This updated systematic review aimed to:
Conflict arising from livestock predation by wild carnivores represents a major conservation challenge, due to the retaliatory persecution carnivores face upon preying on domestic livestock. Evidence-based information is crucial in designing strategies aimed at reducing domestic animal losses and, consequently, carnivores' persecution. Among the primary ecological factors driving livestock predation, the abundance of wild prey and livestock in the environment stands out.
In this study we aimed to assess, through a systematic literature review, the thresholds at which changes in livestock predation occur relative to the abundance of wild or domestic prey in the environment. Additionally, we sought to comprehend the current state of knowledge related to the diet of carnivores involved in predation conflicts.
After reviewing 160 studies on carnivore diets, including 60 that estimated both wild and domestic prey biomass in the environment, in the context of livestock predation, we found that wild prey biomass is the primary predictor of livestock predation by wild carnivores, surpassing factors like livestock biomass, carnivore weight, and livestock protection measures. The frequency of livestock occurrence in carnivore diets is negatively related to wild prey biomass. Thus, below a threshold of 793 kg/km2 livestock predation probability increases. Additionally, we found notable trends in research focused on larger carnivores such as Canis lupus and Panthera uncia, particularly in geographic areas like the Himalayas and the Apennine Mountains.
These findings support evidence-based solutions to livestock predation conflict by maintaining, when possible, natural prey populations in the environment above the 793 kg/km2 threshold that should reduce the magnitude of livestock predation, allowing us to drive management efforts to conserve wild carnivores and their wild prey in productive areas such as livestock systems.
In recent years, the study of animal personality has gained significant attention in ecology and evolutionary biology. Small mammals are one of the most frequently studied mammalian taxa in this field, and their personality significantly impacts ecological outcomes. However, a review focused on the materials and methods to study wild small mammal personality is lacking.
To address this gap, we aim to (1) identify the most consistent assays for measuring specific personality traits in wild species and (2) propose a standardised experimental design, detailing optimal arena size, shape and material, as well as standardised testing conditions and experimental procedures and highlighting critical aspects which require validation. Moreover, we (3) report a clear interpretation of the most commonly measured behavioural traits and the methods employed for their analysis.
Our review synthesises findings from 133 articles covering 54 species in a variety of habitats, ranging from the Canadian boreal forests to the semi-desert regions of South Africa. We found a concerning lack of standardisation in research methodologies, especially for key features such as the shape and size of arenas for behavioural assays and test duration. We observed considerable variability in how behavioural traits were interpreted. Nevertheless, we identified a suite of tests and interpretations of behaviours that allow for efficient processing of animals and produce consistent results in both field and laboratory settings.
We conclude with five recommendations for a standardised approach to enhance the comparability of results and advance the field of wild small mammal personality research.
It is often necessary to mark bats through tagging or other means to obtain essential information on their demography, movements and behaviour. However, marks may have lethal or sublethal effects and hence may bias study results. Understanding the effects of marks on bats will allow researchers and managers to develop guidelines to minimise effects.
Our aim was to review the effects and efficacy of marking techniques used on bats. Our objectives were to (1) describe marks currently used in bat research to identify motivations for marking, trends in commonly used types of marks and trends in the reporting of efficacy and injury rates in the recent literature, and (2) synthesise the body of literature on effects and efficacies of marking.
We conducted a targeted literature review and a systematic literature review. In the targeted review, we examined all papers on bat marking published from 2013 to 2022 in three bat- or mammal-focused journals to identify trends in bat marking over the past decade. The systematic review was a general review of papers that reported on the effects and efficacy of bat marking from the early 1900s to the present.
Our targeted review found that researchers rarely report the effects of marks on bats and many papers fail to provide details of the marks and marking procedures. Our systematic review found that the effects of marks ranged from minor irritation and behavioural changes to potentially life-threatening injuries, such as changes in body condition; fewer deleterious effects have been reported from newer marking procedures such as passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags.
Further research on marking effects is needed, as well as more thorough reporting in the literature of marks and their effects so that useful guidelines can be developed.
Large and mesocarnivores often occur at low densities due to both natural factors and human activities. Consequently, the noninvasive collection of carnivore data, such as scats for genetic analyses, provides a robust alternative to capture-based data.
In this review, we focussed on low-density carnivores to answer the following questions: What are the applications for scat-derived DNA samples? What is the sampling effort required and how efficient is scat DNA for detecting species compared to other methods? What are the methodological advances in scat DNA analyses?
We systematicaly compiled the results of 338 studies applying scat DNA as a reliable source of genetic material for a myriad of applications. Most studies were conducted in Asia and Europe, encompassing mainly Felidae, Canidae and Mustelidae species.
In general, studies recommend allowing enough time for scats to accumulate in the field, but collecting before significant DNA degradation occurs. Storage and extraction can be successfully achieved using various methods, although commercial extraction kits have become more widely used over time. However, scat samples show an inherent high variability in amplification success rate. Considering the collection of scats on transects, the average distance travelled to encounter a molecularly identified scat was 6.9 km. Faecal DNA was found to be more and equally efficient in detecting the number of individuals and the species present, respectively, compared to alternative methods.
The information presented here should guide new studies focussing on low-density carnivores, providing a basis for more cost-effective surveys and improving data quality for carnivore conservation.
European wildcats (Felis silvestris) are the recent focus of conservation breeding for reintroduction in the UK. Wildlife translocations pose potential disease risks to translocated individuals, sympatric wildlife, livestock and humans.
We conducted disease risk assessment to inform risk mitigation for the proposed Saving Wildcats reintroduction to the Cairngorms National Park area, Scotland, UK.
A four-step process was followed: 1) translocation pathway definition; 2) hazard identification; 3) risk assessment, and 4) risk management and re-evaluation.
The highest risk hazards identified were five infectious diseases; Feline calicivirus, feline immunodeficiency virus, feline parvovirus, feline leukaemia virus and Salmonella species, and three anthropogenic threats; hybridisation with domestic cats, persecution and road traffic accidents.
Implementation of mitigation reduced the assessment of these high risk hazards to either medium or low, with the anthropogenic threats, FIV and starvation remaining the highest risks.
The risk of introducing significant disease to humans, domestic animals, or wildlife by releasing captive-bred wildcats was assessed as low.
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