most threatened habitats in North America, and their degradation has contributed to widespread population declines of grassland-dependent birds. The Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) is a grassland specialist whose populations have shown sustained declines at a continental scale; however, quantitative data on relative abundance remain limited in northern Mexico. We estimated a relative abundance index for the Burrowing Owl in the grasslands of the southern Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico, using vehicle-based line transects expressed as the number of individuals per linear kilometer (ind/km). Additionally, we evaluated the relationship between human disturbance and owl records using a standardized Human Disturbance Index (HDI) based on field indicators of grazing pressure and solid waste. A total of 18 transects (1 km each) yielded 83 detections, with a mean relative abundance of 4.61 ± 5.93 standard deviation (SD) ind/km. A Generalized Linear Model with a Negative Binomial distribution revealed a significant negative effect of the HDI on owl abundance (β = −1.27, z = −3.81, p = 0.0001; incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.28, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.14–0.51). Our results provide a baseline abundance estimate for the Burrowing Owl in the southern Chihuahuan Desert and highlight the importance of habitat disturbance metrics to assess population status in fragmented and human-impacted grassland landscapes. Full article

Aerospace canopies require both high impact resistance and optical transparency for pilot safety and aerodynamic shielding. While polycarbonate (PC) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) are widely utilized, their vulnerability to strain-rate-dependent failure during high-velocity bird strikes necessitates advanced reinforcement strategies. This study presents a multiscale computational framework for nanoparticle-reinforced PC nanocomposites. To circumvent the prohibitive computational costs of atomistic simulations, a novel Strain-Rate Dependent Micromechanics (SRDM) framework is proposed for silica-, alumina-, and zirconia-reinforced PC systems, integrating the Goldberg constitutive model with Halpin–Tsai micromechanics to generate rate-dependent stress–strain responses and calibrate Johnson–Cook (J-C) parameters for impact-scale simulations. Unlike conventional approaches relying on atomistic simulations or empirical fitting, the proposed framework directly links micromechanical nanocomposite modeling with finite element bird-strike simulations. Bird-strike analyses were performed in LS-DYNA on a generic fighter canopy model. The framework further incorporates literature-based optical transparency criteria considering nanoparticle size and refractive-index compatibility. Among the investigated nanofillers, silica-reinforced PC provided the most favorable response. At the most critical impact location, the maximum canopy deformation decreased from 118.6 mm for neat PC to 61.9 mm, corresponding to an approximately 48% reduction. Although the reinforced canopy exhibited a reduction in peak internal energy absorption from approximately 10 kJ to 5 kJ due to its increased stiffness and reduced plastic deformation, it provided improved deformation resistance and structural stability under impact loading. Overall, this work provides a computationally efficient framework for designing bird-strike-resistant transparent nanocomposite canopy structures using nanofiller systems previously reported in the literature to preserve optical transparency. Full article

Understanding how natural and anthropogenic factors jointly influence avian diversity is essential for biodiversity conservation and the sustainable management of large-scale wetland ecosystems, yet their combined effects remain insufficiently understood. This gap is particularly evident for land birds, as most studies focus on waterbirds. Using structural equation modeling, we quantified the effects of these drivers on habitat quality and avian richness in the Sanjiang Plain, separately for waterbirds and land birds. Our results show that: (1) habitat quality is primarily controlled by natural factors, particularly soil organic carbon (SOC), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and topography, whereas human activities exert weak negative effects; (2) waterbirds are primarily associated with SOC- and temperature-driven pathways, whereas land birds respond more directly to climate and human disturbance; (3) natural drivers exert stronger effects than anthropogenic factors on both waterbird and land bird diversity; and (4) the effects of natural drivers differ between bird groups, with SOC and NDVI showing stronger effects on waterbirds, and precipitation and temperature being more influential for land birds. These findings highlight the need for group-specific conservation strategies, including conserving soil carbon and maintaining hydrological conditions for waterbirds, and enhancing vegetation and mitigating human disturbance for land birds. Full article

