Kenya’s fifth record of Arabian Bustard Ardeotis arabs in Sibiloi National Park

No Abstrac

Bird tolerance to humans in open tropical ecosystems

AbstractAnimal tolerance towards humans can be a key factor facilitating wildlife–human coexistence, yet traits predicting its direction and magnitude across tropical animals are poorly known. Using 10,249 observations for 842 bird species inhabiting open tropical ecosystems in Africa, South America, and Australia, we find that avian tolerance towards humans was lower (i.e., escape distance was longer) in rural rather than urban populations and in populations exposed to lower human disturbance (measured as human footprint index). In addition, larger species and species with larger clutches and enhanced flight ability are less tolerant to human approaches and escape distances increase when birds were approached during the wet season compared to the dry season and from longer starting distances. Identification of key factors affecting animal tolerance towards humans across large spatial and taxonomic scales may help us to better understand and predict the patterns of species distributions in the Anthropocene.</jats:p

Decoupling of soil nutrient cycles as a function of aridity in global drylands

18 páginas.- 10 figuras.- 72 referencias.- Online Content Any additional Methods, Extended Data display items and Source Data are available in the online version of the paper; references unique to these sections appear only in the online paper..- Puede conseguir el texto completo en el Portal de la producción científica de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid https://produccioncientifica.ucm.es/documentos/5ec78dc52999520a1d557660 .- o en lel respositorio institucional CONICET digital https://ri.conicet.gov.ar/bitstream/handle/11336/29204/CONICET_Digital_Nro.ead4e2ed-0da6-4041-814b-259e8f27bbf6_D.pdf?sequence=5&isAllowed=yThe biogeochemical cycles of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are interlinked by primary production, respiration and decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems1. It has been suggested that the C, N and P cycles could become uncoupled under rapid climate change because of the different degrees of control exerted on the supply of these elements by biological and geochemical processes1,2,3,4,5. Climatic controls on biogeochemical cycles are particularly relevant in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid ecosystems (drylands) because their biological activity is mainly driven by water availability6,7,8. The increase in aridity predicted for the twenty-first century in many drylands worldwide9,10,11 may therefore threaten the balance between these cycles, differentially affecting the availability of essential nutrients12,13,14. Here we evaluate how aridity affects the balance between C, N and P in soils collected from 224 dryland sites from all continents except Antarctica. We find a negative effect of aridity on the concentration of soil organic C and total N, but a positive effect on the concentration of inorganic P. Aridity is negatively related to plant cover, which may favour the dominance of physical processes such as rock weathering, a major source of P to ecosystems, over biological processes that provide more C and N, such as litter decomposition12,13,14. Our findings suggest that any predicted increase in aridity with climate change will probably reduce the concentrations of N and C in global drylands, but increase that of P. These changes would uncouple the C, N and P cycles in drylands and could negatively affect the provision of key services provided by these ecosystems.This research is supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC Grant agreement no. 242658 (BIOCOM), and by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Spanish Government, grant no. CGL2010-21381. CYTED funded networking activities (EPES, Acción 407AC0323). M.D.-B. was supported by a PhD fellowship from the Pablo de Olavide University.Peer reviewe

Hotspots of biogeochemical activity linked to aridity and plant traits across global drylands

