Combining ranger records and biogeographical models to identify the current and potential distribution of an expanding mesocarnivore in southern Europe.

Human-wildlife conflicts (HWC) are increasing and are potentially harmful to both people and wildlife. Understanding the current and potential distribution of wildlife species involved in HWC, such as carnivores, is essential for implementing management and conservation measures for such species. In this study, we assessed both the current distribution and potential distribution (forecast) of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) in the central part of the Iberian Peninsula.

Low signs of territorial behavior in the Eurasian otter during low-water conditions in a Mediterranean river.

The Eurasian otter Lutra lutra is a territorial semi-aquatic carnivore usually found at low densities in rivers, coastal areas, and wetlands. Its diet is based on prey associated with aquatic environments. Mediterranean rivers are highly seasonal, and suffer reduced flow during the summer, resulting in isolated river sections (pools) that sometimes can be left with a minimal amount of water, leading to concentrations of food for otters.

Mammal responses to global changes in human activity vary by trophic group and landscape.

Wildlife must adapt to human presence to survive in the Anthropocene, so it is critical to understand species responses to humans in different contexts. We used camera trapping as a lens to view mammal responses to changes in human activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across 163 species sampled in 102 projects around the world, changes in the amount and timing of animal activity varied widely.

Mycobacterium bovis in Egyptian mongoose, Spain.

Tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis and other related mycobacteria has been reported in a wide range of mammals worldwide. In the case of the Herpestidae family, Mycobacterium mungi and M. bovis, both belonging to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex, have been reported in banded mongooses (Mungos mungo) in Africa and in Egyptian mongooses (Herpestes ichneumon) in Portugal, respectively.

Occupancy data improves parameter precision in spatial capture-recapture models.

Population size is one of the basic demographic parameters for species management and conservation. Among different estimation methods, spatially explicit capture-recapture (SCR) models allow the estimation of population density in a framework that has been greatly developed in recent years. The use of automated detection devices, such as camera traps, has impressively extended SCR studies for individually identifiable species.

The effectiveness of conditioned aversion in wolves: Insights from experimental tests.

It has been suggested that conditioned food aversion (CFA) could be a potential non-lethal intervention by which to deter attacks on livestock by large carnivores. CFA occurs when an animal associates the characteristics of a food with an illness, thus rejecting that food in subsequent encounters. CFA can be associated with an artificial odour during conditioning.

Protein metabolism and physical fitness are physiological determinants of body condition in Southern European carnivores.

The physiological significance of biometric body condition indices (bBCI) is poorly understood. We hypothesized that bBCI are composite metrics of nutritional physiology, physical fitness and health. To test this hypothesis, we first compared the performance of eight bBCI, using 434 Southern European carnivores from six species as a model system; and then identified, by non-destructive methods, the hematology and serum biochemistry correlates of three selected bBCI.

Ecological traits and the spatial structure of competitive coexistence among carnivores.

Competition is a widespread interaction among carnivores, ultimately manifested through one or more dimensions of the species' ecological niche. One of the most explicit manifestations of competitive interactions regards spatial displacement. Its interpretation under a theoretical context provides an important tool to deepen our understanding of biological systems and communities, but also for wildlife management and conservation.

Selection of new chemicals to be used in conditioned aversion for non-lethal predation control.

Globally, native predators and scavengers are threatened through the incidence of illegal poisoning due to increasing human-wildlife conflicts. The use of conditioned taste aversion (CTA) may mitigate such conflicts. CTA is a robust learning paradigm that occurs when animals associate a food with a discomfort induced by a chemical, thereby avoiding that food in subsequent encounters.

Conditioned food aversion in domestic dogs induced by thiram.

Background: The conflict between predators and humans for resources such as game species or livestock is an ancient issue, and it is especially sharp in the case of medium-large wild canids. In order to manage this conflict, lethal control methods are often used, which can sometimes be illegal, such as poisoning. As an alternative, conditioned food aversion (CFA) is a non-lethal method to reduce predation in which animals learn to avoid a given food due to the adverse effects caused by the ingestion of an undetectable chemical compound added to this food.

