Aspects of the Breeding Ecology and Conservation of the Glossy Ibis in Algeria

Immigration and local recruitment play a central role in determining the growth rate of breeding populations. Unraveling these processes in newly established populations is of great importance to increase our understanding of how species change their distributions in response to global change. We studied the largest colony of glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) in Western Europe (established in 1996 in Doñana, SW‐Spain) by using capture‐recapture methods, count estimates, and projection matrix modeling to: (1) test the effect of resource availability and competition on local recruitment dynamics, (2) investigate the contribution of local recruitment vs. immigration on population growth, and (3) assess the role of this population in source/sink dynamics. We found different dynamics before and after the establishment of satellite colonies in Doñana in 2004. Between 1996 and 2003, the population increased rapidly, fueled by immigrants (≈58 breeding females/yr). Between 2003 and 2007, however, both colony size increase and immigration were negligible. Immigration played a major role in colony growth, but simultaneously this colony was a source population driving expansion of the species range as suggested by (1) absolute and relative estimates of the observed growth rate relative to that predicted by self‐recruitment, and (2) numerous observations of Doñana‐born individuals breeding elsewhere. Local recruitment, which was particularly high for first‐year individuals (probability >0.8 for the early study years), was not directly related to resource availability or previous‐year breeding success. Local recruitment decreased rapidly at a threshold population size, however, when other satellite colonies became established at Doñana. Our study suggests that even when recruitment at an early age and high productivity are observed, immigration can still play a pivotal role in promoting the fast growth of new populations at the edge of a species range, at least until density‐dependent effects arise. This process can be so fast that within a few years a new population can itself become a source population, further driving range expansion of the species.

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“…), Argelia (1998) (Boucheker et al. ), Southwest (1994), and North (2011) Morocco (Amezian et al. ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immigration enhances fast growth of a newly established source population

Santoro

Green

Figuerola

2016

Ecology

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“…The country also houses important breeding sites for many rare, endangered or biome-restricted species, including the Audouin's gull Larus audouinii, white-headed duck Oxyura leucocephala, ferruginous duck Aythya nyroca, marbled teal Marmorenetta angustirostris, and the Eleonora's falcon Falco eleonorae . In northeast Algeria, the Glossy Ibis breeds in mixed-heron colonies in various wetlands (Lake Fetzara, Lake Tonga, Dakhla, and Chatt) with various heron species: the night heron Nycticorax nycticorax, squacco heron Ardeola ralloides, cattle egret Ardea ibis, little egret Egretta garzetta, grey heron Ardea cinerea, and the purple heron Ardea purpurea (Boucheker et al 2009;Nedjah et al 2010). …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution patterns of ectoparasites of Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) chicks

Touati

Figuerola

Alfarhan

et al. 2015

Zoology and Ecology

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The aim of this study was to identify the ectoparasite community that may be found on the body of Glossy Ibis chicks Plegadis falcinellus in two Algerian wetlands, Chatt and Lake Fetzara, during the breeding season of 2010. Birds were parasitized by the following chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera, Ischnocera) species at both study sites: Plegadiphilus plegadis and Colpocephalum leptopygos (both Menoponidae), Ardeicola rhaphidius and Ibidoecus bisignatus (both Philopteridae). In addition, one tick (larva) Ixodes ricinus was also found at Lake Fetzara. All these ectoparasites were recorded in Algeria for the first time. Results showed that chewing lice varied in their spatial distribution at the infracommunity level with some species displaying no microhabitat preferences, whereas others confined themselves to specific body parts of their hosts. The recorded frequency pattern of chewing lice followed the negative binomial distribution.Dviejose Alžyro šlapžemėse (Chatt ir Fetzara ežerai) 2010 metų perėjimo laikotarpiu nustatyta rudojo ibio Plegadis falcinellus jauniklių ektoparazitų bendrijos rūšinė sudėtis. Abiejose vietovėse paukščius parazitavo utėlės Plegadiphilus plegadis ir Colpocephalum leptopygos (Menoponidae), bei Ardeicola rhaphidius ir Ibidoecus bisignatus (Philopteridae). Fetzara šlapžemėje aptikta viena erkės Ixodes ricinus lerva. Visi šie ektoparazitai Alžyre užregistruoti pirmą kartą. Šeimininke utėlės buvo pasiskirsčiusios nevienodai: vienos jų parazitavo tik specifinėse šeimininko kūno dalyse, kitoms mikrobuveinės selektyvumas nepasireiškė. Utėlių pasiskirstymas atitiko neigiamą binominį modelį.

