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Green RE, Taggart MA, Guiu M, Waller H, Pap S, Sheldon R, Pain DJ. Difference in concentration of lead (Pb) in meat from pheasants killed using lead and iron (Fe) shotgun ammunition. Sci Total Environ 2024; 916:170356. [PMID: 38272095 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170356] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
The use of lead shotgun ammunition for hunting has been banned in a few jurisdictions and habitats, principally to protect wild birds from poisoning by ingestion of spent lead shot. The EU and UK REACH processes have recently considered bans on lead ammunition throughout the European Union and United Kingdom, including assessments of possible health benefits from reduced human dietary exposure to lead from game meat. Comparisons of the mean lead concentrations in meat from gamebirds killed using lead and non‑lead shotgun ammunition have not been published. We compared lead concentrations in meat from wild-shot pheasants from which lead shotgun pellets were recovered (n = 27) with those from which iron pellets were recovered (n = 20), having removed all pellets from the meat before analysis. The mean concentration of lead in meat from pheasants killed using lead shot was 2.10 mg/kg w.w., which is >20 times the European Union's maximum permitted level for the lead concentration in meat from domesticated animals. For pheasants killed using iron shot the mean was 0.07 mg/kg w.w., which is below the maximum permitted level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhys E Green
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK; RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK.
| | - Mark A Taggart
- Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Castle Street, Thurso KW14 7JD, UK
| | - Maider Guiu
- Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Castle Street, Thurso KW14 7JD, UK
| | - Hayley Waller
- Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Castle Street, Thurso KW14 7JD, UK
| | - Sabolc Pap
- Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Castle Street, Thurso KW14 7JD, UK
| | - Rob Sheldon
- 78 Riverdene Road, Ilford, Essex IG1 2EA, UK
| | - Deborah J Pain
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK; School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
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Mathesh K, Manickam K, Mallord JW, Mahendran K, Kumar M A, Saikia D, Mohan S C, V B, Lakshmi P S, Prakash N, Shringarpure R, Pawde AM, Green RE, Naidoo V, Prakash V. Experimental safety testing confirms that the NSAID nimesulide is toxic to Gyps vultures in India. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol 2023; 103:104284. [PMID: 37775075 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2023.104284] [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: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Population declines of Gyps vultures throughout South Asia were caused by unintentional poisoning by the NSAID diclofenac, which was subsequently banned. However, other vulture-toxic NSAIDs are available, including nimesulide, which, in experiments carried out in South Africa, was shown to be toxic to Gyps vultures. We report on safety-testing of nimesulide carried out on Himalayan Griffons G. himalayensis. We gave two vultures a dose of nimesulide by oral gavage at the maximum level of exposure, with two controls dosed with benzyl alcohol. In the two tested birds, plasma nimesulide concentrations peaked after six hours, while serum uric acid concentrations increased steadily up until 24 h post-treatment, after which both birds died, displaying severe visceral gout. The control birds showed no adverse clinical or biochemical signs. We confirm that nimesulide is toxic to Gyps vultures. Veterinary use of nimesulide should be banned in all Gyps vulture range countries in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karikalan Mathesh
- Centre for Wildlife, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Kesavan Manickam
- Centre for Wildlife, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - John W Mallord
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK.
| | - K Mahendran
- Centre for Wildlife, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Asok Kumar M
- Centre for Wildlife, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Debasish Saikia
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Mumbai 400023, India
| | - Chandra Mohan S
- Centre for Wildlife, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Beena V
- Regulatory Toxicology, CSIR - Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, 226 001, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Sree Lakshmi P
- Centre for Wildlife, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Nikita Prakash
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Mumbai 400023, India
| | | | - Abhijit M Pawde
- Centre for Wildlife, ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Rhys E Green
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK; Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Vinny Naidoo
- Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Gauteng 0110, South Africa
| | - Vibhu Prakash
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Mumbai 400023, India
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Pain DJ, Green RE, Bates N, Guiu M, Taggart MA. Lead concentrations in commercial dogfood containing pheasant in the UK. Ambio 2023; 52:1339-1349. [PMID: 37131044 PMCID: PMC10272007 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-023-01856-x] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
UK and EU regulators are evaluating the potential health benefits of restricting the use of lead ammunition. Little information is available on exposure of pets to ammunition-derived dietary lead from petfood containing meat from wild-shot game animals. We found dogfood including wild-shot pheasant meat to be widely available in the UK. 77% of samples from three raw pheasant dogfood products exceeded the EU maximum residue level (MRL) for lead in animal feed, with mean concentrations approximately 245, 135 and 49 times above the MRL. Concentrations > MRL were also found in a dried food containing pheasant, but not in a processed food, nor in chicken-based products. Lead concentrations in raw pheasant dogfood considerably exceeded those in pheasant meat sold for human consumption, possibly because the dogfood mincing process further fragmented lead particles from shot. Dogs frequently consuming such high-lead food risk adverse health effects; this should be considered within decision-making processes about regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah J. Pain
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJ UK
| | - Rhys E. Green
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ UK
- Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, SG19 2DL Bedfordshire UK
| | - Nicola Bates
- Veterinary Poisons Information Service, 2nd Floor, Godfree Court, 29–35 Long Lane, London, SE1 4PL UK
| | - Maider Guiu
- Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Castle Street, Thurso, KW14 7AP UK
| | - Mark A. Taggart
- Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Castle Street, Thurso, KW14 7AP UK
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Chandramohan S, Mathesh K, Mallord JW, Naidoo V, Mahendran K, Kesavan M, Gaur GK, Pawde AM, Prakash N, Ranade S, Saikia D, Sharma AK, Shringarpure R, Green RE, Prakash VM. Metabolism of aceclofenac to diclofenac in the domestic water buffalo Bubalus bubalis confirms it as a threat to Critically Endangered Gyps vultures in South Asia. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol 2022; 96:103984. [PMID: 36182041 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2022.103984] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Vulture declines in South Asia were caused by accidental poisoning by the veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac. Although veterinary use of diclofenac has been banned, other vulture-toxic NSAIDs are legally available, including aceclofenac, which has been shown to metabolise into diclofenac in domestic cattle. We gave nine domestic water buffalo the recommended dose of aceclofenac (2 mg kg-1 body weight), collected blood at intervals up to 48 h, and carried out a pharmacokinetic analysis of aceclofenac and its metabolite diclofenac in plasma. Aceclofenac was rapidly converted to diclofenac, and was barely detectable in plasma at any sampling time. Diclofenac was present within 20 min, and peaked 4-8 h after dosing. Aceclofenac is a prodrug of diclofenac, and behaves similarly in domestic water buffalo as it did in domestic cattle, posing the same risk to vultures. We recommend an immediate ban on the veterinary use of aceclofenac across vulture-range countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Chandramohan
- Centre for Wildlife, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Karikalan Mathesh
- Centre for Wildlife, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - John W Mallord
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK.
| | - Vinny Naidoo
- Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Gauteng 0110, South Africa
| | - K Mahendran
- Centre for Wildlife, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Manickam Kesavan
- Centre for Wildlife, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Gyanendra K Gaur
- Centre for Wildlife, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Abhijit M Pawde
- Centre for Wildlife, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Nikita Prakash
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Opp Lion Gate, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001, Maharashtra, India
| | - Sachin Ranade
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Opp Lion Gate, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001, Maharashtra, India
| | - Debasish Saikia
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Opp Lion Gate, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001, Maharashtra, India
| | - A K Sharma
- Centre for Wildlife, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Rohan Shringarpure
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Opp Lion Gate, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001, Maharashtra, India
| | - Rhys E Green
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, David Attenborough Building, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK
| | - Vibhu M Prakash
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Opp Lion Gate, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001, Maharashtra, India
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Pain DJ, Green RE, Taggart MA, Kanstrup N. How contaminated with ammunition-derived lead is meat from European small game animals? Assessing and reducing risks to human health. Ambio 2022; 51:1772-1785. [PMID: 35536507 PMCID: PMC9200912 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-022-01737-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [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: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Small game animals are generally hunted with lead gunshot which often fragments causing elevated lead concentrations in meat and presenting health risks to frequent consumers and vulnerable groups. We reviewed three decades of European data on lead concentrations in the meat of gamebirds, rabbits and hares across countries with various restrictions on lead gunshot use. Mean meat lead concentrations decreased to a low level in Denmark, the only country in the study with a total ban on lead gunshot use. In contrast, elsewhere in Europe meat lead concentrations increased over time, an unexplained and previously undescribed finding. The only regulatory restriction associated with a decrease in meat lead concentrations was the Danish total ban on lead gunshot use. We calculated an arithmetic mean lead concentration in small game meat of 5.205 ppm w.w. (2011-2021) from across Europe. EU and UK regulators are considering banning lead ammunition for all hunting to protect human and wildlife health. The mean value we found for small game meat (2011-2021) was fourteen times higher than that used in a recent EU-wide risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah J. Pain
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJ UK
| | - Rhys E. Green
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ UK
- Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, SG19 2DL Bedfordshire UK
| | - Mark A. Taggart
- Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Castle Street, Thurso, KW14 7AP UK
| | - Niels Kanstrup
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Allé 8, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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Hampton JO, Pay JM, Katzner TE, Arnemo JM, Pokras MA, Buenz E, Kanstrup N, Thomas VG, Uhart M, Lambertucci SA, Krone O, Singh NJ, Naidoo V, Ishizuka M, Saito K, Helander B, Green RE. Managing macropods without poisoning ecosystems. Eco Management Restoration 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/emr.12555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Green RE, Pain DJ, Krone O. The impact of lead poisoning from ammunition sources on raptor populations in Europe. Sci Total Environ 2022; 823:154017. [PMID: 35305837 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [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: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Poisoning caused by ingestion of spent lead (Pb) ammunition in food items is a common cause of death of raptors. However, there has been no previous attempt to assess the impact of lead poisoning on populations of raptors throughout Europe or examine how this relates to the prevalence of hunting. We used measurements of lead concentration in the liver from over 3000 raptors of 22 species found dead or dying in the wild in 13 countries and a lead poisoning threshold of 20 ppm (dry weight) to assess the proportion of these in which lead poisoning caused or contributed to death. The prevalence of lead poisoning as a cause of death of raptors varied substantially among European countries and was positively correlated across countries with the reported number of hunters per unit area. Ten species had a non-zero proportion of individuals with concentrations exceeding the lead poisoning threshold ranging between 0.3% and 16.5%. The estimated annual conditional death rate from lead poisoning for these ten species averaged 0.44% (range 0.06-0.85%). Scavenging species feeding regularly on carcasses of game animals,tended to have a high annual probability of death from lead poisoning. So too did some predators which only sometimes scavenge, but prey on frequently hunted birds, such as gamebirds, waterfowl and pigeons, which may contain ingested or embedded lead shot. Small-bodied predators had a low annual probability of death from lead poisoning. Modelling indicated that European populations of adult raptors of the ten focal species averaged 6.0% smaller (range 0.2-14.4%) than they would be without the effects of lead poisoning. A given rate of lead poisoning mortality resulted in greater expected population reductions for species with high annual survival rate and late age at first breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- R E Green
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK; RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK.
