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ispartof: BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION vol:253 status: published

The 196 parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will soon agree to a post-2020 global framework for conserving the three elements of biodiversity (genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity) while ensuring sustainable development and benefit sharing. As the most significant global conservation policy mechanism, the new CBD framework has far-reaching consequences- it will guide conservation actions and reporting for each member country until 2050. In previous CBD strategies, as well as other major conservation policy mechanisms, targets and indicators for genetic diversity (variation at the DNA level within species, which facilitates species adaptation and ecosystem function) were undeveloped and focused on species of agricultural relevance. We assert that, to meet global conservation goals, genetic diversity within all species, not just domesticated species and their wild relatives, must be conserved and monitored using appropriate metrics. Building on suggestions in a recent Letter in Science (Laikre et al., 2020) we expand argumentation for three new, pragmatic genetic indicators and modifications to two current indicators for maintaining genetic diversity and adaptive capacity of all species, and provide guidance on their practical use. The indicators are: 1) the number of populations with effective population size above versus below 500, 2) the proportion of populations maintained within species, 3) the number of species and populations in which genetic diversity is monitored using DNA-based methods. We also present and discuss Goals and Action Targets for post-2020 biodiversity conservation which are connected to these indicators and underlying data. These pragmatic indicators and goals have utility beyond the CBD; they should benefit conservation and monitoring of genetic diversity via national and global policy for decades to come.\ud\ud Previous article in issue

Disentangling individual- and population-level variation in migratory movements is necessary for understanding migration at the species level. However, very few studies have analyzed these patterns across large portions of species' distributions. We compiled a large telemetry dataset on the globally endangered egyptian vulture neophron percnopterus (94 individuals, 188 completed migratory journeys), tracked across similar to 70% of the species' global range, to analyze spatial and temporal variability of migratory movements within and among individuals and populations. We found high migratory connectivity at large spatial scales (i.e., different subpopulations showed little overlap in wintering areas), but very diffuse migratory connectivity within subpopulations, with wintering ranges up to 4,000 km apart for birds breeding in the same region and each subpopulation visiting up to 28 countries (44 in total). Additionally, egyptian vultures exhibited a high level of variability at the subpopulation level and flexibility at the individual level in basic migration parameters. Subpopulations differed significantly in travel distance and straightness of migratory movements, while differences in migration speed and duration differed as much between seasons and among individuals within subpopulations as between subpopulations. The total distances of the migrations completed by individuals from the balkans and caucasus were up to twice as long and less direct than those in western europe, and consequently were longer in duration, despite faster migration speeds. These differences appear to be largely attributable to more numerous and wider geographic barriers (water bodies) along the eastern flyway. We also found that adult spring migrations to Western europe and the balkans were longer and slower than fall migrations. We encourage further research to assess the underlying mechanisms for these differences and the extent to which environmental change could affect egyptian vulture movement ecology and population trends., Horizon 2020; European Union (European Union); LIFE+ projects; Basque Government; AG Leventis Foundation; MAVA; National Science Foundation (NSF); Christensen Fund; National Geographic Society; Whitley Fund for Nature; State Nature Reserve Dagestanskiy; Russian Raptor Research and Conservation Network; DREAL Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Fondation d'entreprises Barjane; GREFA (Grupo para la Rehabilitacion de la Fauna Autoctona y su habitat)-Endangered Species Monitoring Project; Poison Sentinels Project of WWF/Spain; La Rioja Regional Government in La Rioja; Fundacion Hazi and Diputacion Foral de Gipuzkoa within the Interreg POCTEFA-ECOGYP project in Gipuzkoa; Faruk Yalcin Zoo

