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Rice fields play a complementary role within the landscape mosaic supporting structurally and functionally distinct waterbird communities

Publication . Paulino, João; Granadeiro, José Pedro; Matos, Paula; Catry, Teresa

This study aims to understand how the structure and functions of waterbird communities in rice fields compare to those in other habitats within an agricultural landscape encompassing five habitats: saltpans, lakes, intertidal areas, pastures and rice fields. Over 2 years, waterbird counts were conducted every 15 days in these habitats. Non-metric multidimensional scaling was used to compare the composition and functional structure of the waterbird communities. Differences in both metrics were found among habitats throughout the year. These appear to be driven by spatial (presence of permanent water cover) and temporal gradients (yearly seasonality). Rice fields occupy a central position within the gradients. The composition and functional structure of waterbird communities in rice fields undergo significant changes throughout the year associated with the annual rice production cycle. Other habitats maintain more consistent communities, reflecting their more stable environmental conditions. Rice fields play a complementary role to other habitats in the landscape, likely acting as a buffer, partially mitigating the loss of some waterbird species amid the global decline of natural wetlands.

2024Journal article

Open access

Island hitchhikers: pathogen agents of Madeira and Azores ticks

Publication . Rosa, Fernanda; Silva, Carla; Rodrigues, Ricardo; Esteves‑Vieira, Mariana; Barbosa, Inês; Rosa, Sara; Dias, Deodália; Pina‑Martins, Francisco

Ticks are blood-sucking arthropods that can transmit pathogens to their host. As insular ecosystems can enhance tick-host interactions, this study aimed to understand tick diversity, pathogen presence, and their respective associations in the Azores and Madeira archipelagos. Unfed or partially engorged ticks (n = 120) were collected from 58 cats and dogs in the Azores (n = 41 specimens) and Madeira (n = 79 specimens) from November 2018 to March 2019. Vector identification was based on morphology and molecular criteria. For pathogen sequencing, 18S gene fragment for Babesia/Hepatozoon and gltA for Rickettsia were performed. Sequence data was explored using BLAST and BLAST and phylogenetic inference tools. In the Azores, Ixodes hexagonus, I. ventalloi, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (n = 6; 14.6%, n = 6; 14.6%, and n = 29; 70.7% respec- tively) were found and in Madeira I. ricinus and R. sanguineus (n = 78, 98.7%; and n = 1, 1.3%; respectively) were identified. Tick COI markers confirmed species highlighting confirmation of R. sanguineus s.s. and genotype A of I. ventalloi. In the Azores Islands, the detected Rickettsia massiliae was linked to R. sanguineus (dogs and cats) and I. hexagonus (dogs), and in Madeira Island, R. monacensis (dogs) and Hepatozoon silvestris (cats) were found associated with I. ricinus. Further, I. ventalloi presence in the Azores expands west its known range, and Hepatozoon silvestris in Madeira may suggest that I. ricinus could have a role as a potential vector. Finally, as R. massiliae and R. monacensis presence underlines public health risks, surveillance by health authorities is crucial as pathogen-tick interactions may drive disease spread, therefore monitor- ing remains pivotal for disease prevention.

2024-07Journal article

Open access

Risk response towards roads is consistent across multiple species in a temperate forest ecosystem

Publication . Bastianelli, Matteo Luca; Hoermann, Christian von; Kirchner, Katrin; Signer, Johannes; Dupke, Claudia; Henrich, Maik; Wielgus, Elodie; Fiderer, Christian; Belotti, Elisa; Bufka, Luděk; Ciuti, Simone; Dormann, Carsten F.; Kuemmerle, Tobias; Storch, Ilse; Grilo, Clara; Heurich, Marco

Roads can have diverse impacts on wildlife species, and while some species may adapt effectively, others may not. Studying multiple species’ responses to the same infrastruc- ture in a given area can help understand this variation and reveal the effects of distur- bance on the ecology of wildlife communities. This study investigates the behavioural responses of four species with distinctive ecological and behavioural traits to roads in the protected Bohemian Forest Ecosystem in central Europe: European roe deer Capreolus capreolus, a solitary herbivore; red deer Cervus elaphus a gregarious herbivore; wild boar Sus scrofa, a gregarious omnivore and Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx, a solitary large carnivore. We used GPS data gathered from each species to study movement behav- iour and habitat selection in relation to roads using an integrated step selection analy- sis. For all species and sexes, we predicted increased movement rates in response to roads, selection of vegetation cover near roads and open areas after road crossings, and increased road avoidance during the day. We found remarkably similar behavioural responses towards roads across species. The behavioural adaptations to road exposure, such as increased movement rates and selection for vegetation cover, were analogous to responses to natural predation risk. Roads were more strongly avoided during daytime, when traffic volume was high. Road crossings were more frequent at twilight and at night within open areas offering food resources. Gregarious animals exposed to roads favoured stronger road avoidance over faster movements. Ungulates crossed roads more at twilight, coinciding with commuter traffic during winter. Despite differences in the ecology and behaviour of the four species, our results showed similar adaptations towards a common threat. The continuous expansion of the global transportation network should be accompanied by efforts to understand and minimise the impact of roads on wildlife to assist wildlife management and ensure conservation.

2024-07Journal article

Open access

Dietary metabarcoding reveals the simplification of bird–pest interaction networks across a gradient of agricultural cover

Publication . Silva, Luis P. da; Mata, Vanessa A.; Lopes, Pedro B.; Pinho, Catarina J.; Chaves, Catia; Correia, Edna; Pinto, Joana; Heleno, Ruben H.; Timoteo, Sergio; Beja, Pedro

Agriculture is vital for supporting human populations, but its intensification often leads to landscape homogenization and a decline in non-provisioning ecosystem services. Ecological intensification and multifunctional landscapes are suggested as nature- based alternatives to intensive agriculture, using ecological processes like natural pest regulation to maximize food production. Birds are recognized for their role in increas- ing crop yields by consuming invertebrate pests in several agroecosystems. However, the understanding of how bird species, their traits and agricultural land cover influ- ence the structure of bird–pest interactions remains limited. We sampled bird–pest interactions monthly for 1 year, at four sites within a multifunctional landscape, fol- lowing a gradient of increasing agricultural land cover. We analysed 2583 droppings of 55 bird species with DNA metabarcoding and detected 225 pest species in 1139 samples of 42 bird species. As expected, bird–pest interactions were highly variable across bird species. Dietary pest richness was lower in the fully agricultural site, while predation frequency remained consistent across the agricultural land cover gradient. Network analysis revealed a reduction in the complexity of bird–pest interactions as agricultural coverage increased. Bird species abundance affected the bird's contribu- tion to the network structure more than any of the bird traits analysed (weight, phe- nology, invertebrate frequency in diet and foraging strata), with more common birds being more important to network structure. Overall, our results show that increasing agricultural land cover increases the homogenization of bird–pest interactions. This shows the importance of maintaining natural patches within agricultural landscapes for biodiversity conservation and enhanced biocontrol.

2024-04Journal article

Open access