Impacts of biomass production at civil airports on grassland bird conservation and aviation strike risk

Abstract

Growing concerns about climate change, foreign oil dependency, and environmental quality have fostered interest in perennial native grasses (e.g., switchgrass [Panicum virgatum]) for bioenergy production while also maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function. However, biomass cultivation in marginal landscapes such as airport grasslands may have detrimental effects on aviation safety as well as conservation efforts for grassland birds. In 2011-2013, we investigated effects of vegetation composition and harvest frequency on seasonal species richness and habitat use of grassland birds and modeled relative abundance, aviation risk, and conservation value of birds associated with biomass crops. Avian relative abundance was greater in switchgrass monoculture plots during the winter months, whereas Native Warm-Season Grass (NWSG) mixed species plantings were favored by species during the breeding season. Conversely, treatment differences in aviation risk and conservation value were not biologically significant. Only 2.6% of observations included avian species of high hazard to aircraft, providing support for semi-natural grasslands as a feasible landcover option at civil airports. Additionally, varied harvest frequencies across a mosaic of switchgrass monocultures and NWSG plots allows for biomass production with multiple vegetation structure options for grassland birds to increase seasonal avian biodiversity and habitat use.

Effects of Volume of Carbon Nanotubes on the Angled Ballistic Impact for Carbon Kevlar Hybrid Fabrics

“…Correspondingly, the amount of the energy preliminary to the total penetration is related to the highest load, namely, the load the structure can bear before breaking utterly. Hence, maximum amount of the tolerable force by the material without even whole perforation is saturation ballistic impact energy [48][49][50][51]. To sum up, it can be clearly seen that resistance of reinforce matrix caused less fracture, which occurred despite the fact that the tearing of the fabrics matrix is still strong enough to trap the bullet.…”

The role of landscape in shaping bird community and implications for landscape management at Nanjing Lukou International Airport

“…Many studies concentrate on the primary variables underlying biodiversity near the airport in order to prevent bird strikes (Conkling et al, 2018). Biotic or abiotic factors, for instance, crop types, vegetation composition, food availability, and landscape structure, are proven to affect community composition at the airport (Alquezar et al, 2020; Iglay et al, 2017; Pennell et al, 2016).…”

Using DNA barcoding and field surveys to guide wildlife management at Nanjing Lukou International Airport, China

“…Bird strikes are frequent worldwide, causing substantial human safety concerns and cause extensive economic losses to the civil aviation industry, which was one of the important threats to aviation safety (Dolbeer et al, 2022 ; Hu et al, 2020 ). In order to reduce bird strike accidents, many studies mainly focus on the birds ecology at airports (Blackwell et al, 2019 ; Fernandez‐Juricic et al, 2018 ), structure of bird communities (Yuan et al, 2023 ), bird movements (Nilsson et al, 2021 ), surrounding environmental governance (Conkling et al, 2018 ; Zhao et al, 2019 ), and bird strike risk assessment (Hu et al, 2020 ). Measures to mitigate this hazard require accurate data about the species involved in these incidents, and the field bird surveys associated with the identification of bird collisions with aircraft have important implications and can help managers identify the level of hazard and prioritize mitigation efforts (Waugh et al, 2011 ).…”

“…Many studies focus on the major factors underlying biodiversity near the airport (Conkling et al, 2018 ; Soldatini et al, 2010 ). Biotic or abiotic factors, for instance, crop types, vegetation composition, food availability, and landscape structure have been shown to modify the community composition of wildlife in airports (Alquezar et al, 2020 ).…”