Generalized spatial mark-resight models with incomplete identification: An application to red fox density estimates.

The estimation of abundance of wildlife populations is an essential part of ecological research and monitoring. Spatially explicit capture-recapture (SCR) models are widely used for abundance and density estimation, frequently through individual identification of target species using camera-trap sampling.Generalized spatial mark-resight (Gen-SMR) is a recently developed SCR extension that allows for abundance estimation when only a subset of the population is recognizable by artificial or natural marks.

Females know better: Sex-biased habitat selection by the European wildcat.

The interactions between animals and their environment vary across species, regions, but also with gender. Sex-specific relations between individuals and the ecosystem may entail different behavioral choices and be expressed through different patterns of habitat use. Regardless, only rarely sex-specific traits are addressed in ecological modeling approaches.

Revisiting food-based models of territoriality in solitary predators.

Food availability is considered a major factor determining spacing behaviour in territorial species, especially for females. Theoretically, spatial overlap (considered the opposite of territoriality) and food availability are related in a nonlinear manner (hypothesized inverted-U function), with high overlap levels at the extremes of a food availability gradient and low overlap at intermediate levels of this gradient. Similar patterns are expected for encounter frequencies owing to its expected correlation with spatial overlap.

Field experimental vaccination campaigns against myxomatosis and their effectiveness in the wild.

We conducted a field experiment in SW Spain to test the efficacy of a myxomatosis vaccine, a viral disease strongly affecting wild rabbit populations, by assessing individual survival and antibody seroprevalence of monthly live-trapped, vaccinated (N=466) and unvaccinated (N=558) juvenile wild rabbits, between April and October 2007. Eight percent of all juveniles caught from April to June showed maternal antibodies against myxomatosis, whereas all animals were seropositive to the disease after the outbreak. Juveniles vaccinated before the outbreak showed 17% higher survival (31% vs.

The impact of native competitors on an alien invasive: temporal niche shifts to avoid interspecific aggression?

The American mink, Neovison vison, is an established, alien invasive species in the United Kingdom that originally colonized the country at a time when two native mustelids (otters, Lutra lutra, and polecats, Mustela putorius) were largely absent. Both of these species are now recovering their populations nationally. We compared the relative abundance and the behavior of mink in the 1990s and in the 2000s in an area of southern England where both otters and polecats were absent in the 1990s but reappeared in the intervening years.

Key role of European rabbits in the conservation of the Western Mediterranean basin hotspot.

The Mediterranean Basin is a global hotspot of biodiversity. Hotspots are said to be experiencing a major loss of habitat, but an added risk could be the decline of some species having a special role in ecological relationships of the system. We reviewed the role of European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) as a keystone species in the Iberian Peninsula portion of the Mediterranean hotspot.

Exposure to disease agents in the endangered Iberian lynx ().

The Iberian lynx () is the most endangered felid species in the world. Lynx populations have decreased dramatically in size and distribution in the last four decades, thus becoming increasingly vulnerable to catastrophic events such as epizooties. From 1989 to 2000, serum samples were obtained from 48 free-ranging lynx captured in the Doñana National Park (DNP,  = 31) and mountains of Sierra Morena (SM, n = 17) in southern Spain.

Effects of matrix heterogeneity on animal dispersal: from individual behavior to metapopulation-level parameters.

Mounting theoretical and empirical evidence shows that matrix heterogeneity may have contrasting effects on metapopulation dynamics by contributing to patch isolation in nontrivial ways. We analyze the movement properties during interpatch dispersal in a metapopulation of Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). On a daily temporal scale, lynx habitat selection defines two types of matrix habitats where individuals may move: open and dispersal habitats (avoided and used as available, respectively).