Estimated Avian Nest Loss Associated with Oil and Gas Exploration and Extraction in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin

Annual mortality within bird populations can be attributed to numerous sources; however, the extent to which anthropogenic sources of mortality contribute to avian demography is largely unknown. Quantifying the relative magnitude of human-related avian mortality could inform conservation efforts, particularly if multiple sources of human-related mortality can be contrasted. The unintentional destruction of nests and their contents by industrial activities conducted during the breeding season of resident and migratory birds presumably leads to one such source of human-caused avian mortality. As part of a broader effort to quantify major sources of human-related avian mortality, we estimated the magnitude of nest loss resulting from the terrestrial oil and gas sector in Canada, including: (1) seismic exploration, (2) pipeline right-of-way clearing, (3) well pad clearing, and (4) oil sands mining within the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB). We estimated nest losses as the product of estimated nest densities, the area disturbed annually, and the proportion of annual disturbance presumed to occur during the breeding season. The estimated number of nests disturbed annually by all oil and gas sectors combined ranged between 11,840 - 60,380. Interannual variation in exploration and extraction, and uncertainty in nest densities and the proportion of the disturbances occurring during the breeding season contributed to the variation. Accounting for natural mortality suggests an estimated loss of 10,200 - 41,150 (range) potential recruits into the migratory bird population in a subsequent year. Although nest destruction is only one small component of the potential impacts of the oil and gas industry upon avian populations, these estimates establish a baseline for comparison with other sources of human-caused avian mortality. Models are now needed to compare nest losses against the legacy effects of oil and gas sector habitat disturbances and associated cumulative effects so that mitigation efforts can be prioritized

An Estimate of Nest Loss in Canada Due to Industrial Forestry Operations

Annual loss of nests by industrial (nonwoodlot) forest harvesting in Canada was estimated using two avian point-count data sources: (1) the Boreal Avian Monitoring Project (BAM) dataset for provinces operating in this biome and (2) available data summarized for the major (nonboreal) forest regions of British Columbia. Accounting for uncertainty in the proportion of harvest occurring during the breeding season and in avian nesting densities, our estimate ranges from 616 thousand to 2.09 million nests. Estimates of the impact on numbers of individuals recruited into the adult breeding population were made based on the application of survivorship estimates at various stages of the life cycle. Future improvements to this estimate are expected as better and more extensive avian breeding pair density estimates become available and as provincial forestry statistics become more refined, spatially and temporally. The effect of incidental take due to forestry is not uniform and is disproportionately centered in the southern boreal. Those species whose ranges occur primarily in these regions are most at risk for industrial forestry in general and for incidental take in particular. Refinements to the nest loss estimate for industrial forestry in Canada will be achieved primarily through the provision of more accurate estimates of the area of forest harvested annually during the breeding season stratified by forest type and Bird Conservation Region (BCR). A better understanding of survivorship among life-history stages for forest birds would also allow for better modeling of the effect of nest loss on adult recruitment. Finally, models are needed to project legacy effects of forest harvesting on avian populations that take into account forest succession and accompanying cumulative effects of landscape change

TCEAL1 Loss-of-Function Results in an X-Linked Dominant Neurodevelopmental Syndrome and Drives the Neurological Disease Trait in Xq222 Deletions

An Xq22.2 region upstream of PLP1 has been proposed to underly a neurological disease trait when deleted in 46,XX females. Deletion mapping revealed that heterozygous deletions encompassing the smallest region of overlap (SRO) spanning six Xq22.2 genes (BEX3, RAB40A, TCEAL4, TCEAL3, TCEAL1, and MORF4L2) associate with an early-onset neurological disease trait (EONDT) consisting of hypotonia, intellectual disability, neurobehavioral abnormalities, and dysmorphic facial features. None of the genes within the SRO have been associated with monogenic disease in OMIM. Through local and international collaborations facilitated by GeneMatcher and Matchmaker Exchange, we have identified and herein report seven de novo variants involving TCEAL1 in seven unrelated families: three hemizygous truncating alleles; one hemizygous missense allele; one heterozygous TCEAL1 full gene deletion; one heterozygous contiguous deletion of TCEAL1, TCEAL3, and TCEAL4; and one heterozygous frameshift variant allele. Variants were identified through exome or genome sequencing with trio analysis or through chromosomal microarray. Comparison with previously reported Xq22 deletions encompassing TCEAL1 identified a more-defined syndrome consisting of hypotonia, abnormal gait, developmental delay/intellectual disability especially affecting expressive language, autistic-like behavior, and mildly dysmorphic facial features. Additional features include strabismus, refractive errors, variable nystagmus, gastroesophageal reflux, constipation, dysmotility, recurrent infections, seizures, and structural brain anomalies. An additional maternally inherited hemizygous missense allele of uncertain significance was identified in a male with hypertonia and spasticity without syndromic features. These data provide evidence that TCEAL1 loss of function causes a neurological rare disease trait involving significant neurological impairment with features overlapping the EONDT phenotype in females with the Xq22 deletion

