There is more human-generated noise and light today than ever before, a trend tied to ongoing urbanization and with reverberating impacts on a wide range of organisms. While research on these impacts is mounting and particularly plentiful when it comes to birds, there is still much to explore within its effects on avian behavior, fitness, and evolution. In chapter 1, we investigated how fledgling movement is influenced by noise and light pollution. While adult birds have well-documented species-specific responses to these stimuli, fledglings are sorely understudied in this context. We experimentally manipulated light levels and took advantage of an existing landscape of artificial noise in the gas fields of northwestern New Mexico to radio track fledglings through gradients of noise and light from four species: Western bluebirds (Sialia mexicana), mountain bluebirds (Sialia currucoides), ash-throated flycatchers (Myiarchus cinerascens), and gray flycatchers (Empidonax wrightii). Step-selection functions assessing resource selection and generalized additive models assessing step length, step velocity, and distance from nest showed no influence of noise and light pollution on fledgling movement, but did show that ash-throated flycatchers moved further each day and further from the nest than gray flycatchers. Our results also revealed the novel pattern of fledglings moving away from the nest through day 10 of the radio tracking period, but moving back towards it after day 20. While we did not find positive results for our primary question, these observations of fledgling movement are valuable given how little we know about this vulnerable life stage. In chapter 2, we investigated whether dim light vision and its corresponding bony structures within the eye could be under selection with the proliferation of artificial light, given that variation in avian responses to light pollution was recently linked to the quality of a bird's dim light vision. We used museum specimens of six urban adapted species collected across 100+ years and light pollution proxies in the form of collection year and urban density to test two alternative hypotheses. Under the protection hypothesis, selection should drive evolution of poorer dim light vision with higher light pollution exposure, decreasing fitness cost borne via the hormone and circadian rhythm dysregulation associated with retinal-received light pollution. Under the temporal niche shift hypothesis, prolonged foraging opportunities made accessible to birds that can better detect light in artificially lit conditions should drive evolution of improved dim light vision with light pollution exposure. We found that dim light vision improved with collection year for great horned owls (Bubo virginianus) while the opposite was true for red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis); surprisingly, house sparrows (Passer domesticus) and American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) showed support for both hypotheses within single species, exhibiting different directionality in dim light vision patterns for different light pollution proxies. Our results suggest that light pollution may represent a contemporary selective agent for avian vision, but that the directionality may depend on ecological context. More broadly, our findings suggest that quantifying animal perceptual abilities may be important for understanding inter-specific responses to an increasingly bright world.

A dentina esclerosada é um substrato comumente encontrado em pacientes idosos. No entanto, existem poucos estudos comparativos entre dentina humana e bovina esclerosadas. O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar os componentes inorgânicos e orgânicos da dentina saudável e esclerosada humana e bovina, através de cinco parâmetros: nanodureza, módulo de elasticidade, análise quantitativa da concentração de Cálcio (Ca) e Fósforo (P), densidade tubular e morfologia do colágeno. Trinta dentes humanos e 30 bovinos foram distribuídos em 4 grupos experimentais (n=15 por grupo): dentina humana saudável (DHS), esclerosada humana (DEH), bovina saudável (DBS), e bovina esclerosada (DBE). Os dentes saudáveis foram preparados na mesma altura e inclinação dos dentes esclerosados expondo níveis similares da dentina e obtendo fragmentos com 2mm de espessura. Foram realizadas 3 medições por espécime em 3 áreas pré determinadas de dentina intertubular com a utilização do Nanoindentador (carga de 500N por 5 s). Cinco espécimes de cada grupo foram preparados para Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura (MEV). Com o auxílio da Energia Dispersiva por Raios-X EDX foram obtidos os valores (em percentagem) das concentrações de Ca e P e calculada a relação Ca:P. A contagem dos túbulos por área foi realizada em todas as eletromicrografias. Após descalcificação e preparo, o restante dos espécimes foi analisado em Microscopia Eletrônica de Transmissão (MET). DBS obteve maiores valores de nanodureza comparada à DBE e DHS. DHE sem diferenças com DHS e DBE (p=0,0008). DBS exibiu maiores valores de módulo de elasticidade somente comparada à DHS (p=0,000). A análise estatística não demonstrou diferenças estatisticamente significantes (p=0,71) entre as concentrações de Ca e P. Quanto à densidade tubular (número de túbulos/mm²), os grupos saudáveis foram maiores que os esclerosados e os humanos maiores que os bovinos. As fibras colágenas da DBS mostraram-se mais compactadas e mais desorganizadas que as demais. Pôde se concluir que apenas as concentrações de Ca e P foram similares e que as dentinas esclerosadas humana e bovina mostraram similaridade. Esta pesquisa teve suporte da Fapesp sob o número 2008/10290-8. / The sclerotic dentin has been commonly found in elderly patients. However, there are scarce reports in the literature comparing on the use of human and bovine sclerotic dentins. The objective of this study was to compare inorganic and organic components of healthy and sclerotic dentins from human and bovine. Five parameters were analyzed: nanohardness, elastic modulus, quantitative analysis of Calcium (Ca) and Phosphorous (P) concentrations, tubular density and ultrastructural morphology. Thirty human teeth plus 30 bovine teeth were distributed in 4 experimental groups (n=15 per group): human healthy dentin (HHD), human sclerotic dentin (HSD), bovine healthy dentin (BHD) and bovine sclerotic dentin (BSD). Healthy teeth were cut in the same level and inclination of the sclerotic superficial dentins. The nanohardness and elastic modulus (GPa) of three pre determined areas of each exposed dentin was measured using a nanoindenter (500N for 5s). Five samples of each group were prepared for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination. Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) was used for obtaining the Ca/P ratio. The tubular density was obtained by counting the tubules in scanning electron micrographs taken in the same magnification and work distance. Data were statistically analyzed by ANOVA complemented by the Tukeys test (p0.05). The ultrastructure of the dentins was observed in specimens processed for transmission electron microscopy (TEM). BHD exhibited significant higher nanohardness than BSD and HHD. HSD nanohardness was similar to those of HHD and BSD (p=0,0008). BHD exhibited significant higher elastic modulus than HHD (p=0,000). The Ca:P ratios were similar amongst all groups (p=0.71). The tubular densities were higher in the healthy dentins than in the sclerotic for both human and bovine. The human dentins presented higher tubular densities than bovine dentins (p=0.000). The intertubular dentin of BHD showed short collagen fibers distributed in a condensed fashion; whereas the other dentins exhibited well-organized long bundles of collagen fibers. It was concluded that sclerotic dentins of human and bovine share most morphological and structural characteristics. This research was supported by Fapesp grants number 2008/10290-8.

