Studies on wolf movement have focused on the effects of different isolated drivers, such as intrinsic traits or prey abundance, in wild settings. Consequently, a holistic understanding of how several factors jointly shape daily movement patterns, particularly in heavily anthropized landscapes, remains lacking. To examine the joint effect of intrinsic factors, food availability, human disturbance and refuge cover, we equipped 26 individuals with GPS-GSM collars in NW Iberia, one of the most anthropized areas of their range. We obtained 54,721 locations and 4,560 daily trajectories from positions taken every 2 h. We calculated 3 daily movement metrics: daily distance, net displacement, and straightness index. Using Bayesian regression models and variance partitioning, we assessed the relative contribution of intrinsic traits and external factors related to food availability, anthropogenic disturbance and refuge cover on wolf movement. Wolves traveled a mean daily distance of 9 km, with a mean net displacement of 3.8 km. Anthropogenic disturbance, particularly the interaction between human population and settlement density, was the main driver of movement reduction. Paved road density had a negative effect on movement, but this was mitigated by the extent and cohesion of refuge cover. Wolves feeding on livestock traveled shorter daily distances and net displacements compared with those feeding on wild ungulates. Our findings highlight the importance of the interplay between trophic resources, anthropogenic disturbance, and refuge availability in shaping daily wolf movements. In human-dominated landscapes, wolves shorten their movements to minimize exposure and mortality risk where close food and refuge are available.

Wolves (Canis lupus) exhibit contrasted activity patterns along their distribution range. The shift from diurnal to nocturnal habits within and among populations appears to be primarily driven by localized levels of human activity, with ambivalent responses toward such disturbance reported among populations. Yet, the drivers and the underlying individual variability of temporal avoidance patterns toward human remains unexplored. We equipped 26 wolves with GPS-GSM collars, obtaining 54,721 locations. We used step lengths, turning angles, and accelerometer data from recorded locations to infer activity through hidden Markov models (Conners, M. G., T. Michelot, E. I. Heywood, et al. 2021. "Hidden Markov Models Identify Major Movement Modes in Accelerometer and Magnetometer Data From Four Albatross Species." Movement Ecology 9, no. 1: 1-16.). We further explored the probability of activity as a function of a set of proxies of anthropogenic disturbance at different spatial scales and its interaction with different periods of the day by fitting population-level and individual-based hidden Markov models. Wolves were predominantly active during dusk and night, yet variations in activity emerged among individuals across day periods. We did not find clear population-level effects of anthropogenic disturbance predictors, as these were masked by a wide range of individual-specific responses, which varied from positive to negative, with inter-individual variability in responses changing according to different predictors and periods of the day. Our results suggest a non-uniform strategy of wolves in adapting their behavior to human-dominated environments, further underscoring the role of vegetation patches acting as functional refuge cover for buffering the effects of anthropogenic disturbance and boosting the persistence of the species in human-dominated landscapes. This study, for the first time, reveals the individual variability in wolf responses to human disturbance. By fitting hidden Markov models to data from GPS-GSM collars deployed on 26 wolves, we found significant variation between individuals in their responses to different levels of anthropogenic pressure and across different times of day, highlighting a non-uniform strategy for coping with perturbations in human-dominated landscapes. Our findings underscore the diverse behavioral adjustments employed by wolves to persist in these environments and highlight the critical importance of vegetation patches serving as refuge cover.

