MANAGEMENT AND IMPLICATIONS OF A NEW PREDATOR SPECIES IN NORTH-EASTERN ITALY: THE GOLDEN JACKAL (CANIS AUREUS)

The golden jackal is a relatively new species in Italy, where it appeared about 30 years ago in the North-East. This study reports the first outcomes of acoustic monitoring of the species and the first warning of possible human-animal conflicts in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. We carried out 145 jackal-howling sessions in 5 macro-areas from summer 2011 to spring 2013, with an average of 5 emissions/session (679 emissions). We recorded 42 vocalizations, which were then analyzed in order to estimate the number of callers by screening the fundamental frequency of the single emissions within a howl. Jackal presence was confirmed only in 2 out of the 5 monitored macro-areas (Carnia and Carso), but it was stable only in Carso, with a 20% response rate. The response rate decreased with the number of emissions in a session (E1=9.6%, E2=7.1%, E3=8.0%, E4=3.2%, E5=2.5%, E6 and following=0.0%) and the responses were concentrated in February-April and July-August. Acoustic analysis of vocalizations allowed determining the number of emitters: one animal in 18 cases, two animals in 13 cases, three animals in 11 cases. These numbers are lower than those initially estimated during field recording sessions, when up to 5 individuals were supposed to vocalize simultaneously in one session. However, the presence of groups of up to 7 individuals has been recorded by scout cameras in Carso. In this area, three predation events, leading to the loss of 11 sheep, were reported by one farmer during the study period and are now becoming more frequent. In spite of this, the presence of a predator is well tolerated by this farmer, who valued this species as a touristic attraction for its importance as a source of biodiversity and landscape preservation. This situation suggests that, at the moment, the coexistence of the predator with farming activities may be possible, but a continuous monitoring of the species is required in order to prevent future problems. Jackal howling appeared to be an adequate technique for jackal monitoring. In order to optimize the efforts, our results suggest that sampling should be concentrated in few months, when response rate is higher, and limited to 3-4 emissions/session. Acoustic analysis of the recorded vocalizations is highly recommended in order to obtain more reliable information on the number of individuals. To this aim, keeping records of indirect signs of presence and the use of scout cameras may help to get a complete information on this expanding species

HAS THE RECOLONIZATION OF THE PO PLAIN BEGUN? UPDATES REGARDING THE PRESENCE OF THE EURASIAN OTTER (Lutra lutra) IN NORTH-EASTERN ITALY

Widespread in Italy in the early 1900s, the Eurasian otter subsequently underwent a dramatic decline that led to its local extinction in many administrative regions, with the exception of a small residual nucleus in southern Italy. For a few years now, the Austrian and Slovenian populations adjacent to north-eastern Italy have been increasing sharply, leading to a recolonization of the area by the species. During 2020, in Friuli Venezia Giulia, surveys of signs of presence were carried out in 48 grid cells (10 x 10 km) to update information on the species’ local distribution. The following monitoring methods were used: monitoring beneath bridges combined with transects along water courses. 17 grid cells tested positive for the presence of the species, and currently, the otter appears widely distributed in Friuli Venezia Giulia along the main waterways of the Eastern Alps and Prealps, and in some areas overlooking the plain of the Tagliamento and the transborder Isonzo-Soča basin, both included in the Po plain. These constitute the first observations of the species for more than 50 years. Compared to previous studies, 13 new grid cells involving the presence of otters were identified, including in lowland areas, suggesting a progressive expansion from the mountain ranges towards the Po-Venetian Plain. This represents, a spur to expand research and implement new studies to improve levels of knowledge about and the consequent protection of the species. Finally, the integration of transects along riverbanks to monitoring beneath bridges, allowed us both to collect numerous observation and to compare our results with previous studies

Comparison of predictive and descriptive models in order to plan the monitoring and research on the rock partridge (Alectoris graeca) in the North Eastern Alps

