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Jerie S, Shabani T, Mudyazhezha OC, Shabani T. A review towards developing a hierarchical model for sustainable hospital solid waste management in rural areas of Zimbabwe. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2024; 196:308. [PMID: 38407739 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12488-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Management of solid waste from rural hospitals is amongst problems affecting Zimbabwe due to diseases, population, and hospital increase. Solid waste from rural hospitals is receiving little attention translating to environmental health problems. Therefore, 101 secondary sources were used to write a paper aiming to proffer a hierarchical model to achieve sustainable solid waste management at rural hospitals. Rural hospitals' solid waste encompasses electronic waste, sharps, pharmaceutical, pathological, radioactive, chemical, infectious, and general waste. General solid waste from rural hospitals is between 77.35 and 79% whilst hazardous waste is between 21 and 22.65%. Solid waste increase add burden to nearly incapacitated rural hospitals. Rural hospital solid waste management processes include storage, transportation, treatment methods like autoclaving and chlorination, waste reduction alternatives, and disposal. Disposal strategies involve open pits, open burning, dumping, and incineration. Rural hospital solid waste management is guided by legislation, policies, guidelines, and conventions. Effectiveness of legal framework is limited by economic and socio-political problems. Rural hospital solid waste management remain inappropriate causing environmental health risks. Developed hierarchical model can narrow the route to attain sustainable management of rural hospitals' solid waste. Proposed hierarchical model consists of five-layered strategies and acted as a guide for identifying and ranking approaches to manage rural hospitals' solid waste. Additionally, Zimbabwean government, Environmental Management Agency and Ministry of Health is recommended to collaborate to provide sufficient resources to rural hospitals whilst enforcing legal framework. Integration of all hierarchical model's elements is essential whereas all-stakeholder involvement and solid waste minimisation approaches are significant at rural hospitals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Jerie
- Department of Geography, Environmental Sustainability and Resilience, Midlands State University, Building P. Bag, 9055, Gweru, Zimbabwe
| | - Takunda Shabani
- Department of Geography, Environmental Sustainability and Resilience, Midlands State University, Building P. Bag, 9055, Gweru, Zimbabwe.
| | - Olivia C Mudyazhezha
- Department of Geography, Environmental Sustainability and Resilience, Midlands State University, Building P. Bag, 9055, Gweru, Zimbabwe
| | - Tapiwa Shabani
- Department of Geography, Environmental Sustainability and Resilience, Midlands State University, Building P. Bag, 9055, Gweru, Zimbabwe
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Lambertucci SA, Zamora-Nasca LB, Sengupta A, de la Reta M, Plaza PI. Evidence-based legislation, strong institutions and consensus needed to mitigate the negative impacts of free-ranging dogs. AMBIO 2024; 53:299-308. [PMID: 37740870 PMCID: PMC10774468 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-023-01928-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2023]
Abstract
Dogs bring many benefits to our society but, if not properly managed, they can be detrimental for humans, livestock and wildlife. We highlight the increasing problems associated with free-ranging dogs using examples from two regions of the world where this issue is pervasive, India and South America. In these regions, free-ranging dogs spread diseases, injure people, harm biodiversity, and negatively impact human livelihoods. We discuss why mitigating these deleterious effects can be extremely complicated because there are diverse challenges such as: (a) a lack of or inappropriate legislations concerning free-ranging dog management and human-dog interactions, (b) unregulated intentional and unintentional feeding of free-ranging dogs, (c) limitations of animal shelters, (d) non-responsible ownership, and (e) uncontrolled dog populations. As the management of animal species is usually shaped by differing interests, existing policies and regulations, views and social influence of stakeholders, power asymmetries between interested parties is yet another challenge in this regard. We need evidence-based legislations and strong institutions (e.g., public health and conservation institutions) that are capable of implementing governance principles and managing the complexities of this socio-ecological system by taking science-based decisions, and balancing power asymmetries to promote consensus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio A Lambertucci
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación, Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA, Universidad Nacional del Comahue - CONICET, Quintral 1250, R8400FRF, Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina.
| | - Lucía B Zamora-Nasca
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación, Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA, Universidad Nacional del Comahue - CONICET, Quintral 1250, R8400FRF, Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina
| | - Asmita Sengupta
- Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Royal Enclave, Sriramapura, Jakkur Post, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560 064, India
- National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Marina de la Reta
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación, Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA, Universidad Nacional del Comahue - CONICET, Quintral 1250, R8400FRF, Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina
| | - Pablo I Plaza
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación, Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA, Universidad Nacional del Comahue - CONICET, Quintral 1250, R8400FRF, Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina
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Cano-Povedano J, López-Calderón C, Sánchez MI, Hortas F, Cañuelo-Jurado B, Martín-Vélez V, Ros M, Cózar A, Green AJ. Biovectoring of plastic by white storks from a landfill to a complex of salt ponds and marshes. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 197:115773. [PMID: 37992543 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
Research into plastic pollution has extensively focused on abiotic vectors, overlooking transport by animals. Opportunistic birds, such as white storks (Ciconia ciconia) often forage on landfills, where plastic abounds. We assess plastic loading by ingestion and regurgitation of landfill plastic in Cadiz Bay, a major stopover area for migratory white storks in south-west Spain. On average, we counted 599 storks per day moving between a landfill and a complex of salt ponds and marshes, where they regurgitated pellets that each contained a mean of 0.47 g of plastic debris, dominated by polyethylene. Modelling reliant on GPS tracking estimated that 99 kg and >2 million particles of plastic were biovectored into the wetland during 2022, with seasonal peaks that followed migration patterns. GPS data enabled the correction of field censuses and the identification of plastic deposition hotspots. This study highlights the important role that biovectoring plays in plastic transport into coastal wetlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julián Cano-Povedano
- Department of Conservation Biology and Global Change, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Cosme López-Calderón
- Department of Conservation Biology and Global Change, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Marta I Sánchez
- Department of Conservation Biology and Global Change, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Francisco Hortas
- Department of Biology, Institute of Marine Research (INMAR), University of Cadiz and European University of the Seas (SEA-EU), 11510 Puerto Real, Spain
| | - Belén Cañuelo-Jurado
- Department of Conservation Biology and Global Change, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Víctor Martín-Vélez
- Department of Conservation Biology and Global Change, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain; Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - Macarena Ros
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Av. Reina Mercedes 6, 41012 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Andrés Cózar
- Department of Biology, Institute of Marine Research (INMAR), University of Cadiz and European University of the Seas (SEA-EU), 11510 Puerto Real, Spain
| | - Andy J Green
- Department of Conservation Biology and Global Change, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
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Riascos JM, Gomez N. A bioengineer in the city -the Darwinian fitness of fiddler crabs inhabiting plastic pollution hotspots. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 335:122254. [PMID: 37499967 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Mangrove forests have been widely recognized as effective traps for plastic litter, which tends to accumulate in landward areas. In mangrove forests surrounding cities, plastic litter may increase up to two orders of magnitude. Therefore, crabs that process sediments for feeding and burrowing in landward areas are likely to be impacted by marine litter and other disturbances. As counterintuitive as it may seem, crabs are developing dense populations in urban mangroves from different countries, suggesting parallel adaptive processes related to the availability of anthropogenic food sources. To better understand this, we compared the loads of macroplastics within and between mangroves along an urban-rural-wild forest gradient in the Urabá Gulf, Colombian Caribbean. We then assessed if there is directional selection on crab phenotypes likely associated with human-provided food sources in urbanized forests. Finally, we evaluated the hypothesis that crabs in urban areas exhibit increased fecundity and survival - components of the Darwinian fitness - of female crabs in urban (versus wild) populations through three spawning seasons. Crabs in urban areas were larger (males), showed a healthier body condition (both sexes), and females had a larger reproductive lifespan than crabs in wild areas, strongly suggesting responses to the availability of predictable anthropogenic food subsidies in urban forests. Despite this, higher female fecundity was observed only during a spawning season. However, this short-lived increase in fecundity was offset by reduced survival among female crabs in urban forests, likely due to increased predation by birds, which appear to be emerging as dominant consumers in urban mangroves.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M Riascos
- Corporación Académica Ambiental, Universidad de Antioquia-Sede Ciencias del Mar, Turbo, Antioquia, Colombia; Corporation Center of Excellence in Marine Sciences - CEMarin, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Nicolás Gomez
- Programa de Ecología de Zonas Costeras, Universidad de Antioquia-Sede Ciencias del Mar, Turbo, Colombia
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Ruiz-Mondragón EDJ, Romero-Figueroa G, Paredes-Montesinos R, Tapia-Cabazos LA, Méndez-Rosas LA, Venegas-Barrera CS, Arrellano-García ME, Guerrero-Cárdenas I, Lozano-Cavazos EA. Community-Based Workshops to Involve Rural Communities in Wildlife Management Case Study: Bighorn Sheep in Baja California, Mexico. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:3171. [PMID: 37893895 PMCID: PMC10603732 DOI: 10.3390/ani13203171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The description of natural history, and information on the factors threatening conservation, the distribution area, and the status of species population are necessary for proper wildlife management. The objective of this research was to generate such information in two rural communities and to engage residents in bighorn sheep management through a program of three workshops. The first one covered training regarding natural history and management of the species. The second one consisted in the description of the habitat of the species through a dynamic of participatory mapping. The third, include a design of a one strategy to monitor the bighorn sheep population. The workshops were attended by 37 people from the two rural communities. The results suggest the economic element was the main interest of the inhabitants regarding the bighorn sheep. Eleven risk factors were identified to the bighorn sheep in the study sites, a participatory map with relevant information for the management of the species on each community was developed, and a monitoring strategy of the bighorn sheep population was prepared. The workshop program proposed in this research is a tool that can be applied in rural communities to lay the groundwork for a long-term management project of wildlife species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrique de J. Ruiz-Mondragón
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada 22860, BC, Mexico; (E.d.J.R.-M.); (R.P.-M.); (L.A.T.-C.); (L.A.M.-R.); (M.E.A.-G.)
