The common vampire bat Desmodus rotundus is a hematophagous mammal with a wide distribution range that extends from northern Mexico to northern Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. Despite numerous population-genetics studies of this species throughout its distribution range, data for Colombia are limited, no studies have comprehensively synthesized and dated the diversification process across its entire distribution. This study yielded a dataset of cytochrome b (Cytb) sequences from the western slope of the Central Cordillera and the western slopes of the Western Cordillera (mountain range) in Central Colombia. We integrated these sequences with those from Central and South America available in GenBank and reconstructed the phylogeography of the common vampire bat across its range. We observed three distinct haplotypes in Colombia, indicating evidence of ongoing connectivity between populations separated by the Western Cordillera. At the continental level, we identified seven monophyletic clades, highlighting the separation of the trans-Andean clades of Peru and southwestern Brazil from the rest, as well as the dispersal of species from south to north. In contrast to the Colombian Western Cordillera, we conclude that the Peruvian Andes constitute a geographical barrier between cis- and trans-Andean populations of D. rotundus. Furthermore, the phylogeography of D. rotundus was shaped by a close historical relationship between northwestern South America and Central America, with additional separations during the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition.
Understanding species distributions and the factors shaping them is an important topic in ecology and conservation. This study explores the spatial distribution and habitat requirements of the desert lizard Uromastyx acanthinura in desert and arid areas of southern Tunisia. From February 2016 to November 2018, repeated field surveys were conducted across 50 sampling sites to locate individuals and active burrows of U. acanthinura. For each plot, microhabitat characteristics (altitude, burrow entrance direction, mountain slopes orientation, distance to nearest road, agricultural areas, and urban areas) were recorded. The abundance of predators such as diurnal carnivores (foxes and wolves) and prey (insects), as well as plant abundance, was also noted. Generalized linear mixed models were used to identify the main drivers of U. acanthinura occurrence in Tunisia. Our results indicate that lizard occurrence is positively associated with rocky habitats located near agricultural and urban areas, and with mountain slopes oriented between southwest and southeast exposures. In addition, food availability played a key role, as both plant and insect abundance were significantly higher in occupied plots and positively correlated, indicating that the species is more likely to occur in sites with higher resource availability. These findings further indicate that habitats located near agricultural and urban areas may provide enhanced foraging opportunities for the species.
The green macaw (Ara militaris), a Neotropical species threatened by illegal trade and habitat loss, is often held in rescue centers where its geographic origin and sex are frequently unknown. In this study, molecular tools (COI gene and sex markers) were used on 70 individuals from five centers in Mexico. Phylogenetic and haplotype analyses identified three main lineages and five regionally structured haplotypes, consistent with previously defined evolutionary units. Sex was determined in 75.7% of individuals, with greater success using blood samples. These results emphasize the importance of identifying origin and sex to prevent hybridization, improve captive breeding efforts, and support genetically informed conservation and reintroduction strategies.
Studies of primate behavior have focused on animals independently of their interactions with their environment, ignoring critically important interactions with plants other than feeding. Black howler monkeys Alouatta pigra spend up to 60% of their diurnal time resting, but structure and mechanisms of monkey-plant interactions associated with resting still need to be better understood. In this study, we assessed how plant characteristics influence howler monkeys’ interactions with plants they use for feeding and diurnal resting over three seasons in southeast Mexico. Inter-individual preferences and plant feeding patterns were also examined, and we conducted phenological surveys to determine how availability influences feeding interactions. We found a high diversity of monkey-plant interactions, a nested network (when specialists can only interact with subset of the species generalists interact with) pattern invariant of seasonality, and a higher level of specialization for feeding networks compared to diurnal resting networks. We observed that monkeys preferred large trees for diurnal resting sites and repeatedly selected the same species, resulting in less specialization for resting than feeding. By using an interaction network approach, our study represents a valuable conservation tool for this endangered primate because they highlight the importance of identifying essential species for feeding and diurnal resting.
