Germán M. López-Iborra

Presence of plastic particles in waterbirds faeces collected in Spanish lakes

Plastic intake by marine vertebrates has been widely reported, but information about its presence in continental waterfowl is scarce. Here we analyzed faeces of waterbirds species (European coot, Fulica atra, mallard, Anas platyrhynchos and shelduck, Tadorna tadorna) for plastic debris in five wetlands in Central Spain. We collected 89 faeces of shelduck distributed in four lakes, 43.8% of them presented plastic remnants. Sixty percent of 10 faeces of European coot and 45% of 40 faeces of mallard contained plastic debris. Plastic debris found was of two types, threads and fragments, and were identified as remnants of plastic objects used in agricultural fields surrounding the lakes. Differences in prevalence of plastic in faeces, number of plastic pieces per excrement and size of the plastic pieces were not statistically significant between waterfowl species. Thus, our results suggest that plastic may also be frequently ingested by waterfowl in continental waters, at least in our study area. Future studies should address this potential problem for waterbird conservation in other wetlands to evaluate the real impact of this pollutant on waterbirds living in inland water.

Census of Breeding Birds and Population Trends of the Dupont's Lark Chersophilus duponti in Eastern Spain

Summary. We present the results of a breeding census of Duponts Lark carried out in the Autonomous Community of Valencia in 2011 using the mapping method and an analysis of the recent trend for this population. The population was estimated at 44–47 males, located in five habitat patches of the Rincón de Ademuz, in zones where the species had been detected previously. Density in these patches fits within values expected according to the relation between patch size and density found in the populations of the nearby provinces. Comparison to previous studies reveals that population of Valencia has suffered an annual decline rate of around 10% on average, thus the implementation of a conservation plan is required to ensure the survival of the species in the study area.

Short-Term Effects of a Wildfire on the Endangered Dupont's Lark Chersophilus duponti in an Arid Shrub-Steppe of Central Spain

Abstract. In Europe, Duponts Lark Chersophilus duponti is a threatened open-habitat bird. Prescribed burning has sometimes been proposed for its conservation, but without evidence of its effectiveness. To evaluate the short-term effects of a summer wildfire on this species, we performed several transect counts in the burnt and unburnt parts of a shrubsteppe in central Spain. The same transects were counted within a three-year interval prior to the fire and were repeated during the first two springs after the fire. We also measured the vegetation during the first two springs after the fire. In the burnt area, we observed a decrease of about 85–100% in Duponts Lark abundance, and about 7–15% in the control area. The disappearance of the scrub cover after fire and its slow regeneration, as well as the large increase in grass cover during the second year, may explain the decrease in this habitat-specialist bird species. Fire should be avoided in areas occupied by the Duponts Lark, as its negative effects in the short-term may cause local extinctions. However, prescribed burning may be used in neighboring areas to create new open habitats that may be subsequently colonized by this species.

A multi-scale analysis of habitat selection in peripheral populations of the endangered Dupont’s Lark Chersophilus duponti

Habitat selection of endangered species in peripheral populations must be considered when designing effective conservation plans, as these populations tend to occupy atypical habitats where species-environment relationships are not well understood. We examined patterns of habitat use in peripheral populations of the endangered Dupont’s Lark Chersophilus duplonti using a multi-scale approach and assessed the spatiotemporal transferability of these models to test for their generality. Our results show that at microhabitat (circles of 50-m diameter used by the species versus random points) and macrohabitat (occupied/unoccupied squares of 1 ha) scales the species selected flat and non-forested areas, but at the microhabitat scale the cover of small shrubs was also important. Models developed at patch scale (occupied /unoccupied sites) identified only site size as an important predictor of species occurrence. Habitat models transferred successfully among sites and years, which suggests that these models and our recommendations may be extrapolated over a larger geographic area. A multi-scale approach was used for identifying conservation requirements at different spatial scales. At the patch scale our models confirm it is a priority to maintain or enlarge the extent of habitat patches to ensure the viability of the studied metapopulation. At the macrohabitat scale our results suggest that reducing tree density in low slope areas would be the most effective management action. At the microhabitat scale, encouraging the presence of small and medium-sized shrubs, by clearing certain scrubs (e.g. large brooms Genista spp. and rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis ) or promoting traditional low-level extensive grazing, should increase the availability of high-quality habitats for the species, and thus the number of potential territories within a patch. These recommendations largely coincide with the ones given for core populations at specific scales elsewhere.

Effect of wetland management: are lentic wetlands refuges of plant-species diversity in the Andean-Orinoco Piedmont of Colombia?

