Biology subjects

Giunchi, D.

Publications and source records attributed to Giunchi, D..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Conserving steppe-land birds under climate change: a gap analysis for the Eurasian Stone-curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) in the Western Palearctic

Climate change is having dramatic impacts on the distribution of animals. Birds, and especially steppe-land birds, are particularly sensitive to climate change and identifying areas that are critical for their conservation is pivotal, as well as estimating the expected impact on these areas under different climate and land use change scenarios. In-situ climate refugia (areas suitable under both current and future climates) are especially valuable for the conservation of climate-sensitive species, and is therefore important to identify them and evaluate their coverage by protected areas. Via species distribution modelling, we aimed to identify in-situ climate refugia in the Western Palearctic for the Eurasian Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus, an umbrella steppic species of conservation concern. We used a comprehensive dataset of occurrences in the breeding period to fine-tune a Maxent species distribution model and project it under three carbon emission scenarios of increasing severity for the year 2050. We then identified in-situ climate refugia and performed a gap analysis estimating the percentage of refugia falling within the network of currently protected areas. In all modelled future scenarios a northward expansion of suitable breeding habitats was predicted, and suitable areas had similar extents, with a slight increase of the overall suitability under more severe scenarios. According to our results, the Eurasian Stone-curlew has the potential to maintain viable populations in the Western Palearctic, even though dispersal limitations might hinder the colonization of newly suitable breeding areas. In-situ climate refugia were mainly identified outside protected areas, particularly in Northern Africa and the Middle East. Therefore, we advocate targeted actions in climate refugia to promote the conservation of this and other steppe-land species under global environmental change.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2022

Eurasian Stone-curlews Burhinus oedicnemus breeding in Italy show a remarkable inter and intra-population variability of migratory behaviour

Migratory behaviour in birds shows a remarkable variability at species, population and individual levels. Short-distance migrants, in particular, often adopt a partial migratory strategy and tend to have a rather flexible migration schedule which allows them to respond more effectively to extreme environmental variations, like those due to climate change. Weather seasonality and environmental heterogeneity at regional and local scales have been reported as significant factors in the diversification of migratory behaviour for some species of Mediterranean migrants. Relatively few studies, however, investigated the migration patterns of non-passerine birds migrating within this area. In this study we investigated the migratory strategy of the Eurasian Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus using data collected on 40 individuals tagged with geolocators and GPS-GSM tags, belonging to two continental and two Mediterranean populations of the Italian peninsula. The proportion of migrants was significantly higher in continental populations, but we observed a significant variability also within Mediterranean populations. GPS-tagged migrants traveled less than 1000 km, spending the winter within the Mediterranean basin. Continental Stone-curlews i) departed earlier in spring and later in autumn and ii) covered longer distances than those from Mediterranean areas. The speed of migration did not change between seasons for continental birds, while Mediterranean individuals tended to migrate faster in spring. The likelihood of departure for autumn migration of GPS-tagged birds significantly increased when temperatures were near or below 0 {degrees}C suggesting that Stone-curlews tend to delay departure weather conditions worsen abruptly. Thus it can be speculated that the frequency of migratory birds in the considered populations may decrease in the near future due to the effect of global warming in the Mediterranean. This could have a significant effect on the distribution of species throughout the year and should be taken into account when targeting conservation measures.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2021

Projected dynamics of breeding habitat suitability for a steppe-land bird warrant anticipatory conservation actions

Understanding spatial and temporal variations of habitat suitability is fundamental for species conservation under global change. Steppic species are particularly sensitive to anthropogenic change and have undergone large declines in the last decades. We aimed to describe current and future breeding habitat suitability for the Eurasian stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus, a steppic species of conservation concern, and to identify critical areas for its conservation. We collected 1628 presence records covering the period 1992-2016. We developed a species distribution model using a dynamic Maxent algorithm and a set of pseudo-absences with a spatial density weighted on a fixed kernel density estimated on the presences, to mitigate the potential sampling bias. We projected this model under a set of carbon emission, socioeconomic and land-use/land-cover scenarios for the years 2030, 2050, 2070 and 2090. Finally, we described the cell-wise and mean change of breeding habitat suitability through consecutive time intervals and identified the areas critical for the species conservation. All scenarios predicted a short-term northward shift of suitable areas, followed by a period of stability. We found no consistent trends in the mean change of breeding habitat suitability, and similar extents of suitable areas under current and future scenarios. Critical areas for the conservation of the species are mainly located in Northern Europe, Israel and parts of North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula and Italy. According to our results, the Eurasian stone-curlew has the potential to maintain viable populations in the Western Palearctic, but dispersal limitations might hinder the colonization of shifted suitable areas. Targeted conservation interventions in the critical areas are therefore recommended to secure the future of the species under global change.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2021

