Pub Date : 2021-06-28DOI: 10.32800/abc.2021.44.0213
F. A. Estela, C. E. Sánchez-Sarria, E. Arbeláez‐Cortés, D. Ocampo, M. García-Arroyo, A. Perlaza–Gamboa, C. M. Wagner–Wagner, I. MacGregor‐Fors
The COVID–19 lockdown provided the opportunity to measure species biodiversity in urban environments under conditions divergent from regular urban rhythms. For 90 days, including weeks of strict lockdown and the subsequent relaxation of restrictions, we measured the presence and abundance of birds that were active at night at two sites in the city of Cali, Colombia. Our results show that species richness of nocturnal birds decreased 40 % to 58 % during the weeks with more human activity, adding further evidence to the biodiversity responses of the ‘anthropause’ on urban environments.
{"title":"Changes in the nocturnal activity of birds during the COVID–19 pandemic lockdown in a neotropical city","authors":"F. A. Estela, C. E. Sánchez-Sarria, E. Arbeláez‐Cortés, D. Ocampo, M. García-Arroyo, A. Perlaza–Gamboa, C. M. Wagner–Wagner, I. MacGregor‐Fors","doi":"10.32800/abc.2021.44.0213","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32800/abc.2021.44.0213","url":null,"abstract":"The COVID–19 lockdown provided the opportunity to measure species biodiversity in urban environments under conditions divergent from regular urban rhythms. For 90 days, including weeks of strict lockdown and the subsequent relaxation of restrictions, we measured the presence and abundance of birds that were active at night at two sites in the city of Cali, Colombia. Our results show that species richness of nocturnal birds decreased 40 % to 58 % during the weeks with more human activity, adding further evidence to the biodiversity responses of the ‘anthropause’ on urban environments.","PeriodicalId":49107,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biodiversity and Conservation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48601888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-06-21DOI: 10.32800/abc.2021.44.0205
Adolfo Cordero-Rivera, R. R. Cezário, R. Guillermo‐Ferreira, V. M. Lopez, I. Sanmartín‐Villar
A recent paper by Bramble (2021) argues that given that predators inflict pain and fear on their prey we have the moral right to act to minimize these effects. The author proposes two alternatives. The first is to transform predators by ‘genetically modifying them so that their offspring gradually evolve into herbivores’. The second is simply ‘painlessly killing predators’, which is the title of Bramble’s essay. We address the misconceptions that Bramble uses as central in his arguments and present scientific reasoning to discuss the ethical implications of disregarding scientific knowledge when addressing animal welfare and animal rights. We conclude that both Bramble’s alternatives are nonsensical, not only from a scientific point of view, but also, and more importantly, from ethical grounds.
{"title":"Can scientific laws be discussed on philosophical grounds? a reply to naïve arguments on ‘predators’ proposed by Bramble (2021)","authors":"Adolfo Cordero-Rivera, R. R. Cezário, R. Guillermo‐Ferreira, V. M. Lopez, I. Sanmartín‐Villar","doi":"10.32800/abc.2021.44.0205","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32800/abc.2021.44.0205","url":null,"abstract":"A recent paper by Bramble (2021) argues that given that predators inflict pain and fear on their prey we have the moral right to act to minimize these effects. The author proposes two alternatives. The first is to transform predators by ‘genetically modifying them so that their offspring gradually evolve into herbivores’. The second is simply ‘painlessly killing predators’, which is the title of Bramble’s essay. We address the misconceptions that Bramble uses as central in his arguments and present scientific reasoning to discuss the ethical implications of disregarding scientific knowledge when addressing animal welfare and animal rights. We conclude that both Bramble’s alternatives are nonsensical, not only from a scientific point of view, but also, and more importantly, from ethical grounds.","PeriodicalId":49107,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biodiversity and Conservation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43365270","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-06-18DOI: 10.32800/abc.2021.44.0195
A. Martínez‐Abraín, X. Ferrer, J. Jiménez, I. C. Fernández-Calvo
The increasing urbanization of the landscape is a major component of global change worldwide. However, it is puzzling that wildlife is selecting anthropogenic habitats despite the availability of apparently high–quality semi–natural (i.e. less intensively modified) habitats. Definitive explanations for this process are still lacking. We have previously suggested that colonization of the urban habitat is initially triggered by ecological processes that take place outside urban areas as a consequence of past rural exodus. Here we present a diverse array of examples of selection of several types of anthropogenic habitat by wildlife in Spain (including transportation infrastructure, human–exclusion areas, urban areas under construction, cities, reservoirs, quarries and landfills) in support of this idea. Wildlife is moving out of its historical ecological refuges and losing fear of harmless urban humans. Mesopredators are rebounding by mesopredator release, due to ceased human persecution, and shrubs and trees are claiming former agricultural habitats. Together, these factors force many species to move to urbanized areas where they find open habitats, food associated with these habitats, and protection against predation. Hence, the classical balance of costs and benefits that takes place once inside urban areas, would actually be a second step of the process of colonization of urban areas. A better understanding of the initial triggers of urban colonization could help us increase the biological value of human–made habitats for wildlife in the future.
