Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alessandra Costanzo, Roberto Ambrosini, Andrea Franzetti, Andrea Romano, Jacopo G. Cecere, Michelangelo Morganti, Diego Rubolini, Isabella Gandolfi
Summary: This study provides the first description of the gut microbiome of the lesser kestrel, a cavity-nesting raptor. The gut microbiome of the lesser kestrel is dominated by Actinobacteria (83.9%), Proteobacteria (8.6%) and Firmicutes (4.3%). There are no differences in microbiome composition between males and females, and the overall composition of the microbiome is similar to that of phylogenetically distant bird species.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alessandro Ferrarini, Giuseppe Giglio, Stefania Caterina Pellegrino, Marco Gustin
Summary: The study implemented a community-level approach by simulating ecological networks and showed that management strategies targeting interacting species can effectively protect the lesser kestrel in Southern Italy, while also allowing for the proactive prediction of population dynamics. The research demonstrates that community-level conservation methods are suitable on a local scale and can be applied even without quantitative estimations of population stocks and interaction strengths.
Article
Ecology
Malamati A. Papakosta, Dimitrios E. Bakaloudis, Vassilis Goutner, Reuven Yosef, Evangelos Kotsonas, Savvas Iezekiel, Christos G. Vlachos
Summary: The sex allocation of nestlings in Lesser Kestrel is influenced by female body condition and related traits. When female parents are shorter in body length and have smaller clutch size, the reproduction output tends to favor male nestlings. The skewed sex ratio favoring females suggests that female parents invest more in high-quality female nestlings, which provides a reproductive advantage and increased long-term fitness.
ISRAEL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sara Cioccarelli, Anna Terras, Giacomo Assandri, Alessandro Berlusconi, Nunzio Grattini, Alessandro Mercogliano, Aliona Pazhera, Andrea Sbrilli, Jacopo G. Cecere, Diego Rubolini, Michelangelo Morganti
Summary: This study investigated the habitat selection of the lesser kestrel breeding population in Europe and found that their preferences change throughout the breeding cycle. They prefer alfalfa and non-irrigated crops during the early breeding season and winter cereals during the nestling-rearing phase. Short vegetation height emerged as the main predictor of habitat selection.
Article
Ornithology
Jose Miguel Aparicio, Alberto Munoz, Pedro J. Cordero, Raul Bonal
Summary: The population of the Lesser Kestrel in Spain has been declining due to a decrease in the density of their main prey, large orthopterans, and the loss of favorable land uses. Conservation efforts such as the installation of nestboxes have not been as effective as expected. Additional measures to protect and restore the prey population are necessary to ensure the conservation of the Lesser Kestrel.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Alessandro Ferrarini, Giuseppe Giglio, Stefania Caterina Pellegrino, Marco Gustin
Summary: Interactions within and between species play a crucial role in regulating animal home range patterns. Understanding the degree of overlap among probabilistic home ranges can provide insights into ecological properties, social dynamics, and disease transmission implications. The introduction of novel indices, such as PGOI and PGSI, allows for the computation of probabilistic home range overlap/segregation, offering a comprehensive approach to studying wildlife conservation and management.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Giacomo Assandri, Jacopo G. Cecere, Maurizio Sara, Carlo Catoni, Federico De Pascalis, Jennifer Morinay, Alessandro Berlusconi, Sara Cioccarelli, Alessandro Mercogliano, Aliona Pazhera, Anna Terras, Simona Imperio, Michelangelo Morganti, Diego Rubolini
Summary: Gradients of agricultural intensification can impact resource availability for predators in man-made habitats, leading to context-dependent habitat selection patterns. The study on lesser kestrels revealed that preference for grassland varied between colony-scale and individual home-range-scale, with stronger selection at the colony scale. Individual preference for grasslands increased with decreasing compositional diversity of the surrounding landscape at the colony scale, while higher cropland availability reduced individual preference for croplands at the home-range scale.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Karol O. Puchala, Zuzanna Nowak-Zyczynska, Slawomir Sielicki, Wanda Olech
Summary: The main objective of this study was to determine the impact of increased demand for peregrine falcons via breeding on the genetic structure of the birds. The study sampled 374 bird specimens from six countries and calculated the fixation index and level of inbreeding.
