Molecular scatology is a genetic technique used to analyze feces in studies of animal ecology (Kohn & Wayne, 1997), and it encompasses the field of environmental DNA studies (Taberlet, Coissac, Hajibabaei, & Rieseberg, 2012). Since 1990, fecal samples have been commonly used as noninvasive genetic sources for animal populations to estimate phylogeny, home range, and population sizes (Kohn & Wayne, 1997). Simultaneously, molecular techniques to detect food items from fecal DNA have been developed to overcome the difficulties of detecting food through conventional methods. Fecal DNA analyses are able to detect prey items that are difficult to identify by direct observations of feeding behavior, and these analyses also help where a robust diagnostic tool for identifying morphological features from visual observation of gut contents and feces is lacking. The first DNA-based diet studies detected specific food by taxon-specific PCR amplification (Deagle et al., 2005; Höss, Kohn, Pääbo, Knauer, & Schröder, 1992). Then, cloning and Sanger sequencing were used to isolate food DNA sequences from a multispecies mixture of fecal DNA (Deagle et al., 2007; Jarman, Deagle, & Gales, 2004). The taxa of the obtained sequences were identified by
A rapid increase in wind power generation has led to bird collisions becoming a serious problem worldwide. Developing useful sensitivity maps to select low‐risk sites for birds is an urgent issue. For migratory birds, such as geese and swans, that visit different habitats throughout their life cycle, it is important to conduct risk assessments that take into account their behavioural characteristics in each habitat. Geese and swans fly and migrate at varying altitudes (above the ground) ranging from 10 to hundreds of metres. Accurate predictions of avian flight altitudes are essential in assessing the risks of collisions with human‐made structures.
We first obtained location data for four species of geese and swans to identify their spring migratory routes within Japan (Bean Goose Anser fabalis and Anser serrirostris, Greater White‐fronted Goose Anser albifrons, Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus bewickii and Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus). As all four species used the same roosts and overlapping foraging areas from winter to spring, a single migratory route was defined by integrating the location data of the four species.
Flight trajectories were tracked using an ornithodolite. The median flight height for these four species in all landscape types was 150 m or less. Then a LASSO regression model was created with flight altitude obtained as the response variable and topographic and landscape factors as explanatory variables. Trends in flight altitude with environmental differences were similar for the four species, indicating that topographical factors strongly influence flight altitude. Finally, a statistical model was used to predict flight altitudes along migration routes.
The sensitivity maps we generated showed that for all four species, most flight heights during spring were within the wind turbine range, suggesting that their risk of collision with wind turbines was greater along their migratory route. Sensitivity maps that accurately reflect avian flight characteristics help provide useful information when considering the location of further wind turbine construction.
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