European Journal of Wildlife Research最新文献

The increased pressures generated by human activities in form of climate change and habitat fragmentation have caused serious threats for Sindh ibex (Capra aegagrus blythii). Balochistan, recognized as one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change in Pakistan, has limited data on the distribution and population status of this species. To address this gap, our study aims to assess the spatial and temporal distribution and population trend of Sindh ibex in the Khuzdar and Lasbela districts of Balochistan. The study covered an area of approximately 45,123.97 km². It involved a double-observer survey at ten sites from 2019 to 2022, using the BBRecapture package in the R programming language to estimate ibex population trend and dispersion. We provided a comprehensive update of the species geographic range, along with estimates of its current abundance and population trends. Over the course of four years, the ibex population fluctuated. The ibexes detected dropped from 720 (male to female ratio 1:1.21) and 710 (male to female ratio 1:1.08) in 2019 and 2020, respectively, to 550 (male to female ratio 1:1.35) and 548 (male to female ratio 1:1.09). Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the population trends, gender ratios, habitat preferences, and density of Sindh ibex in Balochistan over the four-year period. These findings contribute significantly to the baseline data on the species ecology and will further help in the conservation of these species at local scale.

The food security value of wild meat is calculated by combining proxy methods for quantifying game animal abundance with shadow pricing techniques for assessing the unit values of food security. This study calculated the food security values of moose, roe deer, wild boar, and fallow deer for Sweden overall and for individual counties. The results showed that meat from these animal populations accounts for approximately 9% of meat consumption in Sweden and for 1.2% of the minimum energy food consumption during periods of crisis for the whole of Sweden, while in some counties it can be as much as 8%. The calculated unit value, or shadow price, of the minimum energy requirement ranged between € 0.1 and € 4.2/mcal, depending on the magnitude of the crisis scenario. At most, the total food security value of actual animal population sizes amounted to 0.50 billion euros, but this was unevenly distributed, with high values in counties that have an abundance of moose and wild boar.

The southernmost population of Eurasian water vole (Arvicola amphibius) inhabited Lake Hula in the upper Jordan Valley until the lake was drained in the 1950s. Considering the continuous conservation and restoration initiatives in the Hula Valley, we set out to verify the extinction of the Hula water vole population using trap surveys, field sign surveys, and owl pellets’ content. Having confirmed its recent extirpation, we used museum and archaeological specimens to study the morphological and genetic similarity of the extirpated Hula water voles to both modern conspecifics in Eurasia and to local Pleistocene specimens. Our results suggest that the Hula population represented an admixture of extinct local Pleistocene and extant, probably European, ancestors. The recent anthropogenic extirpation of this unique population could justify its reintroduction. Species distribution modelling, however, suggests future deterioration of habitat suitability over the coming decades. This calls for careful consideration of how sustainable a reintroduction would be.

Exploring the interaction between the gut microbiota and the host is beneficial for understanding the host’s adaptive potential and evolution. Whether Assamese macaques living in limestone habitats in Guangxi undergo cyclical shifts in their gut microbiota in the face of seasonal environmental changes, especially abundant rainfall from May to October and significantly reduced rainfall from November to April, remains unelucidated. In this study, 16S rRNA sequencing was used to analyze the gut microbiota composition of wild macaques in the limestone forest, Guangxi, and the seasonal pattern of their gut microbiota was explored using the combined data of diet composition, food availability index, and climate factors. The results indicated that Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla in the gut of the Assamese macaques, and over 98% of these bacterial taxa exhibited no significant seasonal differences in relative abundance and the community structure of gut microbiota. This may be related to their diet throughout the year containing over 90% of young leaves and fruits, and the intake of mature leaves and flowers closely associated with the gut microbiota lacks significant seasonal differences, which also corresponds to the relative stability of the gut microbiota. Additionally, rainfall and humidity are closely related to the gut microbiota, but their effect was insufficient to significantly fluctuate the gut microbiota, indicating that the climatic change is tolerable for the macaques. Combined with the feeding choices of these macaques in the limestone habitat, their digestive strategy from the perspective of gut microbiota was determined.

Monitoring large carnivores requires substantial effort, which is why indirect methodologies such as camera trapping with attractants or baits are commonly employed. The Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) is one of the top predators in the Iberian Peninsula, and monitoring its packs is essential to understand its distribution and mitigate conflicts arising from livestock predation. We performed a captivity-based study evaluating the effectiveness of five attractants (beef extract, cadaverine, Fatty Acid Scent (FAS), lynx urine and valerian extract) on wolf detection. To accomplish this objective, Jacobs selectivity index and generalized linear models were employed to assess the attractiveness and induced behaviour of each attractant. Subsequently, the three most effective attractants, combined or not with a bait, were tested in the field and analyzed using generalized linear mixed models. The five attractants tested elicited different behavioural responses in the wolves in captivity, including smelling, rubbing, rolling, marking and licking. Among the captive wolves, cadaverine, FAS and lynx urine emerged as the top three preferred attractants. In the field tests with these three attractants cadaverine remained the most preferred option. The inclusion of bait did not have any significant effect on the wolf’s visitation rates. Our results show that employing species-specific attractants can significantly improve the efficiency of carnivore surveys conducted in the field. Specifically, cadaverine was the most effective attractant for wild Iberian wolves. Consequently, the careful selection of an appropriate attractant becomes crucial to attain the precise objectives of the study, such as camera trapping, bait deployment or DNA sampling.