Article
Microbiology
Kangqing Zhang, Xinxiang Wang, Xiang Gong, Jinling Sui
Summary: This study investigated the effects of dietary and environmental changes on the gut microbiota of common kestrels. The study found that the relative abundance of certain microbes in the gut changed after captivity, with an increase in Firmicutes and a decrease in Proteobacteria. The abundance of Lactobacillus also increased. Functional prediction of gene sequences revealed enhancements in glucose metabolism and amino acid metabolism pathways after captivity.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Jennifer Morinay, Federico De Pascalis, Davide M. Dominoni, Michelangelo Morganti, Francesco Pezzo, Simone Pirrello, Matteo Visceglia, Enrico L. De Capua, Jacopo G. Cecere, Diego Rubolini
Summary: Individuals can use social information and comfort seeking to select breeding sites, with the preference for soft substrates influenced by both factors. The settlement patterns of individuals in the experiment suggest that early birds may benefit from social information while late arrivals may be avoiding intraspecific competition. Competitive abilities and experience may also play a role in nest site choices.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Claire Buchan, James J. Gilroy, Ines Catry, Javier Bustamante, Alina D. Marca, Philip W. Atkinson, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, Aldina M. A. Franco
Summary: Migration may expose individuals to increasing anthropogenic threats, but the effects on breeding parameters seem minimal compared to conditions on breeding grounds. The study on partial migration in lesser kestrels in Spain found no significant impact of migratory strategy on body condition and breeding success, despite a 3000-km difference in travel distance.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biology
Christopher G. Goodchild, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Ryan P. Braham, Paula F. P. Henry, Robert J. Letcher, Kim J. Fernie
Summary: Brominated flame retardants are widely used in consumer products to reduce flammability. This study investigated the potential toxic effects of these flame retardants on American kestrel hatchlings. The results showed that these flame retardants can affect gene expression related to immune, thyroid, and other biological pathways, and there were significant differences in gene expression between male and female hatchlings.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Abdallah A. Alsanosy, Ahmed E. Noreldin, Yaser H. A. Elewa, Sahar F. Mahmoud, Mohamed A. Elnasharty, Asmaa Aboelnour
Summary: The avian alimentary tract in domestic fowl and kestrels has evolved unique histologic structures in the esophagus, proventriculus, and gizzard to meet their different physiological needs, such as feeding. These differences include thickened epithelium and muscularis mucosae in the esophagus of domestic fowl compared to thin epithelium and no muscularis mucosae in kestrels. In the proventriculus, the secretion nature differs between the two species, with neutral secretion in domestic fowl and both acidic and neutral secretion in kestrels.
MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Patrizia Giangregorio, Lorenzo Naldi, Chiara Mengoni, Claudia Greco, Anna Padula, Marco Zaccaroni, Renato Fani, Giovanni Argenti, Nadia Mucci
Summary: The Strigiformes are facing challenges like habitat loss and the illegal wildlife trade, but biomolecular research using microsatellite markers has provided a valuable tool for tracking genetic variability and aiding in conservation efforts. Testing highly polymorphic microsatellite loci has led to the development of a panel of 12 markers that can identify individuals across multiple species, benefiting authorities in forensic investigations and aiding in genetic research for both wild and captive populations.
Article
Ornithology
Christos E. Christakis, Athanassios Sfougaris
Summary: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the selection of foraging habitats by the Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni during the different phases of breeding and the post breeding season. Habitat selection was influenced by prey abundance and availability, which depend on farming practices. Legumes and cereals were positively selected, while cotton and other cultivation types were avoided.
ORNITHOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Maria Gil Molino, David Risco Perez, Pilar Goncalves Blanco, Pedro Fernandez Llario, Alberto Quesada Molina, Alfredo Garcia Sanchez, Jesus Maria Cuesta Gerveno, Luis Gomez Gordo, Francisco Eduardo Martin Cano, Remigio Perez Martinez, Elisa Varela Fernandez, Joaquin Rey Perez
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2019)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
M. Martinez-Trancon, J. C. Parejo, A. Rabasco, P. Padilla, J. A. Padilla
SMALL RUMINANT RESEARCH
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Adela Gomez-Luque, Juan Carlos Parejo, Maria Zoraida Clavijo-Chamorro, Fidel Lopez-Espuela, Faustin Munyaruguru, Silvia Belinchon Lorenzo, Isabel Monroy, Luis Carlos Gomez-Nieto
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2020)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Alejandro Gallardo, Maria Ugarte-Ruiz, Marta Hernandez, Pedro Miguela-Villoldo, David Rodriguez-Lazaro, Lucas Dominguez, Alberto Quesada
Article
Microbiology
Alejandro Gallardo, Maria-Rocio Iglesias, Maria Ugarte-Ruiz, Marta Hernandez, Pedro Miguela-Villoldo, Gloria Gutierrez, David Rodriguez-Lazaro, Lucas Dominguez, Alberto Quesada
Summary: The study analyzed 74 Escherichia coli isolates from healthy animals, revealing mcr-1 gene as the main determinant of colistin resistance. Additionally, a new resistance determinant gene pArnT1 was identified.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Pedro Miguela-Villoldo, Miguel A. Moreno, Agustin Rebollada-Merino, Antonio Rodriguez-Bertos, Marta Hernandez, David Rodriguez-Lazaro, Alejandro Gallardo, Alberto Quesada, Joaquin Goyache, Lucas Dominguez, Maria Ugarte-Ruiz
Summary: The study found that after administration, the spread of bacteria carrying the mcr-1 gene in the gut was accelerated, and may persist at higher levels.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Maria Gil-Molino, Pilar Goncalves, David Risco, Francisco Eduardo Martin-Cano, Alfredo Garcia, Joaquin Rey, Pedro Fernandez-Llario, Alberto Quesada
Summary: Antimicrobial resistance is a global concern and wild boar may play a role in spreading Salmonella, which is critical for the effectiveness of antibiotics. This study detected widespread antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella from wild boar in different game estates in central Spain, and found that feeding supplementation and surrounding fences on game estates increased the antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2022)
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Azucena Mora, Maria Jorge Campos, Alberto Quesada
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Pedro Miguela-Villoldo, Miguel A. Moreno, David Rodriguez-Lazaro, Alejandro Gallardo, Marta Hernandez, Tania Serrano, Jose L. Saez, Cristina de Frutos, Montserrat Aguero, Alberto Quesada, Lucas Dominguez, Maria Ugarte-Ruiz
Summary: This study tracked the trend of colistin resistance mediated by the mcr-1 gene in the Spanish food-producing pig population. The results showed a decrease in resistance after 2015, which may be related to the strategies implemented in 2016 to reduce colistin use.
PORCINE HEALTH MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alejandro Gallardo, David Morcuende, Manuela Rodriguez-Romero, Maria Isabel Igeno, Fernando Pulido, Alberto Quesada
Summary: The research investigates the relationship between the chemical defenses of Quercus ilex leaves and their susceptibility to herbivory, with a focus on the QiMYB-like-1 D165H polymorphism. The study finds that tree clustering based on ecological and genetic factors affects the herbivory index and accumulation of condensed tannins, and demonstrates that condensed tannins may protect Q. ilex from defoliation in Mediterranean ecosystems.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Lorena Hormeno, Maria J. Campos, Santiago Vadillo, Alberto Quesada
Article
Infectious Diseases
Maria Gil Molino, Alfredo Garcia, Sofia Gabriela Zurita, Francisco Eduardo Martin-Cano, Waldo Garcia-Jimenez, David Risco, Joaquin Rey, Pedro Fernandez-Llario, Alberto Quesada
Article
Microbiology
Pedro Miguela-Villoldo, Miguel A. Moreno, Marta Hernandez, David Rodriguez-Lazaro, Alejandro Gallardo, Carmen Borge, Alberto Quesada, Lucas Dominguez, Maria Ugarte-Ruiz
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)