| | - Guillermo Romero-Figueroa
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada 22860, BC, Mexico; (E.d.J.R.-M.); (R.P.-M.); (L.A.T.-C.); (L.A.M.-R.); (M.E.A.-G.)
| | - Rafael Paredes-Montesinos
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada 22860, BC, Mexico; (E.d.J.R.-M.); (R.P.-M.); (L.A.T.-C.); (L.A.M.-R.); (M.E.A.-G.)
| | - Luz A. Tapia-Cabazos
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada 22860, BC, Mexico; (E.d.J.R.-M.); (R.P.-M.); (L.A.T.-C.); (L.A.M.-R.); (M.E.A.-G.)
| | - Luis A. Méndez-Rosas
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada 22860, BC, Mexico; (E.d.J.R.-M.); (R.P.-M.); (L.A.T.-C.); (L.A.M.-R.); (M.E.A.-G.)
| | - Crystian S. Venegas-Barrera
- Tecnológico Nacional de México, Benito Juárez 03330, CDMX, Mexico;
- División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Victoria, Ciudad Victoria 87010, TAMPS, Mexico
| | - María E. Arrellano-García
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada 22860, BC, Mexico; (E.d.J.R.-M.); (R.P.-M.); (L.A.T.-C.); (L.A.M.-R.); (M.E.A.-G.)
| | | | - Eloy A. Lozano-Cavazos
- Departamento de Recursos Naturales Renovables, Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Saltillo 25315, COAH, Mexico;
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Macdonald KJ, Driscoll DA, Macdonald KJ, Hradsky B, Doherty TS. Meta-analysis reveals impacts of disturbance on reptile and amphibian body condition. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:4949-4965. [PMID: 37401520 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Ecosystem disturbance is increasing in extent, severity and frequency across the globe. To date, research has largely focussed on the impacts of disturbance on animal population size, extinction risk and species richness. However, individual responses, such as changes in body condition, can act as more sensitive metrics and may provide early warning signs of reduced fitness and population declines. We conducted the first global systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the impacts of ecosystem disturbance on reptile and amphibian body condition. We collated 384 effect sizes representing 137 species from 133 studies. We tested how disturbance type, species traits, biome and taxon moderate the impacts of disturbance on body condition. We found an overall negative effect of disturbance on herpetofauna body condition (Hedges' g = -0.37, 95% CI: -0.57, -0.18). Disturbance type was an influential predictor of body condition response and all disturbance types had a negative mean effect. Drought, invasive species and agriculture had the largest effects. The impact of disturbance varied in strength and direction across biomes, with the largest negative effects found within Mediterranean and temperate biomes. In contrast, taxon, body size, habitat specialisation and conservation status were not influential predictors of disturbance effects. Our findings reveal the widespread effects of disturbance on herpetofauna body condition and highlight the potential role of individual-level response metrics in enhancing wildlife monitoring. The use of individual response metrics alongside population and community metrics would deepen our understanding of disturbance impacts by revealing both early impacts and chronic effects within affected populations. This could enable early and more informed conservation management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina J Macdonald
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
| | - Don A Driscoll
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kimberley J Macdonald
- Biodiversity Protection and Information Branch, Biodiversity Division, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Bronwyn Hradsky
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Tim S Doherty
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Schutten K, Chandrashekar A, Bourdages M, Bowes V, Elliott J, Lee S, Redford T, Provencher J, Jardine C, Wilson L. Assessing plastic ingestion in birds of prey from British Columbia, Canada. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:76631-76639. [PMID: 37243770 PMCID: PMC10300153 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-27830-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Since first being introduced for public use in the 1960s, plastic has become one of the most pervasive and ubiquitous forms of pollution globally. The potential fate and effects of plastic pollution on birds is a rapidly growing area of research, but knowledge of terrestrial and freshwater species is limited. Birds of prey have been particularly understudied, with no published data on plastic ingestion in raptors in Canada to date, and very few studies globally. To assess the ingestion of plastic in raptors, we analysed the contents of the upper gastrointestinal tracts from a total of 234 individuals across 15 raptor species, collected between 2013 and 2021. Upper gastrointestinal tracts were assessed for plastics and anthropogenic particles > 2 mm in size. Of the 234 specimens examined, only five individuals across two species had evidence of retained anthropogenic particles in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Two of 33 bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, 6.1%) had retained plastics in the gizzard, while three of 108 barred owls (Strix varia, 2.8%) had retained plastic and non-plastic anthropogenic litter. The remaining 13 species were negative for particles > 2 mm in size (N = 1-25). These results suggest that most hunting raptor species do not appear to ingest and retain larger anthropogenic particles, though foraging guild and habitat may influence risk. We recommend that future research investigate microplastic accumulation in raptors, in order to gain a more holistic understanding of plastic ingestion in these species. Future work should also focus on increasing sample sizes across all species to improve the ability to assess landscape- and species-level factors that influence vulnerability and susceptibility of plastic pollution ingestion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerry Schutten
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - Akshaya Chandrashekar
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | | | - Victoria Bowes
- Government of British Columbia, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
| | - John Elliott
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Sandi Lee
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Tony Redford
- Government of British Columbia, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Claire Jardine
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd E, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Laurie Wilson
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Canada
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Cerecedo-Iglesias C, Bartumeus F, Cortés-Avizanda A, Pretus JL, Hernández-Matías A, Real J. Resource predictability modulates spatial-use networks in an endangered scavenger species. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:22. [PMID: 37081522 PMCID: PMC10120099 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00383-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Changes in human-induced resource availability can alter the behaviour of free-living species and affect their foraging strategies. The future European Landfill Waste Directive and Circular Economy Action Plan will reduce the number of predictable anthropogenic food subsidies (PAFS), above all, by closing landfills to preclude negative effects on human health. Obligate avian scavengers, the most threatened group of birds worldwide, are the most likely group of species that will be forced to change their behaviour and use of space in response to landfill site closures. Here, we examine the possible consequences of these management decisions on the foraging patterns of Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus) in an expanding population in the Iberian Peninsula. METHODS We tracked 16 individuals in 2018-2021, including breeders and non-breeders, and, using a combination of spatial-use and spatial-network modelling, assessed landscape connectivity between key resources based on movement patterns. We then carried out simulations of future scenarios based on the loss of PAFS to predict likely changes in the movement patterns of both non-breeders and breeders. RESULTS Our results show that foraging strategies in non-breeders and breeders differ significantly: non-breeders performed more dispersal movements than breeding birds across a spatial-use network. Non-breeding and breeding networks were found to be vulnerable to the removal of central foraging areas containing landfill sites, a highly predictable resource, while perturbation analysis showed dissimilar foraging responses to the gradual reduction of other predictable resources. Under a context of the non-availability of landfills for breeders and non-breeders, vultures will increase their use of extensive livestock as a trophic resource. CONCLUSIONS Future environmental policies should thus extend the areas used by scavengers in which livestock carcasses are allowed to remain in the wild, a strategy that will also mitigate the lack of food caused by any reduction in available waste if landfills close. In general, our results emphasize the capabilities of a spatial network approaches to address questions on movement ecology. They can be used to infer the behavioural response of animal species and, also demonstrate the importance of applying such approaches to endangered species conservation within a context of changing humanized scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catuxa Cerecedo-Iglesias
- Equip de Biologia de la Conservació, Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia and Institut de la Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO), Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia Spain
| | - Frederic Bartumeus
- Centre d’Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB), CSIC, Accés a la Cala Sant Francesc, 17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain
- Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals, CREAF, Campus Bellaterra, 17300 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, ICREA, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ainara Cortés-Avizanda
- Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Seville, Avda. Reina Mercedes 6, 41012 Seville, Spain
| | - Joan Ll. Pretus
- Equip de Biologia de la Conservació, Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia and Institut de la Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO), Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia Spain
| | - Antonio Hernández-Matías
- Equip de Biologia de la Conservació, Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia and Institut de la Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO), Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia Spain
| | - Joan Real
- Equip de Biologia de la Conservació, Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia and Institut de la Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBIO), Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia Spain
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López-Calderón C, Martín-Vélez V, Blas J, Höfle U, Sánchez MI, Flack A, Fiedler W, Wikelski M, Green AJ. White stork movements reveal the ecological connectivity between landfills and different habitats. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:18. [PMID: 36978169 PMCID: PMC10045253 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00380-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Connections between habitats are key to a full understanding of anthropic impacts on ecosystems. Freshwater habitats are especially biodiverse, yet depend on exchange with terrestrial habitats. White storks (Ciconia ciconia) are widespread opportunists that often forage in landfills and then visit wetlands, among other habitats. It is well known that white storks ingest contaminants at landfills (such as plastics and antibiotic resistant bacteria), which can be then deposited in other habitats through their faeces and regurgitated pellets. METHODS We characterized the role of white storks in habitat connectivity by analyzing GPS data from populations breeding in Germany and wintering from Spain to Morocco. We overlaid GPS tracks on a land-use surface to construct a spatially-explicit network in which nodes were sites, and links were direct flights. We then calculated centrality metrics, identified spatial modules, and quantified overall connections between habitat types. For regional networks in southern Spain and northern Morocco, we built Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGMs) to explain network topologies as a response to node habitat. RESULTS For Spain and Morocco combined, we built a directed spatial network with 114 nodes and 370 valued links. Landfills were the habitat type most connected to others, as measured by direct flights. The relevance of landfills was confirmed in both ERGMs, with significant positive effects of this habitat as a source of flights. In the ERGM for southern Spain, we found significant positive effects of rice fields and salines (solar saltworks) as sinks for flights. By contrast, in the ERGM for northern Morocco, we found a significant positive effect of marshes as a sink for flights. CONCLUSIONS These results illustrate how white storks connect landfills with terrestrial and aquatic habitats, some of which are managed for food production. We identified specific interconnected habitat patches across Spain and Morocco that could be used for further studies on biovectoring of pollutants, pathogens and other propagules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cosme López-Calderón
- Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Seville, Spain.
