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Barraquand F, Nielsen ÓK. Survival rates of adult and juvenile gyrfalcons in Iceland: estimates and drivers. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12404. [PMID: 34900413 PMCID: PMC8621780 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of survival rates and their potential covariation with environmental drivers, for both adults and juveniles, is paramount to forecast the population dynamics of long-lived animals. Long-lived bird and mammal populations are indeed very sensitive to change in survival rates, especially that of adults. Here we report the first survival estimates for the Icelandic gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) obtained by capture-mark-recapture methods. We use a mark-recapture-recovery model combining live and dead encounters into a unified analysis, in a Bayesian framework. Annual survival was estimated at 0.83 for adults and 0.40 for juveniles. Positive effects of main prey density on juvenile survival (5% increase in survival from min to max density) were possible though not likely. Weather effects on juvenile survival were even less likely. The variability in observed lifespan suggests that adult birds could suffer from human-induced alteration of survival rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric Barraquand
- Institute of Mathematics of Bordeaux, CNRS, Talence, France
- Integrative and Theoretical Ecology, Labex COTE, University of Bordeaux, Pessac, France
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Oppel S, Saravia V, Bounas A, Arkumarev V, Kret E, Dobrev V, Dobrev D, Kordopatis P, Skartsi T, Velevski M, Petrovski N, Bino T, Topi M, Klisurov I, Stoychev S, Nikolov SC. Population reinforcement and demographic changes needed to stabilise the population of a migratory vulture. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Steffen Oppel
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Cambridge UK
| | | | | | - Volen Arkumarev
- Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife Bulgaria Sofia Bulgaria
| | | | - Vladimir Dobrev
- Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife Bulgaria Sofia Bulgaria
| | - Dobromir Dobrev
- Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife Bulgaria Sofia Bulgaria
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Mirjan Topi
- Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania Tirana Albania
| | | | - Stoycho Stoychev
- Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife Bulgaria Sofia Bulgaria
| | - Stoyan C. Nikolov
- Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds/BirdLife Bulgaria Sofia Bulgaria
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Azpillaga M, Real J, Hernández‐Matías A. Effects of rearing conditions on natal dispersal processes in a long-lived predator bird. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:6682-6698. [PMID: 30038767 PMCID: PMC6053564 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Revised: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Natal or prebreeding dispersal is a key driver of the functioning, dynamics, and evolution of populations. Conditions experienced by individuals during development, that is, rearing conditions, may have serious consequences for the multiple components that shape natal dispersal processes. Rearing conditions vary as a result of differences in parental and environmental quality, and it has been shown that favorable rearing conditions are beneficial for individuals throughout their lives. However, the long-term consequences of rearing conditions on natal dispersal are still not fully understood in long-lived birds. In this study, we aim to test the following hypotheses to address the relationship between rearing conditions and certain components of the natal dispersal process in Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata): (1) The body condition of nestlings depends on the quality of the territory and/or breeders; and (2) the survival until recruitment, (3) the age of recruitment, and (4) the natal dispersal distance (NDD) all depend on rearing conditions. As expected, nestlings reared in territories with high past productivity of chicks had better body condition, which indicates that both body condition and past productivity reflect the rearing conditions under which chicks are raised. In addition, chicks raised in territories with high past productivity and with good body condition had greater chances of surviving until recruitment. Furthermore, birds that have better condition recruit earlier, and males recruit at a younger age than females. At last, although females in good body condition exhibited higher NDD when they recruited at younger ages, this pattern was not observed in either older females or males. Overall, this study provides evidence that rearing conditions have important long-term consequences in long-lived birds. On the basis of our results, we advocate that conservation managers work actively in the promotion of actions aimed at improving the rearing conditions under which individuals develop in threatened populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maialen Azpillaga
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i CiènciesAmbientals del Institut de la Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO)Equip de Biologia de la ConservacióUniversitat de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
| | - Joan Real
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i CiènciesAmbientals del Institut de la Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO)Equip de Biologia de la ConservacióUniversitat de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
| | - Antonio Hernández‐Matías
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i CiènciesAmbientals del Institut de la Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO)Equip de Biologia de la ConservacióUniversitat de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
- Departament de Ciències AmbientalsFacultat de CiènciesUniversitat de GironaGironaSpain
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The influence of diet on nestling body condition of an apex predator: a multi-biomarker approach. J Comp Physiol B 2016; 186:343-62. [PMID: 26857272 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-016-0967-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Revised: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/25/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Animal body condition refers to the health and physiological state of individuals, and multiple parameters have been proposed to quantify this key concept. Food intake is one of the main determinants of individual body condition and much debate has been generated on how diet relates to body condition. We investigated this relationship in free-living Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata) nestlings sampled at two geographically distant populations in Spain. Nestlings' main prey consumption was estimated by isotopic analyses. A multi-biomarker approach, including morphometric and blood biochemical measures (i.e. hematocrit, plasma biochemistry and oxidative stress biomarkers), enabled us to integrate all the body condition measures taken. A greater consumption of a preferred prey [i.e. the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)] improved nestling body condition, as indicated by lower levels of cholesterol in plasma, greater activity of enzymes mediating in protein catabolism, higher levels of tocopherol and glutathione, and less glutathione peroxidase activity, which also suggested lower degree of oxidative stress. On the other hand, increased diet diversity was positively correlated with higher levels of oxidized glutathione, which suggests that these nestlings had poorer body condition than those with a higher frequency of preferred prey consumption. Several factors other than diet [i.e. altitude of nesting areas, nestling sex and age, sampling time (before or after midday) and recent food ingestion] had an effect on certain body condition measures. Our study reveals a measurable effect of diet on a predator's body condition and demonstrates the importance of considering the potential influence of multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors when assessing animal body condition.
