ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF MEDITERRANEAN RODENTS by Ramon C . Soriguer
Optimal management and conservation programs of the threatened Cabrera’s vole require investigati... more Optimal management and conservation programs of the threatened Cabrera’s vole require investigating potential molecular genetic markers in the genomic background, if the few remaining fragile populations are to be conserved. A collection of 30 Cabrera’s vole representing four populations in Spain and Portugal was characterized by 134 RAPD-PCR markers. Molecular analyses did not detect low level of the genetic diversity or population bottlenecks in all studied populations, in discordance with the expectation of low level of viability of the Cabrera’s vole. The results described Cabrera’s vole populations as a single genetic unit with slightly restricted gene flow. Phylogenetic reconstruction suggested genetic differentiation between Northern and Southern Cabrera’s vole populations, with the basal branches formed by the southern populations, which may be an evidence of the southern origin of Iberian vole ancestral population. To our knowledge, this is the first study on the genetic diversity of Microtus cabrerae, which may have further application for the conservation programs of this threatened species of Iberian vole.
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European Journal of Wildlife Research
A cost-effective, reliable and efficient method of obtaining DNA samples is essential in large-sc... more A cost-effective, reliable and efficient method of obtaining DNA samples is essential in large-scale genetic analyses. This study examines the possibility of using a threatened vole species, Microtus cabrerae, as a model for the collection and preservation of faecal samples for subsequent DNA extraction with a protocol based on the HotSHOT technique. Through the examination of the probability of multi-copies (mitochondrial) and single copy (microsatellite) loci amplification (including the genotype error) and of the DNA yield (estimated by real-time qPCR), the new protocol was compared with both the frequently employed methods that successfully use ethanol to preserve faecal samples and with commercial kit-based DNA extraction. The single-tube HotSHOT-based protocol is a user-friendly, non-polluting, time-saving and inexpensive method of faeces sample collection, preservation and PCR-quality gDNA preparation. This technique therefore provides researchers with a new approach that can be employed in high-throughput, noninvasive genetic analyses of wild animal populations.
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Conservation Genetics Resources, 2011
Noninvasive sampling is a potentially cost-effective and efficient means of monitoring wild anima... more Noninvasive sampling is a potentially cost-effective and efficient means of monitoring wild animals that precludes the need for captures and avoids undue disturbance. Nevertheless, it is generally difficult to separate faeces deposited by Microtus cabrerae from that of other sympatric rodents of similar body size on the basis of just morphological features and content. Species identification methods in many noninvasive studies involve mtDNA analysis. Here we report the first use of species-specific primers targeting the SRY gene in a noninvasive molecular identification of Cabrera’s vole. This noninvasive molecular-based technique may thus provide us with a potential tool for further genetic and ecological study of this threatened species of Iberian vole.
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This paper consists of a revision of existing records of Cabrera’s Vole Microtus cabrerae in Anda... more This paper consists of a revision of existing records of Cabrera’s Vole Microtus cabrerae in Andalusia (southern Spain) and provides new data from a survey of both previously investigated and new areas.
Cabrera’s voles were found at only three of the 17 previously known lo calities, whilst the species may in fact be extinct in 12 localities. Our results suggest that the species could have disappeared from the central part of the province of Granada. Nevertheless, field work revealed 138 new localities in 24 UTM 10x10 km squares scattered throughout the Cazorla-Segura Mountains and the extreme north of the provinces of Almería and Granada. In 13 of these squares, the presence of the species was confirmed by the capture of 16 specimens.
Despite the new localities discovered, the species should still be considered as ‘Critically Endangered’ in Andalusia
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analiza la presencia de topillo de Cabrera Microtus cabrerae en las Sierras Subbéticas de Córdoba... more analiza la presencia de topillo de Cabrera Microtus cabrerae en las Sierras Subbéticas de Córdoba, concluyéndose que, aunque los restos subfósiles prueban que vivió en ellas en el pasado, la ausencia de resultados en la búsqueda de indicios en sus hábitats típicos indica que, en la actualidad, parece haber desaparecido. Simultáneamente se estudia la presencia de rata de agua Arvicola sapidus , cuyas poblaciones se encuentran en muy mal estado.
