Habitat suitability modelling reveals a strong niche overlap between two poorly known species, the broom hare and the Pyrenean grey partridge, in the north of Spain

In the present work, we derive a habitat suitability model of the broom hare and the Pyrenean grey partridge in the Cantabrian Mountains by using the Ecological Niche Factor Analysis. Both species are endemic to the northern of Iberian mountains, and because of the vulnerability of the hare to endangerment or extinction and because of the great inter-est in the partridge, this habitat requires specific conservation measures. Literature on these animals’ biology and ecology is practically nonexistent. Habitat suitability analyses show that the hare and partridge occupy very similar ecological niches, characterized by a high percentage of broom and heather scrublands, high altitude and slope, and limited human accessibility. We have identified differences in habitat selection between the Pyre-nean grey partridge and other subspecies of partridge present in central-northern Europe. Our results indicate a probable metapopulation structure for both the hare and partridge; however, according to our predictive maps, there is a high connectivity between suitable habitats. Current decline of traditional rural activities, such as mountain livestock, are affecting the mosaic landscape. This, in turn, enhances biodiversity in the area and, parti-cularly, the viability of these valuable animal populations.We acknowledge financial supported by the project PBI-05-010 granted by Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La ManchaPeer reviewe

Sobreabundancia: diagnóstico y manejo

Trabajo presentado al IV Congreso Andaluz de Caza: "Hacia un modelo de calidad cinegética", celebrado en Sevilla del 1 al 2 de octubre de 2015.Unión Europea: Fondo Europeo Agrícola de Desarrollo Rural.Peer Reviewe

Favourability: concept, distinctive characteristics and potential usefulness

The idea of analysing the general favourability for the occurrence of an event was presented in 2006 through a mathematical function. However, even when favourability has been used in species distribution modelling, the conceptual framework of this function is not yet well perceived among many researchers. The present paper is conceived for providing a wider and more in-depth presentation of the idea of favourability; concretely, we aimed to clarify both the concept and the main distinctive characteristics of the favourability function, especially in relation to probability and suitability, the most common outputs in species distribution modelling. As the capabilities of the favourability function go beyond species distribution modelling, we also illustrate its usefulness for different research disciplines for which this function remains unknown. In particular, we stressed that the favourability function has potential to be applied in all the cases where the probability of occurrence of an event is analysed, such as, for example, habitat selection or epidemiological studies.The authors acknowledge funding from Spanish Plan Nacional de Investigación and FEDER CGL2009-11316/BOS. P. A. was supported by the Vicerrectorado de Investigación of the University of Malaga and currently by a Beatriu de Pinós fellowship funded by Comissionat per a Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Innovació, Universitats i Empresa, of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the COFUND Programme–Marie Curie Actions under 7th Marc Programme of the European Community.Peer Reviewe

Favorabilidad ecogeográfica para el corzo: distribución y abundancia

[EN]: Species distribution models (SDM) are widely used in ecology, biogeography and conservation. Here, we modelled the distribution of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in mainland Spain in order to i) determine its macro-ecological requirements, ii) assess the favourability for this species and iii) explore the model usefulness as an index of the species relative abundance. Our results showed that roe deer distribution can be explained by predictors related with topography, climate, lithology, geography and human activity. Climate was the more relevant factor, followed by human activity, topography, spatial location and lithology. The model accurately predicted the species probability of occurrence and also, but weakly, the species' relative abundance.[ES]: Los modelos de distribución de especies (SDM) están siendo cada vez más usados para abordar cuestiones relacionadas con la ecología, biogeografía y conservación de las especies. En este estudio nos proponemos realizar un modelo de distribución para el corzo (Capreolus capreolus) en la España peninsular para estudiar los determinantes macroambientales de su rango de distribución, evaluar la favorabilidad para la especie, y la utilidad del modelo como indicador de su abundancia relativa. El modelo indica que su distribución se puede explicar en términos topográficos, climáticos, litológicos, geográficos y de presión humana. El clima fue el factor que en su efecto puro explicó un mayor porcentaje de variación, y le siguen la presión humana, la topografía, la localización espacial y la litología. El modelo obtenido predijo con elevada precisión la probabilidad de presencia de la especie y con cierto detalle su abundancia relativa.Este trabajo ha sido promovido y financiado por la Consejería de Medio Ambiente de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla – La Mancha. P. Acevedo disfruta de un contrato dentro del programa Juan de la Cierva –Fondo Social Europeo y sus investigaciones están parcialmente financiadas por el proyecto del Plan Nacional CGL2009-11316 - FEDER.Peer Reviewe

Species distribution models predict range expansion better than chance but not better than a simple dispersal model

