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Touati L, Athamnia M, Boucheker A, Belabed BE, Samraoui F, Alfarhan AH, Møller AP, Samraoui B. To Flee or Not to Flee: How Age, Reproductive Phase, and Mate Presence Affect White Stork Flight Decisions. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2920. [PMID: 37760320 PMCID: PMC10525893 DOI: 10.3390/ani13182920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Recognizing, assessing, and responding to threats is critical for survival in the wild. Birds, especially in their role as parents, must decide whether to flee or delay flight when threatened. This study examines how age, reproductive stage, and the presence of a mate influence flight initiation distance (FID) and nest recess duration in white storks. Analyzing the data with a generalized additive mixed model (GAMM), we found significant correlations between FID and age, reproductive stage, and presence of a mate. These results suggest that the trade-off between current and future reproduction shifts during critical breeding periods, such as incubation and nestling care. To increase breeding success, White Storks appear willing to take risks and extend their stay in the nest when offspring are most valuable and vulnerable. In the presence of a mate, individuals leave the nest earlier, suggesting possible sexual conflict over parental care. The duration of nest abandonment is consistent with FID, except for age. These results illustrate how parental age, brood value, vulnerability, and sexual dynamics influence white stork flight decisions in complex ways. Understanding these dynamics enriches our knowledge of bird behavior and adaptations to environmental challenges and highlights the complexity of parental decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laïd Touati
- Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, University of Guelma, Guelma 24000, Algeria; (L.T.); (M.A.); (A.B.); (F.S.)
- Biology and Plant Ecology Department, Mentouri Brothers Constantine 1 University, Constantine 25000, Algeria
| | - Mohamed Athamnia
- Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, University of Guelma, Guelma 24000, Algeria; (L.T.); (M.A.); (A.B.); (F.S.)
- Department of Ecology, University 8 Mai 1945, Guelma 24000, Algeria
| | - Abdennour Boucheker
- Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, University of Guelma, Guelma 24000, Algeria; (L.T.); (M.A.); (A.B.); (F.S.)
- Department of Biology, University Badji Mokhtar, Annaba 23000, Algeria;
| | | | - Farrah Samraoui
- Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, University of Guelma, Guelma 24000, Algeria; (L.T.); (M.A.); (A.B.); (F.S.)
- Department of Biology, University Badji Mokhtar, Annaba 23000, Algeria;
| | - Ahmed H. Alfarhan
- Department of Botany & Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Anders P. Møller
- AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique et Evolution, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France;
| | - Boudjéma Samraoui
- Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, University of Guelma, Guelma 24000, Algeria; (L.T.); (M.A.); (A.B.); (F.S.)
- Department of Biology, University Badji Mokhtar, Annaba 23000, Algeria;
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Marshall AF, Balloux F, Hemmings N, Brekke P. Systematic review of avian hatching failure and implications for conservation. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:807-832. [PMID: 36635252 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Avian hatching failure is a widespread phenomenon, affecting around 10% of all eggs that are laid and not lost to predation, damage, or desertion. Our understanding of hatching failure is limited in terms of both its underpinning mechanisms and its occurrence across different populations. It is widely acknowledged that rates of hatching failure are higher in threatened species and in populations maintained in captivity compared to wild, non-threatened species, but these differences have rarely been quantified and any broader patterns remain unexplored. To examine the associations between threat status, management interventions, and hatching failure across populations we conducted a phylogenetically controlled multilevel meta-analysis across 231 studies and 241 species of birds. Our data set included both threatened (Critically Endangered, Endangered, and Vulnerable) and non-threatened (Near Threatened and Least Concern) species across wild and captive populations, as well as 'wild managed' ('free-living') populations. We found the mean overall rate of hatching failure across all populations to be 16.79%, with the hatching failure rate of wild, non-threatened species being 12.40%. We found that populations of threatened species experienced significantly higher mean hatching failure than populations of non-threatened species. Different levels of management were also associated with different rates of hatching failure, with wild populations experiencing the lowest rate of hatching failure, followed by wild managed populations, and populations in captivity experiencing the highest rate. Similarly, populations that were subject to the specific management interventions of artificial incubation, supplementary feeding, and artificial nest provision displayed significantly higher rates of hatching failure than populations without these interventions. The driver of this correlation between hatching failure and management remains unclear, but could be an indirect result of threatened species being more likely to have lower hatching success and also being more likely to be subject to management, indicating that conservation efforts are fittingly being focused towards the species potentially most at risk from extinction. This is the most comprehensive comparative analysis of avian hatching failure that has been conducted to date, and the first to quantify explicitly how threat status and management are associated with the rate of hatching failure in a population. We discuss the implications of our results, focusing on their potential applications to conservation. Although we identified several factors clearly associated with variation in hatching failure, a significant amount of heterogeneity was not explained by our meta-analytical model, indicating that other factors influencing hatching failure were not included here. We discuss what these factors might be and suggest avenues for further research. Finally, we discuss the inconsistency in how hatching failure is defined and reported within the literature, and propose a standardised definition to be used in future studies which will enable better comparison across populations and ensure that the most accurate information is used to support management decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashleigh F Marshall
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Outer Circle, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - François Balloux
- UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Nicola Hemmings
- Department of Animal & Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Patricia Brekke
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Outer Circle, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
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Diversity of Avian Species in Peri-Urban Landscapes Surrounding Fez in Morocco: Species Richness, Breeding Populations, and Evaluation of Menacing Factors. DIVERSITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/d14110945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the avian diversity and threatening factors in five peri-urban sites around Fez city (Morocco) for 2 years (2018–2019). The study hosted 131 avian species, including 64.88% breeding species, 19.84% migrant winterers, and 11.45% migrant breeders. Five species of conservation concern such as the vulnerable European turtle dove and the European goldfinch, the near-threatened ferruginous duck and bar-tailed godwit, and the endangered white-headed duck were recorded. Most bird species were recorded at the Oued Fez River (26.89%) and the El Mehraz dam (25%), followed by the El Gaada dam (17.4%), the Ain Bida garbage dump (15.5%), and the Ain Chkef Forest (15.18%). About 44.44% of the breeding species were found at Oued Fez, along with 33.33% at the El Mehraz dam, while El Gâada, Ain Chkef, and Ain Bida hosted only 7.40% of species. An important breeding population of the endangered white-headed duck was recorded at El Mehraz and Oued Fez. The extension of farmlands, urbanization, touristic activities, and drought constitute the most menacing factors for the avian diversity and their habitats in Fez.