| | - D J Pain
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - O Krone
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Department of Wildlife Diseases, P.O. Box 601103, 10252 Berlin, Germany
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Chandramohan S, Mallord JW, Mathesh K, Sharma AK, Mahendran K, Kesavan M, Gupta R, Chutia K, Pawde A, Prakash NV, Ravichandran P, Saikia D, Shringarpure R, Timung A, Galligan TH, Green RE, Prakash VM. Experimental safety testing shows that the NSAID tolfenamic acid is not toxic to Gyps vultures in India at concentrations likely to be encountered in cattle carcasses. Sci Total Environ 2022; 809:152088. [PMID: 34861305 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152088] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Population declines of Gyps vultures across the Indian subcontinent were caused by unintentional poisoning by the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac. Subsequently, a number of other NSAIDs have been identified as toxic to vultures, while one, meloxicam, is safe at concentrations likely to be encountered by vultures in the wild. Other vulture-safe drugs need to be identified to reduce the use of those toxic to vultures. We report on safety-testing experiments on the NSAID tolfenamic acid on captive vultures of three Gyps species, all of which are susceptible to diclofenac poisoning. Firstly, we estimated the maximum level of exposure (MLE) of wild vultures and gave this dose to 40 Near Threatened Himalayan Griffons G. himalayensis by oral gavage, with 15 control birds dosed with benzyl alcohol (the carrier solution for tolfenamic acid). Two birds given tolfenamic acid died with elevated uric acid levels and severe visceral gout, while the remainder showed no adverse clinical or biochemical signs. Secondly, four G. himalayensis were fed tissues from water buffaloes which had been treated with double the recommended veterinary dose of tolfenamic acid prior to death and compared to two birds fed uncontaminated tissue; none suffered any clinical effects. Finally, two captive Critically Endangered vultures, one G. bengalensis and one G. indicus, were given the MLE dose by gavage and compared to two control birds; again, none suffered any clinical effects. The death of two G. himalayensis may have been an anomaly due to i) the high dose level used and ii) the high ambient temperatures at the time of the experiment. Tolfenamic acid is likely to be safe to Gyps vultures at concentrations encountered by wild birds and could therefore be promoted as a safe alternative to toxic NSAIDs. It is manufactured in the region, and is increasingly being used to treat livestock.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Chandramohan
- Centre for Wildlife, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - John W Mallord
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK.
| | - Karikalan Mathesh
- Centre for Wildlife, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - A K Sharma
- Centre for Wildlife, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - K Mahendran
- Centre for Wildlife, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Manickam Kesavan
- Centre for Wildlife, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Reena Gupta
- Centre for Wildlife, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Krishna Chutia
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Mumbai 400023, India
| | - Abhijit Pawde
- Centre for Wildlife, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 243122, India
| | - Nikita V Prakash
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Mumbai 400023, India
| | - P Ravichandran
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Mumbai 400023, India
| | - Debasish Saikia
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Mumbai 400023, India
| | | | - Avinash Timung
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Mumbai 400023, India
| | - Toby H Galligan
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK
| | - Rhys E Green
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK; Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Vibhu M Prakash
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Mumbai 400023, India
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Galligan TH, Green RE, Wolter K, Taggart MA, Duncan N, Mallord JW, Alderson D, Li Y, Naidoo V. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug nimesulide kills Gyps vultures at concentrations found in the muscle of treated cattle. Sci Total Environ 2022; 807:150788. [PMID: 34619222 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [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: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Throughout South Asia, cattle are regularly treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and their carcasses are left for scavengers to consume. Residues of the NSAID diclofenac in cattle carcasses caused widespread mortality and catastrophic population declines in three species of Gyps vulture during the 1990s and 2000s. Diclofenac is now banned, but other NSAIDs are used in its place. Different lines of evidence, including safety testing in Gyps vultures, have shown that some of these other NSAIDs are toxic, or probably toxic, to vultures. The NSAID nimesulide is widely available and commonly used, and has been found in dead vultures with signs of renal failure (i.e. visceral gout) and without the presence of diclofenac and/or other vulture-toxic NSAIDs. Nimesulide is therefore probably toxic to vultures. Here, we report safety testing of nimesulide in Gyps vultures. In a controlled toxicity experiment, we gave two vultures the maximum likely exposure (MLE) of nimesulide calculated from initial pharmacokinetic and residue experiments in cattle. Two other control birds were given an oral dose of water. Both vultures dosed with nimesulide died within 30 h, after showing outward signs of toxicity and increases in biochemical indicators of renal failure. Post-mortem examinations found extensive visceral gout in both vultures. Both control vultures survived without biochemical indicators of renal failure. With this evidence, we call for an immediate and comprehensive ban of nimesulide throughout South Asia to ensure the survival of the region's Critically Endangered vultures. More generally, testing the impacts of drugs on non-target species should be the responsibility of the pharmaceutical industry, before their veterinary use is licensed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toby H Galligan
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK
| | - Rhys E Green
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, David Attenborough Building, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB2 3QZ, UK
| | - Kerri Wolter
- VulPro, Rietfontein, North West Province 0048, South Africa
| | - Mark A Taggart
- Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Thurso, Caithness, KW17 7JD, UK
| | - Neil Duncan
- Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Gauteng 0110, South Africa
| | - John W Mallord
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK.
| | - Dawn Alderson
- SAC Consulting Veterinary Services, SRUC, Janetstown, Caithness KW14 7XF, UK
| | - Yuan Li
- Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Thurso, Caithness, KW17 7JD, UK
| | - Vinny Naidoo
- Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, Gauteng 0110, South Africa
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Mason LR, Green RE, Hirons GJ, Skinner AM, Peault SC, Upcott EV, Wells E, Wilding DJ, Smart J. Experimental diversionary feeding of red kites Milvus milvus reduces chick predation and enhances breeding productivity of northern lapwings Vanellus vanellus. J Nat Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2021.126051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Miller EF, Green RE, Balmford A, Maisano Delser P, Beyer R, Somveille M, Leonardi M, Amos W, Manica A. Bayesian Skyline Plots disagree with range size changes based on Species Distribution Models for Holarctic birds. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:3993-4004. [PMID: 34152661 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
During the Quaternary, large climate oscillations impacted the distribution and demography of species globally. Two approaches have played a major role in reconstructing changes through time: Bayesian Skyline Plots (BSPs), which reconstruct population fluctuations based on genetic data, and Species Distribution Models (SDMs), which allow us to back-cast the range occupied by a species based on its climatic preferences. In this paper, we contrast these two approaches by applying them to a large data set of 102 Holarctic bird species, for which both mitochondrial DNA sequences and distribution maps are available, to reconstruct their dynamics since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Most species experienced an increase in effective population size (Ne , as estimated by BSPs) as well as an increase in geographical range (as reconstructed by SDMs) since the LGM; however, we found no correlation between the magnitude of changes in Ne and range size. The only clear signal we could detect was a later and greater increase in Ne for wetland birds compared to species that live in other habitats, a probable consequence of a delayed and more extensive increase in the extent of this habitat type after the LGM. The lack of correlation between SDM and BSP reconstructions could not be reconciled even when range shifts were considered. We suggest that this pattern might be linked to changes in population densities, which can be independent of range changes, and caution that interpreting either SDMs or BSPs independently is problematic and potentially misleading.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rhys E Green
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Andrew Balmford
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Robert Beyer
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - William Amos
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Andrea Manica
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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12
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Bladon AJ, Donald PF, Collar NJ, Denge J, Dadacha G, Wondafrash M, Green RE. Climatic change and extinction risk of two globally threatened Ethiopian endemic bird species. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0249633. [PMID: 34010302 PMCID: PMC8133463 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [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: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change is having profound effects on the distributions of species globally. Trait-based assessments predict that specialist and range-restricted species are among those most likely to be at risk of extinction from such changes. Understanding individual species’ responses to climate change is therefore critical for informing conservation planning. We use an established Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) protocol to describe the curious range-restriction of the globally threatened White-tailed Swallow (Hirundo megaensis) to a small area in southern Ethiopia. We find that, across a range of modelling approaches, the distribution of this species is well described by two climatic variables, maximum temperature and dry season precipitation. These same two variables have been previously found to limit the distribution of the unrelated but closely sympatric Ethiopian Bush-crow (Zavattariornis stresemanni). We project the future climatic suitability for both species under a range of climate scenarios and modelling approaches. Both species are at severe risk of extinction within the next half century, as the climate in 68–84% (for the swallow) and 90–100% (for the bush-crow) of their current ranges is predicted to become unsuitable. Intensive conservation measures, such as assisted migration and captive-breeding, may be the only options available to safeguard these two species. Their projected disappearance in the wild offers an opportunity to test the reliability of SDMs for predicting the fate of wild species. Monitoring future changes in the distribution and abundance of the bush-crow is particularly tractable because its nests are conspicuous and visible over large distances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J. Bladon
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Paul F. Donald
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- BirdLife International, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jarso Denge
- Borana National Park Authority, Yabello, Oromiya, Ethiopia
| | | | - Mengistu Wondafrash
- Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society, Bole Sub City, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Rhys E. Green
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
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13
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Margalida A, Green RE, Hiraldo F, Blanco G, Sánchez-Zapata JA, Santangeli A, Duriez O, Donázar JA. Ban veterinary use of diclofenac in Europe. Science 2021; 372:694-695. [PMID: 33986173 DOI: 10.1126/science.abj0131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Antoni Margalida
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, E-13005 Ciudad Real, Spain.
