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

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

Redescription of Empoasca fabalis De Long, 1930 (Clcadellidae -Thyphloclblnae), an abundant leafhopper on Ipomoea spp. In Buenos Aires Province

Empoasca fabalis De Long, de amplia distribución en toda América, es uno de los homópteros auquenorrincos que atacan con frecuencia al cultivo de batata (Ipomoea batatas Poir.) en dicho continente. En Argentina, esta especie estaba registrada únicamente para las provincias de Tucumán y Santa Fe y se desconocían sus hospedantes. Los materiales estudiados provienen de diferentes muestreos realizados en el campo experimental de la Facultad de Cs. Agrarias y Forestales de La Plata y de crías experimentales realizadas bajo condiciones controladas de laboratorio. Se amplía la distribución de E. fabalis para la Prov. de Buenos Aires citando dos nuevos hospedantes para la misma: I. indica (Burmann) Merril e /. purpurea (L.) Roth (campanillas o suspiros), se adicionan caracteres diagnósticos a la descripción del macho y de la hembra y se describen sus estadios ninfales.The leafhopper Empoasca fabalis De Long is a widely distributed species over the Americas, from U.S.A, to Argentina, and is one of the Auchenorrhyncha most frequently found attacking sweet potato crops (Ipomooa batatas Poir.). The only record of this species for Argentina was from Tucumán and Santa Fe Provinces, but without mentioning the hostplant. In this contribution, both male and female adults are fully redescribed, along with the morphometric description and differentiation of all nymphal instars. The geographical distribution of E. fabalis is extended to northern Buenos Aires Province, where it is currently found on sweet potato as well as on /. indica (Burmann) Merril and I. purpurea (L.) Roth., both of which are host not previously recorded.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

The presence of an invasive bird, the Common Starling, in an urban landscape: habitat use and relationships with other bird species

The Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is an invasive bird introduced in Argentina in the 1980’s that shares flocks with both native and exotic birds. Analyzing interspecific relationships and habitat use of introduced species is crucial to understand the invasion process and to alert for negative impacts on biodiversity. We conducted bird counts from April 2015 to March 2016 in a town from east-central Argentina to assess relationships between starling abundance, bird community attributes, and a group of birds as potential competitors for food. We analyzed the relationship between lawn cover and starling abundance. The starling was strongly positively associated with total bird abundance, and negatively with total bird richness and diversity, whereas the abundance and richness of the group of potential competitors showed a weak negative association with starling abundance. We found positive relationships with the abundance of native birds (Rufous-bellied Thrush Turdus rufiventris, Shiny Cowbird Molothrus bonariensis, Bay-winged Cowbird Agelaioides badius and Eared Dove Zenaida auriculata), as well as negative relationships with (Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) and Picui Ground-dove Columbina picui) and exotic birds (Rock Dove Columbia livia and House Sparrow Passer domesticus). Moreover, starlings were positively related to lawn cover. Negative associations with local species could be the result of either competition for resources or differences in habitat use, whereas positive associations could represent advantages related to food accessibility and reduction in predation risk, or similarities in habitat use in Argentina. Our results represent a first step to understand the ecology of this invasive species, as well as to identify native species under potential ecological threat.Fil: Ibañez, Lucía Mariel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Ornitología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Palacio, Facundo Xavier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Ornitología; ArgentinaFil: Maragliano, René E.. Instituto de Formación Docente y Técnica No. 35; ArgentinaFil: Montalti, Diego. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados. Sección Ornitología; Argentin

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.Fil: Montalti, Diego. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología de Vertebrados; ArgentinaFil: Graña Grilli, Maricel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Interno y Culto. Dirección Nacional del Antártico. Instituto Antártico Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Maragliano, René E.. Jardín Zoológico de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Cassini, Guillermo Hernán. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Departamento de Ciencias Básicas; Argentin

Acción sustentable, gestión e innovación. Estudios sobre turismo y gastronomía

Este libro reúne a varios estudiosos de turismo y gastronomía de diferentes nacionalidades, universidades y/o instancias de educación e investigación, con el fin de reflexionar sobre las tendencias que se impulsan en estos campos del conocimiento, desde tres líneas de análisis: la acción, la gestión y la innovación Ante la exigencia respecto a que las actividades económicas y sociales que impulsan la actividad turística y gastronómica no dañen el ambiente, se promueve que éstas sean sustentables. Dichas exigencias no son nuevas, desde el 2000 a la fecha se incentivan, lo cual ha provocado transformaciones importantes que ameritan una revisión general. Así, este libro abre un espacio para la presentación de investigaciones relacionadas con el turismo y la gastronomía desde la sustentabilidad. El tema central y las tendencias del mismo evidencian la orientación que hemos querido darle al libro, puesto que ninguno de los temas es más importante que otro y el orden en el que aparecen obedece únicamente a cuestiones logísticas y didácticas. De esta manera, el libro se compone de tres apartados. El primero está dedicado a la gestión sustentable e integra cinco capítulos. El segundo apartado toca el tema de la innovación sustentable y está integrado por seis trabajos, a través de los cuales se busca generar la discusión y el debate sobre la innovación en diferentes contextos del turismo y la gastronomía. El tercer apartado del libro está dedicado a la acción sustentable y se integra por seis trabajos.UAEME