Person:
Barrientos Yuste, Rafael

First Name

Rafael

Last Name

Barrientos Yuste

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/81128

Affiliation

Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Faculty / Institute

Ciencias Biológicas

Department

Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 29

Can we explain regional abundance and road-kill patterns with variables derived from local-scale road-kill models? Evaluating transferability with the European polecat
(Diversity and Distributions, 2012) Miranda, Juan de Dios; Barrientos Yuste, Rafael
Aim We evaluated the transferability of variables previously found to have a significant effect on European polecat Mustela putorius road-kills at a local scale (i.e. 50 m around location points) when we extrapolate them to a large scale [Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) 100 km2] in a neighbouring area. Location Andalusia, south Spain. We carried out our study in 821 of the 985 UTM 100 km2 cells included in this region. Methods The units of the different variables were adapted to the new scale. We used data from the Spanish Atlas survey to obtain the abundance of the different species and GIS data for the rest of the variables. We controlled the spatial autocorrelation by incorporating spatial filters obtained with Spatial Eigenvector Mapping into multiple regression analyses. We used AIC criteria and the best subset procedure to investigate the relationship between the selected variables and species abundance, and road-kill occurrence. Results The best subset procedure provided two models that explained 40% of variation in polecat abundance and eleven models that explained around 25% of variation in road-kills. The main explanatory factor for polecat abundance was the abundance of other carnivores, whereas polecat abundance was the main factor for road-kills. In both cases, rabbit abundance was the second most important explanatory variable. Main Conclusions Our findings highlight the possibility of partially explaining the abundance and road-kill patterns at a large scale based on significant variables from local-scale models. Mitigation measures to reduce polecat fatalities should combine actions at different scales. Routes that cross carnivore hotspots, including those of polecats, and areas with important populations of rabbits, should be avoided during road planning. When these routes are unavoidable, local-scale mitigation measures must be implemented.
The lost road: do transportation networks imperil wildlife population persistence?
(Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation, 2021) Barrientos Yuste, Rafael; Ascensão, Fernando; D'Amico, Marcello; Grilo, Clara; Pereira, Henrique M.
The global road network is rapidly growing associated with human economic development. This growth also entails a high toll for biodiversity, with several well-documented negative impacts on different species. However, there is still a great lack of knowledge about the effects of roads on the persistence of wildlife populations. Here, we aimed to summarize our current knowledge on this topic, based on systematic reviews. We found that only a small proportion of studies (8%) focused on the effects of roads on population persistence. Most of these studies were about large mammals and were performed in high-income countries. Furthermore, these works studied only 2% of those species identified by the IUCN Red List as threatened by roads. Overall, our results show that we are far from understanding how roads affect the long-term viability of wildlife populations inhabiting road-effect zones. Addressing this challenge will require modifying our conceptual perspective, from short-term to long-term studies, from single road sections to focusing the landscape scale, and strive to obtain empirical data to support sound analyses to assess how road impacts affect the survival of wildlife populations, namely with information required to perform approaches such as population viability analyses. We highlight some key studies from our reviews that have addressed this global conservation concern with population-oriented approaches.
Wildlife collisions put a dent in road safety
(Science, 2021) Ascensão, Fernando; Barrientos Yuste, Rafael
Nearby night lighting, rather than sky glow, is associated with habitat selection by a top predator in human-dominated landscapes
(Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 2023) Barrientos Yuste, Rafael; Vickers, Winston; Longcore, Travis; Abelson, Eric S.; Dellinger, Justin; Waetjen, David P.; Fandos Guzmán, Guillermo; Shilling, Fraser M.
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is increasing in extent and intensity across the globe. It has been shown to interfere with animal sensory systems, orientation and distribution, with the potential to cause significant ecological impacts. We analysed the locations of 102 mountain lions (Puma concolor) in a light-polluted region in California. We modelled their distribution relative to environmental and human-disturbance variables, including upward radiance (nearby lights), zenith brightness (sky glow) and natural illumination from moonlight. We found that mountain lion probability of presence was highly related to upward radiance, that is, related to lights within approximately 500 m. Despite a general pattern of avoidance of locations with high upward radiance, there were large differences in degree of avoidance among individuals. The amount of light from artificial sky glow was not influential when included together with upward radiance in the models, and illumination from moonlight was not influential at all. Our results suggest that changes in visibility associated with lunar cycles and sky glow are less important for mountain lions in their selection of light landscapes than avoiding potential interactions with humans represented by the presence of nearby lights on the ground.
