16 research outputs found
Updating known distribution models for forecasting climate change impact on endangered species
To plan endangered species conservation and to design adequate management programmes, it is necessary to predict their
distributional response to climate change, especially under the current situation of rapid change. However, these
predictions are customarily done by relating de novo the distribution of the species with climatic conditions with no regard
of previously available knowledge about the factors affecting the species distribution. We propose to take advantage of
known species distribution models, but proceeding to update them with the variables yielded by climatic models before
projecting them to the future. To exemplify our proposal, the availability of suitable habitat across Spain for the endangered
Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) was modelled by updating a pre-existing model based on current climate and topography to
a combination of different general circulation models and Special Report on Emissions Scenarios. Our results suggested that
the main threat for this endangered species would not be climate change, since all forecasting models show that its
distribution will be maintained and increased in mainland Spain for all the XXI century. We remark on the importance of
linking conservation biology with distribution modelling by updating existing models, frequently available for endangered
species, considering all the known factors conditioning the species’ distribution, instead of building new models that are
based on climate change variables only.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and FEDER (project CGL2009-11316/BOS
Timing of arrival at breeding grounds determines spatial patterns of productivity within the population of white stork (Ciconia ciconia)
Something for the weekend? Examining the bias in avian phenological recording
In this paper we examine the bias towards
weekend recording (the weekend effect) in volunteer
phenology, using over 14,000 bird migration phenological
observations from eight locations in the UK as a data
source. Data from 45 bird species were used. Overall, 44%
of all records were taken at weekends in contrast to the
28.6% (i.e. two out of seven days) that would be expected
if records were evenly spread throughout the week. Whilst
there is documented evidence of environmental differences
at weekends, particularly in large urban areas, we believe
the weekend effect is mostly a consequence of greater
recorder effort at weekends. Some birds, likely to be
obvious by their behaviour or abundance, had fewer
weekend records than the remaining species. The weekend
effect, to some extent, differed between locations and
between seasons. There was some evidence that, particularly
in autumn, the weekend bias may be lessening. If so,
this will increase the accuracy of phenological records,
making the detection of changes and responses to temperature
easier