Loading...
8 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
- Influence of macrohabitat preferences on the distribution of European brook and river lampreys: implications for conservation and managementPublication . Ferreira, A.F.; Quintella, B.R.; Maia, C.; Mateus, C.S.; Alexandre, C.M.; Capinha, César; Almeida, P.R.The European river lamprey, Lampetra fluviatilis (L.), and the European brook lamprey, Lampetra planeri (Bloch, 1784), are considered highly threatened in Portugal. However, the lack of information about the ecology and distribution of these species poses difficulties to the identification of concrete actions directed to their conservation. A total of 401 sampling sites, randomly distributed throughout the entire Portuguese mainland territory were selected, and Lampetra sp. ammocoetes presence or absence checked with electrofishing. These data, together with 11 macrohabitat predictors, were analyzed using Boosted Regression Trees (BRTs). The BRT models consistently identified five environmental variables as the most important for predicting the distribution of European brook and river lamprey ammocoetes: altitude, distance to coast, sand, maximum temperature of the warmest month and precipitation of the driest month. The relationships of these variables with the species probability of occurrence suggest that lampreys occur in low altitude river stretches (<170 m), relatively close to the coast (<150 km) and with a sandy substrate (>70% sand). In addition, intermediate values of temperature and precipitation were also found to have a positive correlation with the species occurrence. A map with the probability of occurrence of Lampetra sp. in Portugal was generated and stretches of rivers were delimited with different conservation priorities. Rivers classified with the highest level of conservation priority were considered to be proposed as Special Areas of Conservation, under the Natura 2000 Networking Programme.
- Spatial correlates of COVID-19 first wave across continental PortugalPublication . Barbosa, Bruno; Silva, Melissa; Capinha, César; Garcia, Ricardo; Rocha, JorgeThe first case of COVID-19 in continental Portugal was documented on the 2nd of March 2020 and about seven months later more than 75 thousand infections had been reported. Although several factors correlate significantly with the spatial incidence of COVID-19 worldwide, the drivers of spatial incidence of this virus remain poorly known and need further exploration. In this study, we analyse the spatiotemporal patterns of COVID-19 incidence in the at the municipality level and test for significant relationships between these patterns and environmental, socioeconomic, demographic and human mobility factors to identify the mains drivers of COVID-19 incidence across time and space. We used a generalized liner mixed model, which accounts for zero inflated cases and spatial autocorrelation to identify significant relationships between the spatiotemporal incidence and the considered set of driving factors. Some of these relationships were particularly consistent across time, including the ‘percentage of employment in services’; ‘average time of commuting using individual transportation’; ‘percentage of employment in the agricultural sector’; and ‘average family size’. Comparing the preventive measures in Portugal (e.g., restrictions on mobility and crowd around) with the model results clearly show that COVID-19 incidence fluctuates as those measures are imposed or relieved. This shows that our model can be a useful tool to help decision-makers in defining prevention and/or mitigation policies.
- Mapping risk of malaria transmission in mainland Portugal using a mathematical modelling approachPublication . Gomes, Eduardo; Capinha, César; Rocha, Jorge; Sousa, CarlaMalaria is currently one of the world´s major health problems. About a half-million deaths are recorded every year. In Portugal, malaria cases were significantly high until the end of the 1950s but the disease was considered eliminated in 1973. In the past few years, endemic malaria cases have been recorded in some European countries. With the increasing human mobility from countries with endemic malaria to Portugal, there is concern about the resurgence of this disease in the country. Here, we model and map the risk of malaria transmission for mainland Portugal, considering 3 different scenarios of existing imported infections. This risk assessment resulted from entomological studies on An. atroparvus, the only known mosquito capable of transmitting malaria in the study area. We used the malariogenic potential (determined by receptivity, infectivity and vulnerability) applied over geospatial data sets to estimate spatial variation in malaria risk. The results suggest that the risk exists, and the hotspots are concentrated in the northeast region of the country and in the upper and lower Alentejo regions.
- The current and future distribution of the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) on Madeira IslandPublication . Santos, José Maurício; Capinha, César; Rocha, Jorge; Sousa, Carla AlexandraThe Aedes aegypti mosquito is the main vector for several diseases of global importance, such as dengue and yellow fever. This species was first identified on Madeira Island in 2005, and between 2012 and 2013 was responsible for an outbreak of dengue that affected several thousand people. However, the potential distribution of the species on the island remains poorly investigated. Here we assess the suitability of current and future climatic conditions to the species on the island and complement this assessment with estimates of the suitability of land use and human settlement conditions. We used four modelling algorithms (boosted regression trees, generalized additive models, generalized linear models and random forest) and data on the distribution of the species worldwide and across the island. For both climatic and non-climatic factors, suitability estimates predicted the current distribution of the species with good accuracy (mean area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve = 0.88 ±0.06, mean true skill statistic = 0.72 ±0.1). Minimum temperature of coldest month was the most influential climatic predictor, while human population density, residential housing density and public spaces were the most influential predictors describing land use and human settlement conditions. Suitable areas under current climates are predicted to occur mainly in the warmer and densely inhabited coastal areas of the southern part of the island, where the species is already established. By mid-century (2041– 2060), the extent of climatically suitable areas is expected to increase, mainly towards higher altitudes and in the eastern part of the island. Our work shows that ongoing efforts to monitor and prevent the spread of Ae. aegypti on Madeira Island will have to increasingly consider the effects of climate change.