| | - Víctor Martín-Vélez
- Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Julio Blas
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Ursula Höfle
- SaBio Health and Biotechnology Research Group, Institute for Game and Wildlife Research (IREC), CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Marta I Sánchez
- Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Andrea Flack
- Collective Migration Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Radolfzell, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78468, Constance, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Fiedler
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Radolfzell, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78468, Constance, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of Migration and Immuno-Ecology, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Radolfzell, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78468, Constance, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
| | - Andy J Green
- Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Seville, Spain
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10
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Blanco G, Gómez-Ramírez P, Espín S, Sánchez-Virosta P, Frías Ó, García-Fernández AJ. Domestic Waste and Wastewaters as Potential Sources of Pharmaceuticals in Nestling White Storks (Ciconia ciconia). Antibiotics (Basel) 2023; 12:antibiotics12030520. [PMID: 36978387 PMCID: PMC10044248 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12030520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Information on the exposure of wild birds to pharmaceuticals from wastewater and urban refuse is scarce despite the enormous amount of drugs consumed and discarded by human populations. We tested for the presence of a battery of antibiotics, NSAIDs, and analgesics in the blood of white stork (Ciconia ciconia) nestlings in the vicinity of urban waste dumps and contaminated rivers in Madrid, central Spain. We also carried out a literature review on the occurrence and concentration of the tested compounds in other wild bird species to further evaluate possible shared exposure routes with white storks. The presence of two pharmaceutical drugs (the analgesic acetaminophen and the antibiotic marbofloxacin) out of fourteen analysed in the blood of nestlings was confirmed in 15% of individuals (n = 20) and in 30% of the nests (n = 10). The apparently low occurrence and concentration (acetaminophen: 9.45 ng mL−1; marbofloxacin: 7.21 ng mL−1) in nestlings from different nests suggests the uptake through food acquired in rubbish dumps rather than through contaminated flowing water provided by parents to offspring. As with other synthetic materials, different administration forms (tablets, capsules, and gels) of acetaminophen discarded in household waste could be accidentally ingested when parent storks forage on rubbish to provide meat scraps to their nestlings. The presence of the fluoroquinolone marbofloxacin, exclusively used in veterinary medicine, suggests exposure via consumption of meat residues of treated animals for human consumption found in rubbish dumps, as documented previously at higher concentrations in vultures consuming entire carcasses of large livestock. Control measures and ecopharmacovigilance frameworks are needed to minimize the release of pharmaceutical compounds from the human population into the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Blanco
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
- Correspondence:
| | - Pilar Gómez-Ramírez
- Toxicology and Risk Assessment Group, Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Silvia Espín
- Toxicology and Risk Assessment Group, Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
- Area of Toxicology, Department of Socio-Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Pablo Sánchez-Virosta
- Area of Toxicology, Department of Socio-Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Óscar Frías
- Department of Physical, Chemical and Natural Systems, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carretera de Utrera, km. 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Antonio J. García-Fernández
- Toxicology and Risk Assessment Group, Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB-Arrixaca), University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
- Area of Toxicology, Department of Socio-Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
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11
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Frixione MG, Lisnizer N, Yorio P. Year-round use of anthropogenic food sources in human modified landscapes by adult and young Kelp Gulls. FOOD WEBS 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2023.e00274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
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12
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Pereira AC, Colli GR. Landscape features affect caiman body condition in the middle Araguaia River floodplain. Anim Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. C. Pereira
- Departamento de Zoologia Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília Brasília Brazil
| | - G. R. Colli
- Departamento de Zoologia Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília Brasília Brazil
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13
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Arizaga J, Alzaga V, Villanúa D, Barbarin JM, Alonso D, Resano-Mayor J. Distance to landfill and habitat cover predict colony size in a Western Mediterranean white stork population. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-022-01626-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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14
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Leaving more than footprints: Anthropogenic nutrient subsidies to a protected area. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
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15
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Gray squirrels consume anthropogenic food waste most often during winter. Mamm Biol 2022; 103:69-81. [PMID: 36373055 PMCID: PMC9638426 DOI: 10.1007/s42991-022-00326-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Urban habitats provide wildlife with predictable, easily accessible and abundant food sources in the form of human food waste. Urban eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) are commonly observed feeding in trash bins, but we lack data regarding the type, quantity and seasonal changes in food waste usage. We observed five trash bins on an urban university campus during four different observation periods. We recorded the time squirrels spent on and inside trash bins and type of retrieved food items. We also recorded ambient temperature, human presence and trash bin filling. Moreover, we determined changes in squirrel population density in a natural and three anthropogenic habitats during the same periods. Trash bins were fuller when human presence was higher. The higher human presence, the more squirrels went on and inside the bin, but there was no effect on number of retrieved food items. Trash bin usage by squirrels decreased when ambient temperature and bin filling increased. Most food items were retrieved during the coldest observation period, a period of high human presence, and the majority of retrieved food items were starchy foods (e.g., bread, French fries). The relationship between the number of squirrels observed along transects and a measure of urbanization, the normalized difference built-up index, was negative in periods with high ambient temperatures and positive in periods with low ambient temperatures, indicating winter may be less challenging in urban areas, likely facilitated by the availability of anthropogenic food sources, allowing a higher level of activity throughout winter. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42991-022-00326-3.
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Urban Birds as Antimicrobial Resistance Sentinels: White Storks Showed Higher Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli Levels Than Seagulls in Central Spain. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12192714. [PMID: 36230455 PMCID: PMC9558531 DOI: 10.3390/ani12192714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of AMR bacteria in the human-animal-environmental interface is a clear example of the One Health medicine. Several studies evidence the presence of resistant bacteria in wildlife, which can be used as a good indicator of anthropization level on the ecosystem. The fast increase in AMR in the environment in the last decade has been led by several factors as globalization and migration. Migratory birds can travel hundreds of kilometers and disseminate pathogens and AMR through different regions or even continents. The aim of this study was to compare the level of AMR in three migratory bird species: Ciconia ciconia, Larus fuscus and Chroicocephalus ridibundus. For this purpose, commensal Escherichia coli has been considered a useful indicator for AMR studies. After E. coli isolation from individual cloacal swabs, antimicrobial susceptibility tests were performed by the disk-diffusion method, including 17 different antibiotics. A total of 63.2% of gulls had resistant strains, in contrast to 31.6% of white storks. Out of all the resistant strains, 38.9% were considered multi-drug resistant (50% of white storks and 30% of seagulls). The antibiotic classes with the highest rate of AMR were betalactamics, quinolones and tetracyclines, the most commonly used antibiotic in human and veterinary medicine in Spain.
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17
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Vaverková MD, Paleologos EK, Adamcová D, Podlasek A, Pasternak G, Červenková J, Skutnik Z, Koda E, Winkler J. Municipal solid waste landfill: Evidence of the effect of applied landfill management on vegetation composition. WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH : THE JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOLID WASTES AND PUBLIC CLEANSING ASSOCIATION, ISWA 2022; 40:1402-1411. [PMID: 35199614 DOI: 10.1177/0734242x221079304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Proper management of municipal solid waste (MSW) is crucial to avoid pollution, environmental impacts and threat to public health. The problem of MSW is mainly arising from inadequate landfill site management. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of management practices and environmental risks at two landfill sites. The landfills were subject to long-term (10 years) vegetation monitoring. The vegetation was assessed using a floristic survey of identified plant species. The vegetation analysis showed that significant differences existed between the two landfill locations, with neophytes, invasive and expansive species dominating on one of the landfill sites, which may be attributed to climatic and geomorphological differences between the two sites, but also to variations in landfill management. These environmentally problematic species can potentially spread from the landfill into adjacent ecosystems, displace native plants and degrade adjacent farmland areas. The study of vegetation monitoring data suggests that, in addition to other types of monitoring, landfills should be subjected to regular vegetation biomonitoring, too. Landfill management practices should target the regulation of unwanted species, create conditions that are favourable to native plant species and provide as early as possible the restoration of filled cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Daria Vaverková
- Department of Applied and Landscape Ecology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Civil Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Evan K Paleologos
- Department of Civil Engineering, Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Dana Adamcová
- Department of Applied and Landscape Ecology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Anna Podlasek
- Institute of Civil Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Pasternak
- Institute of Civil Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jana Červenková
- Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Zdzisław Skutnik
- Institute of Civil Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Eugeniusz Koda
- Institute of Civil Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jan Winkler
- Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
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18
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Yamaguchi S, Ueno M. Body size of raccoons introduced in west-central Hokkaido, Japan: Evaluation using two spatial scales. CAN J ZOOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2022-0030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Evaluating body size as an indicator of life history traits is essential for the proper management of invasive species. The body size of alien species may change due to differing climates at the latitudinal scale and presence of anthropogenic food at a regional scale; however, only few studies have examined spatial variation in body size of alien carnivores at two spatial scales. In this study, we evaluated the body size of adult raccoons (Procyon lotor (Linnaeus, 1758)) inhabiting Hokkaido, Japan by comparing populations from different latitudes. Second, we examined the contribution of anthropogenic food (i.e., residential areas, crop field areas, and livestock farm density) to variations in body size in our study area in west-central Hokkaido. Using body mass as an index of body size, we found that body size did not change along latitudinal clines. Thus, the body mass of omnivorous carnivores may be unaffected by climatic variations. On a regional scale, anthropogenic food did not affect the body mass of raccoons. Thus, anthropogenic food is only supplemental for raccoons in our study area, if at all. We conclude that implementing culling programs are essential for effectively managing invasive species, rather than preventing their consumption of anthropogenic food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saya Yamaguchi
- Hokkaido Research Organization, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Mayumi Ueno
- Hokkaido Research Organization, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
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19
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Environmental and social correlates, and energetic consequences of fitness maximisation on different migratory behaviours in a long-lived scavenger. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03223-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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20
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Anthropogenic food: an emerging threat to polar bears. ORYX 2022. [DOI: 10.1017/s0030605322000278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Supplemental food from anthropogenic sources is a source of conflict with humans for many wildlife species. Food-seeking behaviours by black bears Ursus americanus and brown bears Ursus arctos can lead to property damage, human injury and mortality of the offending bears. Such conflicts are a well-known conservation management issue wherever people live in bear habitats. In contrast, the use of anthropogenic foods by the polar bear Ursus maritimus is less common historically but is a growing conservation and management issue across the Arctic. Here we present six case studies that illustrate how negative food-related interactions between humans and polar bears can become either chronic or ephemeral and unpredictable. Our examination suggests that attractants are an increasing problem, exacerbated by climate change-driven sea-ice losses that cause increased use of terrestrial habitats by bears. Growing human populations and increased human visitation increase the likelihood of human–polar bear conflict. Efforts to reduce food conditioning in polar bears include attractant management, proactive planning and adequate resources for northern communities to reduce conflicts and improve human safety. Permanent removal of unsecured sources of nutrition, to reduce food conditioning, should begin immediately at the local level as this will help to reduce polar bear mortality.
