Predation impact on threatened spur-thighed tortoises by golden eagles when main prey is scarce.

Autor: Gil-Sánchez JM; Department of Zoology, University of Granada, Avda. de Fuente Nueva, s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain., Rodríguez-Caro RC; Department of Applied Biology, Miguel Hernández University, Avda. de la Universidad, s/n, 03202, Elche, Spain. r.rodriguez@umh.es.; Department of Zoology, Oxford University, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, UK. r.rodriguez@umh.es.; Department of Ecology, University of Alicante, Carr. de San Vicente del Raspeig, s/n, 03690, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain. r.rodriguez@umh.es., Moleón M; Department of Zoology, University of Granada, Avda. de Fuente Nueva, s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain., Martínez-Pastor MC; Department of Applied Biology, Miguel Hernández University, Avda. de la Universidad, s/n, 03202, Elche, Spain., León-Ortega M; Ulula Asociation: Nocturnal Bird Monitoring, C/Herreras y Moreras. 12, 30110, Churra, Murcia, Spain., Eguía S; MENDIJOB, S.L., c/Rambla, 22, 30120, El Palmar, Murcia, Spain., Graciá E; Department of Applied Biology, Miguel Hernández University, Avda. de la Universidad, s/n, 03202, Elche, Spain.; Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental (CIAGRO-UMH), Miguel Hernández University, Carretera de Beniel Km 3.2, 03312, Orihuela, Spain., Botella F; Department of Applied Biology, Miguel Hernández University, Avda. de la Universidad, s/n, 03202, Elche, Spain.; Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental (CIAGRO-UMH), Miguel Hernández University, Carretera de Beniel Km 3.2, 03312, Orihuela, Spain., Sánchez-Zapata JA; Department of Applied Biology, Miguel Hernández University, Avda. de la Universidad, s/n, 03202, Elche, Spain.; Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental (CIAGRO-UMH), Miguel Hernández University, Carretera de Beniel Km 3.2, 03312, Orihuela, Spain., Martínez-Fernández J; Fundación Nueva Cultura del Agua, C/ Pedro Cerbuna, 12, 50009, Zaragoza, Spain., Esteve-Selma MA; Department of Ecology and Hydrology, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain., Giménez A; Department of Applied Biology, Miguel Hernández University, Avda. de la Universidad, s/n, 03202, Elche, Spain.; Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental (CIAGRO-UMH), Miguel Hernández University, Carretera de Beniel Km 3.2, 03312, Orihuela, Spain.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2022 Oct 25; Vol. 12 (1), pp. 17843. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Oct 25.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22288-9
Abstrakt: A reduction in adult survival in long-living species may compromise population growth rates. The spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca) is a long-lived reptile that is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), whose breeding habitats overlap that of tortoises, may predate them by dropping them onto rocks and breaking their carapaces. In SE Spain, the number of golden eagles has increased in the last decades and the abundance of their main prey (i.e., rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus) has decreased. Our aims were to 1) describe the role of tortoises in golden eagles' diet, and 2) estimate the predation impact of golden eagles on tortoises in eagles' territories and in the regional tortoise population. We collected regurgitated pellets and prey remains under eagle nests and roosts, and obtained information on tortoise abundance and population structure and rabbit abundance. We found that tortoises were an alternative prey to rabbits, so that eagles shifted to the former where the latter were scarce. The average predation rate on tortoises was very low at the two studied scales. However, eagles showed a marked selection for adult female tortoises, which led the tortoise sex ratio to be biased towards males in those eagle territories with higher tortoise predation. Whether this may compromise the spur-thighed tortoise long-term population viability locally deserves further attention.
(© 2022. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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