A dentina esclerosada é um substrato comumente encontrado em pacientes idosos. No entanto, existem poucos estudos comparativos entre dentina humana e bovina esclerosadas. O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar os componentes inorgânicos e orgânicos da dentina saudável e esclerosada humana e bovina, através de cinco parâmetros: nanodureza, módulo de elasticidade, análise quantitativa da concentração de Cálcio (Ca) e Fósforo (P), densidade tubular e morfologia do colágeno. Trinta dentes humanos e 30 bovinos foram distribuídos em 4 grupos experimentais (n=15 por grupo): dentina humana saudável (DHS), esclerosada humana (DEH), bovina saudável (DBS), e bovina esclerosada (DBE). Os dentes saudáveis foram preparados na mesma altura e inclinação dos dentes esclerosados expondo níveis similares da dentina e obtendo fragmentos com 2mm de espessura. Foram realizadas 3 medições por espécime em 3 áreas pré determinadas de dentina intertubular com a utilização do Nanoindentador (carga de 500N por 5 s). Cinco espécimes de cada grupo foram preparados para Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura (MEV). Com o auxílio da Energia Dispersiva por Raios-X EDX foram obtidos os valores (em percentagem) das concentrações de Ca e P e calculada a relação Ca:P. A contagem dos túbulos por área foi realizada em todas as eletromicrografias. Após descalcificação e preparo, o restante dos espécimes foi analisado em Microscopia Eletrônica de Transmissão (MET). DBS obteve maiores valores de nanodureza comparada à DBE e DHS. DHE sem diferenças com DHS e DBE (p=0,0008). DBS exibiu maiores valores de módulo de elasticidade somente comparada à DHS (p=0,000). A análise estatística não demonstrou diferenças estatisticamente significantes (p=0,71) entre as concentrações de Ca e P. Quanto à densidade tubular (número de túbulos/mm²), os grupos saudáveis foram maiores que os esclerosados e os humanos maiores que os bovinos. As fibras colágenas da DBS mostraram-se mais compactadas e mais desorganizadas que as demais. Pôde se concluir que apenas as concentrações de Ca e P foram similares e que as dentinas esclerosadas humana e bovina mostraram similaridade. Esta pesquisa teve suporte da Fapesp sob o número 2008/10290-8. / The sclerotic dentin has been commonly found in elderly patients. However, there are scarce reports in the literature comparing on the use of human and bovine sclerotic dentins. The objective of this study was to compare inorganic and organic components of healthy and sclerotic dentins from human and bovine. Five parameters were analyzed: nanohardness, elastic modulus, quantitative analysis of Calcium (Ca) and Phosphorous (P) concentrations, tubular density and ultrastructural morphology. Thirty human teeth plus 30 bovine teeth were distributed in 4 experimental groups (n=15 per group): human healthy dentin (HHD), human sclerotic dentin (HSD), bovine healthy dentin (BHD) and bovine sclerotic dentin (BSD). Healthy teeth were cut in the same level and inclination of the sclerotic superficial dentins. The nanohardness and elastic modulus (GPa) of three pre determined areas of each exposed dentin was measured using a nanoindenter (500N for 5s). Five samples of each group were prepared for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination. Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) was used for obtaining the Ca/P ratio. The tubular density was obtained by counting the tubules in scanning electron micrographs taken in the same magnification and work distance. Data were statistically analyzed by ANOVA complemented by the Tukeys test (p0.05). The ultrastructure of the dentins was observed in specimens processed for transmission electron microscopy (TEM). BHD exhibited significant higher nanohardness than BSD and HHD. HSD nanohardness was similar to those of HHD and BSD (p=0,0008). BHD exhibited significant higher elastic modulus than HHD (p=0,000). The Ca:P ratios were similar amongst all groups (p=0.71). The tubular densities were higher in the healthy dentins than in the sclerotic for both human and bovine. The human dentins presented higher tubular densities than bovine dentins (p=0.000). The intertubular dentin of BHD showed short collagen fibers distributed in a condensed fashion; whereas the other dentins exhibited well-organized long bundles of collagen fibers. It was concluded that sclerotic dentins of human and bovine share most morphological and structural characteristics. This research was supported by Fapesp grants number 2008/10290-8.