The future for Mediterranean wetlands: 50 key issues and 50 important conservation research questions

Wetlands are critically important for biodiversity and human wellbeing, but face a range of challenges. This is especially true in the Mediterranean region, where wetlands support endemic and threatened species and remain integral to human societies, but have been severely degraded in recent decades. Here, in order to raise awareness of future challenges and opportunities for Mediterranean wetlands, and to inform proactive research and management, we identified (a) 50 key issues that might affect Mediterranean wetlands between 2020 and 2050, and (b) 50 important research questions that, if answered, would have the greatest impact on the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands between 2020 and 2050. We gathered ideas through an online survey and review of recent literature. A diverse assessment panel prioritised ideas through an iterative, anonymised, Delphi-like process of scoring, voting and discussion. The prioritised issues included some that are already well known but likely to have a large impact on Mediterranean wetlands in the next 30 years (e.g. the accumulation of dams and reservoirs, plastic pollution and weak governance), and some that are currently overlooked in the context of Mediterranean wetlands (e.g. increasing desalination capacity and development of antimicrobial resistance). Questions largely focused on how best to carry out conservation interventions, or understanding the impacts of threats to inform conservation decision-making. This analysis will support research, policy and practice related to environmental conservation and sustainable development in the Mediterranean, and provides a model for similar analyses elsewhere in the world

Experience-dependent natal philopatry of breeding greater flamingos

1. Contrary to the generally high level of natal philopatry (i.e. likelihood that individuals breed at their natal colony) found in first-breeding colonial birds, little is known of natal philopatry later in life. Most hypotheses advanced to explain natal philopatry are valid at all ages. However, for young and inexperienced birds, the benefits of natal philopatry may be counterbalanced by the costs of intraspecific competition at the natal colony making dispersal temporarily advantageous. In turn, experience may increase competitive ability and make natal philopatry advantageous again. 2. We evaluated this hypothesis on the large-scale dispersal of greater flamingos Phoenicopterus roseus breeding among three colonies comprising > 85% of the Western Mediterranean metapopulation. The Camargue (France) and Fuente de Piedra (Spain) are large and saturated colonies while Molentargius (Sardinia) is a recent and growing colony. 3. We used a 20-year capture-mark-resighting dataset of 4900 flamingos ringed as chicks in Camargue and Fuente de Piedra and breeding at the three colonies. We assessed the effects of natal colony and breeding experience (first-time observed breeders versus confirmed experienced breeders) on dispersal using multistate capture-recapture models. Dispersal to an unobservable state accounted for temporary emigration. 4. Fidelity was higher at the natal colony (> 84%) than elsewhere. Fidelity increased with experience in the two large colonies (Camargue and Fuente de Piedra) suggesting a large-scale experience-related despotic distribution. Breeding dispersal was significant (up to 61% and 52% for first-time breeders and experienced breeders, respectively) so that colony dynamics is affected by exchanges with other colonies. Except for Fuente-born breeders leaving Molentargius, dispersal to the natal colony was higher than to any other colonies. 5. Survival was not higher at the natal colony. Inexperienced birds likely had lower breeding success at the Camargue and skipped reproduction after having emigrated to the other large colony but not to Molentargius. Breeding at Molentargius could allow avoiding queuing (and non-breeding) at the large colonies while gaining experience and competitive ability for future attempts. 6 Natal philopatry appears as an important driver of large-scale breeding dispersal in the Greater flamingo. The fitness advantage of natal philopatry is likely experience-dependent and mediated by the variations of intraspecific competitionThis project was supported financially by Tour du Valat, Tübitak – Programme of Integrated Actions (PIA) Bosphorus, INFS, CMA, EBD research grants BOS2002-04695 and CGL2005-01136/BOS from Spanish Ministry of Education and Science.Peer Reviewe

Range of the Greater Flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus, metapopulation in the Mediterranean: New insights from Turkey

Metapopulation conservation should rely on a flyway approach aiming at assessing the spatial range of metapopulations by estimating the level of exchanges among local populations. In the western Mediterranean, Greater Flamingos have been shown to constitute a metapopulation with natal and breeding dispersal among colonies. In this paper, we examine whether this metapopulation reaches Turkey using a band-resighting study. Our results are the first evidence of natal and breeding dispersal from the western Mediterranean to Turkey, and suggest that the Gediz Delta, one of the two Turkish breeding colonies, can play a significant role in the recruitment of flamingos from the western Mediterranean. In 2003 and 2004, breeders of western Mediterranean origin accounted for more than 1.2 and 1.9% of the estimated breeding population of the Gediz Delta, respectively. Our observations also indicate that the western Mediterranean and Southwest Asia may constitute two sets of populations, which overlap in Turkey. Finally, the resightings of flamingos banded in Turkey show that post-fledging dispersal from Turkey reaches both the eastern and western Mediterranean wetlands. Future data on the natal and breeding dispersal of flamingos born in Turkey could clarify further the connection between Turkey and the western Mediterranean metapopulation. © Dt. Ornithologen-Gesellschaft e.V. 2007.Peer Reviewe

