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Colomer J, Massei G, Roos D, Rosell C, Rodríguez-Teijeiro JD. What drives wild boar density and population growth in Mediterranean environments? Sci Total Environ 2024; 931:172739. [PMID: 38697537 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Accurate prediction of fluctuations of wildlife local number of individuals is crucial for effective population management to minimise human-wildlife conflicts. Climate, habitat, food availability, and density dependence are among the main factors influencing mammalian population dynamics. In southern Europe, precipitation and temperature, particularly during summer have been suggested as key factors affecting wild boar (Sus scrofa L.). However, there is uncertainty regarding the role of these factors and the mechanisms driving population fluctuations. This study utilized long-term data of wild boar populations from 14 study sites collected for 23 years in Catalonia, Spain, to analyse the factors that drive population density and growth rate. Generalized Additive Mixed Models (GAMM) explained respectively, 94 % and 65 % of the density and growth rate variability. Spring precipitation in both current and previous year, female weight, and forest cover (particularly above 60 %) were directly associated with higher wild boar densities and population growth rates. The interaction between crop cover and total annual precipitation also played a significant role in determining population density. Higher densities were linked to lower population growth in the following year, likely due to a density-dependent process. These results suggest that the expected decrease in rainfall linked with global warming may limit the availability of natural resources and potentially slow wild boar population growth. Nevertheless, wild boar can exploit alternative anthropogenic food sources, potentially leading to an increase of human-wildlife conflicts. Therefore, incorporating management policies aimed at restricting wild boar access to human food sources is key for controlling their reproductive output. Additionally, landscape management strategies targeted at diminishing refuge and resource availability in regions experiencing high wild boar impact are essential for contributing to sustainable coexistence between wild boars and human populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Colomer
- Minuartia, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Spain; IRBio, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - G Massei
- Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control Europe, UK; Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, 290 Wentworth Way, Heslington, York YO10 5NG, UK
| | - D Roos
- National Wildlife Management Centre, Animal and Plant Health Agency, York, UK; School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - C Rosell
- Minuartia, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Spain; IRBio, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - J D Rodríguez-Teijeiro
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Spain; IRBio, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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2
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Ravagni S, Sanchez-Donoso I, Jiménez-Blasco I, Andrade P, Puigcerver M, Chorão Guedes A, Godinho R, Gonçalves D, Leitão M, Leonard JA, Rodríguez-Teijeiro JD, Vilà C. Evolutionary history of an island endemic, the Azorean common quail. Mol Ecol 2023. [PMID: 37212202 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Oceanic islands are characterized by conditions that favour diversification into endemic lineages that can be very different from their mainland counterparts. This can be the result of fast phenotypic divergence due to drift or the result of slower adaptation to local conditions. This uniqueness can obscure their evolutionary history. Here we used morphological, stable isotope, genetic and genomic data to characterize common quails (Coturnix coturnix) in the Azores archipelago and assess the divergence from neighbouring common quail populations. Historical documents suggested that these quails could have a recent origin associated with the arrival of humans in the last centuries. Our results show that Azorean quails constitute a well-differentiated lineage with small size and dark throat pigmentation that has lost the migratory ability and that diverged from mainland quail lineages more than 0.8 mya, contrary to the notion of a recent human-mediated arrival. Even though some Azorean quails carry an inversion that affects 115 Mbp of chromosome 1 and that has been associated with the loss of the migratory behaviour in other common quail populations, half of the analysed individuals do not have that inversion and still do not migrate. The long coexistence and evolution in isolation in the Azores of two chromosomal variants (with and without the inversion) is best explained by balancing selection. Thus, a unique and long evolutionary history led to the island endemic that we know today, C. c. conturbans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Ravagni
- Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - Ines Sanchez-Donoso
- Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - Irene Jiménez-Blasco
- IrBio and Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pedro Andrade
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Manel Puigcerver
- IrBio and Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ana Chorão Guedes
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Raquel Godinho
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Vairão, Portugal
| | - David Gonçalves
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Manuel Leitão
