71 research outputs found
Cliffs Used as Communal Roosts by Andean Condors Protect the Birds from Weather and Predators
The quality and availability of resources influence the geographical distribution of species. Social species need safe places to rest, meet, exchange information and obtain thermoregulatory benefits, but those places may also serve other important functions that have been overlooked in research. We use a large soaring bird that roosts communally in cliffs, the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus), as a model species to elucidate whether roost locations serve as a refuge from adverse weather conditions (climatic refuge hypothesis, CRH), and/or from predators or anthropogenic disturbances (threats refuge hypothesis, TRH). The CRH predicts that communal roosts will face in the opposite direction from where storms originate, and will be located in climatically stable, low precipitation areas. The TRH predicts that communal roosts will be large, poorly accessible cliffs, located far from human-made constructions. We surveyed cliffs used as communal roosts by condors in northwestern Patagonia, and compared them with alternative non-roosting cliffs to test these predictions at local and regional scales. We conclude that communal roosting places provide refuge against climate and disturbances such as, for instance, the threats of predators (including humans). Thus, it is not only the benefits gained from being aggregated per se, but the characteristics of the place selected for roosting that may both be essential for the survival of the species. This should be considered in management and conservation plans given the current scenario of global climate change and the increase in environmental disturbances.Fil: Lambertucci, Sergio Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Invest.cientif.y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnol.conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Invest.en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente;Fil: Ruggiero, Adriana. Consejo Nacional de Invest.cientif.y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnol.conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Invest.en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente
From daily movements to population distributions: weather affects competitive ability in a guild of soaring birds
The ability of many animals to access and exploit food is dependent on the ability to move. In the case of scavenging birds, which use soaring flight to locate and exploit ephemeral resources, the cost and speed of movement vary with meteorological factors. These factors are likely to modify the nature of interspecific interactions, as well as individual movement capacity, although the former are less well understood. We used aeronautical models to examine how soaring performance varies with weather within a guild of scavenging birds and the consequences this has for access to a common resource. Birds could be divided broadly into those with low wing loading that are more competitive in conditions with weak updraughts and low winds (black vultures and caracaras), and those with high wing loading that are well adapted for soaring in strong updraughts and moderate to high winds (Andean condors). Spatial trends in meteorological factors seem to confine scavengers with high wing loading to the mountains where theyout-compete other birds; a trend that is borne out in worldwide distributions of the largest species. However, model predictions and carcass observations suggest that the competitive ability of these and other birds varies with meteorological conditions in areas where distributions overlap. This challenges the view that scavenging guilds are structured by fixed patterns of dominance and suggests that competitive ability varies across spatial and temporal scales, which may ultimately be a mechanism promoting diversity among aerial scavengers.Fil: Shepard, Emily L. C.. Swansea University; Reino UnidoFil: Lambertucci, Sergio Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico Patagonia Norte. Instituto de InvestigaciĂłn en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; Argentin
A three-decade review of telemetry studies on vultures and condors
Telemetry-based movement research has become central for learning about the behavior, ecology and conservation of wide-ranging species. Particularly, early telemetry studies were conducted on vultures and condors due to three main reasons: i) these birds capture the curiosity of humans, ii) their large body size allows researchers to deploy large telemetry units, and iii) they are of high conservation concern. This has resulted in a great number of scientific articles that remain scattered throughout the literature. To achieve a more cohesive view of vultures and condors movement behavior, we review all telemetry studies published up to 2017. We first present a descriptive summary of the technical and design characteristics of these studies (e.g. target species, tagging location, number of individuals tagged) and go on to discuss them under a common conceptual framework; the Movement Ecology Paradigm. The articles found (N=97) were mainly published in the last decade and based on the tagging of individuals from 14 species (61% of the extant species) and 24 countries. Foraging was the most in-depth investigated movement phase (25 studies), with studies covering several species, using both phenomenological and mechanistic