The puma (Puma concolor Linnaeus, 1771) is the top predator with the widest distribution in America. Since the establishment of European settlers on the American continent, puma populations have experienced significant contractions and reductions in their original distribution. In Argentina, the management of the conflict between humans and pumas (direct persecution and habitat modification) focused on reduction or elimination methods, leading to a drastic contraction, even total eradication, of puma populations as seen in Patagonia and the eastern part of the country. Despite the lack of knowledge about puma population demographic trends, there are taxonomic issues that remain controversial and need to be resolved to implement appropriate management and conservation measures. Therefore, the aim of this study was to genetically characterize puma populations in the central-southern region of Argentina using two mitochondrial markers, evaluate their demographic history, compare our results at a macro-regional level, and discuss our findings in a conservation and management context. A total of 203 individuals were used, and a fragment of the control region and another of ND5 were sequenced. The genetic variability obtained was moderate. Substitution rates for each locus and the tMRCA were calculated from calibrated trees. In a concatenated tree, two main phylogenetic clades were identified (posterior probability = 1), although a reciprocal monophyly was not observed, with a divergence time of 228 thousand years and a 95% CI [117–363 thousand years]. When evaluating population structuring, three genetic clusters were found, one characteristic of the Patagonian region and the others in the central part of the country. Calculating the ФST values for pairs resulted in significant structuring between Patagonia and the rest of the populations, suggesting the arid diagonal as a possible barrier to gene flow. When evaluating the demographic history, neutrality tests would support a recent expansion in Patagonia. These findings are crucial in defining two distinct Management Units (MUs) in the southern part of puma distribution and providing valuable information for management and conservation measures for the species.

The aim of this study was to detect vector-borne pathogens (Anaplasmataceae family, Rickettsia genus, and Bartonella genus) in bats from Misiones (Argentina). Thirty-three specimens were captured over 8 days using mist nets. Twenty (60.6%) blood samples were positive (11/13 Artibeus lituratus, 4/10 Desmodus rotundus, 4/8 Carollia perspicillata, and 1/2 Myotis nigricans) by PCR for the gltA gene fragment of Bartonella. All samples were negative by PCR for the Anaplasmataceae family and Rickettsia genus. The phylogenetic analysis showed seven Bartonella genotypes. The three genotypes obtained from A. lituratus, 2 from C. perspicillata, and 1 from D. rotundus were related to Bartonella spp. from New World bats, while the sequence obtained from M. nigricans was related to Old World bats. We identified a considerable diversity of Bartonella genotypes in a small number of bats, thus further research is required to better understand the complex bat-pathogen interaction.

Piroplasmids are vector-borne hemoprotozoan parasites belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa that are of veterinary and medical importance. Wild carnivores are hosts for diverse piroplasmids, some of which are highly pathogenic for domestic dogs and cats. A large-scale survey including samples from 244 individuals belonging to eleven different species that were opportunistically obtained between 1993 and 2015 in four Autonomous Regions in Spain were tested for piroplasmid DNA with two different nested-PCR assays targeting the 18S rRNA gene. Sixty of 85 Eurasian badgers (Meles meles), 11 of 42 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), and 1 of 10 stone martens (Martes foina) resulted positive. In contrast, 46 wolves (Canis lupus), 26 genets (Genetta genetta), 22 pine martens (Martes martes), and other less-represented species were negative. Sequencing revealed that all foxes and one badger were parasitized by Babesia vulpes, and the remaining badgers and the stone marten by Babesia sp. badger type A (BBTA). The prevalence of BBTA in Catalonian badgers was significantly lower in Alpine than in Continental and Mediterranean climates. This study confirms that badgers and ref foxes constitute the natural hosts of BBTA and B. vulpes, respectively, with occasional spillovers to other species.

The divergence between the Andean fox ( Lycalopex culpaeus ) and the South American gray fox ( L. griseus ) represents a recent speciation event in South America. These taxa are partially sympatric and share biological, morphological, and ecological traits. Previous studies failed to recover reciprocal monophyly, suggesting the occurrence of introgression or incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). Here, we obtained mitochondrial and nuclear markers for 140 L. culpaeus and 134 L. griseus from the Southern Cone of South America to assess their inter and intraspecific divergence. We recovered reciprocal monophyly of L. culpaeus and L. griseus , with mild signatures of introgression or ILS. Therefore, taxonomic misidentification and the use of a limited number of markers may be the main reason behind the past debate about the delimitation of both species. Two main divergent clades were found in L. culpaeus with a phylogeographical boundary in the High Plateau of northeastern Chile. The southern clade along with three northern sub-clades corresponded to four morphological subspecies. Less genetic differentiation was found in L. griseus with a spatial population structure that does not support the occurrence of distinct subspecies. The results found in this study suggest the extant evolutionary significant units that need to be considered for biological conservation management of these species.

