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Year-round specialists? Habitat niches of migratory birds on breeding and non-breeding grounds
Zálišová, Jaromíra ; Procházka, Petr (advisor) ; Reif, Jiří (referee)
Migratory birds undertake challenging journeys over vast distances each year to cope with seasonality in their environment and to exploit peaks in seasonal resources. The environments in which they are found in these geographically distinct regions over the course of the annual cycle vary considerably, forcing them to cope with a wide range of conditions. By examining whether migratory birds are year-round specialists that follow their niche or generalists that inhabit a broader range of habitats, we can better understand their ecology and the conservation implications associated with global change. However, our knowledge of habitat selection across seasons is still limited. This thesis aimed to explore and evaluate, through a literature review, existing knowledge on habitat selection by migratory bird species on breeding and wintering grounds. Emphasis was placed on the mechanisms influencing habitat selection, including geographical and anthropogenic influences, as well as to clarify the ecological requirements and potential specialization of migratory birds during their annual cycle. The current literature shows that migratory birds are most likely less opportunistic than previously thought, but a comprehensive analysis of data on habitat use by individual species is still missing and I would...
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The importance of various habitats for fish in reservoirs
Šmejkal, Marek ; Prchalová, Marie (advisor) ; Vašek, Mojmír (referee)
Fish distribution in reservoirs is not homogeneous. Fish usually occur in upper parts of reservoirs on the longitudinal axis, where is also the greatest concentration of nutrients. Fish abundance and biomass as well as the trophy are declining towards the dam part. On the vertical axis, most fish occur above the thermocline, where temperature and concentration of dissolved oxygen reach the highest values. Fish community is changing also in time. Shortly after impoundment, the riverine species are dominating the community and later, generalist species prevail. Generally, we can distinguish pelagic and bentic habitats within the reservoir. There are species in reservoirs that occur almost strictly in pelagic habitat like asp and bleak and benthic species like ruffe and perch. Most species occur in both types of habitats (bream, roach, pikeperch, European catfish, white bream). Migrations between habitats occur on daily and on seasonal basis. On daily basis, we distinguish diel horizontal migration, in which fish shift between pelagic and benthic habitats. Diel vertical migration, when fish change depths, is not so significant in Czech reservoirs. Motivations for these diel migrations are food aviability, predation pressure and water temperature. Seasonal migrations comprise spawning migrations and winter...
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Ecological links between morphology and habitat selection in passerines
Bovšková, Denisa ; Hořák, David (advisor) ; Klvaňa, Petr (referee)
The thesis is focused on relations between avian morphology and habitat selection. This is a summary of comparative studies, dealing this problematics in closely related groups of passerines. Generally, we can classify species to two main groups according to habitat preferences. Aerial species have longer wings probably as a result of adaptation on move in the air and open spaces. In contrast, ground species have generally longer legs as adaptation for running on the ground and pedal locomotion. Longer tarsi are also documented in ground species living in vegetation cover. Species which prefer tall vegetation have short leg probably for better move in branches. Less pronounced morphological differences further reflect habitat preferences at smaller spatial scales within habitat types mentioned above. In addition, some studies reveal that morphological variation reported frequently as reflecting adaptations to feeding preferences shows some links to environmental variation (substrate structure) independent of diet composition, such as bill morphology. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
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The importance of various habitats for fish in reservoirs
Šmejkal, Marek ; Vašek, Mojmír (referee) ; Prchalová, Marie (advisor)
Fish distribution in reservoirs is not homogeneous. Fish usually occur in upper parts of reservoirs on the longitudinal axis, where is also the greatest concentration of nutrients. Fish abundance and biomass as well as the trophy are declining towards the dam part. On the vertical axis, most fish occur above the thermocline, where temperature and concentration of dissolved oxygen reach the highest values. Fish community is changing also in time. Shortly after impoundment, the riverine species are dominating the community and later, generalist species prevail. Generally, we can distinguish pelagic and bentic habitats within the reservoir. There are species in reservoirs that occur almost strictly in pelagic habitat like asp and bleak and benthic species like ruffe and perch. Most species occur in both types of habitats (bream, roach, pikeperch, European catfish, white bream). Migrations between habitats occur on daily and on seasonal basis. On daily basis, we distinguish diel horizontal migration, in which fish shift between pelagic and benthic habitats. Diel vertical migration, when fish change depths, is not so significant in Czech reservoirs. Motivations for these diel migrations are food aviability, predation pressure and water temperature. Seasonal migrations comprise spawning migrations and winter...
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