{"title":"The selection of anthropogenic habitat by wildlife as an ecological consequence of rural exodus: empirical examples from Spain","authors":"A. Martínez‐Abraín, X. Ferrer, J. Jiménez, I. C. Fernández-Calvo","doi":"10.32800/abc.2021.44.0195","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32800/abc.2021.44.0195","url":null,"abstract":"The increasing urbanization of the landscape is a major component of global change worldwide. However, it is puzzling that wildlife is selecting anthropogenic habitats despite the availability of apparently high–quality semi–natural (i.e. less intensively modified) habitats. Definitive explanations for this process are still lacking. We have previously suggested that colonization of the urban habitat is initially triggered by ecological processes that take place outside urban areas as a consequence of past rural exodus. Here we present a diverse array of examples of selection of several types of anthropogenic habitat by wildlife in Spain (including transportation infrastructure, human–exclusion areas, urban areas under construction, cities, reservoirs, quarries and landfills) in support of this idea. Wildlife is moving out of its historical ecological refuges and losing fear of harmless urban humans. Mesopredators are rebounding by mesopredator release, due to ceased human persecution, and shrubs and trees are claiming former agricultural habitats. Together, these factors force many species to move to urbanized areas where they find open habitats, food associated with these habitats, and protection against predation. Hence, the classical balance of costs and benefits that takes place once inside urban areas, would actually be a second step of the process of colonization of urban areas. A better understanding of the initial triggers of urban colonization could help us increase the biological value of human–made habitats for wildlife in the future.","PeriodicalId":49107,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biodiversity and Conservation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41840602","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-06-01DOI: 10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0139
S. Govind, Eluvathingal Antony Jayson
This paper studies the human–wildlife interaction in Central Kerala, India, and attempts to understand local people’s attitude toward wildlife and conservation. Data were collected from April 2009 to March 2014. A structured questionnaire survey was carried out among people living in the fringe areas of the forest (n = 210). Self–reported household crop loss was modelled as a function of agricultural, demographic and environmental factors. Wild pig (Sus scrofa) (57.1 %) was the main crop foraging species, followed by Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) (12.9 %). It was reported that 36 % of farmers’ annual income was lost due to crop foraging by wild animals. Leopard (Panthera pardus) (69.76 %), Indian rock python (Python molurus) (13.95 %), dhole (Cuon alpinus) (9.3 %) and stray dogs (6.97 %) were responsible for the attacks on livestock. The factors that influenced crop loss according to the farmers were the extent of agriculture land that they owned (coefficient = 0.968), the distance to reserve forest from crop fields (–0.009), and age of respondents (0.78). Due to people’s awareness concerning the importance of wildlife, reports on human–wildlife interaction in the newspapers and strict enforcement of wildlife laws, people’s attitude towards conservation of wildlife was good, and they were not taking any negative precautions against wild animals.
