Lack of diversity at innate immunity Toll-like receptor genes in the Critically Endangered White winged Flufftail (Sarothrura ayresi)

The White-winged Flufftail (Sarothrura ayresi) population is listed as globally Critically Endangered. White-winged Flufftails are only known to occur, with any regularity, in the high-altitude wetlands of South Africa and Ethiopia. Threats to the species include the limited number of suitable breeding sites in Ethiopia and severe habitat degradation and loss both in Ethiopia and South Africa. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are increasingly being studied in a variety of taxa as a broader approach to determine functional genetic diversity. In this study, we confirm low genetic diversity in the innate immune regions of the White-winged Flufftail similar to that observed in other bird species that have undergone population bottlenecks. Low TLR diversity in White-winged Flufftail indicates that this species is more likely to be threatened by changes to the environment that would potentially expose the species to new diseases. Thus, conservation efforts should be directed towards maintaining pristine habitat for White-winged Flufftail in its current distribution range. To date, no studies on immunogenetic variation in White-winged Flufftail have been conducted and to our knowledge, this is the first study of TLR genetic diversity in a critically endangered species

Raptor Interactions with Wind Energy: Case Studies from Around the World

The global potential for wind power generation is vast, and the number of installations is increasing rapidly. We review case studies from around the world of the effects on raptors of wind-energy development. Collision mortality, displacement, and habitat loss have the potential to cause population-level effects, especially for species that are rare or endangered. The impact on raptors has much to do with their behavior, so careful siting of wind-energy developments to avoid areas suited to raptor breeding, foraging, or migration would reduce these effects. At established wind farms that already conflict with raptors, reduction of fatalities may be feasible by curtailment of turbines as raptors approach, and offset through mitigation of other human causes of mortality such as electrocution and poisoning, provided the relative effects can be quantified. Measurement of raptor mortality at wind farms is the subject of intense effort and study, especially where mitigation is required by law, with novel statistical approaches recently made available to improve the notoriously difficult-to-estimate mortality rates of rare and hard-to-detect species. Global standards for wind farm placement, monitoring, and effects mitigation would be a valuable contribution to raptor conservation worldwide.publishedVersio

The bii4africa dataset of faunal and floral population intactness estimates across Africa’s major land uses

Sub-Saharan Africa is under-represented in global biodiversity datasets, particularly regarding the impact of land use on species’ population abundances. Drawing on recent advances in expert elicitation to ensure data consistency, 200 experts were convened using a modified-Delphi process to estimate ‘intactness scores’: the remaining proportion of an ‘intact’ reference population of a species group in a particular land use, on a scale from 0 (no remaining individuals) to 1 (same abundance as the reference) and, in rare cases, to 2 (populations that thrive in human-modified landscapes). The resulting bii4africa dataset contains intactness scores representing terrestrial vertebrates (tetrapods: ±5,400 amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals) and vascular plants (±45,000 forbs, graminoids, trees, shrubs) in sub-Saharan Africa across the region’s major land uses (urban, cropland, rangeland, plantation, protected, etc.) and intensities (e.g., large-scale vs smallholder cropland). This dataset was co-produced as part of the Biodiversity Intactness Index for Africa Project. Additional uses include assessing ecosystem condition; rectifying geographic/ taxonomic biases in global biodiversity indicators and maps; and informing the Red List of Ecosystems

Dispersal dynamics of juvenile Secretarybirds Sagittarius serpentarius in southern Africa

Knowledge of the dispersal behaviour of southern Africa’s juvenile Secretarybirds Sagittarius serpentarius was previously limited to a small number of ring recoveries (n = 4) in South Africa. From 2012 to 2015, 10 GSM-GPS solar trackers were fitted to juvenile Secretarybirds, aged approximately eight weeks, on their nests. The birds spent an average of 91.30 ± 8.80 d in their natal territories, which had a mean home range size (kernel density estimate 90%) of 1.21 ± 0.34 km2. As they aged, their exploratory movements around the nest expanded exponentially. During this period, exploratory activity peaked between 09:00 and 12:00. They showed high variability in maximum distance travelled from the nest and timing of dispersal from their natal territories. Most of the birds (n = 7) dispersed >150 km from their nests before returning to their natal region, suggesting the existence of natal philopatry in this species. The age of first breeding for a male Secretarybird was also confirmed during this study. The wide-ranging behaviour of juvenile Secretarybirds exposes them to a diverse range of threats, and a better understanding of their movements will aid the development of appropriate conservation strategies for this terrestrial raptor.Keywords: dispersal, home range, juvenile, Secretarybird, trackin

The application of camera trapping to assess Rallidae species richness within palustrine wetland habitat in South Africa

Wetlands are vital habitats for a variety of organisms and ecosystem services, but the health of these valuable habitats is declining worldwide. The Rallidae species that rely on these habitats are typically elusive, cryptic and difficult to monitor accurately, especially in dense wetland vegetation. To date, invasive survey techniques such as rope dragging have largely been applied in surveying species within these genera. A survey of palustrine wetland habitat using camera traps was implemented to ascertain the efficacy of this non-invasive monitoring technique for surveying elusive wetland avian species. The survey yielded a total of 445 independent sightings across 15 target wetland species, including four Rallidae species. Our results clearly display that camera trapping as a non-invasive survey technique can effectively determine the presence and monitor arguably the most cryptic and elusive of the Rallidae genera within southern Africa. In addition, data sets produced through this survey technique are unique in that robust data are collected incorporating numerous aspects of species biology and behaviour. Our study further demonstrated the ability of camera trapping to produce accurate, reliable and rapid species inventories within palustrine wetland habitats.Keywords: camera trapping, conservation, non-invasive, rallid, species richness, wetland