Revegetation serves as a critical ecological safeguard, while these interventions have added complexity to the evapotranspiration processes and water balance. Dalinor Lake basin (DLB), located in the southeast of Inner Mongolia Plateau, serves as a vital habitat for migratory birds and plays an important role in the ecological security of northern China. To enhance biodiversity, numerous ecological restoration projects have been carried out in this area in recent years. Dalinor Lake, a large inland lake within the basin, has experienced persistent shrinkage. Although existing studies have explored its driving factors, the potential influence of revegetation activities on lake shrinkage remains unclear. In this study, we used remote sensing imagery, combined with supervised classification and visual interpretation methods, to extract changes in the surface areas of lakes within the DLB (i.e., Dalinor Lake and Ganggeng Lake), and analyzed the effects of total terrestrial evapotranspiration (ET_t), precipitation (PPT), runoff, soil moisture content, and the vapor pressure deficit on these changes. Results showed that the Dalinor Lake’s area decreased by 18.68% from 2000 to 2020, and was mainly influenced by ET_t, with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) contributing the most to ET_t (54.02%). In contrast, Ganggeng Lake expanded by 5.68% and was strongly driven by PPT. Compared with Ganggeng Lake, there have been more revegetation activities around Dalinor Lake, resulting in significant increases in NDVI and ET_t, together with widespread declines in soil moisture in its surrounding areas, suggesting that revegetation exerted non-negligible water pressure on Dalinor Lake. These findings can provide valuable information for policymakers to balance large-scale ecological restoration with sustainable water management in semi-arid regions. Full article

Network approaches are commonly used to study mutualistic interactions between frugivorous birds and plants at the community level. However, most fruit–bird networks aggregate individual data and rely on species-level traits, often overlooking intraspecific variation. Here, we downscale a fruit–bird network to the individual level to evaluate intraspecific diet variation and individual specialization in the four main frugivorous passerine species of an island community. Fruit consumption was identified from fecal samples collected from mist-netted birds and individuals’ diets were modeled with a Bayesian approach. Intraspecific diet variation was quantified using the E and NODF indices, individual specialization using the Psi index, and clustering of individuals sharing fruit resources using the Cws index. We detected low intraspecific diet variation and individuals’ diets were not nested. Individual specialization was mainly related to recapture of individuals and weakly related to phenotypic traits. Clustering mainly involved heterospecific individuals whose diets matched plant fruiting phenology during the capture period. Accordingly, future community-level studies addressing the role of mutualistic interactions in biodiversity maintenance may benefit from integrating network approaches with complementary information on interindividual and interspecific competition. Full article

Background/Objectives: The prevalence of resistant pathogens in livestock and the environment threatens human health. Frequently used antibiotics in livestock gradually increase the resistance pattern, which intimately threatens the livestock industry. Methods: About 536 pathological samples were collected from January 2023 to December 2024 from chicken (472), birds (2), goat (25), sheep (12), and cows (21) and buffaloes (4), across the Sindh, Pakistan. A wide variety and number of bacterial pathogens were isolated and identified. After performing their antibiogram study, phylogenetic analysis was also performed. Results: The prevalence of different bacterial infections was studied in livestock. Salmonella spp. was found to be the most common cause of bacterial infection in livestock (77.79%), followed by Escherichia coli (62.69%) and Staphylococcus aureus (8.02%). The highest number of Salmonella spp. and S. aureus isolates were found to be resistant to ampicillin (80.67% and 81.4%, respectively), while E. coli isolates were found to be resistant to amoxicillin (97.87%) majorly. MARI revealed that 79.7% of Salmonella spp., including all MDR strains (n = 332); 55.59% of E. coli (n = 336), and 88.37% of S. aureus (n = 43) had indexes greater than 0.2. 16S bacterial identification and phylogenic analysis were performed through molecular methods. Conclusions: AMR is one of the most considerable livestock health issues that also affect human health. The MARI indicate a high rate of antibiotic use and resistance in the isolated Salmonella, E. coli, and S. aureus require the urgent need for continuous antimicrobial susceptibility surveillance and control of antibiotic use in livestock. Full article