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Papers by Ramon C . Soriguer
Molecular Ecology Resources, Apr 1, 2011
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Medical and Veterinary Entomology, Aug 14, 2019
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Parasitology, Jan 22, 2020
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Journal of Medical Entomology, Nov 1, 2012
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Ibis, Aug 7, 2022
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Resumen del poster presentado a la V Reunion sobre Ungulados Silvestres Ibericos (RUSI), celebrad... more Resumen del poster presentado a la V Reunion sobre Ungulados Silvestres Ibericos (RUSI), celebrada en Ciudad Real el 12 y 13 de septiembre de 2014.-- et al.
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Ibis, Feb 9, 2023
The European population of Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata arquata, a near‐threatened wader subs... more The European population of Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata arquata, a near‐threatened wader subspecies, has undergone pronounced population declines over the past 30 years. To assess the demography and viability of its global population, we surveyed studies quantifying demographic rates (productivity and survival) and complemented this review with new estimates of survival probability at the flyway scale. Then, using a demographic model, we estimated population growth rates while accounting for the range of variation of demographic parameters, and compared these estimates (expected based on demographic rates) with those observed based on population censuses. Both observed and expected average growth rates were negative but the observed rates were higher than estimates from demographic models (λ = 0.98–0.99 compared with 0.85–0.95). This discrepancy implies that there is geographical variation in the demography of different populations that is not fully covered by current demographic data, namely unstudied regions with higher productivity. According to our calculations, at the flyway scale, productivity is currently c. 0.57 fledglings per pair per year, higher than the average reported productivity of 0.29, but lower than the 0.68 needed to achieve a stable global population size (λ = 1). Adult survival, estimated at 0.90, was the most sensitive parameter determining population growth rates, but the low productivity levels over the last few decades seems to be the most probable cause of population declines. The negative population growth rates require immediate conservation actions to preserve adult survival and increase the extremely low productivity in western and northern European populations to values above 0.68 fledglings per pair per year. We hope our synthesis on the demographic status of Curlew in Europe will encourage the collection of more demographic data and allow concrete management goals at the flyway scale to be established in order to recover the global population of this iconic species.
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Food Webs, Sep 1, 2017
Abstract Proponents of the idea that dingoes protect mid-sized native mammals by suppressing intr... more Abstract Proponents of the idea that dingoes protect mid-sized native mammals by suppressing introduced foxes and feral cats often use observations made on either side of Australia's dingo fence for support. However, many mid-sized mammals disappeared around 1900 when dingoes had increased, cats were present but foxes were yet to arrive, and before newly built fences to manage rabbits and dingoes were amalgamated to form the current dingo barrier fence. By concentrating on predation to explain small mammal losses, alternatives including the spread of introduced rabbits are ignored. This is despite rabbits being both severe environmental pests and the main prey of all three predators. Since rabbit haemorrhagic disease was introduced 20 years ago, rabbits have been less abundant and in that time several native mammals deemed to be protected by dingoes have expanded their range, even into dingo-free areas where cats and foxes are not suppressed. Historic and recent evidence therefore weakens the case that dingoes are of paramount importance in protecting small native mammals. Changes in dingo management, ostensibly to protect endangered native fauna, would be premature until all interacting factors are critically considered. A competitive predator model should not be applied without considering other equally plausible explanations.
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International Journal for Parasitology, Jul 1, 2020
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PLOS ONE, Mar 9, 2017
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One Health, Dec 1, 2023
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ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF MEDITERRANEAN RODENTS by Ramon C . Soriguer
Cabrera’s voles were found at only three of the 17 previously known lo calities, whilst the species may in fact be extinct in 12 localities. Our results suggest that the species could have disappeared from the central part of the province of Granada. Nevertheless, field work revealed 138 new localities in 24 UTM 10x10 km squares scattered throughout the Cazorla-Segura Mountains and the extreme north of the provinces of Almería and Granada. In 13 of these squares, the presence of the species was confirmed by the capture of 16 specimens.
Despite the new localities discovered, the species should still be considered as ‘Critically Endangered’ in Andalusia
Papers by Ramon C . Soriguer
Cabrera’s voles were found at only three of the 17 previously known lo calities, whilst the species may in fact be extinct in 12 localities. Our results suggest that the species could have disappeared from the central part of the province of Granada. Nevertheless, field work revealed 138 new localities in 24 UTM 10x10 km squares scattered throughout the Cazorla-Segura Mountains and the extreme north of the provinces of Almería and Granada. In 13 of these squares, the presence of the species was confirmed by the capture of 16 specimens.
Despite the new localities discovered, the species should still be considered as ‘Critically Endangered’ in Andalusia