Article
Ecology
J. David Wiens, Peter H. Bloom, Melanie C. Madden, Patrick S. Kolar, Jeff A. Tracey, Robert N. Fisher
Summary: This study used a broad-scale sampling design to investigate the status of breeding populations of golden eagles in coastal southern California. The results showed that detection rates of eagle pairs varied between years and declined with increasing forest cover at survey sites. The study also estimated the population size and provided a monitoring framework for identifying conservation priorities in urbanizing landscapes.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ornithology
Travis L. Booms, Neil A. Paprocki, Joseph M. Eisaguirre, Chris P. Barger, Stephen B. Lewis, Greg A. Breed
Summary: Estimating Golden Eagle abundance in Alaska, the study used migration count and GPS-tracking data to calculate a conservative estimate of 12,717 annual Golden Eagles, likely representing around one quarter of the USA's population. The methods used may have underestimated the population size.
JOURNAL OF RAPTOR RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Benjamin M. Dudek, Michael T. Henderson, Stephanie F. Hudon, Eric J. Hayden, Julie A. Heath
Summary: The study revealed that haematophagous ectoparasites may decrease nestling mass and haematocrit, increase corticosterone concentrations, shorten telomere lengths, and lead to decreased productivity and higher mortality rates in golden eagle populations. Additionally, survived nestlings may suffer from impaired cognitive function and reduced survival due to chronically elevated glucocorticoids and shortened telomeres caused by parasitism.
CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Steven J. Slater, Dustin M. Maloney, Jessica M. Taylor
Summary: Vehicle collisions are a major cause of wildlife mortality, and this study focuses on the secondary mortality of roadkill scavengers, specifically golden eagles. By monitoring golden eagle behavior and interactions with roadkill carcasses, the study provides insights into the factors influencing eagle use and flushing from vehicles. The findings suggest that managing roadkill distance to roads can both increase food availability for golden eagles and decrease the risk of eagle-vehicle strikes.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Sharon A. Poessel, Brian Woodbridge, Brian W. Smith, Robert K. Murphy, Bryan E. Bedrosian, Douglas A. Bell, David Bittner, Peter H. Bloom, Ross H. Crandall, Robert Domenech, Robert N. Fisher, Patricia K. Haggerty, Steven J. Slater, Jeff A. Tracey, James W. Watson, Todd E. Katzner
Summary: Movements by animals can serve different functions and occur over a variety of spatial and temporal scales. This study investigated the nonroutine, long-distance movements of golden eagles and found that their distances traveled are influenced by the updraft potential of the landscape they encounter. The study also revealed that these movements are more frequently made by young birds in seasons other than winter and in a north-south direction.
Article
Ornithology
Julie A. Heath, Michael N. Kochert, Karen Steenhof
Summary: Wildfires and invasive species have caused widespread changes in western North America's shrub-steppe landscapes, impacting predator ecology and demography. Research shows that Golden Eagles exhibited more diverse diets following wildfires, with an increase in non-traditional prey, impacting nestling survivorship.
ORNITHOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Megan E. Judkins, Gary W. Roemer, Brian A. Millsap, Joseph G. Barnes, Bryan E. Bedrosian, Stephen L. Clarke, Robert Domenech, Garth Herring, Myles Lamont, Brian W. Smith, Dale W. Stahlecker, Matthew J. Stuber, Wesley C. Warren, Ronald A. Van Den Bussche
Summary: We developed a custom SNP array for the golden eagle and used it to perform population genomic analysis. We identified three genetic clusters and successfully assigned individuals to specific geographic regions. This study demonstrates the utility of this SNP array for accurately assigning individuals and has implications for conservation efforts and understanding the natural population structure of the golden eagle.
