Does land use change influence predation of bird nests?

Worldwide, many areas of agricultural land which were once covered with native vegetation have been converted to tree plantations. Such landscape transformation can influence the dynamics of wildlife populations through, for example, altering rates of predation (e.g. predation of nests of birds). Nest predation can influence reproductive success, and in turn, may alter populations by affecting juvenile recruitment. We quantified predation of bird nests in woodland remnants surrounded by two types of land use, grazing farmland and exotic Radiata pine (Pinus radiata) plantation. We also examined differences in predation rates between artificial and natural nests. We found both artificial and natural nests were more susceptible to nest predation in woodland remnants surrounded by a pine plantation than in woodland remnants located within farmland. Our study suggests that higher levels of nest predation may reduce occupancy of woodland remnants by small-bodied birds over time, including species of conservation concern. This may have been occurred as a result of the conversion of semicleared grazing land to exotic pine plantation

Marsupial response to matrix conversion: Results of a large-scale long-term 'natural experiment' in Australia

We quantified changes in forest-dependent mammal populations when the habitat in which they live remains intact but the surrounding matrix is converted from open grazed land to closed pine plantation forest. This situation is increasingly common as plantations are often established on formerly cultivated or grazed land.We conducted a large-scale (30km2), long-term (14years) fully controlled and replicated (111 sites) 'natural experiment' in south-eastern Australia. The study focused on the effects of changes occurring in the matrix on mammals which inhabit patches of native Eucalyptus woodland.We found that none of the five target species in our study (two macropods, two possums and a glider) responded negatively to pine plantation establishment. For three species (the sugar glider Petaurus breviceps, the red necked wallaby Macropus rufogriseus and the swamp wallaby Wallabia bicolor) the response to plantation establishment was positive (i.e., increase in colonisation/patch use in sites surrounded by pine plantations) whereas the two possums (the common ringtail possum Pseudocheirus peregrinus and the common brushtail possum Trichosurus vulpecula) were positively affected by the amount of native tree cover surrounding sites, rather than pine plantation establishment.We foresee two strong implications of our work for the conservation of mammal species in agricultural areas subject to multiple land-use changes: 1) Our results suggest that converting agricultural land to pine plantations will not affect our target mammalian species negatively; rather, it may facilitate colonisation of remnant patches of native vegetation by some species. 2) Our findings underscore the critical importance of preserving remnant native vegetation within plantations, as it may decrease the risk of local extinction for some species or facilitate the colonisation of new sites for others. Thus, retention of patches of remnant native vegetation should be part of the design of future plantations

ダイドウ ニネン ノ ウネメ セイド テイシ ニツイテ

The purpose of this article is to consider the reason that the system of Uneme was stopped in 807(the second of Daido). This theme has been thought that Fujiwara-no-Kusuko who was favored by the emperor Heizei, and her jealousy and scorn for Uneme accounted for the stop of the system of Uneme. In this way, former studies pay attention to internal conditions of Inner Palaces.In this article, I considered the background of stopping the system by paying attention to the whole system of Uneme. To put it concretely, I considered the relation of Uneme to her home town, the background of former changes of system, tasks of Uneme, and tendencies of policies at this time.About the relation of Uneme to her home town, I took production and transportation of Uneme no yomotsu as an object of study. People who live in country where offered Uneme shouldered these burdens.Before 807, the system of Uneme has changed. Reasons of these change were burdens of Uneme no yomotsu and the situation of the country. For example, in 722 (the sixth of Yoro), the system of Uneme was stopped by rebellion of Emishi and exemption of Yomotsu. Uneme worked at Moitori no tsukasa and Kashiwade no tsukasa. Except these offices, they worked as Nyoju or superior woman officer. Like these Uneme informed man officer to intentions of the emperor. That contents contained things which were related to the emperor\u27s daily life. About policies at this time, I considered them toward districts and officers. At this time, conditions of impoverishment in districts were informed the Imperial Court by Kansatsushi. Moreover, the payment of tax wasn\u27t smooth from the Enryaku period. On these points, offering Uneme was stopped by impoverishment and conditions of payment of tax and Yomotsu. About officer\u27s policies, I paid attention to annexation of Uneme no tsukasa and Nuidonoryo. These officer\u27s jobs were similar. Therefore, I think that the purpose of this annexation was to gather rating of woman officer.The article ordering to stop the system in 807, show that the object of this intended for all Uneme(Uneme, Nyoju and superior woman officer who are from Uneme), and Uneme intended by this order wasn\u27t treated as Uneme after this. Thus we can see that the reason for the stop of the system of offering Uneme is to reduce regional people\u27s burdens, and to dissolve conditions which there were Nyoju and superior woman officer from Uneme. Moreover, we can see that there were two changes which Uneme\u27s jobs were restricted to Moitori no tsukasa and Kashiwade no tsukasa, and which Nyoju and superior woman officer from Uneme weren\u27t treated as Uneme

Do nest boxes in restored woodlands promote the conservation of hollow-dependent fauna?