The periodicity of life-cycle events (phenology) modulates host availability to pathogens in a repeatable pattern. The effects of sexual differences in host phenology have been little explored in wildlife epidemiological studies. A recent series of ranavirosis outbreaks led to serious declines of Boscas’ newt populations at Serra da Estrela (Portugal). The peculiar phenology of this species, in which a large number of females remain in the aquatic habitat after the breeding season, turns it into a suitable model to test how sex-biased mortality can affect host population persistence in the context of infectious diseases. We investigated how the phenology of Bosca’s newt (i.e. biased number of females) mediated the impact of Ranavirus. We then evaluated the risk of extinction of the population under different scenarios of sex-biased mortality using a population viability analysis. Two newt populations (one subject to yearly outbreaks and a comparative site where outbreaks have not been recorded) were tracked for trends over time following emergence of ranaviral disease, allowing us to assess the differential impact of the disease on both sexes. In addition to a signi ficant decline in abundance of adult newts, our data suggest that phenology can affect disease dynamics indirectly, leading to reduction in females and a reversal of the sex ratio of the breeding population. Our models suggest that female-biased mortality does not exacerbate Ranavirus-driven population declines in the short-term, but is likely to have a deleterious impact during the recovery process once the lethal effect of disease is removed from the system., Research permits were provided by the Instituto da Conservacao da Natureza e das Florestas. G. M. Rosa held a doctoral scholarship (SFRH/BD/69194/2010) from Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT). J. Bosch was supported by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness grant CGL2015-70070-R.

Aim: Animal movement is an important determinant of individual survival, population dynamics and ecosystem structure and function. Nonetheless, it is still unclear how local movements are related to resource availability and the spatial arrangement of resources. Using resident bird species and migratory bird species outside the migratory period, we examined how the distribution of resources affects the movement patterns of both large terrestrial birds (e.g., raptors, bustards and hornbills) and waterbirds (e.g., cranes, storks, ducks, geese and flamingos). Location: Global. Time period: 2003–2015. Major taxa studied: Birds. Methods: We compiled GPS tracking data for 386 individuals across 36 bird species. We calculated the straight‐line distance between GPS locations of each individual at the 1‐hr and 10‐day time‐scales. For each individual and time‐scale, we calculated the median and 0.95 quantile of displacement. We used linear mixed‐effects models to examine the effect of the spatial arrangement of resources, measured as enhanced vegetation index homogeneity, on avian movements, while accounting for mean resource availability, body mass, diet, flight type, migratory status and taxonomy and spatial autocorrelation. Results: We found a significant effect of resource spatial arrangement at the 1‐hr and 10‐day time‐scales. On average, individual movements were seven times longer in environments with homogeneously distributed resources compared with areas of low resource homogeneity. Contrary to previous work, we found no significant effect of resource availability, diet, flight type, migratory status or body mass on the non‐migratory movements of birds. Main conclusions: We suggest that longer movements in homogeneous environments might reflect the need for different habitat types associated with foraging and reproduction. This highlights the importance of landscape complementarity, where habitat patches within a landscape include a range of different, yet complementary resources. As habitat homogenization increases, it might force birds to travel increasingly longer distances to meet their diverse needs. National Trust for Scotland; Penguin Foundation; The U.S. Department of Energy, Grant/Award Number: DE-EE0005362; Australian Research Council; NASA's Arctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE), Grant/Award Number: NNX15AV92A; Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, Grant/Award Number: VIDI 864.10.006; BCC; NSF Award, Grant/Award Number: ABI-1458748; U.K. Department for Energy and Climate Change; ‘Juan de la Cierva ‐ Incorporación’ postdoctoral grant; Irish Research Council, Grant/Award Number: GOIPD/2015/81 ; DECC; Goethe International Postdoctoral Programme, People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007‐2013/ under REA grant agreement no [291776]; German Aerospace Center Award, Grant/Award Number: 50JR1601; Scottish Natural Heritage; Solway Coast AONB Sustainable Development Fund; COWRIE Ltd.; Heritage Lottery Fund; Robert Bosch Stiftung; NSF Division of Biological Infrastructure Award, Grant/Award Number: 1564380; Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Grant/Award Number: IJCI-2014-19190; Energinet.dk; NASA Award, Grant/Award Number: NNX15AV92A; MAVA Foundation; Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Grant/Award Number: SFRH/BPD/118635/2016; National Key R&D Program of China, Grant/Award Number: 2016YFC0500406; Green Fund of the Greek Ministry of Environment