approaches and tackling the role of different drivers of movement. In contrast, commuting and natal dispersal phases were only superficially investigated (3 and 8 studies, respectively). Finally, studies dealing with the conservation and management also comprised a large portion of the reviewed articles (24 studies). Telemetry studies have revealed relevant details of vultures and condors movements, with highly accurate measurements of flight energetics and a better understanding of the morphological, physiological and context-dependent drivers that underlie the movement decisions of these birds. However, we also detected several information gaps. We expect this review helps researchers to focus their efforts and funds where more information is needed.Fil: AlarcĂłn, Pablo Angel Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico 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; ArgentinaFil: Lambertucci, Sergio Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico 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
Framing of visual content shown on popular social media may affect viewersâ attitudes to threatened species
Content published on social media may affect userâs attitudes toward wildlife species. We evaluated viewersâ responses to videos published on a popular social medium, focusing particularly on how the content was framed (i.e., the way an issue is conveyed to transmit a certain meaning). We analyzed videos posted on YouTube that showed vultures interacting with livestock. The videos were negatively or positively framed, and we evaluated viewersâ opinions of these birds through the comments posted. We also analyzed negatively framed videos of mammalian predators interacting with livestock, to evaluate whether comments on this content were similar to those on vultures. We found that the framing of the information influenced the tone of the comments. Videos showing farmers talking about their livestock losses were more likely to provoke negative comments than videos not including farmer testimonies. The probability of negative comments being posted on videos about vultures was higher than for mammalian predators. Finally, negatively framed videos on vultures had more views over time than positive ones. Our results call for caution in the presentation of wildlife species online, and highlight the need for regulations to prevent the spread of misinformed videos that could magnify existing human-wildlife conflicts.Fil: Ballejo, Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico 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: Plaza, Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico 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: Lambertucci, Sergio Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico 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; Argentin
A long and troublesome journey: People's perceptions and attitudes along the migratory path of a scavenger bird
In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in integrating the social sciences and conservation studies to inform a more realistic management approach. Indeed, an understanding of people's perception of fauna helps in the evaluation of possible conflicts with humans, and provides tools to solve these conflicts. However, perceptions may change along a species geographical distribution. Scavenger birds are not exempt from these conflicts as many farmers blame them for attacking and killing livestock. We evaluated the knowledge, perceptions and attitude of people regarding New World vultures along a migratory path in South America. We conducted 114 interviews with farmers in six different localities between Argentine Patagonia and central Bolivia. About half (48.2%) of the interviewees considered vultures harmful to livestock and a substantial number (24.5%) considered killing these birds as a solution for the conflict. The perception of the damage caused by these birds was worse in vultures wintering and breeding areas, than along the migration route. People with a higher level of education and greater numbers of livestock exhibited more negative perceptions. However, many people (53%) still believed that scavenger birds are important for the environment. Our results suggest that acknowledgment of services provided by scavengers makes killing of scavengers less likely. Educational strategies are needed to increase levels of appreciation toward the ecosystem services provided by vultures, over those of perceived damages.Fil: Ballejo, Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico 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; ArgentinaFil: Graña Grilli, Maricel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico 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; ArgentinaFil: Lambertucci, Sergio Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico 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
Drivers of bird-window collisions in southern South America: a two-scale assessment applying citizen science
