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Male and female Papilio glaucus were released in pairs in a flight cage to study courtship behavior and mate choice. The study was designed to test the hypothesis that females select the natural color pattern, an important aspect of the theory of the evolution of mimicry. Males were unpainted or were painted either yellow as a control or black to resemble a newly arisen mimetic pattern. Painted males were permitted three courtships to achieve a mating. Failure to mate was followed by the release of the other color of male to the same female. The courtship flight was divided into four stages for analysis of sexual selection. Females directed solicitation flights more often to natural color than to black males, and these solicitation flights increased the number of interactions and courtships by males. Naturally colored males were rejected less frequently than the black ones in the early stages of courtship. Once the later stages were attained, there was no difference. The higher mating success and increased female solicitation which favored the yellow painted males over color-altered ones suggest that female-limited mimicry in P. glaucus is the result of selection by females for the non-mimetic pattern. / M.S.

城市發展被認為是導致本土物種滅絶的最主要原因，對鳥類群落結構有著極其重要的影響。雖然香港的城市化程度非常高，但對於鳥類尤其候鳥來說，其仍具有很高的保育價值。截至目前，有關城市化及多尺度生境因素對香港城市鳥類群落的影響的研究還非常少。 / 在城市景觀中，公園是鳥類多樣性的熱點地區。本研究選取了30個公園 (15個位於發達地區，15個位於新近發展地區) 作為研究樣地，分別於2010-2011年的繁殖季和越冬季，採用樣點法調查了所有樣地的鳥類群落。結果顯示，新近發展地區的鳥類群落較發達地區的更為均勻，嵌套程度更高。但不論何種發展類型，留鳥均為城市公園中的優勢群體。發達地區有較多的食穀鳥和偏好開闊生境的鳥類，而新近發展地區則吸引了較多的食蟲鳥、食蟲食果鳥和森林專一性鳥類。發達和新近發展地區的鳥類群落結構的差異，與生境均勻性 (400米尺度)、最大林地斑塊指數 (400米尺度) 及景觀聚集度指數 (400和1000米尺度) 密切相關。 / 香港公園的鳥類群落具有明顯的季節差異。繁殖季與越冬季的鳥種組成、鳥類豐富度和多樣性均有顯著差異。與繁殖季相比，越冬季的食蟲鳥、食蟲食果鳥及在灌木層和喬木層覓食的鳥類較繁殖季明顯增多，而食穀鳥及在地面覓食的鳥類則較繁殖季減少。 / 本研究進一步探討了公園屬性、人類干擾和植被結構對不同季節的鳥類群落結構的影響。結果顯示，公園面積和訪客率對於不同季節的鳥類群落有顯著影響。不論是繁殖季還是越冬季，鳥類豐富度和多樣性均隨公園面積的增加而增加；越冬季鳥類豐富度隨訪客率增加而減少。另外，繁殖季的鳥類總密度隨訪客率增加而增加。不同種團在不同季節對生境變量的反應也有所不同。例如，候鳥、食蟲鳥和食蟲食果鳥在越冬季隨公園面積的增加而增加，但隨訪客率的增加而減少；而雜食性鳥類在繁殖期均隨公園面積和訪客率的增加而增加。 / 對于不同景觀尺度的生境變量對冬季城市鳥類群落的影響的分析結果顯示，200米尺度上的林地和草地的覆蓋度對鳥類豐富度有顯著影響。單個物種的反應上，200和400米尺度上的斑塊密度對叉尾太陽鳥 (Aethopyga christinae) 的出現與消失有最好的解釋度。與叉尾太陽鳥不同，單一尺度生境變量對暗綠繡眼鳥 (Phylloscopus proregulus)、烏鶇 (Turdus merula)、灰背鶇 (T. hortulorum)、噪鵑 (Eudynamys scolopaceus) 和喜鵲 (Pica pica) 的分佈模式具有最好的解釋度，即200或400米尺度上的植被（包括林地、灌木和草地）覆蓋度對其在特定樣地的出現與消失有顯著影響。總之，小尺度生境變量 (400米以內) 對香港城市鳥類群落的影響值得更多關注。 / 最後，本文還探究了景觀 (400米) 和斑塊尺度上的生境變量對冬季鳥類群落的共同影響。非度量多維標度 (Non-metric Multi-Dimensional Scaling) 分析結果顯示，景觀尺度上的林地比例和斑塊密度及斑塊尺度上的樹木密度對鳥類分佈有強烈影響。多尺度交叉模型對候鳥、食穀鳥、食蟲鳥和食蟲食果鳥的分佈均有很好的解釋度。另外，相對于單一的景觀或斑塊尺度模型，多尺度交叉模型也能更好地解釋單個物種的分佈模式。可以說，景觀變量的加入能大大提高單一的斑塊尺度模型的預測能力。綜上，同時考慮景觀和斑塊尺度上生境變量對鳥類群落的共同影響是非常必要的。 / 本研究首次系統地研究了香港城市公園的鳥類群落結構及多尺度生境變數對鳥類分佈的影響；研究結果能為土地擁有者和公園管理者更好的保育城市生態系統提供理論依據。 / Urban development affects avian community structure dramatically, and it is considered a major cause of native species extinction. Hong Kong is a highly urbanized city, but has great conservation values for birds particularly migrants. There is a paucity of information on the effects of urbanization and multi-scale habitat characteristics on urban birds in Hong Kong. / Parks are hotspots of avian diversity in urban landscapes. Thirty parks, scattered throughout the territory, were selected as sampling sites from developed and new growth areas. Bird community structure was studied in the breeding and wintering seasons in 2010-2011. Regarding the effects of urbanization, bird communities in the new growth areas were more homogeneous and nested than those in the developed areas. Residents dominated urban parks in both development types. More granivores and open-habitat species, but fewer insectivores, insectivore-frugivores, and forest-specialist birds appeared in the developed areas than in the new growth areas. These differences were strongly associated with habitat evenness and largest patch index for woodland at 400-m scale and contagion index at 400- and 1000-m scales. / There were obvious seasonal differences in urban bird communities. Species composition, richness, and diversity were significantly different between the breeding