- Distribution of alien tetrapods in the Iberian PeninsulaPublication . Ascensão, Fernando; D'Amico, Marcello; Martins, Ricardo C.; Rebelo, Rui; Barbosa, A. Márcia; Bencatel, Joana; Barrientos, Rafael; Abellán, Pedro; Tella, José L.; Cardador, Laura; Anadón, José D.; Carrete, Martina; Murgui, Enrique; Fernandes, Pedro; Santos, Sara M.; Mira, António; da Luz Mathias, Maria; Tiago, Patrícia; Casabella, Eduardo; Reino, Luís; Paulo, Octávio S.; Pereira, Henrique M.; Capinha, CésarWe present a dataset that assembles occurrence records of alien tetrapods (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) in the Iberian Peninsula, a coherent biogeographically unit where introductions of alien species have occurred for millennia. These data have important potential applications for ecological research and management, including the assessment of invasion risks, formulation of preventive and management plans, and research at the biological community level on alien species. This dataset summarizes inventories and data sources on the taxonomy and distribution of alien tetrapods in the Iberia Peninsula, comprising known locations from published literature, expert knowledge and citizen science platforms. An expertbased assessment process allowed the identification of unreliable records (misclassification or natural dispersion from native range), and the classification of species according to their status of reproduction in the wild. Distributional data was harmonized into a common area unit, the 10 × 10 km Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) system (n = 6,152 cells). The year of observation and/or year of publication were also assigned to the records. In total, we assembled 35,940 unique distribution records (UTM × species × Year) for 253 species (6 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 218 birds and 13 mammals), spanning between 1912 and 2020. The species with highest number of distribution records were the Mediterranean painted frog Discoglossus pictus (n = 59 UTM), the pond slider Trachemys scripta (n = 471), the common waxbill Estrilda astrild (n = 1,275) and the house mouse Mus musculus (n = 4,043), for amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, respectively. Most alien species recorded are native to Africa (33%), followed by South America (21%), Asia (19%), North America (12%) and Oceania (10%). Thirty-six species are classified by IUCN as threatened in their native range, namely 2 Critically Endangered (CR), 6 Endangered (EN), 8 Vulnerable (VU), and 20 species Near Threatened (NT). Species maps are provided in DataSet1, as well R code and GIS layers to update them as new records are obtained.
- A horizon scan exercise for aquatic invasive alien species in Iberian inland watersPublication . Oficialdegui, Francisco J.; Zamora-Marín, José M.; Guareschi, Simone; Anastácio, Pedro M.; García-Murillo, Pablo; Ribeiro, Filipe; Miranda, Rafael; Cobo, Fernando; Gallardo, Belinda; García-Berthou, Emili; Boix, Dani; Arias, Andrés; Cuesta, Jose A.; Medina, Leopoldo; Almeida, David; Banha, Filipe; Barca, Sandra; Biurrun, Idoia; Cabezas, M. Pilar; Calero, Sara; Campos, Juan A.; Capdevila-Argüelles, Laura; Capinha, César; Casals, Frederic; Clavero, Miguel; Encarnação, João; Fernández-Delgado, Carlos; Franco, Javier; Guillén, Antonio; Hermoso, Virgilio; Machordom, Annie; Martelo, Joana; Mellado-Díaz, Andrés; Morcillo, Felipe; Oscoz, Javier; Perdices, Anabel; Pou-Rovira, Quim; Rodríguez-Merino, Argantonio; Ros, Macarena; Ruiz-Navarro, Ana; Sánchez, Marta I.; Sánchez-Fernández, David; Sánchez-González, Jorge R.; Sánchez-Gullón, Enrique; Teodósio, M. Alexandra; Torralva, Mar; Vieira-Lanero, Rufino; Oliva-Paterna, Francisco J.As the number of introduced species keeps increasing unabatedly, identifying and prioritising current and potential Invasive Alien Species (IAS) has become essential to manage them. Horizon Scanning (HS), defined as an exploration of potential threats, is considered a fundamental component of IAS management. By combining scientific knowledge on taxa with expert opinion, we identified the most relevant aquatic IAS in the Iberian Peninsula, i.e., those with the greatest geographic extent (or probability of introduction), severe ecological, economic and human health impacts, greatest difficulty and acceptability of management. We highlighted the 126 most relevant IAS already present in Iberian inland waters (i.e., Concern list) and 89 with a high probability of being introduced in the near future (i.e., Alert list), of which 24 and 10 IAS, respectively, were considered as a management priority after receiving the highest scores in the expert assessment (i.e., top-ranked IAS). In both lists, aquatic IAS belonging to the four thematic groups (plants, freshwater invertebrates, estuarine invertebrates, and vertebrates) were identified as having been introduced through various pathways from different regions of the world and classified according to their main functional feeding groups. Also, the latest update of the list of IAS of Union concern pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 includes only 12 top-ranked IAS identified for the Iberian Peninsula, while the national lists incorporate the vast majority of them. This fact underlines the great importance of taxa prioritisation exercises at biogeographical scales as a step prior to risk analyses and their inclusion in national lists. This HS provides a robust assessment and a cost-effective strategy for decision-makers and stakeholders to prioritise the use of limited resources for IAS prevention and management. Although applied at a transnational level in a European biodiversity hotspot, this approach is designed for potential application at any geographical or administrative scale, including the continental one.