Biodiversity is dynamic, and faunistics and taxonomy are ever-evolving fields that need constant update and refinement. Thus, species lists and distribution maps may need improvement even for well-studied countries. The current view is that Palaeophilotes panoptes is absent from southern France, where only P. baton occurs. Using COI mitochondrial genetic sequences, wing morphology, phenology, and conservatively reassigned citizen-science records, we document the presence of P. panoptes in a wide area in southeastern Occitanie and delineate a largely parapatric contact with P. baton with narrow contact zones. COI data recover three geographically structured lineages (two within P. baton and one corresponding to P. panoptes). Phenology indicates strict univoltinism in P. panoptes versus a partial second generation in P. baton at low elevation, while morphology shows consistent population-level trends but no unambiguously diagnostic individual characters. The observed genetic differentiation, spatial distribution and phenological patterns seem to rely on the host-plant specialization of P. panoptes on Thymus vulgaris, while P. baton is more plastic in its trophic preferences.
Insectivorous bats play an important ecological role in regulating insect populations and contributing to nutrient cycling. Although seasonal dietary shifts have been investigated in bats on guano farms, the diet of the Asiatic lesser yellow house bat, Scotophilus kuhlii, remains poorly understood in this context. This study examined seasonal and spatial variations in the diet of S. kuhlii across three artificial guano farms in the provinces of Kandal, Kampong Cham, and Pursat, in Cambodia. We analysed 240 faecal samples collected during dry and wet seasons and identified 18 prey types representing 13 insect families from seven orders, as well as Acari. Scarabaeidae and Lygaeidae were the primary prey during the dry season, whereas Blattellidae dominated the diet in the wet season. Dietary composition was broadly similar among guano farms in the dry season but differed significantly among sites in the wet season. Seasonal dietary shifts were largely driven by nine insect groups: Blattellidae, Lygaeidae, Formicidae, Scolytinae, unclassified Coleoptera, Pentatomidae, Scarabaeidae, Hydrophilidae, and Delphacidae. Our findings indicated that S. kuhlii is an opportunistic predator, with dietary shifts influenced by both seasonal change and spatial differences in prey available among sampling sites. The study highlights the ecological importance of insectivorous bats in guano farming systems, where they contribute not only to organic fertilizer production but also to sustained regulation of insect populations in surrounding agricultural landscapes.
Hawksbill and loggerhead sea turtles form interspecific hybrids on the Brazilian beaches much more frequently than in any other part of the world. We have characterised the turtle population of the Abrolhos Archipelago (Brazil), by comparing the genetic profiles of hatchlings to assess their introgression level and the reproductive preference of parental females. We genotyped four species-specific nuclear markers in sea turtle hatchlings, including multiple siblings from the same nests. Our data revealed multiple paternity mates and backcrosses between hybrids and both parental species. We also show compelling evidence supporting the hypothesis that male hybrids can generate descendants. It also highlights the unpredictable mating behaviour of sea turtle hybrids, which can reproduce with either hybrids or parental species.
Incipient biotic homogenization of desert rodents driven by a late response to precipitation. Climate variability can drive biotic homogenization in arid ecosystems. Using 15 years of rodent monitoring in a grassland and a shrubland in the Chihuahuan Desert, we 1) evaluated the change in temporal (3-diversity, and 2) analyzed the relationship between (3-diversity of rodent communities and climatic conditions. The (3-diversity was calculated using the total dissimilarity partitioning method and we performed multiple regression on distance matrices. The results showed a slight decrease in the temporal beta diversity of rodents in the grassland, this could indicate the beginning of biotic homogenization. Changes in rodent (3-diversity were related to changes in the difference in precipitation. Long-term temporal studies are therefore required to fully understand the relationships between climate and community dynamics in arid zones.