and wintering seasons. Compared to breeding bird communities, more insectivores, insectivore-frugivores, and species feeding on plants, but less granivores and species feeding on the ground appeared in the wintering season. / The effects of park attributes, human disturbance, and vegetation structure on the seasonal differences were determined. Species richness and diversity were positively affected by park size in both seasons. Species richness was negatively affected by visitor rate in the wintering season. Total bird density increased with visitor rate, but only in the breeding season. In other words, park size and visitor rate were the major factors affecting bird communities in both seasons. Moreover, different species groups had different responses to habitat characteristics in different seasons. For examples, migrants, insectivores, and insectivore-frugivores were positively affected by park size, but negatively by visitor rate in the wintering season. However, omnivores in the breeding season increased with both park size and visitor rate. / The effects of habitat characteristics at five landscape scales on wintering bird communities were addressed. Total species richness was significantly affected by the availability of woodland and grassland at 200-m scale. For the six selected species, the incidence of Fork-tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga christinae) was affected by patch density, positively at 200-m scale but negatively at 400-m scale, and the incidences of the other five species (including Pallas's Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus proregulus, Common Blackbird Turdus merula, Grey-backed Thrush T. hortulorum, Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopaceus, and Eurasian Magpie Pica pica) were best predicted by the availability of greenspaces within 400 m. Consequently, factors at fine scales (within 400 m) should be more concerned while conserving birds in Hong Kong. / Finally, the cross-scale effects of habitat measurements at 400-m landscape and local scale on wintering bird communities were examined. The percentage of woodland and patch density at landscape scale, and tree density at local scale were mostly strongly correlated with species distribution. Most species groups and the incidences of individual species were better predicted by cross-scale approaches, and landscape characteristics increased the efficiency of local-only models. It is necessary to simultaneously consider the joint effects of landscape- and local-scale characteristics on birds in urban environments. / This research is the first to systematically study bird communities in urban parks of Hong Kong, and determine the factors influencing bird distribution patterns at multiple scales. The knowledge acquired would help land owners and park managers to conserve a more diverse ecosystem in Hong Kong. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Zhou, Daqing. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2012. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-165). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese. / Abstract --- p.I / Acknowledgements --- p.VI / Table of Contents --- p.VIII / List of Tables --- p.XIII / List of Figures --- p.XVI / List of Appendices --- p.XVIII / Chapter CHAPTER 1 --- Background --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Bird community ecology and its developments --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Effects of urbanization on urban bird communities --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Urbanization --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- Major impacts of urbanization --- p.5 / Chapter 1.3 --- Effects of multi-scale habitat characteristics on bird communities --- p.7 / Chapter 1.3.1 --- Importance of spatial scale --- p.7 / Chapter 1.3.2 --- Effects of local-scale habitat characteristics on urban bird community --- p.9 / Chapter 1.3.2.1 --- Park attributes --- p.9 / Chapter 1.3.2.2 --- Human disturbance --- p.11 / Chapter 1.3.2.3 --- Vegetation configuration --- p.12 / Chapter 1.3.3 --- Effects of landscape-scale