The evaluation of species distribution models (SDMs) is a crucial step; usually, a random subsample of data is used to test prediction capacity. This procedure, called cross-validation, has been recently shown to overestimate SDMs performance due to spatial autocorrelation. In the case of expanding species, there exists the possibility to test the predictions with non-random geographically structured data, i.e., a new data set which corresponds to the last occupied localities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of SDMs to predict the range expansion pattern of six free-living deer species in Great Britain and to assess whether SDMs perform better than a simple dispersal model - a null model that assumes no environmental control in the expansion process. Distribution data for the species prior to 1972 were used to train the SDMs (ENFA, MAXENT, logistic regression and an ensemble model) in order to obtain suitability maps. Additionally, the geographical distance to the localities occupied in 1972 was considered a proxy of the probability that a certain locality has to be occupied during an expansion process considering only dispersal (GD model). Subsequently, we analysed whether the species increased their ranges between 1972 and 2006 according to the estimated suitability patterns and whether or not SDMs predictions outperformed GD predictions. SDMs showed a high discrimination capacity in the training data, with the ensemble models performing the best and ENFA models the worst. SDMs predictions also worked better than chance in classifying new occupied localities, although differences among techniques disappeared and the predictions showed no difference with respect to GD. Spatial autocorrelation of both the environmental predictors and the expansion process may explain these results which illustrate that GD is a much more parsimonious model than any of the SDMs and may thus be preferable both for prediction and explanation. Overestimation of SDMs performance and usefulness may be a common fact.M.R.-R. was supported by project POII10-0076-4195 of JCCM, A.J.-V. by the MEC Juan de la Cierva Program and P.A. was funded from the SFRH/BPD/90320/2012 post-doctoral grant by Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) and European Social Fund.Peer Reviewe

Assessment of methods for estimating wild rabbit population abundance in agricultural landscapes

Various methods have been used to estimate rabbit abundance, but comparisons of standard methods are still lacking, and thus, results remain roughly comparable across studies. Ideally, a method should be applicable over a wide range of situations, such as differing abundances or habitat types. Comparisons of methods are required to evaluate the benefits of each of them, and survey methods should be validated for the conditions in which they will be used. In this study, we compare the performance of direct methods (kilometric abundance index and distance sampling) in two seasons and at two times of day (dusk and night) for estimating wild rabbit abundances in agricultural landscapes. Estimates based on direct methods were highly correlated and detected similar seasonal population changes. Night counts provided better estimates than did dusk counts and exhibited more precision. Results are discussed within the context of rabbit behaviour and their implications for rabbit population surveys.Funding was provided by FEDENCA. ICB was supported by a PhD fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. PA is currently enjoying a Juan de la Cierva research contract awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and is supported by the project CGL2006-09567/BOS.Peer Reviewe

Spatio-temporal variability of bovine tuberculosis eradication in Spain (2006-2011)

A. Garcia-Saenz et al.In this study we analyzed the space–time variation of the risk of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle between 2006 and 2011. The results indicated that at country level, there were no significant temporal changes between years, but, at county level bTB evolution was more heterogeneous. In some counties, between some years, the prevalence and the incidence of the disease was higher as compared to the global rate in the rest of the counties of Spain. The analysis of potential risk factors indicated that both, a large number of movements from counties with high incidence (>1%), and presence of bullfighting cattle herds increased bTB risk. Red deer abundance, number of goats and number of mixed cattle-goat farms were not significantly associated with the prevalence/incidence of bTB.This research was supported by a Grant from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación of Spain (AGL-2010-21098). PhD studies of Garcia-Saenz A, are funded by a FPI Grant from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación of Spain (BES-2011-043628) and PhD studies of Guta S., are funded by Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID). Acevedo P., was supported by a Beatriu de Pinós fellowship funded by ‘Comissionat per a Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Innovació, Universitats i Empresa’ of the Generalitat de Catalunya, and the COFUND Programme – Marie Curie Actions under 7th Framework Programme of the European Community. He is currently funded from the SFRH/BPD/90320/2012 post-doctoral Grant by Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) and European Social Fund.Peer Reviewe

Evaluación del estado de la población de cabra montés de los montes de Toledo: relaciones con el ciervo

