Carlos A. Martín

Effects of exotic deer on forest regeneration and composition in northern Patagonia

SUMMARY (1) Exotic deer (mostly Cervus elaphus and Dama dama) are abundant in the Andean forests and adjacent Patagonian steppe in the Provinces of Neuquen and Rio Negro where two of Argentinas premier National Parks are located. (2) The effects of exotic deer on forest composition and regeneration were investigated by comparing the vegetation of Isla Victoria, a large island with an abundant deer population, with the nearby Peninsula Quetrihu6 which is free of deer and other large browsing animals. Understorey composition and tree age and size were sampled in the forests dominated by Nothofagus dombeyi and Austrocedrus chilensis in both areas. (3) Deer browsing has nearly eliminated the subcanopy tree, Aristotelia chilensis, which otherwise forms dense understoreys and has significantly reduced the abundance of numerous other woody and herbaceous species. (4) In the two areas studied, N. dombeyi and Austrocedrus occur mainly as post-fire evenaged populations with little or no regeneration. However, as stands age and treefall gaps are created, both canopy species sporadically regenerate. Where deer occur in high numbers they effectively impede this regeneration.

Changes in bird-migration patterns associated with human-induced mortality

Many bird populations have recently changed their migratory behavior in response to alterations of the environment. We collected data over 16 years on male Great Bustards (Otis tarda), a species showing a partial migratory pattern (sedentary and migratory birds coexisting in the same breeding groups). We conducted population counts and radio tracked 180 individuals to examine differences in survival rates between migratory and sedentary individuals and evaluate possible effects of these differences on the migratory pattern of the population. Overall, 65% of individuals migrated and 35% did not. The average distance between breeding and postbreeding areas of migrant individuals was 89.9 km, and the longest average movement of sedentary males was 3.8 km. Breeding group and migration distance had no effect on survival. However, mortality of migrants was 2.4 to 3.5 times higher than mortality of sedentary birds. For marked males, collision with power lines was the main cause of death from unnatural causes (37.6% of all deaths), and migratory birds died in collisions with power lines more frequently than sedentary birds (21.3% vs 6.3%). The percentage of sedentary individuals increased from 17% in 1997 to 45% in 2012. These results were consistent with data collected from radio-tracked individuals: The proportion of migratory individuals decreased from 86% in 1997-1999 to 44% in 2006-2010. The observed decrease in the migratory tendency was not related to climatic changes (temperatures did not change over the study period) or improvements in habitat quality (dry cereal farmland area decreased in the main study area). Our findings suggest that human-induced mortality during migration may be an important factor shaping the migration patterns of species inhabiting humanized landscapes.

An improved night-lighting technique for the selective capture of sandgrouse and other steppe birds

The night-lighting technique is routinely used to catch birds. We improved this technique using a thermal infrared camera to catch steppe birds such as the sandgrouse. Target birds were located by an observer using the thermal camera, and approached and dazzled by another observer carrying a spotlight attached to a helmet and a hand-held net together with a playback noise to camouflage the footsteps of the observer. Using this improved technique, we caught on average 1.14 individuals per 3-h capture session (Nu2009=u200981) and a total of 92 sandgrouse in 2007–2010 (86 pin-tailed sandgrouse Pterocles alchata and six black-bellied sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis). Capture rate and success were negatively influenced by moonlight (lowest during full moon nights). Our night-lighting technique is a highly selective and harmless method to capture sandgrouse and can be used for other small/medium-sized open-land birds or mammals.

Linking habitat quality with genetic diversity: a lesson from great bustards in Spain

The effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on the genetic structure and variability of wild populations have received wide empirical support and theoretical formalization. By contrast, the effects of habitat quality seem largely underinvestigated, partly due to technical difficulties in properly assessing habitat quality. In this study, we combine geographic information system (GIS)-based habitat-quality modelling with a landscape genetics approach based on mitochondrial DNA markers to evaluate the possible influence of habitat quality on the levels and distribution of genetic diversity in a range of natural populations (nu2009=u200915) of Otis tarda throughout Spain. Ninety-three percent of the population represented by our countrywide sample lives in good-quality habitats, while 4.5% and 2.5% occur respectively in intermediate and poor habitats. Habitat quality was highly correlated with patch size, population size and population density, indicating the reliability and predictive power of the habitat suitability model. Genetic diversity was significantly correlated with habitat quality, size and density of the population, but not with patch size. Three of a total of 20 existing matrilineages from the species’ current genetic pool are restricted to poor-quality habitats. This study therefore highlights the importance of considering both population genetics and habitat quality in a species of high conservation priority.

Population Increase of the Great Bustard Otis tarda in Its Main Distribution Area in Relation to Changes in Farming Practices

Summary.— We update and present relevant information regarding the abundance and distribution of the great bustard Otis tarda in Castilla y León (Spain) in 2008, compare it with previous census results, and analyse the effects of agricultural changes on the provincial abundance and distribution of the species. The study area was surveyed from four-wheel drive vehicles driven at low speed (20–30 km/h) along predetermined transects, stopping frequently at prominent spots. The intention was to detect all the great bustards present in the study area. The great bustard population in Castilla y León during the breeding season of 2008 was 14,025 birds: 5,637 males, 7,760 females and 628 individuals whose sex could not be determined. The population was 34% greater in 2008 than in 1998 when the area surveyed in both censuses is compared. Population increases were recorded in all provinces except for Soria, where no birds were observed. Not all local populations within provinces increased: we detected population declines of over 10% in 43 (27%) of the 160 polygons surveyed both in 1998 and 2008, population increases of over 10% in 93 (58%) polygons, and largely stable populations (changes less than 10%) in 24 (15%) polygons. Provincial increases in bustard numbers were positively correlated with increases in the extent of unirrigated legume crops. The great bustard population in Castilla y León in 2008 was the largest in the world, accounting for 27–32% of the global population and about 47% of the estimated Spanish population. The spread of unirrigated legumes, crops that are promoted by agrienvironment schemes, may have fostered the observed population increase between 1998 and 2008. A survey of the region every ten years is proposed to monitor future population trends.

Habitat preferences of sympatric sandgrouse during the breeding season in Spain: a multi-scale approach

Predictive species’ distribution models may answer ecological questions about habitat selection, co-occurrence of species and competition between them. We studied the habitat preferences and segregation of two sympatric species of declining sandgrouse, the black-bellied sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis) and the pin-tailed sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata), during the breeding season. We developed predictive models that related sandgrouse presence to environmental variables at three different spatial levels: large geographical, landscape and microhabitat scales. At the large geographical scale, differences between sandgrouse distributions, in the Iberian Peninsula, seem to be explained mainly in terms of bioclimatology: pin-tailed sandgrouse appear to be a more thermophilous species and occupy warmer sites usually located in flatter areas. At the landscape spatial level, in those areas that exhibit environmental conditions allowing for both species’ co-existence at a large geographical scale, black-bellied sandgrouse appear to be more tolerant to environmental variation than pin-tailed sandgrouse. At the microhabitat level, however, differences between species could be related to different flocking behaviour as a consequence of different sensitivities to vegetation structure and predators. Thus, the observed spatial distribution patterns are the result of different ecological factors that operate at different spatial levels. Conservation guidelines for these species should therefore consider their habitat preferences at large geographical, landscape and microhabitat scales.