The prohibition of recreational hunting of wild ungulates in Spanish National Parks: Challenges and opportunities.

A new regulation has led to the prohibition of recreational hunting on estates located within Spanish National Parks (NPs). Before the ban, eleven NPs in Spain had already reported negative ecological consequences associated with high densities of wild ungulates. The new situation that has occurred after the ban signifies that policies with which to control populations of wild ungulates in NPs, most of which do not have a sufficient natural capacity to regulate populations, depend exclusively on the parks' authorities. The banning of recreational hunting implies a series of social, ecological, economic and logistic challenges. The control of wild ungulate populations in NPs requires: i) the legal basis for culling; ii) social acceptance as regards removing animals and the extractive procedures employed in NPs; iii) the long-term monitoring of wild ungulates and the damages that they cause, and iv) sufficient financial and human resources. A more integrated management and policy plan is, therefore, required, which should be supported by two pillars: i) the sustainability of natural resources and the conservation of functional environments, and ii) providing society with explanations regarding the need to manage wild ungulates. In order to bridge the potential gap between these key pillars, it is important to involve stakeholders in the decision-making processes concerning wild ungulate management. The forthcoming changes in Spanish NPs provide a promising opportunity to make a substantial improvement to wild ungulate management in these protected areas. This management approach could, moreover, serve as an example and be transferred to other protected spaces.

Uncertain future for global sea turtle populations in face of sea level rise.

Sea level rise has accelerated during recent decades, exceeding rates recorded during the previous two millennia, and as a result many coastal habitats and species around the globe are being impacted. This situation is expected to worsen due to anthropogenically induced climate change. However, the magnitude and relevance of expected increase in sea level rise (SLR) is uncertain for marine and terrestrial species that are reliant on coastal habitat for foraging, resting or breeding. To address this, we showcase the use of a low-cost approach to assess the impacts of SLR on sea turtles under various Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) SLR scenarios on different sea turtle nesting rookeries worldwide. The study considers seven sea turtle rookeries with five nesting species, categorized from vulnerable to critically endangered including leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea), loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta), hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) and green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Our approach combines freely available digital elevation models for continental and remote island beaches across different ocean basins with projections of field data and SLR. Our case study focuses on five of the seven living sea turtle species. Under moderate climate change scenarios, by 2050 it is predicted that at some sea turtle nesting habitats 100% will be flooded, and under an extreme scenario many sea turtle rookeries could vanish. Overall, nesting beaches with low slope and those species nesting at open beaches such as leatherback and loggerheads sea turtles might be the most vulnerable by future SLR scenarios.

Low impact of tuberculosis severity on wild boar body condition.

Body condition (BC), is a measure to assess the health status of domestic and wild animals. When food resources are abundant, a decrease in BC may indicate an increase in the energetic expenditure due to the effects of growth, reproduction, or disease. BC impoverishment is one of the most common clinical effects of diseases progressing chronically, such as animal tuberculosis (TB) caused by bacteria belonging to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. The Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) is the main wild TB reservoir in the Mediterranean basin. The specific aims of this work were to assess the relationship between sex, age and TB severity altogether on the BC of wild boar. For this purpose, we used the kidney fat index (KFI), to assess the impact of TB progression on the BC of 1372 hunter-harvested free-ranging wild boar in seven populations in southern Spain. Surprisingly, TB had only slight effects on wild boar BC and individuals exhibiting severe TB showed greater BC than TB-free individuals. The age (adults had greater BC than juveniles) and sex (females had greater BC than males) were the main BC determinants in wild boar. Sampling population and season explained more BC variability than individual factors, suggesting that other external factors might play an important role in the BC, and probably on the impact of the disease on this wild reservoir. The low impact of TB on wild boar BC suggests that individuals with severe TB and good BC represent potential long-term super-shedders of this pathogen.

The relevance of the wild reservoir in zoonotic multi-host pathogens: The links between Iberian wild mammals and Coxiella burnetii.