14 páginas.- 4 figuras.- 67 referencias.- The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-024-01670-7Perennial plants create productive and biodiverse hotspots, known as fertile islands, beneath their canopies. These hotspots largely determine the structure and functioning of drylands worldwide. Despite their ubiquity, the factors controlling fertile islands under conditions of contrasting grazing by livestock, the most prevalent land use in drylands, remain virtually unknown. Here we evaluated the relative importance of grazing pressure and herbivore type, climate and plant functional traits on 24 soil physical and chemical attributes that represent proxies of key ecosystem services related to decomposition, soil fertility, and soil and water conservation. To do this, we conducted a standardized global survey of 288 plots at 88 sites in 25 countries worldwide. We show that aridity and plant traits are the major factors associated with the magnitude of plant effects on fertile islands in grazed drylands worldwide. Grazing pressure had little influence on the capacity of plants to support fertile islands. Taller and wider shrubs and grasses supported stronger island effects. Stable and functional soils tended to be linked to species-rich sites with taller plants. Together, our findings dispel the notion that grazing pressure or herbivore type are linked to the formation or intensification of fertile islands in drylands. Rather, our study suggests that changes in aridity, and processes that alter island identity and therefore plant traits, will have marked effects on how perennial plants support and maintain the functioning of drylands in a more arid and grazed world.This research was supported by the European Research Council (ERC grant 647038 (BIODESERT) awarded to F.T.M.) and Generalitat Valenciana (CIDEGENT/2018/041). D.J.E. was supported by the Hermon Slade Foundation (HSF21040). J. Ding was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Project (41991232) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China. M.D.-B. acknowledges support from TED2021-130908B-C41/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/Unión Europea Next Generation EU/PRTR and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for the I + D + i project PID2020-115813RA-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. O.S. was supported by US National Science Foundation (Grants DEB 1754106, 20-25166), and Y.L.B.-P. by a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship (MSCA-1018 IF) within the European Program Horizon 2020 (DRYFUN Project 656035). K.G. and N.B. acknowledge support from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) SPACES projects OPTIMASS (FKZ: 01LL1302A) and ORYCS (FKZ: FKZ01LL1804A). B.B. was supported by the Taylor Family-Asia Foundation Endowed Chair in Ecology and Conservation Biology, and M. Bowker by funding from the School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University. C.B. acknowledges funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41971131). D.B. acknowledges support from the Hungarian Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFI KKP 144096), and A. Fajardo support from ANID PIA/BASAL FB 210006 and the Millennium Science Initiative Program NCN2021-050. M.F. and H.E. received funding from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (grant 39843). A.N. and M.K. acknowledge support from FCT (CEECIND/02453/2018/CP1534/CT0001, SFRH/BD/130274/2017, PTDC/ASP-SIL/7743/2020, UIDB/00329/2020), EEA (10/CALL#5), AdaptForGrazing (PRR-C05-i03-I-000035) and LTsER Montado platform (LTER_EU_PT_001) grants. O.V. acknowledges support from the Hungarian Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFI KKP 144096). L.W. was supported by the US National Science Foundation (EAR 1554894). Y.Z. and X.Z. were supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U2003214). H.S. is supported by a María Zambrano fellowship funded by the Ministry of Universities and European Union-Next Generation plan. The use of any trade, firm or product names does not imply endorsement by any agency, institution or government. Finally, we thank the many people who assisted with field work and the landowners, corporations and national bodies that allowed us access to their land.Peer reviewe

Picobia oritis Skoracki, Antczak and Riegert 2009

Picobia oritis Skoracki, Antczak and Riegert, 2009 This species was originally described from Cyanomitra oritis (Reichenov) (Passeriformes: Nectarinidae) from Cameroon. Material examined: From body quill of Cyanomitra olivacea (Smith) (Passeriformes: Nectariinidae) (new host): 2 females (physogastric form) (AMU–SYR. 288), KENYA: Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Gede, Tree House Nature Trail, 3 0 17 ’ 48.18 ”S, 39 0 55 ’ 55.67 ”E, 39 m a.s.l., 16 December 2010, coll. M. Hromada and W. Wamiti. All material is deposited in the AMU.Published as part of Skoracki, Maciej, Hromada, Martin & Wamiti, Wanyoike, 2011, A new species and new host records of syringophilid mites (Acari: Syringophilidae) from passerines from Kenya, pp. 34-40 in Zootaxa 2922 on page 40, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20071

Syringophilopsis nitens Skoracki and Dabert 2001

Syringophilopsis nitens Skoracki and Dabert, 2001 To this time this species was known from Malimbus nitens (Gray) and Quelea erythrops (Hartlaub) from Togo (Skoracki & Dabert 2001; Skoracki & Sikora 2003). Material examined: From secondary quill of Ploceus vitellinus Vieillot (Passeriformes: Ploceidae) (new host): 2 females (AMU–SYR. 287), KENYA: Amboseli National Park, Headquarters Campsite, 2 0 44 ’08.20”S, 37 0 22 ’ 13.03 ”E, 1167 m a.s.l., 8 December 2010, coll. M. Hromada and W. Wamiti. All material is deposited in the AMU.Published as part of Skoracki, Maciej, Hromada, Martin & Wamiti, Wanyoike, 2011, A new species and new host records of syringophilid mites (Acari: Syringophilidae) from passerines from Kenya, pp. 34-40 in Zootaxa 2922 on page 39, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20071