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“…First, we found high productivity over the entire study period (more than two fledglings per pair) compared with other studies on this species (~0.4-1 fledglings/pair in North America and Australia; Williams 1975, Burger 1978, Miller and Burger 1978, Lowe 1983). High fecundity rates were also found in a recently settled glossy ibis population in Algeria (Boucheker et al 2009). Second, both local and nonlocal recruitment contributed to the population increase, which was steep until 2003.…”

Section: Population Growthmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…After an initial period (1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003) when they only bred at the FAO colony, ibis started to breed in satellite colonies within the Doñana marshes. Over the last 20 yr, other smaller breeding colonies have established in East (1993) andNortheast Spain (1996) (Mañez and Rendón-Martos 2009), in the Camargue, France (2006) (Kayser et al 2009), Argelia (1998 (Boucheker et al 2009), Southwest (1994, and North (2011) Morocco (Amezian et al 2012). Additionally, irregular breeding has occurred in Portugal (Noivo and Jara 2007), Italy (Brichetti 1986, Grussu 2004, and some other areas in Spain, France (Marion and Marion 2011) and Morocco, especially since 2005 when a severe drought prevented breeding in Doñana (Santoro et al 2013; details in Table S1).…”

Section: Study Area Colony Site and Field Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Immigration enhances fast growth of a newly-established source population

Santoro

Green

Figuerola

2015

Ecology

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Abstract. Immigration and local recruitment play a central role in determining the growth rate of breeding populations. Unraveling these processes in newly established populations is of great importance to increase our understanding of how species change their distributions in response to global change. We studied the largest colony of glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) in Western Europe (established in 1996 in Doñana, SW-Spain) by using capture-recapture methods, count estimates, and projection matrix modeling to: (1) test the effect of resource availability and competition on local recruitment dynamics, (2) investigate the contribution of local recruitment vs. immigration on population growth, and (3) assess the role of this population in source/sink dynamics. We found different dynamics before and after the establishment of satellite colonies in Doñana in 2004 . Between 1996, the population increased rapidly, fueled by immigrants (≈58 breeding females/ yr). Between 2003 and 2007, however, both colony size increase and immigration were negligible. Immigration played a major role in colony growth, but simultaneously this colony was a source population driving expansion of the species range as suggested by (1) absolute and relative estimates of the observed growth rate relative to that predicted by self-recruitment, and (2) numerous observations of Doñana-born individuals breeding elsewhere. Local recruitment, which was particularly high for first-year individuals (probability >0.8 for the early study years), was not directly related to resource availability or previous-year breeding success. Local recruitment decreased rapidly at a threshold population size, however, when other satellite colonies became established at Doñana. Our study suggests that even when recruitment at an early age and high productivity are observed, immigration can still play a pivotal role in promoting the fast growth of new populations at the edge of a species range, at least until density-dependent effects arise. This process can be so fast that within a few years a new population can itself become a source population, further driving range expansion of the species.

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Aspects of the Breeding Ecology and Conservation of the Glossy Ibis in Algeria

Cited by 21 publications

References 9 publications

Immigration enhances fast growth of a newly established source population

Immigration enhances fast growth of a newly established source population

Distribution patterns of ectoparasites of Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) chicks

Immigration enhances fast growth of a newly-established source population

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