Q fever is a worldwide zoonosis caused by an obligate intracellular bacterium, Coxiella burnetii, with only anecdotal reports of human-to-human transmission. The cause of human Q fever infections is the circulation of C. burnetii in animal reservoirs. Infected livestock, particularly goats and sheep, may cause Q fever outbreaks in humans. However, wildlife is the origin of several human Q fever cases. Human impacts on habitats, biodiversity and climate are responsible for changes in the patterns of interaction between domestic animals, wildlife and humans, allowing wild animals to play an increasingly relevant role as Q fever reservoirs. In the Iberian Peninsula, human impacts on the environment combined with a high biodiversity, which could maintain high transmission rates of this multi-host pathogen, make wild reservoirs an important piece in Q fever epidemiology. In this study, we review the reporting of C. burnetii infections and exposure in Iberian wild mammals and analyse the link between the diversity of wild mammals and the frequency of C. burnetii notifications in wildlife. For it, the number of wild mammal species per UTM 10 × 10-km grid in mainland Spain and Portugal was estimated as a potential predictor of C. burnetii transmission. The results of non-linear regression analysis showed a quadratic relationship between the number of wild mammal species per grid and the presence of C. burnetii cases reported in the literature both by serology (R2  = 0.86) and polymerase chain reaction (R2  = 0.83). Increasing wild mammal diversity was linked to increasing C. burnetii transmission until an intermediate level when the relationship was inverted. Thus, at high levels of wild mammal diversity, the risk of C. burnetii transmission was lower. These observations show a role of wild mammal biodiversity in C. burnetii ecology that needs to be further explored to better prevent the negative impact of Q fever in livestock and human health in Iberia.

Wild Boar Effects on Fungal Abundance and Guilds from Sporocarp Sampling in a Boreal Forest Ecosystem.

Native wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations are expanding across Europe. This is cause for concern in some areas where overabundant populations impact natural ecosystems and adjacent agronomic systems. To better manage the potential for impacts, managers require more information about how the species may affect other organisms. For example, information regarding the effect of wild boar on soil fungi for management application is lacking. Soil fungi play a fundamental role in ecosystems, driving essential ecological functions; acting as mycorrhizal symbionts, sustaining plant nutrition and providing defense; as saprotrophs, regulating the organic matter decomposition; or as plant pathogens, regulating plant fitness and survival. During autumn (Sep-Nov) 2018, we investigated the effects of wild boar (presence/absence and rooting intensity) on the abundance (number of individuals) of fungal sporocarps and their functional guilds (symbiotic, saprotrophic and pathogenic). We selected eleven forested sites (400-500 × 150-200 m) in central Sweden; six with and five without the presence of wild boar. Within each forest, we selected one transect (200 m long), and five plots (2 × 2 m each) for sites without wild boar, and ten plots for sites with boars (five within and five outside wild boar disturbances), to determine the relationship between the intensity of rooting and the abundance of sporocarps for three fungal guilds. We found that the presence of wild boar and rooting intensity were associated with the abundance of sporocarps. Interestingly, this relationship varied depending on the fungal guild analyzed, where wild boar rooting had a positive correlation with saprophytic sporocarps and a negative correlation with symbiotic sporocarps. Pathogenic fungi, in turn, were more abundant in undisturbed plots (no rooting) but located in areas with the presence of wild boar. Our results indicate that wild boar activities can potentially regulate the abundance of fungal sporocarps, with different impacts on fungal guilds. Therefore, wild boar can affect many essential ecosystem functions driven by soil fungi in boreal forests, such as positive effects on energy rotation and in creating mineral availability to plants, which could lead to increased diversity of plants in boreal forests.

Permeability of artificial barriers (fences) for wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Mediterranean mixed landscapes.

BACKGROUND: Fences are one of the most widespread manmade features in nature, constituting an artificial limitation to the movement of wildlife. To date, their effects on wildlife behavior have been understudied but this knowledge is required to design effective management procedures. Using 21 GPS-monitored wild boar, we evaluated the permeability of different types of fences and described temporal patterns and spatial hotspots for crossing events. A fence's permeability was inferred by the crossing success, i.e., the number of times that animals crossed a barrier vs the number of times they did not cross. The vulnerability of fences at watercourses was explored by assessing whether the frequency of crossings was higher around watercourse intersections than expected by chance. RESULTS: Well-maintained big game proof fences were the most effective in reducing successful wild boar crossings; they were, on average, 30% more efficient than livestock type fences. Crossing success was higher for males than females and during the food shortage period than in the food abundance period. The frequency of crossings around watercourses was higher than expected by chance, especially in moderately and well-maintained big game proof type fences. CONCLUSION: While no fence type was 100% wild boar proof, well-maintained big game proof fences substantially constrained the movement of boar. However, they are vulnerable around watercourses. Managing the conflicts in which this species is involved, such as shared infections and agricultural damage, would require fences that are even more effective than the ones analyzed here, ideally in conjunction with other preventive actions. © 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Teachers' professional identity: validation of an assessment instrument for preservice teachers.

