“Renewable energy development is a critically important component of the transition away from fossil fuels, making our air cleaner. However, bird death has become an unintended consequence of renewable energy development,” said Hannah Vander Zanden, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Florida. Birds can be killed when they hit wind turbines (涡轮机), fly into solar panels they mistake for bodies of water or get burned by the intense heat from concentrating solar power plants. While the death rate of birds due to these energy facilities is far less than deaths due to domestic cats and crashes with buildings, efforts to deal with this new problem are important, scientists say.
Vander Zanden and her colleagues performed geospatial (地理空间的) analyses of stable hydrogen isotope (氢同位素) data obtained from feathers of 871 individual birds found dead at these renewable energy facilities in California, which represented 24 species. Results from the study show that the birds killed at the facilities were from a broad area across the continent. Their geographical origins varied among species and included a mix of local and nonlocal birds. Researchers found most birds killed at solar facilities were nonlocal and peaked during the migratory periods of April and September through October. The percentage of migratory birds found at wind facilities nearly matched that of local birds, at 51%.
“The data can help inform us about the best strategies to use to minimize the deaths,” Vander Zanden said. “For example, facilities management could work with conservationists to improve the local habitat to help protect local birds or improve other parts of the species’ range where the migratory birds originate.” The results also illustrate the power of stable isotope data to assess future population growth or decline patterns for birds due to a variety of reasons.
“Studying the remains of animals like what we did is a noninvasive approach to get information that is otherwise hard to track and apply to conservation,” Vander Zanden said. “It’s a great way to understand the mysteries about animals.”
【小题1】What is the new threat to birds according to Vander Zanden?| A．The high-rise buildings. | B．The loss of natural habitats. |
| C．The devastating climate change. | D．The rise of renewable energy facilities. |
| A．Solar facilities were primarily responsible for bird death. |
| B．Non-migratory birds faced a greater death risk at wind facilities. |
| C．Migratory birds were more affected by solar facilities than local ones. |
| D．The bird death rate was closely associated with migration patterns. |
| A．Animals hold many mysteries to humans. |
| B．The research possesses scientific significance. |
| C．Keeping track of and analyzing birds is challenging. |
| D．The remains of dead birds should be well conserved. |
| A．Renewable energy is a two-edged sword. |
| B．Solar energy is a major cause of birds’ death. |
| C．Studying birds promotes energy development. |
| D．Birds are threatened by renewable energy facilities. |
