AGE DETERMINATION OF CAPTIVE CHILEAN FLAMINGO (PHOENICOPTERUS CHILENSIS) CHICKS BASED ON PLUMAGE CHARACTERISTICS

Abstract ∙ Many aspects of the breeding biology of the Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis) are still unknown. We studied captive breeding Chilean Flamingos at La Plata Zoo, Buenos Aires, Argentina between February and July 2014 to document chick‐aging methods based on molt and coloration of bare parts, such as beak and legs. The development of young was divided in three age categories: 1. Chick (less than 15 days old), with white down and salmon‐ pink beak and red coral legs. 2. Pre‐juvenile (1–3 months old), birds covered with gray down (due to a combination of a double down coat) and when the white down falls, a brownish down coat is more evident. In this stage, the beak had darkened and the legs turned dark gray. 3. The last category is the juvenile (4–5 months old), characterized by the presence of vaned feathers, dorsal feathers are pale brown with a dark raquis, underparts are white and inner coverts have a pale‐salmon coloration; the beak is curved and has a blueish base with a charcoal gray tip and legs are pale gray. The information presented in this study may help to age young Chilean Flamingos in the wild.Resumen ∙ Criterios para determinar la edad de pollos de Flamenco Austral (Phoenicopterus chilensis) en cautiverio basadas en características del plumaje Varios aspectos de la biología reproductiva del Flamenco Austral (Phoenicopterus chilensis) son aún desconocidos. Estudiamos una colonia en cautiverio de Flamencos Australes pertenecientes al Zoológico de La Plata; Buenos Aires, Argentina entre febrero y julio de 2014 para obtener criterios para determinar la edad de los pollos basados en la coloración del plumaje y de las partes desnudas, como pico y patas. El desarrollo de los pollos se dividió en tres categorías: 1. Pollo (menos de 15 días de edad), cubiertos por plumón blanco, pico de color salmón‐rosado y patas rojo coral. 2. Pre‐juvenil (1–3 meses), cubiertos por plumón gris (debido a la combinación de una doble capa de plumón). A medida que el desarrollo avanzó, el plumón blanco se perdió y el plumón de color pardo se hizo más evidente. En este estadio, el pico se oscureció y las patas se tornaron de color gris oscuro. 3. La última categoría, el juvenil (4–5 meses), se caracterizó por la presencia de plumas, las plumas dorsales son de color marrón pálido con un raquis oscuro, las plumas ventrales son blancas y las coberteras inferiores son salmón pálidas. El pico es curvo y tiene una base azulada con la punta gris y las patas tienen una coloración gris pálida. La información presentada en este trabajo provee ayuda para categorizar a los jóvenes de esta especie y puede ser de utilidad en estudios demográficos

The reliability of morphometric discriminant functions in determining the sex of Chilean flamingos Phoenicopterus chilensis

Monomorphic birds cannot be sexed visually and discriminant functions on the basis of external morphological variations are frequently used. Our objective was to evaluate the reliability of sex classification functions created from structural measurements of Chilean flamingos Phoenicopterus chilensis museum skins for the gender assignment of live birds. Five meas-urements were used to develop four discriminant functions: culmen, bill height and width, tarsus length and middle toe claw. The functions were tested on a sample of live flamingos from a zoo. The best classification for museum flamingos was given by a function using tarsus length, bill width and middle toe claw (97%). However, this function did not give the best classification for the zoo-based flamingos (81%) which had the best sex assignment by a function including measurements of tarsus, culmen and bill height and width (85%). This shows that a function giving good results in the sample from which it originated may not be as good when applied to another group of animals. Our study emphasizes the need for assessing the accuracy of a function by testing it with other methods to ensure its suitability when being applied.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

The reliability of morphometric discriminant functions in determining the sex of Chilean flamingos Phoenicopterus chilensis

Monomorphic birds cannot be sexed visually and discriminant functions on the basis of external morphological variations are frequently used. Our objective was to evaluate the reliability of sex classification functions created from structural measurements of Chilean flamingos Phoenicopterus chilensis museum skins for the gender assignment of live birds. Five meas-urements were used to develop four discriminant functions: culmen, bill height and width, tarsus length and middle toe claw. The functions were tested on a sample of live flamingos from a zoo. The best classification for museum flamingos was given by a function using tarsus length, bill width and middle toe claw (97%). However, this function did not give the best classification for the zoo-based flamingos (81%) which had the best sex assignment by a function including measurements of tarsus, culmen and bill height and width (85%). This shows that a function giving good results in the sample from which it originated may not be as good when applied to another group of animals. Our study emphasizes the need for assessing the accuracy of a function by testing it with other methods to ensure its suitability when being applied.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Seed storage conditions change the germination pattern of clonal growth plants in Mediterranean salt marshes.

