The role of camouflage in the survival and conservation of ground-nesting birds

人类活动影响着英国几乎所有栖息地的视觉外观和物理结构。许多动物的行为、运动和生存在很大程度上取决于它们的伪装和不被肉眼引导的捕食者注意到的能力。因此，土地利用方式的改变可能会干扰动物的防御性伪装和反捕食者行为；使它们更容易被捕食者发现，或者不太可能停留在没有足够伪装的地方。对于许多地面筑巢的鸟类来说，伪装是它们唯一的防线，这使得它们非常容易受到土地利用变化的影响。自1960年以来，英国的北方小林鸟(Vanellus Vanellus)的数量已经下降了80%，肉眼引导的捕食者的捕食增加被认为是它们生存的一个因素。近年来，对动物伪装的研究有了很大的发展，这要归功于我们对支持不同伪装策略的机制的理解的进步，以及成像技术的新颖。该项目将利用这些进展，通过一系列实地研究和对照实验，研究伪装对长翅鸟和其他地面筑巢鸟类的行为和生存的重要性。该项目的发现将有助于制定土地利用策略，以帮助当地濒危物种的生存，更广泛地说，将有助于我们了解人类活动如何影响动物进化的反捕食适应能力。本项目旨在：-确定不同的土地利用技术如何影响地面筑巢鸟类的伪装。-测试伪装的哪些方面最能预测野外鸟巢的存活率。-确定伪装如何影响成年鸟类和雏鸟感知的捕食风险和行为(例如，选择筑巢地点和反捕食行为)。-通过受控捕食实验，确定土地利用战略的具体方面与伪装效果之间的因果联系。-确定和开发新的土地利用策略，以吸引地面筑巢的鸟类，赞扬它们的伪装，并改善它们的生存机会。在这个项目中，博士研究人员有相当大的空间来协助制定总体研究方向和实验设计。该项目将与游戏和野生动物保护信托基金建立的巢穴监测研究系统合作，该系统每季度定位和跟踪150-200个巢穴。将使用一系列用于伪装分析的实验设计和尖端技术。有关真实鸟巢伪装的自然主义数据将从野生研究系统中收集，使用校准的动物视觉成像和3D扫描技术来确定伪装的哪些方面、光环境和三维栖息地结构与幼崽的存活最相关，以及鸟类在选择筑巢地点时使用哪些背景的视觉特征。然后，可以使用人工猎物的受控捕食实验来测试关于不同类型的栖息地和照明如何与特定类型的伪装相互作用的特定假设。这些实验可以利用3D打印、动物视觉校准的彩色打印和光环境数据记录。

Human activity influences the visual appearance and physical structure of almost all habitats in the UK. The behaviour, movement and survival of many animals depends critically on their camouflage and ability to go unnoticed by visually guided predators. Changes in land-use practice could therefore interfere with an animal's defensive camouflage and anti-predator behaviour; making them more easily found by predators, or less likely to remain in a location that doesn't offer adequate camouflage. For many ground nesting birds camouflage is their only line of defence, making them highly vulnerable to land-use change. The UK's Northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) population has declined by 80% since 1960, and increased predation by visually guided predators is thought to be a contributing factor to their survival. Research into animal camouflage has grown considerably in recent years thanks to advances in our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning different camouflage strategies, and novel in imaging techniques. This project will make use of these advances to investigate the importance of camouflage in the behaviour and survival of lapwings and other ground-nesting birds using a range of field studies and controlled experiments. The project's findings will contribute to the development of land-use strategies which aid the survival of locally endangered species, and more generally will contribute to our understanding of how human activity affects the evolved anti-predation adaptations of animals.This project aims to: -Determine how different land-use techniques affect the camouflage of ground nesting birds. -Test which aspects of camouflage best predict nest survival in the wild. -Determine how camouflage affects the perceived predation risk and behaviour of adult birds and chicks (e.g. selection of nesting location, and anti-predator behaviour). -Establish a causal link between specific aspects of land-use strategies and camouflage efficacy using controlled predation experiments. -Identify and develop new land-use strategies which attract ground nesting birds, compliment their camouflage, and improve their survival chances.There is considerable scope within this project for the doctoral researcher to assist in developing the overall research direction and experimental designs. The project will partner with the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust's established nest monitoring study system, which locates and tracks a 150-200 nests each season. A range of experimental designs and cutting-edge techniques for camouflage analysis will be used. Naturalistic data on real nest camouflage will be collected from the wild study system, using calibrated animal-vision imaging and 3D scanning techniques to determine which aspects of camouflage, light environment and three-dimensional habitat structure correlate best with clutch survival, and which visual characteristics of a background the birds use when selecting a nesting location. Controlled predation experiments using artificial prey can then be used to test specific hypotheses on how different types of habitat and lighting interact with specific types of camouflage. These experiments can make use of 3D printing, animal-vision calibrated colour printing, and light-environment data logging.