{"title":"Human–wildlife interactions and people’s attitudes towards conservation: a case study from Central Kerala, India","authors":"S. Govind, Eluvathingal Antony Jayson","doi":"10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0139","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0139","url":null,"abstract":"This paper studies the human–wildlife interaction in Central Kerala, India, and attempts to understand local people’s attitude toward wildlife and conservation. Data were collected from April 2009 to March 2014. A structured questionnaire survey was carried out among people living in the fringe areas of the forest (n = 210). Self–reported household crop loss was modelled as a function of agricultural, demographic and environmental factors. Wild pig (Sus scrofa) (57.1 %) was the main crop foraging species, followed by Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) (12.9 %). It was reported that 36 % of farmers’ annual income was lost due to crop foraging by wild animals. Leopard (Panthera pardus) (69.76 %), Indian rock python (Python molurus) (13.95 %), dhole (Cuon alpinus) (9.3 %) and stray dogs (6.97 %) were responsible for the attacks on livestock. The factors that influenced crop loss according to the farmers were the extent of agriculture land that they owned (coefficient = 0.968), the distance to reserve forest from crop fields (–0.009), and age of respondents (0.78). Due to people’s awareness concerning the importance of wildlife, reports on human–wildlife interaction in the newspapers and strict enforcement of wildlife laws, people’s attitude towards conservation of wildlife was good, and they were not taking any negative precautions against wild animals.","PeriodicalId":49107,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biodiversity and Conservation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48024853","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-06-01DOI: 10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0117
S. S. Thakur, A. Lone, S. K. Tiwari, Smriti Jain, S. James, S. Yadav
Earthworms (Clitellata, Moniligastridae) of Chaliyar River Malappuram, Eravikulam National Park, Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Periyar National Park, Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary and Wayanad Forest, Kerala, a component of the hotspot of Western Ghats, India, were studied by the standard method of taxonomy, and their DNA barcode signatures using the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) were generated for the first time. This study represents eleven species of earthworms of the family Moniligastridae: Drawida brunnea Stephenson, Drawida circumpapillata Aiyer, Drawida ghatensis Michaelsen, Drawida impertusa Stephenson, Drawida nilamburensis (Bourne), Drawida robusta (Bourne), Drawida scandens Rao, Drawida travancorense Michaelsen, Moniligaster aiyeri Gates, Moniligaster deshayesi Perrier, and Moniligaster gravelyi (Stephenson). In the phylogenetic analysis all the species were recovered in both neighbour–joining (NJ) and maximum likelihood (ML) trees with high clade support. The average K2P distance within and between species was 1.2 % and 22 %, whereas the clear barcode gap of 2–5 % was suggested by barcode gap analysis (BGA) of studied species, reflecting the accuracy of characterization. The study presents the first step in the molecular characterization of the native earthworm family Moniligastridae of India. Data published through GBIF (Doi: 10.15470/l2nlhz)
{"title":"A contribution to the earthworm diversity (Clitellata, Moniligastridae) of Kerala, a component of the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India, using integrated taxonomy","authors":"S. S. Thakur, A. Lone, S. K. Tiwari, Smriti Jain, S. James, S. Yadav","doi":"10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0117","url":null,"abstract":"Earthworms (Clitellata, Moniligastridae) of Chaliyar River Malappuram, Eravikulam National Park, Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Periyar National Park, Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary and Wayanad Forest, Kerala, a component of the hotspot of Western Ghats, India, were studied by the standard method of taxonomy, and their DNA barcode signatures using the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) were generated for the first time. This study\u0000represents eleven species of earthworms of the family Moniligastridae: Drawida brunnea Stephenson, Drawida circumpapillata Aiyer, Drawida ghatensis Michaelsen, Drawida impertusa Stephenson, Drawida nilamburensis (Bourne), Drawida robusta (Bourne), Drawida scandens Rao, Drawida travancorense Michaelsen, Moniligaster aiyeri Gates, Moniligaster deshayesi Perrier, and Moniligaster gravelyi (Stephenson). In the phylogenetic analysis all the species were recovered in both neighbour–joining (NJ) and maximum likelihood (ML) trees with high clade support. The average K2P distance within and between species was 1.2 % and 22 %, whereas the clear barcode gap of 2–5 % was suggested by barcode gap analysis (BGA) of studied species, reflecting the accuracy of characterization. The study presents the first step in the molecular characterization of the native earthworm family Moniligastridae of India.\u0000\u0000Data published through GBIF (Doi: 10.15470/l2nlhz)","PeriodicalId":49107,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biodiversity and Conservation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45443988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-05-21DOI: 10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0153
L. Fernández-Badillo, I. Zuria, J. Sigala–Rodríguez, G. Sánchez-Rojas, G. Castañeda-Gaytán
Review of the human–snake conflict in Mexico: origin, mitigation and perspectives. The conflict between humans and snakes has existed since unmemorable times. Fear of and aversion towards these animals may have an evolutionary explanation and may be justified because venomous and deadly snakes cause thousands of deaths around the world each year. Furthermore, social perception, the media, myths, and even religion, increase and feed this fear, resulting in the intentional slaughter of snakes being a common practice in many places. As Mexico is a mega–diverse country with more species of snakes than any other country, it faces a particularly difficult situation with regard to snake bites. Here we revise this human–snake conflict from different perspectives in order to better understand it, to propose possible solutions to reduce it, and to contribute towards snake conservation.
