Mixing on- and off-field measures for biodiversity conservation.

The continuing biodiversity losses through agricultural expansion and intensification are dramatic. We argue that a mix of on- and off-field measures is needed, overcoming the false dichotomy of the land sharing-sparing debate. Protected land is essential for global biodiversity, while spillover between farmed and natural land is key to reducing species extinctions. This is particularly effective in landscapes with small and diversified fields. Focusing only on protected land fails to conserve a wealth of species, which often provide major ecosystem services such as pest control, pollination, and cultural benefits. On-field measures must minimise yield losses to prevent increased demand for food imports from biodiversity-rich regions, requiring enforcement of high social-ecological land-use standards to ensure a good life for all.

Seropositividad a Chlamydophila psittaci en cotorras argentinas (Myiopsitta monachus) invasoras de la ciudad de Santiago de Chile / Seropositivity to zoonotic Chlamydophila psittaci in invasive monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) from Santiago, Chile

INTRODUCCIÓN: Chlamydophila psittaci es una bacteria zoonótica e intracelular estricta, que provoca la psitacosis humana y su principal hospedero son las aves psitácidas. La cotorra argentina es un ave psitácida nativa de Sudamérica y actualmente considerada una especie invasora en 19 países, incluyendo Chile. OBJETIVO: Determinar positividad contra C. psittaci en muestras de suero y torulados de cotorras argentinas de vida libre capturadas en la Región Metropolitana de Chile. MÉTODOS: Se analizaron 95 muestras de suero de pichones e individuos adultos de cotorras argentinas, a través de una prueba de ELISA indirecto utilizando un kit comercial. Posteriormente, se analizaron 40 tórulas nasotraqueales y cloacales de individuos adultos a través de una RPC en tiempo real específica para C. psittaci. RESULTADOS: Se detectaron anticuerpos en muestras de suero de cinco individuos adultos de cotorras argentinas (n = 68), mientras que ninguno de los pichones analizados fue seropositivo (n = 27). Todas las muestras analizadas a través de RPC en tiempo real fueron negativas. CONCLUSIÓN: Estos resultados demuestran por primera vez en Chile la exposición a C. psittaci en cotorras argentinas de vida libre, lo cual puede representar un riesgo importante para la transmisión de este patógeno a poblaciones humanas y animales.

BACKGROUND: Chlamydophila psittaci is a zoonotic obligate intracellular bacterium that causes the human psittacosis, and its main host are psittacine birds. The monk parakeet is a psittacine bird native to South America, currently being considered an invasive species in 19 countries, including Chile. AIM: To determine positivity to C. psittaci in serum samples and swabs from free-ranging monk parakeets captured in the Metropolitan Region of Chile. METHODS: Ninety-five serum samples from nestling chicks and adult monk parakeets were tested using an indirect ELISA test kit. Cloacal and nasotracheal swabs from 40 adult parakeets were further analyzed by C. psittaci-specific real-time PCR. RESULTS: We found antibody titers in sera of five adult monk parakeets (n = 68) while none of the nestlings were seropositive (n = 27). All samples tested with real-time PCR were negative. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demónstrate for the first time in Chile the exposure to C. psittaci in free-ranging monk parakeets which may represent a significant risk of pathogen transmission to human and animal populations.

DNA barcoding of Japanese earwig species (Insecta, Dermaptera), with sequence diversity analyses of three species of Anisolabididae.

Dermaptera is a polyneopteran insect order that includes more than 2,000 described species, commonly known as earwigs, that mainly inhabit tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions. Although 40 species have been found in Japan, their distribution and habitat preferences have remained ambiguous due to sample misidentification, particularly amongst immature specimens. To overcome this problem, we sequenced and analysed the DNA barcoding region of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene (cox1) of dermapteran species recorded from Japan. Including publicly available data, 72.5% of known Japanese dermapteran species were subjected to molecular identification. We extensively sampled three wingless species of subfamily Anisolabidinae (Anisolabididae): Anisolabismaritima, Anisolabellamarginalis and Euborelliapallipes. Although these species exhibit similar habitat preferences as semi-synanthropes, A.maritima, a cosmopolitan species with the highest affinity to seashore, had significantly higher sequence diversity than the latter two species, which are considered endemic to East Asia. A similar trend was observed for (at least partly) winged cosmopolitan species of other families. Introgression with the congener Anisolabisseirokui is also suggested for A.maritima. Possible causes of the varying levels of sequence diversity are discussed.

