Accounting for food availability reveals contaminant-induced breeding impairment, food-modulated contaminant effects, and endpoint-specificity of exposure indicators in free ranging avian populations

It remains unclear how sub-lethal effects of contaminants play out in relation to other stressors encountered by free-ranging populations. Effects may be masked or influenced by interactions with field stressors such as food availability. We predicted that (1) including food availability, and particularly its interaction with Hg, would reveal or enhance associations between Hg and breeding endpoints. We further predicted that (2) breeding impairment associated with Hg would be higher under food stress conditions. We monitored Hg and nest success of great egrets (Ardea alba) in eight breeding colonies in the Florida Everglades over 11 years. We characterized variation in local food availability among colonies and years using fish biomass and recession range -a proxy to fish vulnerability. We used two Hg exposure indicators (egg albumen Hg and nestling feather Hg) and six breeding endpoints (clutch-size, brood-size, fledged-size, hatching success, post-hatching success and fledglings per egg) to assess whether variation in food availability influenced associations between Hg and these endpoints. Accounting for interactions between Hg and food availability, we identified statistically significant associations in all 12 indicator-endpoint combinations, while only three were detectable without food. Further, 10 combinations showed interactions between Hg and components of food availability. Our results also indicated an endpoint-specific affinity, with albumen [Hg] explaining more variation in hatching success while nestling feather [Hg] explained more variation in post-hatching survival. Both Hg indicators accounted for relevant (6-10%) amounts of variation in fledglings produced per egg laid, an integrative endpoint. Increased Hg exposure resulted in overall reduced reproductive success when food availability was low, but our models predicted low or no effects of increasing Hg exposure when food availability was high. Our results indicate that Hg induced impairment is strongly driven by food availability, providing a framework that accommodates previously contradictory results in the literature.This work was supported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Cooperative Agreement W912HZ-12-02-0007) and by grants of equipment from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Egret monitoring was performed under University of Florida IACUC permit 201708650. Fish samplingwas supported by Cooperative Agreements W912HZ-11-2-0048 and W912HZ-16-2-0008 between Florida International University (FIU) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Contract 4600001083 between FIU and the South Florida Water Management District. Fish monitoring was performed under FIU IACUC permits including IACUC-08-004, -09-029, -10-026, 12-020, -13-060, and -16-033

Stakeholder mapping to support invasive non-native species management in South America

Peer reviewe

Identifying priorities, targets, and actions for the long-term social and ecological management of invasive non-native species

Funding: The research and the workshop (December-2019; Centro Científico Tecnológico Patagonia Norte, San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina) described in this manuscript were funded by the CONTAIN programme under the Latin American Biodiversity Programme as part of the Newton Fund (NE/S011641/1), with contributions from NERC, the Argentine National Scientific & Technical Research Council (CONICET,-2019-74-APN-DIR#CONICET), the Brazilian São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP 2018/14995-8), and the Chilean Agency for Research and Development (ANID; formerly CONICYT). Acknowledgments Thanks to the colleagues who replied to our informal questions about the usefulness of the methods and procedures described here. This informal survey of colleagues to obtain an initial critical evaluation was aligned with the policies relevant to the authors who contacted the participants. No one else had access to the responses and identities of the respondents. Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero, Gobierno de Chile, is one of the CONTAIN project partners, and it is represented by ER in this paper. However, the opinions and results presented in this document are entirely those of ER and may not represent SAG position on the topic. The Associate Editor and two reviewers provided feedback that helped improve a previous version of the manuscript. Open access via Springer compact agreementPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Management policies for invasive alien species: Adressing the impacts rather than the species

Effective long-term management is needed to address the impacts of invasive alien species (IAS) that cannot be eradicated. We describe the fundamental characteristics of long-term management policies for IAS, diagnose a major shortcoming, and outline how to produce effective IAS management. Key international and transnational management policies conflate addressing IAS impacts with controlling IAS populations. This serious purpose–implementation gap can preclude the development of broader portfolios of interventions to tackle IAS impacts. We posit that IAS management strategies should directly address impacts via impact-based interventions, and we propose six criteria to inform the choice of these interventions. We review examples of interventions focused on tackling IAS impacts, including IAS control, which reveal the range of interventions available and their varying effectiveness in counteracting IAS impacts. As the impacts caused by IAS increase globally, stakeholders need to have access to a broader and more effective set of tools to respond.Fil: García Díaz, Pablo. University of Aberdeen; Reino UnidoFil: Cassey, Philip. University of Adelaide; AustraliaFil: Norbury, Grant. Crown Research Institutes. Landcare Research; Nueva ZelandaFil: Lambin, Xavier. University of Aberdeen; Reino UnidoFil: Montti, Lia Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Pizarro, J. Cristóbal. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: Powell, Priscila Ana. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Instituto de Ecología Regional; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo; ArgentinaFil: Burslem, David F. R. P.. University of Aberdeen; Reino UnidoFil: Cava, Mário. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Damasceno, Gabriella. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Fasola, Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina. Asociación Ornitológica del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Fidelis, Alessandra. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Huerta, Magdalena F.. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chile. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: Langdon, Bárbara. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San Martín de Los Andes-inibioma | Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San Martín de Los Andes-inibioma.; ArgentinaFil: Linardaki, Eirini. University of Aberdeen; Reino UnidoFil: Moyano, Jaime. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San Martín de Los Andes-inibioma | Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San Martín de Los Andes-inibioma.; ArgentinaFil: Nuñez, Martin Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San Martín de Los Andes-inibioma | Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San Martín de Los Andes-inibioma.; ArgentinaFil: Pauchard, Aníbal. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San Martín de Los Andes-inibioma | Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universitario Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones En Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Subsede San Martín de Los Andes-inibioma.; ArgentinaFil: Phimister, Euan. University of Aberdeen; Reino UnidoFil: Raffo, Eduardo. Gobierno de Chile. Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero; ChileFil: Roesler, Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Rodríguez Jorquera, Ignacio. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chile. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: Tomasevic, Jorge A.. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chile. Universidad de Concepción; Chil

