Article
Ornithology
Alazne Diez-Fernandez, Jose Martin, Josue Martinez-de la Puente, Laura Gangoso, Pilar Lopez, Ramon Soriguer, Jordi Figuerola
Summary: DDT, a widely used pesticide, was banned in Europe in the 1970s and 1980s due to its high toxicity and environmental persistence. However, a recent study found DDT metabolites in the secretions of European Blackbirds in southern Spain. Despite the potential immunosuppressive effect of DDT, there was no association between haemosporidian infection and DDT presence.
Article
Parasitology
Rafael Gutierrez-Lopez, Jordi Figuerola, Josue Martinez-de la Puente
Summary: The risk of autochthonous transmission of Zika virus in Europe depends on the ability of Aedes albopictus to transmit the virus. Experimental studies have shown conflicting results in the vector competence of European populations of this mosquito species, possibly due to differences in mosquito populations and experimental procedures. A systematic review of published studies reveals that differences in infection and transmission rates are mainly attributed to variations in temperature, viral load, and the number of days post-exposure for analysis. The proportion of infected mosquitoes is affected by the viral load and post-exposure days, while the transmission rate is influenced by viral load and temperature. Therefore, methodological differences greatly affect the conclusions about the role of Aedes albopictus as a competent vector for Zika virus in Europe and its epidemiological relevance.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jessica Jimenez-Penuela, Martina Ferraguti, Josue Martinez-De la Puente, Ramon C. Soriguer, Jordi Figuerola
Summary: This study analyzed the relationship between infection of three common blood parasites (Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon) and oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity in wild house sparrows along an urbanization gradient. The results showed that birds infected with Haemoproteus and living in urban areas had higher levels of lipid oxidative damage. Birds infected with Plasmodium showed lower antioxidant activity, while those infected with Leucocytozoon showed slightly higher antioxidant activity. Overall, this study highlights the effects of blood parasite infections and urbanization on the oxidative status of wild birds and the role of bird body condition in regulating oxidative stress.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Duarte S. Viana, Simone Santoro, Ramon C. Soriguer, Jordi Figuerola
Summary: The European population of Eurasian Curlew has declined in the past 30 years, posing a threat to its survival. Demographic rates and survival probabilities at the flyway scale were examined to estimate population growth rates. The observed growth rates were higher than the expected rates from demographic models, indicating geographical variation in demography. The low productivity levels are the most probable cause of population declines, requiring immediate conservation actions.
Article
Virology
Maria Jose Ruiz-Lopez, Milagros Munoz-Chimeno, Jordi Figuerola, Ana M. Gavilan, Sarai Varona, Isabel Cuesta, Josue Martinez-de la Puente, Angel Zaballos, Francisca Molero, Ramon C. Soriguer, Maria Paz Sanchez-Seco, Santiago Ruiz, Ana Vazquez
Summary: This study aimed to characterize the genomes of the West Nile virus (WNV) circulating in wild-trapped mosquitoes in Andalusia, Spain in 2020 and 2021. The results showed that the WNV genomes recovered from mosquito samples in 2020 were closely related to those recovered from humans during the same outbreak, and the WNV strain circulating in 2021 was highly related to the strain that caused the 2020 outbreak, indicating overwintering of WNV in the area. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the eco-epidemiology of WNV in Spain.
