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Colomer J, Massei G, Roos D, Rosell C, Rodríguez-Teijeiro JD. What drives wild boar density and population growth in Mediterranean environments? Sci Total Environ 2024; 931:172739. [PMID: 38697537 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Accurate prediction of fluctuations of wildlife local number of individuals is crucial for effective population management to minimise human-wildlife conflicts. Climate, habitat, food availability, and density dependence are among the main factors influencing mammalian population dynamics. In southern Europe, precipitation and temperature, particularly during summer have been suggested as key factors affecting wild boar (Sus scrofa L.). However, there is uncertainty regarding the role of these factors and the mechanisms driving population fluctuations. This study utilized long-term data of wild boar populations from 14 study sites collected for 23 years in Catalonia, Spain, to analyse the factors that drive population density and growth rate. Generalized Additive Mixed Models (GAMM) explained respectively, 94 % and 65 % of the density and growth rate variability. Spring precipitation in both current and previous year, female weight, and forest cover (particularly above 60 %) were directly associated with higher wild boar densities and population growth rates. The interaction between crop cover and total annual precipitation also played a significant role in determining population density. Higher densities were linked to lower population growth in the following year, likely due to a density-dependent process. These results suggest that the expected decrease in rainfall linked with global warming may limit the availability of natural resources and potentially slow wild boar population growth. Nevertheless, wild boar can exploit alternative anthropogenic food sources, potentially leading to an increase of human-wildlife conflicts. Therefore, incorporating management policies aimed at restricting wild boar access to human food sources is key for controlling their reproductive output. Additionally, landscape management strategies targeted at diminishing refuge and resource availability in regions experiencing high wild boar impact are essential for contributing to sustainable coexistence between wild boars and human populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Colomer
- Minuartia, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Spain; IRBio, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - G Massei
- Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control Europe, UK; Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, 290 Wentworth Way, Heslington, York YO10 5NG, UK
| | - D Roos
- National Wildlife Management Centre, Animal and Plant Health Agency, York, UK; School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
| | - C Rosell
- Minuartia, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Spain; IRBio, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - J D Rodríguez-Teijeiro
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Spain; IRBio, Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Caminero-Saldaña C, Correa-Cuadros JP, Baños-Herrero A, Riquelme C, Pallavicini Y, Fernández-Villán M, Plaza J, Pérez-Sánchez R, Sánchez N, Mougeot F, Luque-Larena JJ, Jaksic FM, García-Ariza MC. Exploring the influence of density-dependence and weather on the spatial and temporal variation in common vole (Microtus arvalis) abundance in Castilla y León, NW Spain. Pest Manag Sci 2023. [PMID: 38153883 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The common vole has invaded the agroecosystems of northwestern Spain, where outbreaks cause important crop damage and management costs. Little is yet known about the factors causing or modulating vole fluctuations. Here, we used 11 years of vole abundance monitoring data in 40 sites to study density-dependence and weather influence on vole dynamics. Our objective was to identify the population dynamics structure and determine whether there is direct or delayed density-dependence. An evaluation of climatic variables followed, to determine whether they influenced vole population peaks. RESULTS First- and second-order outbreak dynamics were detected at 7 and 33 study sites, respectively, together with second-order variability in periodicity (2-3 to 4-5-year cycles). Vole population growth was explained by previous year abundance (mainly numbers in summer and spring) at 21 of the sites (52.5%), by weather variables at 11 sites (27.5%; precipitation or temperature in six and five sites, respectively), and by a combination of previous abundance and weather variables in eight sites (20%). CONCLUSIONS We detected variability in vole spatiotemporal abundance dynamics, which differs in cyclicity and period. We also found regional variation in the relative importance of previous abundances and weather as factors modulating vole fluctuations. Most vole populations were cyclical, with variable periodicity across the region. Our study is a first step towards the development of predictive modeling, by disclosing relevant factors that might trigger vole outbreaks. It improves decision-making processes within integrated management dealing with mitigation of the agricultural impacts caused by voles. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constantino Caminero-Saldaña
- Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León (ITACyL), Observatorio de Plagas y Enfermedades Agrícolas, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Jennifer Paola Correa-Cuadros
- Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Santiago, Chile
| | - Ana Baños-Herrero
- Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León (ITACyL), Observatorio de Plagas y Enfermedades Agrícolas, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Carlos Riquelme
- Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Santiago, Chile
| | - Yesica Pallavicini
- Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León (ITACyL), Observatorio de Plagas y Enfermedades Agrícolas, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Mercedes Fernández-Villán
- Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León (ITACyL), Observatorio de Plagas y Enfermedades Agrícolas, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Javier Plaza
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Ambientales, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Rodrigo Pérez-Sánchez
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Ambientales, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Nilda Sánchez
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Ambientales, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - François Mougeot
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Juan José Luque-Larena
- Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales (Zoología), ETSIIAA, Universidad de Valladolid, Palencia, Spain
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Gestión Forestal Sostenible (iuFOR), Palencia, Spain
| | - Fabián M Jaksic
- Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Santiago, Chile
| | - María Carmen García-Ariza
- Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León (ITACyL), Observatorio de Plagas y Enfermedades Agrícolas, Valladolid, Spain
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Jareño D, Paz Luna A, Viñuela J. Local Effects of Nest-Boxes for Avian Predators over Common Vole Abundance during a Mid-Density Outbreak. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:1963. [PMID: 37895345 PMCID: PMC10608117 DOI: 10.3390/life13101963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
At the end of the 20th century, the common vole (Microtus arvalis) colonized the practical totality of agricultural ecosystems in the northern sub-plateau of the Iberian Peninsula. To prevent crop damage, chemical control campaigns using anticoagulant rodenticides have been employed. This approach has a high environmental impact, and it has been banned in most countries in the European Union, including Spain. It is therefore essential to analyze alternative methods with lower environmental impacts. Here we explored the efficacy of biological control by avian predators to reduce vole abundance by providing nest-boxes in croplands. We used an indirect index based on the presence/absence of vole activity signs to measure the effect of nest-boxes on common vole abundance. We found that vole abundance was significantly lower near occupied nest-boxes at distances less than 180 m, where vole abundance increases progressively with increasing distance to the nearest nest-box. We also observed that the predatory pressure negatively affects the vole abundance at the end of the breeding period, considering the total number of fledglings. However, the effect of nest-boxes was highly variable depending on the study area and more limited in alfalfa fields, the optimal habitat for voles in agrarian ecosystems. Thus, nest-box supplementation would be a feasible measure for the biological control of the common vole in Mediterranean ecosystems, but it needs improvements for vole control in alfalfa fields within an integrated pest control program. We provide several recommendations to improve the performance of biological control in alfalfa fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Jareño
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC–UCLM–JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain (J.V.)
| | - Alfonso Paz Luna
- Grupo de Rehabilitación de la Fauna Autóctona y su Hábitat (GREFA), Apdo 11, Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier Viñuela
- Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC (CSIC–UCLM–JCCM), Ronda de Toledo 12, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain (J.V.)
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Rouco C, Luque-Larena JJ, Vidal D, Mougeot F. Vole outbreaks may induce a tularemia disease pit that prevents Iberian hare population recovery in NW Spain. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3898. [PMID: 36890167 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30651-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Iberian hare populations have suffered severe declines during recent decades in Spain. Between 1970 and 1990s, a rapid increase in irrigation crop surface in NW Spain (Castilla-y-León region) was followed by a common vole massive range expansion and complete colonization of lowland irrigated agricultural landscapes from mountainous habitats. The subsequent large cyclic fluctuations in abundance of colonizing common voles have contributed to a periodic amplification of Francisella tularensis, the etiological agent that causes human tularemia outbreaks in the region. Tularemia is a fatal disease to lagomorphs, so we hypothesize that vole outbreaks would lead to disease spill over to Iberian hares, increasing prevalence of tularemia and declines among hare populations. Here we report on the possible effects that vole abundance fluctuations and concomitant tularemia outbreaks had on Iberian hare populations in NW Spain. We analysed hare hunting bag data for the region, which has been recurrently affected by vole outbreaks between 1996 and 2019. We also compiled data on F. tularensis prevalence in Iberian hares reported by the regional government between 2007 and 2016. Our results suggest that common vole outbreaks may limit the recovery of hare populations by amplifying and spreading tularemia in the environment. The recurrent rodent-driven outbreaks of tularemia in the region may result in a "disease pit" to Iberian hares: at low host densities, the rate of population growth in hares is lower than the rate at which disease-induced mortality increases with increased rodent host density, therefore, keeping hare populations on a low-density equilibrium. We highlight future research needs to clarify tularemia transmission pathways between voles and hares and confirm a disease pit process.
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