Data from: Assessing the effects of human activities on the foraging opportunities of migratory shorebirds in Austral high-latitude bays

Human presence at intertidal areas could impact coastal biodiversity, including migratory waterbird species and the ecosystem services they provide. Assessing this impact is therefore essential to develop management measures compatible with migratory processes and associated biodiversity. Here, we assess the effects of human presence on the foraging opportunities of Hudsonian godwits (Limosa haemastica, a trans-hemispheric migratory shorebird) during their non-breeding season on Chiloé Island, southern Chile. We compared bird density and time spent foraging in two similar bays with contrasting disturbance levels: human presence (mostly seaweed harvesters accompanied by dogs) was on average 0.9±0.4 people per 10 ha in the disturbed bay, whereas it was negligible (95% days absent) in the non-disturbed bay. Although overall abundances were similar between bays, godwit density was higher in the non-disturbed bay throughout the low tide period. Both days after the start of the non-breeding season and tidal height significantly affected godwit density, with different effects in either bay. Time spent foraging was significantly higher in the non-disturbed bay (86.5±1.1%) than in the disturbed one (81.3±1.4%). As expected, godwit density significantly decreased with the number of people and accompanying dogs in the disturbed bay. Our results indicate that even a low density of people and dogs can significantly reduce the foraging opportunities of shorebirds. These constraints, coupled with additional flushing costs, may negatively affect godwits’ pre-migratory fattening. Hence, as a first step we suggest limiting human presence within bays on Chiloé to 1 person per 10 ha and banning the presence of accompanying dogs in sensitive conservation areas

DATA_Navedo_et_al_PLoS_ONE_rev

DATA_Navedo_et_al_PLoS_ONE_re

Assessing the effects of human activities on the foraging opportunities of migratory shorebirds in Austral high-latitude bays

Human presence at intertidal areas could impact coastal biodiversity, including migratory waterbird species and the ecosystem services they provide. Assessing this impact is therefore essential to develop management measures compatible with migratory processes and associated biodiversity. Here, we assess the effects of human presence on the foraging opportunities of Hudsonian godwits (Limosa haemastica, a trans-hemispheric migratory shorebird) during their non-breeding season on Chiloé Island, southern Chile. We compared bird density and time spent foraging in two similar bays with contrasting disturbance levels: human presence (mostly seaweed harvesters accompanied by dogs) was on average 0.9 ±0.4 people per 10 ha in the disturbed b

Blood Transcriptomics Analysis of Fish Exposed to Perfluoro Alkyls Substances: Assessment of a Non-Lethal Sampling Technique for Advancing Aquatic Toxicology Research

In contrast to mammals, the blood from other vertebrates such as fish contains nucleated red cells. Using a fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) oligonucleotide microarray, we compared altered transcripts in the liver and whole blood after exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and a mixture of seven types of perfluoro alkyl substances (PFAS), including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). We used quantitative polymerase chain reactions and cell-based assays to confirm the main effects and found that blood responded with a greater number of altered genes than the liver. The exposure to PFAS altered similar genes with central roles in a cellular pathway in both tissues, including estrogen receptor α and peroxisome proliferator activator β and ?, indicating that the genes previously associated with PFAS exposure are differentially expressed in blood and liver. The altered transcripts are involved with cholesterol metabolism and mitochondrial function. Our data confirmed that PFAS are weak xenoestrogens and exert effects on DNA integrity. Gene expression profiling from blood samples not related with the immune system, including very-low-density lipoprotein, vitellogenin, estrogen receptor, and thyroid hormone receptor, demonstrated that blood is a useful tissue for assessing endocrine disruption in non-mammalian vertebrates. We conclude that the use of blood for non-lethal sampling in genomics studies is informative and particularly useful for assessing the effects of pollution in endangered species. Further, using blood will reduce animal use and widen the experimental design options for studying the effects of contaminant exposure on wildlife.Fil: Rodríguez Jorquera, Ignacio A.. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chile. School Of Natural Resources And Environment; . University of Florida; Estados UnidosFil: Colli Dula, R. Cristina. INSTITUTO POLITÉCNICO NACIONAL (IPN); . University of Florida; Estados UnidosFil: Kroll, Kevin. University of Florida; Estados UnidosFil: Jayasinghe, B. Sumith. University of Florida; Estados UnidosFil: Parachu Marco, Maria Virginia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Ciencias Veterinarias del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Silva Sanchez, Cecilia. University of Florida; Estados UnidosFil: Toor, Gurpal S.. University of Maryland; Estados UnidosFil: Denslow, Nancy D.. University of Florida; Estados Unido