This study aims to develop and validate an instrument to analyse future Secondary Education teachers' perceptions regarding the development of Teachers' Professional Identity (TPI). The data were collected from a sample of 733 participants who were students enrolled in the Master's Degree for Secondary Education teachers. The psychometric properties of the instrument were obtained by analysing content, and comprehension validity, construct validity and reliability. A first subsample was used for an Exploratory Factor Analysis, and a second one to verify the identified factor structure via Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The instrument is made up of 31 items in four scales namely the understanding of TPI, the development of TPI at various educational levels, the development of TPI in comparison with that of other professionals and the influencing factors. The results show that it has high levels of validity and reliability. Therefore, it provides TPI research field with an instrument to assess it during the initial teacher training period in consecutive training models where it seems to occur more identity crisis.

Environmental challenges of intensive woody crops: The case of super high-density olive groves.

Super high-density olive groves (>800 trees ha-1) are rapidly expanding in olive oil producer countries, which entails a strong modification of the olive growing system with important agronomic, economic, sociocultural, and environmental consequences. Among them, the latter is particularly unknown. The aim of this paper is to bring the attention on the environmental impacts of super high-density olive groves, by systematically reviewing the current evidence and identifying knowledge gaps yet to be filled. As a result, we can argue that new super high-density olive plantations reduce habitat heterogeneity and complexity, and the younger trees of these plantations impoverish habitat quality for farmland biodiversity. In addition, the high input use (e.g. phytosanitary treatments, fertilisers and water supply) may entail ecological impacts as well. Therefore, we conclude that i) new highly intensive olive groves should be limited to areas with lower ecological value; ii) consumers should have more information concerning how is produced the olive oil they buy, including the environmental impacts produced; iii) agricultural policies should be reformulated following the provider-gets principle; iv) input use (fertilisers, pesticides, water, etc.) should be gradually optimised to reduce the environmental impact; and finally, v) more research is necessary to foster decisions based on science.

The spatial ecology of red deer under different land use and management scenarios: Protected areas, mixed farms and fenced hunting estates.

The knowledge regarding the spatial ecology of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in different environments is crucial if effective management actions are to be designed. However, this knowledge continues to be scarce in the complex contexts of mixed land use and management circumstances. This study describes the spatial ecology of red deer monitored using GPS collars in Mediterranean ecosystems of South-Central Spain, considering the effect of individual and seasonal (food shortage period, rut, hunting season and food abundance period) factors on different land use and management scenarios, namely protected areas, mixed farms and fenced hunting estates. Our results showed less activity (ACT), a shorter daily range (DR) and a smaller home range (HR) during the food shortage period: ACT: 0.38 ± (SD) 0.12; DR: 3010.9 ± 727.3 m; and weekly HR: 122.2 ± 59.6 ha. With regard to land use, individuals were less ACT and had a smaller DR on fenced hunting estates (ACT: 0.24 ± 0.12; DR: 1946.3 ± 706.7 m) than in protected areas (ACT: 0.59 ± 0.12; DR: 4071.4 ± 1068.2 m) or on mixed farms (ACT: 0.57 ± 0.29; DR: 5431.1 ± 1939.5 m) in all the periods studied. Red deer selected land cover with forage and shelter when foraging and resting, respectively. When drive hunt events occurred (mixed farms and fenced hunting estates), the deer were more prone to select safer habitats (scrublands) and avoid open areas (crops or grasslands) than were their counterparts in protected areas. The patterns observed can be explained by sexual and seasonal differences as regards requirements, the response to disturbances and, interestingly, population management. Our results provide useful information with which to design scientifically-based species adaptive management in response to relevant and timely situations in Europe, such as the potential transmission of shared infections, vehicle collisions, and damage to crops and ecosystems.

Natural and anthropogenic-induced stressors affecting the composition of fish communities on the rocky reefs of Ecuador.

Natural and human-induced stressors have threatened the sustainability of the fish communities of coral-rocky reefs worldwide in the last decades. The composition of the fish communities on the reefs of Ecuador and the factors affecting spatiotemporal changes are unknown. We studied the influence of the descriptors of structural complexity, the current status of coral and human-induced variables over fish communities. A video transect method was used to assess fish communities in three zones (slope, crest, and bottom) of two reefs during two seasons (rainy and dry). The structure of fish communities was highly influenced by the zones and season; rugosity and live coral affected the fish composition on the crest and slope zones. The fractured coral and derelict fishing gear on coral produced an adverse effect on fish composition over the crest. A multifactorial process causing loss of structural complexity and affecting fish composition was identified, however, periodical assessment is required for a greater understanding of this process.