Within the implementation of the Management Plan for the Alpi Carniche region (SPA IT3321001, SCI IT3320001, SCI IT3320002, SCI IT3320003, SCI IT3320004) and the realization of the monitoring plan referred to art. 8 of RL No. 7/2008 (Friuli Venezia Giulia) some predictive and descriptive models for the presence and abundance of rock partridge Alectoris graeca saxatilis have been developed and tested. During 2010 the monitoring plan has been carried out during the spring (play-back censuses) and the summer (pointing dog censuses) in 10 sample areas to assess the presence, abundance and reproductive success of the species. These areas have been identified through expert knowledge and predictive models developed by the superimposition on regional UTM 1x1 kilometer grid quadrants of some CORINE Biotopes habitat parameters (open vegetation coverage >50% and open + transitional vegetation coverage >80%) and slope (>10%) and elevation (1000-2200 m above sea level), subsequently ranked from 0 to 4 for a suitability index. The census results related to UTM quadrants (n = 46, 40% with the presence of partridges) and buffer areas (100 meters of radius) created from the locations of the observed animals and the transect points of the censuses (n = 89) have been described by linear selection models that contain habitat classes from the Habitat Map of Friuli Venezia Giulia (Map of the Nature at the scale 1:50.000, ISPRA 2009) and morphological characteristics such as slope, elevation and aspect. The descriptive models have selected different variables according to the season (reproductive and post-reproductive), identifying the presence of Eastern Alpine calcicolous larch with moorland as one of the most important variables to define habitat suitability. Moreover, the descriptive models that use the lesser spatial scale (100 m buffer) seemed to describe better the presence and abundance of this species. The predictive models however were inappropriate to describe the presence of this species and should be used with caution to plan the monitoring activities. The research was supported by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region

Presence and distribution of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) in Friuli Venezia Giulia, from 2004 to 2011, through the non-invasive genetic monitoring ad conservation implications

After having disappeared at the beginning of 1900, the brown bear has started in a late 1960s a slow process of recolonization of the north-eastern Alps, through an expansion of Dinaric population. At the end of the 1990s the University of Udine began the occasional monitoring of the species and from 2004 non-invasive genetic monitoring became systematic. In the last 8 years 217 hair traps have been activated in the region to monitore: Natisone Valleys, the Julian and Carnic Alps and Prealps. Twenty-six hair traps were monitored in all years, whereas 40 were observed only in 2004, 2007 and 2011. The 26 hair traps constantly monitored from 2004 to 2011 showed 17% of average success of hair’s collecting (brown bear samples collected/day control: BBSD). The 40 hair traps, monitored in the window period, showed 12% of BBSD. The BBSD value varied in relation to both season (highest in spring) and year, with a dramatic decline from 2008, and interaction between year and area. From 2004, 13 genotypes, through systematic hair traps monitoring, were identified, while only 2 genotypes were sampled opportunistically. It was observed a high turnover of the genotypes: only 7 genotypes were sampled for more than 2 years (47% of total), 4 genotypes (27% of the total) were sampled for 3 years or more. The annual attendance of bear have been constant from 2004 to 2007, with 5-6 genotypes present every year. In the period between 2008 and 2010 there was a drastic decrease in the successful collection at the hair traps, with and average of 1-2 animals genotyped per year. However, opportunistic samples have increased in the recent times, probably due to the arrivals of 3 genotypes from Trentino (KJ2G2 in 2009 and DG2 and MJ4 in 2011). The year 2011 showed a further increase in the presence of bears with 5 animals genotyped in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Three of these animals belonged to the Slovenian population, while the other 2 genotypes were from the Trentino population. The results seem to confirm the exchange of some individuals between the Dinaric and central alpine population. As an example, the dinaric bear M5 was genotyped in Friuli Venezia Giulia in 2008 and then sampled in 2009 and captured in 2010 in Trentino and finally slot in Slovenia in 2011. The distribution in the alpine and prealpine areas has changed year by year: from the 2004 to 2007 the Natisone Valley and the Julian prealpine areas along the border with Slovenia were the areas more used, whilst from 2009 there was an apparent higher presence of bears in the Carnian Prealps and Alps, and in the Julian Alps. This shift could be due to human disturbance (i.e hunting management), control of the species carried out in neighbouring Slovenia, with a decreasing of immigrant from dinaric populations, and new immigration of bears from the central Alps. The present work has highlighted the necessity for a trans-regional and cross-border management of the species, especially in consideration to the population control applied in Slovenia, which seem to limit the Dinaric population expansion in the Alps, and furthermore the philopatry behaviour of bear females, which implies the absence of females in Friuli Venezia Giulia and induces a movement bach to Slovenia (at least 3 bears genotyped in Italy were shot in Slovenia). All these elements seem to exert important limitations to the consolidation and stabilization of the population of brown bears in north-eastern Alps. From the methodological point of view the protocol of systematic non-invasive genetic monitoring, shared at the trans-regional and trans-boundary level, is fundamental to monitore the dynamics and distribution of bear; the protocol should follow a systematic experimental design and should be integrated with a efficient opportunistic data collection