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21
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Fluctuating asymmetry and oxidative stress indicate environmental stress of Cane toads Rhinella marina. ZOOL ANZ 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2022.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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22
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Ahlstrom CA, Woksepp H, Sandegren L, Mohsin M, Hasan B, Muzyka D, Hernandez J, Aguirre F, Tok A, Söderman J, Olsen B, Ramey AM, Bonnedahl J. Genomically diverse carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae from wild birds provide insight into global patterns of spatiotemporal dissemination. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 824:153632. [PMID: 35124031 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are a threat to public health globally, yet the role of the environment in the epidemiology of CRE remains elusive. Given that wild birds can acquire CRE, likely from foraging in anthropogenically impacted areas, and may aid in the maintenance and dissemination of CRE in the environment, a spatiotemporal comparison of isolates from different regions and timepoints may be useful for elucidating epidemiological information. Thus, we characterized the genomic diversity of CRE from fecal samples opportunistically collected from gulls (Larus spp.) inhabiting Alaska (USA), Chile, Spain, Turkey, and Ukraine and from black kites (Milvus migrans) sampled in Pakistan and assessed evidence for spatiotemporal patterns of dissemination. Within and among sampling locations, a high diversity of carbapenemases was found, including Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC), New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM), oxacillinase (OXA), and Verona integron Metallo beta-lactamase (VIM). Although the majority of genomic comparisons among samples did not provide evidence for spatial dissemination, we did find strong evidence for dissemination among Alaska, Spain, and Turkey. We also found strong evidence for temporal dissemination among samples collected in Alaska and Pakistan, though the majority of CRE clones were transitory and were not repeatedly detected among locations where samples were collected longitudinally. Carbapenemase-producing hypervirulent K. pneumoniae was isolated from gulls in Spain and Ukraine and some isolates harbored antimicrobial resistance genes conferring resistance to up to 10 different antibiotic classes, including colistin. Our results are consistent with local acquisition of CRE by wild birds with spatial dissemination influenced by intermediary transmission routes, likely involving humans. Furthermore, our results support the premise that anthropogenically-associated wild birds may be good sentinels for understanding the burden of clinically-relevant antimicrobial resistance in the local human population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina A Ahlstrom
- Alaska Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA
| | - Hanna Woksepp
- Department of Development and Public Health, Kalmar County Hospital, Kalmar 391 85, Sweden; Department of Medicine and Optometry, Linnaeus University, Kalmar 391 85, Sweden
| | - Linus Sandegren
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Infection biology, antimicrobial resistance and immunology, Uppsala University, Uppsala SE-75185, Sweden
| | - Mashkoor Mohsin
- Institute of Microbiology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan
| | - Badrul Hasan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Infection biology, antimicrobial resistance and immunology, Uppsala University, Uppsala SE-75185, Sweden; Animal Bacteriology Section, Microbial Sciences, Pests and Diseases, Agriculture Victoria Research, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia
| | - Denys Muzyka
- National Scientific Center, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Kharkiv 61023, Ukraine
| | - Jorge Hernandez
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Kalmar County Hospital, Kalmar SE-39185, Sweden
| | - Filip Aguirre
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Kalmar County Hospital, Kalmar SE-39185, Sweden
| | - Atalay Tok
- Zoonosis Science Center, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala SE-75185, Sweden
| | - Jan Söderman
- Laboratory Medicine, Jönköping, Region Jönköping County, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Sweden
| | - Bjorn Olsen
- Zoonosis Science Center, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala SE-75185, Sweden
| | - Andrew M Ramey
- Alaska Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 4210 University Drive, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA
| | - Jonas Bonnedahl
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping 581 83, Sweden; Department of Infectious Diseases, Region Kalmar County, Kalmar 391 85, Sweden.
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23
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Athamnia M, Belabed BE, Samraoui KR, Boucheker A, Touati L, Samraoui F, El-Serehy HA, Samraoui B. Variability in Arrival Time of White Storks (Ciconia ciconia L.): Impact of Age, Interindividual Variation, and Global Change. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.841744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Global changes are inducing migratory birds to advance their annual cycle. However, changes in the time of arrival at their breeding grounds have significant fitness implications. This study aims to identify factors affecting the variability in arrival time of migratory white storks (Ciconia ciconia L.) and to determine if their arrival at North African breeding grounds is occurring earlier. We monitored the arrival of ringed white storks at a breeding colony in Algeria between 2017 and 2021. The birds arrived at this breeding colony over an extended period spanning mid-December to mid-June each year. We found that stork arrival was negatively correlated with age and year of arrival, with older birds arriving first and stragglers consisting of first- and second-year birds arriving later. Notably, arrivals have been shifting toward earlier dates at this breeding ground. Furthermore, cluster analysis of arrival dates for each age-class revealed two distinct groups comprising early and late arrivals. Advancement of the annual cycle of the North African white stork population is consistent with phenological shifts induced by global changes and that have been recorded globally in a wide range of living organisms.
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24
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Buechley ER, Murgatroyd M, Ruffo AD, Bishop RC, Christensen T, Marra PP, Sillett TS, Şekercioğlu ÇH. Declines in scavenging by endangered vultures in the Horn of Africa. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Evan R. Buechley
- HawkWatch International 2240 South 900 East Salt Lake City UT 84106 USA
| | - Megan Murgatroyd
- HawkWatch International 2240 South 900 East Salt Lake City UT 84106 USA
| | - Alazar Daka Ruffo
- Addis Ababa University, Faculty of Natural Science, Department of Zoological Sciences Ethiopia
| | - Rebecca C. Bishop
- School of Biological Sciences University of Utah 257 S 1400 E Salt Lake City UT 84112 USA
| | - Tara Christensen
- School of Biological Sciences University of Utah 257 S 1400 E Salt Lake City UT 84112 USA
| | - Peter P. Marra
- Department of Biology and McCourt School of Public Policy Georgetown University 37th and O Streets NW Washington DC 20057 USA
| | - T. Scott Sillett
- Migratory Bird Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute National Zoological Park, MRC 5503 Washington DC 20013‐7012
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25
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Barceló G, Perrig PL, Dharampal P, Donadio E, Steffan SA, Pauli JN. More than just meat: Carcass decomposition shapes trophic identities in a terrestrial vertebrate. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gonzalo Barceló
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison WI USA
| | - Paula L. Perrig
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison WI USA
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación INIBIOMA (Universidad Nacional del Comahue ‐ CONICET) Bariloche Argentina
| | | | | | - Shawn A. Steffan
- Department of Entomology University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison WI USA
- USDA‐ARS Vegetable Crop Research Unit Madison WI USA
| | - Jonathan N. Pauli
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison WI USA
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26
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Ineson KM, Hill NJ, Clark DE, MacKenzie KG, Whitney JJ, Laskaris Y, Ronconi RA, Ellis JC, Giroux JF, Lair S, Stevens S, Puryear WB, Runstadler JA. Age and season predict influenza A virus dynamics in urban gulls: consequences for natural hosts in unnatural landscapes. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2497. [PMID: 34783416 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Gulls are ubiquitous in urban areas due to a growing reliance on anthropogenic feeding sites, which has led to changes in their abundance, distribution, and migration ecology, with implications for disease transmission. Gulls offer a valuable model for testing hypotheses regarding the dynamics of influenza A virus (IAV) - for which gulls are a natural reservoir in urban areas. We sampled sympatric populations of Ring-billed (Larus delawarensis), Herring (L. argentatus), and Great Black-backed Gulls (L. marinus) along the densely populated Atlantic rim of North America to understand how IAV transmission is influenced by drivers such as annual cycle, host species, age, habitat type, and their interplay. We found that horizontal transmission, rather than vertical transmission, played an outsized role in the amplification of IAV due to the convergence of gulls from different breeding grounds and age classes. We detected overlapping effects of age and season in our prevalence model, identifying juveniles during autumn as the primary drivers of the seasonal epidemic in gulls. Gulls accumulated immunity over their lifespan, however short-term fluctuations in seroprevalence were observed, suggesting that migration may impose limits on the immune system to maintain circulating antibodies. We found that gulls in coastal urban habitats had higher viral prevalence than gulls captured inland, correlating with higher richness of waterbird species along the coast, a mechanism supported by our movement data. The peak in viral prevalence in newly fledged gulls that are capable of long-distance movement has important implications for the spread of pathogens to novel hosts during the migratory season as well as for human health as gulls increasingly utilize urban habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M Ineson
- Department of Natural Resources & the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, 03824, USA
| | - Nichola J Hill
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, 02125, USA
| | - Daniel E Clark
- Division of Water Supply Protection, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, West Boylston, Massachusetts, 01583, USA
| | - Kenneth G MacKenzie
- Division of Water Supply Protection, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, West Boylston, Massachusetts, 01583, USA
| | - Jillian J Whitney
- Division of Water Supply Protection, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, West Boylston, Massachusetts, 01583, USA
| | - Yianni Laskaris
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Galloway, New Jersey, 08205, USA
| | - Robert A Ronconi
- Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, B2Y 2N6, Canada
| | - Julie C Ellis
- Department of Pathobiology, Wildlife Futures Program, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, 19348, USA
| | - Jean-François Giroux
- Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Québec, H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Stéphane Lair
- Centre québécois sur la santé des animaux sauvages/Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, J2S 2M2, Canada
| | - Skyler Stevens
- Division of Mathematics, Physical, and Natural Sciences, University of New Mexico, Gallup, New Mexico, 87301, USA
| | - Wendy B Puryear
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, 01536, USA
| | - Jonathan A Runstadler
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Tufts University, North Grafton, Massachusetts, 01536, USA
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27