Using International Waterbird Census data spanning 1993–2022, we analysed temporal trends in the abundance and community composition of wintering waterbirds in the Venice Lagoon (NE Italy). We examined total numbers, major lagoon macro-areas (fish farms, open lagoon, coastal littoral zone, minor wetlands), species-level and guild-level trends and assessed climate-related community changes through the Community Temperature Index (CTI). Total wintering waterbird abundance increased markedly over the study period, from 74,348 birds in 1993 to 445,350 in 2022. Fish farms (about 20% of the total area) hosted the largest number of individuals (about 83%) and accounted for most of the lagoon-wide increase, while open lagoon (15%) and coastal littoral (<2%) areas showed weaker and more variable dynamics. Species-level analyses revealed pronounced heterogeneity, with strong increases in several Anatidae, contrasted by stable or declining trends in other species. The CTI exhibited a significant long-term increase, indicating a progressive shift towards communities dominated by warm-affinity species. CTI decomposition nevertheless showed this signal was disproportionately driven by a limited number of highly abundant species. Our results indicate that wintering waterbird dynamics in the Venice Lagoon are shaped by the interaction between large-scale climatic processes and local habitat management, particularly within fish farms. While management practices can likely sustain exceptionally high wintering numbers and potentially buffer climate-driven redistribution, they may also promote strong species dominance and associated ecological risks. Integrating long-term census data with climate and functional indicators provides a robust framework for understanding and managing Mediterranean wetlands under ongoing climate change. Full article

Canola meal, with environmentally friendly attributes, lower cost, and previous studies, is an interesting proteic source to partially replace the soybean meal for poultry nutrition. For that, in this work we aimed to investigate canola meal as a partial replacement of soybean meal in finishing poultry diets (21 to 49 days) on the productive performance, also including the impact on the quality, nutritional attributes and antioxidative status of valuable cuts of meat. Ninety-six 21-day-old chickens were assigned to four experimental diets (24/diet), with increasing doses of canola meal (CM 0, 2.5, 5 and 10%). Daily consumption, weekly live weight and post mortem carcass weight and yield were determined. At 24 h post mortem, pH, color (CIE L, a*, b*) and drip loss were measured in the breast, drumstick and thigh cuts. Fatty acid composition and health lipid indexes were also determined in the fresh cuts. The oxidative status of lipids and proteins, polyphenol and flavonoids content in fresh and in stored (7 days-display at 4–6 °C) in vacuum packaged cuts were determined. Including CM, up to 10%, the feed intake and growth of birds was not affected (p = 0.74 and p = 0.87 respectively). In meat, CM significantly decreased the drip loss (p < 0.05), the pH in breast and thigh (p = 0.01 and p = 0.05 respectively), a lower L and b in thigh and increased PUFAs in more oxidative cuts, with a strong interaction between dose and muscle type. There was no effect on lipid oxidation while carbonyls decrease at a 2.5% dose in fresh and stored cuts but there is an increase with higher ones. Flavonoids raise the maximum deposition in meat at 5% CM. In conclusion, CM can be included in finishing poultry diets, but high doses must to be adequately managed if performance and quality of meat criteria are considered together. Full article

The use of colored LED lights is a tool for controlling the development of lymphoid organs and the immune system in general. This study aims to analyze the effects of using simple and combined colored LED lights throughout a 6 week period (1–42 days of age). In this study, 336 one-day-old chicks were used, separated randomly into four groups with different sex and lighting systems, with each group being divided into four separate replicates (4 × 21 birds). The chicks in the WL-Male and WL-Female were exposed to white LED light (WL, 400–760 nm) for 6 weeks, while the chicks in the G-GxB-BL-Male and G-GxB-BL-Female were exposed to a combination of monochromatic lights as follows: green (560 nm) from 1 to 14 days of age, green and blue (480–560 nm) for 15–28 days of age, and blue lights (480 nm) for 29–42 days of age. The use of a mixture of green and blue LED lights (G-GxB-BL) resulted in a significant decrease in the average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio compared to white light, without causing changes in the body weight of the chicks, average daily gain, mortality rate, and coefficient of variability. G-GxB-BL lights also improved the morphological development of the bursa of Fabricius (BF) compared to white light by significantly increasing the organ index and the lymphoid follicle area. At the same time, G-GxB-BL light compared to white light improved B lymphocytes proliferation in the BF by significantly increasing the lymphocyte density in lymphoid follicles, as well as the number of PCNA-positive cells. This light treatment had these results due to the activation of melatonin receptors, which led to a significant increase in Mel1a-positive cells and a significant decrease in the number of RORα-positive cells. These results demonstrate that G-GxB-BL lights improved the growth performance and immune response in the BF of broiler chickens. Full article

