Search results for "vulnerable species"
showing 10 items of 15 documents
Status of Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) in Sicily.
2009
La población del buitre Neophron percnopterus en Sicilia se encuentra restringida a los sectores central y oeste de la isla. La población alcanzó cerca de 30 parejas durante el periodo entre 1970 y 1980, auque durante nuestro periodo de estudio (1990–2007), la población tuvo un tamaño promedio de sólo 7 ± 2 parejas más 2 ± 1 individuos no emparejados, con fluctuaciones considerables en los números. Las tasas reproductivas durante nuestro periodo de estudio (juvenil por pareja reproductiva y juvenil por nido exitoso) fueron típicas para una población europea, aunque la tasa de éxito de los nidos disminuyó y el abandono de nidos durante el período 2000–2007 fue el doble del registrado durante…
Understanding the coexistence of competing raptors by Markov chain analysis enhances conservation of vulnerable species.
2016
Understanding ecological interactions among protected species is crucial for correct management to avoid conflicting outcomes of conservation planning. The occurrence of a superior competitor may drive the exclusion of a subordinate contestant, as in Sicily where the largest European population of the lanner falcon is declining because of potentially competing with the peregrine falcon. We measured the coexistence of these two ecologically equivalent species through null models and randomization algorithms on body sizes and ecological niche traits. Lanners and peregrines are morphologically very similar (Hutchinson ratios <1.3) and show 99% diet overlap, and both of these results predict …
Recreational and small-scale fisheries may pose a threat to vulnerable species in coastal and offshore waters of the western Mediterranean
2019
10 pages, 3 figures, supplementary material https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsz071
Revision of Nymphaea candida range - New DATA on the distribution and habitat preferences of the species in Southern Poland
2011
The paper presents results of geobotanical and taxonomic studies on the distribution and habitat requirements of <em>Nymphaea candida</em> in southern Poland. The researches were conducted in southern Poland in 2003-2009, in the provinces of Lower Silesia, Lublin, Małopolska, Opole, Silesian province as well as, in southern parts of Mazowieckie and Lubuskie. Flowers, leaves and fruits of <em>Nymphaea</em> species were collected from 27 locations. Altogether pollens from 73 populations of <em>N. candida</em> and 18 of <em>N. alba</em> from all the researched area were measured. The trophic level of an ecosystem was evaluated according to the re…
Living on the edge: assessing the extinction risk of critically endangered Bonelli’s eagle in Italy
2012
Background: The population of Bonelli’s eagle (Aquila fasciata) has declined drastically throughout its European range due to habitat degradation and unnatural elevated mortality. There are less than 1500 breeding pairs accounted for in Europe, and the species is currently catalogued as Critically Endangered in Italy, where the 22 territories of Sicily, represent nearly 95% of the entire Italian population. However, despite national and European conservation concerns, the species currently lacks a specific conservation plan, and no previous attempts to estimate the risk of extinction have been made. Methodology/Principal Findings: We incorporated the most updated demographic information ava…
Saving the pharmacy of the sea: How does global change affect species with bioactive potential in the Mediterranean?
2020
Several marine species in the Mediterranean produce molecules with bioactive potential that could be used to develop new drugs (antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, and antitumourals). Different human activities such as pollution, marine recreation, and fishing, as well as climate change, threaten and even endanger some of these species. These vulnerable species with bioactive potential must be protected, especially in marine reserves, not only because they are valuable components of marine ecosystems, but also because they are a potential source of molecules with pharmacological properties that are currently being researched for the creation of new drugs.
Nothodissotis (Melastomataceae), a new genus from Atlantic Central Africa, including the new species N. alenensis from Equatorial Guinea
2019
Based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence, a new genus of Melastomataceae (Melastomateae), Nothodissotis Veranso-Libalah &amp; G.Kadereit, gen. nov., is described from Atlantic Central Africa. Nothodissotis is distinguished from other African Melastomateae genera by its calyx-lobes that are notched at apex and asymmetrical (vs. entire and symmetrical). Nothodissotis includes two species: the type species N.barteri (Hook.f.) Veranso-Libalah &amp; G.Kadereit, comb. nov. (syn. Dissotisbarteri Hook.f.), and the new species N.alenensis Veranso-Libalah &amp; O. Lachenaud, sp. nov., described and illustrated here. Both species are restricted to open vegetation on rock outcrops w…
Modelling sensitive elasmobranchs habitat
2013
Basic information on the distribution and habitat preferences of ecologically important species is essential for their management and protection. In the Mediterranean Sea there is increasing concern over elasmobranch species because their biological (ecological) characteristics make them highly vulnerable to fishing pressure. Their removal could affect the structure and function of marine ecosystems, inducing changes in trophic interactions at the community level due to the selective elimination of predators or prey species, competitors and species replacement. In this study Bayesian hierarchical spatial models are used to map the sensitive habitats of the three most caught elasmobranch spe…
Factors influencing the distribution, abundance and nest-site selection of an endangered Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) population in Sicily
2003
Egyptian vulture (Neophrom percnopterus) breeds in Sicily and, in 22 years of monitoring, has shown a decline followed by a slight recovery. We used Generalised Linear Models to predict: (1) the distribution range, (2) the habitat selection within the range, (3) the quality (i.e., occupation rate, breeding success) of breeding sites. Some 60% of Sicily proved to be unsuitable, being either too densely forested and without cliffs for nesting, or too densely populated, along with intensive agriculture. The models converged, indicating that the pairs select a precise upland habitat where low cliffs, distant from urban areas, are surrounded by arboreal crops and Mediterranean vegetation. The va…
Differing trophic niches of three French stygobionts and their implications for conservation of endemic stygofauna
2019
1. Groundwater ecosystems represent the greatest proportion of unfrozen freshwa- ter on Earth and harbour high numbers of rare taxa with restricted distributions. Stygofaunal abundance, species richness, and ecology play essential roles in groundwater ecosystem services and functioning, as well as providing an impor- tant contribution to global biodiversity. However, as global depletion and contam- ination of groundwater pose serious and often irreversible threats to stygofauna, more information is urgently needed about the ecology of rare groundwater spe- cies to guide effective strategies for their conservation or restoration. 2. In this study, analyses of carbon and nitrogen stable isoto…