Agricultural expansion and intensification are major drivers of global change. Quantifying the importance of different processes governing the assembly of local communities in agroecosystems is essential to guide the conservation effort allocated to enhancing habitat connectivity, improving habitat quality or managing species interactions. We used multiple detection methods to record the occurrence of medium-sized and large-sized mammals in three managed landscapes of a heterogeneous Mediterranean region. Then we used a joint species distribution model to evaluate the relative influence of dispersal limitation, environmental filtering, and interspecific interactions on the local assembly of mammal communities in 4-km2 plots. The partitioning of the explained variation in species occurrence was attributed on average 99% to environmental filters and 1% to dispersal filters. No role was attributed to biotic filters, in agreement with the scarce support for strong competition or other negative interactions found after a literature review. Four principal environmental factors explained on average 63% of variance in species occurrence and operated mainly at the landscape scale. The amount of shrub cover in the neighboring landscape was the most influential factor favoring mammal occurrence and accounted for nearly one-third of the total variance. The proportion of intensively managed croplands and proxies of human activity within landscape samples limited mammal presence. At the microhabitat scale (~80 m2 plots) the mean percentage area deprived of woody vegetation also had a negative effect. Functional traits such as body mass or social behavior accounted for a substantial fraction of the variation attributed to environmental factors. We concluded that multiscale environmental filtering governed local community assembly, whereas the role of dispersal limitation and interspecific interactions was negligible. Our results suggest that further removal of shrubland, the expansion of intensive agriculture, and the increase of human activity are expected to result in species losses. The fact that community integrity responds to a single type of ecological process simplifies practical recommendations. Management strategies should focus on the conservation and restoration of shrubland, adopting alternatives to intensive schemes of agricultural production, and minimizing recreational and other human activities in remnant natural habitats within agroecosystems or mosaic landscapes.

Abstract Monitoring local occupancy and the regional distribution of wild mammals is essential to guide species management and set conservation priorities. However, variables such as weather, substrate hardness, or habitat characteristics may indirectly affect the performance of the methods employed for monitoring mammal occurrence. Little information exists about the influence of spatio‐temporal factors on the performance of survey methods and its implications for mammal monitoring. Using data from a heterogeneous region in the Guadiamar River basin, SW Spain, which encompass forest, agricultural, and mosaic landscapes, we (1) explore whether four widely used detection methods, namely camera traps, scent stations, track surveys, and scat surveys, differ in efficiency; (2) test the hypothesis that spatio‐temporal factors do not affect method efficiency; and (3) examine the effect of landscape on the replication effort needed to detect target species. After controlling for variation in mammal occurrence across space and over time, the interaction between spatio‐temporal factors and detection methods was not significant. Likewise, we found a negligible influence of landscape type on the replication effort needed to detect species actually present. When compared to camera traps, scent stations, and scat surveys, track surveys were the most efficient and fastest methodology for surveying mammals in our study landscapes. Monitoring programs of mammal occurrence are often applied to broad and heterogeneous regions and/or during extended periods. Therefore, survey methods should describe not only spatio‐temporal variation in mammal abundance or activity but also maintain high detection efficiency in a variety of environmental conditions. The detection efficiency of each survey method changed little regardless of considerable environmental variation, making more reliable the marked differences between methods in their ability to detect target species. We recommend accounting for the effect of spatio‐temporal factors as potential sources of variation in order to test whether our results can be generalized and to increase the quality of large‐scale monitoring of mammal occurrence.