L\u2019uso dei dati di posizionamento e i ritmi di attivit\ue0 per la gestione conservativa dell\u2019Orso nell\u2019area compresa tra il Friuli Orientale e la Slovenia

5openopenCABONI A; VEZZARO S; SALERNO B; FATTORI U; FILACORDA SCaboni, A; Vezzaro, S; Salerno, B; Fattori, U; Filacorda, Stefan

Prime osservazioni italiane di attivit\ue0 predatoria da parte dello sciacallo dorato (Canis aureus) su ovini domestici nel Carso goriziano

La presenza della specie sciacallo dorato Canis aureus moreoticus (I. Geoffrey, 1835) documentata per il Friuli Venezia-Giulia a partire dagli anni 80 \ue8 in continua espansione ed incremento con un particolare riferimento all\u2019area carsica. Nel territorio preso in esame, una porzione di landa e boscaglia carsica in cui \ue8 ubicato un parco rurale di circa 100 ha con annesso allevamento ovino, la presenza di sciacallo dorato, documentata anche con l\u2019uso di foto trappole, \ue8 passata da casi sporadici ad un numero certo di 7 esemplari che frequentano l\u2019area. Congiuntamente all\u2019aumento di presenza si sono avuti casi di predazione su ovini adulti mantenuti allo stato semibrado senza ricovero notturno. Sono state esaminate tre carcasse di ovini trovati morti in giornate successive. Le pecore appartenevano tutte alla classe adulta ed in particolare superavano gli 8 anni di et\ue0. Le valutazioni anatomopatologiche delle carcasse, a diversi stadi di decomposizione, hanno messo in evidenza lesioni di carattere lacero contuso dei diversi piani tissutali nella regione del collo e nei garretti causate da morsi, con un consumo, costituito prevalentemente dai tessuti molli delle cavit\ue0 toraciche ed addominali, variabile in base al tempo intercorso tra il ritrovamento ed il decesso. Dall\u2019esame dei morsi ed in particolare dalla misurazione della distanza tra i canini, unite alle caratteristiche della predazione hanno permesso di riferirla a sciacallo dorato. Tale ipotesi \ue8 stata successivamente confermata con il fototrappolaggio. Dopo tali episodi, gli ovini sono stati ricoverati ogni notte in ovile chiuso e protetto. Tale metodologia gestionale \ue8 stata sufficiente a ridurre notevolmente l\u2019impatto della predazione da sciacallo dorato sugli animali allevati

Influence of Snowmelt Timing on the Diet Quality of Pyrenean Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta pyrenaica): Implications for Reproductive Success

The Pyrenean rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta pyrenaica) is the southernmost subspecies of the species in Europe and is considered threatened as a consequence of changes in landscape, human pressure, climate change, and low genetic diversity. Previous studies have shown a relationship between the date of snowmelt and reproductive success in the Pyrenean ptarmigan. It is well established that birds laying early in the breeding season have higher reproductive success, but the specific mechanism for this relationship is debated. We present an explicative model of the relationship between snowmelt date and breeding success mediated by food quality for grouse in alpine environments. From microhistological analyses of 121 faecal samples collected during three years in the Canigou Massif (Eastern Pyrenees), and the assessment of the chemical composition of the main dietary components, we estimated the potential quality of individual diets. Potential dietary quality was correlated with free-urate faecal N, a proxy of the digestible protein content ingested by ptarmigan, and both were correlated with phenological stage of consumed plants, which in turn depends on snowmelt date. Our findings suggest that the average snowmelt date is subject to a strong interannual variability influencing laying date. In years of early snowmelt, hens benefit from a longer period of high quality food resources potentially leading to a higher breeding success. On the contrary, in years of late snowmelt, hens begin their breeding period in poorer nutrient condition because the peaks of protein content of their main food items are delayed with respect to laying date, hence reducing breeding performance. We discuss the possible mismatch between breeding and snowmelt timing