Blood concentrations of p,p′-DDE and PCBs in harriers breeding in Spain and Kazakhstan

Organochlorine compounds (OC) are of interest in current biomonitoring studies because of their well-known persistence, accumulation capacity and the adverse effects they caused in the past. P,p′-DDE has been shown to cause severe reproductive failures and population declines in birds of prey. However, there are knowledge gaps regarding OC exposure for some species (e.g. harriers), the historical record and the broader picture. The main goal was to evaluate exposure to p,p′-DDE and PCBs in two raptor species: Montagu's and pallid harriers (Circus pygargus and Circus macrourus), and to investigate if birds from different breeding areas and wintering grounds differ in pollutant levels. For this purpose, we collected blood of adult and nestling Montagu's and pallid harriers breeding in the natural steppes of Kazakhstan, and adult and nestling Montagu's harriers breeding in agricultural and natural habitats of Spain, in 2007–2008. We determined the blood concentrations of p,p′-DDE and PCBs. Adult harriers generally showed higher concentrations of p,p′-DDE and PCBs than nestlings, probably because they had more time for a progressive accumulation of these compounds due to a higher intake than excretion rate. The p,p′-DDE concentrations in adults were equivalent in all the studied areas. The ratio p,p′-DDE/PCB 153 was higher in adults than in nestlings, suggesting that a portion of the p,p′-DDE in adult harriers may have come from p,p′-DDT applied in the past in the wintering areas. Overall, the concentrations of p,p′-DDE and ∑ PCBs reported were generally low and below any demonstrated threshold of harm.Silvia Espín is financially supported by the Academy of Finland (project 265859 to Dr. Tapio Eeva) and by the Consejería de Educación y Universidades de la CARM through Fundación Séneca-Agencia de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Región de Murcia (Project 20031/SF/16 to Dr. Silvia Espín)

Diurnal timing of nonmigratory movement by birds: the importance of foraging spatial scales

Timing of activity can reveal an organism's efforts to optimize foraging either by minimizing energy loss through passive movement or by maximizing energetic gain through foraging. Here, we assess whether signals of either of these strategies are detectable in the timing of activity of daily, local movements by birds. We compare the similarities of timing of movement activity among species using six temporal variables: start of activity relative to sunrise, end of activity relative to sunset, relative speed at midday, number of movement bouts, bout duration and proportion of active daytime hours. We test for the influence of flight mode and foraging habitat on the timing of movement activity across avian guilds. We used 64 570 days of GPS movement data collected between 2002 and 2019 for local (non‐migratory) movements of 991 birds from 49 species, representing 14 orders. Dissimilarity among daily activity patterns was best explained by flight mode. Terrestrial soaring birds began activity later and stopped activity earlier than pelagic soaring or flapping birds. Broad‐scale foraging habitat explained less of the clustering patterns because of divergent timing of active periods of pelagic surface and diving foragers. Among pelagic birds, surface foragers were active throughout all 24 hrs of the day while diving foragers matched their active hours more closely to daylight hours. Pelagic surface foragers also had the greatest daily foraging distances, which was consistent with their daytime activity patterns. This study demonstrates that flight mode and foraging habitat influence temporal patterns of daily movement activity of birds.We thank the Nature Conservancy, the Bailey Wildlife Foundation, the Bluestone Foundation, the Ocean View Foundation, Biodiversity Research Institute, the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund, the Davis Conservation Foundation and The U.S. Department of Energy (DE‐EE0005362), and the Darwin Initiative (19-026), EDP S.A. ‘Fundação para a Biodiversidade’ and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) (DL57/2019/CP 1440/CT 0021), Enterprise St Helena (ESH), Friends of National Zoo Conservation Research Grant Program and Conservation Nation, ConocoPhillips Global Signature Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Cellular Tracking Technologies and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary for providing funding and in-kind support for the GPS data used in our analyses

Diurnal timing of nonmigratory movement by birds: the importance of foraging spatial scales

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this recordData Availability statement: R code used in analyses can be accessed at datadryad.com. Most of the data used are publicly available at www.movebank.orgTiming of activity can reveal an organism's efforts to optimize foraging either by minimizing energy loss through passive movement or by maximizing energetic gain through foraging. Here, we assess whether signals of either of these strategies are detectable in the timing of activity of daily, local movements by birds. We compare the similarities of timing of movement activity among species using six temporal variables: start of activity relative to sunrise, end of activity relative to sunset, relative speed at midday, number of movement bouts, bout duration, and proportion of active daytime hours. We test for the influence of flight mode and foraging habitat on the timing of movement activity across avian guilds. We used 64570 days of GPS movement data collected between 2002 and 2019 for local (non‐migratory) movements of 991 birds from 49 species, representing 14 orders. Dissimilarity among daily activity patterns was best explained by flight mode. Terrestrial soaring birds began activity later and stopped activity earlier than pelagic soaring or flapping birds. Broad‐scale foraging habitat explained less of the clustering patterns because of divergent timing of active periods of pelagic surface and diving foragers. Among pelagic birds, surface foragers were active throughout the day while diving foragers matched their active hours more closely to daylight hours. Pelagic surface foragers also had the greatest daily foraging distances, which was consistent with their daytime activity patterns. This study demonstrates that flight mode and foraging habitat influence temporal patterns of daily movement activity of birds.Nature ConservancyBailey Wildlife FoundationBluestone FoundationOcean View FoundationBiodiversity Research InstituteMaine Outdoor Heritage FundDavis Conservation FoundationUS Department of EnergyDarwin InitiativePortuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)Enterprise St Helena (ESH)Hawk Mountain Sanctuar