- Present habitat suitability for Anopheles atroparvus (Diptera, Culicidae) and its coincidence with former malaria areas in mainland PortugalPublication . Capinha, César; Gomes, Eduardo; Reis, Eusébio; Rocha, Jorge; Sousa, Carla A.; Do Rosário, V. E.; Almeida, A. PauloMalaria was a major health problem in the first half of the 20th Century in mainland Portugal. Nowadays, although the disease is no longer endemic, there is still the risk of future endemic infections due to the continuous occurrence of imported cases and the possibility of transmission in the country by Anopheles atroparvus Van Thiel, 1927. Since vector abundance constitute one of the foremost factors in malaria transmission, we have created several habitat suitability models to describe this vector species' current distribution. Three different correlative models; namely (i) a multilayer perceptron artificial neural network (MLP-ANN); (ii) binary logistic regression (BLR); and (iii) Mahalanobis distance were used to combine the species records with a set of five environmental predictors. Kappa coefficient values from k-fold cross-validation records showed that binary logistic regression produced the best predictions, while the other two models also produced acceptable results. Therefore, in order to reduce uncertainty, the three suitability models were combined. The resulting model identified high suitability for An. atroparvus in the majority of the country with exception of the northern and central coastal areas. Malaria distribution during the last endemic period in the country was also compared with the combined suitability model, and a high degree of spatial agreement was obtained (kappa = 0.62). It was concluded that habitat suitability for malaria vectors can constitute valuable information on the assessment of several spatial attributes of the disease. In addition, the results suggest that the spatial distribution of An. atroparvus in the country remains very similar to the one known about seven decades ago.
- Simulation models of dengue transmission in Funchal, Madeira Island: influence of seasonalityPublication . Salami, Donald; Capinha, César; Sousa, Carla Alexandra; Martins, Maria do Rosário Oliveira; Lord, CynthiaThe recent emergence and established presence of Aedes aegypti in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, Portugal, was responsible for the first autochthonous outbreak of dengue in Europe. The island has not reported any dengue cases since the outbreak in 2012. However, there is a high risk that an introduction of the virus would result in another autochthonous outbreak given the presence of the vector and permissive environmental conditions. Understanding the dynamics of a potential epidemic is critical for targeted local control strategies. Here, we adopt a deterministic model for the transmission of dengue in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The model integrates empirical and mechanistic parameters for virus transmission, under seasonally varying temperatures for Funchal, Madeira Island. We examine the epidemic dynamics as triggered by the arrival date of an infectious individual; the influence of seasonal temperature mean and variation on the epidemic dynamics; and performed a sensitivity analysis on the following quantities of interest: the epidemic peak size, time to peak, and the final epidemic size. Our results demonstrate the potential for summer and autumn season transmission of dengue, with the arrival date significantly affecting the distribution of the timing and peak size of the epidemic. Late-summer arrivals were more likely to produce large epidemics within a short peak time. Epidemics within this favorable period had an average of 11% of the susceptible population infected at the peak, at an average peak time of 95 days. We also demonstrated that seasonal temperature variation dramatically affects the epidemic dynamics, with warmer starting temperatures producing large epidemics with a short peak time and vice versa. Overall, our quantities of interest were most sensitive to variance in the date of arrival, seasonal temperature, transmission rates, mortality rate, and the mosquito population; the magnitude of sensitivity differs across quantities. Our model could serve as a useful guide in the development of effective local control and mitigation strategies for dengue fever in Madeira Island.