| | - Rhys E Green
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | | | - Guillermo Blanco
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, E-28006 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Andrea Santangeli
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olivier Duriez
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, University of Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, University of Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France
| | - José A Donázar
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC, E-41092 Sevilla, Spain
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14
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Lambertucci SA, Margalida A, Speziale KL, Amar A, Ballejo F, Bildstein KL, Blanco G, Botha AJ, Bowden CG, Cortés‐Avizanda A, Duriez O, Green RE, Hiraldo F, Ogada D, Plaza P, Sánchez‐Zapata JA, Santangeli A, Selva N, Spiegel O, Donázar JA. Presumed killers? Vultures, stakeholders, misperceptions, and fake news. Conservat Sci and Prac 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sergio A. Lambertucci
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación (GRINBIC) INIBIOMA (Universidad Nacional del Comahue—CONICET) Bariloche Argentina
| | - Antoni Margalida
- Institute for Game and Wildlife Research IREC (CSIC‐UCLM) Ciudad Real Spain
| | - Karina L. Speziale
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación (GRINBIC) INIBIOMA (Universidad Nacional del Comahue—CONICET) Bariloche Argentina
| | - Arjun Amar
- Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology DST‐NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town Rondebosch South Africa
| | - Fernando Ballejo
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación (GRINBIC) INIBIOMA (Universidad Nacional del Comahue—CONICET) Bariloche Argentina
| | | | - Guillermo Blanco
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC) Madrid Spain
| | | | | | | | - Olivier Duriez
- CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS—Université de Montpellier—Université Paul‐Valéry Montpellier—EPHE Montpellier France
| | - Rhys E. Green
- Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Fernando Hiraldo
- Departamento de Biología de la Conservación Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC) Sevilla Spain
| | - Darcy Ogada
- The Peregrine Fund Boise Idaho USA
- National Museums of Kenya Nairobi Kenya
| | - Pablo Plaza
- Grupo de Investigaciones en Biología de la Conservación (GRINBIC) INIBIOMA (Universidad Nacional del Comahue—CONICET) Bariloche Argentina
| | | | - Andrea Santangeli
- Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology DST‐NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town Rondebosch South Africa
- The Helsinki Lab of Ornithology Finnish Museum of Natural History, FI‐00014 University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
| | - Nuria Selva
- Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of Sciences Krakow Poland
| | - Orr Spiegel
- School of Zoology Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv Israel
| | - José A. Donázar
- Departamento de Biología de la Conservación Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC) Sevilla Spain
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15
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Taggart MA, Shore RF, Pain DJ, Peniche G, Martinez-Haro M, Mateo R, Homann J, Raab A, Feldmann J, Lawlor AJ, Potter ED, Walker LA, Braidwood DW, French AS, Parry-Jones J, Swift JA, Green RE. Concentration and origin of lead (Pb) in liver and bone of Eurasian buzzards (Buteo buteo) in the United Kingdom. Environ Pollut 2020; 267:115629. [PMID: 33254650 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [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: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Ingestion of lead (Pb) derived from ammunition used in the hunting of game animals is recognised to be a significant potential source of Pb exposure of wild birds, including birds of prey. However, there are only limited data for birds of prey in Europe regarding tissue concentrations and origins of Pb. Eurasian buzzards (Buteo buteo) found dead in the United Kingdom during an 11-year period were collected and the concentrations of Pb in the liver and femur were measured. Concentrations in the liver consistent with acute exposure to Pb were found in 2.7% of birds and concentration in the femur consistent with exposure to lethal levels were found in 4.0% of individuals. Pb concentration in the femur showed no evidence of consistent variation among or within years, but was greater for old than for young birds. The Pb concentration in the liver showed no effect of the birds' age, but varied markedly among years and showed a consistent tendency to increase substantially within years throughout the UK hunting season for gamebirds. The resemblance of the stable isotope composition of Pb from buzzard livers to that of Pb from the types of shotgun ammunition most widely-used in the UK increased markedly with increasing Pb concentration in the liver. Stable isotope results were consistent with 57% of the mass of Pb in livers of all of the buzzards sampled being derived from shotgun pellets, with this proportion being 89% for the birds with concentrations indicating acute exposure to Pb. Hence, most of the Pb acquired by Eurasian buzzards which have liver concentrations likely to be associated with lethal and sublethal effects is probably obtained when they prey upon or scavenge gamebirds and mammals shot using Pb shotgun pellets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Taggart
- Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Castle Street, Thurso, KW14 7JD, UK
| | - Richard F Shore
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, UK
| | - Deborah J Pain
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Gabriela Peniche
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Mónica Martinez-Haro
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain; Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal (IRIAF), CIAG del Chaparrillo, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Rafael Mateo
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Julia Homann
- TESLA-Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Meston Walk, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE, Scotland, UK
| | - Andrea Raab
- TESLA-Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Meston Walk, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE, Scotland, UK
| | - Joerg Feldmann
- TESLA-Chemistry, University of Aberdeen, Meston Walk, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE, Scotland, UK; TESLA Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of Graz, Universitaetsplatz 1, A-8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Alan J Lawlor
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, UK
| | - Elaine D Potter
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, UK
| | - Lee A Walker
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Avenue, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, UK
| | - David W Braidwood
- Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Castle Street, Thurso, KW14 7JD, UK
| | - Andrew S French
- Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Castle Street, Thurso, KW14 7JD, UK; Marine Institute, Furnace, Newport, Co. Mayo, F28 PF65, Ireland
| | - Jemima Parry-Jones
- International Centre for Birds of Prey, Boulsdon House, Newent, Gloucestershire, GL18 1JJ, UK
| | - John A Swift
- John Swift Consultancy, Brookside Cottage, Chapel Lane, Higher Wych, Cheshire, SY14 7JS, UK
| | - Rhys E Green
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK; RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, UK.
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16
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Thomas VG, Pain DJ, Kanstrup N, Green RE. Setting maximum levels for lead in game meat in EC regulations: An adjunct to replacement of lead ammunition. Ambio 2020; 49:2026-2037. [PMID: 32451970 PMCID: PMC7568734 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-020-01336-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [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: 12/09/2019] [Revised: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Each year, hunters from 12 of the 27 European Union (EU) countries and the UK shoot over 6 million large game mammals, 12 million rabbits and hares and over 80 million birds. They support an international game meat market worth over 1.1 thousand million Euros. Animals shot with lead ammunition frequently contain lead fragments in the carcass which contaminate meals made from game meat with concentrations of lead substantially above the maximum allowable level (ML) set by European Commission Regulation EC1881/2006 for meat from domesticated animals. This poses a health risk to frequent consumers of wild-shot game meat, with children and pregnant women being particularly vulnerable. Total replacement of lead rifle and shotgun ammunition with available non-toxic alternatives is needed for all hunting in EU nations to prevent exposure of humans and wildlife to ammunition-derived lead and to allow the depletion of the long-term environmental legacy of lead from spent ammunition. We propose that EC1881/2006 is amended to incorporate an ML for game meats as a supplementary measure to the replacement of lead ammunition. This would harmonise food safety standards for lead in meats traded across and imported into the EU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vernon G. Thomas
- Department of Integrative Biology, College of Biological Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Deborah J. Pain
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ UK
| | - Niels Kanstrup
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Grenåvej 14, Rønde, 8410 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Rhys E. Green
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ UK
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17
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Finch T, Day BH, Massimino D, Redhead JW, Field RH, Balmford A, Green RE, Peach WJ. Evaluating spatially explicit sharing‐sparing scenarios for multiple environmental outcomes. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tom Finch
- RSPB Centre for Conservation ScienceRSPBThe Lodge Sandy UK
- Conservation Science Group Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Brett H. Day
- Department of Economics LEEP InstituteUniversity of Exeter Exeter UK
| | | | | | - Rob H. Field
- RSPB Centre for Conservation ScienceRSPBThe Lodge Sandy UK
| | - Andrew Balmford
- Conservation Science Group Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Rhys E. Green
- Conservation Science Group Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Wallingford UK
| | - Will J. Peach
- RSPB Centre for Conservation ScienceRSPBThe Lodge Sandy UK
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18
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Finch T, Green RE, Massimino D, Peach WJ, Balmford A. Optimising nature conservation outcomes for a given region‐wide level of food production. J Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tom Finch
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science RSPB The Lodge Sandy UK
| | - Rhys E. Green
- Conservation Science Group Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | | | - Will J. Peach
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science RSPB The Lodge Sandy UK
| | - Andrew Balmford
- Conservation Science Group Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
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19
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Green RE, Gilbert G, Wilson JD, Jennings K. Implications of the prevalence and magnitude of sustained declines for determining a minimum threshold for favourable population size. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228742. [PMID: 32050003 PMCID: PMC7015407 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We propose a new approach to quantifying a minimum threshold value for the size of an animal population, below which that population might be categorised as having unfavourable status. Under European Union law, the concept of Favourable Conservation Status requires assessment of populations as having favourable or unfavourable status, but quantitative methods for such assessments have not yet been developed. One population threshold that is well established in conservation biology is the minimum viable population (MVP) defined as the size of a small but stable population with an acceptably low risk of extinction within a specified period. Our approach combines this small-population paradigm MVP concept with a multiplier, which is a factor by which the MVP is multiplied to allow for the risk of a sustained future decline. We demonstrate this approach using data on UK breeding bird population sizes. We used 43-year time-series data for 189 species and a qualitative assessment of population trends over almost 200 years for 229 species to examine the prevalence, duration and magnitude of sustained population declines. Our study addressed the problem of underestimation of the duration and magnitude of declines caused by short runs of monitoring data by allowing for the truncation of time series. The multiplier was derived from probability distributions of decline magnitudes within a given period, adjusted for truncation. Over a surveillance period of 100 years, we estimated that there was a 10% risk across species that a sustained population decline of at least sixteen-fold would begin. We therefore suggest that, in this case, a factor of 16 could be used as the multiplier of small-population MVPs to obtain minimum threshold population sizes for favourable status. We propose this 'MVP Multiplier' method as a new and robust approach to obtaining minimum threshold population sizes which integrates the concepts of small-population and declining-population paradigms. The minimum threshold value we propose is intended for use alongside a range of other measures to enable overall assessments of favourable conservation status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhys E. Green
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United kingdom
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Sandy, Bedfordshire, United kingdom
| | - Gillian Gilbert
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Glasgow, United kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Kate Jennings