Syringophilopsis veselovsky Skoracki, Antczak and Riegert 2009

Syringophilopsis veselovsky Skoracki, Antczak and Riegert, 2009 This species was recently described from Pycnonotus barbatus (Desfontaines) (Passeriformes: Pycnonotidae) from Cameroon (Skoracki et al. 2009). Material examined: From secondary quill of Chlorocichla flaviventris (Smith) (Passeriformes: Pycnonotidae) (new host): 7 females, 1 male, 9 tritonymphs, 11 protonymphs and 10 larvae (AMU–SYR. 289), KENYA: Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Gede, Tree House Nature Trail, 3 0 17 ’ 48.18 ”S, 39 0 55 ’ 55.67 ”E, 39 m a.s.l., 16 December 2010, coll. M. Hromada and W. Wamiti. All material is deposited in the AMU except 2 females in the ZISP, 2 females in the NMK and 1 female in the MRAC. From secondary quill of Andropadus latirostris Strickland (Pycnonotidae) (new host): 10 females (AMU–SYR. 290), KENYA: Kakamega Forest National Reserve, Buyangu, Udo`s Campsite, 0 0 21 ’ 11.05 ”N, 34 0 51 ’ 50.12 ”E, 1598 m a.s.l., 21 November 2010, coll. M. Hromada and W. Wamiti. All material is deposited in the AMU except 2 females in the ZISP, 2 females in the NMK and 1 female in the MRAC.Published as part of Skoracki, Maciej, Hromada, Martin & Wamiti, Wanyoike, 2011, A new species and new host records of syringophilid mites (Acari: Syringophilidae) from passerines from Kenya, pp. 34-40 in Zootaxa 2922 on pages 38-39, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20071

Syringophilopsis dicruri Skoracki, Hromada & Wamiti, 2011, sp. nov.

Syringophilopsis dicruri sp. nov. (Figs. 1–5) FEMALE. Total body length 1155 in holotype (1000–1070 in 2 paratypes). Gnathosoma. Infracapitulum apunctate. Hypostomal apex with 1 pair of short protuberances. Each medial branch of peritremes with 2 chambers, each lateral branch with 12–13 chambers. Length of stylophore and movable cheliceral digit 285 (280) and 210 (215), respectively. Idiosoma. Propodonotal shield sculptured and punctate near bases of setae vi, ve, and si, bearing bases of setae vi, ve, si, and c 1, setae se situated on or near this shield. Length ratio of setae vi:ve:si 1: 1.5–1.8: 3. Setae se situated anterior to level of setae c 1. Hysteronotal shields absent. Pygidial shield well developed, apunctate. Setae h 1 2.3 times longer than f 1. Genital setae g 2 1.4–2 times longer than g 1. Aggenital setae ag 1 and ag 3 subequal in length, both 1.8–2.3 times longer than ag 2. Length ratio of setae g 1:ag 2 1: 2.6–2.8. Coxal fields I–IV apunctate. Setae 3 c about twice longer than 3 b. Legs. Fan-like setae p’ and p” of legs III and IV with 20–21 tines. Setae tc” of legs III and IV slightly (1.2–1.3 times) longer than tc’III-IV. Apodemes I fused in anterior part of apodemes II. Lengths of setae: vi (145), ve (220–265), si 410 (445), se 430 (440–465), c 1 (465), c 2 (430), d 1 430 (400), d 2 405 (465), e 2 430 (445), f 1 205 (220–250), f 2 505 (480–505), h 1 465, h 2 495, ps 1 and ps 2 55 (50–55), g 1 55 (50–55), g 2 75 (115), ag 1 320 (340), ag 2 145 (155–180), ag 3 340 (315–400), l’RIII 75 (70–75), tc’III– IV 70 (80–85), tc” III–IV 90 (95–115), 3 b 105 (115), 3 c 195. MALE. Unknown. Type material. Female holotype and 2 female paratypes (SYR. 292) from secondary quills of Dicrurus adsimilis (Bechstein) (Passeriformes: Dicruridae), KENYA: Tsavo West National Park, Komboyo Campsite, 2 0 45 ’ 18.30 ”S, 38 0 06’ 55.25 ”E, 854m a.s.l., 9 December 2010, coll. M. Hromada and W. Wamiti. Type depositions. Female holotype and 1 female paratype are deposited in the AMU, 1 female paratype in NMK. Etymology. The name dicruri refers to the generic name of the host. Differential diagnosis. This new species belongs to the fringillae group and is morphologically similar to S. albicollisi Skoracki and Dabert, 2000 and S. melittophagi Skoracki and Dabert, 2001 described from meropid bird species (Coraciformes: Meropidae) from Togo (Skoracki & Dabert 2000, 2001) (see Table 1). In these three species, females have unequal in length terminal setae f 1 and h 1, setae vi are no longer than 150, and the apodemes of leg I are fused in anterior part of apodemes II. S. dicruri sp. nov. differs from the above mentioned species by the following characters. In females of S. dicruri, each medial branch of the peritremes has 2 chambers; the length of the stylophore is 280–285; setae se are situated anterior to the level of setae c 1 and setae f 1 are 205–250 long. In females of S. albicollisi and S. melittophagi, each medial branch of the peritremes has 4 and more chambers; the length of the stylophore is longer than 310; setae se and c 1 are situated at the same transverse level; setae f 1 are no longer than 160.Published as part of Skoracki, Maciej, Hromada, Martin & Wamiti, Wanyoike, 2011, A new species and new host records of syringophilid mites (Acari: Syringophilidae) from passerines from Kenya, pp. 34-40 in Zootaxa 2922 on page 35, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20071