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The Decline of Common Birds Exemplified by the Western Jackdaw Warns on Strong Environmental Degradation. CONSERVATION 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/conservation2010007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Bird populations associated with agricultural ecosystems have declined markedly in Europe during the last quarter of the 20th century due to land-use intensification. This has meant that some very common species, in some cases even species considered as pests, are now threatened or subject to management programs to ensure their conservation. Considered pests of crops and predators of small game species, corvids are among the most persecuted common farmland birds. The consideration that these birds are pests lacks any scientific evaluation and is justified by the subjective impression that they are abundant. Here, using estimates of absolute and relative abundances of both the total and the breeding population, we show how jackdaws Corvus monedula have shown a marked negative population trend in central Spain during the last 40 years. Decline involves the loss of multiple colonies, the apparent absence of the species as a breeder in riverside forests, and an overall numerical decrease of about 75% (from 35,000 to 9000 individuals) according to counts in communal roosts. The population decline seems to be more pronounced in areas where land use has been intensified, probably in response to the reduction in the availability of once-abundant food (i.e., invertebrates and weed seeds) but also due to more direct effects such as intoxication and medium to long-term accumulation of agricultural pollutants which may have also affected reproduction and survival. Intensive hunting over decades has undoubtedly contributed to this decline and should therefore be made forbidden urgently. Generally, it seems that high-intensity agricultural management more drastically affects smaller and less adaptable common species, which are expected to decline before and at a higher extent and magnitude than jackdaws. Given that global population estimates based on direct counts of individuals are readily achievable through simultaneous counts in communal roosts, the jackdaw can serve as a model for assessing temporal trends potentially linked to large-scale anthropogenic modifications of open and agricultural environments.
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Dhananjaya T, Das S, Vyas AK, Gahlot P, Singh M. Extent of encounter with an embedded food influences how it is processed by an urbanizing macaque species. BEHAVIOUR 2022. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Rapid urbanization exerts novel adaptive pressures on animals at the interface of natural and altered environments. Urban animals often rely on synthetic foods that require skilled extraction and flexible processing. We studied how synthetic treatment of an embedded food, peanut, determined its extraction and processing across groups of bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) differing in encounter and familiarity with peanut. The possibility of the application of processing methods to similar foods was also tested. We found encounter- and form (native/shelled/skinned)-specific familiarity to peanuts, state (raw/boiled/roasted)-specific distinction in skinning, and encounter- and state-specific differences in methods of skinning. The group with the highest encounter with peanuts exhibited novel and manipulatively complex processing. Novel processing was also extended to peas and chickpeas. Our study establishes a strong relationship between familiarity with the condition of food and the processing methods used and further, demonstrates the probable role of categorization in extension of novel methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tejeshwar Dhananjaya
- Biopsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Institute of Excellence, University of Mysore, Mysuru-570006, India
| | - Sayantan Das
- Biopsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Institute of Excellence, University of Mysore, Mysuru-570006, India
- Wildlife Information Liaison Development, Coimbatore-641035, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Amal K. Vyas
- Biopsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Institute of Excellence, University of Mysore, Mysuru-570006, India
| | - Prakhar Gahlot
- Biopsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Institute of Excellence, University of Mysore, Mysuru-570006, India
| | - Mewa Singh
- Biopsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Institute of Excellence, University of Mysore, Mysuru-570006, India
- Zoo Outreach Organization, Thiruvannamalai Nagar, Saravanampatti, Coimbatore-641035, Tamil Nadu, India
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Mokotjomela TM, Nemurangoni T, Mundalamo T, Jaca TP, Kuhudzai AG. The value of dump sites for monitoring biological invasions in South Africa. Biol Invasions 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-021-02683-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Lenzi J, González-Bergonzoni I, Flaherty E, Hernández D, Machín E, Pijanowski B. The relationship between urban refuse with fecundity and nestlings' success of a generalist seabird in the Río de la Plata Estuary - Uruguay. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 173:113000. [PMID: 34634630 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2021] [Revised: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Resource acquisition and allocation impacts individual fitness. Using pellet analysis of breeding adults and stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen of down feathers of Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus) nestlings, we evaluated the relationship between urban refuse (beef and chicken) and natural food (fish) consumption of individual females during the pre-incubation period, with fecundity and young nesting's success in the Río de la Plata Estuary in Uruguay. Assimilated urban refuse positively correlated with egg weight and negatively with young nestling's success. This suggests a possible impact of urban refuse foraged by females during the pre-incubation period on their immediate fecundity (positively) and young nestling's survival (negatively). Differences between studies at the individual and colony levels are also discussed in light of an "ecological fallacy" of interpretation and we thus argue for the need of additional research to evaluate this relationship further, considering potential confounding factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Lenzi
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 715 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States; Ecological Sciences and Engineering Program, Purdue University, 715 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States; Centro de Investigación y Conservación Marina - CICMAR, Avenida Giannattasio Km 30.5, Canelones 15008, Uruguay.
| | - Iván González-Bergonzoni
- Polo de Ecología Fluvial, Departamento del Agua, CENUR Litoral Norte, Universidad de la República, Ruta 3 Km 363, Paysandú 60000, Uruguay
| | - Elizabeth Flaherty
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 715 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States
| | - Daniel Hernández
- Laboratorio de Control Ambiental PET Arrayanes (UTU/CETP), Cno de los Arrayanes Km 7, Maldonado, Uruguay
| | - Emanuel Machín
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
| | - Bryan Pijanowski
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 715 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907, United States
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Langley LP, Bearhop S, Burton NHK, Banks AN, Frayling T, Thaxter CB, Clewley GD, Scragg E, Votier SC. GPS tracking reveals landfill closures induce higher foraging effort and habitat switching in gulls. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2021; 9:56. [PMID: 34772460 PMCID: PMC8588598 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-021-00278-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Landfills are a major subsidy for some animals, with implications for their life history and demography. Gulls feed extensively on food from landfills and closures are expected to have ecological consequences, but how this influences movement ecology is virtually unknown. METHODS We used GPS-tracking to quantify foraging behaviour and habitat choice of lesser black-backed gulls (Larus fuscus) breeding at two colonies before and after closure of two nearby landfills. RESULTS Following closure, gulls from both colonies travelled further and for longer to forage. Gulls also changed habitat selection, although this differed by colony - birds from one colony shifted to agricultural habitats, while at the other, increased their use of urban areas. These behavioural responses had no effect on adult body condition but hint at potential direct effects of higher foraging costs and indirect impacts by shifting to new habitats. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate how landfill availability influences gull foraging movements and habitat selection. We also emphasize the value of biologging to detect rapid behavioural responses in contrast to more conventional demographic approaches, which is especially important for animals that spend the majority of their lives away from direct observation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam P Langley
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, TR10 9EZ, UK.
| | - Stuart Bearhop
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, TR10 9EZ, UK
| | - Niall H K Burton
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, IP24 2PU, UK
| | - Alex N Banks
- Natural England, Sterling House, Exeter, EX1 1QA, UK
| | - Tim Frayling
- Natural England, Sterling House, Exeter, EX1 1QA, UK
| | - Chris B Thaxter
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, IP24 2PU, UK
| | - Gary D Clewley
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, IP24 2PU, UK
| | - Emily Scragg
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, IP24 2PU, UK
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Evans BA, Klassen JA, Gawlik DE. Dietary flexibility of Wood Storks in response to human-induced rapid environmental change. Urban Ecosyst 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-021-01181-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Pinto E, Bastos R, Luís A, Cabral JA. Localized control of opportunistic, overabundant species in protected areas: a retrospective modelling approach encompassing future scenarios. Anim Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Pinto
- Laboratory of Applied Ecology CITAB ‐ Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro‐Environment and Biological Sciences University of Trás‐os‐Montes e Alto Douro Vila Real Portugal
- Department of Biology University of Aveiro Aveiro Portugal
| | - Rita Bastos
- Laboratory of Applied Ecology CITAB ‐ Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro‐Environment and Biological Sciences University of Trás‐os‐Montes e Alto Douro Vila Real Portugal
| | - António Luís
- Department of Biology University of Aveiro Aveiro Portugal
| | - João Alexandre Cabral
- Laboratory of Applied Ecology CITAB ‐ Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro‐Environment and Biological Sciences University of Trás‐os‐Montes e Alto Douro Vila Real Portugal
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Not just trash birds: Quantifying avian diversity at landfills using community science data. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0255391. [PMID: 34570763 PMCID: PMC8476020 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Landfills provide seasonally reliable food resources to many bird species, including those perceived to be pest or invasive species. However, landfills often contain multiple habitat types that could attract diverse species, including those of conservation concern. To date, little is known about the characteristics and composition of bird communities at landfills relative to local and regional pools. Here we used the community science database eBird to extract avian species occurrence data at landfills across the US. We compared species richness and community similarity across space in comparison to similarly-sampled reference sites, and further quantified taxonomic and dietary traits of bird communities at landfills. While landfills harbored marginally lower species richness than reference sites (respective medians of 144 vs 160), landfill community composition, and its turnover across space, were similar to reference sites. Consistent with active waste disposal areas attracting birds, species feeding at higher trophic levels, especially gulls, were more frequently observed at landfills than reference sites. However, habitat specialists including two declining grassland species, Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) and Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), as well as migratory waterfowl, were more frequently encountered at landfills than reference sites. Together, these results suggest that landfills harbor comparable avian diversity to neighboring sites, and that habitats contained within landfill sites can support species of conservation concern. As covered landfills are rarely developed or forested, management of wetlands and grasslands at these sites represents an opportunity for conservation.