- Direção Regional dos Recursos Florestais, Ponta Delgada, Portugal
| | - Jennifer A Leonard
- Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | | | - Carles Vilà
- Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
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Ayhan N, Rodríguez-Teijeiro JD, López-Roig M, Vinyoles D, Ferreres JA, Monastiri A, Charrel R, Serra-Cobo J. High rates of antibodies against Toscana and Sicilian phleboviruses in common quail Coturnix coturnix birds. Front Microbiol 2023; 13:1091908. [PMID: 36687574 PMCID: PMC9846092 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1091908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Birds are involved natural cycle of a number of vector-borne viruses in both rural and urban areas. Toscana (TOSV) and Sicilian (SFSV) phleboviruses are sandfly-borne viruses in the genus Phlebovirus that can cause diseases in human. However, there is limited information on the role of the birds in sandfly-borne phleboviruses natural cycle and reservoirs ofthese viruses remain unknown. Methods In this study, we analyzed Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix) sera from Spain to identify the seroprevalence of these two phleboviruses. We tested respectively, 106 and 110 quail serum against TOSV and SFSV from 2018, 2019, and 2021 from two locations in northern Spain with using virus neutralization test. Results We identified high neutralizing antibody rates for SFSV (45.45%) and TOSV (42.45%) with yearly fluctuation. Discussion This is the first identification of SFSV and TOSV neutralizing antibodies in wild birds. High seroprevalence rates of TOSV and SFSV in quail birds raises the question whether birds have a role as amplifying hosts in the natural cycle of phleboviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nazli Ayhan
- Unité des Virus Emergents (UVE: Aix-Marseille Université, IRD 190, INSERM 1207), Marseille, France
| | - José Domingo Rodríguez-Teijeiro
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain,Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marc López-Roig
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain,Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Dolors Vinyoles
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain,Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep Anton Ferreres
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Abir Monastiri
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain,Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Remi Charrel
- Unité des Virus Emergents (UVE: Aix-Marseille Université, IRD 190, INSERM 1207), Marseille, France,*Correspondence: Remi Charrel,
| | - Jordi Serra-Cobo
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain,Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain,Jordi Serra-Cobo,
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Mesquita GP, Mulero-Pázmány M, Wich SA, Rodríguez-Teijeiro JD. A practical approach with drones, smartphone and tracking tags for potential real-time tracking animal. Curr Zool 2022; 69:208-214. [PMID: 37091991 PMCID: PMC10120989 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
In recent years, drones are increasingly used for fauna monitoring and wildlife tracking; however, the application of drones for tracking wildlife is restricted to those users with the technical capacity to develop such systems. We explore the potential of wildlife tracking with drones by using a system consisting of a multirotor drone, smartphones, and commercial tracking devices via Bluetooth and Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) off-the-shelf that is easy to use by non-specialists. We present the system configuration, explore the operational parameters that can affect detection capabilities, and test the effectiveness of the system in locating targets by simulating target animals in savanna and forest environments. The self-contained tracking system was built without the need for hardware or software customization. From 40 tracking flights carried out in the Cerrado biome, we obtained a detection rate of 90% in savanna and 40% in forest areas. Considering the moving tests (N = 20) the detection rates were 90% in the savanna and 30% in the forest areas. The spatial accuracy obtained by the system was 14.61 m, being significantly more accurate in savanna areas (x̄ = 10.53) than in forest areas (x̄ = 13.06). This approach to wildlife tracking facilitates the use of drones by non-specialists and at an affordable cost for conservation projects with limited resources. The reduced size of the tags, the long battery life and the reduced cost in relation to GPS-tags opens up a range of opportunities for tracking small to large fauna present in this type of vegetation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geison P Mesquita
- Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institute Baguaçu of Biodiversity Research (IBPBio), São Luís, Brazil
| | - Margarita Mulero-Pázmány
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Serge A Wich
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics,University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1012 WX, The Netherlands
| | - José Domingo Rodríguez-Teijeiro