As one of the busiest airports in East China, effective bird-strike prevention is of paramount importance for Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. Ground-dwelling insects in airport grasslands serve as a critical food source for insectivorous birds, making the study of insect communities essential for understanding bird activity patterns and mitigating bird-strike risks from a food chain perspective. This study investigates the communities of insects, birds, and vegetation in the flight zone and clear zone of Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. Based on monthly surveys conducted from January to December 2024, we analyzed insect community composition and diversity, assessed bird-strike risks, and examined correlations between insect and bird communities. The results recorded a total of 7744 birds belonging to 107 species, 43 families, and 15 orders in the flight zone and clear zone. Passeriformes was the most species-rich order, and resident birds dominated the avian community. Bird species richness and abundance peaked in spring and autumn. In the flight zone, 18 bird species (e.g., Hirundo rustica) were classified as highly hazardous (R ≥ 15, where R is the calculated risk index) or above. The vegetation survey identified Cynodon dactylon as the dominant plant species in the flight zone. Importantly, positive trends were observed between insectivorous birds and insect abundance, though correlations did not reach statistical significance. To reduce food availability for birds, we recommend stringent management of the grassland habitat in the flight zone, including targeted insect control measures. Given the airport’s location along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, enhanced bird dispersal efforts should be implemented during peak migration seasons. This study provides a crucial ecological foundation for developing an integrated “vegetation–insect–bird” management strategy for bird-strike prevention at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport and similar aviation hubs. Full article

Poultry disease outbreaks are frequently multifactorial, involving complex interactions between infectious agents and environmental stressors. This report describes a case of avian influenza (AI) co-infection in a commercial broiler farm located in Majalengka, West Java, Indonesia, where a total of 11,000 birds exhibited increased mortality during the grow-out period. Diagnostic investigations included pathological examination, serological testing—such as hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays for AI H5 and H9, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for infectious bronchitis, and rapid testing for Mycoplasma gallisepticum—Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) analysis, fecal flotation for coccidiosis, and an environmental assessment measuring ammonia levels, humidity, and heat stress index. Pathological findings revealed tracheitis, airsacculitis, thymitis, bursitis, perihepatitis, ascites, petechial hemorrhages, nephromegaly, and enteritis, indicating a complex disease process. Serological results demonstrated exposure to AI H9 and H5, with differing infection dynamics, while the uneven distribution of infectious bronchitis antibodies suggested field challenges. Additionally, partial exposure to Mycoplasma gallisepticum was observed. PCR results were negative at the time of sampling, consistent with post-infection phases. Environmental evaluation revealed elevated ammonia levels, excessive humidity, and a high heat stress index. In conclusion, the increased mortality was associated with avian influenza co-infection, complicated by secondary infections and adverse environmental conditions. Full article

The moderate pathogenicity coupled with high host susceptibility of Eimeria maxima has precipitated substantial economic losses in the poultry industry. Addressing challenges such as emerging drug resistance underscores the imperative for innovative vaccine strategies. This study developed a novel DNA vaccine to solve this challenge by fusing E. maxima elongation factor-1α (EmEF1α) with chicken chemokine XCL1 (ChXCL1) in the pVAX1 vector. The recombinant plasmid, designated pVAX1-ChXCL1-EmEF1α, was successfully constructed and confirmed to express the ChXCL1-EmEF1α fusion protein in vitro. Immunization of chickens with this DNA vaccine elicited a robust and balanced immune response, characterized by significantly increased proportions of CD4⁺ (11.76%) and CD8⁺ (5.58%) T lymphocytes, elevated levels of Th1-associated cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-12), and strong antigen-specific IgG and IgA antibody responses. Following experimental challenge with E. maxima, vaccinated birds exhibited substantial protection: a 66.4% reduction in oocyst shedding, a 71.7% improvement in relative weight gain, marked attenuation of intestinal lesions, and an anticoccidial index (ACI) of 170. These findings demonstrate that the ChXCL1-EmEF1α DNA vaccine effectively enhances both cellular and humoral immunity. Collectively, this study validates ChXCL1 as a potent molecular adjuvant and establishes the “antigen–adjuvant” fusion DNA platform as a promising strategy for developing next-generation vaccines against avian coccidiosis. Full article

Near-miss events, defined as hazardous traffic interactions without actual collisions, provide valuable indicators for proactive traffic safety assessment. However, existing studies mainly focus on collision detection or object-level perception, while near-miss interactions and their severity remain insufficiently explored. This study proposes a video-based framework for real-time near-miss detection and risk evaluation in complex urban intersections. The framework integrates an enhanced YOLOv11 detector with a small-object detection head, BoT-SORT multi-object tracking, and bird’s-eye-view (BEV) transformation to accurately extract trajectories and motion features of heterogeneous road users. A Near-Miss Risk Index (RI) is developed by jointly considering spatial proximity, time-to-collision, and motion intensity to quantify near-miss severity levels. Experimental results on real-world CCTV data demonstrate that the proposed method effectively identifies high-risk interactions among vehicles, motorcycles, and pedestrians, providing interpretable severity assessment and supporting proactive traffic safety analysis for intelligent transportation systems. Full article

