Abstract. The increase in wild boar numbers in recent decades is partly due to the involvement of most young females in reproduction as early as their first year of life. After the rut of adult females is over, young females are still entering oestrous as they attain maturity, prolonging the rutting period by several months. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of seasonality on the growth rate of male wild boar bodies, the growth of piglet and yearling male wild boar gonads, and sperm concentration in the epididymides. We found that yearlings' weight and body length were almost constant in summer and autumn, with a sharp increase in winter. Seasonality was also reflected in the body condition index, which rose by more than 41% between summer and winter. In terms of seasonality, the testimetric dimensions again differed significantly only in winter. Sperm were recorded in piglets weighing more than 15 kg. Regardless of the time of capture, 41% of piglets were examined as juveniles, only 6%, resp. 8% of piglets reached low or medium concentration values. While 10% of all yearling males were azoospermatic (juvenile), regardless of weight, there was evidence of seasonality in the proportion of males with measurable concentrations. These concentrations gradually increased from 62.5% in summer to 78.6% in winter. No sterile male over two years of age was noted. The results show that even in wild boars, there is a culmination not only of physical characteristics in winter but also a culmination of testimetric dimensions. Sperm already occur in 15 kg of piglets, which means they can theoretically participate in the fertilisation of female piglets.
{"title":"Seasonal variation in testicular biometry of wild boar in the game preserve","authors":"Jakub Drimaj, J. Kamler, Z. Rečková, O. Mikulka","doi":"10.25225/jvb.22059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.22059","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The increase in wild boar numbers in recent decades is partly due to the involvement of most young females in reproduction as early as their first year of life. After the rut of adult females is over, young females are still entering oestrous as they attain maturity, prolonging the rutting period by several months. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of seasonality on the growth rate of male wild boar bodies, the growth of piglet and yearling male wild boar gonads, and sperm concentration in the epididymides. We found that yearlings' weight and body length were almost constant in summer and autumn, with a sharp increase in winter. Seasonality was also reflected in the body condition index, which rose by more than 41% between summer and winter. In terms of seasonality, the testimetric dimensions again differed significantly only in winter. Sperm were recorded in piglets weighing more than 15 kg. Regardless of the time of capture, 41% of piglets were examined as juveniles, only 6%, resp. 8% of piglets reached low or medium concentration values. While 10% of all yearling males were azoospermatic (juvenile), regardless of weight, there was evidence of seasonality in the proportion of males with measurable concentrations. These concentrations gradually increased from 62.5% in summer to 78.6% in winter. No sterile male over two years of age was noted. The results show that even in wild boars, there is a culmination not only of physical characteristics in winter but also a culmination of testimetric dimensions. Sperm already occur in 15 kg of piglets, which means they can theoretically participate in the fertilisation of female piglets.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"71 1","pages":"22059.1 - 10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48858090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michaël P. J. Nicolaï, S. Porchetta, J. Clegg, Peter N. Taylor, M. Jocqué
Abstract. Manus Island is part of the Admiralty Islands, a herpetologically rich but poorly studied area. Seven species of Cornufer (von Tschudi, 1838) are known to occur on the island, five of which have been described. Based on material collected from Manus Island in 2014, we here describe the first female of Cornufer manus and the first male of Cornufer vogti. Additionally, we provide new information on intraspecific variation from a further eight adult males of C. manus, two subadults of C. vogti, as well as the first photographs of both species in life.