More than expected: the abundance of yellow-legged gulls Larus michahellis breeding in the historic centre of Venice and the initial effects of the new waste collection policy on the population

Yellow-legged gull, Larus michahellis, has undergone widespread colonization of the urban environment in recent past. Starting in 2000 this affected the historical centre of Venice, 24 roof-nesting pairs being recorded in 2005, with this number increasing significantly in the last decade. In 2016, the waste management company of Venice established a new door to door garbage collection system to prevent the accumulation of rubbish in the streets and limit the trophic resources available for the species. The study provides an up-to-date estimate of the urban population of yellow-legged gulls, using Distance Sampling method. We also studied the effect of the new system on the species by comparing the population estimate before and after the change and by analysing the trend of individuals collected in the old town by the service of wildlife recovery during 2010-2018. Results estimate 440 breeding pairs (95s% confidence interval: 326-593) in June 2018 and show a 34% decrease of breeding pairs in 2018 with respect to 2017, as well as a decrease in number of 1-year birds and pulli collected by wildlife recovery service starting from 2016, year of the policy implementation. Our data did not show a significant decrease in the overall number of individuals, suggesting 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.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2020

Acoustic analysis and playback experiments do not support the taxonomic revision of the Central and Western Canary Islands subspecies of the Eurasian Stone-curlew (Burhinus o. distinctus)

Capsule Acoustic analysis does not support the elevation of B. o. distinctus to full species.Aims To verify whether the vocal repertoires of B. o. oedicnemus and B. o. distinctus show biologically significant quantitative and qualitative differences.Methods Integration of acoustic analysis of some of the most frequently uttered call types recorded in Italy and in Canary Islands with playback experiments.Results The vocal repertoires of the individuals belonging to the two subspecies were rather similar, but the quantitative analysis of acoustic parameters evidenced some differences between the considered populations. In particular, the three most used call types showed higher frequency and higher utterance rhythm for B. o. distinctus than for B. o. eodicnemus. Playback experiments indicated that individuals from the nominate subspecies responded in the same way to the playback of calls of individuals belonging to both subspecies.Conclusion Acoustic analysis supports the distinctiveness of Stone-curlew populations from Central and Western Canary Islands, thus confirming the available morphological and genetic data. These results, however, do not suggest the elevation of B. o. distinctus to full species.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.View Full Text

zoology↗

bioRxiv2020

Feral pigeon populations: their gene pool and links with local domestic breeds

Columba livia is a wild bird whose domestication has led to a large number of pigeon breeds. The occasional loss or straying of domestic birds determined the origin of feral pigeons, which are now widespread all around the world. In this study, we assumed that the main contribution to feral populations is provided by domestic breeds reared in the same areas. We tested this hypothesis by analysing the variability of 12 microsatellite loci in nine Italian feral populations sampled in areas with different intensities of breeding and selecting domestic breeds. We included in the analysis samples belonging to domestic lineages commonly bred in Italy The pattern of geographic differentiation of feral populations turned out to be rather complex and only partially explained by the geographic distance between populations. This pattern can be understood only when the domestic breeds were included in the analysis. In particular, feral populations located in regions with a long-lasting tradition of pigeon breeding showed a high level of admixture with domestic breeds, in particular with Racing Homer and Piacentino. Ferals from Bolzano, Venice and Sassari were characterized by unique genetic components, almost all of which are not shared by other feral populations and by the considered domestic breeds. Our results further emphasize the complex origin of feral populations which can be properly investigated only by considering the pool of domestic pigeons bred in the considered area and their past and present distribution.View Full Text

zoology↗