{"title":"Revisión del conflicto entre los humanos y las serpientes en México: origen, mitigación y perspectivas","authors":"L. Fernández-Badillo, I. Zuria, J. Sigala–Rodríguez, G. Sánchez-Rojas, G. Castañeda-Gaytán","doi":"10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0153","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0153","url":null,"abstract":"Review of the human–snake conflict in Mexico: origin, mitigation and perspectives. \u0000The conflict between humans and snakes has existed since unmemorable times. Fear of and aversion towards these animals may have an evolutionary explanation and may be justified because venomous and deadly snakes cause thousands of deaths around the world each year. Furthermore, social perception, the media, myths, and even religion, increase and feed this fear, resulting in the intentional slaughter of snakes being a common practice in many places. As Mexico is a mega–diverse country with more species of snakes than any other country, it faces a particularly difficult situation with regard to snake bites. Here we revise this human–snake conflict from different perspectives in order to better understand it, to propose possible solutions to reduce it, and to contribute towards snake conservation.","PeriodicalId":49107,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biodiversity and Conservation","volume":"1 1","pages":"153-174"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43282350","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-05-17DOI: 10.32800/abc.2021.44.0175
J. Pérez-González, G. Rey Gozalo, D. Montes González, S. J. Hidalgo de Trucios, J. M. Barrigón Morillas
Birds generate vocalisations (songs and calls) to communicate. Acoustic communication may be hindered by habitat features so birds can use several strategies to favour sound transmission. Sound transmission depends on the acoustic properties of their habitats. Scree slopes, also known as ‘pedrizas’, are frequent in the Mediterranean forests of south and central western Spain. As the acoustic properties of these rocky grounds might favour sound transmission, we propose that birds might actively use ‘pedrizas’ to increase sound transmission. We assessed the following prediction of the hypothesis: the number of vocalisations recorded should be higher near the ‘pedrizas’ than in forest areas far away from ‘pedrizas’. Using portable recorders in the Mediterranean forest of Monfragüe National Park, we found that the number of recorded vocalisations was higher near the ‘pedrizas’. As this result was not due to differences in species richness, we consider it supports the prediction of the hypothesis. This is new evidence that birds might use a natural element within their habitat to increase sound transmission.