- RSPB Department of Site Conservation Policy, Sandy, Bedfordshire, United kingdom
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20
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Finch T, Gillings S, Green RE, Massimino D, Peach WJ, Balmford A. Bird conservation and the land sharing-sparing continuum in farmland-dominated landscapes of lowland England. Conserv Biol 2019; 33:1045-1055. [PMID: 30900280 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [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: 08/24/2018] [Revised: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Empirical evidence from many regions suggests that most species would be least negatively affected if human food demand were met through high-yield agricultural production and conservation of nonfarm ecosystems (land sparing), rather than through wildlife-friendly farming over a larger area (land sharing). However, repeated glaciation and a long history of agriculture may lead to different results in regions such as western Europe. We compared the consequences of land sparing and land sharing on breeding bird species in 2 lowland regions of England, The Fens, with 101 species, and Salisbury Plain, with 83. We derived density-yield responses for each species and then estimated regional population size under regional food production strategies, including land sharing and land sparing, a range of intermediate strategies, and a novel mixed strategy. In both regions, more species achieved maximum regional population size under land sparing than land sharing. In The Fens, the majority of birds were loser species (estimated to have smaller populations under all food production strategies than in the preagricultural baseline scenario), whereas in Salisbury Plain the majority were winners (smaller populations in the preagricultural baseline scenario). Loser species overwhelmingly achieved maximum regional population size under land sparing, whereas winner species achieved maximum regional population size under either land sharing or an intermediate strategy, highlighting the importance of defining which groups of species are the target of conservation. A novel 3-compartment strategy (combining high-yield farming, natural habitat, and low-yield farming) often performed better than either land sharing or land sparing. Our results support intermediate or 3-compartment land-sparing strategies to maximize bird populations across lowland agricultural landscapes. To deliver conservation outcomes, any shift toward land sparing must, however, ensure yield increases are sustainable in the long term, do not entail increased negative effects on surrounding areas, and are linked to allocation of land for nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Finch
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, U.K
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, U.K
| | | | - Rhys E Green
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, U.K
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, U.K
| | | | - Will J Peach
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, U.K
| | - Andrew Balmford
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, U.K
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Green RE, Pain DJ. Risks to human health from ammunition-derived lead in Europe. Ambio 2019; 48:954-968. [PMID: 31098877 PMCID: PMC6675757 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-019-01194-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [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: 02/08/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
It has been known for centuries that lead is toxic to humans. Chronic exposure to lead, even at low levels, is associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular and chronic kidney disease in adults and of impaired neurodevelopment and subsequent cognitive and behavioural development in the foetus and young children. Health agencies throughout the world have moved from assuming that there are tolerable levels of exposure to lead to a recognition that valid 'no-effect' thresholds cannot currently be defined. Formerly, the most important exposure pathways were occupational exposure, water from lead plumbing, paints, petrol additives and foods. Regulation of products and improved health and safety procedures at work have left dietary lead as the main remaining pathway of exposure in European countries. Ammunition-derived lead is now a significant cause of dietary lead exposure in groups of people who eat wild game meat frequently. These are mostly hunters, shoot employees and their families, but also some people who choose to eat game for ethical, health or other reasons, and their children. Extrapolation from surveys conducted in the UK and a review of studies of game consumption in other countries suggest that approximately 5 million people in the EU may be high-level consumers of lead-shot game meat and that tens of thousands of children in the EU may be consuming game contaminated with ammunition-derived lead frequently enough to cause significant effects on their cognitive development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhys E. Green
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ UK
| | - Deborah J. Pain
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ UK
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22
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Pain DJ, Mateo R, Green RE. Effects of lead from ammunition on birds and other wildlife: A review and update. Ambio 2019; 48:935-953. [PMID: 30879267 PMCID: PMC6675766 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-019-01159-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.4] [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: 11/16/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Poisoning of wild birds following ingestion of lead from ammunition has long been recognised and considerable recent research has focused on terrestrial birds, including raptors and scavengers. This paper builds upon previous reviews and finds that both the number of taxa affected and geographical spread of cases has increased. Some lead may also be absorbed from embedded ammunition fragments in injured birds which risk sub-lethal and welfare effects. Some papers suggest inter-specific differences in sensitivity to lead, although it is difficult to disentangle these from other factors that influence effect severity. Sub-lethal effects have been found at lower blood lead concentrations than previously reported, suggesting that previous effect-level 'thresholds' should be abandoned or revised. Lead poisoning is estimated to kill a million wildfowl a year in Europe and cause sub-lethal poisoning in another ≥ 3 million. Modelling and correlative studies have supported the potential for population-level effects of lead poisoning in wildfowl, terrestrial birds, raptors and scavengers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah J. Pain
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ UK
- Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire GL2 7BT UK
| | - Rafael Mateo
- Toxicología de Fauna Silvestre, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo 12, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Rhys E. Green
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ UK
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23
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Pain DJ, Dickie I, Green RE, Kanstrup N, Cromie R. Wildlife, human and environmental costs of using lead ammunition: An economic review and analysis. Ambio 2019; 48:969-988. [PMID: 30879269 PMCID: PMC6675822 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-019-01157-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
A proposed European Union (EU)-wide restriction on the use of lead gunshot for shooting in and over wetlands estimated that the societal benefits of a restriction outweighed costs, despite few identified benefits being quantified economically. A subsequent Annex XV Investigation Report on the evidence of impacts of lead ammunition in terrestrial environments concluded that additional measures to control its use are warranted, although to date this has not been further evaluated. To help inform this process, we review the literature and undertake new analyses to estimate the costs of continued use of lead ammunition associated with impacts on wildlife, people and the environment. We estimate minimum annual direct costs across the EU and Europe of c. €383 million-€960 million and €444 million-€1.3 thousand million respectively. The value that society places on being able to avoid these losses, estimated using a 'willingness to pay' approach, was c. €2.2 thousand million for wildfowl alone. Our estimated costs of the continued use of lead ammunition across the EU appear to be considerably greater than the likely costs of switching to non-toxic alternative ammunition types, although these have not been formally estimated in full.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah J. Pain
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ UK
- Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire GL2 7BT UK
| | - Ian Dickie
- eftec - economics for the environment, 4 City Road, London, EC1Y 2AA UK
| | - Rhys E. Green
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ UK
| | - Niels Kanstrup
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Grenåvej 14, 8410 Rønde, Denmark
| | - Ruth Cromie
- Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, Gloucestershire GL2 7BT UK
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Abstract
Empirical evidence from four continents indicates that human food demand may be best reconciled with biodiversity conservation through sparing natural habitats by boosting agricultural yields. This runs counter to the conservation paradigm of wildlife-friendly farming, which is influential in Europe, where many species are dependent on low-yielding high nature value farmland threatened by both intensification and abandonment. In the first multi-taxon population-level test of land-sparing theory in Europe, we quantified how population densities of 175 bird and sedge species varied with farm yield across 26 squares (each with an area of 1 km2) in eastern Poland. We discovered that, as in previous studies elsewhere, simple land sparing, with only natural habitats on spared land, markedly out-performed land sharing in its effect on region-wide projected population sizes. However, a novel 'three-compartment' land-sparing approach, in which about one-third of spared land is assigned to very low-yield agriculture and the remainder to natural habitats, resulted in least-reduced projected future populations for more species. Implementing the three-compartment model would require significant reorganization of current subsidy regimes, but would mean high-yield farming could release sufficient land for species dependent on both natural and high nature value farmland to persist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Feniuk
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.,Centre for Conservation Science, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy SG19 2DL, UK
| | - Andrew Balmford
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Rhys E Green
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.,Centre for Conservation Science, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy SG19 2DL, UK
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Lamb A, Finch T, Pearce-Higgins JW, Ausden M, Balmford A, Feniuk C, Hirons G, Massimino D, Green RE. The consequences of land sparing for birds in the United Kingdom. J Appl Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Lamb
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge UK
| | - Tom Finch
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge UK
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge; Sandy UK
| | - James W. Pearce-Higgins
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge UK
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery; Thetford Norfolk UK
| | - Malcolm Ausden
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge; Sandy UK
| | - Andrew Balmford
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge UK
| | - Claire Feniuk
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge UK
| | - Graham Hirons
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge; Sandy UK
| | - Dario Massimino
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery; Thetford Norfolk UK
| | - Rhys E. Green
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge UK
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge; Sandy UK
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Balmford B, Green RE, Onial M, Phalan B, Balmford A. How imperfect can land sparing be before land sharing is more favourable for wild species? J Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ben Balmford
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of Oxford Oxford UK
- Land, Environment, Economics and Policy InstituteUniversity of Exeter Exeter UK
| | - Rhys E. Green
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeConservation Science Group Cambridge UK
| | - Malvika Onial
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeConservation Science Group Cambridge UK
| | - Ben Phalan
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeConservation Science Group Cambridge UK
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and SocietyOregon State University Corvallis Oregon
| | - Andrew Balmford
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeConservation Science Group Cambridge UK
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27
