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Population trends, threats and conservation of island endemic birds
Rohová, Kateřina ; Reif, Jiří (advisor) ; Sam, Kateřina (referee)
As endemics are considered plant and animal species including birds, which are in the focus of this thesis, that are found in a restricted geographic region and nowhere else in the world. Such endemics typically occur on the islands that are often recognized as important global biodiversity hotspots. However, many endemic species are very vulnerable due to numerous factors (mainly genetic and demographic) closely linked to the way of life on the islands. Huge effort is dedicated to their conservation, and it thus reasonable to ask whether such an effort made a significant contribution to prevent their loss. Here, I evaluate the overall success of island bird endemics conservation compared to continental conditions because such a global analysis has been lacking up to now. In addition, this thesis examines how three major threatening factors (namely habitat destruction, invasive species, and overexploitation) driven by anthropogenic activities affect population trends of continental and island bird species. Finally, I mapped and explained, using examples, which conservation tools are effective for supporting the populations of island endemic species. The results of statistical analyses, based on a global dataset containing almost 8000 avian species, showed that island endemic species are more...
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Lipid composition of biological membranes and life-histories in songbirds
Šimonová, Kateřina ; Tomášek, Oldřich (advisor) ; Sam, Kateřina (referee)
Differences in the composition of cell membranes are considered to be the physiological mechanism responsible for different metabolic rates, life span and consequently, different life-histories. The membrane pacemaker theory suggests that higher membrane unsaturation may be an important factor responsible for higher metabolic rate and shorter life span of organisms. The alternative hypothesis, on the other hand, assumes that membranes can function as structural antioxidants, and thus that higher membrane unsaturation may be associated with longer life span. The aim of this work was to test how changes in the fatty acid composition of membranes depends on body size, latitude and altitude, within which different life-histories and metabolic rate were observed. Temperate and tropical lowland songbird species were chosen for the models testing the effect of latitude, and only tropical species of songbirds were chosen for the models testing the effect of altitude. Part of the work was molecular sex determination. Using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, the amount of individual fatty acids contained in red blood cell phospholipids was obtained from blood samples. The results showed that the composition of the membranes in most cases correlates with body size, which also correlates with almost all...
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Physiology and functional anatomy of nectarivorous birds
Sejfová, Zuzana ; Janeček, Štěpán (advisor) ; Sam, Kateřina (referee)
Hummingbirds, sunbirds and a large part of honeyeaters belong to the most specialized nectarivores. During the evolution they have developed a number of adaptations in reaction to the specificity of their diet. The amount of studies focused on the adaptations connected with the digestion of nectar is not big, but is still growing. One of the characteristics of these birds is very fast and effective transport of consumed sugars across the intestinal epithelium. Furthermore they are tolerant to a very low nitrogen intake and extremely high daily intake of water. Sunbirds and honeyeaters are able to modulate the rate of water absorption in the intestine, but hummingbirds are not and they absorb almost all the consumed water. During the evolution excessive water intake together with a low concentration of salt presented in the diet led to changes in renal morphology that allows the production of an exceptionally dilute urine. The hovering flight of hummingbirds is well known and very well studied. The unique anatomy of hummingbird's wings allows the power production also during upstroke. Thanks to this hummingbirds are able to hover for a very long time and even in condition that are unsuitable for flight. Also sunbirds and honeyeaters sometimes hover during feeding. Nevertheless the mechanics of their hovering...
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Lipid composition of biological membranes and life-histories in songbirds
Šimonová, Kateřina ; Tomášek, Oldřich (advisor) ; Sam, Kateřina (referee)
Differences in the composition of cell membranes are considered to be the physiological mechanism responsible for different metabolic rates, life span and consequently, different life-histories. The membrane pacemaker theory suggests that higher membrane unsaturation may be an important factor responsible for higher metabolic rate and shorter life span of organisms. The alternative hypothesis, on the other hand, assumes that membranes can function as structural antioxidants, and thus that higher membrane unsaturation may be associated with longer life span. The aim of this work was to test how changes in the fatty acid composition of membranes depends on body size, latitude and altitude, within which different life-histories and metabolic rate were observed. Temperate and tropical lowland songbird species were chosen for the models testing the effect of latitude, and only tropical species of songbirds were chosen for the models testing the effect of altitude. Part of the work was molecular sex determination. Using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, the amount of individual fatty acids contained in red blood cell phospholipids was obtained from blood samples. The results showed that the composition of the membranes in most cases correlates with body size, which also correlates with almost all...
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Physiology and functional anatomy of nectarivorous birds
Sejfová, Zuzana ; Janeček, Štěpán (advisor) ; Sam, Kateřina (referee)
Hummingbirds, sunbirds and a large part of honeyeaters belong to the most specialized nectarivores. During the evolution they have developed a number of adaptations in reaction to the specificity of their diet. The amount of studies focused on the adaptations connected with the digestion of nectar is not big, but is still growing. One of the characteristics of these birds is very fast and effective transport of consumed sugars across the intestinal epithelium. Furthermore they are tolerant to a very low nitrogen intake and extremely high daily intake of water. Sunbirds and honeyeaters are able to modulate the rate of water absorption in the intestine, but hummingbirds are not and they absorb almost all the consumed water. During the evolution excessive water intake together with a low concentration of salt presented in the diet led to changes in renal morphology that allows the production of an exceptionally dilute urine. The hovering flight of hummingbirds is well known and very well studied. The unique anatomy of hummingbird's wings allows the power production also during upstroke. Thanks to this hummingbirds are able to hover for a very long time and even in condition that are unsuitable for flight. Also sunbirds and honeyeaters sometimes hover during feeding. Nevertheless the mechanics of their hovering...
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Bird assemblage structure on elevational gradient of Mt. Cameroon
Mudrová, Karolína ; Sedláček, Ondřej (advisor) ; Sam, Kateřina (referee)
Altitudinal gradients represent useful tool for investigating diversity patterns and processes affecting species richness and turnover along steep gradient of conditions at relatively small scale. The aim of my study was to compile a complete checklist of birds for elevational gradient of Mt. Cameroon rainforests (300 - 2300 m a.s.l.) and to analyse distribution of species diversity, species turnover, elevational ranges and relationships between elevational distribution of species and their range size, body weight or diet type. Species richness on the elevational gradient of Mt. Cameroon decline monotonically with some plateau at 600 - 1000 m a.s.l. Changes of community composition along the gradient are caused mainly by species turnover at low elevations, which contrast to pattern above 1200 m a.s.l. where the betadiversity is influenced mainly by continual species loss (nestedness). Species elevational ranges increase with increasing elevation, which is in agreement with elevational Rapoport's rule. Species breeding at higher elevations have smaller geographical ranges, restricted to isolated islands of montane rainforests. Numbers of insectivorous species are rapidly decreasing with increasing elevation, proportion of nectarivorous species is rather invariable and number of granivorous species...
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