{"title":"Are quartzite scree slopes used by birds to promote sound transmission in the Mediterranean forest?","authors":"J. Pérez-González, G. Rey Gozalo, D. Montes González, S. J. Hidalgo de Trucios, J. M. Barrigón Morillas","doi":"10.32800/abc.2021.44.0175","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32800/abc.2021.44.0175","url":null,"abstract":"Birds generate vocalisations (songs and calls) to communicate. Acoustic communication may be hindered by habitat features so birds can use several strategies to favour sound transmission. Sound transmission depends on the acoustic properties of their habitats. Scree slopes, also known as ‘pedrizas’, are frequent in the Mediterranean forests of south and central western Spain. As the acoustic properties of these rocky grounds might favour sound transmission, we propose that birds might actively use ‘pedrizas’ to increase sound transmission. We assessed the following prediction of the hypothesis: the number of vocalisations recorded should be higher near the ‘pedrizas’ than in forest areas far away from ‘pedrizas’. Using portable recorders in the Mediterranean forest of Monfragüe National Park, we found that the number of recorded vocalisations was higher near the ‘pedrizas’. As this result was not due to differences in species richness, we consider it supports the prediction of the hypothesis. This is new evidence that birds might use a natural element within their habitat to increase sound transmission.","PeriodicalId":49107,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biodiversity and Conservation","volume":"1 1","pages":"175-194"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46934897","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-02-19DOI: 10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0109
Juan J. Negro, M. C. Blázquez, R. Fernández-Alés, Á. Martín-Vicente
Darwin set the pillars of organismic evolution when he defined natural and sexual selection in the 19th century. Concurrently, a frenzy of selective breeding programmes, generally supported by the wealthy and aristocratic, gave rise to novel breeds of plants and animals at a rate that was previously unforeseen. Since then, breeds selected over millennia and adapted to local conditions began to disappear or were threatened with extinction, being substituted by these new, standardized breeds. It is of interest to explore how new breeds emerged and what the main criteria of the founders of these breeds were. Darwin seemed to be unaware that his contemporaries were practicing a form of interspecific sexual selection responsible for the fixation of exaggerated traits, often plainly ornamental, in the new breeds they intended to create. Parent animals were chosen by individuals who were following particular goals, often with aesthetic criteria in mind. Here we investigated who were the founders of modern breeds in five domesticated species (dogs, cats, pigs, horses and cattle), as very often a single person is credited with the creation of a breed. We found information on founders of 459 breeds, 270 of which were created after 1800. Interestingly, for these species, breed creation is overwhelmingly attributed to men. In the wild, however, the choice of mate is usually performed by the female of a species and thought to be adaptive. Breeders in the Victorian era, nevertheless, lacked such adaptive skills and had little scientific knowledge. The selection of individuals with an extreme expression of the desired traits were often close relatives, resulting in high inbreeding and a variety of genetic disorders.
{"title":"Interspecific sexual selection, a new theory for an old practice: the increase of artificial biodiversity through creation of modern, standardized breeds","authors":"Juan J. Negro, M. C. Blázquez, R. Fernández-Alés, Á. Martín-Vicente","doi":"10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0109","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0109","url":null,"abstract":"Darwin set the pillars of organismic evolution when he defined natural and sexual selection in the 19th century. Concurrently, a frenzy of selective breeding programmes, generally supported by the wealthy and aristocratic, gave rise to novel breeds of plants and animals at a rate that was previously unforeseen. Since then, breeds selected over millennia and adapted to local conditions began to disappear or were threatened with extinction, being substituted by these new, standardized breeds. It is of interest to explore how new breeds emerged and what the main criteria of the founders of these breeds were. Darwin seemed to be unaware that his contemporaries were practicing a form of interspecific sexual selection responsible for the fixation of exaggerated traits, often plainly ornamental, in the new breeds they intended to create. Parent animals were chosen by individuals who were following particular goals, often with aesthetic criteria in mind. Here we investigated who were the founders of modern breeds in five domesticated species (dogs, cats, pigs, horses and cattle), as very often a single person is credited with the creation of a breed. We found information on founders of 459 breeds, 270 of which were created after 1800. Interestingly, for these species, breed creation is overwhelmingly attributed to men. In the wild, however, the choice of mate is usually performed by the female of a species and thought to be adaptive. Breeders in the Victorian era, nevertheless, lacked such adaptive skills and had little scientific knowledge. The selection of individuals with an extreme expression of the desired traits were often close relatives, resulting in high inbreeding and a variety of genetic disorders.","PeriodicalId":49107,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biodiversity and Conservation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42166177","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-02-12DOI: 10.32800/10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0103
H. Navalpotro, D. Mazzoni, J. C. Senar
Several devices have been designed to prevent predation in nest boxes by mammals and birds. Although snakes are one of the most common predators in cavity–nesters, they have always been difficult to deter. Here we tested a method originally designed to avoid predation by tree–climbing mammals. To prevent snakes from climbing trees and predating on nest boxes, we wrapped a transparent acetate sheet of 80 cm high around tree trunks below a sample of 40 nest boxes used by tits. The acetate sheets were secured with duct tape. The remaining nest boxes (N = 74) in the study area were left as controls. The predation rate in the experimental nest boxes was 20 % and 2 % in control boxes. This method can be useful to increase bird breeding success, improving both the effectiveness of resources to obtain scientific data and the breeding success of endangered species.