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Green JM, Fisher B, Green RE, Makero J, Platts PJ, Robert N, Schaafsma M, Turner RK, Balmford A. Local costs of conservation exceed those borne by the global majority. Glob Ecol Conserv 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2018.e00385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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Naidoo V, Taggart MA, Duncan N, Wolter K, Chipangura J, Green RE, Galligan TH. The use of toxicokinetics and exposure studies to show that carprofen in cattle tissue could lead to secondary toxicity and death in wild vultures. Chemosphere 2018; 190:80-89. [PMID: 28985539 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.08.167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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: 04/14/2017] [Revised: 08/18/2017] [Accepted: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Veterinary medicines can be extremely damaging to the environment, as seen with the catastrophic declines in Gyps vulture in South Asia due to their secondary exposure to diclofenac in their primary food source. Not surprisingly, concern has been raised over other similar drugs. In this study, we evaluate the toxicity of carprofen to the Gyps vulture clade through plasma pharmacokinetics evaluations in Bos taurus cattle (their food source) and Gyps africanus (a validated model species); tissue residues in cattle; and the effect of carprofen as a secondary toxicant as both tissue-bound residue or pure drug at levels expected in cattle tissues. Carprofen residues were highest in cattle kidney (7.72 ± 2.38 mg/kg) and injection site muscle (289.05 ± 98.96 mg/kg of dimension of 5 × 5 × 5 cm). Vultures exposed to carprofen as residues in the kidney tissue or pure drug equivalents showed no toxic signs. When exposed to average injection site concentrations (64 mg/kg) one of two birds died with evidence of severe renal and liver damage. Toxicokinetic analysis revealed a prolonged drug half-life of 37.75 h in the dead bird as opposed to 13.99 ± 5.61 h from healthy birds dosed intravenously at 5 mg/kg. While carprofen may generally be harmless to Gyps vultures, its high levels at the injection site in treated cattle can result in lethal exposure in foraging vultures, due to relative small area of tissue it is found therein. We thus suggest that carprofen not be used in domesticated ungulates in areas where carcasses are accessible or provided to vultures at supplementary feeding sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Naidoo
- Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa; Biomedical Research Centre, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
| | - M A Taggart
- Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Castle St, Thurso, Scotland, KW17 7JD, UK
| | - N Duncan
- Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa
| | - K Wolter
- VulPro, Plot 121, Rietfontein, 0048, South Africa
| | - J Chipangura
- Biomedical Research Centre, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa
| | - R E Green
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, David Attenborough Building, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 3QZ, UK; Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, David Attenborough Building, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 3QZ, UK
| | - T H Galligan
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, David Attenborough Building, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 3QZ, UK
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29
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Andreotti A, Guberti V, Nardelli R, Pirrello S, Serra L, Volponi S, Green RE. Economic assessment of wild bird mortality induced by the use of lead gunshot in European wetlands. Sci Total Environ 2018; 610-611:1505-1513. [PMID: 28648373 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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: 04/10/2017] [Revised: 06/07/2017] [Accepted: 06/10/2017] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
In European wetlands, at least 40 bird species are exposed to the risk of lead poisoning caused by ingestion of spent lead gunshot. Adopting a methodology developed in North America, we estimated that about 700,000 individuals of 16 waterbird species die annually in the European Union (EU) (6.1% of the wintering population) and one million in whole Europe (7.0%) due to acute effects of lead poisoning. Furthermore, threefold more birds suffer sub-lethal effects. We assessed the economic loss due to this lead-induced mortality of these 16 species by calculating the costs of replacing lethally poisoned wild birds by releasing captive-bred ones. We assessed the cost of buying captive-bred waterbirds for release from market surveys and calculated how many captive-bred birds would have to be released to compensate for the loss, taking into account the high mortality rate of captive birds (72.7%) in the months following release into the wild. Following this approach, the annual cost of waterbird mortality induced by lead shot ingestion is estimated at 105 million euros per year in the EU countries and 142 million euros in the whole of Europe. An alternative method, based upon lost opportunities for hunting caused by deaths due to lead poisoning, gave similar results of 129 million euros per year in the EU countries and 185 million euros per year in the whole of Europe. For several reasons these figures should be regarded as conservative. Inclusion of deaths of species for which there were insufficient data and delayed deaths caused indirectly by lead poisoning and effects on reproduction would probably increase the estimated losses substantially. Nevertheless, our results suggest that the benefits of a restriction on the use of lead gunshot over wetlands could exceed the cost of adapting to non-lead ammunition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Andreotti
- ISPRA - Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, Via Ca' Fornacetta 9, 40064 Ozzano Emilia, Italy.
| | - Vittorio Guberti
- ISPRA - Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, Via Ca' Fornacetta 9, 40064 Ozzano Emilia, Italy
| | - Riccardo Nardelli
- ISPRA - Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, Via Ca' Fornacetta 9, 40064 Ozzano Emilia, Italy
| | - Simone Pirrello
- ISPRA - Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, Via Ca' Fornacetta 9, 40064 Ozzano Emilia, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Serra
- ISPRA - Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, Via Ca' Fornacetta 9, 40064 Ozzano Emilia, Italy
| | - Stefano Volponi
- ISPRA - Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale, Via Ca' Fornacetta 9, 40064 Ozzano Emilia, Italy
| | - Rhys E Green
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, UK; RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL, UK
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30
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Zamora-Gutierrez V, Pearson RG, Green RE, Jones KE. Forecasting the combined effects of climate and land use change on Mexican bats. DIVERS DISTRIB 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Zamora-Gutierrez
- Department of Zoology; Conservation Science Group; University of Cambridge; Cambridge UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment; Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research; University College London; London UK
- CONACYT - Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional Unidad Durango; Instituto Politécnico Nacional; Durango Mexico
| | - Richard G. Pearson
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment; Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research; University College London; London UK
| | - Rhys E. Green
- Department of Zoology; Conservation Science Group; University of Cambridge; Cambridge UK
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; The Lodge; Sandy UK
| | - Kate E. Jones
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment; Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research; University College London; London UK
- Institute of Zoology; Zoological Society of London; London UK
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31
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Williams DR, Alvarado F, Green RE, Manica A, Phalan B, Balmford A. Land-use strategies to balance livestock production, biodiversity conservation and carbon storage in Yucatán, Mexico. Glob Chang Biol 2017; 23:5260-5272. [PMID: 28614629 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [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: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2017] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Balancing the production of food, particularly meat, with preserving biodiversity and maintaining ecosystem services is a major societal challenge. Research into the contrasting strategies of land sparing and land sharing has suggested that land sparing-combining high-yield agriculture with the protection or restoration of natural habitats on nonfarmed land-will have lower environmental impacts than other strategies. Ecosystems with long histories of habitat disturbance, however, could be resilient to low-yield agriculture and thus fare better under land sharing. Using a wider suite of species (birds, dung beetles and trees) and a wider range of livestock-production systems than previous studies, we investigated the probable impacts of different land-use strategies on biodiversity and aboveground carbon stocks in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico-a region with a long history of habitat disturbance. By modelling the production of multiple products from interdependent land uses, we found that land sparing would allow larger estimated populations of most species and larger carbon stocks to persist than would land sharing or any intermediate strategy. This result held across all agricultural production targets despite the history of disturbance and despite species richness in low- and medium-yielding agriculture being not much lower than that in natural habitats. This highlights the importance, in evaluating the biodiversity impacts of land use, of measuring population densities of individual species, rather than simple species richness. The benefits of land sparing for both biodiversity and carbon storage suggest that safeguarding natural habitats for biodiversity protection and carbon storage alongside promoting areas of high-yield cattle production would be desirable. However, delivering such landscapes will probably require the explicit linkage of livestock yield increases with habitat protection or restoration, as well as a deeper understanding of the long-term sustainability of yields, and research into how other societal outcomes vary across land-use strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R Williams
- Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Fredy Alvarado
- División de Posgrado, Instituto de Ecología, A. C. Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Rhys E Green
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, UK
| | - Andrea Manica
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ben Phalan
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Andrew Balmford
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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32
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Thaxter CB, Buchanan GM, Carr J, Butchart SHM, Newbold T, Green RE, Tobias JA, Foden WB, O'Brien S, Pearce-Higgins JW. Bird and bat species' global vulnerability to collision mortality at wind farms revealed through a trait-based assessment. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:20170829. [PMID: 28904135 PMCID: PMC5597824 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [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: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitigation of anthropogenic climate change involves deployments of renewable energy worldwide, including wind farms, which can pose a significant collision risk to volant animals. Most studies into the collision risk between species and wind turbines, however, have taken place in industrialized countries. Potential effects for many locations and species therefore remain unclear. To redress this gap, we conducted a systematic literature review of recorded collisions between birds and bats and wind turbines within developed countries. We related collision rate to species-level traits and turbine characteristics to quantify the potential vulnerability of 9538 bird and 888 bat species globally. Avian collision rate was affected by migratory strategy, dispersal distance and habitat associations, and bat collision rates were influenced by dispersal distance. For birds and bats, larger turbine capacity (megawatts) increased collision rates; however, deploying a smaller number of large turbines with greater energy output reduced total collision risk per unit energy output, although bat mortality increased again with the largest turbines. Areas with high concentrations of vulnerable species were also identified, including migration corridors. Our results can therefore guide wind farm design and location to reduce the risk of large-scale animal mortality. This is the first quantitative global assessment of the relative collision vulnerability of species groups with wind turbines, providing valuable guidance for minimizing potentially serious negative impacts on biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris B Thaxter
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK
- British Trust for Ornithology, David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK
| | - Graeme M Buchanan
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, 2 Lochside View, Edinburgh Park, Edinburgh EH12 9DH, UK
| | - Jamie Carr
- International Union for Conservation of Nature, David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK
| | - Stuart H M Butchart
- BirdLife International, David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Tim Newbold
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Rhys E Green
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK
| | - Joseph A Tobias
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Buckhurst Road, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK
| | - Wendy B Foden
- Department of Botany and Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, P/Bag X1, Matieland 7602 Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Sue O'Brien
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Inverdee House, Baxter Street, Aberdeen AB11 9QA, UK
| | - James W Pearce-Higgins
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK
- British Trust for Ornithology, David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
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Collas L, Green RE, Ross A, Wastell JH, Balmford A. Urban development, land sharing and land sparing: the importance of considering restoration. J Appl Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lydia Collas
- Conservation Science Group; Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
| | - Rhys E. Green
- Conservation Science Group; Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; The Lodge Sandy SG19 2DL UK
| | - Alexander Ross
- Conservation Science Group; Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
| | - Josie H. Wastell
