Tian Long, Zhou Xuwei, Shi Yang, Guo Yumin, Bao Weidong
Department of Zoology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
Integr Zool. 2015 Mar;10(2):216-26. doi: 10.1111/1749-4877.12123.
The loss of biodiversity from urbanized areas is a major environmental problem challenging policy-makers throughout the world. Solutions to this problem are urgently required in China. We carried out a case study of wintering long-eared owls (Asio otus) and their main prey to illustrate the negative effects of urbanization combined with ineffective conservation of biodiversity in Beijing. Field monitoring of owl numbers at two roosting sites from 2004 to 2012 showed that the owl population had fallen rapidly in metropolitan Beijing. Analysis of pellet contents identified only seven individuals of two species of shrew. The majority of mammalian prey comprised four bat and seven rodent species, making up 29.3% and 29.5% of the prey items, respectively. Prey composition varied significantly among years at the two sample sites. At the urban site the consumption of bats and rodents declined gradually over time, while predation on birds increased. In contrast, at the suburban site the prey composition showed an overall decrease in the number of bats, a sharp increase and a subsequent decrease in bird prey, and the number of rodent prey fell to a low point. Rapid development of real estate and inadequate greenfield management in city parks resulted in negative effects on the bird and small mammal habitat of urban areas in Beijing. We suggest that measures to conserve biodiversity should be integrated into future urban planning to maintain China's rich biodiversity while also achieving sustainable economic development.
城市化地区生物多样性的丧失是一个重大环境问题，挑战着世界各国的政策制定者。中国迫切需要解决这一问题。我们以长耳鸮（Asio otus）及其主要猎物为例，研究了城市化与北京生物多样性保护不力相结合所产生的负面影响。2004年至2012年对两个栖息地的长耳鸮数量进行实地监测，结果表明，北京大都市地区的长耳鸮种群数量迅速下降。对食丸内容物的分析仅发现了两种鼩鼱中的7个个体。大多数哺乳动物猎物包括4种蝙蝠和7种啮齿动物，分别占猎物种类的29.3%和29.5%。两个采样点的猎物组成在不同年份有显著差异。在城市采样点，蝙蝠和啮齿动物的消费量随时间逐渐下降，而对鸟类的捕食量增加。相比之下，在郊区采样点，猎物组成总体上显示蝙蝠数量减少，鸟类猎物数量先急剧增加后减少，啮齿动物猎物数量降至低点。房地产的快速发展以及城市公园绿地管理不善，对北京城区的鸟类和小型哺乳动物栖息地产生了负面影响。我们建议，生物多样性保护措施应纳入未来城市规划，以维护中国丰富的生物多样性，同时实现可持续经济发展。
