Article
Ornithology
Nicholas G. Shephard, Patricia Szczys, David J. Moore, Matthew W. Reudink, Jeffrey N. Costa, Annie M. Bracey, Simeon Lisovski, Ann E. McKellar
Summary: Understanding population mixing and movements is crucial for the conservation of long-distance migrating bird species. In this study, we investigated the genetic structure and migration patterns of the declining North American Black Tern using genetic samples and individual tracking data. Our results revealed weak genetic structure and the shared use of nonbreeding areas between different breeding populations. This study provides important insights into the population genetics and migration of North American Black Terns.
ORNITHOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joseph D. Manthey, Yann Bourgeois, Yonas Meheretu, Stephane Boissinot
Summary: This study utilized whole-genome sequencing data to characterize genomic variation in populations of six Ethiopian Highlands forest bird species separated by a lowland biogeographic barrier, the Great Rift Valley (GRV). It was found that the GRV acts as a substantial biogeographic barrier even in highly dispersive species like birds, with species' dispersal ability negatively correlated with levels of population differentiation.
Article
Ecology
Christophe Barbraud, Karine Delord
Summary: The study showed that in wild populations of long-lived species, immigrants have lower fitness than residents, with fewer breeding attempts, fledglings, breeding success, and recruits. This may be due to asymmetric limiting resources and the competitive ability of dispersers vs. non-dispersers, supporting female-biased dispersal in birds.
Article
Ecology
Juan P. Gonzalez-Varo, Alejandro Onrubia, Nestor Perez-Mendez, Ruben Tarifa, Juan C. Illera
Summary: Research on seed-dispersal mutualisms has shown that the abundance of fruit resources has a positive effect on the degree of frugivory and body condition of frugivorous birds. Consideration of trait matching improves predictions of diet type and body condition, while considering resource provisioning did not enhance explanatory power. Strong and sex-dependent effects of fruit resources on body condition suggest that they may impact the timing and success of reproduction.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Elie Gaget, Diego Pavon-Jordan, Alison Johnston, Aleksi Lehikoinen, Wesley M. Hochachka, Brett K. Sandercock, Alaaeldin Soultan, Hichem Azafzaf, Nadjiba Bendjedda, Taulant Bino, Luka Bozic, Preben Clausen, Mohamed Dakki, Koen Devos, Cristi Domsa, Vitor Encarnacao, Kiraz Erciyas-Yavuz, Sandor Farago, Teresa Frost, Clemence Gaudard, Livia Gosztonyi, Fredrik Haas, Menno Hornman, Tom Langendoen, Christina Ieronymidou, Vasiliy A. Kostyushin, Lesley J. Lewis, Svein-Hakon Lorentsen, Leho Luigujoe, Wlodzimierz Meissner, Tibor Mikuska, Blas Molina, Zuzana Musilova, Viktor Natykanets, Jean-Yves Paquet, Nicky Petkov, Danae Portolou, Jozef Ridzon, Samir Sayoud, Marko Sciban, Laimonas Sniauksta, Antra Stipniece, Nicolas Strebel, Norbert Teufelbauer, Goran Topic, Danka Uzunova, Andrej Vizi, Johannes Wahl, Marco Zenatello, Jon E. Brommer
Summary: Climate warming drives changes in species distributions and community composition. Protected areas (PAs) can facilitate community changes by influencing colonization rates and extirpation rates, leading to reduced climatic debt and improved species conservation.