- Conservation Science Group; Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
- UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre; 219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL UK
| | - Andrew Balmford
- Conservation Science Group; Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
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Tayleur C, Balmford A, Buchanan GM, Butchart SHM, Ducharme H, Green RE, Milder JC, Sanderson FJ, Thomas DHL, Vickery J, Phalan B. Global Coverage of Agricultural Sustainability Standards, and Their Role in Conserving Biodiversity. Conserv Lett 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/conl.12314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Tayleur
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street Cambridge CB2 3QZ UK
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; The Lodge Sandy Bedfordshire SG19 2DL UK
- BirdLife International; David Attenborough Building; Pembroke Street Cambridge CB2 3QZ UK
| | - Andrew Balmford
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street Cambridge CB2 3QZ UK
| | - Graeme M. Buchanan
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; The Lodge Sandy Bedfordshire SG19 2DL UK
| | - Stuart H. M. Butchart
- BirdLife International; David Attenborough Building; Pembroke Street Cambridge CB2 3QZ UK
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street Cambridge CB2 3QZ UK
| | - Heather Ducharme
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; The Lodge Sandy Bedfordshire SG19 2DL UK
| | - Rhys E. Green
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street Cambridge CB2 3QZ UK
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; The Lodge Sandy Bedfordshire SG19 2DL UK
| | - Jeffrey C. Milder
- Rainforest Alliance; New York NY 10279 USA
- Department of Natural Resources; Cornell University; Ithaca NY 14853 USA
| | - Fiona J. Sanderson
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; The Lodge Sandy Bedfordshire SG19 2DL UK
| | - David H. L. Thomas
- BirdLife International; David Attenborough Building; Pembroke Street Cambridge CB2 3QZ UK
| | - Juliet Vickery
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; The Lodge Sandy Bedfordshire SG19 2DL UK
| | - Ben Phalan
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street Cambridge CB2 3QZ UK
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Pearce-Higgins JW, Ockendon N, Baker DJ, Carr J, White EC, Almond REA, Amano T, Bertram E, Bradbury RB, Bradley C, Butchart SHM, Doswald N, Foden W, Gill DJC, Green RE, Sutherland WJ, Tanner EVJ. Geographical variation in species' population responses to changes in temperature and precipitation. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 282:20151561. [PMID: 26511054 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.1561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite increasing concerns about the vulnerability of species' populations to climate change, there has been little overall synthesis of how individual population responses to variation in climate differ between taxa, with trophic level or geographically. To address this, we extracted data from 132 long-term (greater than or equal to 20 years) studies of population responses to temperature and precipitation covering 236 animal and plant species across terrestrial and freshwater habitats. Our results identify likely geographical differences in the effects of climate change on populations and communities in line with macroecological theory. Temperature tended to have a greater overall impact on populations than precipitation, although the effects of increased precipitation varied strongly with latitude, being most positive at low latitudes. Population responses to increased temperature were generally positive, but did not vary significantly with latitude. Studies reporting significant climatic trends through time tended to show more negative effects of temperature and more positive effects of precipitation upon populations than other studies, indicating climate change has already impacted many populations. Most studies of climate change impacts on biodiversity have focused on temperature and are from middle to high northern latitudes. Our results suggest their findings may be less applicable to low latitudes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nancy Ockendon
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK
| | - David J Baker
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Jamie Carr
- IUCN Global Species Programme, 219c Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK
| | - Elizabeth C White
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK
| | - Rosamunde E A Almond
- Cambridge Conservation Initiative, c/o Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1AG, UK
| | - Tatsuya Amano
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Esther Bertram
- Fauna and Flora International, Jupiter House, Station Road, Cambridge CB1 2JD, UK
| | - Richard B Bradbury
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Beds SG19 2DL, UK
| | - Cassie Bradley
- Fauna and Flora International, Jupiter House, Station Road, Cambridge CB1 2JD, UK
| | | | - Nathalie Doswald
- United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, 219 Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK
| | - Wendy Foden
- IUCN Global Species Programme, 219c Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK Department of Botany and Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, P/Bag X1, Matieland, 7602 Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - David J C Gill
- Fauna and Flora International, Jupiter House, Station Road, Cambridge CB1 2JD, UK
| | - Rhys E Green
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Beds SG19 2DL, UK
| | - William J Sutherland
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Edmund V J Tanner
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
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36
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhys E. Green
- Conservation Science Group; Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street Cambridge CB2 3QZ UK
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; RSPB; The Lodge; Sandy Bedfordshire SG19 2DL UK
| | - Rowena H. W. Langston
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; RSPB; The Lodge; Sandy Bedfordshire SG19 2DL UK
| | - Aly McCluskie
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; RSPB Scotland; 2 Lochside View Edinburgh Park Edinburgh EH12 9DH UK
| | - Rosie Sutherland
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; RSPB; The Lodge; Sandy Bedfordshire SG19 2DL UK
| | - Jeremy D. Wilson
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; RSPB Scotland; 2 Lochside View Edinburgh Park Edinburgh EH12 9DH UK
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37
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Green RE, Donázar JA, Sánchez-Zapata JA, Margalida A. Potential threat to Eurasian griffon vultures in Spain from veterinary use of the drug diclofenac. J Appl Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rhys E. Green
- Conservation Science Group; Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science; Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; The Lodge Sandy SG19 2DL UK
| | - José A. Donázar
- Department of Conservation Biology; Estación Biológica de Doñana - CSIC; Avenida de Américo Vespucio s/n Seville E-41092 Spain
| | - José A. Sánchez-Zapata
- Department of Applied Biology; Universidad Miguel Hernández; Ctra Beniel km 3·2 Alicante E-03312 Spain
| | - Antoni Margalida
- Faculty of Life Sciences and Engineering; University of Lleida; Lleida E-25003 Spain
- Division of Conservation Biology; Institute of Ecology and Evolution; University of Bern; Bern 3012 Switzerland
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Stephens PA, Mason LR, Green RE, Gregory RD, Sauer JR, Alison J, Aunins A, Brotons L, Butchart SHM, Campedelli T, Chodkiewicz T, Chylarecki P, Crowe O, Elts J, Escandell V, Foppen RPB, Heldbjerg H, Herrando S, Husby M, Jiguet F, Lehikoinen A, Lindström Å, Noble DG, Paquet JY, Reif J, Sattler T, Szép T, Teufelbauer N, Trautmann S, van Strien AJ, van Turnhout CAM, Vorisek P, Willis SG. Consistent response of bird populations to climate change on two continents. Science 2016; 352:84-7. [PMID: 27034371 DOI: 10.1126/science.aac4858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2015] [Accepted: 02/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Global climate change is a major threat to biodiversity. Large-scale analyses have generally focused on the impacts of climate change on the geographic ranges of species and on phenology, the timing of ecological phenomena. We used long-term monitoring of the abundance of breeding birds across Europe and the United States to produce, for both regions, composite population indices for two groups of species: those for which climate suitability has been either improving or declining since 1980. The ratio of these composite indices, the climate impact indicator (CII), reflects the divergent fates of species favored or disadvantaged by climate change. The trend in CII is positive and similar in the two regions. On both continents, interspecific and spatial variation in population abundance trends are well predicted by climate suitability trends.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip A Stephens
- Conservation Ecology Group, School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Lucy R Mason
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK
| | - Rhys E Green
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK. Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Richard D Gregory
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK
| | - John R Sauer
- United States Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 12100 Beech Forest Road, Laurel, MD 20708, USA
| | - Jamie Alison
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
| | - Ainars Aunins
- Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, Jelgavas iela 1, Riga, LV-1004, Latvia
| | - Lluís Brotons
- Center for Mediterranean Forest Research, Centre Tecnològic Forestal de Catalunya, InForest JRU, Solsona 25280, Spain. REAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Catalonia, Spain. CSIC, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Stuart H M Butchart
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK. BirdLife International, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QZ, UK
| | - Tommaso Campedelli
- MITO2000 National Committee; c/o Dream Italia, Via Garibaldi 3, 52015, Pratovecchio-Stia, Arezzo, Italy
| | - Tomasz Chodkiewicz
- Ogólnopolskie Towarzystwo Ochrony Ptaków, Odrowąża 24,05-270 Marki, Poland
| | - Przemysław Chylarecki
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00-679 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Olivia Crowe
- BirdWatch Ireland, Unit 20 Block D Bullford Business Campus, Kilcoole, County Wicklow, Ireland
| | - Jaanus Elts
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Vanemuise Street 46, 51014 Tartu, Estonia. Estonian Ornithological Society, Veski 4, 51005 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Virginia Escandell
- Sociedad Española de Ornitología/BirdLife Melquiades Biencinto, 34, 28053 Madrid. Spain
| | - Ruud P B Foppen
- European Bird Census Council, Post Office Box 6521, 6503 GA Nijmegen, Netherlands. Sovon Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology, Post Office Box 6521, 6503 GA Nijmegen, Netherlands. Department of Animal Ecology and Ecophysiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Post Office Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Henning Heldbjerg
- Dansk Ornitologisk Forening-BirdLife Denmark and University of Aarhus, Vesterbrogade 140, 1620 København V, Denmark
| | - Sergi Herrando
- European Bird Census Council-Catalan Ornithological Institute, Natural History Museum of Barcelona, Plaça Leonardo da Vinci 4-5, 08019 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Magne Husby
- Section for Science, Nord University, 7600 Levanger, Norway
| | - Frédéric Jiguet
- UMR7204 Sorbonne Universités-MNHN-CNRS-UPMC, CESCO, CRBPO, CP 135, 43 Rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Aleksi Lehikoinen
- The Helsinki Lab of Ornithology, Finnish Museum of Natural History, Post Office Box 17, 00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Åke Lindström
- Biodiversity Unit, Department of Biology, Lund University, Ecology Building, S-223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - David G Noble
- The British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK
| | - Jean-Yves Paquet
- Natagora, Département Études, Rue Nanon 98, B-5000 Namur, Belgium
| | - Jiri Reif
- Institute for Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Department of Zoology and Laboratory of Ornithology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, 17 Listopadu 50, 771 43 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Thomas Sattler
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, Seerose 1, 6204 Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Tibor Szép
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, University of Nyíregyháza, Sóstói út 31/b, 4400 Nyíregyháza, Hungary
| | | | - Sven Trautmann
- Dachverband Deutscher Avifaunisten e.V. (Federation of German Avifaunists), An den Speichern 6, D-48157 Münster, Germany
| | - Arco J van Strien
- Statistics Netherlands, Post Office Box 24500, 2490 HA The Hague, Netherlands
| | - Chris A M van Turnhout
- Sovon Dutch Centre for Field Ornithology, Post Office Box 6521, 6503 GA Nijmegen, Netherlands. Department of Animal Ecology and Ecophysiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, Post Office Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Petr Vorisek
- Department of Zoology and Laboratory of Ornithology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, 17 Listopadu 50, 771 43 Olomouc, Czech Republic. Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme, Czech Society for Ornithology, Na Bělidle 252/34, CZ-15000 Prague 5, Czech Republic
| | - Stephen G Willis
- Conservation Ecology Group, School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
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Phalan B, Green RE, Dicks LV, Dotta G, Feniuk C, Lamb A, Strassburg BBN, Williams DR, zu Ermgassen EKHJ, Balmford A. CONSERVATION ECOLOGY. How can higher-yield farming help to spare nature? Science 2016. [PMID: 26823413 DOI: 10.1126/science:aad0055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ben Phalan
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.
| | - Rhys E Green
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK. RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Royal Society for the Prote"> RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sandy SG19 2DL, UK
| | - Lynn V Dicks
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Graziela Dotta
- Laboratório de Ornitologia, Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia, PUC-RS, 6681, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Claire Feniuk
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Anthony Lamb
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Bernardo B N Strassburg
- International Institute for Sustainability, 22460-320 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rio Conservation and Sustainability Science Centre, Department of Geography and the Environment, Pontifícia Universidade Católica, 22453-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - David R Williams
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | | | - Andrew Balmford
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
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zu Ermgassen EK, Phalan B, Green RE, Balmford A. Reducing the land use of EU pork production: where there's swill, there's a way. Food Policy 2016; 58:35-48. [PMID: 26949285 PMCID: PMC4750877 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2015.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2015] [Revised: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 11/06/2015] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Livestock production occupies approximately 75% of agricultural land, consumes 35% of the world's grain, and produces 14.5% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. With demand for meat and dairy products forecast to increase 60% by 2050, there is a pressing need to reduce the footprint of livestock farming. Food wastes have a long history as a source of environmentally benign animal feed, but their inclusion in feed is currently banned in the EU because of disease control concerns. A number of East Asian states have in the last 20 years, however, introduced regulated, centralised systems for safely recycling food wastes into animal feed. This study quantifies the land use savings that could be realised by changing EU legislation to promote the use of food wastes as animal feed and reviews the policy, public, and industry barriers to the use of food waste as feed. Our results suggest that the application of existing technologies could reduce the land use of EU pork (20% of world production) by one fifth, potentially saving 1.8 million hectares of agricultural land. While swill presents a low-cost, low-impact animal feed, widespread adoption would require efforts to address consumer and farmer concerns over food safety and disease control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erasmus K.H.J. zu Ermgassen
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Ben Phalan
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Rhys E. Green
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy SG19 2DL, UK
| | - Andrew Balmford
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
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41
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Cuthbert RJ, Taggart MA, Prakash V, Chakraborty SS, Deori P, Galligan T, Kulkarni M, Ranade S, Saini M, Sharma AK, Shringarpure R, Green RE. Avian scavengers and the threat from veterinary pharmaceuticals. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2015; 369:rstb.2013.0574. [PMID: 25405963 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Veterinary use of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac on domesticated ungulates caused populations of resident Gyps vultures in the Indian sub-continent to collapse. The birds died when they fed on carrion from treated animals. Veterinary diclofenac was banned in 2006 and meloxicam was advocated as a 'vulture-safe' alternative. We examine the effectiveness of the 2006 ban, whether meloxicam has replaced diclofenac, and the impact of these changes on vultures. Drug residue data from liver samples collected from ungulate carcasses in India since 2004 demonstrate that the prevalence of diclofenac in carcasses in 2009 was half of that before the ban and meloxicam prevalence increased by 44%. The expected vulture death rate from diclofenac per meal in 2009 was one-third of that before the ban. Surveys at veterinary clinics show that diclofenac use in India began in 1994, coinciding with the onset of rapid Gyps declines ascertained from measured rates of declines. Our study shows that one pharmaceutical product has had a devastating impact on Asia's vultures. Large-scale research and survey were needed to detect, diagnose and quantify the problem and measure the response to remedial actions. Given these difficulties, other effects of pharmaceuticals in the environment may remain undetected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Cuthbert
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK Wildlife Conservation Society, PO Box 277, Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea
| | - Mark A Taggart
- Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, Thurso KW14 7JD, UK
| | - Vibhu Prakash
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, S.B. Singh Road, Mumbai 400 001, India
| | - Soumya S Chakraborty
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, S.B. Singh Road, Mumbai 400 001, India
| | - Parag Deori
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, S.B. Singh Road, Mumbai 400 001, India
| | - Toby Galligan
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK
| | - Mandar Kulkarni
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, S.B. Singh Road, Mumbai 400 001, India
| | - Sachin Ranade
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, S.B. Singh Road, Mumbai 400 001, India
| | - Mohini Saini
- Centre for Wildlife Conservation, Management and Disease Surveillance, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh 243 122, India
| | - Anil Kumar Sharma
- Centre for Wildlife Conservation, Management and Disease Surveillance, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh 243 122, India
| | - Rohan Shringarpure
- Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, S.B. Singh Road, Mumbai 400 001, India
| | - Rhys E Green
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing St., Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
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42
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Kamp J, Urazaliev R, Balmford A, Donald PF, Green RE, Lamb AJ, Phalan B. Agricultural development and the conservation of avian biodiversity on the Eurasian steppes: a comparison of land-sparing and land-sharing approaches. J Appl Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Kamp
- Institute of Landscape Ecology; University of Münster, Heisenbergstr; 2, 48149 Münster Germany
- Centre for Conservation Science; Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB); The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL UK
| | - Ruslan Urazaliev
- Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity in Kazakhstan (ACBK); Beibitshilik Str. 18, office 406, 010000 Astana Kazakhstan
| | - Andrew Balmford
- Conservation Science Group; Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
| | - Paul F. Donald
- Centre for Conservation Science; Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB); The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL UK
- Conservation Science Group; Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
| | - Rhys E. Green
- Centre for Conservation Science; Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB); The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL UK
- Conservation Science Group; Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
| | - Anthony J. Lamb
- Conservation Science Group; Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
| | - Ben Phalan
- Conservation Science Group; Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
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43
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoni Margalida
- Faculty of Life Sciences and Engineering, University of Lleida , 25003 Lleida, Spain
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44
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Goswami R, Dufort P, Tartaglia MC, Green RE, Crawley A, Tator CH, Wennberg R, Mikulis DJ, Keightley M, Davis KD. Frontotemporal correlates of impulsivity and machine learning in retired professional athletes with a history of multiple concussions. Brain Struct Funct 2015; 221:1911-25. [PMID: 25721800 PMCID: PMC4853456 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-015-1012-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2014] [Accepted: 02/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The frontotemporal cortical network is associated with behaviours such as impulsivity and aggression. The health of the uncinate fasciculus (UF) that connects the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) with the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) may be a crucial determinant of behavioural regulation. Behavioural changes can emerge after repeated concussion and thus we used MRI to examine the UF and connected gray matter as it relates to impulsivity and aggression in retired professional football players who had sustained multiple concussions. Behaviourally, athletes had faster reaction times and an increased error rate on a go/no-go task, and increased aggression and mania compared to controls. MRI revealed that the athletes had (1) cortical thinning of the ATL, (2) negative correlations of OFC thickness with aggression and task errors, indicative of impulsivity, (3) negative correlations of UF axial diffusivity with error rates and aggression, and (4) elevated resting-state functional connectivity between the ATL and OFC. Using machine learning, we found that UF diffusion imaging differentiates athletes from healthy controls with significant classifiers based on UF mean and radial diffusivity showing 79–84 % sensitivity and specificity, and 0.8 areas under the ROC curves. The spatial pattern of classifier weights revealed hot spots at the orbitofrontal and temporal ends of the UF. These data implicate the UF system in the pathological outcomes of repeated concussion as they relate to impulsive behaviour. Furthermore, a support vector machine has potential utility in the general assessment and diagnosis of brain abnormalities following concussion.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Goswami
- Canadian Sports Concussion Project, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada.,Division of Brain, Imaging and Behaviour-Systems Neuroscience, Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, 399 Bathurst Street, Room MP14-306, Toronto, ON, M5T 2S8, Canada
| | - P Dufort
- Canadian Sports Concussion Project, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Medical Imaging, Toronto Western Hospital and University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - M C Tartaglia
- Canadian Sports Concussion Project, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada.,Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Division of Neurology, Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto, Canada
| | - R E Green
- Canadian Sports Concussion Project, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada.,Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
| | - A Crawley
- Canadian Sports Concussion Project, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada.,Division of Brain, Imaging and Behaviour-Systems Neuroscience, Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, 399 Bathurst Street, Room MP14-306, Toronto, ON, M5T 2S8, Canada.,Department of Medical Imaging, Toronto Western Hospital and University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - C H Tator
- Canadian Sports Concussion Project, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada.,Division of Brain, Imaging and Behaviour-Systems Neuroscience, Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, 399 Bathurst Street, Room MP14-306, Toronto, ON, M5T 2S8, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Division of Neurosurgery, Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - R Wennberg
- Canadian Sports Concussion Project, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada.,Division of Neurology, Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto, Canada
| | - D J Mikulis
- Canadian Sports Concussion Project, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada.,Division of Brain, Imaging and Behaviour-Systems Neuroscience, Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, 399 Bathurst Street, Room MP14-306, Toronto, ON, M5T 2S8, Canada.,Department of Medical Imaging, Toronto Western Hospital and University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - M Keightley
- Canadian Sports Concussion Project, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Canada
| | - Karen D Davis
- Canadian Sports Concussion Project, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada. .,Division of Brain, Imaging and Behaviour-Systems Neuroscience, Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, 399 Bathurst Street, Room MP14-306, Toronto, ON, M5T 2S8, Canada. .,Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. .,Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
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Bowley FE, Green RE, Amer PR, Meier S. Novel approaches to genetic analysis of fertility traits in New Zealand dairy cattle. J Dairy Sci 2015; 98:2005-12. [PMID: 25597971 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2014-8266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2014] [Accepted: 11/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The fertility of dairy cattle in New Zealand is well below industry targets, and the current New Zealand fertility breeding value (BV) could potentially be improved using additional information and traits. Data from 169 herds were analyzed to determine the benefits of using alternative phenotypic measures in the calculation of the fertility BV. The heritability of calving season day (CSD; calving season day as an integer day of the year) and the probability of an animal calving within 42 d of the planned start of calving (CR42) increased modestly (from 0.0206 to 0.0213 and 0.0087 to 0.0092, respectively) after accounting for the use of intravaginal progesterone-releasing devices for treatment of anestrous cows (anestrum treatment) and induced calvings. Incidence of either anestrum treatment or calving induction as a single binomial trait (AT/IND) had a heritability of 0.0223 and showed moderate genetic correlation with the probability of an animal being mated within 21 d of the planned start of mating (PM21; -0.4473), but much higher with CSD (0.8445). The use of pregnancy diagnosis data allowed fertility information that would otherwise be discarded to be included in analyses; when used to assign a prolonged CSD and a value of 0 for CR42 to animals that failed to calve, it increased the heritabilities of both of these traits (to 0.0278 and 0.0114, respectively). Because CSD was found to be more than twice as heritable as its binary counterpart, it shows potential to replace CR42 as the calving trait used in the fertility BV. Postpartum anestrous interval (PPAI), derived using incomplete premating estrous recording in some herds, had a heritability of 0.0813 and hence has potential as a trait to be included in genetic improvement programs but would require more rigorous recording of estrous during the premating period to be an effective trait. Based on selection index theory, the modifications made to current selection criteria using novel fertility traits increased the accuracy of prediction of fertility merit by more than 12%. Because of the increasing economic importance of fertility traits, and low heritabilities requiring large numbers of recorded daughters to get accurate fertility BV predictions on sires, data recorded on farm will become increasingly important in the genetic improvement of fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- F E Bowley
- AbacusBio Limited, Dunedin 9058, New Zealand
| | - R E Green
- AbacusBio Limited, Dunedin 9058, New Zealand
| | - P R Amer
- AbacusBio Limited, Dunedin 9058, New Zealand.
