Coming back home: recolonisation of abandoned dens by crested porcupines Hystrix cristata and European badgers Meles meles after wood-cutting and riparian vegetation mowing events

Semifossorial species excavate dens and are considered as landscape engineers, often responsible for soil oxygenation, shuffling, landslides and floods. The crested porcupine and the European badger are semifossorial mammals sharing dens in central Italy. Both species localise their setts mainly in densely vegetated areas, providing them with cover and protection from local predators and poachers. This is particularly evident for the porcupine, widely poached in central and southern Italy, whereas badgers may locally exploit burrows also in open and periurban areas. Wood-cutting and mowing of riparian vegetation surrounding den setts force both porcupines and badgers to leave their burrows. We evaluated the probability of den re-occupancy in the years following the vegetation removal, through intensive camera-trapping at 14 den setts monitored for 9 years. We performed GLMMs to test the annual probability of sett occupancy by the two species after vegetation disturbance events. The probability of re-occupying the burrow by porcupines increased with increasing time from the disturbance cessation. A similar pattern was also observed for the badger, which probability of den occupancy was also negatively correlated with the porcupine presence at the same den, confirming the aggressive behavior of this rodent. We also tested whether, since the first year after vegetation removal, the proportion of years of occupation by porcupines on the total of years has been affected by the disturbance repetition. This effect was found to be significant only for the badger. The crested porcupine, protected by international and national laws, is more sensitive than the badger, protected according to the Italian national law, to vegetation removal. A single disturbance event is sufficient to force it to abandon the den sett, followed by a slow recolonisation with growing vegetation. Conversely, the badger is sensitive to continuous vegetation removal whereas it can colonise porcupine dens abandoned after single disturbances

Distribution, autecology, genetic characterization, and conservation of the Western Mediterranean endemic dragonfly Orthetrum nitidinerve (Selys, 1841): insights from Italy

Aquatic macroinvertebrates are a primary component of freshwater ecosystems and one of the most threatened by anthropogenic pressures. Among them, dragonflies are a charismatic group of growing scientific and social interest. However, little is known about the natural history of several species. One paradigmatic example is the declining Orthetrum nitidinerve, a Western Mediterranean endemic anisopteran. We reviewed published and new data on this species, addressing distribution, autecology, and conservation (with a focus on Italy), and provide its first genetic characterization and phylogenetic placement within the genus. In Italy, the species is known from 50 sites so far (only 17 breeding populations) located in Sardinia and Sicily (1841–2019, only 22 from 1990 onward). Records from continental Italy are due to misidentification. The flight period in Italy spans between May and September. Habitat consists of permanent freshwater (mostly helocrene sources, seepages, and small brooks), slow-flowing, shallow, with muddy bottom deposits at elevation from the sea level up to 1000 m asl. All the breeding populations are found in open and sunny landscapes, almost invariably in extensive pasturelands. The species has strongly declined in Sicily, whereas several large populations still occur in Sardinia. The major threats identified so far are agriculture and grazing intensification or abandonment and drought/source desiccation determined by water overexploitation and climate change. The first ever provided mitochondrial COI barcode and ITS nuclear sequences allowed a first tentative phylogenetic placement of the species as a sister group of the O. brunneum/O. lineostigma lineage

Dragonfly biodiversity 90 years ago in an Alpine region: The Odonata historical collection of the MUSE (Trento, Italy)

Historical collections of natural science museums play a fundamental role in documenting environmental changes and patterns of biodiversity transformation. This considered, they should have a pivotal role to plan conservation and management actions. The MUSE - Science Museum of Trento is an Italian regional museum preserving about 5.5 million items (organised in 297 collections). About one million of them are invertebrates, 70% of which are of local origin, gathered in the collection "Miscellanea Invertebrati". Odonata account for a minor part of this collection; however, most of them are of local or regional relevance. A complete catalogue of this collection does not exist to date. The collection was studied in 2017-2018 and this contribution aims to present the Catalogue of the historic collection of Odonata of the MUSE - Museo delle Scienze of Trento (Italy). In all, 836 specimens of adult dragonflies and damselflies are found in the collection referring to an overall 56 species. The collection covers a period between 1924 and 1957 and refer to 74 defined localities, all located in northern Italy (most of them in Trentino - Alto Adige Region). The samples conserved in the collection are, for several species, the only indisputable confirmation of their former occurrence in that region