Age-specific survival is a fundamental demographic parameter shaping population dynamics, particularly in species with medium to slow life histories. Despite increasing conservation concern for aerial insectivores, survival estimates remain scarce for many species, including the red-rumped swallow Cecropis daurica. Using capture-mark-recapture data collected between 2016 and 2022 in northeastern Iberia, where the species is actively colonising motorway infrastructures, we provide the first estimates of juvenile and adult apparent survival for this species. Multi-event Cormack-Jolly-Seber models revealed a marked difference between age classes: annual apparent survival was 0.068 (SE = 0.034) for juveniles and 0.278 (SE = 0.081) for adults. Recapture probability was moderate (p = 0.579, SE = 0.162), and models indicated stronger support for age-structured survival over constant survival. As expected, survival was much lower for the early post-fledging stage than for adults in a population undergoing recent range expansion. We found no statistically significant differences in adult survival for males and females. In a comparative context, survival values for adults of C. daurica were among the lowest reported for hirundinids, especially considering that survival tends to increase with species’ body size. Our study establishes a demographic baseline for C. daurica, providing parameters essential for predictive population models and for comparative analyses across aerial insectivores, many of which are undergoing widespread declines.
Measuring biodiversity is more important than ever due to the ongoing global mass extinction event, often done by counting species. A species number cannot fully reflect the structure of diversity within an ecosystem. In Coleoptera, the group of beetles, the larvae strongly differ morphologically and ecologically from their corresponding adults. We evaluate the morphological diversity of adult and larval beetles from their body shape in comparison to adult and immature true bugs (Heteroptera). The latter have about 10% of the species richness of beetles and have immatures which are morphologically similar to the corresponding adults. With an elliptic Fourier analysis of the overall body shape, we reconstructed and compared the morphospaces occupied by adult and larval beetles and adult and immature true bugs. The morphological diversity of immature beetles is significantly larger than that of adult beetles, within true bugs it is comparably small. Such potentially ecologically relevant differences can hence be detected by using quantitative morphology.
The southern brown shrimp Farfantepenaeus subtilis is a commercially important species along the Atlantic coast of Central and South America. This study presents the first panel of microsatellite markers developed through a double-enrichment hybridization procedure. Twenty loci were isolated and characterized from samples collected in shallow coastal waters off Ceará (Brazil). No linkage disequilibrium was detected. Alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 19. Mean observed and expected heterozygosity were 0.655 and 0.790, respectively. Thirteen loci conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Polymorphic information content ranged from 0.478 to 0.919. These microsatellites are useful for exploring fine-scale genetic structure and connectivity among populations.
Agricultural intensification, particularly shifts from traditional rainfed to irrigated crops, profoundly alters habitats and biodiversity. In this work, we examined the effect of such transformations on a wintering passerine assemblage in a Mediterranean agro-forestry mosaic in Spain. Sampling was conducted in a reed bed area used as a roosting site for several passerine species that depend on surrounding cropland to feed, during winters 2004/05-2006/07 (pre-irrigation) and 2021/22-2023/24 (post-irrigation). Findings reveal a significant reduction in species richness (from 24 to 12 species) as confirmed by rarefaction analyses. Assemblage composition shifted markedly, with specialist seed-eaters declining, whilst wetland-adapted species increased. Such result aligns with the expected ecological impact of irrigation, which simplifies habitats and favors generalist species, underscoring the biodiversity impact of irrigation policies. Such transformation contributes to deteriorating Spain’s role as a critical wintering ground for several European species. Our findings appeal to an urgent need for adaptive management policies to mitigate biodiversity loss in Mediterranean agro-ecosystems under agricultural intensification. Future research should explore broader regional impacts and the interplay of climate change with irrigation-driven biodiversity shifts.