espanolEl objetivo de este articulo es doble. Por un lado, busca esbozar las condiciones teoricas basicas de una sociologia de la vida conventual y, por otro, ofrece un analisis de las innovaciones y continuidades de esta particular forma de consagracion. El material que sirve como base es fruto de dos experiencias de campo realizadas en un monasterio cisterciense en Soria (Espana), y en un convento franciscano en Chiapas (Mexico). La organizacion cotidiana dentro del claustro se basa en un complejo sistema disciplina-rio que exige un diseno etnografico poco convencional, pues limita el acceso a espacios y restringe el encuentro. No obstante, permite la observacion de las condiciones actuales de la vida conventual en el marco de los cambios institucionales del catolicismo EnglishThis article has two aims. On the one hand, it seeks to sketch the basic theo-retical conditions for a sociology of monastery life, and, on the other, it offers an analysis of the innovations and continuities of this particular form of devo-tion. The raw material come out of two field experiences in a Cistercian monastery in Soria, Spain, and in a Franciscan monastery in Chiapas, Mexico. Day-to-day organization in the cloister is based on a complex system of discipline that requires an unconventional ethnographic design because it limits access to spaces and restricts human interaction. Nevertheless, it permits the observation of current conditions of monastic life in the framework of Catholicism’s institutional changes.

espanolLa oleada huelguistica de la primavera de 1962 impulso un nuevo movimiento obrero que utilizara la conflictividad laboral como ariete de lucha contra el franquismo. Una explosion que se repetira en el verano de 1963. Este proceso, que se desarrolla en toda Espana, en El Bierzo alcanza una proporcion nada desdenable, tanto por amplitud y extension, como por el impulso a las organizaciones antifranquistas, el PCE, la HOAC y posteriormente las Comisiones Obreras. Las organizaciones del movimiento obrero abrieron el camino a la democracia, erosionando las estructuras de la dictadura e implantando, por la via de los hechos, practicas democraticas ilegalizadas, como la asociacion, las asambleas o la huelga. EnglishThe strike wave in the spring of 1962 pushed a new workers movement which will use the labour conflict as a weapon in the fight against the francoism. An explosion that will be repeated in the summer of 1963. This process, which is developed in the whole of Spain, in El Bierzo will reach a big proportion, due to the amplitude and extension, as well as due to the push of the antifrancoist organizations, the PCE (Spanish Communist Party), the HOAC (Labour Brotherhood of Catholic Action) and later on the Workers’ Commissions. The organizations of the labour’s movement will open a path towards democracy, eroding the structures of the dictatorship and implanting illegal democratic practices like the association, assembly and strike by showing the facts.

Reliably assessing the occurrence of medium- and large-sized mammals is needed to determine the response of species to drivers of rapid environmental change. Field methods vary in suitability for the quick, multispecies surveys required to determine the dynamic composition of mammal assemblages across large extents. As multiple factors influence study design, and survey methods may differ in their ability to detect mammals for a variety of reasons, standardized assessments using as many criteria as possible are desirable for the comparison of method performance. We introduce a composite index that integrates scores for eight quantitative attributes representing five components of performance: detection (including incidence, number of records, and probability of detection), time to detection, reproducibility of results (including efficiency in each site, and consistency over time), specificity, and cost-effectiveness. Using this index we compare the performance of common survey methods (camera traps, scent stations, scat surveys, and track surveys) for the simultaneous monitoring of 13 mammal species in three landscapes differing in structure and land use. After accounting for the effect of external spatiotemporal factors, active detection methods (track surveys and scat surveys) performed much better than passive detection methods (camera traps and scent stations). These differences were consistent for the majority of species and attributes considered. Whereas analogue camera-traps triggered by pressure pads were overtly inefficient, the range of detection rates, i.e. the proportion of cameras detecting each species, was not qualitatively different from the detection rates of infrared triggered cameras reported in the literature. The performance index can include additional or alternative attributes, and weights may be easily applied to its components, especially in situations where little consensus among criteria is found. Searching signs by trained personnel emerges as a superior technique for large-scale, multispecies monitoring of occurrence in the transformed cultural landscapes of Mediterranean environments.

