0000000001305135
AUTHOR
Eduardo J. Belda
showing 20 related works from this author
Weak effects of geolocators on small birds: A meta-analysis controlled for phylogeny and publication bias
2020
Abstract Currently, the deployment of tracking devices is one of the most frequently used approaches to study movement ecology of birds. Recent miniaturization of light‐level geolocators enabled studying small bird species whose migratory patterns were widely unknown. However, geolocators may reduce vital rates in tagged birds and may bias obtained movement data. There is a need for a thorough assessment of the potential tag effects on small birds, as previous meta‐analyses did not evaluate unpublished data and impact of multiple life‐history traits, focused mainly on large species and the number of published studies tagging small birds has increased substantially. We quantitatively reviewe…
Nesting habitat requirements and nestling diet in the Mediterranean populations of Crested Tits <I>Lophophanes cristatus</I>
2009
Most bird species show specific habitat requirements for breeding and feeding. We studied the pattern of habitat occupation, nestling diet and breeding performance of Crested Tits Lophophanes cristatus in a "typical" (conifer- ous) and an "atypical" (Holm Oak Quercus ilex) forest in eastern Spain during 2005-2007. We aimed to determine which microhabitat characteristics in the Holm Oak forest could account for the presence of Crested Tits, and checked whether the nestling diet in the Holm Oak forest resembled that obtained in the pine forest. Vegetation maps were produced using GIS from observations made in the field (tree species, tree and shrub cover). Nestling diet was recorded through v…
Apomorphine as an emetic for insectivorous songbirds: effectiveness and post-release effects on survival and mass change
2014
Emetics can be used to obtain food samples from birds, but they can harm birds during or after treatment. Studies to date suggest that apomorphine is a safe emetic for songbirds, but information is needed about possible post-release deleterious effects. From March to July 2012, we collected food samples from insectivorous songbirds using apomorphine. We treated 67 Moustached Warblers (Acrocephalus melanopogon), 56 Reed Warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), 15 Great Reed Warblers (Acrocephalus arundinaceus), and 12 Savi's Warblers (Locustella luscinoides). Effectiveness in inducing regurgitation was high (76.7%) and varied among species, being significantly more effective with Reed Warblers (9…
Factors Shaping Breeding Phenology in Birds: An Assessment of Two Sympatric Acrocephalus Warblers with Different Life Histories
2020
El periodo reproductivo es un rasgo crucial de la historia de la vida e implica importantes consecuencias para la eficacia biologica. Las diferencias en las estrategias de historia de vida pueden conducir a diferentes respuestas a las mismas condiciones ambientales, incluso entre especies estrechamente relacionadas. Investigar los factores que afectan el periodo reproductivo en especies estrechamente relacionadas y simpatricas puede ayudar a comprender la relacion entre los diferentes rasgos de la historia de vida y las respuestas especificas de las especies a los factores ecologicos. En este trabajo investigamos los efectos del momento estacional (fotoperiodo), la variabilidad climatica lo…
The role of extrinsic and intrinsic factors on departure decisions of a long-distance migratory passerine
2013
[EN] Factors determining departure decisions of migrants from a stopover site can be extrinsic and/or intrinsic but the relative role of each of these factors on departure decisions is still poorly known. Date and wind should be the main factors determining departure decisions in a long-distance migrant, which is expected to minimise duration of migration. Date was considered as an intrinsic factor and wind as an extrinsic one. We analysed the capture-recapture data of a long-distance migrant European songbird, the sedge warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus,from a stopover site in northern Iberia during the autumn migration period to quantify the relative importance of several factors on emig…
Differences in time and space use between two sympatric Acrocephalus warblers with similar diets
2016
Capsule: We found high diet overlap and different uses of space and time between Moustached Warblers Acrocephalus melanopogon and Reed Warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus breeding in sympatry at a marshland in Spain. Aims: To study the degree of diet overlap between both species, their space use on a local scale and their breeding phenologies. Methods: We studied the breeding phenologies of the two species by standardized ringing activity. Spatial distribution was investigated by point counts. We determined diet composition from emetic samples and we collected invertebrates by standardized sweep-netting to estimate food availability. Results: Diet and prey selection were similar among species.…
Coexistence of Mediterranean tits: A multidimensional approach
2013
[EN] Differential traits (e.g., feeding at different heights in trees) have evolved to allow the coexistence of putative competitors; such traits have been well studied in small passerines (e.g., Paridae), mainly during the winter. However, few studies have been carried out during the breeding season, when competition could be more intense. We applied here a multidimensional approach, examining ecological (prey type and size, and nesting habitat characteristics) and life history (timing of maximum nestling food demand) traits that might help to explain the coexistence of great (Parus major), crested (Lophophanes cristatus), and coal (Periparus ater) tits breeding in a Mediterranean pine for…
Across and Within-Forest Effects on Breeding Success in Mediterranean Great TitsParus major
2010
Forest type and habitat structure can have profound effects on different aspects of avian life histories. These effects may, however, strongly differ across and within forests that vary in vegetation composition and structure, especially when an ancient forest has been replaced by a new forest. To test for these differences in effect, we studied Great Tit Parus major life-history traits (280 first clutches) in two Mediterranean evergreen forests during 2005–07: an ancient Holm Oak Quercus ilex and a reforested pine forest. A comparison between forests revealed that females breeding in the Holm Oak forest started laying one week later, and produced larger clutches and broods both at hatching…
Does fragmentation of wetlands affect gene flow in sympatric Acrocephalus warblers with different migration strategies?