Accelerated degradation of the wetlands and fragmentation of surrounding vegetation in the Andean–Orinoco Piedmont are the main threats to diversity and ecological integrity of these ecosystems; however, information on this topic is of limited availability. In this region, we evaluated the value of 37 lentic wetlands as reservoirs of woody and aquatic plants and analyzed diversity and changes in species composition within and among groups defined according to management given by: (1) type (swamps, heronries, rice fields, semi-natural lakes, constructed lakes and fish farms) and (2) origins (natural, mixed and artificial). A total of 506 plant species were recorded: 80% woody and 20% aquatic. Of these, 411 species (81%) were considered species typical of the area (Meta Piedmont distribution). Diversity patterns seem to be driven by high landscape heterogeneity and wetland management. The fish farms presented the highest diversity of woody plants, while swamps ranked highest for aquatic plant diversity. Regarding wetland origin, the artificial systems were the most diverse, but natural wetlands presented the highest diversity of typical species and can therefore be considered representative ecosystems at the regional scale. Our results suggest that lentic wetlands act as refuges for native vegetation of Meta Piedmont forest, hosting 55% of the woody of Piedmont species and 29% of the aquatic species of Orinoco basin. The wetlands showed a high species turnover and the results indicated that small wetlands (mean ± SD: size = 11 ± 18.7 ha), with a small area of surrounding forest (10 ± 8.6 ha) supported high local and regional plant diversity. To ensure long-term conservation of lentic wetlands, it is necessary to develop management and conservation strategies that take both natural and created wetlands into account.

Composition and Dynamics of the Bird Community

Birds have been a favourite subject of study in forest ecosystems. They are easily detectable in comparison with other vertebrate groups, and their reproductive and feeding ecology are critically determined by forest characteristics, such as the composition and structure of both the tree canopy and understory. Forest birds have been a focus of theoretical interest in competition, regulation of populations and life history strategies, and include one of the most studied groups of birds - the Tits (Paridae). They have received much attention also from an applied point of view, since conservation of their populations is in many cases linked to the conservation and appropriate management of their forest habitat. Thus, much information is available especially for temperate forests (Keast 1990).

Population size assessment of the Endangered red-billed curassow Crax blumenbachii : accounting for variation in detectability and sex-biased estimates

This study was funded by Conservation des Especes et des Population Animales, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, Idea Wild and Vale Nature Reserve. FA and LFS were supported by Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq).

Spatial synchrony of wader populations in inland lakes of the Iberian Peninsula

Spatial synchronization refers to similarity in temporal variations between spatially separated populations. Three mechanisms have been associated with the spatial synchrony of populations: Moran effect, dispersal and trophic interactions. In this study, we explored the degree of spatial synchrony of three wader species populations (Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt and Kentish Plover) using monthly estimates of their abundance in inland lakes of the Iberian Peninsula. The effect of several types of wetland variables (structural, hydroperiod and landscape) on spatial synchronization was explored. Groups of lakes with significant synchronization were identified for all three species. The lakes with wastewater input presented longer hydroperiods than those that did not receive these effluents, and this factor was positively related to the spatial synchrony of the Pied Avocet and Kentish Plover populations. The distance between lakes (used as an indicator of the dispersal effect on synchronization) was significant only in Pied Avocet. No structural or landscape variables were related to spatial synchronization in any species. It was impossible to identify any variable related to the spatial synchronization of Black-winged Stilt abundance as a possible result of the high ecological plasticity of this species. Our data provides the first evidence for mechanisms that act on the spatial synchronizing of wader populations in temporary continental lakes in central Spain, and show that the hydroperiod of lakes acts as an important factor in the spatial synchronization of aquatic species and that its effect is mediated by the reception of urban wastewater.

Nest failure owing to intraspecific agonistic behaviour in Dupont's Lark Chersophilus duponti

Abstract Intraspecific nest aggression in a diverse array of passerine species is usually explained in the context of competition for nesting sites among cavity nesters, or as parental investment among polygynous species, but has been reported only rarely in monogamous, open ground-nesting species such as larks. We video-monitored ten Duponts Lark nests. This declining species has a patchy and restricted distribution in Iberia and northern Africa. We detected aggression toward one nest, during which a female deserted her clutch after being attacked by another Duponts Lark. This is the first record of nest abandonment resulting from intraspecific agonistic behaviour in the Alaudidae family. The high density and proximity of territories of Dupont’s Lark in the study area seems a likely explanation for such agonistic behaviour, which may be a neglected cause of nest failure in shrinking Dupont’s Lark populations living in small habitat patches.

Habitat selection by the endangered Red-billed Curassow (Crax blumenbachii) in an Atlantic forest remnant

ABSTRACT Understanding habitat selection is important for informing conservation management actions. However, many endangered species are data deficient, especially in tropical forests. Wild populations of the endangered Red-billed Curassow are one such data-deficient species. We investigated habitat selection by Red-billed Curassows in an important Atlantic forest remnant in Espírito Santo state, Brazil. We sampled vegetation plots to test fine-scale habitat associations and used GIS tools to identify landscape-scale variables that may influence curassow habitat use. We modelled the occurrence of Red-billed Curassows to test the contribution of these variables using hierarchical partitioning analysis in R. Abundance of standing dead trees, decaying log and leaf litter depth had a negative effect on the occurrence of Red-billed Curassows. The species preferred tall forests and abundant trees with diameter at breast height of 11–30 cm. Our results indicated that the Red-billed Curassow can utilise some secondary forest habitats, and suggest a preference for more open forest habitats that may facilitate terrestrial foraging. This is the first scientific examination of habitat requirements of Red-billed Curassows and our results will aid conservation activities by improving site selection for reintroduction efforts.