Can urbanization accentuate hand use in the foraging activities of primates?

OBJECTIVES: How a species uses its anatomical manipulators is determined by its anatomy, physiology, and ecology. While ecology explains interspecific variation in gripping, grasping, and manipulating objects, its role in intraspecific variation in mouth- and hand-use by animals is less explored. Primates are distinguished by their prehensile capabilities and manual dexterity. In context to the adaptive pressures of urbanization on primates, we examined if mouth and hand use differed across the forest-urban gradient in food retrieval and processing under experimental and naturalistic conditions in cercopithecids, a family comprising several urbanizing primates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We recorded the acquisition and processing of peanuts under experimental conditions in three groups of bonnet macaques (BM, Macaca radiata) differing in their dietary dependence on packaged food items along a rural-urban gradient. To affirm the pattern obtained in the experiment, we coded food acquisition of three cercopithecid species in similar habitats from video sources. RESULTS: Urban macaques had a disproportionately higher hand use to acquire and process peanuts while rural macaques had higher mouth use. Based on analyses of videos, urban populations of BM, Japanese macaque (M. fuscata) and vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) showed a bias toward hand use during food acquisition. DISCUSSION: The adaptive pressures of urbanization, like the manual constraints of extracting packaged foods and perhaps, the need for visual-haptic exploration of novel objects seem to accentuate hand use in synanthropic groups of primates. Additional research should ascertain similar patterns in other primates and determine specific aspects of urbanization that modulate the observed trend.

The abundance of yellow-legged gulls Larus michahellis breeding in the historic centre of Venice, Italy and the initial effects of the new waste collection policy on the population.

The yellow-legged gull Larus michahellis has undergone widespread colonization of the urban environment in the recent past. The first urban breeding gulls were recorded in the historical centre of Venice, Italy, in 2000, and by 2005 there were already 24 roof-nesting pairs, with this number increasing significantly over the last decade. In 2016, a new door-to-door garbage collection system was introduced in Venice to prevent the accumulation of rubbish in the streets and limit the trophic resources available for the species. This study provides an up-to-date estimate of the Venice yellow-legged gull urban population using distance sampling method. We also studied the effect of the new waste collection system on the species by comparing the population estimate before (2017) and after (2018) the full implementation of this change and by analysing the trend of individuals collected in the old town by the wildlife recovery service during 2010-2018. Results estimated ca. 430 breeding pairs in June 2018 showing a 36% decrease with respect to 2017. We also found a decrease in the number of 1-year-old birds and pulli collected by the wildlife recovery service starting from 2016, when the policy implementation began. Our data did not show a significant decrease in the overall number of individuals, suggesting that the new policy has a stronger effect on the breeding success of the species than on adult survival. This study emphasizes the importance of preventing rubbish accumulation in the streets as factor for reducing the abundance of urban yellow-legged gulls. Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11252-021-01175-7.

Ctenolepisma longicaudatum Escherich (1905) Became a Common Pest in Europe: Case Studies from Czechia and the United Kingdom.

Synanthropic invasive silverfish, Ctenolepisma longicaudatum, has been recently reported to cause nuisance in the indoor environment in many European countries. To get more details on the species distribution, the species occurrence was monitored by the authors in the countries where establishment of C. longicaudatum has been revealed in the last years. In Czechia, 20 findings from 14 municipalities in eight regions were recorded within the last three years. In the United Kingdom, 49 cases, including the first occurrence in Scotland, were recorded. Five cases were recorded for the Republic of Ireland. Domestic settings were the main habitat in the study countries (50.0% for the Czechia and Ireland and 36.8% for the United Kingdom). Regarding C. longicaudatum control, the standard silverfish strategy fails, and the use of insecticidal baits complemented by dust insecticides was suggested as the most promising approach. To reveal presence of C. longicaudatum in Europe, the search of literature, social platforms and databases on invasive species was conducted. According to these sources, the species is known from majority of European countries, when the high increase of records in recent decade was detected.

Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. in Free-Ranging Introduced Monk Parakeets from Santiago, Chile.

Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) are medium-sized parrots that due to international pet trade currently exist as invasive species in 19 countries globally. Such is the case of Chile, where Monk Parakeets have thrived in the city of Santiago. Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. are worldwide distributed gastrointestinal parasites whose potential hosts include birds and humans. The present study sought to determine the presence of these pathogens in Monk Parakeets from Santiago. During the austral summers of 2017 and 2018, 207 Monk Parakeet nestlings were captured, and fecal samples were studied via microscopical analyses. Environmental data related to the trees in which the nestlings were captured were analyzed to establish the existence of infection clusters. Associations between spatial clusters, environmental variables, and the presence or absence of these pathogens were explored. In total, 33 samples were positive to the presence of one or both protozoa. Of the 33, Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts were detected in 10 nestlings (30%) while Giardia spp. cysts were detected in 25 (76%). Two nestlings presented poly-parasitism (6%). Statistical analyses established pruned trees as a potential protective factor against infection with these parasites. The present study corresponds to the second report of Cryptosporidium spp. in Monk Parakeets in Chile and the first worldwide report of Giardia spp. in these birds, emphasizing Monk Parakeet's potential role as a reservoir and pathogen disseminator, especially in urban environments.

Evaluating survey methods for bat roost detection in ecological impact assessment.

The disturbance, damage and destruction of roosts are key drivers of bat population declines worldwide. In countries where bats are protected by law, bat roost surveys are often required to inform ecological impact assessments. Yet, evidence-based information on survey methodology to detect bat roosts is crucially lacking, and failing to detect a roost can lead to serious errors during decision-making processes. Here, we assess the efficacy of bat roost surveys in buildings as implemented in the UK. These consist of a daytime inspection of buildings, followed by a series of acoustic surveys at dusk/dawn if during the daytime inspection evidence of bats is found, or if the absence of bats cannot be verified. We reviewed 155 ecological consultants' reports to (1) compare survey outcome between daytime inspection and acoustic surveys and (2) determine the minimum sampling effort required during acoustic surveys to be confident that no bats are roosting within a building. We focused on two genera of bats most frequently found in buildings in Europe - Pipistrellus (crevice roosting species with high-intensity echolocation calls that can be easily detected by ultrasound detectors) and Plecotus (species that roost in open spaces and which emit faint echolocation calls that are difficult to detect). Daytime inspections were efficient in detecting open-roosting species such as Plecotus species but were likely to miss the presence of crevice-dwelling ones (here Pipistrellus species) which may lead to erroneous conclusions if no acoustic surveys are subsequently prescribed to confirm their absence. A minimum of three and four acoustic surveys are required to be 95% confident that a building does not host a roost of Pipistrellus species and Plecotus species, respectively, thus exceeding current recommendations. Overall, we demonstrated that reports submitted as part of an ecological impact assessment provide suitable data to test and improve survey methods.

Ancestors of domestic cats in Neolithic Central Europe: Isotopic evidence of a synanthropic diet.

Cat remains from Poland dated to 4,200 to 2,300 y BCE are currently the earliest evidence for the migration of the Near Eastern cat (NE cat), the ancestor of domestic cats, into Central Europe. This early immigration preceded the known establishment of housecat populations in the region by around 3,000 y. One hypothesis assumed that NE cats followed the migration of early farmers as synanthropes. In this study, we analyze the stable isotopes in six samples of Late Neolithic NE cat bones and further 34 of the associated fauna, including the European wildcat. We approximate the diet and trophic ecology of Late Neolithic felids in a broad context of contemporary wild and domestic animals and humans. In addition, we compared the ecology of Late Neolithic NE cats with the earliest domestic cats known from the territory of Poland, dating to the Roman Period. Our results reveal that human agricultural activity during the Late Neolithic had already impacted the isotopic signature of rodents in the ecosystem. These synanthropic pests constituted a significant proportion of the NE cat's diet. Our interpretation is that Late Neolithic NE cats were opportunistic synanthropes, most probably free-living individuals (i.e., not directly relying on a human food supply). We explore niche partitioning between studied NE cats and the contemporary native European wildcats. We find only minor differences between the isotopic ecology of both these taxa. We conclude that, after the appearance of the NE cat, both felid taxa shared the ecological niches.

Diverse habitat use during two life stages of the critically endangered Bahama Oriole (Icterus northropi): community structure, foraging, and social interactions.

