While some birds have thrived after adapting to socio-economic changes affecting their habitats – such as the regeneration of eastern bloc cities and the emergence of new suburbs – those with smaller brains, such as common whitethroat, goldfinch, garden warbler and pipit, have not been able to do so and have consequently lost out since the end of the Communist era, the research by Czech and German scientists found.
The study, which is published in the journal Biological Conservation, looked at population trends of 57 species over the last 20 years, in three different regions. One was in the former West Germany, the other two were the other side of the Iron Curtain: one in the former East Germany and the other in former Czechoslovakia.
The scientists observed that songbirds – or passerines – with relatively large brains, such as common magpies, Eurasian jays and blue and great tits, did better in the former Soviet Bloc countries than in West Germany.
The researchers believe the birds’ better cognitive abilities have allowed them to adapt better to the socio-economic changes affecting habitats after the end of communism.
In particular, they believe the birds benefited from an increase in green areas and growing volume of parks in the inner cities in eastern Europe, as the areas saw investment after decades of communism. At the same, a newly emerging middle class moved out of the cities, resulting in a housing boom on the outskirts of cities.
The bigger brained birds could rapidly spread into the new habitats, both in the city centres and suburbs and increased in population size.
But the smaller-brained songbirds, with less cognitive abilities, were less able to adapt and the housing boom decreased habitat available for them.
Dr Katrin Boehning-Gaese, from the Goethe-University, in Frankfurt am Main, explains: “Relative brain size reflects species’ cognitive abilities. The increase of such passerines suggests that species with good cognitive abilities might have been better able to adapt to rapid socioeconomic change and make use of the novel opportunities that arose after the end of communism.”
The scientists also found that the fall of the wall does not appear to have an impact on numbers of robin red breasts.
Jasper Copping
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8843853/The-birds-which-cannot-cope-with-the-demise-of-Communism.html
In particular, they believe the birds benefited from an increase in green areas and growing volume of parks in the inner cities in eastern Europe, as the areas saw investment after decades of communism. At the same, a newly emerging middle class moved out of the cities, resulting in a housing boom on the outskirts of cities.
The bigger brained birds could rapidly spread into the new habitats, both in the city centres and suburbs and increased in population size.
But the smaller-brained songbirds, with less cognitive abilities, were less able to adapt and the housing boom decreased habitat available for them.
Dr Katrin Boehning-Gaese, from the Goethe-University, in Frankfurt am Main, explains: “Relative brain size reflects species’ cognitive abilities. The increase of such passerines suggests that species with good cognitive abilities might have been better able to adapt to rapid socioeconomic change and make use of the novel opportunities that arose after the end of communism.”
The scientists also found that the fall of the wall does not appear to have an impact on numbers of robin red breasts.
Jasper Copping
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8843853/The-birds-which-cannot-cope-with-the-demise-of-Communism.html
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