Sympatrically distributed species provide natural model systems for investigating inter-host differences in parasitic infections. In this study, 40 individuals (20♂♂, 20♀♀) of Podarcis muralis from two different populations (sympatric and allopatric) were compared to examine the effects of population type on intraerythrocytic parasite prevalence and intensity, body condition (Scaled Mass Index), and H/L ratios. Statistically significant differences in body condition between males and females were found in both populations through intra-population comparisons. When sympatric and allopatric populations were compared, parasite intensity differed significantly in both sexes. However, a statistically significant difference in body condition was detected only in females. According to the results, parasite intensity was higher in the sympatric population, while sympatric females exhibited higher body condition values compared to allopatric females. Additionally, parasite intensity was positively correlated with body size in males from both populations, and a strong negative correlation between body condition and H/L ratio was observed in sympatric females. Our findings indicate that parasite intensity is associated with population type, whereas body condition is related to sex.
The study of bird-window collisions has expanded significantly due to the urgent need for data to address this conservation challenge. As a multifactorial issue, bird-window collisions are influenced by a range of factors, complicating efforts to identify a clear solution. This systematic review analyzes 139 studies published over the past century across multiple languages and regions, making it the most comprehensive review of its kind to date. We categorized findings into six key themes: (i) urban characteristics, (ii) environmental traits, (iii) avian traits, (iv) field experiment results, (v) collision magnitude, and (vi) broader implications and applications. The review highlights critical factors such as window area, surrounding vegetation, and the higher vulnerability of migratory species, along with the roles of behavior, architecture, seasonality, and weather. We also assess the effectiveness of collision deterrents and the impacts of scavenger removal experiments. These insights aim to assist stakeholders in understanding the issue, implementing effective deterrent strategies, and emphasizing the need for targeted research in understudied regions to support safer urban planning and global bird conservation initiatives.
House sparrows, native to the Middle and Near East, have expanded –naturally or with human assistance– to nearly every continent except Antarctica. As a highly anthropodependent species, they have been extensively studied, with over 7,000 research articles published worldwide. In the Iberian Peninsula, house sparrows have long been a familiar presence in cities and farmlands. However, there is a lack of integrative research that synthesizes the existing scientific knowledge on this species. Our review focuses on existing literature to identify spatio-temporal patterns, highlight knowledge gaps, and guide future directions on the research focused on the species. By the use of bibliometric and systematic search approaches, we analyzed 114 peer-reviewed articles conducted in the Iberian Peninsula and focused on house sparrows. Research in this region on this species began in the mid 1980s. Studies have focused mostly on its health (e.g., parasitism, infection rates, physiology), biology (e.g., reproduction, morphology, hybridization, adaptability), behavior (e.g., boldness, social signaling, dominance, infanticide, intraspecific brood parasitism, egg rejection), and ecology (e.g., population trends, habitat selection, abundance, density). Most studies, led by long-standing research groups, have been concentrated in Spain: Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Huelva, and Badajoz, dominating the research of these topics, while only 5 studies were indentified for Portugal. Besides the geographic bias, we identified critical knowledge gaps, particularly regarding the species’ conservation. Future research may benefit from prioritizing large-scale population studies, distinguish urban and non-urban trends, enhance knowledge of other native sparrows for comparative analyses, and foster collaboration to develop standardized census methods to gain a comprehensive picture of the species' status.