Our ability to prevent extinction in declining populations often depends on effective management of habitats that are disturbed through wildfire, logging, agriculture, or development. In these disturbed landscapes, the juxtaposition of multiple habitat types can be especially important to fledglings and young birds, which may leave breeding grounds in human-altered habitat for different habitats nearby that provide increased foraging opportunities, reduced competition, and higher protection from predators. In this study, we evaluated the importance of three habitat types to two life stages of the critically endangered Bahama Oriole (Icterus northropi), a synanthropic songbird endemic to Andros, The Bahamas. First, we determined the avian species composition and relative abundance of I. northropi among three major vegetation types on Andros: Caribbean pine (Pinus caribaea) forest, coppice (broadleaf dry forest), and anthropogenic areas, dominated by nonnative vegetation (farmland and developed land). We then compared the foraging strategies and social interactions of two age classes of adult Bahama Orioles in relation to differential habitat use. Bird surveys late in the Bahama Oriole's breeding season indicated the number of avian species and Bahama Oriole density were highest in coppice. Some bird species occurring in the coppice and pine forest were never observed in agricultural or residential areas, and may be at risk if human disturbance of pine forest and coppice increases, as is occurring at a rapid pace on Andros. During the breeding season, second-year (SY) adult Bahama Orioles foraged in all vegetation types, whereas after-second-year (ASY) adults were observed foraging only in anthropogenic areas, where the species nested largely in introduced coconut palms (Cocos nucifera). Additionally, SY adults foraging in anthropogenic areas were often observed with an ASY adult, suggesting divergent habitat use for younger, unpaired birds. Other aspects of foraging (vegetation features, food-gleaning behavior, and food items) were similar for the two age classes. Older Bahama Orioles exhibited relatively higher rates of social interactions (intraspecific and interspecific pooled) in anthropogenic areas, and won more interaction outcomes compared to younger adults. Our findings concur with those of other studies indicating dry broadleaf forest is vitally important to migrating, wintering, and resident birds, including the critically endangered Bahama Oriole, which appears to depend heavily on this vegetation type during certain life stages.

Taxonomic and functional trait diversity of wild bees in different urban settings.

Urbanization is one of the major anthropogenic processes contributing to local habitat loss and extirpation of numerous species, including wild bees, the most widespread pollinators. Little is known about the mechanisms through which urbanization impacts wild bee communities, or the types of urban green spaces that best promote their conservation in cities. The main objective of this study was to describe and compare wild bee community diversity, structure, and dynamics in two Canadian cities, Montreal and Quebec City. A second objective was to compare functional trait diversity among three habitat types (cemeteries, community gardens and urban parks) within each city. Bees were collected using pan traps and netting on the same 46 sites, multiple times, over the active season in 2012 and 2013. A total of 32,237 specimens were identified, representing 200 species and 6 families, including two new continental records, Hylaeus communis Nylander (1852) and Anthidium florentinum (Fabricius, 1775). Despite high community evenness, we found significant abundance of diverse species, including exotic ones. Spatio-temporal analysis showed higher stability in the most urbanized city (Montreal) but low nestedness of species assemblages among the three urban habitats in both cities. Our study demonstrates that cities are home to diverse communities of wild bees, but in turn affect bee community structure and dynamics. We also found that community gardens harbour high levels of functional trait diversity. Urban agriculture therefore contributes substantially to the provision of functionally diverse bee communities and possibly to urban pollination services.

Primeiro registro sinantrópico de Loxosceles laeta (Nicolet, 1849) (Araneae, Sicariidae) no Município do Rio de Janeiro, Estado do Rio de Janeiro / First synanthropic record of Loxosceles laeta (Nicolet, 1849) (Araneae, Sicariidae) in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro

Loxosceles laeta é a espécie de aranha-marrom de maior importância médica, causando acidentes de maior gravidade, além de apresentar hábito sinantrópico. No presente trabalho, é apresentado o primeiro registro sinantrópico de Loxosceles laeta no Município do Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil, a partir de encontro e coleta ocasional de espécimes, no período de agosto de 2005 a junho de 2009. A espécie foi registrada em um prédio do Museu Nacional/UFRJ, localizado no parque da Quinta da Boa Vista, área urbana na Zona Norte da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro. O foco foi considerado localizado e restrito. Loxosceles laeta é adaptável às condições climáticas da região metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro, o que torna possível o estabelecimento de novos focos da espécie e a ocorrência de loxoscelismo na região.

Loxosceles laeta is the species of brown spider of greatest medical importance. It causes accidents of great severity and presents synanthropic habits. In this paper, the first synanthropic record of Loxosceles laeta in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil, is presented. This came from occasional encounters and sampling of specimens between August 2005 and June 2009. The species was recorded in a building of the Museu Nacional/UFRJ, located in the Quinta da Boa Vista park, in the urban area of the northern zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro. The focus was considered to be localized and restricted. Loxosceles laeta is adaptable to the climatic conditions of the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro, which makes possible for new foci of the species to become established, with occurrences of loxoscelism in the region.