habitat characteristics on urban bird community --- p.13 / Chapter 1.3.3.1 --- Various landscape-scale habitat characteristics --- p.14 / Chapter 1.3.3.2 --- Scalar effects of landscape-scale habitat characteristics --- p.16 / Chapter 1.3.3.3 --- Combined effects of local- and landscape-scale habitat characteristics --- p.17 / Chapter 1.4 --- Overview of Hong Kong --- p.18 / Chapter 1.4.1 --- General situation --- p.18 / Chapter 1.4.2 --- Knowledge gaps --- p.20 / Chapter 1.4.3 --- Research significances --- p.21 / Chapter CHAPTER 2 --- Avian community structure of urban parks in developed and new growth areas: A landscape-scale study in Southeast Asia --- p.22 / Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.22 / Chapter 2.2 --- Methods --- p.26 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Study area --- p.26 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Bird census --- p.27 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Landscape-level habitat factors at 400- and 1000-m scales --- p.36 / Chapter 2.2.4 --- Data analyses --- p.38 / Chapter 2.2.4.1 --- Community attributes --- p.38 / Chapter 2.2.4.2 --- Species groups --- p.39 / Chapter 2.2.4.3 --- Species composition --- p.39 / Chapter 2.2.4.4 --- Nestedness --- p.41 / Chapter 2.2.4.5 --- Community responses to landscape-scale habitat factors --- p.41 / Chapter 2.3 --- Results --- p.42 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Comparisons of community attributes between developed and new growth areas --- p.43 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Responses of species groups to the development type --- p.45 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- Differences in species composition --- p.46 / Chapter 2.3.4 --- Nestedness of developed and new growth areas --- p.49 / Chapter 2.3.5 --- Responses of bird community to landscape-scale habitat factors --- p.49 / Chapter 2.4 --- Discussion --- p.50 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Bird community structure for the two development types --- p.50 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- Responses to landscape-scale habitat factors at two spatial scales --- p.56 / Chapter CHAPTER 3 --- Seasonal dynamics of bird community structure in urban parks of Hong Kong --- p.58 / Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.58 / Chapter 3.2 --- Methods --- p.59 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Study area --- p.59 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Bird census --- p.60 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- Data analyses --- p.62 / Chapter 3.3 --- Results --- p.64 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Differences in community attributes --- p.66 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Differences in the composition of species groups --- p.67 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Differences in individual species composition --- p.68 / Chapter 3.3.4 --- Nestedness pattern of breeding and wintering bird communities --- p.69 / Chapter 3.4 --- Discussion --- p.69 / Chapter 3.5 --- Conclusions --- p.73 / Chapter CHAPTER 4 --- How would size, age, human disturbance, and vegetation structure affect bird communities of urban parks in different seasons? --- p.74 / Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction --- p.74 / Chapter 4.2 --- Methods --- p.76 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Study area --- p.76 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Bird census --- p.78 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Measurements of human disturbance --- p.78 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- Vegetation structure --- p.79 / Chapter 4.2.5 --- Data analyses --- p.80 / Chapter 4.3 --- Results --- p.82 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Species number --- p.83 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Species diversity --- p.85 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Total bird density --- p.86 / Chapter 4.3.4 --- Responses of seasonal status classes and feeding guilds --- p.86 / Chapter 4.4 --- Discussion --- p.89 / Chapter 4.5 --- Conclusions --- p.93 / Chapter CHAPTER 5 --- How did spatial scale affect the responses of wintering bird communities in urban parks? The importance of small landscape-scale approaches --- p.95 / Chapter 5.1 --- Introduction --- p.95 / Chapter 5.2 --- Methods --- p.97 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Study area --- p.97 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Bird census --- p.98 / Chapter 5.2.3 --- Habitat characteristics at five landscape scales --- p.99 / Chapter 5.2.4 --- Data analyses --- p.102 / Chapter 5.3 --- Results --- p.103 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Species selected in this study --- p.103 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Responses of total species richness to five landscape-scale habitat characteristics --- p.105 / Chapter 5.3.3 --- Responses of six specific species to five landscape-scale habitat characteristics --- p.106 / Chapter 5.4 --- Discussion --- p.109 / Chapter 5.4.1 --- Most influential spatial scales --- p.109 / Chapter 5.4.2 --- Effects of habitat availability and patch distribution at varying scales --- p.111 / Chapter 5.5 --- Conclusions --- p.113 / Chapter CHAPTER 6 --- Cross-Scale effects of landscape- and local-scale habitat characteristics on wintering bird communities in highly urbanized Hong Kong --- p.115 / Chapter 6.1 --- Introduction --- p.115 / Chapter 6.2 --- Methods --- p.117 / Chapter 6.2.1 --- Study area --- p.117 / Chapter 6.2.2 --- Bird census --- p.119 / Chapter 6.2.3 --- Landscape-scale habitat characteristics --- p.119 / Chapter 6.2.4 --- Local-scale habitat characteristics --- p.121 / Chapter 6.2.5 --- Data analyses --- p.122 / Chapter 6.2.5.1 --- Correlation analyses --- p.122 / Chapter 6.2.5.2 --- Cross-scale effects of landscape- and local-scale characteristics on bird communities --- p.123 / Chapter 6.2.5.3 --- Cross-scale effects of landscape- and local-scale characteristics on species groups --- p.125 / Chapter 6.2.5.4 --- Comparison between single-scale and cross-scale approaches for some specific species --- p.125 / Chapter 6.3 --- Results --- p.126 / Chapter 6.3.1 --- Community responses to landscape- and local-scale habitat characteristics --- p.126 / Chapter 6.3.2 --- Responses of species groups --- p.128 / Chapter 6.3.3 --- Responses of six individual species --- p.130 / Chapter 6.4 --- Discussion --- p.131 / Chapter 6.4.1 --- Responses of community and species groups to landscape- and local-scale habitat characteristics --- p.131 / Chapter 6.4.2 --- Landscape- versus local-scale habitat characteristics --- p.135 / Chapter 6.5 --- Conclusions --- p.136 / Chapter CHAPTER 7 --- General conclusions --- p.138 / Chapter 7.1 --- Major results and recommendations --- p.138 / Chapter 7.2 --- Further investigations --- p.142 / References --- p.144 / Appendices --- p.166 / Publications --- p.188

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This thesis presents two studies where natural and sexual selection have interacted to evolve sexual behaviours. The thesis uses mathematical modelling to understand how these forces have caused each behaviour to evolve. This is useful because the results allow for reflection on the potential role of sexual selection in adaptation of these species to a changing environment. The first study is of early male arrival to spring breeding grounds in migratory avian species, this is termed protandry. The study explores the main hypotheses for avian protandry and then tests the susceptibility of each hypothesis to changing environment. The second study is of convenience polyandry in species where there is conflict over mating rate. Females have multiple strategies to avoid harassive males but strategies vary in cost and success rate; she must balance her strategy use to minimise her fitness depreciation. The study identifies the main factors that cause convenience polyandry to evolve and paves the way for future studies to investigate if sexual selection over resistance strategy provides these species a future advantage in adaptation to a changing environment.

