Different trends of neighboring populations of Lesser Kestrel: Effects of climate and other environmental conditions

Morganti, Michelangelo; Ambrosini, Roberto; Sarà, Maurizio

doi:10.1002/1438-390x.1032

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…The interannual rainfall variability of the Sahel area is known to affect population growth of lesser kestrels. High rainfall is associated with increasing population size (Morganti, Ambrosini, & Sarà, 2019), likely due to high invertebrate (mainly orthopteran) prey availability improving survival of first-year birds (Mihoub, Gimenez, Pilard, & Sarrazin, 2010). Variation in decadal rainfall trends over different sectors of the Sahel region, suggesting a change in the west-to-east rainfall gradient (e.g.…”

Section: Migratory Connectivity Genetic Population Structure and Popu...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Broad‐front migration leads to strong migratory connectivity in the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni)

Sarà

Bondì²,

Bermejo³

et al. 2019

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim: Migratory animals regularly move between often distant breeding and non-breeding ranges. Knowledge about how these ranges are linked by movements of individuals from different populations is crucial for unravelling temporal variability in population spatial structuring and for identifying environmental drivers of population dynamics acting at different spatio-temporal scales. We performed a large-scale individual-based migration tracking study of the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni), an Afro-Palearctic migratory raptor, to determine the patterns of migratory connectivity of European breeding populations. Location: Europe, Africa. Methods: Migration data were recorded using different devices (geolocators, Argos PTTs, GPS loggers) from 87 individuals breeding in the three core European populations, located in the Iberian, Italian and Balkan peninsulas. We estimated connectivity by the Mantel correlation coefficient (rM), and computed both the degree of separation between the non-breeding areas of individuals from the same population (i.e. the population spread) and the relative size of the non-breeding range (i.e. the non-breeding range spread). Results: European lesser kestrels migrated on a broad-front across the Mediterranean Sea and Sahara Desert, with different populations using different routes. Iberian birds migrated to western Sahel (Senegal, Mauritania, western Mali), Balkan birds migrated chiefly to central-eastern Sahel (Niger, Nigeria, Chad), whereas Italian ones spread from eastern Mali to Nigeria. Spatial differentiation of non-breeding areas led to a strong migratory connectivity (rM = 0.58), associated with a relatively high population (637 km) and non-breeding range (1149 km) spread. Main conclusions: Our comprehensive analysis of the non-breeding distribution of European lesser kestrel populations revealed a strong migratory connectivity, a rare occurrence in long-distance avian migrants. The geographic conformation of the species' breeding and non-breeding ranges, together with broad-front migration across ecological barriers, promoted the differentiation of migratory routes and non-breeding areas. Strong connectivity could then arise because of both high population spread and broad non-breeding range.

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Section: Migratory Connectivity Genetic Population Structure and Popu...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Broad‐front migration leads to strong migratory connectivity in the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni)

Sarà

Bondì²,

Bermejo³

et al. 2019

Journal of Biogeography

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“…Local habitat conditions may play an important role in determining lesser kestrel breeding phenology 31 . The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), considered indicative of food availability for insectivores 33 , was consistently higher in Cádiz than in Seville, and peaked later there (Fig. 2 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carryover effects of long-distance avian migration are weaker than effects of breeding environment in a partially migratory bird

Buchan

Gilroy

Catry

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Migration may expose individuals to a wide range of increasing anthropogenic threats. In addition to direct mortality effects, this exposure may influence post-migratory reproductive fitness. Partial migration—where a population comprises migrants and residents—represents a powerful opportunity to explore carryover effects of migration. Studies of partial migration in birds typically examine short-distance systems; here we studied an unusual system where residents breed in mixed colonies alongside long-distance trans-Saharan migrants (lesser kestrels (Falco naumanni) in Spain). Combining geolocator data, stable isotope analysis and resighting data, we examined the effects of this stark difference in migratory strategy on body condition, breeding phenology and breeding success. We monitored four colonies in two regions of southern Spain for five consecutive years (2014–2018), yielding 1962 captures, determining migratory strategy for 141 adult bird-years. Despite a 3000-km difference in distance travelled, we find no effect of strategy on breeding parameters. We find weak evidence for a short-term negative carryover effect of migration on body condition, but this was only apparent in the breeding region with lower primary productivity. Our results indicate that carryover effects of even highly divergent migratory strategies may be minimal relative to effects of conditions experienced on breeding grounds.

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“…Demographic responses to environmental changes may be different according to sex or colony, because individuals belonging to different groups may respond differently. (Morganti et al 2019). Our study brings new evidence that such intraspecific variations in responses to environmental change also occur in marine ecosystems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demographic sensitivity to environmental forcings: a multi‐trait, multi‐colony approach

Sauser

Delord

Barbraud

2021

Oikos

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Understanding the demographic responses of wild animal populations to different factors is fundamental to make reliable prediction of population dynamics. Both bottomup processes and top-down regulation operate in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, but their relative contribution remains insufficiently known. In addition, direct weather effects on demographic rates have been overlooked in marine ecosystems and inferences on the demographic effects of environmental drivers were overwhelmingly made from single study sites. Here, we evaluate the relative effects of bottom-up, top-down and weather processes on four vital rates and on population growth rates of a long-lived seabird, the snow petrel Pagodroma nivea, within three different breeding colonies. We used multistate capture-recapture modelling and perturbation analyses from a matrix population model based on a 36-year-long (1981-2017) individual monitoring dataset to quantify the different drivers (predation, climatic and weather covariates) of probabilities of survival, breeding, hatching and fledging according to colony, sex and breeding status of individuals. Results show that bottom-up forces and local weather affected breeding parameters, and that survival was driven by top-down regulation pressure and bottom-up processes. Breeding parameters differed between colonies and survival was sex-specific. Sensitivity analysis revealed that population regulation was mainly driven by bottom-up processes and that top-down processes played a minor role. However, there were major differences between colonies about the importance of how local weather processes affected population growth rate. Our study brings new insights into the drivers of demographic processes in a marine meso-predator, and how these drivers vary according to colonies and individual characteristics. We emphasize the importance of considering multiple study sites to make robust inferences on the effects of environmental drivers on wildlife demography. More generally, robust conclusions about the importance of environmental drivers on demography rely on considering multiple causal effects at multiple sites, while accounting for individual characteristics.

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Different trends of neighboring populations of Lesser Kestrel: Effects of climate and other environmental conditions

Abstract: The sensitivity of population trends to the climate and environment is generally considered a species-specific trait. However, evidence that populations may show different responses to the climate and environmental conditions is growing.

Cited by 9 publications

References 94 publications

Broad‐front migration leads to strong migratory connectivity in the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni)

Broad‐front migration leads to strong migratory connectivity in the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni)

Carryover effects of long-distance avian migration are weaker than effects of breeding environment in a partially migratory bird

Demographic sensitivity to environmental forcings: a multi‐trait, multi‐colony approach

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