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Barros T, Fernandes JM, Ferreira E, Carvalho J, Valldeperes M, Lavín S, Fonseca C, Ruiz-Olmo J, Serrano E. Genetic signature of blind reintroductions of Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) in Catalonia, Northeast Spain. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0269873. [PMID: 36129880 PMCID: PMC9491545 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Iberian ibex is one of the most singular species of the Iberian Peninsula. Throughout the years, this species suffered several threats which led the population to its decline. Many reintroductions and translocations were made, however, none of those actions took into account the genetic patterns of both reintroduced individuals and the target populations. In this paper, we explored the genetic traits of three populations of Iberian ibex in Catalonia, which experienced blind reintroductions in past years: The populations of Iberian ibex from Els Ports de Tortosa i Beseit National Game Reserve (TBNGR), Montserrat Natural Park (Monserrat) and Montgrí, les Illes Medes i el Baix Ter Natural Park (Montgrí) Based on the genetic patterns of the three populations coupled with the absence of genetic introgression with domestic goats–inferred using mitochondrial and nuclear markers–we propose that these should be regarded as two different management units: TBNGR coupled with Montserrat, and Montgrí. Montserrat population should be targeted as a population model for ecology and evolution studies. Although we did not detect evidences of recent bottleneck events, this population seems to be monomorphic for the mtDNA haplotype. Our results suggest that the blind reintroductions from TBNGR to Montserrat failed on maximizing the genetic diversity of the latter. We enhance the importance of genetic monitoring of both the source population and the selected individuals to be re-introduced. We conclude that the three studied population of Iberian ibex must be monitored to explore which strategy would be advantageous for maintaining the genetic diversity. On the other hand, TBNGR should be monitored to assess the existence of its singular genetic variation, where stochastic events could preserve this lost genetic variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tânia Barros
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM (Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar) Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
- * E-mail:
| | - Joana M. Fernandes
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM (Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar) Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Eduardo Ferreira
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM (Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar) Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - João Carvalho
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM (Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar) Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
- Dept Medicina i Cirurgia Animals Facultat de Veterinària, Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H) Servei d’ Ecopatologia de Fauna (SEFaS), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, España
| | - Marta Valldeperes
- Dept Medicina i Cirurgia Animals Facultat de Veterinària, Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H) Servei d’ Ecopatologia de Fauna (SEFaS), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, España
| | - Santiago Lavín
- Dept Medicina i Cirurgia Animals Facultat de Veterinària, Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H) Servei d’ Ecopatologia de Fauna (SEFaS), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, España
| | - Carlos Fonseca
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM (Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar) Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
- ForestWISE—Collaborative Laboratory for Integrated Forest & Fire Management, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Jordi Ruiz-Olmo
- Dirección General de Ecosistemas Forestales y Gestión del Medio (DARP), Barcelona, España
| | - Emmanuel Serrano
- Dept Medicina i Cirurgia Animals Facultat de Veterinària, Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H) Servei d’ Ecopatologia de Fauna (SEFaS), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, España
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Universitá di Torino, Grugliasco, Torino, Italy
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Grignolio S, Brivio F, Chirichella R, Apollonio M. Is horn length crucial for Alpine chamois? J Zool (1987) 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. Grignolio
- Department of Veterinary Medicine University of Sassari Sassari Italy
- Department of Life Science and Biotechnology University of Ferrara Ferrara Italy
| | - F. Brivio
- Department of Veterinary Medicine University of Sassari Sassari Italy
| | - R. Chirichella
- Department of Veterinary Medicine University of Sassari Sassari Italy
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences University of Sassari Sassari Italy
| | - M. Apollonio
- Department of Veterinary Medicine University of Sassari Sassari Italy
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Martchenko D, White KS, Shafer ABA. Long‐term data reveal effects of climate, road access, and latitude on mountain goat horn size. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daria Martchenko
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program Trent University 2140 East Bank Drive Peterborough ON K9J 7B8 Canada
| | - Kevin S. White
- Division of Wildlife Conservation Alaska Department of Fish and Game 802 3rd Street Douglas AK 99824 USA
| | - Aaron B. A. Shafer
- Forensics Program & Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program Trent University, 2140 East Bank Drive Peterborough ON K9J 7B8 Canada
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Abstract
Abstract
Documenting patterns of horn growth and horn-age relationships of Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana) can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of their natural history, horn development in ibex in general, and future conservation of the species. Our specific objectives included (1) documenting age-horn growth patterns; (2) contrasting horn growth patterns of Nubian ibex with other ibex species; and (3) determining whether horn development accurately reflects age of Nubian ibex in Sinai, Egypt. As expected, all male and female horn measurements had significant relationships with age. Horn growth in males started plateauing at ca. age 7–8, whereas female horn growth started plateauing at ca. age 4–6. The extremely arid environment of Nubian ibex in the Sinai may account for the slowing of horn growth at a younger age than seen in populations of some other ibex species. We found a significant relationship between the number of horn ridges and age, indicating that counting horn ridges provides a viable method of aging males to within ±1 y. Thus counting horn ridges may be a useful and non-invasive method to determine age or age class, which can further our understanding of age structure, the natural history, and management of Nubian ibex populations.