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Chevallier C, Hernández-Matías A, Real J, Vincent-Martin N, Ravayrol A, Besnard A. Retrofitting of power lines effectively reduces mortality by electrocution in large birds: an example with the endangered Bonelli's eagle. J Appl Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Clément Chevallier
- CEFE UMR 5175; CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier - EPHE; Campus CNRS; 1919 route de Mende 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5 France
- Canada Research Chair on Northern Biodiversity and Centre d’Études Nordiques; Université du Québec à Rimouski; 300 Allée des Ursulines Rimouski QC G5L3A1 Canada
| | - Antonio Hernández-Matías
- Conservation Biology Group; Departament de Biología Animal; Universitat de Barcelona; Av Diagonal 645 Barcelona 08028 Spain
| | - Joan Real
- Conservation Biology Group; Departament de Biología Animal; Universitat de Barcelona; Av Diagonal 645 Barcelona 08028 Spain
| | - Nicolas Vincent-Martin
- Conservatoire-Études des Écosystèmes de Provence, Ecomusée de la Crau, Boulevard de Provence; 13310 Saint Martin de Crau France
| | - Alain Ravayrol
- La Salsepareille; 7 rue Lieutenant Fernand Pio 34800 Clermont l'Hérault France
| | - Aurélien Besnard
- CEFE UMR 5175; CNRS - Université de Montpellier - Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier - EPHE; Campus CNRS; 1919 route de Mende 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5 France
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Resano-Mayor J, Real J, Moleón M, Sánchez-Zapata JA, Palma L, Hernández-Matías A. Diet-demography relationships in a long-lived predator: from territories to populations. OIKOS 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.02468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jaime Resano-Mayor
- Equip de Biologia de la Conservació, Dept de Biologia Animal and IRBIO; Univ. de Barcelona; Av. Diagonal 643 ES-08028 Barcelona Catalonia Spain
- Inst. of Ecology and Evolution, Division of Conservation Biology; Univ. of Bern; Baltzerstrasse 6 CH-3012 Bern Switzerland
| | - Joan Real
- Equip de Biologia de la Conservació, Dept de Biologia Animal and IRBIO; Univ. de Barcelona; Av. Diagonal 643 ES-08028 Barcelona Catalonia Spain
| | - Marcos Moleón
- Depto de Biología Aplicada; Univ. Miguel Hernández; Ctra. Beniel km 3.2 ES-03312 Orihuela Alicante Spain
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, Univ. of the Witwatersrand; Wits 2050 Johannesburg South Africa
| | | | - Luís Palma
- Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO), Univ. do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão; PT-4485-601 Vairão Portugal
| | - Antonio Hernández-Matías
- Equip de Biologia de la Conservació, Dept de Biologia Animal and IRBIO; Univ. de Barcelona; Av. Diagonal 643 ES-08028 Barcelona Catalonia Spain
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Resano-Mayor J, Hernández-Matías A, Real J, Moleón M, Parés F, Inger R, Bearhop S. Multi-scale effects of nestling diet on breeding performance in a terrestrial top predator inferred from stable isotope analysis. PLoS One 2014; 9:e95320. [PMID: 24743233 PMCID: PMC3990674 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2013] [Accepted: 03/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Inter-individual diet variation within populations is likely to have important ecological and evolutionary implications. The diet-fitness relationships at the individual level and the emerging population processes are, however, poorly understood for most avian predators inhabiting complex terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, we use an isotopic approach to assess the trophic ecology of nestlings in a long-lived raptor, the Bonelli’s eagle Aquila fasciata, and investigate whether nestling dietary breath and main prey consumption can affect the species’ reproductive performance at two spatial scales: territories within populations and populations over a large geographic area. At the territory level, those breeding pairs whose nestlings consumed similar diets to the overall population (i.e. moderate consumption of preferred prey, but complemented by alternative prey categories) or those disproportionally consuming preferred prey were more likely to fledge two chicks. An increase in the diet diversity, however, related negatively with productivity. The age and replacements of breeding pair members had also an influence on productivity, with more fledglings associated to adult pairs with few replacements, as expected in long-lived species. At the population level, mean productivity was higher in those population-years with lower dietary breadth and higher diet similarity among territories, which was related to an overall higher consumption of preferred prey. Thus, we revealed a correspondence in diet-fitness relationships at two spatial scales: territories and populations. We suggest that stable isotope analyses may be a powerful tool to monitor the diet of terrestrial avian predators on large spatio-temporal scales, which could serve to detect potential changes in the availability of those prey on which predators depend for breeding. We encourage ecologists and evolutionary and conservation biologists concerned with the multi-scale fitness consequences of inter-individual variation in resource use to employ similar stable isotope-based approaches, which can be successfully applied to complex ecosystems such as the Mediterranean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime Resano-Mayor
