Estimación de la abundancia de la cabra montés en un hábitat forestal de montaña de gran superficie

The aim of the study was to estimate the distribution and density of Iberian wild goat Capra pyrenaica in Castellón province, Spain. We asked the rangers of the Environmental Agency of Valencia to estimate the distribution of the species within the province using a 2.5 x 2.5 km2 grid and identified 130 vantage points for fixedpoint surveys throughout the area. Survey was undertaken in two periods (June and July, post-partum period, and November and December, during the rut). The animals were counted from those fixed points during 3 hours observation periods in the morning or evening, and, to calculate the population density, we used the Distance Sampling (DS) procedure. We counted 1,157 goats at 77% of the vantage points in the post-partum period and 1,994 at 82% of the vantage points during the rut. During the rut, the population density was 11.7 goats km-2 (95% CI = 8.9-15.4). Fifteen per cent of the males were >10 years old, the sex ratio was near unity (0.98 males per female), the productivity of the population was 0.75 kids per female, and the estimated minimum population size was 24,030 individuals. In the rugged, mountainous forests, the DS produced reasonable results, which supports the use of this procedure to estimate populations of Iberian wild goats in such environments where the visibility is restricted.El objetivo del estudio fue estimar la distribución y densidad de la cabra montés en la provincial de Castellón, España. Pedimos a los agentes medioambientales del Departamento de Medio Ambiente de la Generalitat de Valencia que estimaran su distribución utilizando cuadrículas de 2,5 x 2,5 km2 e identificaran 130 puntos de observación fijos con buena visibilidad en toda el área. El seguimiento se hizo en dos periodos: junio y julio, tras los partos y noviembre-diciembre, durante el celo. El conteo se realizó tras el amanecer o antes del atardecer durante periodos de 3 horas y para calcular la densidad utilizamos el procedimiento Distance Sampling (DS). Detectamos 1.157 cabras en el 77% de los puntos fijos tras los partos y 1.994 en el 82% de los puntos durante el celo. En el celo la densidad fue de 11,7 cabras km-2 (ICM 95% = 8,9-15,4). El 15% de los machos resultó ser mayor de 10 años, la proporción de sexos en la edad adulta de 0,98 machos por hembra, la productividad 0,75 cabritos por hembra adulta y el tamaño mínimo poblacional de 24.030 individuos. En terrenos forestales rugosos, el procedimiento del DS produce resultados razonables que apoyan su uso para estimar tamaños poblacionales de cabras monteses en estos ambientes de visibilidad reducida

Monitoring and management of Pyrenean chamois in Aragon

8 páginasPeer reviewe

Uso del hábitat del jabalí Sus scrofa en el Parque Natural del Moncayo, España

Habitat use by wild boar Sus scrofaz was examined during a three-year period in Moncayo Nature Park, a protected mountain area in the Iberian mountain system, Spain. Tracking indirect signs of activity was used to collect data on the species occurrence, according to vegetation type, topography, hunting activity, and season. The data were analysed using binary logistic regression. Habitat used by wild boar differed according seasons, management practices, and vegetation. Main selected habitats were at medium elevations (1,101-1,600 m) in areas dominated by holm oak (Quercus ilex), beech (Fagus sylvatica) and oak woods of Q. robur, Q. petraea and Q. pyrenaica. Non-hunting areas were selected over hunting areas. We found a seasonal variation in the habitat use of wild boar, with areas dominated by holm oak being used disproportionately in spring, and areas at medium elevations selected only during summer. The results also support the view that non-hunting areas provide a refuge for this species inside the protected area.Estudiamos el uso del hábitat por parte del jabalí Sus scrofa a lo largo de tres años en el Parque Natural del Moncayo, un área protegida de montaña en el Sistema Ibérico, España. Para ello rastreamos las huellas y señales de su actividad en función de la vegetación, topografía, actividad cinegética y estacionalidad. Los datos fueron analizados utilizando regresiones logísticas binarias. El hábitat usado por el jabalí difiere según las estaciones, gestión y vegetación. Los hábitat mayoritariamente seleccionados fueron las altitudes medias (1101-1600 m) en áreas dominadas por la encina (Quercus ilex), haya (Fagus sylvatica) y robles (Q. robur, Q. petraea y Q. pirenaica). Las zonas no cinegéticas fueron seleccionadas frente a las cinegéticas. Encontramos diferencias estacionales en el uso del hábitat, con un uso mayor al esperado de los encinares en primavera así como de altitudes medias durante el verano. Los resultados muestran también que las zonas no cinegéticas proporcionan refugio en el interior del área protegida

Dynamics of an infectious keratoconjunctivitis outbreak by Mycoplasma conjunctivae on Pyrenean chamois Rupicapra p. pyrenaica