| | - S Meier
- DairyNZ Limited, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
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Ockendon N, Baker DJ, Carr JA, White EC, Almond REA, Amano T, Bertram E, Bradbury RB, Bradley C, Butchart SHM, Doswald N, Foden W, Gill DJC, Green RE, Sutherland WJ, Tanner EVJ, Pearce-Higgins JW. Mechanisms underpinning climatic impacts on natural populations: altered species interactions are more important than direct effects. Glob Chang Biol 2014; 20:2221-2229. [PMID: 24677405 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 168] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [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: 05/24/2013] [Revised: 01/14/2014] [Accepted: 02/05/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Shifts in species' distribution and abundance in response to climate change have been well documented, but the underpinning processes are still poorly understood. We present the results of a systematic literature review and meta-analysis investigating the frequency and importance of different mechanisms by which climate has impacted natural populations. Most studies were from temperate latitudes of North America and Europe; almost half investigated bird populations. We found significantly greater support for indirect, biotic mechanisms than direct, abiotic mechanisms as mediators of the impact of climate on populations. In addition, biotic effects tended to have greater support than abiotic factors in studies of species from higher trophic levels. For primary consumers, the impact of climate was equally mediated by biotic and abiotic mechanisms, whereas for higher level consumers the mechanisms were most frequently biotic, such as predation or food availability. Biotic mechanisms were more frequently supported in studies that reported a directional trend in climate than in studies with no such climatic change, although sample sizes for this comparison were small. We call for more mechanistic studies of climate change impacts on populations, particularly in tropical systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Ockendon
- British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford IP24 2PU, UK
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Clarke RT, Liley D, Sharp JM, Green RE. Building development and roads: implications for the distribution of stone curlews across the Brecks. PLoS One 2013; 8:e72984. [PMID: 24023662 PMCID: PMC3758259 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [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: 02/13/2013] [Accepted: 07/23/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Substantial new housing and infrastructure development planned within England has the potential to conflict with the nature conservation interests of protected sites. The Breckland area of eastern England (the Brecks) is designated as a Special Protection Area for a number of bird species, including the stone curlew (for which it holds more than 60% of the UK total population). We explore the effect of buildings and roads on the spatial distribution of stone curlew nests across the Brecks in order to inform strategic development plans to avoid adverse effects on such European protected sites. Methodology Using data across all years (and subsets of years) over the period 1988-2006 but restricted to habitat areas of arable land with suitable soils, we assessed nest density in relation to the distances to nearest settlements and to major roads. Measures of the local density of nearby buildings, roads and traffic levels were assessed using normal kernel distance-weighting functions. Quasi-Poisson generalised linear mixed models allowing for spatial auto-correlation were fitted. Results Significantly lower densities of stone curlew nests were found at distances up to 1500m from settlements, and distances up to 1000m or more from major (trunk) roads. The best fitting models involved optimally distance-weighted variables for the extent of nearby buildings and the trunk road traffic levels. Significance The results and predictions from this study of past data suggests there is cause for concern that future housing development and associated road infrastructure within the Breckland area could have negative impacts on the nesting stone curlew population. Given the strict legal protection afforded to the SPA the planning and conservation bodies have subsequently agreed precautionary restrictions on building development within the distances identified and used the modelling predictions to agree mitigation measures for proposed trunk road developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralph T. Clarke
- School of Applied Sciences, Bournemouth University, Poole, Dorset, United Kingdom
- Footprint Ecology, Wareham, Dorset, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Durwyn Liley
- Footprint Ecology, Wareham, Dorset, United Kingdom
| | | | - Rhys E. Green
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sandy, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
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Jeanes C, Vaughan-Higgins R, Green RE, Sainsbury AW, Marshall RN, Blake DP. Two new Eimeria species parasitic in corncrakes (Crex crex) (Gruiformes: Rallidae) in the United Kingdom. J Parasitol 2013; 99:634-8. [PMID: 23347228 DOI: 10.1645/12-52.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study we describe 2 new species of coccidia (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) parasites isolated from the feces of corncrake (Crex crex) (Gruiformes: Rallidae), bred in captivity in the U.K. Oocysts of Eimeria crecis n. sp. were approximately spherical and measured 15.3 μm (13-18) × 14.3 (12-16), providing an oocyst shape index of 1.1. A micropyle and oocyst residuum were absent, but a polar granule was present. Oocysts of Eimeria nenei n. sp. were ellipsoidal and measured 23.6 (21-26) × 18.1 (17-20), providing an oocyst shape index of 1.3. A micropyle and polar granule were present. Surveying free-living, wild adult corncrakes in Scotland (U.K.) demonstrated both parasite species to be widespread. These are the first species described to infect the corncrake, and they are distinct from those previously found to infect members of the closely related crane family (Gruiformes: Gruidae). Partial amplification and sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer 2 indicated a close relationship between the 2 proposed new species as a group distinct from the Eimeria species known to infect cranes. These newly identified parasite species have been associated with enteric disease in corncrakes being prepared for reproduction in captivity and reintroduction into England (U.K.).
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Affiliation(s)
- C Jeanes
- Royal Veterinary College, Department of Pathology and Infectious Diseases, University of London, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, UK
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Prakash V, Bishwakarma MC, Chaudhary A, Cuthbert R, Dave R, Kulkarni M, Kumar S, Paudel K, Ranade S, Shringarpure R, Green RE. The population decline of Gyps vultures in India and Nepal has slowed since veterinary use of diclofenac was banned. PLoS One 2012; 7:e49118. [PMID: 23145090 PMCID: PMC3492300 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [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: 03/01/2012] [Accepted: 10/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Populations of oriental white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis), long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus) and slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris) crashed during the mid-1990s throughout the Indian subcontinent. Surveys in India, initially conducted in 1991–1993 and repeated in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2007, revealed that the population of Gyps bengalensis had fallen by 2007 to 0.1% of its numbers in the early 1990s, with the population of Gyps indicus and G. tenuirostris combined having fallen to 3.2% of its earlier level. A survey of G. bengalensis in western Nepal indicated that the size of the population in 2009 was 25% of that in 2002. In this paper, repeat surveys conducted in 2011 were analysed to estimate recent population trends. Populations of all three species of vulture remained at a low level, but the decline had slowed and may even have reversed for G. bengalensis, both in India and Nepal. However, estimates of the most recent population trends are imprecise, so it is possible that declines may be continuing, though at a significantly slower rate. The degree to which the decline of G. bengalensis in India has slowed is consistent with the expected effects on population trend of a measured change in the level of contamination of ungulate carcasses with the drug diclofenac, which is toxic to vultures, following a ban on its veterinary use in 2006. The most recent available information indicates that the elimination of diclofenac from the vultures’ food supply is incomplete, so further efforts are required to fully implement the ban.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Richard Cuthbert
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sandy, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Ruchi Dave
- Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India
| | | | - Sashi Kumar
- Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, India
| | | | | | | | - Rhys E. Green
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sandy, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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50
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Green RE, Pain DJ. Potential health risks to adults and children in the UK from exposure to dietary lead in gamebirds shot with lead ammunition. Food Chem Toxicol 2012; 50:4180-90. [PMID: 22939931 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2012.08.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2012] [Revised: 07/30/2012] [Accepted: 08/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
We estimate potential risks to human health in the UK from dietary exposure to lead from wild gamebirds killed by shooting. The main source of exposure to lead in Europe is now dietary. We used data on lead concentrations in UK gamebirds, from which gunshot had been removed following cooking to simulate human exposure to lead. We used UK food consumption and lead concentration data to evaluate the number of gamebird meals consumed weekly that would be expected, based upon published studies, to result in changes, over and above those resulting from exposure to lead in the base diet, in intelligence quotient (IQ), Systolic Blood Pressure and chronic kidney disease (CKD) considered in a recent opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to be significant at a population level and also in SAT test scores and in rates of spontaneous abortion. We found the consumption of <1 meal of game a week may be associated with a one point reduction in IQ in children and 1.2-6.5 gamebird meals per week may be associated with the other effects. These results should help to inform the development of appropriate responses to the risks from ingesting lead from ammunition in game in the UK and European Union (EU).
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Affiliation(s)
- R E Green
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom.
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