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Marcelino J, Moreira F, Franco AMA, Soriano-Redondo A, Acácio M, Gauld J, Rego FC, Silva JP, Catry I. Flight altitudes of a soaring bird suggest landfill sites as power line collision hotspots. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 294:113149. [PMID: 34218073 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic structures are increasingly encroaching wildlife habitats, creating conflicts between humans and animals. Scaling up renewable energy requires new infrastructures such as power lines, that cause high mortality among birds since they act as obstacles to flight and are used for perching and nesting, which can result in collisions or electrocutions. These interactions often endanger wildlife populations and may also result in high financial costs for companies. Flight behaviour plays a crucial role in collision risk, and the study of flight altitudes enables us to understand what drives birds to fly at collision risk altitudes. This allows the identification of high-risk areas, conditions and bird behaviours, and the implementation of mitigation measures by power line companies. In this study, we use boosted random tree modelling to identify drivers of white stork (Ciconia ciconia) flight altitudes and to investigate the factors that lead them to fly at collision risk altitudes. We found that the main drivers of flight altitude for this soaring bird species were time of day, distance to the nearest landfill site and cloud cover density. Bird age, habitat type and season were comparatively less important. Collision risk increases during crepuscular hours near landfill sites, also in days with high cloud cover density and during the breeding season. In recent years, hundreds to thousands of storks congregate daily at landfill sites to take advantage of the predictability and superabundance of anthropogenic food waste. Some of these sites have high density of power lines, becoming collision risk hotspots for storks and other landfill users. Despite being susceptible to collision, our results suggest that white storks can avoid power lines to a certain extent, by changing their flight altitude at ca. 80 m from these structures. This study shows that the implementation of mitigation measures for existing power lines should be prioritized in areas in the vicinity of landfill sites within white stork distribution ranges, and the projection of new lines should avoid those areas. These measures would benefit species vulnerable to mortality due to power line collision, and it would also reduce associated power outages and economic costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Marcelino
- Centre for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves" (CEABN-InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, Lisbon, 1349-017, Portugal.
| | - Francisco Moreira
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-601, Vairão, Portugal; CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Laboratório Associado, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisboa, Portugal; REN Biodiversity Chair, CIBIO/InBIO-UP, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-601, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Aldina M A Franco
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Andrea Soriano-Redondo
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-601, Vairão, Portugal; CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Laboratório Associado, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Marta Acácio
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Jethro Gauld
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Francisco Castro Rego
- Centre for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves" (CEABN-InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, Lisbon, 1349-017, Portugal
| | - João Paulo Silva
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-601, Vairão, Portugal; CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Laboratório Associado, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisboa, Portugal; REN Biodiversity Chair, CIBIO/InBIO-UP, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-601, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Inês Catry
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-601, Vairão, Portugal; CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Laboratório Associado, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisboa, Portugal; REN Biodiversity Chair, CIBIO/InBIO-UP, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, 4485-601, Vairão, Portugal.
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Ezenwa IM, Sunday FO, Echude D, Asuoha GC, Ezeorah CC, Ejere VC. Resource constancy and diurnal population variances drive coexistence among avian scavengers at urban slaughterhouses in Nsukka region, Nigeria. Afr J Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ifeanyi Maxwell Ezenwa
- Department of Zoology and Environmental Biology University of Nigeria Nsukka Enugu State Nigeria
| | | | - Daniel Echude
- Department of Zoology and Environmental Biology University of Nigeria Nsukka Enugu State Nigeria
| | | | - Cajetan Chidebem Ezeorah
- Department of Zoology and Environmental Biology University of Nigeria Nsukka Enugu State Nigeria
| | - Vincent Chikwendu Ejere
- Department of Zoology and Environmental Biology University of Nigeria Nsukka Enugu State Nigeria
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López-García A, Sanz-Aguilar A, Aguirre JI. The trade-offs of foraging at landfills: Landfill use enhances hatching success but decrease the juvenile survival of their offspring on white storks (Ciconia ciconia). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 778:146217. [PMID: 33714819 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
During the last decades, landfills have become a valuable food source for wildlife, being in some cases determinants of large avian population increases. Superabundant food resources at landfills can increase reproductive and/or survival parameters; however, negative effects such as intoxication, plastic ingestion, skeletal deformities, unbalanced oxidative stress, and other health problems have also been reported. White stork (Ciconia ciconia) commonly benefits from landfill resources. Here, we evaluate potential landfill effects on demographic parameters (reproduction and offspring survival) at the individual level in a single population. Our results show that a more intense use of landfills by breeders has a positive effect on hatching success but a negative effect on juvenile survival probability after emancipation, at least during the first year of life. High amount of food and proximity to landfill may explain their beneficial effect on reproductive parameters. On the other hand, poor quality food, pollutants, and pathogens acquired during early development from a diet based on refuse may be responsible for reduced future survival probability. Consequently, both positive and negative effects were detected, being foraging at landfills at low to medium levels the better strategy. Although our study shows that intense foraging on rubbish can imply both costs and benefits at an individual level, the benefits of superabundant food provisioning observed at population level by other studies cannot be ignored. Management actions should be designed to improve natural food resources, reduce non-natural mortality and/or human disturbances to guarantee the species viability under current European Union regulations designed to ban open-air landfills in a near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro López-García
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Complutense University of Madrid, José Antonio Novais, 12, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Ana Sanz-Aguilar
- Animal Demography and Ecology Unit, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Miquel Marquès 21, 07190 Esporles, Spain; Applied Zoology and Conservation Group, University of Balearic Islands, Cra. Valldemossa km 7.5, 07122 Palma, Spain
| | - José I Aguirre
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Complutense University of Madrid, José Antonio Novais, 12, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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Nowak S, Szewczyk M, Tomczak P, Całus I, Figura M, Mysłajek RW. Social and environmental factors influencing contemporary cases of wolf aggression towards people in Poland. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-020-01455-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
AbstractUnderstanding factors and mechanisms causing large carnivore aggression towards people is crucial for their conservation in modern human-dominated landscapes. We present detailed descriptions of wolf attacks on people in early summer 2018 in two areas of Poland, analysis of behaviour, fitness and origin of individuals responsible for the attacks and management actions undertaken by local communities as well as governmental bodies and non-governmental organisations. We show that attacks were caused by yearling wolves (13-month-old male and 14-month-old female) originating from local packs, which appeared near households several months prior to incidents. Both individuals were positively food-conditioned and showed increasing habituation caused by irresponsible behaviour of people such as long-lasting intentional feeding or illegal keeping. Post mortem necropsy revealed obesity and serious abnormality of spleen (polysplenia) in the problem female wolf that negatively impacted her fitness and was the most likely reason for her presence near households and feeding on leftovers. Despite prolonged observations of these wolves very close to human settlements (less than 30 m), no mitigation actions were undertaken until the attacks, after which both individuals were killed. We provide several recommendations to avoid aggressive human-carnivore encounters.
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Tongue ADW, Fernie KJ, Harrad S, Drage DS, McGill RAR, Reynolds SJ. Interspecies comparisons of brominated flame retardants in relation to foraging ecology and behaviour of gulls frequenting a UK landfill. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 764:142890. [PMID: 33131861 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This study quantifies and compares concentrations and profiles of legacy and alternative (alt-) brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in the eggs of three gull (Laridae) species of international/UK conservation concern - great black-backed gulls (Larus marinus; n = 7), European herring gulls (L. argentatus; n = 16) and lesser black-backed gulls (L. fuscus; n = 11) in relation to their foraging ecology and behaviour in order to investigate potential exposure pathways at a remote landfill in western Scotland, UK. Egg concentrations of sum (∑) polybrominated diphenyl ethers (∑8PBDEs) in all three species exceeded those for most reported avian species using landfill, except for those in North America. Despite relatively high detection frequencies of ∑hexabromocyclododecanes (∑3HBCDDs) (94-100%), concentrations of ∑8PBDEs exceeded ∑3HBCDDs and ∑5alt-BFRs, with ∑8PBDE levels similar in all three species. Egg carbon isotopic (δ13C) values highlighted a greater marine dietary input in great black-backed gulls that was consistent with their higher BDE-47 levels; otherwise, dietary tracers were minimally correlated with measured BFRs. ∑3HBCDD egg concentrations of herring gulls markedly exceeded those reported elsewhere in Europe. Decabromodiphenylethane (DBDPE) was the only alt-BFR detected (6-14% detection rate), in a single egg of each species. The great black-backed gull egg contained the highest concentration of DBDPE measured in biota to date globally and provides strong evidence for its emerging environmental presence as a BDE-209 replacement in UK wildlife. Correlations between δ13C (dietary source) and some measured BFRs in eggs suggest multiple routes of BFR exposure for gulls frequenting landfill through their diet, behaviour, preening, dermal exposure and likely inhalation. The frequent use of landfill by herring gulls and their increased egg BFR burdens suggest that this species may be an important bioindicator of BFR emissions from such sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D W Tongue
- Centre for Ornithology, School of Biosciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Kim J Fernie
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division, Wildlife and Landscape Science Directorate, Environment & Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Burlington, ON L7S 1A1, Canada.