Glacial refugia protected and promoted biodiversity during the Pleistocene, not only at a broader scale, but also for many endemics that contracted and expanded their ranges within refugial areas. Understanding the evolutionary history of refugial endemics is especially important in the case of endangered species to recognize the origins of their genetic structure and thus produce better informed conservation practices. The Iberian Peninsula is an important European glacial refugium, rich in endemics of conservation concern, including small mammals, such as the Cabrera vole (Microtus cabrerae). This near-threatened rodent is characterized by an unusual suite of genetic, life history and ecological traits, being restricted to isolated geographic nuclei in fast-disappearing Mediterranean subhumid herbaceous habitats. To reconstruct the evolutionary history of the Cabrera vole, we studied sequence variation at mitochondrial, autosomal and sex-linked loci, using invasive and noninvasive samples. Despite low overall mitochondrial and nuclear nucleotide diversities, we observed two main well-supported mitochondrial lineages, west and east. Phylogeographic modelling in the context of the Cabrera vole's detailed fossil record supports a demographic scenario of isolation of two populations during the Last Glacial Maximum from a single focus in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula. In addition, our data suggest subsequent divergence within the east, and secondary contact and introgression of the expanding western population, during the late Holocene. This work emphasizes that refugial endemics may have a phylogeographic history as rich as that of more widespread species, and conservation of such endemics includes the preservation of that genetic legacy., The necessary trapping permits for this work were provided by the Portuguese Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas (319/2012/CAPT), Comunidad de Madrid (10/076408), Generalitat Valenciana (60/2014‐VS‐FAU14‐011), Gobierno de Aragon (550201.24.2013.1031; INAGA/500201/24/2014/337), Gobierno de Castilla‐la‐Mancha (DGMEN/SEN/avp_13_013_aut; DGMEN/SEN/avp_14_022_aut), Junta de Castilla y León (EP/AV/407/2012; EP/SA/71/2014) and Región de Murcia (AUF/2013/0038; AUF/2014/0010). This work was partially supported by Programa Operacional Potencial Humano—Quadro de Referência Estratégico Nacional funds from the European Social Funds and Portuguese Ministério da Educação e Ciência through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT SFRH/BD/77726/2011 PhD grant to S. Barbosa), by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through COMPETE programme and Portuguese national funds through FCT (PTDC/BIA‐BEC/105110/2008, PTDC/AAG‐MAA/3227/2012 and PTDC/BIA‐BIC/6582/2014 research projects). J. Paupério had a postdoctoral grant funded by the project ‘Genomics and Evolutionary Biology’ co‐financed by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme 2007/2013 (ON.2—O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework, through the ERDF.

The emergence of a novel infectious disease, chytridiomycosis, is now widely recognized as a major cause of amphibian declines and biodiversity loss across local and global scales. Amphibian mortalities caused by the pathogenic chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) were first recorded in Iberia, Europe over a decade ago. In August 2009, hundreds of post-metamorphic common midwife toads (Alytes obstetricans) were found dead in the water and margins of a pond in the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, north-central Portugal. Histological and genetic analyses confirmed their infection with Bd. Given the likelihood of a new outbreak of chytridiomycosis, we evaluated the possible impacts of this disease on populations of A.obstetricans within the Park by conducting field surveys during 2010 and 2011. We compared the present distribution and abundance of A.obstetricans with historical records, and quantified the present prevalence and intensity of infection by Bd. Results showed that (1) A.obstetricans disappeared from 67% of the 1×1km squares where it was recorded in the past, (2) breeding is currently limited to 16% of the confirmed breeding sites in the past, and that (3) larvae are now less abundant, as well as are highly infected by Bd in the remaining sites. These effects were most pronounced at altitudes above 1200m. Our findings suggest that an outbreak of chytridiomycosis is responsible for the rapid decline of A.obstetricans in Serra da Estrela, and we believe that urgent conservation measures are needed to prevent local extinction of the species. © 2012 The Zoological Society of London., Research was financed by the ERAnet Biodiversa project Risk Assessment of Chytridiomycosis to European Amphibian Populations, and permits were provided by the Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e Biodiversidade G.M. Rosa holds a doctoral scholarship from the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/69194/2010.

