The Bloooooog!
Jaume Badia is joining the GEP for his Master’s degree project in Animal Ecology at the University of Lund, Sweden. Jaume work will focus on the conservation maeasures to protect the Egyptian Vulture at Fuerteventura (Canary Islands) under the direction of Ana Sanz-Aguilar and in collaboration with the Estacion Biologica e Doñana (CSIC).
With
the present rate of biodiversity loss and the profound effects of global
changes, population and conservation ecologists face new questions. Many of these are related to
how fast individuals can adapt to the strength and pace of environmental
variability and can only be answered using individual data collected over
long-term (Long Terms Individual Based Studies). Beside
this undoubted scientific value, a 20 – 30 years study is likely to have trained several
generations of scientists, fostered collaborations between a large number of
research institutes and promoted public awareness on scientific themes and
wildlife conservation problems. With
current public systems providing funds for 3 to 4 years, it is increasingly
difficult to initiate and maintain a long-term individual based study. As a
consequence, many field studies end before time, without reaching the number of
years or the amount of data needed to meet current scientific challenges and to
demonstrate their educational value.Here, we argue
that the value of LTIBS is multidimensional and it grows steadily with time. How and when does a long-term field study become
important? [..] continue reading here | |
| A. Johnson (photo. H. Hôte) |
Noelia Hernandez Muñoz defended successfully her Ph.D. titled "Effects of environmental stochasticity on life history parameters of marine top predators" supervised by Prof. D. Oro. Well done Noelia ! 
Abstract: Aedes albopictus
(Diptera; Culicidae) is a highly invasive mosquito species and a
competent vector of several arboviral diseases that have spread rapidly
throughout the world. Prevalence and patterns of dispersal of the
mosquito are of central importance for an effective control of the
species. We used site-occupancy models accounting for false negative
detections to estimate the prevalence, the turnover, the movement
pattern and the growth rate in the number of sites occupied by the
mosquito in 17 localities throughout Mallorca Island. Site-occupancy probability
increased from 0.35 in the 2012, year of first reported observation of
the species, to 0.89 in 2015. Despite a steady increase in mosquito
presence, the extinction probability was generally high indicating a
high turnover in the occupied sites. We considered two site-dependent
covariates, namely the distance from the point of first observation and
the estimated yearly occupancy rate in the neighborhood, as predicted by
diffusion models. Results suggested that mosquito distribution during
the first year was consistent with what predicted by simple diffusion
models, but was not consistent with the diffusion model in subsequent
years when it was similar to those expected from leapfrog dispersal
events. Assuming a single initial colonization event, the spread of Ae. albopictus
in Mallorca followed two distinct phases, an early one consistent with
diffusion movements and a second consistent with long distance,
‘leapfrog’, movements. The colonization of the island was fast, with
~90% of the sites estimated to be occupied 3 years after the
colonization. The fast spread was likely to have occurred through
vectors related to human mobility such as cars or other vehicles.
Surveillance and management actions near the introduction point would
only be effective during the early steps of the colonization.
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| Photo By A. Caldas (Flickr) |