Context-dependent foraging habitat selection in a farmland raptor along an agricultural intensification gradient

Gradients of agricultural intensification in agroecosystems may determine uneven resource availability for predators relying on these man-made habitats. In turn, these variations in resource availability may affect predators’ habitat selection patterns, resulting in context-dependent habitat selection. We assessed the effects of gradients of landscape composition and configuration on habitat selection of a colonial farmland bird of prey, the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni), relying on 76 GPS-tracked nestling-rearing individuals from 10 populations scattered along an agricultural intensification gradient. Analyses were conducted considering two ecological levels of aggregation (the population and the individual) and two spatial scales of habitat availability (the colony surroundings and the individual home-range). Overall, non-irrigated croplands and semi-natural grasslands were the most preferred habitats at both spatial scales. At the colony scale, lesser kestrels showed a preference for grassland compared to non-irrigated crops, whereas the opposite was the case within individual home-ranges. Conversely, croplands were positively selected with comparable intensity at both spatial scales. Strong selection for grassland at the colony scale highlights the importance of this semi-natural habitat for the species. The weaker preference for grassland at the home-range scale is likely due to the phenology and structure of the vegetation in the late breeding season. Spatial scale differences in selection patterns may thus derive from spatiotemporal changes in resource availability through the breeding season. The strength of selection for the two most used habitats varied markedly among individuals. At the spatial scale of the colony, individual selection strength for grasslands increased with decreasing compositional diversity of the surrounding landscape, suggesting that agroecosystem heterogeneity may at least partly buffer the loss of semi-natural habitats. At the within homerange scale, higher cropland availability reduced the strength of individual preference for this habitat, suggesting a negative functional response possibly related to density-dependent processes acting on foraging movements. Our study provides evidence that farmland species show context-dependent habitat selection patterns in response to landscape gradients shaped by agricultural intensification as well as by intrinsic characteristics and habitat availability. Our findings highlight the importance of addressing both individual and population-level variability and considering multiple spatial scales in studies of habitat selection to inform species’ management and conservation

The Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus, in Piedmont and Aosta Valley: distribution, population trend, phenology and significant spring concentrations.

Piedmont and Aosta Valley (NW Italy) data on Larus fuscus were analyzed up to 2010. The species’ status is transient and irregular wintering in Piedmont, vagrant in Aosta Valley. The species was contacted in every months of the year, peaking in March. Since 2006 there has been a significant increase in observations (from an average of 3.84 data/year in 1980-2005 to 61.40 in the period 2006-2010), which affected especially Turin plain. During 2008-2011 spring significant concentrations were found at two lakes in Piedmont, one of which is used as a roost site. Spring concentrations of this magnitude are of national relevance and are comparable with those found in bordering areas of Switzerland and France in the same period of the year and like those have been linked with bad weather conditions. Is also shown a link between presence areas and the presence of landfills, used as feeding sites

A critical review of the odonate fauna of Trentino: annotated check-list and new relevant data for Italy (Insecta: Odonata)

By the first half of the Twentieth Century, the Odonate fauna of Trentino (Oriental Alps, Italy) was quite well known; subsequently, few surveys on dragonflies were carried out, resulting in a limited update of the knowledge on this taxon. The aim of this study is to provide a critical and annotated check-list of the Odonata of this province for the period from 1851 to 2018. This synthesis is based on a total of 3814 records obtained from the literature (955 records), revision of collections (1048 records), and unpublished recent data (1811 records). An updated and comprehensive Odonatological bibliography of the region is also provided. Overall, sixty-one species were confirmed to occur (or have occurred) in Trentino. These represent the 64% of the species recorded in Italy and the 43% of the species recorded in Europe. Presence of five additional species (Ceriagrion tenellum, Coenagrion lunulatum, C. ornatum, Ophiogomphus cecilia, and Epitheca bimaculata) should be considered doubtful for Trentino. Further two species (Platycnemis latipes and Onychogomphus uncatus) have to be excluded from the fauna of the study area. Fifty-four species were recorded also after 2000, whereas seven species were not confirmed after this year (Lestes dryas, L. virens, L. barbarus, Sympecma paedisca, Coenagrion scitulum, Brachytron pratense, and Sympetrum flaveolum). Several new records resulting from this study (referred to: Erythromma najas, Aeshna subarctica, Aeshna caerulea, Aeshna grandis, Leucorrhinia pectoralis) have a conservation or biogeographical relevance which transcends the borders of the study area, being noteworthy from an Italian or Alpine perspective and are thus commented in detail. Taxonomic notes on subspecies are also given when relevant