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Mesquita GP, Rodríguez-Teijeiro JD, de Oliveira RR, Mulero-Pázmány M. Steps to build a DIY low-cost fixed-wing drone for biodiversity conservation. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0255559. [PMID: 34388153 PMCID: PMC8363011 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the proved usefulness of drones in biodiversity studies, acquisition costs and difficulties in operating, maintaining and repairing these systems constrain their integration in conservation projects, particularly for low-income countries. Here we present the steps necessary to build a low-cost fixed-wing drone for environmental applications in large areas, along with instructions to increase the reliability of the system and testing its performance. Inspired by DIY (Do It Yourself) and open source models, this work prioritizes simplicity and accounts for cost-benefit for the researcher. The DIY fixed-wing drone developed has electric propulsion, can perform pre-programmed flight, can carry up to 500 g payload capacity with 65 minutes flight duration and flies at a maximum distance of 20 km. It is equipped with a RGB (Red, Green and Blue) sensor capable of obtaining 2.8 cm per pixel Ground Sample Distance (GSD) resolution at a constant altitude of 100 m above ground level (AGL). The total cost was $995 which is substantially less than the average value of similar commercial drones used in biodiversity studies. We performed 12 flight tests in auto mode using the developed model in protected areas in Brazil, obtaining RGB images that allowed us to identify deforestation spots smaller than 5 m2 and medium-sized animals. Building DIY drones requires some technical knowledge and demands more time than buying a commercial ready-to-fly system, but as proved here, it can be less expensive, which is often crucial in conservation projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geison P. Mesquita
- Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institute Baguaçu of Biodiversity Research, São Luís, Brazil
| | | | - Rodrigo Rocha de Oliveira
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Margarita Mulero-Pázmány
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Forcina G, Vallet D, Le Gouar PJ, Bernardo-Madrid R, Illera G, Molina-Vacas G, Dréano S, Revilla E, Rodríguez-Teijeiro JD, Ménard N, Bermejo M, Vilà C. From groups to communities in western lowland gorillas. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20182019. [PMID: 30963928 PMCID: PMC6408619 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Social networks are the result of interactions between individuals at different temporal scales. Thus, sporadic intergroup encounters and individual forays play a central role in defining the dynamics of populations in social species. We assessed the rate of intergroup encounters for three western lowland gorilla ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla) groups with daily observations over 5 years, and non-invasively genotyped a larger population over four months. Both approaches revealed a social system much more dynamic than anticipated, with non-aggressive intergroup encounters that involved social play by immature individuals, exchanges of members between groups likely modulated by kinship, and absence of infanticide evidenced by infants not fathered by the silverback of the group where they were found. This resulted in a community composed of groups that interacted frequently and not-aggressively, contrasting with the more fragmented and aggressive mountain gorilla ( G. beringei beringei) societies. Such extended sociality can promote the sharing of behavioural and cultural traits, but might also increase the susceptibility of western lowland gorillas to infectious diseases that have decimated their populations in recent times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Forcina
- Departments of Integrative Ecology and Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), 41092 Seville, Spain
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
| | - Dominique Vallet
- UMR 6553 - EcoBio (Ecosystèmes, Biodiversité, Évolution), CNRS, Univ Rennes, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | - Pascaline J. Le Gouar
- UMR 6553 - EcoBio (Ecosystèmes, Biodiversité, Évolution), CNRS, Univ Rennes, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | - Rubén Bernardo-Madrid
- Departments of Integrative Ecology and Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), 41092 Seville, Spain
| | - Germán Illera
- Odzala-Lossi Conservation/Research Program, SPAC Foundation gGmbH, Berlin, Germany
| | - Guillem Molina-Vacas
- Odzala-Lossi Conservation/Research Program, SPAC Foundation gGmbH, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Stéphane Dréano
- Univ Rennes, CNRS, IGDR (Institut de génétique et développement de Rennes) - UMR 6290, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | - Eloy Revilla
- Departments of Integrative Ecology and Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), 41092 Seville, Spain
| | | | - Nelly Ménard
- UMR 6553 - EcoBio (Ecosystèmes, Biodiversité, Évolution), CNRS, Univ Rennes, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | - Magdalena Bermejo
- Odzala-Lossi Conservation/Research Program, SPAC Foundation gGmbH, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carles Vilà
- Departments of Integrative Ecology and Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), 41092 Seville, Spain
