The discriminant power of biometrics for sex determination in European Bee-eaters Merops apiaster

Costa, Joana S.; Hahn, Steffen; Rocha, Afonso D.; Araújo, Pedro M.; Olano-Marin, Juanita; Emmenegger, Tamara; Alves, José A.

doi:10.1080/00063657.2020.1728229

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…In a set of 38 studies on the EBE diet, Vespidae represented, on average, around 8-9% of the total prey, only reaching 30-40% in 4 of these studies [58], whereas in Spain the percentages of Vespids do not go beyond 2% [61][62][63]. In Portugal, according to Costa et al [64], the composition of the EBE's diet varies according to the country's regions, but is mainly composed of Hymenoptera (the majority) and Coleoptera, which totalize approximately 90% of the items consumed in the breeding season (adults and nestlings). Concerning only the nestlings, Hymenoptera constitute 68% to 85% of their diet wherein -European bees corresponding to 26-47%, wasps ~3-33% and other Hymenoptera 21-30% [64].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Portugal, according to Costa et al [64], the composition of the EBE's diet varies according to the country's regions, but is mainly composed of Hymenoptera (the majority) and Coleoptera, which totalize approximately 90% of the items consumed in the breeding season (adults and nestlings). Concerning only the nestlings, Hymenoptera constitute 68% to 85% of their diet wherein -European bees corresponding to 26-47%, wasps ~3-33% and other Hymenoptera 21-30% [64].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the Evidence of the European Bee-Eater (Merops apiaster) as a Predator of the Yellow-Legged Hornet (Vespa velutina) and its Potential Contribution as a Biological Control Agent

Onofre¹,

Castro²,

Nave³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The Yellow-legged Hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) (YLH) is an invasive insect that arrived in Europe in 2004 and is now spread across nine countries. It is a threat to the native entomofauna and harmful to beekeeping and agriculture, as it is a ravenous predator of the European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) and other pollinating species. Its expansion has been unstoppable and all resources are needed to fight against it, including native vertebrate predators. Among these, the European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) (EBE) is a potential one, but little is known about its predation on YLH. In a study carried out in Portugal, remains of YHL were detected in EBE nesting sites, which to the best of our knowledge is the first such report. This means that this bird could be one more agent in the biological control of this pest (although research on predation intensity is still needed), in conjunction with other natural predators and other strategies. In the Iberian Peninsula both species are allopatric in vast regions, so the role of EBE may be more limited. However, in the rest of Europe, at a country or continent scale, the scenario may be different and sympatry may occur to a greater extent.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Evidence of the European Bee-Eater (Merops apiaster) as a Predator of the Yellow-Legged Hornet (Vespa velutina) and its Potential Contribution as a Biological Control Agent

Onofre¹,

Castro²,

Nave³

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In a set of 38 studies on the EBE diet, Vespidae represented, on average, around 8-9% of the total prey, only reaching 30-40% in 4 of these studies [59], whereas in Spain the percentages of Vespids do not go beyond 2% [62][63][64]. In Portugal, according to Costa et al [65], the composition of the EBE's diet varies according to the country's regions, but is mainly composed of Hymenoptera (the majority) and Coleoptera, which totalize approximately 90% of the items consumed in the breeding season (adults and nestlings). Concerning only the nestlings, Hymenoptera constitutes 68% to 85% of their diet wherein-European bees corresponding to 26-47%, wasps ~3-33%, and other Hymenoptera 21-30% of the diet [65].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Portugal, according to Costa et al [65], the composition of the EBE's diet varies according to the country's regions, but is mainly composed of Hymenoptera (the majority) and Coleoptera, which totalize approximately 90% of the items consumed in the breeding season (adults and nestlings). Concerning only the nestlings, Hymenoptera constitutes 68% to 85% of their diet wherein-European bees corresponding to 26-47%, wasps ~3-33%, and other Hymenoptera 21-30% of the diet [65]. However, the importance of predation also depends on other factors, such as the geographic coexistence between both species, predator and prey; in addition, although the potential area of occurrence of YLH in Europe (see Verdasca et al [19] or GBIF Secretariat [66], among others), coincides very reasonably with the distribution range of the European Honey Buzzard [67,68], the same does not seem to happen with the EBE, at least in the present and in certain regions of Europe [68,69].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Evidence of the European Bee-Eater (Merops apiaster) as a Predator of the Yellow-Legged Hornet (Vespa velutina) and Its Possible Contribution as a Biocontrol Agent

Onofre

Castro

Nave

et al. 2023

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Yellow-legged Hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) (YLH) is an invasive insect that arrived in Europe in 2004 and is now spread across nine countries. It is a threat to the native entomofauna and harmful to beekeeping and agriculture, as it is a ravenous predator of the European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) and other pollinating species. Its expansion has been unstoppable and all resources are needed to fight against it, including native vertebrate predators. Among these, the European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) (EBE) is a potential one, but little is known about its predation on YLH. In a study carried out in Portugal, remains of YHL were detected in EBE nesting sites, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the first such report. This means that this bird could be one more agent in the biological control of this pest (although research on predation intensity is still needed), in conjunction with other natural predators and other strategies. In the Iberian Peninsula, both species are allopatric in vast regions, so the role of EBE may be more limited. However, in the rest of Europe, at a country or continent scale, the scenario may be different and sympatry may occur to a greater extent.

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“…Plumage features are being increasingly considered for age and sex determination in studies of monomorphic species [4,5,[12][13][14]. Combining morphometric traits with the size, shape and color of plumage patches can be useful for sex determination in studies of apparently monomorphic species [13,15,16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discriminant Criteria for Field Sexing in the Eurasian Tree Sparrow by Combining Body Size and Plumage Features

González¹,

Morinha²,

Villanúa³

et al. 2022

Birds

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The Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) is a monomorphic passerine, for which it is impossible to differentiate between males and females based on external characteristics. Being a species frequently captured for ringing, having a reliable method to determine sex from conventional biometric measurements would facilitate its study and be very useful for the correct management and conservation of this declining species. In the present study, we used biometric measurements recorded in 66 individuals captured with mist nets in communal roosts in northern Spain during the winter and sexed them using molecular techniques. We conducted a discriminant function analysis (DFA) to derive equations that allowed us to determine the sex of the specimens from some of the measurements recorded in the field. Significant differences were found between males and females in wing length, third primary length, badge width and height and body weight. The DFA provided two functions that correctly classified the sex of 94.7% of the individuals using wing length and badge width, and 98.2% if weight was added to the analysis. Our results allow sexing from measurements that can be easily recorded in the field with the tools commonly used in banding sessions and without the need for additional training. Considerations of Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules on body size and the use of DFA in different populations are discussed.

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The discriminant power of biometrics for sex determination in European Bee-eaters Merops apiaster

Cited by 4 publications

References 36 publications

On the Evidence of the European Bee-Eater (<em>Merops apiaster</em>) as a Predator of the Yellow-Legged Hornet (<em>Vespa velutina</em>) and its Potential Contribution as a Biological Control Agent

On the Evidence of the European Bee-Eater (<em>Merops apiaster</em>) as a Predator of the Yellow-Legged Hornet (<em>Vespa velutina</em>) and its Potential Contribution as a Biological Control Agent

On the Evidence of the European Bee-Eater (Merops apiaster) as a Predator of the Yellow-Legged Hornet (Vespa velutina) and Its Possible Contribution as a Biocontrol Agent

Discriminant Criteria for Field Sexing in the Eurasian Tree Sparrow by Combining Body Size and Plumage Features

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