La conservazione della biodiversità nelle coltivazioni permanenti e negli ambienti prativi

La biodiversità degli ambienti agricoli è soggetta a forti pressioni di origine antropica, in particolare l’intensificazione delle pratiche agricole e l’abbandono dei sistemi agricoli tradizionali e marginali. In questa tesi è presentata una raccolta di studi sugli effetti delle pratiche colturali, dei cambiamenti di uso del suolo e della struttura del paesaggio sugli uccelli a vari livelli di scala condotti in quattro tipologie di agroecosistemi permanenti. Lo scopo ultimo di questa tesi è di individuare possibili pratiche gestionali che favoriscano la conservazione degli uccelli (che sono specie indicatrici e ombrello) in questi ecosistemi artificiali. Queste misure potrebbero essere inserite in adeguate regolamentazioni volte a ridurre gli impatti dell’agricoltura sulla biodiversità e favorire infine la sostenibilità complessiva dell’agroecosistema. I risultati mostrano come, nelle coltivazioni permanenti, la diversità ornitica e l’abbondanza di alcune specie dipendono da una moltitudine di elementi relativi al contesto paesaggistico, gestionale e topografico-climatico. Considerando l’intera comunità, il livello paesaggistico è quello che maggiormente influenza la diversità, tuttavia anche alcuni elementi relativi alla gestione agricola hanno un effetto su di essa. Diversamente, l’abbondanza di alcune specie non è solo influenzata dalle caratteristiche del paesaggio, ma anche significativamente, o primariamente, da effetti di caratteristiche climatico-topografiche e, soprattutto, dalle pratiche colturali. L’uso del suolo predominante a scala di paesaggio è risultato avere effetti negativi a livello di comunità e generalmente anche sulle specie più comuni. I risultati presentati evidenziano anche un ampio effetto positivo della copertura di habitat diversi da quello dominante (es. habitat marginali) e degli elementi tradizionali (es. siepi e filari, alberi ed edifici isolati) sugli uccelli, che permettono la presenza di specie non adattate all’habitat dominante che caratterizza la matrice, verosimilmente perché queste specie non riescono a nidificare o nutrirsi nella coltivazione. Nel corso del progetto si è investigato inoltre l’effetto dell’agricoltura biologica sugli uccelli, considerando vari indicatori e scale spaziali, senza tuttavia dimostrare alcun effetto positivo di questo tipo di gestione rispetto a quella convenzionale. Le principali cause di questo risultato riguardano il fatto che l’agricoltura biologica, a conferma di precedenti studi, ha di norma maggiori effetti in sistemi agricoli annuali e in contesti paesaggistici molto semplificati, quindi in agroecosistemi molto diversi da quelli indagati e che nell’area di studio le due forme di gestione non differiscono di molto in termini di utilizzo di pesticidi e altre pratiche colturali. In generale, per rendere l’agricoltura biologica più favorevole alla biodiversità sono necessari maggiori sforzi a scala di paesaggio. In un contesto gestionale o conservazionistico, è necessario identificare il target di una specifica azione (es. l’intera comunità o una specifica specie) perché se i bisogni principali della maggior parte delle specie che costituiscono la comunità possono essere soddisfatti in prima battuta a una scala di paesaggio, al contrario, alcune specifiche necessità di determinate specie di interesse conservazionistico possono riguardare principalmente, o esclusivamente, particolari elementi determinati dalla gestione agricola. Di conseguenza, questi elementi dovrebbero essere conservati o ricreati, per favorire queste particolari specie.Permanent crops and anthropogenic grasslands used to be the most important low-intensity semi-natural farmlands of the continent and were both negatively impacted by agricultural intensification and land abandonment. I present a collection of studies on the effects of agricultural practices, land use change, and landscape structure on birds conducted in four agricultural typologies: vineyards, olive groves, fruit orchards, and hay meadows. The studies were conducted at different levels of scale, from landscape to foraging sites. I focused on farmland birds, because they are reliable indicators of biodiversity and could be regarded as “umbrella species.” The ultimate scope of this thesis is to inform possible best-management practices to favour bird conservation in man-made ecosystems. My findings show that, in permanent crops, bird diversity and the abundance of individual species are driven by a multitude of elements related to the landscape, management, and topographic-climatic contexts. Considering the whole community, the landscape level emerged as the most important driver of biodiversity patterns, but some agricultural management traits also affect biodiversity; conversely, the abundance of individual species could be influenced not only by the landscape characteristics, but also by the significant, or even predominant, effects of climatic-topographic attributes and, especially, of management practices. At the community level, the predominant land use throughout the landscape had negative effects on the community itself; this is also generally true for the reproductive outcome of the most common species dwelling in those crops. A relevant exception to this pattern was represented by three insectivores of conservation concern (i.e. common redstart, spotted flycatcher and wryneck), which are favoured by vineyard cover at the landscape scale likely because vineyards are structurally similar to their “ancestral” habitat. However, investigating the wryneck habitat selection at a finer spatial scale (i.e. territory), I showed that it is more affected by specific vineyard characteristics, which determined nesting site availability, than by general land cover traits. Importantly, my results also point out a broadly positive effect on birds with the cover of habitats different from their dominant ones (e.g. marginal habitats) and with traditional elements (e.g. hedge and tree rows, isolated trees, and buildings), which allowed for the persistence of species that are not adapted to the main habitat that characterise the matrix, since those species are unable to nest or forage in the crops. I also investigated the effect of organic viticulture on birds by considering several indicators and spatial scales without finding any positive effect of this kind of management. Main causes for this are that organic farming was previously shown to exert much more positive effects in annual crop systems and in simplified landscapes, thus in agroecosystems quite different from vineyards. Additionally in the study area, organic and conventional management forms do not differ very much in terms of pesticide use or other agricultural practices. Based on these findings, I suggest that much effort should be allocated at a wider landscape scale in making organic viticulture more biodiversity-friendly. In a conservation or planning framework, it is fundamental to identify the target (i.e. the whole community or a singular species) of a defined action. Indeed, if the primary needs of the majority of the species which constitute the community could be satisfied by acting at a landscape level, then some needs of individual species could rely mainly, or exclusively, on particular elements determined by agricultural management. As a consequence, to favour these particular species, these elements should be conserved or restored