2015
Wetlands are naturally patchy habitats, but patchiness has been accentuated by the extensive wetlands loss due to human activities. In such a fragmented habitat, dispersal ability is especially important to maintain gene flow between populations. Here we studied population structure, genetic diversity and demographic history of Iberian and North African populations of two wetland passerines, the Eurasian reed warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus and the moustached warbler Acrocephalus melanopogon. These species are closely related and sympatric in our study sites, but the reed warbler is a long-distance migrant and widespread bird while the moustached warbler is resident or migrates over short d…
Connecting the data landscape of long-term ecological studies: the SPI-Birds data hub
2021
The integration and synthesis of the data in different areas of science is drastically slowed and hindered by a lack of standards and networking programmes. Long-term studies of individually marked animals are not an exception. These studies are especially important as instrumental for understanding evolutionary and eco-logical processes in the wild. Furthermore, their number and global distribution provides a unique opportunity to assess the generality of patterns and to address broad-scale global issues (e.g. climate change).
Dietary characterization of Savi s Warbler Locustaella luscinioides and Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus rundinaceus in eastern Spain
2017
[EN] This research deals with two insectivorous reedbed-nesting songbirds, the Savi's Warbler Locustella luscinioides and the Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus breeding at the Marjal de Pego-Oliva (Valencia-Alicante, Spain). Our aims were to study the diet and the prey selection of the two species and to assess the dietary differences between them. Diet composition has been assessed by examining samples off regurgitated food obtained using apomorphine as an emetic. Prey availability was estimated through standardized invertebrate sampling. The diet of the two warblers were significantly different and included arthropods belonging to the orders Araneida, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, H…
Post-fledging survival of individual great tits: the effect of hatching date and fledging mass
2002
Pre-breeeding survival is one of the major sources of individual variation in lifetime reproductive success. However, very little is known about the reasons for differences in survival among individuals during this important phase of the life cycle. Some studies, using local return rates as indices of survival, have shown a relationship between post-fledging survival and fledging date and mass in birds, most of them suggesting directional selection towards heavy masses and early fledging dates. Recent development of capture-recapture models allows the separate estimate of survival and recapture probabilities, as well as the inclusion of individual covariates into the modelling process. We u…
Habitat Preferences for Territory Selection by the Endangered Eastern Iberian Reed BuntingEmberiza Schoeniclus witherbyi
2014
Summary. Given the 80% decline of the eastern Iberian reed bunting Emberiza schoeniclus witherbyi breeding population in recent decades, our aim was to identify the habitat components selected during territory establishment and to characterise the vegetation features that are positively or negatively selected at the territory scale. GLMM were used to explain the occurrence of territories in 11 wetlands. Fourteen variables with four vegetation dominance categories were analysed with respect to habitat composition, while occupancy of seven vegetation classes and 12 reed structural parameters were analysed with respect to habitat structure. The proportion of reed-cattails (Typha) measured by t…
Low but contrasting neutral genetic differentiation shaped by winter temperature in European great tits.
