Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
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Fig. 6.19
Noise preferences (means) and noise tolerance (standard deviations) of bird species that
have a significant sensitivity to noise level. The line at the threshold of 50 dB separates rare from
common species. ANAPLA
Anas platyrrhynchos
, BUTBUT
Buteo buteo
, CETCET
Cettia cetti
,
COLPAL
Columba palumbus
, CORCRX
Corvus corax
, CYACYA
Cianopica cyana
, DENMIN
Dendrocopos minor
, GALCRI
Galerida cristata
, HRDAU
Hirundo daurica
, HRRUS
Hirundo
rustica
, ORIORI
Oriolus oriolus
, PARMAJ
Parus major
, PASDOM
Passer domesticus
, PASHIS
Passer hispanolensis
, POEGUT
Taeniopygia guttata
, PSIKRA
Psittacula krameri
, REGREG
Regulus regulus
, SITEUR
Sitta europaea
, STRTUR
Strepopelia turtur
, SYLATR
Sylvia
atricapilla
, SYLMEL
Sylvia melanocephala
, TURMER
Turdus merula
(Reproduced with permis-
sion from Paton et al.
2012
)
observed by Luther and Baptista (
2010
) in the three dialects of the white-browed
sparrow (
Zonotrichia leucophrys
) living in the San Francisco peninsula
(California). Over a 30-year time span urban noise, which is louder at the low
frequencies, has increased, and this has affected the three adjacent dialects with an
increase of the minimum frequency. This mechanism seems culturally transmitted
to counteract the increase of noise at lower frequencies.
At the conclusion of a long review Patricelli and Blickley (
2006
) argued that birds
can react in a quite complex way to urbanization and according to all the degree of
changes that happen when humans organize urban areas. Some species disappear, but
others receive some advantages. It remains an open question if species that have the
capacity to adjust their songs could be less affected by urbanization processes.
A point not yet discussed is whether the species present in a rural area are
favored by the transformation in urban areas. When these areas are definitively
converted into metropolitan areas, biodiversity probably is more adapted to persist.
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