Between 2006 and 2008, an outbreak of Infectious Keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) affected Pyrenean chamois Rupicapra p. pyrenaica, an endemic subspecies of mountain ungulate that lives in the Pyrenees. The study focused on 14 mountain massifs (180,000 ha) where the species’ population is stable. Cases of IKC were detected in ten of the massifs and, in five of them, mortality was substantial. The outbreak spread quickly from the first location detected, with two peaks in mortality that affected one (2007) and three (2008) massifs. In the latter, the peak was seasonal (spring to autumn) and, in the former, the outbreak persisted through winter. To identify the outbreak’s aetiology, we examined 105 Pyrenean chamois clinically affected with IKC. TaqMan rt-PCR identified Mycoplasma conjunctivae in 93 (88.5%) of the chamois. Another rt-PCR detected Chlamydophila spp. in 14 of chamois, and 12 of those had mixed infections with mycoplasmas. In the period 2000–2007, the chamois population increased slightly (¿ 1.026) but decreased significantly during the IKC outbreak (¿ 0.8, 2007–2008; ¿ 0.85, 2008–2009) before increasing significantly after the outbreak (¿ 1.1, 2009–2010). Sex-biased mortality shifted the adult sex ratio toward males (from 0.6 to 0.7 males per female) and reduced productivity slightly. Hunting was practically banned in the massifs where chamois experienced significant mortality and allowed again after the outbreak ended. Long-term monitoring of wild populations provides a basis for understanding the impacts of disease outbreaks and improves management decisions, particularly when species are subject to extractive exploitation

Información del herbario JACA disponible para estudios de ecología

16 páginas. Presentación elaborada para las II Jornadas IPErinas, celebradas el 12 de diciembre de 2013.Peer reviewe

An escaped herd of Iberian wild goat (Capra pyrenaica, Schinz 1838, Bovidae) begins the re-colonization of the Pyrenees

In January 2000, the last Pyrenean wild goat, Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica, died in Ordesa National Park in the Spanish Pyrenees. Since that time, there has been an intense debate over the possibility of using individuals from other extant subspecies to restore the Iberian wild goat C. pyrenaica in the Pyrenees. In the late 1990s, some Iberian wild goats of the hispanica subspecies escaped from an enclosure in Guara Nature Park, also in the Spanish Pyrenees. Between 2006 and 2012, four annual counts were conducted to quantify the demographics of the population. This expanding but isolated population numbered at least 86 free-living Iberian wild goats in 2012, reproducing in the wild with a positive increasing trend (λ = 1.067). Given the small number of original animals that escaped, new releases are necessary to insure the genetic variability of the small population, but only if a clear decision on its conservation is finally made. In addition, the population is sympatric with a population of several hundred feral goats, C. hircus, which should be monitored closely, in order to detect any problems with competence or hybridization, although the latter has not been demonstrated in the wild.This research was financed by the Government of Aragon, through the Ecological Monitoring Program of Guara Nature Park. For their dedication, we thank the park rangers, technicians, and other volunteers who contributed to the field work.Peer Reviewe

Modelling the habitat of a wild ungulate in a semi-arid Mediterranean environment in southwestern Europe: small cliffs are key predictors of the presence of Iberian wild goat

After a drastic contraction in the species' range, the Iberian wild goat Capra pyrenaica (Schinz, 1838) has recolonized semi-arid steppe areas where the availability of resources is lower than it is in the species typical habitat. There is a gap in the habitat characteristics that allow the species to survive in an environment that lacks high cliffs and rocky outcrops. We hypothesize that microhabitat characteristics allow the species to find the resources necessary for survival in atypical areas. To test that, we measured several topographic variables (slope, distance to small cliffs and elevation) as well as land use/cover variables (distance to bushes, forests, agriculture, artificial and rivers). To model the habitat in the Middle Ebro Valley, Spain, we used data from 7-yr of monitoring of the species in an averaged-model with Generalized Linear Mixed Model (GLMM-Logit). Distance to small cliffs and distance to bushes explained most of the variance in the model which reflected a fragmented potential habitat. The fragmented structure of the habitat which might act as a metapopulation system, and the spatial configuration of fragments along rivers might act as corridors that favour the dispersal should be taken in consideration in the conservation and management of the species.We also acknowledge funding from by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (CGL2009-07301 and the FPI grant BES-2010-034151), and the Spanish Severo Ochoa Program (SEV-2012-0262)

Study area.

<p>Mountain massifs in the study area within the Spanish Pyrenees. 1. Ori; 2. Ezkaurre; 3. Larra – Peña Forca; 4. Bixaurín; 5. Anayet; 6. Biñamala; 7. Monte Perdido; 8. Liena; 9. Punta Suelsa; 10. Posets; 11. Maladeta; 12. Cotiella; 13. Sierra Ferrera; 14. Turbón. Grey indicates the area directly managed by the regional administration in Aragon.</p