Neoaulonastus bisetatus Fritsch 1958

Neoaulonastus bisetatus (Fritsch, 1958) This species was known only from Palaearctic region. N. bisetatus was recorded on several hosts of the genera Acrocephalus and Sylvia (Sylviidae): Acrocephalus arundinaceus (Linnaeus), A. dumetorum Blyth, A. paludicola (Vieillot), A. scirpaceus (Hermann), Sylvia atricapilla (Linnaeus), S. communis Latham and S. curruca (Linnaeus) (Skoracki 2011). Material examined: From quill of secondary feather of Acrocephalus palustris (Bechstein) (Passeriformes: Sylviidae) (new host): 7 females, 4 males, 1 tritonympha, 1 protonympha, 1 larva (AMU–SYR. 291), KENYA: Tsavo West National Park, Komboyo Campsite, 2 0 45 ’ 18.30 ”S, 38 0 06’ 55.25 ”E, 854 m a.s.l., 9 December 2010, coll. M. Hromada and W. Wamiti. All material is deposited in the AMU, except 2 females in the ZISP, 2 females in the NMK and 1 female in the MRAC.Published as part of Skoracki, Maciej, Hromada, Martin & Wamiti, Wanyoike, 2011, A new species and new host records of syringophilid mites (Acari: Syringophilidae) from passerines from Kenya, pp. 34-40 in Zootaxa 2922 on page 39, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20071

Population, flocking behaviour and habitat selection of the Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum at Lake Ol’ Bolossat basin, Kenya

Lake Ol’ Bolossat is an inland wetland located in Nyandarua County, Kenya that provides critical year-round habitat for the Globally Endangered Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum gibbericeps. This study aimed at establishing the population size and density of cranes in the basin, ratio of young to adults (as a measure of productivity), and habitat selection and use during the breeding and non-breeding seasons. Using complete ground counts, five censuses were conducted between 2017 and 2020 with between 521 and 1115 cranes recorded, and we estimate the local population size to be 250–350 individuals. Population density ranged from 0.99–2.18 cranes/km2 during the breeding and non-breeding seasons respectively. From all 219 observations made during the study period, the&nbsp; mean flock size was 28.21 with a maximum flock size of 332 and a modal flock size of 2–25 individuals. The average proportion of young cranes across all counts was 11.65% indicating a population which is breeding successfully. Although cranes occupied both wetlands and terrestrial habitats in almost equal proportions across the year cumulatively, the difference in choice of habitat between the breeding and the non-breeding seasons was significant (χ2=489, df=1, p=0.0001), whereby more cranes (mostly paired individuals) were observed in marshes during breeding months. Wheat fields were the most often used of terrestrial habitats among fields of different crop types sampled. Holding 14% and 5% of Kenya’s and the global population of Grey Crowned Cranes, respectively, Lake Ol’Bolossat is undoubtedly an important site for this species’ conservation and survival. Keywords: Lake Ol’ Bolossat, Balearica regulorum gibbericeps, habitat selection, population size, flock characteristic