Article
Ecology
Jorge Sereno-Cadierno, Ramon C. Soriguer, Francisco Carro
Summary: Long-term studies of Mediterranean carnivores in the Iberian Peninsula are rare, despite its high mammal biodiversity. By analyzing 15 years of monitoring data from Donana National Park, we found positive population trends for red fox, stable trends for badger and Egyptian mongoose, and negative trends for common genet and Iberian lynx. This study highlights the importance of long-term datasets and provides novel information on population trends for less well-known species like the Egyptian mongoose and the endangered Iberian lynx.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Marta Valldeperes, Paloma Prieto Yerro, Jorge Ramon Lopez-Olvera, Paulino Fandos, Santiago Lavin, Ramon C. Soriguer Escofet, Gregorio Mentaberre, Francisco Javier Cano-Manuel Leon, Jose Espinosa, Arian Raez-Bravo, Jesus M. Perez, Stefania Tampach, Josep Estruch, Roser Velarde, Jose Enrique Granados
Summary: This review compiles the currently available knowledge on diseases of Iberian ibex, including their impact on the health and demography of free-ranging populations, diseases subjected to health surveillance plans, other reported diseases, and diseases of particular relevance in captive populations. It uncovers unpublished reports, scientific communications, and articles, providing the first comprehensive compilation of Iberian ibex diseases. The review also identifies knowledge gaps and challenges managers to assess current priorities and policies in disease management and health surveillance of Iberian ibex.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Martina Ferraguti, Sergio Magallanes, Jessica Jimenez-Penuela, Josue Martinez-de la Puente, Luz Garcia-Longoria, Jordi Figuerola, Jaime Muriel, Tamer Albayrak, Staffan Bensch, Camille Bonneaud, Rohan H. Clarke, Gabor A. Czirjak, Dimitar Dimitrov, Kathya Espinoza, John G. Ewen, Farah Ishtiaq, Wendy Flores-Saavedra, Laszlo Zsolt Garamszegi, Olof Hellgren, Dita Horakova, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Henrik Jensen, Asta Krizanauskiene, Marcos R. Lima, Charlene Lujan-Vega, Eyofinn Magnussen, Lynn B. Martin, Kevin D. Matson, Anders Pape Moller, Pavel Munclinger, Vaidas Palinauskas, Peter L. Pap, Javier Perez-Tris, Swen C. Renner, Robert Ricklefs, Sergio Scebba, Ravinder N. M. Sehgal, Manuel Soler, Eszter Szoellosi, Gediminas Valkiunas, Helena Westerdahl, Pavel Zehtindjiev, Alfonso Marzal
Summary: This study investigated the ecological drivers affecting avian malaria parasite lineages in native and introduced house sparrows. The results showed that urbanization was positively related to parasite prevalence in both native and introduced populations, with higher infection in areas with intermediate levels of urbanization. In introduced populations, altitude and time since bird introduction were positively associated with the number of parasite lineages.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Wouter M. G. Vansteelant, Laura Gangoso, Duarte S. S. Viana, Judy Z. Z. Shamoun-Baranes, Jordi Figuerola
Summary: Migrant bird populations show substantial variation in route choice and timing, and understanding the factors driving this variation is important for understanding migration patterns. Repeatability (R), a measure of consistency in individual behavior, is commonly used to assess the contribution of between-individual differences to population-level variation. In this study, we GPS-tracked Eleonora's falcons and found that route repeatability was highest in the Horn of Africa during spring and during the rainforest-crossing in autumn. Timing repeatability was generally higher in spring, and males exhibited higher route repeatability while females showed stronger seasonal contrasts in timing repeatability. These findings suggest that individual variation and repeatability in migration routes and timings are influenced by environmental and annual cycle constraints.
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2023)
Correction
Ecology
Marta Valldeperes, Paloma Prieto Yerro, Jorge Ramon Lopez-Olvera, Paulino Fandos, Santiago Lavin, Ramon C. Soriguer Escofet, Gregorio Mentaberre, Francisco Javier Cano-Manuel Leon, Jose Espinosa, Arian Raez-Bravo, Jesus M. Perez, Stefania Tampach, Josep Estruch, Roser Velarde, Jose Enrique Granados
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Irene Saavedra, Julio Rabadan-Gonzalez, David Aragones, Jordi Figuerola
Summary: Global change is driving the increase in emerging infectious diseases. The interest in nature has led to the development of citizen science platforms for recording wildlife observations. This study examined the utility of bird observations on the platform Observation.org for early detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) outbreaks. The results suggest that the increase in sick and dead bird records on the platform coincides with officially reported HPAIV outbreaks.
Article
Biology
A. A. Romero-Haro, J. Figuerola, C. Alonso-Alvarez
Summary: This study tested the link between glutathione concentration and telomere length, and found that female birds treated with a specific inhibitor of glutathione synthesis had longer telomeres than control females. This counterintuitive finding suggests that females mounted a compensatory response to changes in glutathione levels.
INTEGRATIVE ORGANISMAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