Eurasian otters modify their trophic niche after the introduction of non-native prey in Mediterranean fresh waters
(Biological Invasions, 2014) Merino-Aguirre, Raquel; Fletcher, David H; Almeida, David; Barrientos Yuste, Rafael
Abstract Biological invasions are a major driver behind disturbances in freshwater community structure. We investigated how the foraging strategy of the Eurasian otter Lutra lutra (L.) has responded to this change in a Mediterranean catchment of the Iberian Peninsula, over a 30-year time span (1980 vs. 2010). We found that, despite continuing to feed on a considerable amount of native fish, this carnivore has adapted its trophic niche to accommodate non-native species. Prior to the massive introductions of these new food items (1980), otters diversified their diet during the limiting season (i.e. summer drought). However, otters had largely incorporated non-native prey into their diet in 2010, with red-swamp crayfish being their main food resource, especially in the summer. This increased crayfish consumption reflects a narrowing of trophic niche during the summer drought in 2010. We discuss how this heavy specialisation may compromise the conservation of otters and their endemic fish prey.
Greenfinches nesting in algerian orchards delayed their breeding and produced less fledglings in the driest of two years
(Journal of Arid Environments, 2020) Bensouilah, Taqiyeddine; Barrientos Yuste, Rafael
The matching of breeding with the food peak is one of the most important factors affecting the reproductive success in birds. Weather is known to affect the timing of breeding of many bird species. In arid lands, rainfall is usually the factor that triggers the onset of reproduction, since it commonly anticipates the peak of food through its influence on the vegetation development. In this study we used a granivorous finch (European greenfinch Chloris chloris) as a model to assess the influence of rainfall and temperature on the onset and performance of breeding. The study was carried out in fruit orchards in Guelma state (Northeastern Algeria) in 2013 and 2014. The comparison of breeding parameters between the two years showed that greenfinches delayed their breeding in the year that the rains fell later and were less abundant, produced smaller broods and had lower fledgling rate. Clutch size decreased with the season progress only this year. We discuss our results in the context of the influence of weather on bird reproduction in arid lands, while providing novel data on a farmland species from a region with little ornithological information.
Year-round defecation pattern in wild genets (Genetta genetta L.) in a mountain forest (Toledo, central Spain)
(Polish Journal of Ecology, 2006) Barrientos Yuste, Rafael; Polish Academy of Sciences
Faeces are used by many territorial car-nivores as a communication tool (G or man 1990). A lot of species, from small muste-lids (Hutchings and White 2000) to big predators (Vi l á et al. 1994, Mat yush k i n 2000), leave their scats in places where the probability of interception by other animals is maximal and which are associated with reference points that may visually and/or ol-factorily increase the effectiveness of the signal. The pattern and frequency of marking within species varies with the sex, social and reproductive status of the individual (Mac-dona ld 1980). Common genet (Genetta genetta Linneus 1758) is a medium-sized carnivore distributed in southwestern Europe (L ar iv ière and C a lzad a 2001). It is a territorial species (Pa lomares and D elib es 1994, Zub ero-goit i a et al. 2002, Munuera and L lob e t 2004) that deposits its scats in latrines (R o e der 1980a, Virgós et al. 1996, 2001), which can be used multiply by the same individual or by familiar groups, using such latrines as marking tools (R o e der 1980a). Ano-urogenital marking in males increases during the breeding season and decreases when this ends (R o e der 1978). Scent marks in common genets permit assessment of social status and may allow individual recognition (R o e der 1980b). When present, rocks are the commonest defecation location, but other elevated points such as tree branches, walls or raptor nests can also be used (L ive t and R o e der 1987, Pa lomares 1993, Vi rgós et al. 1996). Def-ecation behaviour of genets in the wild has been studied by Pa lomares (1993) in Do-ñana National Park (Southwestern Spain), where two annual peaks in the number of faeces at latrines were found. The first one, in February and March, could be related to the mating period. The second one, in November and December, is coinciding with the dispersal period of cubs and with a secondary rut season (D el ib es 1974, Ay mer ich 1982). Rocks are not available in Doñana (Pa lo-mares 1993). The aim of this study is to test whether the number of scats as well as the height of their deposition (above the ground) is related to the period of reproductive cycle. The study was carried out in Toledo Mountains (Central Spain; 39º35´N, 4º 41´W).
Quantifying and addressing the prevalence and bias of study designs in the environmental and social sciences
(Nature Communications, 2020) Christie, Alec P.; Abecasis, David; Adjeroud, Mehdi; Alonso, Juan C.; Amano, Tatsuya; Anton, Álvaro; Baldigo, Barry P.; Barrientos Yuste, Rafael; Bicknell, Jack E.; Buhl, Deborah A.; Cebrian, Just; Ceia, Ricardo S.; Cibils-Martina, Ricardo; Clarke, Sarah; Claudet, Joachim; Craig, Michael D.; Davoult, Dominique; De Backer, Annelies; Donovan, Mary K.; Eddy, Tyler D.; França, Filipe M.; Gardner, Jonathan P. A.; Harris, Bradley P.; Huusko, Ari; Jones, Ian L.; Kelaher, Brendan P.; Kotiaho, Janne S.; López-Baucells, Adrià; Major, Heather L.; Mäki-Petäys, Aki; Martín, Beatriz; Martín De La Calle, Carlos Alfonso; Martin, Philip A.; Mateos-Molina, Daniel; McConnaughey, Robert A.; Meyer, Christoph F. J.; Mills, Kade; Montefalcone, Monica; Noreika, Norbertas; Palacín, Carlos; Pande, Anjali; Pitcher, C. Roland; Ponce, Carlos; Rinella, Matt; Rocha, Ricardo; Ruiz-Delgado, María C.; Schmitter-Soto, Juan J.; Shaffer, Jill A.; Sharma, Shailesh; Sher, Anna A.; Stagnol, Doriane; Stanley, Thomas R.; Stokesbury, Kevin D. E.; Torres, Aurora; Tully, Oliver; Vehanen, Teppo; Watts, Corinne; Zhao, Quingyuan; Sutherland, William J.