Detecting rapid changes in mammal composition at large spatial scales requires efficient detection methods. Many studies estimate species composition with a single survey method without asking whether that particular method optimises detection for all occurring species and yields reliable community-level indices. We explore the implications of between-method differences in efficiency, consistency, and sampling effort for the basic characterisation of assemblages of medium to large mammals in a region with three contrasted Mediterranean landscapes. We assessed differences between camera traps, scent stations, scat surveys, and track surveys. Using track surveys, we detected all species present in the regional pool (13) and obtained the most accurate description of local species richness and composition with the lowest sampling effort (16 sampling units and 2 survey sessions at most). Had we chosen camera traps, scent stations, or scat surveys as the only survey method, we would have underestimated species richness (9, 11, and 12 species, respectively) and misrepresented species composition in varying degrees. Preliminary studies of method performance inform whether single or multiple survey methods are needed and eventually which single method might be most appropriate. Without such a formal assessment current practices may produce unreliable and incomplete species inventories, ultimately leading to incorrect conclusions about the impact of human activity on mammal communities.

Monitoring of an experimental plantation of Mediterranean woody species during four years after planting. Information includes plant location, experimental plot, density, species mixture, annual survival, annual growth, and categories of plant vigor. Plant growth is derived from linear measurements: height, crown diameter, and basal diameter.

La concepcion del paisaje como un espacio geografico originado tras la conjuncion de rasgos tanto naturales como antropicos lleva aparejada una inherente relacion entre los seres humanos y el medio ambiente. Dicha relacion se sustenta en la percepcion cognitiva del espacio a traves de la vista, por lo que los discernimientos procurados a tal efecto habran de contextualizarse dentro de un grado de subjetivad relativo. Bajo este hilo argumental, el paisaje presenta dos grandes dimensiones, una enorme diversidad, escalabilidad y heterogeneidad y un parametro de determinacion de sus cualidades y las impresiones que produce al ser humano, esto es, su calidad paisajistica. Este ultimo atributo viene condicionado por los componentes naturales del paisaje y los elementos antropicos exogenos que pueden inducir connotaciones positivas y negativas. La elevada multiplicidad de componentes del paisaje, unido a la confluencia de otros condicionantes como el campo visual, hace que la valoracion de su calidad, entendida como el “merito para que su esencia, su estructura actual, se conserve”, sea una tarea compleja para la que el uso combinado de las metodologias de Evaluacion MultiCriterio (EMC) y los Sistema de Informacion Geografica se ha erigido en herramienta de fundamental aplicabilidad para el analisis de la calidad del paisaje. La investigacion que aqui se presenta nace con la intencion de valorar cualitativa y sistematicamente los dos parametros fundamentales para analizar la calidad visual de un territorio, la calidad visual y la fragilidad visual. A traves de una doble metodologia indirecta y directa, se propone el estudio de los parametros de calidad y fragilidad visual del paisaje del Parque Nacional de la Sierra de Guadarrama y su area, haciendo uso de la conjuncion de la EMC y los SIG. El ejercicio de traduccion e interpretacion tecnica de los diversos factores que configuran este paisaje finalizara con la consecucion de un vasto aparato cartografico global del ambito, que muestre detalladamente los valores de calidad de forma territorializada

Protected areas recently created in Argentina often include previously degraded lands, such as sheep ranches in the Patagonian deserts. We show the results of a 14-year monitoring program of three formerly persecuted carnivores, the culpeo fox (Lycalopex culpaeus), the South American grey fox (Lycalopex griseus) and the puma (Puma concolor), in two abandoned sheep ranches that were incorporated into a Patagonian national park approximately 25 years ago. The culpeo fox population underwent an average annual decline of 10–23%, whereas the grey fox and puma populations increased at an average annual rate of 7% and 19%, respectively. The grey fox’s increasing trends were strongly correlated with the decline of the culpeo fox, whereas the correlations between the fox and puma trends were weaker. Culpeo fox decline was stronger in the ranch where sheep and predator controls had been removed earlier. These relationships between species trends support the competitive release hypothesis, assuming that puma competition with the culpeo fox for trophic resources is stronger than competition with the grey fox, and that the puma can exclude culpeo foxes through interference. Species trends suggest a competitive hierarchy between fox species, with grey fox being the inferior competitor. However, mechanisms other than competition could not be discounted. Our study illustrates how long-term monitoring of interacting species allows a better understanding of ecological processes and wildlife ecology.