{"title":"Supplementary morphological information for Cornufer manus (Kraus & Allison, 2009) and Cornufer vogti (Hediger, 1934), with information on colour in life","authors":"Michaël P. J. Nicolaï, S. Porchetta, J. Clegg, Peter N. Taylor, M. Jocqué","doi":"10.25225/jvb.22053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.22053","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Manus Island is part of the Admiralty Islands, a herpetologically rich but poorly studied area. Seven species of Cornufer (von Tschudi, 1838) are known to occur on the island, five of which have been described. Based on material collected from Manus Island in 2014, we here describe the first female of Cornufer manus and the first male of Cornufer vogti. Additionally, we provide new information on intraspecific variation from a further eight adult males of C. manus, two subadults of C. vogti, as well as the first photographs of both species in life.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"71 1","pages":"22053.1 - 9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44253003","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. The study aimed to recognize whether the activity of a semi-aquatic invasive carnivore – the American mink Neovison vison – is related to the distribution of waterbird colonies. For this reason, we monitored mink occurrence in lake reedbeds and the fate of artificial nests imitating those of the great crested grebe Podiceps cristatus. The location of artificial nests in the grebe colony increased the probability of their survival compared to those placed outside the grebe colony. During the study, mink activity increased over time. In general, it was lower in colonies than outside of them, suggesting that the presence of natural nests does not increase the probability of mink occurrence in lake reedbeds. However, mink activity was negatively correlated with the distance from the lake shoreline and differed spatially according to the presence or absence of natural grebe nests. In grebe colonies, the probability of mink occurrence at greater distances from the lake shoreline was higher than outside, which can be explained by optimizing swimming effort while searching for prey. In conclusion, mink activity in colonies was lower than in areas with no waterbird nests, and nest location in a colony decreased predation risk by mink.
{"title":"Mink predation in great crested grebe colonies: random robbery or a well-planned hunt?","authors":"M. Brzeziński, P. Chibowski, A. Zalewski","doi":"10.25225/jvb.22056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.22056","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The study aimed to recognize whether the activity of a semi-aquatic invasive carnivore – the American mink Neovison vison – is related to the distribution of waterbird colonies. For this reason, we monitored mink occurrence in lake reedbeds and the fate of artificial nests imitating those of the great crested grebe Podiceps cristatus. The location of artificial nests in the grebe colony increased the probability of their survival compared to those placed outside the grebe colony. During the study, mink activity increased over time. In general, it was lower in colonies than outside of them, suggesting that the presence of natural nests does not increase the probability of mink occurrence in lake reedbeds. However, mink activity was negatively correlated with the distance from the lake shoreline and differed spatially according to the presence or absence of natural grebe nests. In grebe colonies, the probability of mink occurrence at greater distances from the lake shoreline was higher than outside, which can be explained by optimizing swimming effort while searching for prey. In conclusion, mink activity in colonies was lower than in areas with no waterbird nests, and nest location in a colony decreased predation risk by mink.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"71 1","pages":"22056.1 - 11"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47793369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. The risk screening of non-native species that are likely to be invasive in a defined risk assessment area is crucial for implementing strategies of rapid response and mitigation to protect native biodiversity and socio-economic activities. However, for successful risk-ranking of the screened species, scientifically defensible evidence in support of the screening outcomes must be provided, and computation of a correctly calibrated threshold to distinguish between medium-risk and high-risk species must be achieved. This paper reviews published applications of the “second-generation” Weed Risk Assessment-type decision support tools (i.e. the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit and the Terrestrial Animal Species Invasiveness Screening Kit) and evaluates them in terms of the above two requirements. Several procedural errors were identified that involved: i) lack of provision of the report with details of the species-specific screenings; ii) incomplete justifications for the responses in the toolkit questionnaire; iii) incomplete details of the protocol used for the a priori categorisation of the screened species for threshold computation; iv) unaccepted or non-existent taxonomic names for the screened species (including typographical errors). Guidelines are provided for both assessors and reviewers to ensure that these procedural errors are avoided in future applications of these risk screening toolkits.