Vegetation restoration is considered an important strategy for reversing biodiversity decline in agricultural areas. However, revegetated areas often lack key vegetation attributes like large old hollow-bearing trees. As these trees take a long time to develop, artificial cavities such as nest boxes are sometimes provided to address lag effects. We conducted a 3-year experiment using 150 nest boxes with four designs to quantify patterns of occupancy within 16 replanted areas and 14 patches of remnant old growth eucalypt woodland. We quantified patterns of occupancy of nest boxes in physically connected versus isolated remnants and plantings, and multiple covariate effects on nest box occupancy at the nest box, tree, patch and landscape levels. Our analyses revealed a lower probability of nest box occupancy within remnants (versus plantings) for two of the six response variables examined: any species, and the Feral Honeybee. Nest boxes in connected remnants and plantings were more likely to be occupied than those in isolated plantings and remnants by any mammal and the Common Brushtail Possum. Nest boxes in restored woodlands are used by some hollow-dependent fauna, but principally already common species, and not taxa of conservation concern. Nest boxes also were used by pest species. A key management consideration must be to create connected habitat to facilitate colonization of nest boxes by mammals. Approximately 15% of the cavity-dependent vertebrates within the study area used next boxes, possibly because the diverse requirements of the array of other species were not met by the range of nest boxes deployed

Development of image analysis for detection of defects of BGA by using X-ray images

In the surface mount technology, Ball Grid Array (BGA) has been used in a production of PC boards, because of their excellent characters such as high density of the lead pin pitch, better lead rigidity and self-alignment during re-flow processing. This paper deals with the development of image analysis for the detection of defects at BGA solder joints in PC boards by using X-ray images. In the conventional IC boards, it is possible to detect defects of solder joints by visual inspection, because the lead of IC package is set on its outside. However, we can't detect visually defects at BGA solder joints, because they are hidden under the IC package. In a production line, the inspection of BGA in PC boards depends on the function test of electric circuits in the final process. To improve a cost performance and the reliability of PC boards, an inspection of BGA is required in the surface mount process. Types of defects at BGA solder joints are solder bridge, missing connection, solder voids, open connection and miss-registration of parts. As we can find mostly solder bridge in these defects, we pick up this to detect solder bridge in a production line. The problems of image analysis for the detection of defects at BGA solder joints are the detection accuracy and image processing time according to a line speed of production. To get design data for the development of the inspection system, which can be used easily in the surface mount process, it is important to develop image analysis techniques based on X-ray image data. At the first step of our study, we attempt to detect the characteristic of the solder bridges based on an image analysis. </p

Detection of defects at BGA solder joints by using X-ray imaging

In the surface mount technology, a ball grid array (BGA) has been used in the production of PC boards. This paper deals with the detection of defects at BGA solder joints in PC boards by using X-ray imaging. Types of defects at BGA solder joints are solder bridge, missing connection, solder voids, open connection and misregistration of parts. The problems of image analysis for the detection of defects at BGA solder joints are the detection accuracy and image processing time according to the speed of the production line. To get the design data for the development of the inspection system used in the surface mount process, it is important to develop image analysis techniques based on X-ray image data. At the first step of our study, we attempt to detect the characteristics of the solder bridges based on the image analysis technique. </p

How does a transforming landscape influence bird breeding success?

Context The conversion of agricultural landscapes to tree plantations is a major form of landscape transformation worldwide, but its effects on biodiversity, particularly key population processes like reproductive success, are poorly understood. Objectives We compared bird breeding success between woodland remnants surrounded by maturing stands of plantation Radiata Pine and a matched set of woodland remnants in semi-cleared grazing land. Methods Our study was conducted in the Nanangroe region in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia. Using repeated field measurements, we quantified bird breeding success in 23 woodland remnants; 13 surrounded by Radiata Pine plantations and 10 on farms where remnants were surrounded by semi-cleared grazing land. We matched the attributes of native remnant patches between two types of matrix. Results We found that: (1) rates of nesting success of smaller-bodied birds in woodland remnants surrounded by grazing land were significantly higher than in woodland remnants surrounded by pine plantations; and (2) taxa with domed nests were more successful at nesting than species that constructed open cup/bowl nests in woodland remnants within farmlands. Conclusions Our findings suggest that bird breeding success in remnant woodland patches is significantly diminished as a result of the conversion of semi-cleared grazing land to pine plantations

Birds as surrogates for mammals and reptiles: Are patterns of cross-taxonomic associations stable over time in a human-modified landscape?

Cross-taxonomic surrogates can be feasible alternatives to direct measurements of biodiversity in conservation if validated with robust data and used with explicit goals. However, few studies of cross-taxonomic surrogates have examined how temporal changes in composition or richness in one taxon can drive variation in concordant patterns of diversity in another taxon, particularly in a dynamic and heavily modified landscape. We examined this problem by assessing changes in cross-taxonomic associations over time between the surrogate (birds) and target vertebrate taxa (mammals, reptiles) that demand high sampling effort, in a heterogeneous mosaic landscape comprising pine monoculture, eucalypt woodland remnants and agricultural land. Focussing on four study years (1999, 2001, 2011, 2013) from a dataset spanning 15 years, we: (1) investigated temporal changes in cross-taxonomic congruency among three animal taxa, (2) explored how temporal variation in composition and species richness of each taxon might account for variation in cross-taxonomic congruency, and (3) identified habitat structural variables that are strongly correlated with species composition of each taxon. We found the strength of cross-taxonomic congruency varied between taxa in response to both landscape context and over time. Among the three taxa, overall correlations were weak but were consistently positive and strongest between birds and mammals, while correlations involving reptiles were usually weak and negative. We also found that stronger species richness and composition correlations between birds and mammals were not only more prevalent in woodland remnants in the agricultural matrix, but they also increased in strength over time. Temporal shifts in species composition differed in rate and extent among the taxa even though these changes were significant over time, while important habitat structural correlates were seldom shared across taxa. Our study highlights the role of the landscape matrix and time in shaping animal communities and the resulting cross-taxonomic associations in the woodland remnants, especially after a major perturbation event (i.e. plantation establishment). In such dynamic landscapes, differing and taxon-specific shifts in diversity over time can influence the strength, direction and consistency of cross-taxonomic correlations, therefore posing a �temporal� problem for the use of surrogates like birds in monitoring and assessments of biodiversity, and conservation management practices.Lesslie Foundation; Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship