Increasing intensification in vineyards has detrimental effects on biodiversity. Although several studies addressed this topic, the reproductive outcomes of model organisms in vineyards received ...little attention.
We carrie d out the first study on birds nesting in natural nests on vines, focusing on nest density, breeding performance and nest-site selection in organic and conventional systems and in two contrasting trellising systems, pergola (taller, with more spaced rows and a denser canopy) vs. spalliera.
We surveyed 228 nests of six species and analysed nest densities and final fates as a function of vineyard management and trellising system by means of GLM(M)s.
51% of nests were abandoned before egg-laying and the probability of early abandonment was positively related to the amount of access farmers had for management activities. The number of nests was four times higher in pergola than in spalliera vineyards, likely due to pergola's complex and tree-like structure. Organic or conventional management did not affect nest density, probably due to reduced differences in terms of management practices between them. Breeding success was low and marginally affected by the interaction of the management and trellising systems, being higher in conventional pergola.
Nests were preferentially built on larger vines and were placed at an increasing height on the vine as the season progressed. Nests built at greater heights had greater success.
We provide some management recommendations for bird conservation in vineyards: promoting pergola and maintaining older vineyards, limiting grass mowing in April and May, and in compatibility with agricultural management, optimising the amount of farmers' access to vineyards.
•We present the first study on birds nesting in vineyards in natural nests.•Traditional pergola vineyards host four times nests than spalliera vineyards.•Early nest abandonment is positively related to the amount of farmer's access.•Survival is higher in conventional pergola than in organic and spalliera vineyards.•Survival is higher for nests built late in the season and placed higher on vines.
1. Because of their popular appeal, top vertebrate predators have frequently been used as flagship or umbrella species to acquire financial support, raise environmental awareness and plan systems of ...protected areas. However, some have claimed that the utilization of charismatic predators may divert a disproportionate amount of funding to a few glamorous species without delivering broader biodiversity benefits, an accusation aggravated by the fact that the conservation of top predators is often complex, difficult and expensive. Therefore, tests are needed of whether apex predators may be employed to achieve ecosystem-level targets. 2. To test such a hypothesis, we compared the biodiversity values recorded at the breeding sites of six raptor species, differing widely in diet and habitat associations, with those observed at three types of control locations, (i) sites randomly chosen in comparable habitat, (ii) breeding sites of a randomly selected bird species of lower trophic level and (iii) breeding sites of a lower trophic level species with specialized ecological requirements. Biodiversity was measured as the richness and evenness of bird, butterfly and tree species. 3. Biodiversity levels were consistently higher at sites occupied by top predators than at any of the three types of control sites. Furthermore, sites occupied by top predators also held greater densities of individual birds and butterflies (all species combined) than control sites. 4. In a reserve-selection simulation exercise, networks of protected sites constructed on the basis of top predators were more efficient than networks based on lower trophic level species, enabling higher biodiversity coverage to be achieved with a smaller number of reserves. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our results provide evidence of a link between the strategic utilization of top predatory species and ecosystem-level conservation. We suggest that, at least in some biological systems, conservation plans based on apex predators could be implemented to deliver broader biodiversity benefits.
Recently-developed methods that integrate multiple data sources arising from the same ecological processes have typically utilized structured data from well-defined sampling protocols (e.g., ...capture-recapture and telemetry). Despite this new methodological focus, the value of opportunistic data for improving inference about spatial ecological processes is unclear and, perhaps more importantly, no procedures are available to formally test whether parameter estimates are consistent across data sources and whether they are suitable for integration. Using data collected on the reintroduced brown bear population in the Italian Alps, a population of conservation importance, we combined data from three sources: traditional spatial capture-recapture data, telemetry data, and opportunistic data. We developed a fully integrated spatial capture-recapture (SCR) model that included a model-based test for data consistency to first compare model estimates using different combinations of data, and then, by acknowledging data-type differences, evaluate parameter consistency. We demonstrate that opportunistic data lend itself naturally to integration within the SCR framework and highlight the value of opportunistic data for improving inference about space use and population size. This is particularly relevant in studies of rare or elusive species, where the number of spatial encounters is usually small and where additional observations are of high value. In addition, our results highlight the importance of testing and accounting for inconsistencies in spatial information from structured and unstructured data so as to avoid the risk of spurious or averaged estimates of space use and consequently, of population size. Our work supports the use of a single modeling framework to combine spatially-referenced data while also accounting for parameter consistency.