{"title":"Providing scientifically defensible evidence and correct calibrated thresholds for risk screening non-native species with second-generation Weed Risk Assessment-type decision-support tools","authors":"L. Vilizzi, M. Piria","doi":"10.25225/jvb.22047","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.22047","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The risk screening of non-native species that are likely to be invasive in a defined risk assessment area is crucial for implementing strategies of rapid response and mitigation to protect native biodiversity and socio-economic activities. However, for successful risk-ranking of the screened species, scientifically defensible evidence in support of the screening outcomes must be provided, and computation of a correctly calibrated threshold to distinguish between medium-risk and high-risk species must be achieved. This paper reviews published applications of the “second-generation” Weed Risk Assessment-type decision support tools (i.e. the Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit and the Terrestrial Animal Species Invasiveness Screening Kit) and evaluates them in terms of the above two requirements. Several procedural errors were identified that involved: i) lack of provision of the report with details of the species-specific screenings; ii) incomplete justifications for the responses in the toolkit questionnaire; iii) incomplete details of the protocol used for the a priori categorisation of the screened species for threshold computation; iv) unaccepted or non-existent taxonomic names for the screened species (including typographical errors). Guidelines are provided for both assessors and reviewers to ensure that these procedural errors are avoided in future applications of these risk screening toolkits.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"71 1","pages":"22047.1 - 15"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46843013","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Abstract. The mistle thrush is a species that occurs in old-growth forests, especially coniferous forests, in hilly and mountain areas and avoids warm and dry areas and human settlements. Despite this, in recent decades, the mistle thrush has colonised Apulia, southern Italy's lowlands and coasts, in rural and urban contexts. This study investigates the habitat selection of this species in central Apulia, in both the breeding season and winter, by carrying out 301 point counts and 264 linear transects. Data were collected to build a Species Distribution Model (SDM) for each season with the MaxEnt algorithm and the regional land use map, selecting variables through the Akaike Information Criterion. Overlap in the suitability of both seasons was measured using Schoener's D. A total of 133 observations of mistle thrush were noted during the breeding season and 85 observations during winter. During the breeding season, the mistle thrush selected olive orchards, especially those near vineyards and urban areas, where it could find food and safe places to nest. In this period, however, it was also found in coniferous woodlands. The mistle thrush also used vineyards in winter, whereas it avoided urban areas in this period, possibly due to food scarcity. Non-irrigated arable lands were avoided all year round, whereas natural grasslands were only avoided during the winter. Irrigated arable lands positively affected the species. Furthermore, 60% of habitat characteristics were similar between the breeding and winter seasons. It is unclear what makes the mistle thrush shift its range southward and downslope. However, it is likely due to the general increase in forest cover, a positive rainfall trend in Central Italy during summer, and the absence of competition with similar species in central Apulia.
{"title":"Habitat use of the mistle thrush (Turdus viscivorus): the importance of urban areas and permanent crops","authors":"G. Chiatante","doi":"10.25225/jvb.22041","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.22041","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The mistle thrush is a species that occurs in old-growth forests, especially coniferous forests, in hilly and mountain areas and avoids warm and dry areas and human settlements. Despite this, in recent decades, the mistle thrush has colonised Apulia, southern Italy's lowlands and coasts, in rural and urban contexts. This study investigates the habitat selection of this species in central Apulia, in both the breeding season and winter, by carrying out 301 point counts and 264 linear transects. Data were collected to build a Species Distribution Model (SDM) for each season with the MaxEnt algorithm and the regional land use map, selecting variables through the Akaike Information Criterion. Overlap in the suitability of both seasons was measured using Schoener's D. A total of 133 observations of mistle thrush were noted during the breeding season and 85 observations during winter. During the breeding season, the mistle thrush selected olive orchards, especially those near vineyards and urban areas, where it could find food and safe places to nest. In this period, however, it was also found in coniferous woodlands. The mistle thrush also used vineyards in winter, whereas it avoided urban areas in this period, possibly due to food scarcity. Non-irrigated arable lands were avoided all year round, whereas natural grasslands were only avoided during the winter. Irrigated arable lands positively affected the species. Furthermore, 60% of habitat characteristics were similar between the breeding and winter seasons. It is unclear what makes the mistle thrush shift its range southward and downslope. However, it is likely due to the general increase in forest cover, a positive rainfall trend in Central Italy during summer, and the absence of competition with similar species in central Apulia.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"71 1","pages":"22041.1 - 14"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42574127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
R. Mysłajek, P. Stachyra, M. Figura, Monika Nędzyńska-Stygar, R. Stefański, Michał Korga, I. Kwiatkowska, K. Stępniak, Katarzyna Tołkacz, S. Nowak
Abstract. The diet composition and prey selection of grey wolves (Canis lupus) inhabiting the Roztocze and Solska Forest (south-east Poland) was studied based on an analysis of scats collected in 2001-2002 (n = 84) and 2017-2020 (n = 302). In both periods, wolves preyed mainly on wild ungulates (96.5-96.7% of consumed biomass). Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) was the most critical wolf prey accounting for 57.8% of consumed biomass in 2001-2002 and 49.2% and 2017-2020, but wolves positively select only wild boar (Jacob's selectivity index D = 0.213 in 2001-2002 and 0.710 in 2017-2020) and fallow deer (D = 0.588 only in 2017-2020). The largest species – moose Alces alces and red deer Cervus elaphus – were consumed less than expected from their share in the ungulate community. Predation on medium-sized wild mammals and domestic animals was low, 0.8-2.2% and 1.1-2.7% of the biomass consumed, respectively. The breadth of the wolf diet was very narrow and identical in both study periods (B = 1.07), while the similarity of diet composition was high (α = 0.999). This study indicated the stability of the wolf diet over two decades and the importance of wild boar as a food source for this carnivore.