Universidad, género, docencia e igualdad

La Red de investigación en docencia universitaria “Universidad, docencia, genero e igualdad” persigue avanzar en la calidad e innovación de las enseñanzas universitarias a partir de la inclusión de la perspectiva de género. Se busca dar cumplimiento a las directrices generales de los nuevos planes de estudio respecto del principio de igualdad de oportunidades entre hombres y mujeres en la formación universitaria (Real Decreto 1393/2007. BOE nº 260, 30 de octubre de 2007). En la cuarta edición de la Red, y dada su composición multidisciplinar, se desarrollaron tres líneas de investigación: 1) mantenimiento del “Portal web con recursos docentes con perspectiva de género”, proyecto financiado por el Instituto de la Mujer (PACUI, 2012) e iniciado en el curso 2012-2013; 2) desarrollo (primera versión) de “iLengUA”, una herramienta informática para un discurso inclusivo e igualitario; y 3) diseño de la Guía para una orientación universitaria inclusiva

Estilos de personalidad y adaptación psicológica en la toma de decisiones sobre lactancia en mujeres primíparas

Decision making on feeding newborns is associated, among other factors, with personality. This study has established a relationship between the personality styles of a sample of primiparous women and their choice of exclusive breastfeeding against partial breastfeeding or bottle feeding. Results show a differential personality profile according to the type of feeding established one month after birth. Those who selected exclusive breastfeeding obtained higher scores in the scales Imaginative/Intuiting and Cooperative/Agreeing, and lower in Realistic/ Sensing and Self-Indulging, than those who had introduced feeding bottles. Results are discussed in relation to the adaptability of such profiles. This study contributes to the knowledge of personality styles in the context of motherhood and provides findings that might potentially help to design health interventions

Blood chemistry and hematologic values in free-living nestlings of montagu's harriers (Circus pygargus) in a natural habitat

The establishment of reference intervals for hematologic and blood chemistry values in a given species is essential for subsequent diagnosis of disease at rehabilitation facilities and in captive breeding programs. In this study, blood samples were obtained from nestlings (18 males and 22 females) of a natural-vegetation breeding population of Montagu's harrier (Circus pygargus) in eastern Spain in order to establish reference intervals for blood values. This is the first study documenting hematologic and biochemical reference intervals for free-living Montagu's harriers. The studied population may reflect typical blood values for the species, since it is a free-living population that seems not to be constrained by food availability, as it is the population of Montagu's harriers with the highest productivity within Europe. Differences related to sex, year, clutch size, brood size, and number of fledglings were analyzed. Packed cell volume and hemoglobin were significantly lower from nests with five chicks compared to values from nests with fewer chicks, indicating that the cost of rearing more than four chicks in this species may be excessive. Total protein, calcium (Ca), and phosphorus (P) were significantly lower in the year with lowest mean rainfall, which correlates with the worst breeding success rate since the population has been monitored. No gender differences were found; this is likely a result of the prepubertal age of the animals sampled.Peer reviewe

Gender, health, and initiation of breastfeeding

The aim of this study was to explore the associations of health, gender, and motherhood with the decisions about breastfeeding. The sample consisted of 265 pregnant women (mean age: 32.34, SD: 4.01 years) who were recruited in healthcare centers and hospitals in southeast Spain between 2010 and 2011. Mental health was measured by the 12-Item General Health Questionnaire and gender by the Conformity to Feminine Norms Inventory. Women in our sample showed a higher conformity to gender norms than women surveyed in the adaptation of the inventory to the Spanish population (t\ua0=\ua011.25, p\ua

Influence of habitat on nest location and reproductive output of Montagu’s Harriers breeding in natural vegetation

We examined distribution and breeding success of semi-colonial Montagu’s Harriers (Circus pygargus) in relation to habitat in Castellón province (eastern Spain). Breeding areas used by harriers at a 1-km2 scale were characterised by having intermediate percentages of scrub cover, their nesting habitat, and also had intermediate coverage of herbaceous crops and non-irrigated orchards. Out of all habitat variables considered, only the percentage of herbaceous crops within 500 m from individual nests had a positive and significant effect on breeding output of the species, suggesting that this habitat may be efficiently used by harriers to forage. Breeding output was also related to laying date and number of breeding neighbours within 500 m around nests, with pairs laying later and having a higher number of breeding neighbours showing lower fledged brood sizes. Number of neighbours (but not laying date) was positively related to scrub cover within 500 m and to cover of herbaceous crops within 2,000 m. Conservation actions for Montagu’s Harrier in the study area should be aimed at preserving areas of scrub with nearby presence of herbaceous crops or natural grasslands. However, habitat improvement for semi-colonial species such as Montagu’s Harrier may not result in a change of species distribution area, and good habitat areas may remain unoccupied, as social factors like presence of conspecifics play an important role in breeding area selection for these species.Aeropuerto de Castellón. First author had a grant from the Generalitat Valenciana, and now has a postdoctoral grant (reference 10/12-C) co-funded by Consejería de Educación y Ciencia (Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha) and the European Social Fund