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Cartron JLE, Triepke FJ, Stahlecker DW, Arsenault DP, Ganey JL, Hathcock CD, Thompson HK, Cartron MC, Calhoun KC. Climate Change Habitat Model Forecasts for Eight Owl Species in the Southwestern US. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:3770. [PMID: 38136807 PMCID: PMC10740657 DOI: 10.3390/ani13243770] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The high-resolution forecasting of vegetation type shifts may prove essential in anticipating and mitigating the impacts of future climate change on bird populations. Here, we used the US Forest Service Ecological Response Unit (ERU) classification to develop and assess vegetation-based breeding habitat profiles for eight owl species occurring in the foothills and mountains of the Southwestern US. Shifts in mapped habitat were forecast using an ecosystem vulnerability model based on the pre-1990 climate envelopes of ERUs and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) A1B moderate-emission scenario for the future climate. For five of the eight owl species, the regional breeding habitat extent was projected to decline by at least 60% by 2090. Three species, the boreal owl (Aegolius funereus; at the trailing edge of its distribution), flammulated owl (Psiloscops flammeolus), and northern pygmy-owl (Glaucidium gnoma), were projected to experience the steepest habitat loss rates of 85%, 85%, and 76%, respectively. Projected vegetation shifts overlaid with well-documented flammulated owl breeding populations showed the complete or near complete loss of habitat by 2090 in areas of montane forest currently supporting dense aggregations of owl territories. Generalist or lower-elevation owl species were predicted to be less impacted, while, for the whiskered screech-owl (Megascops trichopsis), the contraction of the current habitat was nearly offset by a projected northward expansion. In general, the results of this study suggest high exposure to climate change impacts for the upper-elevation forest owls of semi-arid Southwestern North America. Long-distance migration and low natal philopatry may prove important to some montane owl populations in adapting to the regional loss of habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - F. Jack Triepke
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Albuquerque, NM 87102, USA
| | | | | | - Joseph L. Ganey
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA
| | | | | | - Matthieu C. Cartron
- Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
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Henriksen MDL, Sharkey L, Franzen-Klein D, Wünschmann A, Teixeira LBC, Dubielzig R, Willette M. Bilateral Anterior Uveitis in a Northern Saw-whet Owl ( Aegolius acadicus) With a Metastatic Pectoral Malignant Mesenchymoma. J Avian Med Surg 2020; 33:171-178. [PMID: 31251505 DOI: 10.1647/2017-326] [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] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
A captive, adult, male northern saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadicus) was examined for blepharospasm of the left eye. The owl was diagnosed with bilateral anterior uveitis and a corneal ulceration in the left eye. It was treated with oral and topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications and a topical antibiotic. Multiple recheck examinations and medication adjustments were performed over the next 4 months, at the end of which time the bilateral anterior uveitis was controlled with a topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory applied 3 times per week to both eyes. The owl was re-examined 2 months later after 2 suspected neurologic episodes. On physical examination, the owl was quiet and had difficulty standing and ambulating. Five firm multilobular and immobile masses were identified overlying the pectoral muscle and sternum. Fine-needle aspiration from 1 mass revealed neoplastic cells consistent with a sarcoma. The owl was euthanatized. On the basis of results of histopathologic examination, the mass was diagnosed as a pleomorphic spindle cell sarcoma with features of rhabdomyosarcoma, liposarcoma, and osteosarcoma. Numerous tumor cells were immunopositive for myoglobin and desmin, indicating striated muscle origin. Although a metastatic lesion was present in 1 adrenal gland, lesions of inflammation or neoplasia were absent in either eye on histopathologic examination. This report describes an apparent ocular manifestation of systemic disease in an avian species with clinically diagnosed recurrent anterior uveitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michala de Linde Henriksen
- Comparative Ophthalmology, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Leslie Sharkey
- Clinical Pathology, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Dana Franzen-Klein
- The Raptor Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Arno Wünschmann
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Leandro B C Teixeira
- Department of Pathobiology Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Richard Dubielzig
- Department of Pathobiology Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Michelle Willette
- The Raptor Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
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