8 páginas, 4 tablas, 8 figuras.The effect of salinity level and extended exposure to different salinity and flooding conditions on germination patterns of three saltmarsh clonal growth plants (Juncus subulatus, Scirpus litoralis, and S. maritimus) was studied. Seed exposure to extended flooding and saline conditions significantly affected the outcome of the germination process in a different, though predictable, way for each species, after favorable conditions for germination were restored. Tolerance of the germination process was related to the average salinity level measured during the growth/germination season at sites where established individuals of each species dominated the species cover. No relationship was found between salinity tolerance of the germination process and seed response to extended exposure to flooding and salinity conditions. The salinity response was significantly related to the conditions prevailing in the habitats of the respective species during the unfavorable (nongrowth/nongermination) season. Our results indicate that changes in salinity and hydrology while seeds are dormant affect the outcome of the seed-bank response, even when conditions at germination are identical. Because these environmental-history-dependent responses differentially affect seed germination, seedling density, and probably sexual recruitment in the studied and related species, these influences should be considered for wetland restoration and managementFinancial support from the Spanish Ministry of the Environment (MMA, project 05/99) and the Junta de Andalucía (research group 4086)enabled us to carry out the present work.Peer reviewe

Seed storage conditions change the germination pattern of clonal growth plants in Mediterranean salt marshes.

8 páginas, 4 tablas, 8 figuras.The effect of salinity level and extended exposure to different salinity and flooding conditions on germination patterns of three saltmarsh clonal growth plants (Juncus subulatus, Scirpus litoralis, and S. maritimus) was studied. Seed exposure to extended flooding and saline conditions significantly affected the outcome of the germination process in a different, though predictable, way for each species, after favorable conditions for germination were restored. Tolerance of the germination process was related to the average salinity level measured during the growth/germination season at sites where established individuals of each species dominated the species cover. No relationship was found between salinity tolerance of the germination process and seed response to extended exposure to flooding and salinity conditions. The salinity response was significantly related to the conditions prevailing in the habitats of the respective species during the unfavorable (nongrowth/nongermination) season. Our results indicate that changes in salinity and hydrology while seeds are dormant affect the outcome of the seed-bank response, even when conditions at germination are identical. Because these environmental-history-dependent responses differentially affect seed germination, seedling density, and probably sexual recruitment in the studied and related species, these influences should be considered for wetland restoration and managementFinancial support from the Spanish Ministry of the Environment (MMA, project 05/99) and the Junta de Andalucía (research group 4086)enabled us to carry out the present work.Peer reviewe

Doñana. Acta vertebrata. vol 24(1/2)

Alimentación de la lagartija colilarga Psammodromus algirus (L) (Sauria, Lacertidae), en el litoral de Huelva (SO EspañaLa alimentación de Myotis myotis Borkh, 1791 (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) en la cuenca del rio Guadix (sureste de España)Distribución y selección de hábitat de la garduña (Martes foina, Erxleben, 1777) en Vizcaya y Sierra Salvada (Burgos).Nuevo modelo de trampa para reducir el impacto de la pesca de cangrejos sobre los vertebrados en las marismas del GuadalquiviThe functions of song and the spatial pattern of song production in the rufous bush chat (Cercotrichas galactotes)Migración e invernada de las lavanderas cascadena Motacilla cinerea y blanca M. alba en la Penínula Ibérica e Islas BalearesAbundancia y reproducción de Glis glis (Linnaeus, 1766) (Rodentia, Gliridae) en el Pirineo occidental.Estatus de residencia, categorización trófica y abundancia de aves en el zoológico de La Plata, ArgentinaAvifauna reproductora y estructura del hábitat en la campiña y sierras Subbéticas de JaénDispersión de semillas de retama (Retama sphaerocarpa (L.) Boiss por el conejo (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.) en el centro de EspañaGuía para la identificación de restos óseos pertenecientes a algunos peces comunes en las aguas continentales de la Península Ibérica para el estudio de la dieta de depredadores ictiófagosDistribución y abundancia del corzo (Capreolus capreolus L. 1758) en la provincia de JaénAlimentación de las larvas de anuros en ambientes temporales del sistema del rio Paraná, Argentina.Mauremys leprosa como presa de Lutra lutraNota sobre la alimentación del lince ibérico en el Parque Natural de la Sierra de Andújar (Sierra Morena oriental)Presencia de Echinococcus granulosus (Cestoda) en un lobo ibérico (Canis lupusLa orientación de los nidos de paseriformes estepariosComparación de la dieta obtenida a partir de muestras estomacales y fecales del Tuco-tuco, Ctenomys mendocinus, en dos poblaciones de la precordillera de los Andes, ArgentinaEstructura genética y distribución de la variabilidad enzimática en poblaciones naturales de estornino negro (Sturnus unicolor)Estimación de la disponibilidad trófica para el quebrantahuesos (Gypaetus barbatus) en Cataluña (NE España) e implicaciones sobre su conservaciónPeer reviewe