{"title":"Diet of the grey wolf Canis lupus in Roztocze and Solska Forest, south-east Poland","authors":"R. Mysłajek, P. Stachyra, M. Figura, Monika Nędzyńska-Stygar, R. Stefański, Michał Korga, I. Kwiatkowska, K. Stępniak, Katarzyna Tołkacz, S. Nowak","doi":"10.25225/jvb.22040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.22040","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The diet composition and prey selection of grey wolves (Canis lupus) inhabiting the Roztocze and Solska Forest (south-east Poland) was studied based on an analysis of scats collected in 2001-2002 (n = 84) and 2017-2020 (n = 302). In both periods, wolves preyed mainly on wild ungulates (96.5-96.7% of consumed biomass). Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) was the most critical wolf prey accounting for 57.8% of consumed biomass in 2001-2002 and 49.2% and 2017-2020, but wolves positively select only wild boar (Jacob's selectivity index D = 0.213 in 2001-2002 and 0.710 in 2017-2020) and fallow deer (D = 0.588 only in 2017-2020). The largest species – moose Alces alces and red deer Cervus elaphus – were consumed less than expected from their share in the ungulate community. Predation on medium-sized wild mammals and domestic animals was low, 0.8-2.2% and 1.1-2.7% of the biomass consumed, respectively. The breadth of the wolf diet was very narrow and identical in both study periods (B = 1.07), while the similarity of diet composition was high (α = 0.999). This study indicated the stability of the wolf diet over two decades and the importance of wild boar as a food source for this carnivore.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"71 1","pages":"22040.1 - 12"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46798076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Silvia Blašković, T. Gomerčić, Ira Topličanec, M. Sindičić
Abstract. The daily activity patterns of animals are modulated by external factors such as habitat selection, temporal niche selection, prey availability and predation risk. Furthermore, different species show a variety of responses to human disturbance; therefore, to understand the effects of human activities on wildlife, it is crucial to consider the disturbance characteristics (e.g. type, frequency, timing and location of human activity). Our objective was to evaluate whether vehicles on forest roads altered the daily temporal activity patterns of three apex predators; Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), the grey wolf (Canis lupus) and brown bear (Ursus arctos), using an extensive camera trap data set collected across a gradient of forest roads and wildlife trails in the Croatian part of the Dinaric mountains. We expected a low temporal overlap between humans and apex predators but predicted this even lower at sites where vehicles are present. Consistent with our expectations, the general overlap in temporal activity of all three apex predators and humans was low, the former being primarily active at night/dawn/dusk hours and the latter during daylight hours. In contrast, our results showed similarity in the temporal activity of all three predators on wildlife trails and forest roads where human activity was more frequent and diverse.