| | - Stuart Harrad
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Daniel S Drage
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Rona A R McGill
- Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, NERC Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry Facility, East Kilbride G75 0QF, UK
| | - S James Reynolds
- Centre for Ornithology, School of Biosciences, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; The Army Ornithological Society (AOS), c/o Prince Consort Library, Knollys Road, Aldershot, Hampshire GU11 1PS, UK
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Teampanpong J. Improper garbage management attracts vertebrates in a Thai national park. ECOSCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2021.1872264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jiraporn Teampanpong
- Department of Conservation, Faculty of Forestry, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
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Lopes CS, Paiva VH, Vaz PT, Pais de Faria J, Calado JG, Pereira JM, Ramos JA. Ingestion of anthropogenic materials by yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) in natural, urban, and landfill sites along Portugal in relation to diet composition. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:19046-19063. [PMID: 33394440 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-12161-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Pollution is a global concern, increasing rapidly throughout marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and affecting many species. Urbanization enhances waste production, leading to the opening of landfills that constitute a spatially and temporally predictable food source for opportunistic species. Several species of gulls are known to exploit and breed in urban areas, taking advantage of accessible and diverse food resources. The exploitation of anthropogenic food subsidies at sea (e.g. fishery discards), urban sites, and landfills leads to debris ingestion by gulls with potential negative effects. Here we characterize anthropogenic debris ingested by yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) along Portugal, by analysing the content of pellets collected in (1) natural and urban breeding locations, and in (2) urban and landfill resting sites, to assess seasonal patterns in the ingestion of anthropogenic debris. We also relate diet with the presence of anthropogenic debris. Debris materials were found in 28.8% of pellets from breeding locations (natural and urban) and in 89.7% of pellets from resting sites (urban and landfill). Gulls from the most urbanized breeding location exhibited higher levels of ingested materials during the entire breeding cycle, however, gulls from a natural breeding site also ingested high levels of debris during the pre-breeding season. At resting sites, small seasonal differences were detected in the number and mass of debris items ingested, which were both higher during spring and summer. Gulls that typically fed on pelagic fish had significantly less sheet and fragment plastics in their pellets. The presence of certain debris categories in gull pellets was positively related to the presence of some prey items, suggesting that gulls may accidentally ingest debris while foraging at multiple habitats. The quantity of anthropogenic materials ingested by gulls from urban locations and landfills indicates a need for improved waste management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina S Lopes
- University of Coimbra, MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, Coimbra, 3004-517, Portugal.
| | - Vitor H Paiva
- University of Coimbra, MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, Coimbra, 3004-517, Portugal
| | - Patrícia T Vaz
- University of Coimbra, MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, Coimbra, 3004-517, Portugal
| | - Joana Pais de Faria
- University of Coimbra, MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, Coimbra, 3004-517, Portugal
| | - Joana G Calado
- University of Coimbra, MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, Coimbra, 3004-517, Portugal
- Molecular and Environmental Biology Centre (CBMA), Universidade do Minho Campus de Gualtar, Braga, 4710-057, Portugal
- Animal Ecology Group, Universidade de Vigo, Lab 97, Torre CACTI, Campus As Lagoas, Vigo, Spain
| | - Jorge M Pereira
- University of Coimbra, MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, Coimbra, 3004-517, Portugal
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Jaime A Ramos
- University of Coimbra, MARE-Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, Coimbra, 3004-517, Portugal
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Impact of land cover and landfills on the breeding effect and nest occupancy of the white stork in Poland. Sci Rep 2021; 11:7279. [PMID: 33790344 PMCID: PMC8012577 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-86529-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Food wastes are among the factors with the greatest effects on animal populations. The white stork is among bird species that clearly profit from feeding at landfills, at least in Western Europe and North Africa. However, the rate and the consequences of this feeding are still unknown in the Central-Eastern European population, which differs from the western population not only in terms of migration routes but also in the greater availability of suitable natural breeding habitats due to less intensified agriculture. The aim of the study was to describe the use of landfills and its consequences in terms of probability of nest occupation and breeding effects in different regions of Poland. Although the most important factors influencing nest-site selection and breeding effect are still habitat quality and weather conditions, distance to landfills is important in selection of nest sites. White storks use landfills most intensively late in the breeding season, independently of the density of breeding pairs. The results suggest that the use of landfills is not currently essential in the Central-Eastern European population of the white stork, does not affect breeding effect, and may be more frequent in non-breeders. However, this phenomenon is still developing and requires continuous monitoring.
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Malekian M, Shagholian J, Hosseinpour Z. Pathogen Presence in Wild Birds Inhabiting Landfills in Central Iran. ECOHEALTH 2021; 18:76-83. [PMID: 33783651 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-021-01516-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Revised: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Wild birds are important in the transmission of many zoonotic pathogens such as salmonella and avian influenza virus (AIV). The current study investigated the presence of bacterial and viral pathogens in birds foraging at an open landfill located in Central Iran. We collected blood and intestinal samples from five abundant species, including rook (Corvus frugilegus), European starling (Sturnus vulgaris), house sparrow (Passer domesticus), black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and slender-billed gull Chroicocephalus genei for bacteriological and serological examinations. Escherichia coli was present in all of the five species, while Salmonella spp. was found in four species. Campylobacter jejuni, Yersinia spp., Cytrobacter spp., and Klebsiella spp. were other bacteria isolated from all of the five species. Competitive ELISA showed that 19 samples (32%) from the two gull species were positive for AIV. There was no detection of West Nile virus, or Newcastle disease virus in the 150 birds sampled. The prevalence of these pathogens in landfill birds indicated that a potential risk is posed to landfill workers and the surrounding community, adding to our limited knowledge of the potential for landfills to support disease vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansoureh Malekian
- Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, 84156-83111, Isfahan, Iran.
| | - Javad Shagholian
- Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, 84156-83111, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Zahra Hosseinpour
- Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, 84156-83111, Isfahan, Iran
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Francis RJ, Kingsford RT, Murray-Hudson M, Brandis KJ. Urban waste no replacement for natural foods—Marabou storks in Botswana. JOURNAL OF URBAN ECOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jue/juab003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
We compared diets of marabou storks Leptoptilos crumenifer foraging from urban landfills and natural areas in northern Botswana using stable isotope analyses and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry on moulted feathers. There were significant differences in the diet of marabous foraging from natural areas compared to urban waste sites, reflected by lower δ13C and less enriched δ15N concentrations in those feeding at landfills, suggesting a shift in trophic niche. Feathers from birds foraging at landfills also had significantly higher concentrations of chromium, lead, nickel, and zinc and lower levels of cadmium and potassium than feathers sampled from natural areas. We also analysed marabou regurgitant (42 kg, naturally expelled indigestible food resources) from the Kasane landfill site. More than half was plastic, with single regurgitants weighing up to 125 g. Urban waste stored in open air landfills is altering some marabou diets, affecting their natural trophic niche, resulting in the consumption (and regurgitation) of large amounts of plastic, and exposing marabou to potentially chronic levels of trace metals. Despite the marabou’s apparent resilience to this behavioural shift, it could have long-term effects on the population of the marabou stork, particularly considering Botswana has some of the few regular marabou breeding colonies in southern Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- R J Francis
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - R T Kingsford
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - M Murray-Hudson
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - K J Brandis
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
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Ballejo F, Plaza P, Speziale KL, Lambertucci AP, Lambertucci SA. Plastic ingestion and dispersion by vultures may produce plastic islands in natural areas. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 755:142421. [PMID: 33035984 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Rubbish dumps can become an important environmental source of plastic. Several species feed on organic waste from these sites, but at the same time are exposed to non-organic materials. Species that can gather food in these sites might at the same time disperse waste consumed, but this has rarely been evaluated. We compare the occurrence of plastic debris in regurgitated pellets of three sympatric vultures from northwest Patagonia, Andean condors (Vultur gryphus), black vultures (Coragyps atratus) and turkey vultures (Cathartes aura), foraging in different degrees of humanized sites. We also evaluate the influence of rubbish dumps in the presence of plastic debris in pellets of the studied species and their potential role in spreading plastic to the environment. Most synthetic material present in pellets was plastic. Pellets of Andean condors, which avoid disturbed anthropic sites in this area, showed almost no plastic debris compared with the other sympatric vulture species, suggesting an influence of the foraging habits on plastic ingestion. For black and turkey vultures, we found that rubbish dumps may be an important source of plastic. The occurrence of plastic debris in pellets of black vultures sampled in 2010 and 2020 increased, probably associated with the increase in urbanization and waste production in the study area. Avian scavengers were exposed to and are able to transport plastic to distant communal roosts generating "plastic islands". It is necessary to reduce plastic generation and better waste management practices to avoid species and environments to be affected by this pollutant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Ballejo
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación, INIBIOMA- CONICET, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral 1250, R8400FRF San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina.