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Chedad A, Bouzid A, Bendjoudi D, Horo A, Guezoul O, Samraoui B. Interspecific nest reuse between two species of waders in northern Sahara and an overview of records of mixed clutches in Algerian waterbirds. Afr J Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Abdelwahab Chedad
- Department of Biological Sciences Ouargla University Ouargla Algeria
- Laboratory of Saharan Bio‐Resources: Preservation and Valorisation Ouargla University Ouargla Algeria
- Directorate of Forest Conservation of Ghardaïa (General Directorate of Forestry) Ghardaïa Algeria
| | - Abdelhakim Bouzid
- Department of Agronomic Sciences Ouargla University Ouargla Algeria
- Laboratoire de Conservation des Zones Humides (LCZH) Université 8 mai 1945 Guelma Algeria
| | - Djamel Bendjoudi
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, Environment and Health Department of Biology University of Blida 1 Blida Algeria
| | - Abdelkader Horo
- Directorate of Forest Conservation of Ghardaïa (General Directorate of Forestry) Ghardaïa Algeria
| | - Omar Guezoul
- Laboratory of Saharan Bio‐Resources: Preservation and Valorisation Ouargla University Ouargla Algeria
- Department of Agronomic Sciences Ouargla University Ouargla Algeria
| | - Boudjéma Samraoui
- Laboratoire de Conservation des Zones Humides (LCZH) Université 8 mai 1945 Guelma Algeria
- Biology department University Badji Mokhtar Annaba Annaba Algeria
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Nest site selection and breeding ecology of the Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) in Algeria. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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Elafri A, Belhamra M, Houhamdi M. Comparing habitat preferences of a set of waterbird species wintering in coastal wetlands of North Africa: implication for management. EKOLÓGIA (BRATISLAVA) 2017. [DOI: 10.1515/eko-2017-0014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Every year, the Coastal wetlands of North Africa support an important wintering waterbird population of many Palearctic and sub-Saharan species of various contrasting habitat requirements. In this study, we describe the habitat use by24 water-obligate species wintering in a coastal wetland of the Northeastern Algeria (the wetland of Lake Tonga), highlighting thereby the ecological mechanisms that support their coexistence and their resources partitioning. The analysis of resource exploitation (Relative frequency, Feinsinger niche breadth, Pianka niche overlap and Ivlev’s electivity indexes) showed that waterbird species inhabiting the lake wetland have several similarities in using the different habitat categories, which lead us to cluster them into 5 guilds (G1: one rails, two grebes and eight ducks; G2: five wading species and one gull; G3: three herons; G4: cormorants, mallards, and on gull; finally, G5: only one species Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis).Almost all the species were specialists in resource utilization patterns (narrow niche breadths, both under 0.3) and therefore, vulnerable to fluctuations in resources, particularly the feeding habitats. Mean niche overlaps for all the pairs of species ranged from 0.05 to 0.68. The overall pattern in the community was higher niche overlaps between the species of a particular guild than those between other species. According to Ivlev’s electivity index, we found that only three microhabitats from seven were the most important for the discussed species, open water body was the most attractive, followed by meadows, muddy areas and floating- leafed vegetation. Similarities on habitat requirements derived from our region can provide important and optimal wetland management at multi-species assemblage level for this wetland and similar area around the African coast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Elafri
- Department of Biology and Animals Physiology, Faculty of Natural Science, Ferhat Abbas Setif-1 University, El- Bez, Sétif , 19000, Algérie
- Département des sciences de la nature et de la vie, centre universitaire Abdelhafid Boussouf, Mila 43000, Algérie
| | - Mouhamed Belhamra
- Laboratoire de Diversité des Ecosystèmes et Dynamiques des Systèmes de Production Agricoles en Zones Arides,Département d’agronomie, Université Mohamed Khider, Biskra 07000, Algérie
| | - Moussa Houhamdi
- Laboratoire Biologie, Eau & Environnement (LBEE), Faculté SNV-STU, Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma , Algérie
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