CONSERVATION GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Eric V. Lonsdorf, James S. Gerber, Deepak Ray, Steven J. Slater, Taber D. Allison
Summary: As wind energy expands, there is a need for compensatory mitigation to offset negative impacts on birds, especially the golden eagle. A vehicle-collision model was updated with data from 2016 to 2019, and a resource equivalency analysis was integrated to use road-killed game animals as mitigation for incidental mortality. The model results suggest that carcass relocation is a viable strategy for mitigating golden eagle mortalities, and an adaptive management program can further improve mitigation credit estimates.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Ornithology
Dale W. Stahlecker, Zach P. Wallace, David G. Mikesic, Clint W. Boal, Robert K. Murphy, William H. Howe, Megan B. Ruehmann
Summary: The deaths of four Golden Eagles at a wind energy facility in New Mexico raised concerns about the population status of the species in the Southern Great Plains region. Aerial searches were conducted to identify Golden Eagle nesting territories, and a total of 123 territories were found, with the majority located in northeastern New Mexico.
JOURNAL OF RAPTOR RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Zoology
A. Fernandez-Gil, J. A. Lamas, L. M. Ansola, J. Roman, M. de Gabriel Hernando, E. Revilla
Summary: Apex predators play a critical role in shaping ecosystem diversity. This study aims to understand the mechanisms driving population dynamics in these predators by examining the relationship between population density and demographic parameters. The results indicate that density does not affect reproductive parameters at the population level, but environmental factors at the territory level, such as territory size and habitat type, do influence reproductive performance.
JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jose M. Gil-Sanchez, Roberto C. Rodriguez-Caro, Marcos Moleon, Maria C. Martinez-Pastor, Mario Leon-Ortega, Sergio Eguia, Eva Gracia, Francisco Botella, Jose A. Sanchez-Zapata, Julia Martinez-Fernandez, M. A. Esteve-Selma, A. Gimenez
Summary: This study investigated the predation of spur-thighed tortoises by golden eagles and found that eagles showed a marked preference for adult female tortoises. This could potentially threaten the local population viability of the tortoises.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Isaac Morales-Yanez, Ricardo Rodriguez-Estrella, Ana Bertha Gatica-Colima
Summary: The study found that Golden Eagles in northwestern Chihuahua, Mexico primarily feed on black-tailed jackrabbits, with an average prey size of 1291g. The main threats to these eagles include habitat loss and fragmentation.
WESTERN NORTH AMERICAN NATURALIST
(2021)
Article
Ornithology
Jessi L. Brown, Geoffrey Bedrosian, Kent R. Keller
Summary: The study on Golden Eagle prey found that prey varied within and between ecoregion boundaries, with localized environmental factors having a stronger influence than climate or time. The abundance of prey species was primarily influenced by habitat, diversity of prey remains, precipitation, and time trends.
JOURNAL OF RAPTOR RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Jennifer Stien, Audun Stien, Torkild Tveraa, Lars Rod-Eriksen, Nina E. Eide, Siw T. Killengreen
Summary: This study investigates the potential use of baited camera traps for estimating the abundance of golden eagles. The results show that estimates of population size are more precise than estimates of occupancy, indicating that the former can be suitable for monitoring temporal abundance trends. The study also found a correlation between camera-trap-based estimates and independent estimates of breeding pair densities, suggesting that these methods can reflect territory density at large spatial scales.
ECOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS AND EVIDENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mustafa Yipel, Ibrahim Ozan Tekeli, Cafer Tayer Isler, Muhammed Enes Altug
Summary: The present study investigated the concentrations of environmentally relevant heavy metals in different tissues of wild birds from Hatay province, southern Turkey. The results showed varying levels of metal concentrations in different tissues, with iron having the highest concentration and mercury having the lowest. The study also found significant positive correlations between certain essential and non-essential metals.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexandra M. Sparks, Lewis G. Spurgin, Marco van der Velde, Eleanor A. Fairfield, Jan Komdeur, Terry Burke, David S. Richardson, Hannah L. Dugdale
Summary: Individual variation in telomere length is predictive of health and mortality risk. The relative influence of environmental and genetic variation on individual telomere length in wild populations remains poorly understood. Parental age at conception may influence offspring telomere length, and heritability and evolvability of telomere length were found to be low in the studied population.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sil H. J. van Lieshout, Elisa P. Badas, Julius G. Bright Ross, Amanda Bretman, Chris Newman, Christina D. Buesching, Terry Burke, David W. Macdonald, Hannah L. Dugdale
Summary: The study found that the telomere length in European badgers during early life is associated with weather conditions and group size, while no significant association was found between telomere length and group size in early adulthood. Additionally, early-life telomere length is positively correlated with cub survival probability.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Eduardo Vyhmeister, Gregory Provan, Blaine Doyle, Bian Bourke, Gabriel G. Castane, Lorenzo Reyes-Bozo
Summary: Vector-borne disease models are widely used to study virus transmission dynamics. The most commonly used mechanistic SEIR-SEI model can be improved for better accuracy. This study evaluates different models for representing dengue virus transmission dynamics, including a vector life stage representation, a re-susceptibility factor, and environmental variables. Data-driven techniques were found to be less accurate compared to mechanistic-based models.
SPATIAL AND SPATIO-TEMPORAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Suppaluck Polsomboon Nelson, Brian P. Bourke, Razan Badr, John Tarpey, Laura Caicedo-Quiroga, Donovan Leiva, Marie Pott, Alvaro Cruz, Chien-Chung Chao, Nicole L. Achee, John P. Grieco, Le Jiang, Ju Jiang, Christina M. Farris, Yvonne-Marie Linton
Summary: Data on the prevalence and distribution of ticks and tick-borne diseases in Belize are lacking. This study collected and molecularly identified ticks and screened them for tick-borne pathogens in two villages in Stann Creek District, Belize. The most common tick species identified was Rhipicephalus sanguineus. The study also found ticks carrying Rickettsia parkeri and an unidentified Ehrlichia species. The results suggest that dogs could be useful sentinel animals for tick surveillance in Belize.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Koray Ergunay, Mathew Mutinda, Brian Bourke, Silvia A. Justi, Laura Caicedo-Quiroga, Joseph Kamau, Samson Mutura, Irene Karagi Akunda, Elizabeth Cook, Francis Gakuya, Patrick Omondi, Suzan Murray, Dawn Zimmerman, Yvonne-Marie Linton
Summary: This study focused on using ticks as xenosurveillance sentinels to detect circulating pathogens in Kenyan drylands. Host-feeding ticks collected from various wild animals and domestic animals were screened using metagenomics. The results showed that ticks carried a wide range of pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and fungi, with the potential for transmission between wildlife, livestock, and humans in the Kenyan landscape.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Nicole L. Achee
Summary: This article introduces the REDI-NET framework to enhance global surveillance methods, strengthen surveillance approaches, and characterize natural pathogens in various environments. By providing training resources, customized data pipelines, alert dashboards, and integrating the latest technology to effectively search and prepare for health threats.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Mirjam J. Borger, David S. Richardson, Hannah Dugdale, Terry Burke, Jan Komdeur
Summary: Species are facing challenges from rapidly changing environments, such as increased frequency of extreme weather events. While natural selection acts slowly, organisms may use mechanisms like cooperative breeding to cope with rapid change. However, our study on the Seychelles warbler found that low rainfall was associated with reduced reproductive output, but cooperative breeding did not seem to buffer against harsh environments. This highlights the importance of considering the interaction between environment and life histories when studying species survival.
Article
Ecology
Derek Kong Lam, Alain C. Frantz, Terry Burke, Eli Geffen, Simon Yung Wa Sin
Summary: The study investigates the effects of balancing selection and genetic drift on the evolution of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes in European badgers. By analyzing MHC class II DRB genes and neutral microsatellite loci in 26 populations, they found that both selection and drift contribute to MHC variation. The spatial pattern of MHC variation is similar to microsatellites when considering allelic identity, but balancing selection decreases genetic structuring in populations when considering functional aspects of MHC diversity.