Bird-window collisions: An attempt to inspire and encourage more research and advocacy. Clear and reflective sheet glass and plastic in the form of windows are a lethal threat to birds wherever birds and windows coexist. Accounting for birds that survive but later succumb after treatment for their injuries, the most recent estimate of the annual toll windows exact on birds is 1.28 to 3.46 billion in the United States alone, billions more worldwide. Currently most documentation of window fatalities is from North America, but reports of window casualties are increasing markedly around the globe. Uniformly covering existing or new windows with pattern elements separated minimally by 4 inches (10 cm) in vertical columns or by 2 inches (5 cm) in horizontal rows (2 x 4 Rule) will reduce the risk of a bird strike by 95-100 %. Several effective methods are currently available to retrofit existing and novel windows used in remodeling and new construction that transform windows into barriers that birds see and avoid. Tunnel testing to evaluate the effectiveness of bird-window collision deterrent methods has value in testing several prospective techniques in a short period of time, but its limitations make it unsuitable as a standard experimental assessment protocol. Field experiments that provide the most objective data on how a strike deterrent will perform when installed in a human structure is required as a final validating measure of window strike prevention effectiveness. Legislation to protect birds from windows has the most universal promise, but confusion and objection from special interest groups among building professionals make such protection currently unlikely. Relying on building industry professionals to voluntarily act to protect birds from windows in the buildings they construct has only rarely occurred and is not expected to be meaningfully successful for protecting birds everywhere. Several specific research needs are recommended, among others: globally documenting the species killed and injured, studying the details of behavior and the features associated with strikes, their resultant injuries, and the use of the latest methods to reveal the dynamic outcomes for victims. The use of all manner of media to educate, stimulate additional research, and advocacy to protect innocent birds that have no voice or means to protect themselves from this invisible threat is highly recommended. Before it is too late for any individual species or birds in general, collaboration between social and natural scientists is recommended and will be needed to capture a critical mass of the general public to in turn convince all principals capable of acting to save birds from windows.
In this study, we investigated the biological and ecological traits influencing the survival of birds involved in window collisions in the Neotropical region. Using global bird-trait and regional bird-window collision databases, we aimed to identify morphological and life-history characteristics that affect a species’ likelihood of surviving such collisions. While much of the existing literature on bird-window collisions comes from studies in the United States and Europe, our focus was on Neotropical species. Our analysis tested the applicability of previously identified variables in this region, considering factors such as ecological traits. Some species traits, such as larger body size, may enhance survival, while others, like lifestyle, also influence outcomes. We found that traits such as beak length, tarsus length, and wing length were significantly associated with survival, although the overall explanatory power of these traits was low. Larger birds, which are more resilient to collisions, generally suffer more severe injuries. We also observed that birds with an aerial lifestyle were more likely to survive than terrestrial species, although this trend was weak. Despite these findings, no robust relationship emerged between specific morphological traits and immediate survival after collisions. Our results suggest that bird-window collisions are largely random events, influenced by factors like flight speed, trajectory, and habitat. Further research is needed to better understand the dynamics of survival following bird-window collisions.
Bird-window collisions cause the death of billions of birds worldwide, yet few studies exist on this problem in Tropical America. This study, based on the collaborative work of hundreds of volunteers from 2013 to 2024, documents in detail the bird species that collide with windows in Costa Rica in order to establish fundamental baseline information for future research and to recommend conservation actions. A total of 1,506 bird collision reports were documented from the country’s seven provinces. A total of 296 species from 47 families and 17 orders were counted. The most frequently reported species was Catharus ustulatus (Swainson’s thrush) (n = 142), and the three most frequently reported families were Turdidae, Trochilidae, and Parulidae. Eighty percent of the recorded species were resident (250, n = 1006), compared to latitudinal migrants (59, n = 466). Resident species were present in greater numbers in the non-urban areas of Monteverde, Sarapiquí, San Gerardo de Dota, and San Vito de Coto Brus than in the urban area of San José. Bird-window collisions affect a high number of bird species in Costa Rica, including endemic and endangered species. We recommend using proven effective methods to prevent collisions and the development of legislation and building regulations to protect wild birds.
Signals of a silent death: direct and indirect evidence of bird-window collisions in a Neotropical university campus. Window collisions are one of the main bird mortality causes, with estimates mainly based on North American studies. Here, we document bird collisions on a university campus of Medellin (Colombia), based on complementary methods: systematic and non-systematic approaches, including both direct (e.g., bird carcass) and indirect (e.g., bird silhouette) evidence. Collision rates varies across methods, ranging from 0.8 to 58 collisions/buildings/year, with 28 bird species identified (37 % of campus species). Most evidence was bird silhouettes, bodily fluids, and feathers. We highlight the importance of combining methods, adopting standardized protocols, and adjusting estimates considering the high bird carcass loss rates.