- Equip de Biologia de la Conservació, Departament de Biologia Animal, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Antonio Hernández-Matías
- Equip de Biologia de la Conservació, Departament de Biologia Animal, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Joan Real
- Equip de Biologia de la Conservació, Departament de Biologia Animal, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Marcos Moleón
- Departamento de Biología Aplicada, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Orihuela, Alicante, Spain
| | - Francesc Parés
- Equip de Biologia de la Conservació, Departament de Biologia Animal, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Richard Inger
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom
| | - Stuart Bearhop
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom
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Hernández-Matías A, Real J, Moleón M, Palma L, Sánchez-Zapata JA, Pradel R, Carrete M, Gil-Sánchez JM, Beja P, Balbontín J, Vincent-Martin N, Ravayrol A, Benítez JR, Arroyo B, Fernández C, Ferreiro E, García J. From local monitoring to a broad-scale viability assessment: a case study for the Bonelli's Eagle in western Europe. ECOL MONOGR 2013. [DOI: 10.1890/12-1248.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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López-López P, Sarà M, Di Vittorio M. Living on the edge: assessing the extinction risk of critically endangered Bonelli's eagle in Italy. PLoS One 2012; 7:e37862. [PMID: 22662239 PMCID: PMC3360590 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0037862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2012] [Accepted: 04/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The population of Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata) has declined drastically throughout its European range due to habitat degradation and unnatural elevated mortality. There are less than 1500 breeding pairs accounted for in Europe, and the species is currently catalogued as Critically Endangered in Italy, where the 22 territories of Sicily, represent nearly 95% of the entire Italian population. However, despite national and European conservation concerns, the species currently lacks a specific conservation plan, and no previous attempts to estimate the risk of extinction have been made. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We incorporated the most updated demographic information available to assess the extinction risk of endangered Bonelli's eagle in Italy through a Population Viability Analysis. Using perturbation analyses (sensitivity and elasticity), and a combination of demographic data obtained from an assortment of independent methods, we evaluated which demographic parameters have more influence on the population's fate. We also simulated different scenarios to explore the effects of possible management actions. Our results showed that under the current conditions, Bonelli's eagle is expected to become extinct in Italy in less than 50 years. Stand-alone juvenile mortality was the most critical demographic parameter with the strongest influence on population persistence with respect to other demographic parameters. Measures aimed at either decreasing juvenile mortality, adult mortality or decreasing both juvenile and adult mortality resulted in equivalent net positive effects on population persistence (population growth rate λ>1). In contrast, changes aimed at increasing breeding success had limited positive effects on demographic trends. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Our PVA provides essential information to direct the decision-making process and exposes gaps in our previous knowledge. To ensure the long-term persistence of the species in Italy, measures are urgently needed to decrease both adult mortality due to poaching and juvenile mortality due to nest plundering, the top ranking mortality causes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascual López-López
- Vertebrates Zoology Research Group, CIBIO, [corrected] University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain.
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