This study aimed to evaluate the potential of Lonicera japonica Flos (LJF) as an alternative agent against Eimeria tenella (E. tenella) in chickens and to conduct phytochemical analysis to obtain compositional insights. Seventy-two one-day-old chickens were allocated to six groups and fed diets supplemented with LJF powder (LJFp) at three concentrations (LJFp-L, LJFp-M, and LJFp-H) or maduramicin (MDM) or two non-supplemented control diets, namely, an infected unmedicated control (IUC) and an uninfected unmedicated control (UUC). Dietary treatments were initiated at chick arrival (Day 0) and continued for 28 days. At 21 days of age, all groups except the UUC group were orally challenged with a field isolate of E. tenella (PT-Te003; 2.0 × 10⁴ oocysts/bird). Anticoccidial efficacy was assessed using the lesion score (LS), oocysts per gram of feces (OPG), relative body weight gain (rBWG), and anticoccidial index (ACI). The results demonstrated that all LJFp treatment groups had significantly reduced cecal OPG and LS (all LJFp treatments: p < 0.05 vs. IUC), indicating the effective suppression of E. tenella replication and intestinal damage. Regarding growth performance, the rBWG values of the LJFp-L and LJFp-M groups were the highest and comparable to those of the UUC group, showing no significant differences. In contrast, the LJFp-H and MDM groups exhibited significantly lower values (p < 0.05). Based on ACI evaluation, all LJFp-treated groups exhibited moderate to partial efficacy (LJFp-L > LJFp-M > LJFp-H), while MDM showed limited effectiveness. A gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the LJFp ethanol extract revealed 15 essential oils, 10 organic acids, and three other compound classes, several of which have been associated with anticoccidial activity. Overall, the in vivo results suggest that LJF may exert potential anticoccidial effects against a field isolate of E. tenella. Phytochemical analysis provided preliminary compositional insights, and further studies are warranted to optimize extraction methods and evaluate efficacy at lower concentrations under additional in vitro and in vivo conditions. However, the current evidence remains insufficient to determine whether the field isolate exhibits reduced sensitivity to commercially available anticoccidial drugs, and additional studies are needed to clarify this issue. Full article

Urban wetlands are acoustic hotspots where vegetation structure, hydrological dynamics, and anthropogenic noise interact, yet multi-season assessments of how vegetation influences avian soundscapes are limited. This study explored bird soundscape dynamics across forest, open forest grassland, and meadow habitats in Nanjing Xinjizhou National Wetland Park, eastern China, using passive acoustic monitoring during spring and autumn 2023. Twelve sampling points (four per vegetation type) were established, and six acoustic indices were calculated, including the Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI), Acoustic Diversity Index (ADI), Acoustic Evenness Index (AEI), Bioacoustic Index (BIO), Normalized Difference Soundscape Index (NDSI), and Acoustic Entropy Index (H). were calculated from 48-h recordings each season. Random forest models and redundancy analysis assessed the relationships between acoustic indices, fine-scale vegetation parameters (e.g., crown width, tree height, species richness), and anthropogenic factors (e.g., distance to roads/trails, surface hardness). Vegetation structure, particularly crown width, was the primary driver of avian acoustic diversity, with broad-crowned forests consistently exhibiting the highest acoustic complexity. In spring, anthropogenic factors such as trail and road proximity dominated soundscape variation, suppressing biological sounds. In autumn, with reduced human presence, vegetation structure emerged as the dominant factor, while bioacoustic activity remained elevated despite reduced peaks in acoustic complexity. Proximity to roads increased low-frequency (1–2 kHz) noise and suppressed mid-frequency (4–8 kHz) bird vocalizations, but trees with crown widths ≥4 m maintained higher acoustic diversity even near disturbance sources. This study demonstrates that vegetation structure mediates both resource availability and sound propagation, buffering the effects of anthropogenic disturbance in frequency-specific ways. Multi-season sampling is crucial for understanding the dynamic interplay between vegetation phenology and human activity that shapes urban wetland soundscapes. Full article