Building trust in science and evidence-based decision-making depends heavily on the credibility of studies and their findings. Researchers employ many different study designs that vary in their risk of bias to evaluate the true effect of interventions or impacts. Here, we empirically quantify, on a large scale, the prevalence of different study designs and the magnitude of bias in their estimates. Randomised designs and controlled observational designs with pre-intervention sampling were used by just 23% of intervention studies in biodiversity conservation, and 36% of intervention studies in social science. We demonstrate, through pairwise within-study comparisons across 49 environmental datasets, that these types of designs usually give less biased estimates than simpler observational designs. We propose a model-based approach to combine study estimates that may suffer from different levels of study design bias, discuss the implications for evidence synthesis, and how to facilitate the use of more credible study designs.
Meta-analysis of the effectiveness of marked wire in reducing avian collisions with power lines
(Conservation Biology, 2011) Alonso, Juan Carlos; Ponce, Carlos; Palacín, Carlos; Barrientos Yuste, Rafael
Collisions of birds with power transmission and distribution lines have been documented for many species, and cause millions of casualties worldwide. Attempts to reduce mortality from such collisions include placing bird flight diverters (i.e., wire markers in the form of, e.g., spirals, swivels, plates, or spheres) on static and some electrified wires to increase their visibility. Although studies of the effectiveness of such devices have yielded contradictory results, the implementation of flight diverters is increasing rapidly. We reviewed the results of studies in which transmission or distribution wires were marked and conducted a meta-analysis to examine the effectiveness of flight diverters in reducing bird mortality. We included in our meta-analysis all studies in which researchers searched for carcasses of birds killed by a collision with wires. In those studies that also included data on flight frequency, we examined 8 covariates of effectiveness: source of data, study design, alternate design (if marked and unmarked spans were alternated in the same line), periodicity of searches for carcasses, width of the search transect, and number of species, lines, and stretches of wire searched. The presence of flight diverters was associated with a decrease in bird collisions. At unmarked lines, there were 0.21 deaths/1000 birds (n =339,830) that flew among lines or over lines. At marked lines, the mortality rate was 78% lower (n =1,060,746). Only the number of species studied had a significant influence on effect size; this was larger in studies that addressed more species. When comparing mortality at marked and unmarked lines, we recommend use of the same time intervals and habitats and standardizing the periodicity of carcass searches
Interspecific interactions disrupted by roads
(Biological Reviews, 2024) Quiles Tundidor, Pablo; Barrientos Yuste, Rafael; Welch, John
Roads have pervasive impacts on wildlife, including habitat loss and fragmentation, road mortality, habitat pollution and increased human use of habitats surrounding them. However, the effects of roads on interspecific interactions are less understood. Here we provide a synthesis of the existing literature on how species interactions may be disrupted by roads, identify knowledge gaps, and suggest avenues for future research and conservation management. We conducted a systematic search using the Web of Science database for each species interaction (predation, competition, mutualism, parasitism, commensalism and amensalism). These searches yielded 2144 articles, of which 195 were relevant to our topic. Most of these studies focused on predation (50%) or competition (24%), and less frequently on mutualism (17%) or, parasitism (9%). We found no studies on commensalism or amensalism. Studies were biased towards mammals from high‐income countries, with most conducted in the USA (34%) or Canada (18%). Our literature review identified several patterns. First, roads disrupt predator–prey relationships, usually with negative impacts on prey populations. Second, new disturbed habitats created in road corridors often benefit more competitive species, such as invasive species, although some native or endangered species can also thrive there. Third, roads degrade mutualistic interactions like seed dispersal and pollination. Fourth, roads can increase parasitism rates, although the intensity of the alteration is species specific. To reduce the negative impacts of roads on interspecific interactions, we suggest the following management actions: ( i ) verges should be as wide and heterogenous as possible, as this increases microhabitat diversity, thus enhancing ecosystem services like pollination and seed dispersal; ( ii ) combining different mowing regimes can increase the complexity of the habitat corridor, enabling it to act as a habitat for more species; ( iii ) the use of de‐icing salts should be gradually reduced and replaced with less harmful products or maintenance practices; ( iv ) wildlife passes should be implemented in groups to reduce animal concentrations inside them; ( v ) periodic removal of carcasses from the road to reduce the use of this resource by wildlife; and ( vi ) implementation of traffic‐calming schemes could enhance interspecific interactions like pollination and avoid disruption of predator–prey relationships.