Impact of electromagnetic radiation emitted from cell phone towers on breeding biology of birds
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Date
2019
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Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
Abstract
Birds are one of the most diverse and evolutionary successful groups which occupy almost
every habitat on earth. Birds act asbiological indicator of an environment because of their tiny
head with thin cranium, non-conducting plumages, high mobility and practice of inhabiting
zones having high electromagnetic field. The present study deals with the impact of
electromagnetic radiations emitted from cell phone tower on diversity and breeding biology
of birds at two locations; location 1- Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana and
location 2- village Baude, Moga. Three sites each with cell phone tower in the centre were
selected at two locations and one site without any cell phone tower was selected as control
site. The bird diversity was recorded within 200 m radius of cell phone tower and artificial
nest boxes were installed to study the breeding biology of birds at selected sites. The
maximum bird diversity was recorded at site II (17 bird species) of location 1 than the control
site (12 bird species). In spite of the presence of cell phone tower there was significant
difference amongst the bird diversity at site II and other selected sites under study which
showed minimal effect of electromagnetic radiations on the avian diversity.This may be
because the birds observed during the present study were not restricted to this area only and
therefore were not under the continuous exposure of electromagnetic radiations. Common
Myna occupied artificial nests at all the four selected sites under location 1 (PAU). Common
Myna and House Sparrow occupied the artificial nest boxes for breeding at selected sites of
location 2. The breeding success of Common Myna was ranging from 50-100% at control
sites and 50-75% at sites having cell phone towers. House sparrows occupied 10-40% nests at
sites of village Baude but further egg laying was not seen in these occupied nests. This may
be attributed to the impact of continuous exposure of these birds to EMR (electromagnetic
magnetic radiations) during the breeding season.
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