Mammal endemism In Italy: A review

Although there are various checklists of Italian mammals, there is not yet a synthesis of those mammals that are endemic to Italy. Therefore, we provide for the first time a detailed review on Italian mammal endemic species including endemic taxa deserving additional studies. This review is based on the most recent taxonomic revisions obtained using Scopus and Google Scholar databases. We also considered the age of endemic species. Some aspects of mammalian conservation are also provided and discussed

Quantifying whether different demographic models produce incongruent results on population dynamics of two long-term studied rodent species

1. Population density (ind/ha) of long-term (>15 years) series of CMR populations, using distinct demographic models designed for both open and closed populations, were analysed for two sympatric species of rodents (Myodes glareolus and Apodemus flavicollis) from a mountain area in central Italy, in order to test the relative performance of various employed demographic models. In particular, the hypothesis that enumeration models systematically underestimate the population size of a given population was tested.2. Overall, we compared the performance of 7 distinct demographic models, including both closed and open models, for each study species. Although the two species revealed remarkable intrinsic differences in demography traits (for instance, a lower propensity for being recaptured in Apodemus flavicollis), the Robust Design appeared to be the best fitting model, showing that it is the most suitable model for long-term studies.3. Among the various analysed demographic models, Jolly-Seber returned the lower estimates of population density for both species. Thus, this demographic model could not be suggested for being applied for long-term studies of small mammal populations because it tends to remarkably underestimate the effective population size. Nonetheless, yearly estimates of population density by Jolly-Seber correlated positively with yearly estimates of population density by closed population models, thus showing that interannual trends in population dynamics  were uncovered by both types of demographic models, although with different values in terms of true population size

Can the grey literature help us understand the decline and extinction of the Near Threatened Eurasian otter Lutra lutra in Latium, central Italy?

AbstractTo trace the local extinction of the Eurasian otter Lutra lutra in Latium, central Italy, and examine the causes of the species' disappearance, we reviewed and classified information from both the scientific and grey literature according to the reliability and geographical accuracy of the records. The temporal and spatial patterns of 160 records from 23 geographical subunits from 1832 to 2006 suggest that the species collapsed between 1960 and 1975; two different extinction patterns were revealed by a set of multivariate analyses. In northern Latium the species collapsed because of several independent local threats. In central and southern Latium the species collapsed because of catastrophic habitat alteration (land reclamation during the 1930s) that negatively affected the source population. After this event the species went extinct in hilly and mountainous areas, where several population sinks occurred. We presume that this latter process drove the remnant otter subpopulations to extinction in central Italy, emphasizing the role of an extinction vortex in causing the collapse of this metapopulation rather than the classical threats recognized for this species. The value of the grey literature for a posteriori historical analysis of local extinction dynamics is highlighted by this research

Biogeographic analysis of the composition of the mammalian fauna of Togo (West Africa)

The Dahomey Gap in West Africa is a human-derived savannah-like vegetation zone interspersed by patches of moist forest, with large rainforest blocks at both West (Upper Guinean Forest) and East (Lower Guinean Forest) of its limits. Togo is a tiny country situated in the middle of the Dahomey Gap. In this paper, a biogeographic analysis of the composition of the mammalian fauna of Togo is presented, by classifying each species on the basis of five distinct ecological distribution patterns. The greatest proportion of species were Pan-African (88.0%). Excluding the Pan-African species from the analysis, the mammalian fauna appeared to be affiliated similarly to both Upper Guinean and Lower Guinean Forest blocks. Only three endemic species were observed, all of them being rodents: Cryptomys zechi (Batyergidae), Funisciurus substriatus (Sciuridae), and Leimacomys buettneri (Muridae). Considering only the multispecies genera, the great majority did not show any barrier effect by the Dahomey Gap on their own species, as all of them did occur on both sides of Togo. A barrier effect by the Dahomey Gap was uncovered in 8 genera; overall, the Dahomey Gap apparently showed a barrier effect on 28.6% of the multispecies genera. It is emphasized that the full understanding of the role of the Dahomey Gap as a biogeographic barrier and of its island forests as centers of endemism is impeded by the lack of biogeographic reviews and meta-analyses on the composition of faunal and floral groups of the entire region