[EN]: Iberian wild goat subsp. Capra pyrenaica victoriae inhabits fewer and smaller areas than subs. C. p. hispanica reason why the former is considered as Vulnerable by IUCN. Therefore studies aimed to assess the status of C. p. victoriae are very valuables. We studied the habitat use, parasite excretion rates and diet quality of the Montes de Toledo's C. p. victoriae population. The red deer is a potential competitor of the Iberian wild goat and subsequently was included in this study. Our results showed that both species had a good population status (good corporal condition, high quality diet and suitable population density). According to the indicators considered in this study we do not expect that red deer suppose a relevant risk for the viability of the Iberian wild goat population. The implications of the results to Iberian wild goat management are deeper discussed.[ES]: La Capra pyrenaica victoriae presenta pocas poblaciones y éstas ocupan áreas reducidas, siendo considerada por ello por la IUCN como vulnerable. Son necesarios, por tanto, estudios locales encaminados a evaluar el estado de dichas poblaciones. En este trabajo estudiamos la población presente en los Montes de Toledo a través del análisis del uso que hace del hábitat, del nivel de parasitación y de la calidad de su dieta. El ciervo fue también incluido en este esquema de monitorización por ser un potencial competidor para la cabra montés. Los resultados indican que ambas especies presentan un adecuado estado poblacional (buena condición corporal, dieta de elevada calidad y valores de densidad razonables). Según los indicadores considerados no sería esperable que el ciervo supusiera un riesgo relevante para la viabilidad de la población de cabra montés. Se discuten las implicaciones de los resultados para la gestión cinegética de la cabra montés.Este trabajo ha sido promovido y financiado por el Parque Nacional de Cabañeros (Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales) en el marco del convenio de colaboración 8.06/5.46.3324. P. Acevedo disfruta de un contrato dentro del programa Juan de la Cierva – Fondo Social Europeo.Peer Reviewe

Changes in parasite transmission stage excretion after pheasant release

The production of parasite transmission stages was investigated in the faeces of 77 farm-bred ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus). Coccidian oocysts (Eimeria sp.), and nematode eggs (Heterakis sp., and Capillaria-like eggs) were recovered before and after release but all birds were treated prior to release. Treatment with fenbendazole significantly reduced the abundance of trans-mission-stage excretion for all parasites, and reduced the prevalence in the case of Eimeria sp. and Heterakis sp. Nonetheless, a significant increase in the excretion abundance for all parasites and in the prevalence of Eimeria sp. and Heterakis sp. was found after release. Eggs of Ascaridia sp. were found only after releasing, suggesting infection ocurred in the wild. A negative relationship was found between the pheasant body condition and Heterakis excretion abundance and a higher abundance of Capillaria sp. eggs in female birds. No significant relationship was found between parasite excretion abundance and pheasant survival. Despite this, results suggest that an increase in the excretion of parasite transmission stages follows the release of captive pheasants into the wild. This can in part explain restocking failures, but also means that autochtonous free-living birds may become exposed to new and potentially harmful pathogens. To avoid these risks it is proposed that improved prophylactic measures should be taken. © CAB International, 2006.This work is a contribution to the joint project CSIC/Principado de Asturias. The authors wish to thank Maria and Emilio Álvarez, Pilar and Pepe Collada, A. de Miguel, J. Marcos. and P. Talavera. Oscar Rodríguez received a Torres Quevedo grant from the MEC.Peer Reviewe

Delimiting the geographical background in species distribution modelling

[Aim]: The extent of the study area (geographical background, GB) can strongly affect the results of species distribution models (SDMs), but as yet we lack objective and practicable criteria for delimiting the appropriate GB. We propose an approach to this problem using trend surface analysis (TSA) and provide an assessment of the effects of varying GB extent on the performance of SDMs for four species. [Location]: Mainland Spain. [Methods]: Using data for four well known wild ungulate species and different GBs delimited with a TSA, we assessed the effects of GB extent on the predictive performance of SDMs: specifically on model calibration (Miller's statistic) and discrimination (area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic plot, AUC; sensitivity and specificity), and on the tendency of the models to predict environmental potential when they are projected beyond their training area. [Results]: In the training area, discrimination significantly increased and calibration decreased as the GB was enlarged. In contrast, as GB was enlarged, both discriminatory power and calibration decreased when assessed in the core area of the species distributions. When models trained using small GBs were projected beyond their training area, they showed a tendency to predict higher environmental potential for the species than those models trained using large GBs. [Main conclusions]: By restricting GB extent using a geographical criterion, model performance in the core area of the species distribution can be significantly improved. Large GBs make models demonstrate high discriminatory power but are barely informative. By delimiting GB using a geographical criterion, the effect of historical events on model parameterization may be reduced. Thus purely environmental models are obtained that, when projected onto a new scenario, depict the potential distribution of the species. We therefore recommend the use of TSA in geographically delimiting the GB for use in SDMs.P.A. and A.J.-V. were supported by the Juan de la Cierva research program awarded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación – Fondo Social Europeo, and partly by the project CGL2009-11316/BOS – Fondos FEDER. P.A. is in Portugal thanks to a José Castillejo fellowship (2010–11) granted by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.Peer Reviewe