Public tolerance toward predators is fundamental in their conservation and is highly driven by people’s perception of the risk they may pose. Although predator attacks on humans are rare, they create ...lasting media attention, and the way the media covers them might affect people’s risk perception. Understanding how mass media presents attacks and how this can affect perception will provide insights into potential strategies to improve coexistence with these species. We collected media reports of predator attacks on humans and examined their content. Almost half (41.5%) of the analyzed reports contained graphic elements. Differences in framing between species groups or species were found, with sharks and leopards having the highest proportion of graphic reports, whereas canids and bears had the highest number of neutral reports. This bias in coverage, instead of providing insights into the causes of these incidents and possible remedies, may provoke fear and decrease support for predator conservation.
The morphology of bird wings is subject to a variety of selective pressures, including migration, predation, habitat structure and sexual selection. Variation in wing morphology also occurs at the ...intraspecific and intrapopulation level, and can be related to sex, age, migration strategy and environmental factors. The relationship between environment and intraspecific variation in wing morphology is still poorly understood. In this work, we studied the relationship between wing morphology and breeding environment in a high‐elevation specialist bird, the water pipit Anthus spinoletta. We calculated wing isometric size, pointedness and convexity of 84 birds mist‐netted at breeding sites in year 2021 in the European Alps. We then searched for associations between these traits and potentially relevant breeding site characteristics (vegetation structure, elevation, latitude). For all wing traits, sex and one or more environmental factors best explained the variation, with environmental factors explaining between 3 and 8% of the variation. Wing size was negatively related to tree cover and wing convexity was negatively related to bush cover. Elevation contributed to explain variation in wing pointedness, but the direction of its effect was unclear. The negative relationship between wing size and tree cover could be due to intraspecific competition, i.e. to the relegation of smaller winged low‐quality individuals in marginal grassland areas. Higher wing convexity could improve predator escape ability in areas with scarce protecting vegetation, with possible effects on habitat choice. These findings represent one of the few demonstrated cases of wing morphology–environment relationships at the intraspecific level.
A genus at risk Scridel, Davide; Brambilla, Mattia; de Zwaan, Devin R ...
Diversity & distributions,
September 2021, Letnik:
27, Številka:
9
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Aim
Cold‐adapted species are considered vulnerable to climate change. However, our understanding of how climate‐induced changes in habitat and weather patterns will influence habitat suitability ...remains poorly understood, particularly for species at high latitudes or elevations. Here, we assessed potential future distributions for a climate‐sensitive genus, Lagopus, and the effectiveness of protected areas in tracking shifting distributions.
Location
British Columbia, Canada.
Methods
Using community science observations from 1970 to 2020, we built species distribution models for white‐tailed (L. leucura), rock (L. muta) and willow ptarmigan (L. lagopus) across British Columbia, a globally unique region harbouring all three ptarmigan species. We assessed the impact of climate (direct) and climate‐induced habitat change (indirect) on potential future distributions of ptarmigan.
Results
White‐tailed and rock ptarmigan were associated with colder temperatures and tundra‐like open habitats and willow ptarmigan with open, shrub habitats. Future projections based on climate and vegetation scenarios indicated marked losses in suitable habitat by the 2080s (RCP +8.5 W/m2), with range declines of 85.6% and 79.5% for white‐tailed and rock ptarmigan, respectively, and a lower 61.3% for willow ptarmigan. Predicted current and future suitable habitat occurred primarily outside of current protected areas (67%–82%), yet range size declined at a less pronounced rate within protected areas suggesting a capacity to buffer habitat loss.
Main conclusions
Ptarmigan are predicted to persist at higher elevations and latitudes than currently occupied, with the magnitude of elevation shifts consistent with trends observed elsewhere in the Holarctic. Our spatially explicit assessment of potential current and future distributions of ptarmigan species provides the first comprehensive evaluation of climate change effects on the distribution of three congeneric, cold‐adapted species with different habitat preferences and life‐history traits. We also highlight the potential role of protected areas in preserving suitable future sites for ptarmigan and other climate‐sensitive or high‐elevation species.
Summary of average current and future predictions for shifts in elevation, latitude, and range size for the genus Lagopus in BC. Current and future potential range losses are shown with respect to protected (P) and unprotected areas (U) with size of pie charts being proportional to the relative value of current and future species’ range.
