The role of humans in the diversification of a threatened island raptor

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Anthropogenic habitat modifications have led to the extinction of many species and have favoured the expansion of others. Nonetheless, the possible role of humans as a diversifying force in vertebrate evolution has rarely been considered, especially for species with long generation times. We examine the influence that humans have had on the colonization and phenotypic and genetic differentiation of an insular population of a long-lived raptor species, the Egyptian vulture (<it>Neophron percnopterus</it>).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The morphological comparison between the Canarian Egyptian vultures and the main and closest population in Western Europe (Iberia) indicated that insular vultures are significantly heavier (16%) and larger (about 3%) than those from Iberia. Bayesian and standard genetic analyses also showed differentiation (<it>F<smcaps>_ST</smcaps></it>= 0.11, <it>p </it>< 0.01). The inference of changes in the effective size of the Canarian deme, using two likelihood-based Bayesian approaches, suggested that the establishment of this insular population took place some 2500 years ago, matching the date of human colonization. This is consistent with the lack of earlier fossils.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Archaeological remains show that first colonizers were Berber people from northern Africa who imported goats. This new and abundant food source could have allowed vultures to colonize, expand and adapt to the island environment. Our results suggest that anthropogenic environmental change can induce diversification and that this process may take place on an ecological time scale (less than 200 generations), even in the case of a long-lived species.</p

Food subsidies shape age structure in a top avian scavenger

Human activities and recent changes in sanitary regulations are currently shaping the availability of carrion resources across ecosystems. How changes in regulations influence demographic parameters in avian scavengers is still poorly known. We combine photographic observations gathered by citizens and observational data from research projects in northern Spain to examine if the age structure of Eurasian Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) populations at different trophic resources (natural randomly-distributed carcasses, predictable resources [supplementary feeding sites and farms], and landfills) varied in relation to modifications of sanitary regulations from 2004 onwards. We found that the proportion of immature birds increased significantly after the introduction of new European sanitary regulations allowing farmers to dispose of livestock carcasses in the field, rather than incinerating them. Also, we found that the age structure varied significantly between food resources, such that we detected a higher fraction of immatures at landfills, as well as in sites where carrion was highly clumped. These findings reveal that loss of natural randomness in carrion availability may elicit age-dependent effects on the spatial distribution of the vultures at the mesoscale which may ultimately affect population structure. Our findings shed light on challenges on how to manage food subsidies to preserve avian scavenger populations in an increasingly anthropized world.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Who are we feeding? Asymmetric individual use of surplus food resources in an insular population of the endangered Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus

Supplementary feeding stations, or "vulture restaurants", are common conservation management tools. While a number of studies have investigated the consequences of surplus food on the population dynamics of scavengers, relatively little is known about the effects of such practices at the individual level. Within the long-term monitored breeding population of Canarian Egyptian vultures ( Neophron percnopterus majorensis ) we investigated individual bird’s patterns of use of a supplementary feeding station at Fuerteventura (Canary Islands), over the course of breeding (2001, 2002; 2004-2011) and non-breeding seasons (2000-2010). Our results show that during the breeding season the individual use of the supplementary feeding station was inversely related to the distance to the breeding territory, which suggests the existence of central-place foraging constraints. In addition, larger birds of poor body-condition and individuals that ultimately failed to fledge young were detected more frequently at the feeding station. During the non-breeding season, and because most breeding birds abandoned the breeding territories, the overall abundance of Egyptian vultures at the feeding station grew. Moreover, the only variable increasing the probability of presence of individuals was poor body condition so that birds with lower wing residual visited the feeding station more frequently. Supplementary feeding may benefit individuals who would otherwise have been subject to selective pressures. From our results it follows that this conservation strategy must be used with caution because it can have consequences on an individual level and thus potentially affect the viability of endangered populations

Potential functional and numerical response in a large sized raptor may be mediated by the abundance of an exotic lagomorph

Predators relying on a particular prey as their main food resource are especially susceptible to fluctuation in prey availability. When prey abundance decreases they show a functional response by adjusting their diet. After this, predators may suffer a numerical response. These responses have been poorly studied in presence of alien invasive preys. The black-chested buzzard-eagle (Geranoaetus melanoleucus) is a large raptor inhabiting open areas of South America. Here we present the first long-term study on this eagle population tendency, analyzing functional and numerical responses associated with changes in the abundance of the exotic European hare (Lepus europaeus). We measured breeding performance and studied eagles? diet during the breeding seasons of 1991, 1992, 2006, 2011 and 2012. We also estimated the relative abundance of hares at each count site. Eagles diets changed over the years with a decrease in hare consumption. The number of eagles decreased from 1992 to less than half in 2012. Forty one percent of the total eagles observed in 1992/92, and 27% in 2006 were immature, while in 2011 and 2012 no immature were observed. We found similar tendencies of decrease in the abundance of hares which suggest that the decrease in eagles population may be related with the decreasing tendency of hares. No other factor that may have affected immature eagles abundance was evident in the area during this period. Our data suggest that changes in the abundance of an exotic lagomorph can lead numerical and functional responses in a top predator by affecting its diet, age structure, and ultimately abundance.Fil: Ignazi, Gonzalo Oscar. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Departamento de Zoología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Laboratorio de Ecotono; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Barbar, Facundo. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Laboratorio de Ecotono; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Departamento de Zoología; ArgentinaFil: Hiraldo, Fernando. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Estación Biológica de Doñana; EspañaFil: Donázar, José Antonio. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Estación Biológica de Doñana; EspañaFil: Trejo, Ana Raquel. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Departamento de Zoología; ArgentinaFil: Lambertucci, Sergio Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Laboratorio de Ecotono; Argentin

Fine-scale collision risk mapping and validation with long-term mortality data reveal current and future wind energy development impact on sensitive species