Evidence of Latitudinal Migration in Tri-colored Bats, Perimyotis subflavus

Background: Annual movements of tri-colored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) are poorly understood. While this species has been considered a regional migrant, some evidence suggests that it may undertake annual latitudinal migrations, similar to other long distance North American migratory bat species. Methodology/Principal Findings: We investigated migration in P. subflavus by conducting stable hydrogen isotope analyses of 184 museum specimen fur samples and comparing these results (dDfur) to published interpolated dD values of collection site growing season precipitation (dDprecip). Results suggest that the male molt period occurred between June 23 and October 16 and 33 % of males collected during the presumed non-molt period were south of their location of fur growth. For the same time period, 16 % of females were south of their location of fur growth and in general, had not travelled as far as migratory males. There were strong correlations between dDfur from the presumed molt period and both growing season dD precip (males – r 2 = 0.86; p,0.01; females – r 2 = 0.75; p,0.01), and latitude of collection (males – r 2 = 0.85; p,0.01; females – r 2 = 0.73; p,0.01). Most migrants were collected at the northern (.40uN; males and females) and southern (,35uN; males only) extents of the species ’ range. Conclusions/Significance: These results indicate a different pattern of migration for this species than previously documented, suggesting that some P. subflavus engage in annual latitudinal migrations and that migratory tendency varie

Estimated avian nest loss associated with oil and gas exploration and extraction in the western Canadian sedimentary basin

ABSTRACT. Annual mortality within bird populations can be attributed to numerous sources; however, the extent to which anthropogenic sources of mortality contribute to avian demography is largely unknown. Quantifying the relative magnitude of human-related avian mortality could inform conservation efforts, particularly if multiple sources of human-related mortality can be contrasted. The unintentional destruction of nests and their contents by industrial activities conducted during the breeding season of resident and migratory birds presumably leads to one such source of human-caused avian mortality. As part of a broader effort to quantify major sources of human-related avian mortality, we estimated the magnitude of nest loss resulting from the terrestrial oil and gas sector in Canada, including: (1) seismic exploration, (2) pipeline right-of-way clearing, (3) well pad clearing, and (4) oil sands mining within the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB). We estimated nest losses as the product of estimated nest densities, the area disturbed annually, and the proportion of annual disturbance presumed to occur during the breeding season. The estimated number of nests disturbed annually by all oil and gas sectors combined ranged between 11,840 -60,380. Interannual variation in exploration and extraction, and uncertainty in nest densities and the proportion of the disturbances occurring during the breeding season contributed to the variation. Accounting for natural mortality suggests an estimated loss of 10,200 -41,150 (range) potential recruits into the migratory bird population in a subsequent year. Although nest destruction is only one small component of the potential impacts of the oil and gas industry upon avian populations, these estimates establish a baseline for comparison with other sources of human-caused avian mortality. Models are now needed to compare nest losses against the legacy effects of oil and gas sector habitat disturbances and associated cumulative effects so that mitigation efforts can be prioritized. RÉSUMÉ. Chez les populations d'oiseaux, la mortalité annuelle peut être attribuée à de nombreuses sources. Toutefois, on connait très peu l'importance qu'ont les sources de mortalité d'origine anthropique sur la démographie aviaire. La détermination de l'ampleur relative de la mortalité aviaire d'origine anthropique permettrait d'orienter les efforts de conservation, particulièrement si différentes sources de mortalité peuvent être mises en contraste. La destruction non intentionnelle de nids et de leur contenu par des activités industrielles menées durant la saison de nidification des oiseaux résidents et migrateurs correspond vraisemblablement à ce genre de source de mortalité aviaire d'origine anthropique. Dans le cadre d'un vaste effort destiné à quantifier les sources principales de mortalité aviaire d'origine anthropique, nous avons estimé l'ampleur de la perte de nids résultant de l'activité industrielle terrestre liée au pétrole et au gaz au Canada, dont : 1) la prospection sismique; 2) le défrichement d'emprises de pipelines; 3) le défrichement de plateformes d'exploitation; et 4) l'exploitation des sables bitumineux dans le bassin sédimentaire de l'Ouest canadien. Nous avons estimé la perte de nids à partir d'estimations de densités de nids, de la superficie touchée annuellement et de la proportion du dérangement qui surviendrait durant la saison de nidification. L'estimation du nombre de nids touchés annuellement par tous les secteurs du pétrole et du gaz combinés s'échelonne de 11 840 à 60 380. L'écart entre ces deux valeurs est attribuable à la variation interannuelle de l'exploration et de l'exploitation, et à l'incertitude liée à la densité des nids et à la proportion du dérangement qui surviendrait durant la saison de nidification. En tenant compte de la mortalité naturelle, ce dérangement engendrerait une perte d'environ 10 200 à 41 150 recrues potentielles dans la population d'oiseaux migrateurs au cours de l'année suivante. Même si la destruction de nids ne représente qu'une petite partie des impacts potentiels de l'industrie pétrolière et gazière sur les populations aviaires, les estimations que nous présentons ici offrent une base de comparaison avec d'autres sources de mortalité aviaire d'origine anthropique. Il sera maintenant importan