Article
Virology
Joseph Kamau, Koray Ergunay, Paul W. Webala, Silvia A. Justi, Brian P. Bourke, Maureen W. Kamau, James Hassell, Mary N. Chege, David K. Mwaura, Cynthia Simiyu, Sospeter Kibiwot, Samson Onyuok, Laura Caicedo-Quiroga, Tao Li, Dawn M. Zimmerman, Yvonne-Marie Linton
Summary: Through metagenome sequencing of bat samples from Kenya, various viruses were detected, with retroviruses being the most prevalent. Bat coronaviruses, astroviruses, and other viruses were also identified. The study highlights the importance of continued monitoring of bats in Kenya to detect potentially zoonotic viruses.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Brian P. Bourke, Richard C. Wilkerson, Fredy Ruiz-Lopez, Silvia A. Justi, David B. Pecor, Martha L. Quinones, Juan-Carlos Navarro, Joubert Alarcon Ormaza, Joubert Alarcon Ormaza Jr, Ranulfo Gonzalez, Carmen Flores-Mendoza, Fanny Castro, Jesus E. Escovar, Yvonne-Marie Linton
Summary: This study identified high levels of cryptic diversity within the Anopheles subgenus Kerteszia, with support for at least 28 species clusters. The most diverse taxon was Anopheles neivai, with eight species clusters.
Article
Entomology
Gabriel Z. Laporta, Alexander M. Potter, Janeide F. A. Oliveira, Brian P. Bourke, David B. Pecor, Yvonne-Marie Linton
Summary: This study analyzes the impact of climate change on the distribution of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito vectors of the Zika virus. The results show that climate change will have different effects on the global distribution of these two species, with an expanded distribution in the Northern Hemisphere and a decreased distribution in the Southern Hemisphere. Europe will become more suitable for both species, while the Brazilian Amazon region will have a lower suitability. These models can help identify locations for resource allocation and surveillance efforts before a significant threat to human health emerges.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Anna C. Schleimer, Alain Frantz, Lorraine Richart, Joerg Mehnert, Gono Semiadi, Michel Wirdateti, Johanna Rode-Margono, Michel Mittelbronn, Stuart Young, Frank Drygala
Summary: This study demonstrates how biogeographic processes and human activities can significantly impact species conservation. The Bawean pig was found to have diverged at least 166 k years ago and is currently facing a small population size. Additionally, the Javan pig showed evidence of secondary contact with another pig species. Immediate action should be taken to protect both species.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2023)
Article
Parasitology
Alain C. Frantz, Stephanie Lippert, Mike Heddergott
Summary: Reliable microsatellite profiles of host individuals can be obtained by amplifying DNA extracted from a parasitic nematode. This approach can be used to reconstruct invasion pathways of roundworms when samples of the raccoon hosts are lacking.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Koray Ergunay, Ender Dincer, Silvia A. A. Justi, Brian P. P. Bourke, Suppaluck P. P. Nelson, Hsiao-Mei Liao, Mehmet Ozkan Timurkan, Bekir Oguz, Ismail Sahindokuyucu, Omer Faruk Gokcecik, Drew D. D. Reinbold-Wasson, Le Jiang, Nicole L. L. Achee, John P. P. Grieco, Yvonne-Marie Linton
Summary: This study evaluated the use of metagenomic nanopore sequencing in field-collected ticks and compared it with amplification-based assays. Results showed that 11 viruses from seven genera/species were identified, and nanopore sequencing was more effective in detecting these viruses compared to PCR.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Margrethe Johansen, Suzanne Saenko, Menno Schilthuizen, Mark Blaxter, Angus Davison
Summary: This study successfully identified the genetic loci controlling shell color and banding polymorphism in the land snail Cepaea nemoralis using whole-genome resequencing and trait mapping. The researchers constructed a high-density linkage map and mapped the color locus to a specific region on linkage group 11 and the mid-banded locus to a specific region on linkage group 15. This linkage map will be valuable for future evolutionary and population genomic studies of C. nemoralis and related species.