9 páginas, 4 figuras, 8 tablas., Wildfires are a recurrent disturbance in the Mediterranean Basin. However, managers from this region are confronted with a lack of information on the effects of fire on most woody species, which is required for defining sustainable forest management strategies. Following a large wildfire in central Portugal (2003), we surveyed the area during the first year and assessed the vegetative condition of 1040 burned trees from 11 different species. Among those trees, 755 individuals were selected and monitored annually for 4 years. At the end of the study, almost all the broadleaved trees survived, while most coniferous died. In spite of the low mortality observed in broadleaves, most were top-killed and regenerated only from basal resprouts, which implies a slow recovering process. Quercus suber, however, showed vigorous post-fire crown resprouting and was the most resilient species. We fitted logistic regression models to predict the probability of individual tree mortality and top-kill from fire injury indicators and tree characteristics. Besides the differences between the two main functional groups (coniferous, broadleaved), bole char height and crown volume scorched or consumed were important predictors of tree responses. Additionally, the main factor determining crown mortality on broadleaved species was bark thickness. The selected models performed well when tested with independent data obtained on four other wildfires. These models have several potential applications and can be useful to managers making pre-fire or post-fire decisions in mixed forest stands in the western Mediterranean Basin., The present study was funded by Fundacão para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (project POCI/AGR/61407/2004 and PhD grant SFRH/BD/65991/2009) and by FFP (project Recuperacão de áreas ardidas). We also would like to acknowledge the Tapada Nacional de Mafra administration and personnel (especially Ricardo Paiva and Pedro Carrilho) for their crucial logistic support, and to several people who supported field work during the 4-year study period, especially Tito Lopes, Amar Madoui, Ana Santos, Ricardo Silva, Rui Tujeira and Marjorie Kauffmann.

During the last decades wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) populations have been progressively declining in the Iberian Peninsula as a result of several factors, namely habitat deterioration. Hence, habitat management has become one of the most commonly used management techniques to restore wild rabbit populations. To test the efficacy of some of these measures (creation of pastures, opening firebreaks) in rabbit populations, two managed (M1 and M2) and two control areas (C1 and C2) were selected in the Portuguese Southwest (SW) Coast. In each study area, the influence of habitat management was tested assessing temporal changes in rabbit abundance obtained from pellet counts and in rabbits’ diet through microhistological analysis of fecal pellets. Rabbit densities were higher in managed than in control areas (mean annual values: M1–1.08 pellets/m2; M2–1.60 pellets/m2; C1–0.69 pellets/m2; C2–0.40 pellets/m2). In general, Gramineae was the most consumed plant group throughout the year and in all study areas. In control areas, consumption of alternative species with low nutritive value (e.g., Cistus ladanifer) was observed, especially in summer. Our data suggest a positive influence of habitat management on rabbit populations since in managed areas individuals presented an overall higher abundance and a more nutritive diet. In addition, there was no evidence that sown species were consumed in detriment to naturally occurring grasses, suggesting that in Mediterranean semi-arid regions clearing vegetation inside the scrubland might be sufficient to improve habitat conditions for rabbits., This work was partially funded by the Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e da Biodiversidade (ICNB, Portugal).

[Context]: The wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is a keystone species from the Iberian Peninsula that has suffered a strong decline in Spain during the past decades. Data on historical and current population trends in Portugal are virtually non-existent. [Aims]: To investigate changes in rabbit abundance at the national level so as to inform conservation status assessments, and to evaluate the usefulness of hunting bags as a rabbit abundance index. [Methods]: Field surveys based on latrine counts in linear transects were performed in two periods (1995 and 2002) to assess variation in population abundance. Hunting bags were also analysed for the same period to verify whether these data showed the same trends. General trends of rabbit abundance were estimated using TRIM software. [Key results]: Field data revealed that most of the sampling units across Portugal have low abundances, despite the observation of local high-density spots. A population reduction of 27% was estimated. Although some fluctuations were observed in hunting bags, global results obtained from these data suggest a slightly increasing trend in rabbit abundance. [Conclusions]: A discrepancy between field data and hunting statistics was observed. Because hunting bags may be influenced by sporadic management operations undertaken by hunters and the lack of systematic procedures in data collection, we believe that hunting statistics are not representative of real changes in rabbit populations. Thus, observed reduction in rabbit abundance estimated by field data, combined with the high initial morbidity due to rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) after 1988 and the potential for continuing decline in population trends because of other factors, led to an inference of a reduction of >30% in rabbit abundance in Portugal during the past decade. [Implications]: Taking into account the estimated reduction, the species' biology and socioeconomic implications, wild rabbit in Portugal was listed in 2005 in the Near Threatened category under IUCN criteria. Because of its ecological and economic importance, this classification prompted the definition of several conservation actions aimed at the recovery of the species in Portugal., Funding was provided by the Project ‘Documentos Estruturantes da Conservação da Natureza e da Biodiversidade, ICN 2001–2004. Linha de Accão 3, Determinação da abundância relativa das populações de coelho-bravo (Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus) em Portugal Continental’, of the EU Operational Environmental Program.