{"title":"Temporal overlap of human and apex predator activity on wildlife trails and forest roads","authors":"Silvia Blašković, T. Gomerčić, Ira Topličanec, M. Sindičić","doi":"10.25225/jvb.22029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.22029","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The daily activity patterns of animals are modulated by external factors such as habitat selection, temporal niche selection, prey availability and predation risk. Furthermore, different species show a variety of responses to human disturbance; therefore, to understand the effects of human activities on wildlife, it is crucial to consider the disturbance characteristics (e.g. type, frequency, timing and location of human activity). Our objective was to evaluate whether vehicles on forest roads altered the daily temporal activity patterns of three apex predators; Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), the grey wolf (Canis lupus) and brown bear (Ursus arctos), using an extensive camera trap data set collected across a gradient of forest roads and wildlife trails in the Croatian part of the Dinaric mountains. We expected a low temporal overlap between humans and apex predators but predicted this even lower at sites where vehicles are present. Consistent with our expectations, the general overlap in temporal activity of all three apex predators and humans was low, the former being primarily active at night/dawn/dusk hours and the latter during daylight hours. In contrast, our results showed similarity in the temporal activity of all three predators on wildlife trails and forest roads where human activity was more frequent and diverse.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"71 1","pages":"22029.1 - 9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42966994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
D. Latorre, Raquel Merino-Aguirre, A. Cruz, E. Lantero, Alejandra M. Arroyo, D. Fletcher, D. Almeida
Abstract. Endozoochory is a mutualistic interaction between plants and animals. Such a relationship has rarely been examined in the Eurasian otter Lutra lutra. This study aimed to assess the use and electivity of fruit by this carnivore, along with the viability of ingested seeds. Otter spraints and fruit were collected from the River Bullaque (Guadiana River basin, central Spain) in June and September 2018-2019. A high occurrence of fruit (> 40%) was found in spraints during September. Otters ingested fruit in June from only one plant species: Iberian bushweed Flueggea tinctoria (Phyllanthaceae); whereas seeds ingested in September belonged to four plant species: apple mint Mentha suaveolens (Lamiaceae), common hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, dog rose Rosa canina and elmleaf blackberry Rubus ulmifolius (three Rosaceae species). According to the environmental availability, otters displayed avoidance for mint and rose, neutral selection for hawthorn and preference for blackberry. Germination was unsuccessful for mint seeds, whereas germination was the highest for blackberry (37%; 49% for blackbird Turdus merula, a well-known frugivorous species). Otters appear to display an ecological role as seed dispersers for riparian vegetation in Iberian fresh waters. These findings provide insights into this endozoochorous co-evolution between plants and Carnivora.
{"title":"Ecological role of the Eurasian otter, Lutra lutra (Mustelidae, Carnivora) as a seed dispersal species for riparian vegetation in Iberian fresh waters","authors":"D. Latorre, Raquel Merino-Aguirre, A. Cruz, E. Lantero, Alejandra M. Arroyo, D. Fletcher, D. Almeida","doi":"10.25225/jvb.22037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.22037","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Endozoochory is a mutualistic interaction between plants and animals. Such a relationship has rarely been examined in the Eurasian otter Lutra lutra. This study aimed to assess the use and electivity of fruit by this carnivore, along with the viability of ingested seeds. Otter spraints and fruit were collected from the River Bullaque (Guadiana River basin, central Spain) in June and September 2018-2019. A high occurrence of fruit (> 40%) was found in spraints during September. Otters ingested fruit in June from only one plant species: Iberian bushweed Flueggea tinctoria (Phyllanthaceae); whereas seeds ingested in September belonged to four plant species: apple mint Mentha suaveolens (Lamiaceae), common hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, dog rose Rosa canina and elmleaf blackberry Rubus ulmifolius (three Rosaceae species). According to the environmental availability, otters displayed avoidance for mint and rose, neutral selection for hawthorn and preference for blackberry. Germination was unsuccessful for mint seeds, whereas germination was the highest for blackberry (37%; 49% for blackbird Turdus merula, a well-known frugivorous species). Otters appear to display an ecological role as seed dispersers for riparian vegetation in Iberian fresh waters. These findings provide insights into this endozoochorous co-evolution between plants and Carnivora.