Functional role of the invasive European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris, in Argentina

The introduction of exotic species may have severe effects on native ecosystems by disrupting communities and ecosystem services. Consequently, assessing the functional role of a species newly added to a community is an important task in order to identify native species at risk. In Argentina, the ecology of the invasive European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is poorly known and studies addressing its ecological role in bird communities are still lacking. We assessed the functional role of the European Starling by sampling bird communities across four vegetation types (Solanum grassland, Cynodon grassland, flood plain and forest patches) and making comparisons of body mass, and dietary and foraging traits of European Starling with native and other introduced bird species in east-central Argentina. The European Starling was functionally most similar to two widespread, generalist native passerines -The Bay-winged Cowbird (Agelaioides badius) and the Chalk-browed Mockingbird (Mimus saturninus) -And to the invasive House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), which together defined a functional group of terrestrial and foliage omnivores. European Starlings were more abundant in Solanum grasslands than in other vegetation types and showed significant vegetation-Type overlap with functionally similar species. Moreover, abundance of European Starlings was positively correlated with bird abundance and diversity. Our results identify native species that are functionally equivalent to European Starlings, and, consequently, potentially subject to ecological impacts.Fil: Palacio, Facundo Xavier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - Tucumán. Unidad Ejecutora Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Maragliano, René E.. Instituto de Formación Docente y Técnica Nro 35; ArgentinaFil: Montalti, Diego. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Ornitología; Argentin

The costs of ignoring species detectability on functional diversity estimation

Functional diversity (FD) approaches have been increasingly used to understand ecosystem functioning in bird communities. These approaches typically rely on the assumption that species are perfectly detected in the field, despite the fact that imperfect detection represents a ubiquitous source of bias in biodiversity studies. This may be notably important in FD studies, because detection may depend on the functional traits used to compute FD metrics. However, little effort has been devoted to account for imperfect detection in FD studies, and therefore the degree to which species traits and detectability affects FD remains poorly understood. We predict that observed FD metrics may either underestimate or overestimate detection-corrected FD, because FD has multiple independent dimensions with different data properties. We assessed whether detection was related to bird traits (body mass, diet, and foraging stratum), accounting for habitat type, season, and phylogeny. We then used a multi-species occupancy model to obtain detection-corrected FD metrics (functional richness [FRic], functional evenness [FEve], and functional divergence [FDiv]), and compared observed and detection-corrected FD estimates in bird communities from east-central Argentina. Some functional types of birds (raptors and insectivores) were more easily overlooked, whereas others (seed and leaf eaters) were more easily detected. Some observed FD metrics underestimated detection-corrected FD (FRic and FDiv), whereas some others (FEve) overestimated detection-corrected FD. Both observed and detection-corrected FRic revealed differences between seasons, but not between habitat types. However, detection-corrected FEve and FDiv showed differences between seasons, contrary to observed estimates. Our results indicate that failure to account for unequal ease of detecting species can lead to erroneous estimates of FD because some functional types of birds are more easily overlooked. We outline some guidelines to help ornithologists identifying under which circumstances detection may be a concern and warn against the indiscriminate use of FD metrics without accounting for species detection.Fil: Palacio, Facundo Xavier. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Departamento Científico Zoología Vertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Maragliano, René E.. Instituto de Formación Docente y Técnica N° 35; ArgentinaFil: Montalti, Diego. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Departamento Científico Zoología Vertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentin

Urbanization as a driver of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity loss in bird communities

Urbanization is one of the most important threats to biodiversity worldwide, since it drives declines in species, functional and phylogenetic diversity, and increases functional redundancy among species. We estimated taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity and the abundance of several functional groups in bird communities from a town in east-central Argentina in 1985-1986 and 30 years after (2015-2016). In 1985-1986, we found that taxonomic diversity (abundance, species richness, and alpha diversity), functional richness and basal phylogenetic diversity was negatively related to building cover, whereas terminal phylogenetic diversity showed a positive relationship with building cover. Moreover, the abundance of specialized functional groups (ground, aerial and foliage insectivores, nectarivores/insectivores, ground/canopy and ground granivores) decreased with increased building cover, whereas the reverse pattern for the abundance of generalists (medium/large and small omnivores) was found. In 2015-2016, by contrast, taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity was not related to building cover. Our results not only support the hypothesis that urbanization affects the potential number of ecosystem functions, but also that this relationship may change through time. Given the accelerated rate of urbanization worldwide, an integrative approach between different facets of biodiversity is promoted to gain insight into the response of bird communities in urban environments.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author