Bird-window collisions are one of the main causes of avian mortality worldwide, with estimations reaching up to almost one billion of dead individuals annually due to this cause in Canada and the USA alone. Although this is a growing conservation problem, most of the studies come from North America, evidencing the lack of knowledge and concern in countries with high biodiversity and growing population development. Our objectives were: (1) to estimate the current situation of bird-window collisions in Argentina, a country with around 10% of the world?s avian biodiversity, and, (2) to identify drivers of bird-window collisions at a national and local scale, focusing on a city surrounded by a protected area. We used a citizen science project called ?Bird-Window Collisions in Argentina? that consisted of an online survey that collected data on collision metrics and risk factors. We found that more than half of participants reported at least one collision during the last year, suggesting this issue is common and widespread. In addition, our data show that the number of windows and the presence of vegetation reflected in windows are factors that strongly influence the risk of collision at national scale. On the other hand, the environment surrounding buildings affects the rate of bird-window collisions at local scale, being greater in buildings surrounded by tall vegetation than in buildings surrounded by a greater proportion of urbanization (human-made structures). We call for attention on a topic that has been poorly evaluated in South America. We also encourage future scientific studies to evaluate additional risk factors and mitigation strategies accordingly, to provide a better understanding of bird-window collisions particularly in a highly biodiverse region as South AmericaFil: Rebolo, Natalia. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Laboratorio de Ecotono; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico 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: Di Virgilio, Agustina Soledad. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Laboratorio de Ecotono; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico 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: Lambertucci, Sergio Agustin. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Laboratorio de Ecotono; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico 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; Argentin
Cat and dog predation on birds: the importance of indirect predation after bird-window collisions
Predation of free-living birds by cats (Felis silvestris catus) and dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) is one of the main urbanization impacts on avifauna worldwide. In addition to direct predation, these pets capture birds after window collisions, an unexplored human cause of avian mortality. In this study we (1) estimated the number of cats and dogs in Argentina, (2) calculated the metrics of direct bird predation by cats and dogs, (3) analyzed factors that influence the probability of pets capturing birds, and (4) estimated annual bird mortality due to pet predation following bird-window collision events. To this end, we conducted an online survey to collect information on bird predation by cats and dogs in Argentina, both direct and indirect after bird-window collisions. We found that more than 68% of participants had at least one dog or cat, and of these, 45.3% reported having observed at least one case of bird predation by cats or dogs in their household. We estimated that the rough annual bird mortality rate due to predation following bird-window collisions could reach approximately 6 million birds in Argentina (range = 1â11 million birds). Our results show that direct bird predation by pets but also indirect predation after bird-window collisions represents a considerable source of avian mortality, which requires further attention in pursuit of solutions.Fil: Rebolo, Natalia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San MartĂn de Los Andes-inibioma | Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San MartĂn de Los Andes-inibioma.; ArgentinaFil: Zamora Nasca, LucĂa BelĂ©n. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San MartĂn de Los Andes-inibioma | Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San MartĂn de Los Andes-inibioma.; ArgentinaFil: Lambertucci, Sergio Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San MartĂn de Los Andes-inibioma | Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San MartĂn de Los Andes-inibioma.; Argentin
Andean and California condors possess dissimilar genetic composition but exhibit similar demographic histories
While genetic diversity of threatened species is a major concern of conservation biologists, historic patterns of genetic variation are often unknown. A powerful approach to assess patterns and processes of genetic erosion is via ancient DNA techniques. Herein, we analyzed mtDNA from historical samples (1800s to present) of Andean Condors (Vultur gryphus) to investigate whether contemporary low genetic variability is the result of recent human expansion and persecution, and compared this genetic history to that of California condors (Gymnogyps californianus).We then explored historic demographies for both species via coalescent simulations. We found that Andean condors have lost at least 17% of their genetic variation in the early 20th century. Unlike California condors, however, low mtDNA diversity in the Andean condor was mostly ancient, before European arrival. However, we found that both condor species shared similar demographies in that population bottlenecks were recent and co-occurred with the introduction of livestock to the Americas and the global collapse of marine mammals. Given the combined information on genetic and demographic processes, we suggest that the protection of key habitats should be targeted for conserving extant genetic diversity and facilitate the natural recolonization of lost territories, while nuclear genomic data should be used to inform translocation plans.Fil: PadrĂł, Julian. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche; Argentina. University of Wisconsin; Estados UnidosFil: Lambertucci, Sergio Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San MartĂn de Los Andes-inibioma | Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San MartĂn de Los Andes-inibioma.; ArgentinaFil: Perrig, Paula Leticia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San MartĂn de Los Andes-inibioma | Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San MartĂn de Los Andes-inibioma.; Argentina. University of Wisconsin; Estados UnidosFil: Pauli, Jonathan Nicholas. University of Wisconsin; Estados Unido