{"title":"A plastic device fixed around trees can deter snakes from predating bird nest boxes","authors":"H. Navalpotro, D. Mazzoni, J. C. Senar","doi":"10.32800/10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32800/10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0103","url":null,"abstract":"Several devices have been designed to prevent predation in nest boxes by mammals and birds. Although snakes are one of the most common predators in cavity–nesters, they have always been difficult to deter. Here we tested a method originally designed to avoid predation by tree–climbing mammals. To prevent snakes from climbing trees and predating on nest boxes, we wrapped a transparent acetate sheet of 80 cm high around tree trunks below a sample of 40 nest boxes used by tits. The acetate sheets were secured with duct tape. The remaining nest boxes (N = 74) in the study area were left as controls. The predation rate in the experimental nest boxes was 20 % and 2 % in control boxes. This method can be useful to increase bird breeding success, improving both the effectiveness of resources to obtain scientific data and the breeding success of endangered species.","PeriodicalId":49107,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biodiversity and Conservation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47979621","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-01-25DOI: 10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0089
A. Zúñiga, V. Fuenzalida, R. Sandoval, F. Encina
In ecosystems, seasonal fluctuations in the availability of resources can promote effects on species with similar trophic requirements, increasing the probability of interspecific competition. This scenario becomes more evident in human–dominated landscapes where homogenization of space can contribute to the shortage of resources, modifying species feeding behavior to an uncertain degree. Understanding how these species modify their feeding habits within the context of habitat transformation is of special interest. We evaluated the diversity of prey and overlap for two predators, the chilla fox Lycalopex griseus and the barn owl Tyto alba, during three seasons in 2018 (winter, spring and summer). The study was based on the analysis of feces and pellets in a landscape with agricultural predominance in Southern–central Chile. We found the chilla fox had a generalist dietary profile, feeding on a broad spectrum of prey, with predominance of lagomorphs and, to a lesser extent, rodents. In contrast, the diet of the barn owl mainly consisted of small rodents, with little variation across seasons. Analyses of dietary overlap showed fluctuations during the periods surveyed, with a maximum value in winter and a minimum value in spring. Variations in the consumption of prey based on their size could facilitate their coexistence in the study area.
{"title":"Seasonal variation in the diet of two predators in an agroecosystem in southern–central Chile","authors":"A. Zúñiga, V. Fuenzalida, R. Sandoval, F. Encina","doi":"10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0089","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.32800/ABC.2021.44.0089","url":null,"abstract":"In ecosystems, seasonal fluctuations in the availability of resources can promote effects on species with similar trophic requirements, increasing the probability of interspecific competition. This scenario becomes more evident in human–dominated landscapes where homogenization of space can contribute to the shortage of resources, modifying species feeding behavior to an uncertain degree. Understanding how these species modify their feeding habits within the context of habitat transformation is of special interest. We evaluated the diversity of prey and overlap for two predators, the chilla fox Lycalopex griseus and the barn owl Tyto alba, during three seasons in 2018 (winter, spring and summer). The study was based on the analysis of feces and pellets in a landscape with agricultural predominance in Southern–central Chile. We found the chilla fox had a generalist dietary profile, feeding on a broad spectrum of prey, with predominance of lagomorphs and, to a lesser extent, rodents. In contrast, the diet of the barn owl mainly consisted of small rodents, with little variation across seasons. Analyses of dietary overlap showed fluctuations during the periods surveyed, with a maximum value in winter and a minimum value in spring. Variations in the consumption of prey based on their size could facilitate their coexistence in the study area.","PeriodicalId":49107,"journal":{"name":"Animal Biodiversity and Conservation","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2021-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41927221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}