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"71 1","pages":"22037.1 - 11"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42991616","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Forti, P. Partel, Michel J. Orsingher, G. Volcan, E. Dorigatti, L. Pedrotti, L. Corlatti
Abstract. Obtaining reliable estimates of population abundance is of utmost importance for wildlife research and management. To this aim, camera-traps are increasingly used, as this method has the advantage of being noninvasive and allows for continuous monitoring. Camera traps can be used to estimate abundance in combination with traditional capture-recapture techniques, as well as with estimators that do not require marked individuals. Here, we investigated the use of camera-based mark-recapture methods applied to an Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota) population in the Paneveggio-Pale di San Martino Natural Park (eastern Italian Alps). We compared abundance estimates derived from a traditional capture-mark-recapture (CMR) framework and camera trap mark-resight (CTMR) over three consecutive years. CMR models estimated a population size of n = 19 individuals (95% CI = 18-27), n = 15 (14-22) and n = 24 (22-32) in 2019, 2020 and 2021 respectively. CTMR returned an estimated population size of n = 24 (95% CI = 18-30), n = 20 (17-24) and n = 22 (21-24) for the same years. The difference between the estimate of these two methods was significant only in 2020, with CMR returning a lower estimate than CTMR (95% CI = –9.4–0.6). This difference was not significant for 2019 (95% CI = –10.9-0.9) and 2021 (95% CI = –1.8-5.9). Based on our results, the use of CTMR techniques is promising in the estimation of absolute population size of marmots, and the estimator was slightly more precise than CMR. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of CTMR with reduced capture effort.
摘要获得种群丰度的可靠估计对野生动物研究和管理至关重要。为了达到这个目的，摄像机陷阱越来越多地被使用，因为这种方法具有非侵入性和允许连续监测的优点。相机陷阱可以与传统的捕获-再捕获技术结合使用来估计丰度，也可以与不需要标记个体的估计值器结合使用。在此，我们对意大利东部阿尔卑斯山脉Paneveggio-Pale di San Martino自然公园的一个高山旱獭(Marmota Marmota)种群进行了基于相机的标记重捕方法研究。我们连续三年比较了传统捕获-标记-再捕获(CMR)框架和相机陷阱标记-观察(CTMR)得出的丰度估计值。CMR模型估计2019年、2020年和2021年的种群规模分别为n = 19 (95% CI = 18-27)、n = 15(14-22)和n = 24(22-32)。CTMR返回相同年份的估计人口规模为n = 24 (95% CI = 18-30)， n = 20(17-24)和n = 22(21-24)。这两种方法的估计值之间的差异仅在2020年具有显著性，CMR返回的估计值低于CTMR (95% CI = -9.4-0.6)。这一差异在2019年(95% CI = -10.9-0.9)和2021年(95% CI = -1.8-5.9)不显著。基于我们的研究结果，CTMR技术在土拨鼠绝对种群规模的估计中是有希望的，并且估计器的精度略高于CMR。需要进一步的研究来评估CTMR在减少捕获努力的情况下的有效性。
{"title":"A comparison of capture-mark-recapture and camera-based mark-resight to estimate abundance of Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota)","authors":"A. Forti, P. Partel, Michel J. Orsingher, G. Volcan, E. Dorigatti, L. Pedrotti, L. Corlatti","doi":"10.25225/jvb.22023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.22023","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Obtaining reliable estimates of population abundance is of utmost importance for wildlife research and management. To this aim, camera-traps are increasingly used, as this method has the advantage of being noninvasive and allows for continuous monitoring. Camera traps can be used to estimate abundance in combination with traditional capture-recapture techniques, as well as with estimators that do not require marked individuals. Here, we investigated the use of camera-based mark-recapture methods applied to an Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota) population in the Paneveggio-Pale di San Martino Natural Park (eastern Italian Alps). We compared abundance estimates derived from a traditional capture-mark-recapture (CMR) framework and camera trap mark-resight (CTMR) over three consecutive years. CMR models estimated a population size of n = 19 individuals (95% CI = 18-27), n = 15 (14-22) and n = 24 (22-32) in 2019, 2020 and 2021 respectively. CTMR returned an estimated population size of n = 24 (95% CI = 18-30), n = 20 (17-24) and n = 22 (21-24) for the same years. The difference between the estimate of these two methods was significant only in 2020, with CMR returning a lower estimate than CTMR (95% CI = –9.4–0.6). This difference was not significant for 2019 (95% CI = –10.9-0.9) and 2021 (95% CI = –1.8-5.9). Based on our results, the use of CTMR techniques is promising in the estimation of absolute population size of marmots, and the estimator was slightly more precise than CMR. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of CTMR with reduced capture effort.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"71 1","pages":"22023.1 - 11"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42175977","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