Genetic and morphological variation in a Mediterranean glacial refugium: evidence from Italian pygmy shrews, Sorex minutus (Mammalia: Soricomorpha)

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Aspects of demography in three distinct populations of garden dormouse, Eliomys quercinus, across Italy and Spain

Comparative aspects of the demography were investigated in three distinct populations of the ecologically poorly studied rodent Eliomys quercinus, in Spain and Italy. Maximum longevity was observed in a Spanish female (survival of at least 2 years and 4 months). For all the populations under study, various closed population models and the robust design model gave similarly reliable estimates for population size, with Jolly–Seber estimates being considerably less reliable. The same result also emerged for the estimates of survival and capture probabilities, but with less profound differences between Jolly–Seber and the closed models with robust design. Average density showed considerable oscillations over the years and across localities, being nearly identical in northern and central Italy but considerably higher in Spain. Survival was considerably higher in Spain than in northern and central Italy. Conversely, capture probability was higher in northern Italy than in the other two study areas

Les facteurs à petite échelle affectent la taille des populations du Mulot (Apodemus sylvaticus) dans une île méditerranéenne (Sardaigne)

La variation de la taille des populations de Mulot (Apodemus sylvaticus) a été étudiée le long de30 transects indépendants sur l’île de Sardaigne (Italie), avec un accent mis sur la relation entre la taille de la population et les variables environnementales (type de boisement, épaisseur de la litière, diversité et taille des arbres, nombre de souches, couverture du sol, couverture buissonnante, bois mort). Les études ont été conduites selon un protocole de capture-marquage-recapture à l’aide de pièges placés le long des transects et surveillés au printemps et en automne. Sept variables environnementales ont été confrontées aux estimations de taille de population sur chaque transect, estimations obtenues à partir de cinq modèles démographiques distincts pour populations fermées. Des différences inter-saisonnières significatives ont été observées dans le nombre de spécimens capturés (pic au printemps) mais, en dépit de variations considérables selon les transects, la taille des populations de Mulot ne différait pas de manière significative entre les types d’habitats forestiers. La taille des populations de l’espèce est apparue positivement influencée par (i) la couverture au sol, (ii) le nombre de souches, et (iii) le % d’Erica arborea ; à l’inverse elle est apparue négativement influencée par (a) la hauteur des buissons de Rubus ulmifolius et (b) par le % de Rubus ulmifolius. Les raisons de ces patterns sont envisagées et discutéesThe variation of population size of the Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) was studied across 30 independent transects in Sardinia island (Italy), with emphasis on the relationships between population size and environmental variables (type of wood, litter depth, tree diversity, tree size, number of stumps, ground cover, shrub cover, dead wood). Studies were conducted through a capture-mark-recapture protocol with live traps placed along line transects, and surveyed in both spring and autumn. Seven environmental variables were contrasted to population size estimates in each transect, with estimates of population size being obtained from five distinct demography models for close populations. There were significant inter-seasonal differences in the number of captured specimens (peak in springtime), but the population size of the Wood Mouse, despite varying considerably by transect, did not differ significantly among types of forest habitats. Population size of this species was positively influenced by (i) ground cover, (ii) number of stumps, and (iii) % Erica arborea; conversely, it was negatively influenced by (a) height of Rubus ulmifolius bushes and (b) by % Rubus ulmifolius. The possible reasons behind these patterns were explored and discusse

Distribution and status of the African forest buffalo Syncerus caffer nanus in south-eastern Nigeria

AbstractAlthough not categorized as threatened on the IUCN Red List, the African forest buffalo Syncerus caffer nanus is declining across its range. In Nigeria its distribution, abundance and status are virtually unknown. We conducted interviews with experienced hunters, and field surveys (linear and recce transects), to study the buffalo's distribution and ecology in the montane forests of Cross River State. General linear modelling indicated that the number of individuals varied significantly across survey areas and habitat types but not with the survey period, and there was no study area × study period interaction. Buffalo were found most commonly in mature and secondary forests. Given the species' scattered distribution, fragmentation of its habitat, and the relatively low numbers observed, Nigerian populations require a separate, regional categorization on the IUCN Red List