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Rodríguez-Teijeiro JD, García-Galea E, Sardà-Palomera F, Jiménez-Blasco I, Puigcerver M. Comment on: "Synchronizing biological cycles as key to survival under a scenario of global change: The Common quail (Coturnix coturnix) strategy" by Nadal, J., Ponz, C., Margalida, A. Sci Total Environ 2018; 635:1556-1557. [PMID: 29625750 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Nadal et al. (2018) recently reported on changes in the phenology of the Common quail (Coturnix coturnix) in seven cloudy regions of Spain in relation to climate change. The authors used a long-term ringing database (1961-2014) and calculated the mean date for three biological stages: arrival at the breeding areas, stay and autumn departure. They observed that some of these phenological variables were associated with the climate variables of temperature and rainfall (Figs. 4 and 6 of their article). They also analysed the yearly variation in temperature and rainfall over the last 86years, reporting an increase in temperature and a decrease in rainfall (Figs. 3 and 5 of their article). Based on these results, the authors suggested that the Common quail phenology has varied as a response to climate change in Spain, thus concluding that "quail movements and breeding attempts are eco-synchronized sequentially in cloudy regions. Our results suggest that quails attempt to overcome the negative impacts of climate change and agricultural intensification by searching for alternative high-quality habitats". We disagree with two methodological aspects of the article by Nadal et al. (2018): (1) the estimation of the mean date of arrival, stay and departure in the different regions studied; and (2) the analyses carried out to correlate the phenology of the species with the changes in climate variables.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eduardo García-Galea
- Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences Department, University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Francesc Sardà-Palomera
- Programa Dinàmica del Paisatge i Biodiversitat, CTFC Consorci Centre de Ciència i Tecnologia Forestal de Catalunya, Carretera Sant Llorenç de Morunys Km2, 25280 Solsona, Spain
| | - Irene Jiménez-Blasco
- Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences Department, University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manel Puigcerver
- Language and Literature Education and Didactics of Experimental Sciences and Mathematics Department, University of Barcelona, Spain
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Pires Mesquita G, Domingo Rodríguez-Teijeiro J, Nascimento Barreto L. Patterns of mammal subsistence hunting in eastern Amazon, Brazil. WILDLIFE SOC B 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Geison Pires Mesquita
- Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Department of Animal Biology Animal, Vegetal Biology and Ecology; Faculty of Bioscience; Bellaterra Catalunya Spain
| | - José Domingo Rodríguez-Teijeiro
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Faculty of Biology, Barcelona University, and IRBio; Av. Diagonal, 645 Barcelona Spain
| | - Larissa Nascimento Barreto
- Universidade Federal do Maranhão; CCBS, Departamento de Oceanografia e Limnologia, Av. dos Portugueses, 1966; Bacanga São Luís Maranhão Brazil
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Sanchez-Donoso I, Vilà C, Puigcerver M, Rodríguez-Teijeiro JD. Mate guarding and male body condition shape male fertilization success and female mating system in the common quail. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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10
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Sanchez-Donoso I, Vilà C, Puigcerver M, Butkauskas D, Caballero de la Calle JR, Morales-Rodríguez PA, Rodríguez-Teijeiro JD. Are farm-reared quails for game restocking really common quails (Coturnix coturnix)?: a genetic approach. PLoS One 2012; 7:e39031. [PMID: 22701745 PMCID: PMC3373495 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2012] [Accepted: 05/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The common quail (Coturnix coturnix) is a popular game species for which restocking with farm-reared individuals is a common practice. In some areas, the number of released quails greatly surpasses the number of wild breeding common quail. However, common quail are difficult to raise in captivity and this casts suspicion about a possible hybrid origin of the farmed individuals from crosses with domestic Japanese quail (C. japonica). In this study we used a panel of autosomal microsatellite markers to characterize the genetic origin of quails reared for hunting purposes in game farms in Spain and of quails from an experimental game farm which was founded with hybrids that have been systematically backcrossed with wild common quails. The genotypes of these quail were compared to those of wild common quail and domestic strains of Japanese quail. Our results show that more than 85% of the game farm birds were not common quail but had domestic Japanese quail ancestry. In the experimental farm a larger proportion of individuals could not be clearly separated from pure common quails. We conclude that the majority of quail sold for restocking purposes were not common quail. Genetic monitoring of individuals raised for restocking is indispensable as the massive release of farm-reared hybrids could represent a severe threat for the long term survival of the native species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Sanchez-Donoso
- Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Doñana Biological Station, EBD-CSIC, Seville, Spain.
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Abstract
Over the past decade, the Zaire strain of Ebola virus (ZEBOV) has repeatedly emerged in Gabon and Congo. Each human outbreak has been accompanied by reports of gorilla and chimpanzee carcasses in neighboring forests, but both the extent of ape mortality and the causal role of ZEBOV have been hotly debated. Here, we present data suggesting that in 2002 and 2003 ZEBOV killed about 5000 gorillas in our study area. The lag between neighboring gorilla groups in mortality onset was close to the ZEBOV disease cycle length, evidence that group-to-group transmission has amplified gorilla die-offs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Bermejo
- Ecosystèmes Forestiers d'Afrique Centrale (ECOFAC), Box Postale 15115 Libreville, Gabon.
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