Beautiful agricultural landscapes promote cultural ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation

Agriculture, during its millenarian history, had contributed to shape impressive cultural landscapes; however, in recent decades, many of these have been lost or degraded because of widespread intensification or abandonment. Low-intensive agricultural landscapes are of utmost importance for biodiversity conservation and the delivery of cultural ecosystem services. We worked in a cultural landscape shaped by viticulture (in Trentino, Italy), which recently underwent a widespread intensification. We explicitly quantified two cultural services (aesthetic and cultural heritage values), and the biodiversity (bird species richness) associated with this landscape at 24 sampling sites. We then related these variables with the territory density of an indicator/flagship bird species, the common redstart. Finally, we assessed redstart ecological requirements at the territory scale. We aimed to define an appealing strategy combining biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service delivery in the cultural landscapes. Redstart density was positively related with avian species richness and landscape aesthetic value, the latter being related with the cultural heritage value. Redstart occurrence was positively associated with hedge and tree rows, dry-stone walls, marginal habitats, and the compositional diversity of the land-cover. We concluded that managing the agricultural landscape to maintain aesthetic and heritage values, which primarily means conserving and enhancing its key ‘traditional’ traits, would favour an indicator/flagship species and likely the wider bird diversity. It will also promote the heritage and recreational value of the landscape itself, underlining the importance of the synergistic integration of multiple conservation targets into a combined strategy