2016
Gene flow is usually thought to reduce genetic divergence and impede local adaptation by homogenising gene pools between populations. However, evidence for local adaptation and phenotypic differentiation in highly mobile species, experiencing high levels of gene flow, is emerging. Assessing population genetic structure at different spatial scales is thus a crucial step towards understanding mechanisms underlying intraspecific differentiation and diversification. Here, we studied the population genetic structure of a highly mobile species - the great tit Parus major - at different spatial scales. We analysed 884 individuals from 30 sites across Europe including 10 close-by sites (< 50 km), u…
Resident and transient dynamics, site fidelity and survival in wintering Blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla: evidence from capture-recapture analyses
2007
In their winter quarters, migrant birds may either remain within a small area (resident strategy) or move frequently over a large area looking for locally abundant food (transient strategy). It has been suggested that both strategies could simultaneously occur in the same population. We used time-since-marking capture‐recapture models to infer the coexistence of these two behavioural strategies (transient and resident) among wintering Blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla using weekly recapture data over a 7-year period. A related question is whether Blackcaps, if surviving to the next winter, always return to the same wintering area, so we also used this approach to analyse winter site fidelity and…
Habitat preference of endangered Eastern Iberian Reed BuntingsEmberiza schoeniclus witherbyi
2011
Capsule Careful management is required to maintain or create habitats with the correct proportions of rush with reeds that are preferred by this subspecies. Aims To determine the habitat requirements of Eastern Iberian (Western Iberian Reed Buntings were not included in the study) Reed Buntings Emberiza schoeniclus witherbyi, a subspecies endemic to a few marshes in France, Spain and Morocco, with a population of 254–360 breeding pairs. Methods Twenty-five wetlands in Spain were surveyed and presence/absence of Iberian Reed Buntings was deteremined together with data on 41 environmental variables. The relationships between the birds and habitat data were investigated using glm. Results Prop…
An account on the taxonomy and molecular diversity of a marine rock-pool dweller, Tigriopus fulvus (Copepoda, Harpacticoida)
2019
[ES] El género de copépodos Tigriopus Norman, 1869 se distribuye en todo el mundo en charcas de rocas costeras y se considera que actualmente incluye 14 especies válidas. Tigriopus fulvus (Fischer 1860), con sus subespecies Tigriopus fulvus adriaticus Van Douwe 1913 y Tigriopus fulvus algiricus Monard 1935, y Tigriopus minutus Bozic 1960 han sido descritos para el área del Mediterráneo, pero la diversidad real del género es desconocida actualmente. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la identidad real de las poblaciones mediterráneas de Tigriopus y dilucidar su taxonomía y patrón de diversidad genética. Con este fin, se secuenció un fragmento del gen de ADN mitocondrial (citocromo c oxi…
Phenotypic Divergence among West European Populations of Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus: The Effects of Migratory and Foraging Behaviours
2013
[EN] Divergent selection and local adaptation are responsible for many phenotypic differences between populations, potentially leading to speciation through the evolution of reproductive barriers. Here we evaluated the morphometric divergence among west European populations of Reed Bunting in order to determine the extent of local adaptation relative to two important selection pressures often associated with speciation in birds: migration and diet. We show that, as expected by theory, migratory E. s. schoeniclus had longer and more pointed wings and a slightly smaller body mass than the resident subspecies, with the exception of E. s. lusitanica, which despite having rounder wings was the s…
Variation in Great Tit Nest Mass and Composition and Its Breeding Consequences: A Comparative Study in four Mediterranean Habitats
2013
Bird nests are structures whose properties affect breeding performance. Thus, the vast majority of bird species build their own characteristic nests, selecting appropriate materials to do so. However, in habitats where the availability of "ideal" materials is low, some ability to use alternative ones would be necessary, even at the cost of having breeding success reduced. The Great Tit (Parus major) breeds under widely different environmental conditions. Its nests are althought to be composed mainly of moss, although very few studies have quantified nest composition. Our target here was describing Great Tit nest mass and composition in four different Mediterranean habitats, and exploring th…
Data from: Low but contrasting neutral genetic differentiation shaped by winter temperature in European great tits
2015
Gene flow is usually thought to reduce genetic divergence and impede local adaptation by homogenising gene pools between populations. However, evidence for local adaptation and phenotypic differentiation in highly mobile species, experiencing high levels of gene flow, is emerging. Assessing population genetic structure at different spatial scales is thus a crucial step towards understanding mechanisms underlying intraspecific differentiation and diversification. Here, we studied the population genetic structure of a highly mobile species – the great tit Parus major – at different spatial scales. We analysed 884 individuals from 30 sites across Europe including 10 close-by sites (< 50 km)…