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Alonso-Martínez L, Ibañez-Álvarez M, Brolly M, Burnside NG, Calleja JA, Peláez M, López-Sánchez A, Bartolomé J, Fanlo H, Lavín S, Perea R, Serrano E. Remote mapping of foodscapes using sUAS and a low cost BG-NIR sensor. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 718:137357. [PMID: 32105932 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The assessment of landscape condition for large herbivores, also known as foodscapes, is fast gaining interest in conservation and landscape management programs worldwide. Although traditional approaches are now being replaced by satellite imagery, several technical issues still need to be addressed before full standardization of remote sensing methods for these purposes. We present a low-cost method, based on the use of a modified blue/green/near-infrared (BG-NIR) camera housed on a small-Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS), to create foodscapes for a generalist Mediterranean ungulate: the Iberian Ibex (Capra pyrenaica) in Northeast Spain. Faecal cuticle micro-histological analyses were used to assess the dietary preferences of ibexes and then individuals of the most common plant species (n = 19) were georeferenced to use as test samples. Because of the seasonal pattern in vegetation activity, based on the NDVI (Smooth term Month = 21.5, p-value < .01, R2 = 43%, from a GAM), images were recorded in winter and spring to represent contrasting vegetation phenology using two flight heights above ground level (30 and 60 m). Additionally, the range of image pixel sizes was 3.5-30 cm with the smallest pixel size representing the highest resolution. Boosted Trees were used to classify plant taxa based on spectral reflectance and create a foodscape of the study area. The number of target species, the sampling season, the height of flight and the image resolution were analysed to determine the accuracy of mapping the foodscape. The highest classification error (70.66%) was present when classifying all plant species using a 30 cm pixel size from acquisitions at 30 m height. The lowest error (18.7%), however, was present when predicting plants preferred by ibexes, at 3.5 cm pixel size acquired at 60 m height. This methodology can help to successfully monitor food availability and seasonality and to identify individual species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Alonso-Martínez
- Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H), Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Miguel Ibañez-Álvarez
- Grup de Recerca en Remugants, Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Matthew Brolly
- School of Environment & Technology, University of Brighton, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4JG, UK
| | - Niall G Burnside
- School of Environment & Technology, University of Brighton, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4JG, UK
| | - Juan A Calleja
- Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Departamento de Biología (Botánica), Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global, Madrid, Spain; CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Marta Peláez
- Departamento de Sistemas y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Aida López-Sánchez
- Departamento de Sistemas y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jordi Bartolomé
- Grup de Recerca en Remugants, Departament de Ciència Animal i dels Aliments, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Helena Fanlo
- Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H), Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Santiago Lavín
- Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H), Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Ramón Perea
- Departamento de Sistemas y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Emmanuel Serrano
- Wildlife Ecology & Health Group (WE&H), Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain; Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Universitá di Torino, Grugliasco, Torino, Italy.
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