The ongoing demand for renewable energy has boosted the development of wind farms worldwide. Given the impact these facilities have on flying species, a spatially explicit assessment of collision risk in vulnerable species is needed to guide management actions and prioritise areas for installing these infrastructures. We used GPStracking data of 127 adult and 50 juvenile griffon vultures in peninsular Spain gathered between 2014 and 2022 to evaluate factors influencing vulnerability and exposure and predict collision risk. We validate the observed collision risk with recorded long-term mortality data (1999–2022) at regional and wind farm scales and evaluate the estimated impact of current and future turbine facilities. Our results showed that overall food availability increases vulnerability and exposure, whilst distance to nesting areas and the presence of conspecifics decreased both vulnerability and exposure in adults and juveniles, respectively. Our maps revealed that 19% and 10% of the Spanish peninsular area had a high collision risk for adults and juveniles, respectively. Importantly, the number of turbine casualties was positively related to collision risk at the regional and wind farm scale and ~ 18 of the breeding population lies within high collision risk areas.Moreover, the areas with the highest risk of collision also have the highest number of turbines and largely overlap with areas suitable for developing new wind farms. Our study highlights the need to reduce collision risk mapping uncertainties by validating model outputs with actual mortality data. Moreover, it emphasises the urgent need for spatial planning of wind energy development, searching for safer alternatives for biodiversity. This approach undoubtedly serves as a tool to define “not go to” areas for installing new turbines for one of the most sensitive species

Effects of Renewable Energy Production and Infrastructure on Wildlife

The high levels of human demands of resources—from food to space and energy—are one of the main drivers of global change and are causing large negative impacts on ecosystems functioning worldwide (Vitousek et al. 1997 ). Global change components range from climate change to habitat destruction, species invasions, pollution and eutrophication. Although these factors can produce ecosystem changes independently, the final descent is often driven by synergistic processes. The resulting amplifying feedbacks can be disconnected from the original driver of change, leading to a state shift in the biosphere with unexpected consequences (Barnosky et al. 2012 ). Climate change seems to have taken prominence over other drivers of global change, leading to larger funding and attention with respect to other major components of global change (Veríssimo et al. 2014 )

Effects of Renewable Energy Production and Infrastructure on Wildlife

The high levels of human demands of resources—from food to space and energy—are one of the main drivers of global change and are causing large negative impacts on ecosystems functioning worldwide (Vitousek et al. 1997 ). Global change components range from climate change to habitat destruction, species invasions, pollution and eutrophication. Although these factors can produce ecosystem changes independently, the final descent is often driven by synergistic processes. The resulting amplifying feedbacks can be disconnected from the original driver of change, leading to a state shift in the biosphere with unexpected consequences (Barnosky et al. 2012 ). Climate change seems to have taken prominence over other drivers of global change, leading to larger funding and attention with respect to other major components of global change (Veríssimo et al. 2014 )

Phenotypic and environmental correlates of natal dispersal in a long-lived territorial vulture

Natal dispersal, the movement between the birth and the first breeding site, has been rarely studied in long-lived territorial birds with a long-lasting pre-breeding stage. Here we benefited from the long-term monitoring programs of six populations of Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus) from Spain and France to study how the rearing environment determines dispersal. For 124 vultures, we recorded a median dispersal distance of 48km (range 0-656km). Linear models were used to assess the effect of population and individual traits on dispersal distance at two spatial scales. Dispersal distances were inversely related to vulture density in the natal population, suggesting that birds perceive the abundance of conspecifics as a signal of habitat quality. This was particularly true for declining populations, so increasing levels of opportunistic philopatry seemed to arise in high density contexts as a consequence of vacancies created by human-induced adult mortality. Females dispersed further than males, but males were more sensitive to the social environment, indicating different dispersal tactics. Both sexes were affected by different individual attributes simultaneously and interactively with this social context. These results highlight that complex phenotype-by-environment interactions should be considered for advancing our understanding of dispersal dynamics in long-lived organisms.Funds were partially provided by Diputación General de Aragón, Junta de Andalucía, Comunidad de Bardenas and Projects CGL2009-12753-C02-02, CGL2009-12753-C02-01/BOS and CGL2010-15726 of Spanish Ministerio of Economía y Competitividad. ACA was supported by a contract Juan de la Cierva Incorporación (IJCI-2014-20744; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain) and a Post-Doc contract Programa Viçent Mut of Govern Balear, Spain (PD/039/2017). EA was supported by La Caixa-Severo Ochoa International PhD Program 2015, JM was supported by a Basque Government predoctoral fellowship PRE_2018_2_0112 (2017)

Social and environmental aspects of the energy transition

The need to promote a swift, efficient and fair energy transition to clean, secure and efficient energy production, storage, transport, and consumption is a major challenge for the future of the planet ( EC 2020 ). Currently, massive emissions of greenhouse gases ( particularly CO2 ) and other pollutants are changing global climate, and the lasts report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC 2018 ) advised that keeping the temperature increase below 1.5 ºC will require drastic, urgent and internationally coordinated actions. These initiatives will greatly affect advanced economies, characterized by high energy consumption, which should seek for clean and secure local energy sources, but they are also highly relevant for quickly developing countries, whose biodiversity, natural resources and standards of living are at risks due to over exploitation of local resources or to accumulation of waste products of energy production technologies coming from elsewhere. These processes of transition, though, have generated a variety of social and environmental impacts and, at the same time, have triggered complex questions about sustainability and social acceptance ( i.e. Sánchez-Zapata et al. 2019 for wind and solar energy production in Spain ). Social and environmental aspects of the transition to clean, secure and efficient energy production, storage, transport, and consumption should then be fully incorporated into research on new energy sources to ensure its sustainability.Peer reviewe