H. Tsunoda, S. Peeva, E. Raichev, Thomas Kronawetter, Krasimir B. Kirilov, D. Georgiev, Y. Kaneko
Abstract. In mammalian carnivore guilds (order Carnivora), spatiotemporal partitions play a major role in reducing competitive confrontations and facilitating successful sympatry. Using camera-trapping techniques, the present study aimed to elucidate patterns of spatial distribution and diel activities among medium- and large-sized carnivore species across central Bulgaria. We obtained 3,364 images of nine focal carnivores from 13,988 camera-trapping days between 2015 and 2020. Our findings indicated that the spatial distribution of the focal carnivore guilds varied with changes in altitudinal gradient, ruggedness, and forest-agricultural landscape changes. Specifically, the two largest species, the grey wolf (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758) and the brown bear (Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758), were found only in the Balkan Mountains, whereas the largest mesocarnivore, the golden jackal (Canis aureus Linnaeus, 1758), was mainly distributed agricultural lowlands. The European wildcat (Felis sylvestris Schreber, 1777) was found in forests inside protected areas, and other mesocarnivores were distributed at intermediate levels between wooded-mountains and agricultural lowlands. Brown bear, golden jackal, and domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris Linnaeus, 1758) showed cathemeral, crepuscular, and diurnal activity, respectively, whereas the remaining six carnivores showed nocturnal activity in synchrony with their main prey. Our findings indicated that anthropogenic landscape modifications and potential interspecific competition resulted in patterns of spatial distribution and temporal activity in this carnivore guild.
{"title":"Patterns of spatial distribution and diel activity in carnivore guilds (Carnivora)","authors":"H. Tsunoda, S. Peeva, E. Raichev, Thomas Kronawetter, Krasimir B. Kirilov, D. Georgiev, Y. Kaneko","doi":"10.25225/jvb.22018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.22018","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. In mammalian carnivore guilds (order Carnivora), spatiotemporal partitions play a major role in reducing competitive confrontations and facilitating successful sympatry. Using camera-trapping techniques, the present study aimed to elucidate patterns of spatial distribution and diel activities among medium- and large-sized carnivore species across central Bulgaria. We obtained 3,364 images of nine focal carnivores from 13,988 camera-trapping days between 2015 and 2020. Our findings indicated that the spatial distribution of the focal carnivore guilds varied with changes in altitudinal gradient, ruggedness, and forest-agricultural landscape changes. Specifically, the two largest species, the grey wolf (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758) and the brown bear (Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758), were found only in the Balkan Mountains, whereas the largest mesocarnivore, the golden jackal (Canis aureus Linnaeus, 1758), was mainly distributed agricultural lowlands. The European wildcat (Felis sylvestris Schreber, 1777) was found in forests inside protected areas, and other mesocarnivores were distributed at intermediate levels between wooded-mountains and agricultural lowlands. Brown bear, golden jackal, and domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris Linnaeus, 1758) showed cathemeral, crepuscular, and diurnal activity, respectively, whereas the remaining six carnivores showed nocturnal activity in synchrony with their main prey. Our findings indicated that anthropogenic landscape modifications and potential interspecific competition resulted in patterns of spatial distribution and temporal activity in this carnivore guild.","PeriodicalId":48482,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Vertebrate Biology","volume":"71 1","pages":"22018.1 - 11"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2022-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48447759","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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