Regional variation in responses of wetland-associated bird communities to conversion of boreal forest to agriculture

Globally and in Canada's boreal forest, extensive deforestation has occurred because of agricultural conversion. However, consequences of forest loss for bird assemblages associated with wetlands and their associated riparian areas and shoreline forests are poorly understood. Using the multivariate approach, Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis (TITAN), we assessed the response of bird communities to an agricultural conversion gradient at two spatial scales: (1) locally within 500 m of a wetland, and (2) throughout a 5 × 5 km landscape. We compared results from a study area in Manitoba surrounded by agriculture (DMMB) to those from a landscape where agriculture is encroaching from the southern edge in east-central Alberta (ECAB). Both species-level and community-level changes tended to occur at lower levels of agricultural conversion in DMMB than in ECAB, particularly at the landscape scale. Community-level changes were more gradual and reached a single maximum at the wetland scale, whereas there were two to three distinct community-level change-points at the landscape scale. Species responding positively (15 in ECAB and 18 in DMMB) to agricultural conversion were typical of open-country ecoregions, while species that responded negatively (13 in each of ECAB and DMMB) tended to be those for which loss of forest cover represented direct loss of habitat. For species common to both regions, direction of response (+ or -) was typically consistent, but specific change-points differed. Where conversion of forest to agriculture is unavoidable in boreal forests, limiting the total amount of forest and wetland vegetation loss around wetlands and within the landscape matrix to ⤠30%, along with wetland preservation, will have the greatest benefit to conserving bird communities typical of boreal wetlands and their adjacent riparian areas and forests

Correction: Within-Site Variation in Feather Stable Hydrogen Isotope (δ2Hf) Values of Boreal Songbirds: Implications for Assignment to Molt Origin.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0163957.]

Within-Site Variation in Feather Stable Hydrogen Isotope (δ2Hf) Values of Boreal Songbirds: Implications for Assignment to Molt Origin.

Understanding bird migration and dispersal is important to inform full life-cycle conservation planning. Stable hydrogen isotope ratios from feathers (δ2Hf) can be linked to amount-weighted long-term, growing season precipitation δ2H (δ2Hp) surfaces to create δ2Hf isoscapes for assignment to molt origin. However, transfer functions linking δ2Hp with δ2Hf are influenced by physiological and environmental processes. A better understanding of the causes and consequences of variation in δ2Hf values among individuals and species will improve the predictive ability of geographic assignment tests. We tested for effects of species, land cover, forage substrate, nest substrate, diet composition, body mass, sex, and phylogenetic relatedness on δ2Hf from individuals at least two years old of 21 songbird species captured during the same breeding season at a site in northeastern Alberta, Canada. For four species, we also tested for a year × species interaction effect on δ2Hf. A model including species as single predictor received the most support (AIC weight = 0.74) in explaining variation in δ2Hf. A species-specific variance parameter was part of all best-ranked models, suggesting variation in δ2Hf was not consistent among species. The second best-ranked model included a forage substrate × diet interaction term (AIC weight = 0.16). There was a significant year × species interaction effect on δ2Hf suggesting that interspecific differences in δ2Hf can differ among years. Our results suggest that within- and among-year interspecific variation in δ2Hf is the most important source of variance typically not being explicitly quantified in geographic assignment tests using non-specific transfer functions to convert δ2Hp into δ2Hf. However, this source of variation is consistent with the range of variation from the transfer functions most commonly being propagated in assignment tests of geographic origins for passerines breeding in North America

Data from: Evolutionary genomics of gypsy moth populations sampled along a latitudinal gradient

The European gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) was first introduced to Massachusetts in 1869 and within 150 years has spread throughout eastern North America. This large-scale invasion across a heterogeneous landscape allows examination of the genetic signatures of adaptation potentially associated with rapid geographic spread. We tested the hypothesis that spatially divergent natural selection has driven observed changes in three developmental traits that were measured in a common garden for 165 adult moths sampled from six populations across a latitudinal gradient covering the entirety of the range. We generated genotype data for 91,468 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) based on double digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) and used these data to discover genome-wide associations for each trait, as well as to test for signatures of selection on the discovered architectures. Genetic structure across the introduced range of gypsy moth was small in magnitude (FST = 0.069), with signatures of bottlenecks and spatial expansion apparent in the rare portion of the allele frequency spectrum. Results from applications of Bayesian sparse linear mixed models were consistent with the presumed polygenic architectures of each trait. Further analyses were indicative of spatially divergent natural selection acting on larval development time and pupal mass, with the linkage disequilibrium like component of this test acting as the main driver of observed patterns. The populations most important for these signals were two range-edge populations established less than 30 generations ago. We discuss the importance of rapid polygenic adaptation to the ability of non-native species to invade novel environments