Revegetation is the most common procedure in the restoration of disturbed areas; this practice usually aims at reconstructing plant communities that can last without further management. A low-cost strategy to assist these efforts is the application of ecological knowledge in the design of the restoration. Promoting ecological processes that enhance the functioning of the restored community could result in higher restoration success. Among these processes, plant-plant interactions, e.g., facilitation and competition, can play an important role, both facilitating and impeding the development of a self-sustaining plant community. Although these processes have been well-studied in nature, we rarely have sufficient knowledge about the whole plant community. To develop that knowledge, we leverage on a restoration experiment that took place after a mine toxic spill, where ~15,000 woody plants from 13 species were planted and geolocated. Species were planted in three mixtures mimicking natural communities found along soil moisture gradients (xerophyte, intermediate, and hydrophyte). Plantings also varied in density. Approximately 2,600 plants were monitored for damage status, survival, and growth, for 4 yr. We analyzed growth performance of six targeted species as a function of their damage status, planted mixture, and density. Growth was also assessed on the basis of neighboring plants, accounting for the species identity and distance to the focal plant. Results show that survival among planted species was relatively high and was mostly unaffected by mixture or density of the plantings. Only very damaged plants in one species experienced a decrease in survival with increasing density. Neighborhood effects on growth show positive, neutral, and negative interactions among the tested species; these also varied depending on the type of growth performance considered (height, crown area, diameter). The species-specific results ranged from positive to negative, varying between pair of species and growth performance metric. Results gathered from our neighborhood analyses on plant growth provide valuable information for the design of planting schemes that could enhance the performance of the target species. The methods developed can be applied to other systems and species. Given the potential impacts that facilitation and competition may have during revegetation, these interactions could be considered in restoration operations.

Context The guanaco is the largest wild herbivore inhabiting the Patagonian steppes. Since the end of the 19th Century, it has suffered a progressive decline in numbers owing to poaching and unregulated hunting because of on an assumed competition with sheep. Unfortunately, there has never been a management program for guanaco populations in Argentine Patagonia. Consequently, the guanaco is still considered a pest species by ranchers and has never been considered profitable in the range management model implemented in Patagonia. Aims The present article updates the distribution limits of guanaco and estimate its abundance across Chubut, a large province of Patagonia, Argentina. The relative effects of several environmental and anthropogenic factors on guanaco distribution are also assessed. Methods Road surveys (7010km) and species distribution modelling were used to build a habitat suitability model and a distribution map. A distance sampling method was used to estimate guanaco population densities and size. The survey effort required to monitor population trends in this region was also calculated. Key results According to the best habitat suitability model, guanaco distribution decreased with altitude and primary productivity, as measured by Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and increased with the distance to the nearest urban centre and oil field. Guanaco distribution showed a clear geographical pattern in Chubut, with low to medium occurrence probability towards the west and higher values towards the east. Guanaco population size was estimated as 657304 individuals (95% CI 457437 to 944059), with a mean density of 2.97 guanacos km–2. Finally, through simulations of guanaco monitoring, it was estimated that an annual survey effort of 10 to thirty 30-km road transects is needed to detect with confidence a significant population decrease or increase over the next 6 or 10 years. Conclusions The habitat suitability map presented herein highlights areas with high guanaco densities in Chubut, where it would be possible to identify ranches suitable for performing profitable herding and shearing experiences. Implications The maps of guanaco distribution and density, as well as the survey effort required to monitor population trends, may be used to inform decisions concerning the sustainable use of this species.