Strong Genetic Control of High Wood Specific Gravity in Young Progenies of Pinus brutia: Potential of Early Selection for Industrial Plantations

To increase quality and amount of wood production in Turkish red pine (Pinus brutia Ten.), genetic control of wood specific gravity (WSG), tracheid length and growth traits was investigated in Ceyhan1A progeny trial by evaluating 168 families originated from six clonal Turkish red pine seed orchards. Wood samples were taken by destructive sampling during the rouging of this trial at the age of seven. Differences among the 168 families for mean WSG was large (ranged from 0.35 to 0.62), as indicated by high individual (0.42 +/- 0.07) and family mean (0.55 +/- 0.03) heritabilities. Family differences and high heritabilities were also observed for all growth traits and tracheid length. Genetic correlations between WSG and growth traits were insignificant (near zero), while low and insignificant negative phenotypic correlations among the same traits were also observed. Predicted genetic gain for single trait; selection at age of seven was low for WSG (0.37%), but substantial for stem volume (8.4%) in phenotypic seed orchards. However, the first generation clonal seed orchards consisting of the best 30 clones yielded higher genetic gains (5.2% for WSG and 35% for stem volume). These preliminary results suggest that selection for wood characteristics and growth traits in Turkish pine could be practiced at early ages for short rotation (about 30 years) in industrial plantations

Environmental and individual correlates of dispersal in Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber roseus).

Peer Reviewe

Connectivity between the Algerian population of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus and those of the Mediterranean basin

In the Mediterranean basin, Greater Flamingos Phoenicopterus roseus constitute a metapopulation with natal and breeding dispersal among colonies. However, the rate of exchange between European and North African colonies remains poorly known. In this paper, we document the wintering and breeding of European flamingos in Algeria and provide the first post-fledging dispersal data for flamingos born in Algeria. At breeding colonies in Algeria, most ringed birds (99.4% of 835 birds) originated from north-western Mediterranean colonies (397 individuals born in France, 369 in Spain, 57 in Sardinia and seven in continental Italy), but there were also four from Turkey (the first evidence of natal dispersal from a north-eastern Mediterranean colony to Algeria) and one from Algeria. Among the 860 fledglings ringed in Algeria in 2006 and 2009, 619 different individuals were resighted from August 2006 to September 2010 in a total of 980 resightings. A large proportion (73%) of these birds was observed at North African sites, while the remaining ones reached both north-western (168 birds) and north-eastern (three birds) Mediterranean wetlands, suggesting extensive interchange between colonies from both sides of the Mediterranean Sea.Peer Reviewe

An update of the greater flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus in Turkey

Peer Reviewe

Turkey as a crossroad for Greater Flamingos Phoenicopterus roseus: Evidence from population trends and ring-resightings (Aves: Phoenicopteridae)

The Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus is a waterbird commonly found in saline and brackish lagoons throughout the Mediterranean Region. We have gathered existing data on Greater Flamingos in Turkey and carried out field surveys to present the most up to date information on wintering (1999-2014) and breeding (1969-2014). The wintering population of flamingos shows an increasing trend with 54,947±20,794 individuals mainly concentrated in the Gediz, Buyuk Menderes and Çukurova deltas, respectively. Breeding attempts were recorded in at least seven wetlands in Turkey in the past, yet after 1999 most of the colonies were abandoned due to basin scale intensive water management practices in Central Anatolia. Currently, only Tuz Lake and Gediz Delta are used as regular breeding sites, while breeding has been recorded sporadically in Acigol and Akşehir Lakes. The breeding colony of Tuz Lake is of prime importance at the Mediterranean scale, with the number of young chicks in 2011, 2012 and 2013 accounting for the highest number of fledglings in the Mediterranean Region and West Africa (18,418, 20,274 and 20,292 respectively). Finally, building upon the previous findings about Turkey and the western Mediterranean metapopulation links, recent resightings of Turkish flamingos (despite the limited numbers) confirm post-fledging and natal dispersal reaching the western Mediterranean Basin and West Africa. Flamingos from Turkey were also found to disperse to Israel and to a region outside the known flyways of the western Mediterranean and West African flamingos (i.e. to Israel and UAE). Thus, Turkey, due to its geographic position, appears to be a crossroad between the western and eastern Mediterranean Region and southwest Asia. © 2015 Taylor and Francis