Herpesvirus has the potential to infect a wide variety of animal species. In cetaceans, Alpha- and/or Gammaherpesvirinae have been identified in eight families of odontocetes, and one family of mysticetes. In May 2022, an adult humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) was found stranded in Valencia, Spain. The whale was emaciated, in poor body condition, with multiple lacerations on the dorsal fin and a high number of epibionts of the Cyamidae family, known as whale lice. The individual had been previously released from a ghost net entanglement 5 days before becoming stranded. In a closer examination, various skin lesions were observed, including chronic, proliferative, and erosive dermatitis and a large ulcer extending to the deep dermis. As part of the infectious disease surveillance programme, molecular testing was performed on skin samples for herpesvirus, cetacean morbillivirus, and poxvirus. A positive result for herpesvirus was obtained from one of the skin lesions. The sequence was found to belong to the Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily, and it was closely related to alphaherpesvirus sequences from a fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) and a humpback whale. Cetacean morbillivirus and poxvirus testing was negative. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of herpesvirus in a humpback whale from the Mediterranean Sea. Reports on herpesvirus detection or infection in humpback whales (only species within the genus Megaptera) are scarce. In consequence, future virological assessments of humpback whales should include testing for herpesvirus.

As land-use cover types affect wintering birds’ strategies, studying their habitat suitability for species conservation is relevant. Predictive spatial models are considered excellent tools for conservation planning and improving our understanding of species distribution. Here we build models to predict the spatial distribution of raptor species that overwinter in SE Spain. We modelled the wintering raptor species distribution based on the presence-only data obtained between 2017 and 2019 and analysed their habitat preferences based on elevation and land-use cover variables. Our results show that altitude and distance to the coastline are the most important environmental factors to affect most species’ habitat suitability. Habitat type-related factors are other important predictors, and raptors subject of this study prefer lowlands and areas close to the coastline for overwintering by selecting open habitats, which include wetlands and irrigated and rainfed crops. This study highlights the importance of the habitat heterogeneity generated by wetlands and herbaceous crops within a low-altitude range as the optimal environment for wintering raptors. Such information should be considered for raptor conservation planning in human-altered landscapes.

Passeriformes populations have experienced a marked decline in number during the last decades. Several infectious agents have been described as key factors for this population’s decrease, as they can cause mortal diseases like the recently reported Suttonella ornithocola. S. ornithocola is a bacterium from the Cardiobacteriaceae family that has been linked to several outbreaks. This systematic review aims to collect all the scientific information available about S. ornithocola to better understand its epidemiology and pathogenesis and to assess the potential hazard that it can pose to garden songbirds. Although it has been considered a respiratory pathogen, S. ornithocola has been isolated from several organs, suggesting a systemic pathogenesis. However, it has also been described as a normal taxon from the microbiota of some bird species. Therefore, further studies in healthy birds are necessary to establish if S. ornithocola is a primary pathogen or an opportunistic bacterium in songbirds.

Density and abundance estimates are critical to effective wildlife management and are essential for monitoring population trends and setting effective quotas for harvesting. Management of roan (Hippotragus equinus) and sable (H. niger) antelopes in Mudumu National Park (MNP), Namibia, is challenging because they are elusive, naturally unmarked, and believed to occur at low densities. The species are threatened by habitat fragmentation, human population growth, and illegal hunting, and reliable density and abundance estimates have not been quantified, hampering management and conservation plans. Our objective was to estimate roan and sable densities and abundances using the time in front of the camera model (TIFC) and the Poisson-binomial N-mixture model (PB), respectively. We also evaluated the effects of environmental and ecological variables on roan and sable abundance. We used data from two camera trap surveys conducted between March and September 2021 in the MNP. Results showed that the TIFC model provided low-density estimates of 1.62 (95% CI 1.61–1.64) roans/km² and 2.46 (95% CI 2.42–2.50) sables/km², consistent with trends reported in Africa where these species occur at low densities. In addition, the total abundance of roans and sables in the MNP from the PB model were 57 and 242, respectively. Higher roan abundance occurred in sites with higher grass cover. This study provides the first accurate camera trap-derived density and abundance estimates for roan and sable in the MNP, which will be critical for developing comprehensive conservation programs and strategies that are likely to reduce the risk of extinction for both species.

Understanding host population dynamics in connection to disease persistence is important for determining the epizootic risks present in plague foci. We used a capture-mark-recapture method to investigate the population dynamics of Mastomys natalensis and Lophuromys makundii in an active plague focus, in Mbulu District, Tanzania. We hypothesized higher abundance in plague-persistent locality and between habits and seasons. We found distinct patterns of abundance in M. natalensis between farm and forest habitats. The abundance was significantly higher in farms in plague persistent than non-plague persistent areas. The dry season showed a significant increase of abundance compared to the long rain season and the short rain season. A significant increase in breeding females was observed in farms in plague persistent than non-plague persistent localities while farms showed a significant decrease compared to forests. Dry season was associated with an increase in breeding females compared to the long rain season and the short rain season. Furthermore, the abundance of L. makundii showed a significant increase in forest in plague persistent than non-plague persistent localities. The abundance increased significantly during the dry season and long rain season compared to the short rain season. The proportion of breeding females was significantly higher in forests in plague persistent than non-plague persistent localities. The breeding females significantly increased during the dry and the short rain season than the long rain season. These findings contribute to our understanding of the ecological factors shaping the population dynamics of these species and their potential roles in plague persistence.