| | - Pablo Plaza
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación, INIBIOMA- CONICET, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral 1250, R8400FRF San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Karina L Speziale
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación, INIBIOMA- CONICET, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral 1250, R8400FRF San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Agustina P Lambertucci
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación, INIBIOMA- CONICET, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral 1250, R8400FRF San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Sergio A Lambertucci
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación, INIBIOMA- CONICET, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral 1250, R8400FRF San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina
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46
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Stench and sensibilities: On living with waste, animals and microbes in India. THE AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/taja.12380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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47
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Predation and Scavenging in the City: A Review of Spatio-Temporal Trends in Research. DIVERSITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/d13020046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Many researchers highlight the role of urban ecology in a rapidly urbanizing world. Despite the ecological and conservation implications relating to carnivores in cities, our general understanding of their potential role in urban food webs lacks synthesis. In this paper, we reviewed the scientific literature on urban carnivores with the aim of identifying major biases in this topic of research. In particular, we explored the number of articles dealing with predation and scavenging, and assessed the geographical distribution, biomes and habitats represented in the scientific literature, together with the richness of species reported and their traits. Our results confirmed that scavenging is largely overlooked compared to predation in urban carnivore research. Moreover, research was biased towards cities located in temperate biomes, while tropical regions were less well-represented, a pattern that was more evident in the case of articles on scavenging. The species reported in both predation and scavenging articles were mainly wild and domestic mammals with high meat-based diets and nocturnal habits, and the majority of the studies were conducted in the interior zone of cities compared to peri-urban areas. Understanding the trophic role of carnivores in urban environments and its ecological consequences will require full recognition of both their predation and scavenging facets, which is especially desirable given the urban sprawl that has been predicted in the coming decades.
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48
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Marambio-Alfaro Y, Saavedra JV, Enciso LÑ, Marras AL, Serrano AE, Peláez RM, Bruna AC, Ávalos GÁ, Maldonado MV. Microlophus atacamensis as a biomonitor of coastal contamination in the Atacama Desert, Chile: An evaluation through a non-lethal technique. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 269:115739. [PMID: 33279265 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In this report, we investigated the accumulation of heavy metals in the lizard Microlophus atacamensis, in three coastal areas of the Atacama Desert, northern Chile. We captured reptiles in a non-intervened area (Parque Nacional Pan de Azúcar, PAZ), an area of mining impact (Caleta Palitos, PAL) and an active industrial zone (Puerto de Caldera, CAL). Our methods included a non-lethal sampling of reptiles' tails obtained by autotomy and a few sacrificed animals to perform a stomach contents analysis. The concentrations of lead, copper, nickel, zinc and cadmium were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in both soil and prey and compared to those recorded in the lizards' tails. Data obtained from lizard tails captured in PAL showed significantly high concentrations of Pb, Cu, Ni, and Zn compared to the other two sites PAZ and CAL. We did not find statistically significant differences among PAZ, PAL and CAL soils, probably due to the similar geological composition of the sites. However, the regional background values for Pb indicate contamination or at least metal enrichment in soils of the three sites, for Cu the global background values indicate contamination for the three sites, and for Cd both the regional and global backgroud values show high values. The analysis of the stomach content showed differences in the food sources of the lizards among the sites studied. The concentration of heavy metal in lizard tissues versus prey delivered values of the Trophic Transfer Factor higher than one (1), suggesting that food may be a primary source of metals in the tissues of M. atacamensis. Calculations of the Bioaccumulation Factor (BAF) and the Ecological Risk (IR) resulted in values higher than one (1) indicating the relevance of this process in the sites studied. In this article, we report relationships between environmental contaminants, mainly putative preys, and concentrations found in lizard tails, which is more substantial in areas with historical heavy metal contamination such as PAL where the non-lethal technique developed in this research suggests a process of metal bioaccumulation in M. atacamensis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yery Marambio-Alfaro
- LASPAL-LABIGAM Laboratories, Alexander von Humboldt Institute of Natural Sciences. University of Antofagasta, Antofagasta, 1240000, Chile; Parménides Limited, 1265 Plaza Wheelwright. Copiapó, 1530291, Atacama, Chile; Doctoral Program in Applied Sciences - Coastal Marine Systems, Faculty of Marine Sciences and Biological Resources. University of Antofagasta, Antofagasta, 1240000, Chile.
| | - Jorge Valdés Saavedra
- LASPAL-LABIGAM Laboratories, Alexander von Humboldt Institute of Natural Sciences. University of Antofagasta, Antofagasta, 1240000, Chile
| | - Luis Ñacari Enciso
- Doctoral Program in Applied Sciences - Coastal Marine Systems, Faculty of Marine Sciences and Biological Resources. University of Antofagasta, Antofagasta, 1240000, Chile
| | - Américo López Marras
- LASPAL-LABIGAM Laboratories, Alexander von Humboldt Institute of Natural Sciences. University of Antofagasta, Antofagasta, 1240000, Chile
| | | | - Rodrigo Martínez Peláez
- Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Basic Sciences, University of Antofagasta, Antofagasta, 1240000, Chile
| | - Alexis Castillo Bruna
- Research Centre for Advanced Studies of Maule, Vice-Rector's Office for Research and Postgraduate Studies, Catholic University of Maule, San Miguel Campus, San Miguel Av., Talca, Chile
| | - Gabriel Álvarez Ávalos
- Department of Engineering in Geo Measuring and Geomatics. University of Antofagasta, Antofagasta, 1240000, Chile
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Duclos M, Sabat P, Newsome SD, Pavez EF, Galbán-Malagón C, Jaksic FM, Quirici V. Latitudinal patterns in the diet of Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) in Chile: Contrasting environments influencing feeding behavior. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 741:140220. [PMID: 32887000 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2020] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Human-dominated environments alter the availability and quality of resources for many species, especially for scavengers that have large home ranges and plastic foraging behaviors that enable them to exploit novel resources. Along the western slope of the Andes, the modification of natural landscapes have resulted in significant declines in native prey, the introduction of non-native species, and an increase in the availability of anthropogenic resources. These factors have likely influenced the resources available to Andean condors (Vultur gryphus), however, data are lacking as to how condor's diet vary along their large latitudinal range. We evaluated differences in Andean condor diet along a ~2500 km latitudinal gradient in Chile from the heavily modified Central zone (32-34°S) to the more pristine Austral zone (44-56°S). We assessed diet composition through the identification of prey remains in condor pellets, and carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of condor feathers and their primary prey identified from pellet analysis. Our results identified medium- and large-bodied domesticated mammals (ungulates) and introduced exotic species (lagomorphs) as common prey across the study area. Condors from the Central zone had the largest isotopic niche width, probably related to consumption of anthropogenic resources with distinctly high carbon isotope values indicative of C4-based foods likely acquired from landfills or corn-fed livestock. Isotopic niches for condors from the Southern and Austral zones almost completely overlapped. Andean condor diet is strongly influenced by local conditions determining differential access to prey sources. The high dependence of Andean condors on livestock across a large geographical area, and landfills in more (sub)urban areas, may help stabilize their populations via anthropogenic resources subsidies. Long-term dependence on such resources, however, may have health costs including contaminant exposure and greater mortality risk. These data will help identify potential threats related to resource availability and use, and better inform management and conservation decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Duclos
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Santiago, Chile; Centro de Investigación para la Sustentabilidad (CIS), Universidad Andres Bello, República 440, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Pablo Sabat
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Santiago, Chile; Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile
| | - Seth D Newsome
- Department of Biology, University of New México, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Eduardo F Pavez
- Bioamérica Consultores, Avenida Nueva Providencia 1881, Of. 2208, Providencia, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Fabian M Jaksic
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Santiago, Chile
| | - Verónica Quirici
- Centro de Investigación para la Sustentabilidad (CIS), Universidad Andres Bello, República 440, Santiago, Chile.
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50
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Nawrocka A, Durkalec M, Szkoda J, Filipek A, Kmiecik M, Żmudzki J, Posyniak A. Total mercury levels in the muscle and liver of livestock and game animals in Poland, 2009-2018. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 258:127311. [PMID: 32540547 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The bioaccumulation of mercury (Hg) in the food chain may pose a threat to human health. The risk of dietary Hg intake is mostly caused by the consumption of fish and seafood, therefore the knowledge on the exposure from land animal products is limited. In our article, we summarized the results of analyses of Hg in muscle tissue and liver of different livestock and game animals obtained during ten years of official monitoring that was carried out in Poland from 2009 to 2018. The majority of the results in muscle tissue were below the limits of quantification (LOQs). The mean Hg concentrations in muscle tissue ranged from 0.6 to 5.6 μg kg-1 of wet weight and the mean liver Hg concentrations were within the range of 0.8-16.4 μg kg-1 of wet weight, with lowest levels in chickens and highest in wild boars. The results revealed decreasing trends in liver Hg in cattle and cervids over the years, which was congruous with decreasing emission of Hg in Europe. Our results showed that the consumption of meat and liver of livestock and game animals in Poland may be considered to be safe for human health, which was confirmed by the low number of noncompliant samples relative to the applicable legal limits, as well as by estimated dietary exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Nawrocka
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Veterinary Research Institute, Aleja Partyzantów 57, 24-100, Puławy, Poland
| | - Maciej Durkalec
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Veterinary Research Institute, Aleja Partyzantów 57, 24-100, Puławy, Poland.
| | - Józef Szkoda
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Veterinary Research Institute, Aleja Partyzantów 57, 24-100, Puławy, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Filipek
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Veterinary Research Institute, Aleja Partyzantów 57, 24-100, Puławy, Poland
| | - Mirosława Kmiecik
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Veterinary Research Institute, Aleja Partyzantów 57, 24-100, Puławy, Poland
| | - Jan Żmudzki
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Veterinary Research Institute, Aleja Partyzantów 57, 24-100, Puławy, Poland
| | - Andrzej Posyniak
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Veterinary Research Institute, Aleja Partyzantów 57, 24-100, Puławy, Poland
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