The spread of nonnative invasive species has become the second greatest threat to global biodiversity, making management of invasive species a critical component of the conservation of biodiversity worldwide. Managers and conservation biologists often lack basic life history data, as well as quantitative and theoretical models to predict risk of invasion or other negative effects. I contribute information to both categories by providing life history information (diet and morphology) of the Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) and by characterizing the invasion pathways that nonnative avian species in Florida follow. I found Purple Swamphens are predominantly eating and selecting for Eleocharis cellulosa. Additionally, there is a large amount of variation in nonnative avian species’ propensity to colonize natural habitat and the time it takes to do so. Nine out of 15 species investigated colonized natural habitat and the time it took them to do so ranged from 8 to 41 years. It is through a combination of various techniques that ecologists will begin to fully understand the importance of studying nonnative species as well as reducing the impact that nonnatives have on native ecosystems. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015 / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This thesis focuses on the relationship between innovation and social learning in the foraging context, across and within bird species, using two different sources of data: anecdotal reports from the literature, and experimental tests in the laboratory and the field. In chapter 1, I review the trends in innovation and social learning in the avian literature, and contrast them with trends in mammals, especially primates. In chapter 2, I use anecdotal reports of feeding innovation and social learning in the literature to assess taxonomic trends and to study the relationship between the two traits at the interspecific level. In chapter 3, I investigate the relationship between innovation and social learning at the intraspecific level in captive feral pigeons (Columba livia). Innovation is estimated from the ability to solve an innovative foraging problem, and social learning is measured as the number of trials required to learn a foraging task from a proficient demonstrator. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The doubly labelled water technique was validated for captive-bred, laying Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix), and used to measure the energy expenditure of free-living laying swallows (Hirundo rustica). Swallows had a slightly higher energy expenditure during laying than during incubation or nestling-rearing. Energy expenditure and the net cost of incubation increased sharply for female dippers (Cinclus cinclus) when clutches were enlarged to 6 eggs. Lipophilic dyes were used to determine the rate of ovarian follicular growth and the volume of yolk deposjted in a 24 h period by captive quail and free-living swallows. Rates of yolk deposition were related to daily energy expenditure in quail, but not in swallows. Balances placed under swallow nests recorded an increase in female mass from 5 d before the first egg was laid. Female mass peaked on the evening before the first egg and declined as eggs were laid. Mass changes during laying were equal to the mass of the oviduct and developing ova. However, body composition also changed, as a lipid reserve was built up in the final 4 d before the first egg was laid, whilst body water content declined. This substantially increased the peak energy requirement for biosynthesis in a laying swallow. The lipid reserve was catabolized during the remainder of the laying period. The lipid reserve was likely to serve as an insurance against a drop in food intake during laying. Shortage of food on the day before the first egg was laid led to a reduction in clutch size for some swallows. There was no evidence for use of a protein reserve by laying swallows. A model was developed from which it was predicted that egg production by swallows, and probably all other insectivorous birds, would be constrained by energy rather than crude lipid or protein requirements. It was concluded that laying patterns and clutch sizes were sometimes constrained by food availability during egg-laying, and that an upper limit to clutch size could be set by the capacity of an incubating bird to cover the eggs.

No description available.