A brief history about the ALPI project Pedrini, Paolo; Spina, Fernando
Rivista italiana di ornitologia,
12/2021, Letnik:
91, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Conceived by the National Ringing Centre ISPRA and MUSE (Trento, formerly MTSN), the Alps Project was launched in 1997 in order to understand the post-breeding migration strategies of birds across ...the Italian Alps. The project is realized thanks to the support offered by MUSE and several institutions at a local scale, not to mention the collaboration of over one hundred ringers. In more than twenty years, 40 stations located in sites of passage (alpine and pre-alpine passes) and stop-over (valley floors and slopes) have taken part in the project, leading to a dataset of 666,471 ringed individuals and 191 species (as to 2017). After a first exploratory phase (1997-2002), in which the migration was investigated in its many aspects of specific composition and spatial-temporal variation, the project has been restricted to a smaller number of stations since 2007. Those stations are characterized by working in a standardized and continuous way during the whole period (August-November) or during the migration period of the intra-Palearctic species (end of September-October). In this paper we describe the aims, protocols and organizational aspects of the project, with a special focus on monitoring trends and changes in the long-term phenology. This ongoing project (2021) is part of the ISPRA national ringing plan to monitor bird migration across the country.
Article in Italian
Amphibians are considered critical species in the nutrient flow within and across ecosystems, and knowledge on their trophic ecology and niches is crucial for their conservation. For the first time ...we studied the trophic ecology of the rare and endemic
in a mixed temperate forest in northern Italy. We aimed to define the realized trophic niche, investigate the prey selectivity and explore possible levels of individual specialization. In summer 2022 we obtained stomach contents from 53 salamanders by stomach flushing and prey availability using pitfall traps. We used the Costello graphical method to analyse the realized trophic niche, and the relativized electivity index to study prey selectivity. Our results show that the Golden Alpine salamander adopts a generalist feeding strategy with positive selection of few prey categories (e.g., Myriapoda, Hymenoptera except Formicidae). Food preference seems to be driven by size, movement ability and chitinization of the prey. A high degree of inter-individual diet variation, modularity and clustering was found, describing a scenario that can be framed in a Distinct Preference model framework. This study gives new insights on the trophic ecology of the Alpine salamander complex, whose subspecies appear to adopt similar feeding strategies.
In light of the dramatic decline in amphibian biodiversity, new cost-efficient tools to rapidly monitor species abundance and population genetic diversity in space and time are urgently needed. It ...has been amply demonstrated that the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) for single-species detection and characterization of community composition can increase the precision of amphibian monitoring compared to traditional (observational) approaches. However, it has been suggested that the efficiency and accuracy of the eDNA approach could be further improved by more timely sampling; in addition, the quality of genetic diversity data derived from the same DNA has been confirmed in other vertebrate taxa, but not amphibians. Given the availability of previous tissue-based genetic data, here we use the common frog Rana temporaria Linnaeus, 1758 as our target species and an improved eDNA protocol to: (i) investigate differences in species detection between three developmental stages in various freshwater environments; and (ii) study the diversity of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes detected in eDNA (water) samples, by amplifying a specific fragment of the COI gene (331 base pairs, bp) commonly used as a barcode. Our protocol proved to be a reliable tool for monitoring population genetic diversity of this species, and could be a valuable addition to amphibian conservation and wetland management.
Large carnivores have long fascinated human societies and have profound influences on ecosystems. However, their conservation represents one of the greatest challenges of our time, particularly where ...attacks on humans occur. Where human recreational and/or livelihood activities overlap with large carnivore ranges, conflicts can become particularly serious. Two different scenarios are responsible for such overlap: In some regions of the world, increasing human populations lead to extended encroachment into large carnivore ranges, which are subject to increasing contraction, fragmentation, and degradation. In other regions, human and large carnivore populations are expanding, thus exacerbating conflicts, especially in those areas where these species were extirpated and are now returning. We thus face the problem of learning how to live with species that can pose serious threats to humans. We collected a total of 5,440 large carnivore (Felidae, Canidae, and Ursidae; 12 species) attacks worldwide between 1950 and 2019. The number of reported attacks increased over time, especially in lower-income countries. Most attacks (68%) resulted in human injuries, whereas 32% were fatal. Although attack scenarios varied greatly within and among species, as well as in different areas of the world, factors triggering large carnivore attacks on humans largely depend on the socioeconomic context, with people being at risk mainly during recreational activities in high-income countries and during livelihood activities in low-income countries. The specific combination of local socioeconomic and ecological factors is thus a risky mix triggering large carnivore attacks on humans, whose circumstances and frequencies cannot only be ascribed to the animal species. This also implies that effective measures to reduce large carnivore attacks must also consider the diverse local ecological and social contexts.
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