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Kohei Koyama, Mayu Tashiro
Summary: The phenomenon of selective abortion, or selective maturation, in plants can have different effects on fruit traits depending on the dispersal mechanism, as shown in the study of bird-dispersed elderberry. While flower-removed trees had higher fruit sets, there was no increase in the number of seeds per fruit, and the control group did not produce larger fruits. This suggests that the impact of selective maturation on fruit traits may vary among species with different dispersal mechanisms.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Romain Chaput, Calvin N. Quigley, Simon B. Weppe, Andrew G. Jeffs, Joao M. A. C. de Souza, Jonathan P. A. Gardner
Summary: Aquaculture of New Zealand's green-lipped mussel heavily relies on the wild mussel spat supply from Ninety Mile Beach in northern New Zealand. This study used a biophysical model to simulate the dispersal process of mussel larvae and identified primary settlement areas and potential source populations. The results revealed limited larval exchange between two geographic regions in northern New Zealand, with most spat collected at Ninety Mile Beach originating from neighboring mussel beds, particularly those at Ahipara. These findings provide important information for monitoring and protecting the key source populations and ensuring the sustainability of the mussel aquaculture industry in New Zealand.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katrina A. Catalano, Allison G. Dedrick, Michelle R. Stuart, Jonathan B. Puritz, Humberto R. Montes, Malin L. Pinsky
Summary: The study found that dispersal patterns in organisms vary significantly across different years and seasons, introducing positive temporal covariance among dispersal routes. Considering the variation in dispersal will be an important avenue for future metapopulation and metacommunity research across diverse taxa.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Juan C. Garcia-R, Nicholas J. Matzke
Summary: The study reveals that loss of flight is common in rails, with flightless lineages contributing significantly to dispersal. Flight distance has a significant impact on dispersal rate, and non-flying lineages also play a role in dispersal.
MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biology
Patrick C. Tobin, Christelle Robinet
Summary: Understanding and predicting the spread of invasive insects is crucial for protecting native ecosystems. While there are opportunities to improve our ability to estimate spread rates and identify influencing factors through new data sources and modeling methods, there are still challenges to be addressed.
CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Paul Dufour, Christophe de Franceschi, Paul Doniol-Valcroze, Frederic Jiguet, Maya Gueguen, Julien Renaud, Sebastien Lavergne, Pierre-Andre Crochet
Summary: The study reveals that the Richard's Pipits in southwestern Europe are true migrants originating from the western edge of their known breeding range, making a remarkable 6,000 km journey from Central Asia across Eurasia. Climatic niche modeling using citizen-science bird data suggests an increase in winter niche suitability in southwestern Europe, potentially leading to increased winter survival and successful return journey of autumn vagrants. This illustrates the underestimated role of vagrancy in the emergence of new migratory routes and adaptation to global change in migratory birds, marking one of the few documented contemporary changes in migration route and the first longitudinal shift in a long-distance migratory bird.
Article
Biology
Ana Morales-Gonzalez, Alberto Fernandez-Gil, Mario Quevedo, Eloy Revilla
Summary: Research on grey wolf dispersal patterns has shown high variability and is influenced by individual, social, and environmental factors, with human-caused mortality, population density, and interactions with humans impacting dispersal. Methodological issues have been identified that hinder obtaining robust estimates of dispersal parameters and patterns. Reporting results and potential factors affecting wolf dispersal more transparently could significantly benefit wolf biology and management understanding.
BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Jonathan O. O. Hernandez, Muhammad Naeem, Wajid Zaman
Summary: The ability of plants to find tolerable climatic ranges through seed dispersal varies greatly depending on their life-history traits and habitat characteristics. A systematic review on seed dispersal mechanisms was conducted to understand plant seed movements in changing environments. The review found that the majority of studies were conducted in Spain, Brazil, and the USA, while there was limited data from megadiverse countries and Africa. The effects of land use changes, habitat degradation/disturbances, climate, and extreme weather conditions had the most significant impact on seed dispersal mechanisms and agents.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
D. Stojanovic, E. McLennan, G. Olah, M. Cobden, R. Heinsohn, A. D. Manning, F. Alves, C. Hogg, L. Rayner
Summary: Reproductive skew can lead to reduced population size and increased inbreeding in small populations. By studying superb parrots, researchers found that some pairs monopolized breeding access, resulting in a strong reproductive skew. Understanding the causes of reproductive skew is crucial for conservation efforts.
ANIMAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kit Yue Kwan, Xin Yang, Chun-Chieh Wang, Yang Kuang, Yulong Wen, Kian Ann Tan, Peng Xu, Wenquan Zhen, Xueping Wang, Junhua Zhu, Xing Huang
Summary: Understanding the larval ecology of horseshoe crabs is crucial for their management. This study found that early-stage juvenile horseshoe crabs can detect and respond to chemical cues from suitable nursery habitats. They showed a preference for seagrass cues, but avoided cues from mangroves and invasive saltmarsh cordgrass. Preserving and restoring seagrass beds should be a priority for conserving horseshoe crab populations.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
R. Muriel, J. Balbontin, C. P. Calabuig, V. Morlanes, M. Ferrer
Summary: In long-lived species, successful conservation translocations depend on survival and site fidelity during the establishment phase, with concurrent management actions in threatened populations potentially influencing responses. This study compared short-term survival and electrocution rates in translocated and wild-reared juvenile Spanish imperial eagles before and after implementing conservation actions, finding similar survival rates but higher electrocution rates in early dispersal periods. Implementing anti-electrocution measures reduced mortality, but the relative contribution of electrocution as the main cause of death remained consistent between translocated and wild-reared birds.
ANIMAL CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ornithology
Virginia Morandini, Ryan Baumbusch, Javier Balbontin, Miguel Ferrer
JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Javier Manzano, Paula Mendez-Fernandez, Esperanza Gil-Jimenez, Diego Romero, Miguel Ferrer
Summary: The exposure to inorganic elements in raptors of South West Spain has increased significantly over the past 50 years. The variations in delta N-15 signatures were correlated to changes in concentrations of certain inorganic elements, indicating potential trophic and biomagnification processes in the kestrel population.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Letter
Ornithology
Alejandro Martinez-Abrain, Juan Jimenez, Miguel Ferrer
JOURNAL OF RAPTOR RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Beatriz Martin, Hector Perez, Miguel Ferrer
Summary: LED street lights have shown to reduce the total number of insects captured in light traps across a wide range of families, with Coleoptera and Lepidoptera being the most sensitive groups. The reduced attraction to LED lights is attributed to the lower amount of short-wavelength light emitted and lower light intensity. The widespread use of LED lights as a cost-saving measure for outdoor lighting is expected to further decrease the negative impacts of artificial light attraction on ecosystems.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Virginia Morandini, Javier Vinuela, Josabel Belliure, Miguel Ferrer
Summary: The study revealed that parent-offspring interactions in Chinstrap Penguins are influenced by factors such as hatching date, nestling age, brood size, and nest location. As nestling age increased, behavioral variables related to nestling demands for parental investment and parental aggression towards the chicks also increased.
Article
Ornithology
Ryan Baumbusch, Virginia Morandini, Vicente Urios, Miguel Ferrer
Summary: The study analyzed blood plasma chemistry parameters of Short-toed Snake Eagles captured in southern Spain, finding that most values did not differ between age classes and sexes. Differences in parameters associated with nutritional condition between captive and wild populations were identified, with a stronger relationship found between urea levels and hatching dates. The results highlight the importance of obtaining blood chemistry reference values from wild populations and how these parameters can complement traditional data collected when handling birds in the field.
JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Miguel Ferrer
Summary: Conservation Biology was established as a tool for managing biodiversity and ecosystems, but the lack of consensus among researchers on which species and spaces to protect and how to preserve ecosystem services is affecting its effectiveness. Environmental thinking, influenced by schools of thought like land ethics and deep ecology, has caused a separation between humans and nature. Overcoming this dichotomy is essential for protecting human-nature habitats.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Brady J. Mattsson, Patricia Mateo-Tomas, Adrian Aebischer, Sascha Roesner, Florian Kunz, Eva M. Schoell, Susanne Akesson, Davide De Rosa, Duncan Orr-Ewing, David de la Bodega, Miguel Ferrer, Christian Gelpke, Jakob Katzenberger, Grzegorz Maciorowski, Ubbo Mammen, Martin Kolbe, Alexandre Millon, Aymeric Mionnet, Javier de la Puente, Rainer Raab, Stanislav Vyhnal, Guido Ceccolini, Alfonso Godino, Gabriela Crespo-Luengo, Jose Angel Sanchez-Agudo, Juan Martinez, Juan J. Iglesias-Lebrija, Ester Gines, Maria Cortes, Juan Dean, Ricardo Gomez Calmaestra, Marek Dostal, Eike Steinborn, Javier Vinuela
Summary: The article examines the ecological status and conservation of the red kite in Europe, highlighting the success of conservation actions in certain regions but the depletion of populations in the southernmost edge of the species' range. It proposes an integrated conservation strategy that emphasizes international coordination and addresses key issues such as climate change and transboundary coordination.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Zoology
E. Gonzalez-Bernardo, M. D. M. Delgado, D. G. G. Matos, A. Zarzo-Arias, A. Morales-Gonzalez, H. Ruiz-Villar, M. Skuban, L. Maiorano, P. Ciucci, J. Balbontin, V. Penteriani
Summary: This study assessed the potential impact of road networks on the distribution of brown bears in Cantabrian population in Spain. The results showed that road networks had little influence on the distance of bear locations to roads, except for females with yearlings during the denning season. Road networks also had almost no effect on brown bear habitat suitability, possibly due to the majority of roads being located in unsuitable bear habitats. Compared to previous studies conducted in North America, the findings suggest a different response of Eurasian brown bears to roads.
JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Miguel Ferrer, Angele Alloing, Ryan Baumbush, Virginia Morandini
Summary: Avian mortality is a negative impact of wind energy, but the implementation of a turbine shutdown system can significantly reduce the death rate of soaring birds. The study found that after the selective stopping protocol was applied, there was a 61.7% reduction in mortality of soaring birds, particularly raptors and storks. The mortality of Griffon Vultures was reduced by over 92%.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Evan M. Burdett, Roberto Muriel, Virginia Morandini, Mahmood Kolnegari, Miguel Ferrer
Summary: Energy infrastructure expansion poses a major threat to wildlife, particularly due to the adverse effects of power lines on avian mortality. This study focuses on the increasing nesting of white storks on electricity pylons and its resulting conflicts with power companies and consumers. Factors such as proximity to landfills, availability of grassland, freshwater sources, and occupied pylons contribute to the intensified use of pylons for nesting. The study also highlights the limited impact of human disturbance and the higher pylon use in urban areas.
Article
Ecology
Miguel Ferrer, Rhian Evans, Joanna Hedley, Simon Hollamby, Anna Meredith, Virginia Morandini, Owen Selly, Claire Smith, D. Philip Whitfield
Summary: Birds of prey are often reintroduced using the hacking technique, which involves transferring nestlings to captivity and providing them with ad libitum feeding. A study on reintroduced White-tailed Eagles in Scotland found significant changes in blood chemistry parameters during captivity, indicating improved health status. The provision of ad libitum food was associated with decreased values of urea and uric acid, suggesting reduced nutritional stress. Despite losing body mass before release, the hacked eagles showed improved flight performance, indicating that hacking improves the health and nutritional status of reintroduced birds.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Miguel Ferrer, Rhian Evans, Joanna Hedley, Simon Hollamby, Anna Meredith, Virginia Morandini, Owen Selly, Claire Smith, D. Philip Whitfield
Summary: Studies on normal blood constituents of free-living birds are not common, but it is important for research and management projects to have adequate knowledge of blood chemistry as it can provide valuable information about the nutritional levels and health status of species. This study aimed to establish reference measures for hematologic and biochemical values in wild White-tailed Sea Eagle nestlings and investigate potential relationships with sex, age, and hatching dates.
JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mahmood Kolnegari, Greg J. Conway, Ali Akbar Basiri, Connor T. Panter, Mandana Hazrati, Maryam Shams Rafiee, Miguel Ferrer, James F. Dwyer
Summary: Avian electrocutions are a significant global conservation issue, causing power outages in Iran. The majority of these outages are due to distribution voltages and grounded concrete pylons with grounded steel crossarms. Components such as insulators, fused cutouts, and transformers are commonly involved in avian-caused outages. Retrofitting power line components to reduce avian contacts would improve wildlife conservation efforts and electrical system reliability.
BIRD CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