Applying bioacoustic techniques to urban ornithology studies: guidelines and recommendations
Una de las principales maneras de comunicarse de las aves, a traveÌs de la emisioÌn de sonidos o vocalizaciones, puede verse afectada por los sonidos derivados de las actividades antroÌpicas. Estos disturbios (ruidos) interfieren en la comunicacioÌn pudiendo afectar la identificacioÌn de pares, los procesos reproductivos, la defensa de los territorios e, incluso, la composicioÌn y diversidad de las comunidades de aves. Las urbanizaciones son fuente de alta emisioÌn de ruidos antropogeÌnicos y constituyen ambientes sonoros complejos para las aves. La bioacuÌstica, a traveÌs del monitoreo acuÌstico pasivo (MAP), es una de las herramientas en auge y con numerosas ventajas que resultan particularmente uÌtiles en estudios de ecologiÌa urbana. El MAP es un meÌtodo no invasivo y eficiente que permite obtener informacioÌn de forma autoÌnoma, continua, simultaÌnea y en diversas condiciones ambientales. A pesar de esto, resulta una herramienta auÌn poco explotada en los paiÌses del NeotroÌpico. Realizamos una descripcioÌn metodoloÌgica mostrando las potencialidades del MAP en investigaciones de aves y, particularmente en aquellas que ocurren en ambientes urbanos y/o peri-urbanos. Para esto realizamos una revisioÌn no sistemaÌtica de la bibliografiÌa existente, resumiendo nociones baÌsicas del sonido y su proceso de grabacioÌn, opciones de microÌfonos y grabadores asociados al MAP, disenÌos de muestreo, programas de anaÌlisis e iÌndices acuÌsticos. TambieÌn, presentamos ejemplos de estudios nuestros sobre el MAP en ambientes urbanos de la Patagonia. Resaltamos el valor de esta herramienta de estudio para investigaciones a largo plazo, en sitios complejos de estudiar, para programas de monitoreo y proyectos de conservacioÌn.One of the main ways birds communicate, through the emission of sounds or vocalizations, can be affected by sounds produced by human activities in urban areas. These noises or disturbances interfere with bird communication, affecting mate identification, reproductive processes, territory defense, and even bird community richness and diversity. In this way, urban areas constitute complex sound environments for birds. Bioacoustics, through passive acoustic monitoring (PAM), is a growing tool with numerous advantages especially useful for urban ecology studies. PAM is a non-invasive and effective method for obtaining information autono-mously, continuously, simultaneously and under various environmental conditions. Despite this, it is still an un-der-exploited tool in Neotropical countries. We here provide a methodological description showing the potential of PAM in bird research, particularly for birds living in urban and/or peri-urban environments. To this end, we conducted a non-systematic review of the existing literature presenting basic notions of sound and its recording process, options of microphone and recorders associated with the PAM, sampling designs, analyzes programs, and acoustic indexes. We also present examples of our research on monitoring urban environments in Patagonia. We highlight the value of this study tool for long-term research, complex study sites, monitoring programs and conservation projects.Fil: Bahia, Rocio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico 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: Lambertucci, Sergio Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico 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: Speziale, Karina Lilian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede JunĂn de Los Andes-inibioma-centro de EcologĂa Aplicada del NeuquĂ©n (cean) | Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede JunĂn de Los Andes-inibioma-centro de EcologĂa Aplicada del NeuquĂ©n (cean).; Argentin
Monitoring vultures in the 21st century: The need for standardized protocols
This article calls on scientists, managers and organizations focused on vulture conservation to promote and use standardized monitoring programs based on sampling of molted feathers.Fil: Perrig, Paula Leticia. University of Wisconsin; Estados UnidosFil: Lambertucci, Sergio Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico 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: Donadio, Emiliano. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico 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: Padro, Julian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Centro CientĂfico TecnolĂłgico 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. University of Wisconsin; Estados UnidosFil: Pauli, Jonathan Nicholas. University of Wisconsin; Estados Unido
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