Free housing for declining populations: optimizing the provision of artificial breeding structures

The improvement of habitat quality and reproductive success through the implementation of artificial breeding structures is one of the most widespread in situ conservation strategies applied to the recovery of declining wildlife populations. Several past studies have monitored the use of artificial...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: D'Amico, Marcello, Tablado, Zulima, Revilla, Eloy, Palomares, Francisco
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2014
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/98791
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/98791
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Artificial warrens
European wild rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus
Food availability
Habitat management
Predator limitation by fencing
Reproduction
Restockings
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spelling Free housing for declining populations: optimizing the provision of artificial breeding structuresD'Amico, MarcelloTablado, ZulimaRevilla, EloyPalomares, FranciscoArtificial warrensEuropean wild rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculusFood availabilityHabitat managementPredator limitation by fencingReproductionRestockingsThe improvement of habitat quality and reproductive success through the implementation of artificial breeding structures is one of the most widespread in situ conservation strategies applied to the recovery of declining wildlife populations. Several past studies have monitored the use of artificial breeding structures in the wild, but virtually none of them have investigated which demographic and environmental factors actually determine their effectiveness in facilitating reproductive success. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify those factors influencing breeding success in artificial structures. With this purpose we surveyed a declining population of a keystone species of Mediterranean ecosystems, namely the European wild rabbit. In Doñana National Park, we sampled during the course of two years the breeding success of wild rabbits from 47 artificial warrens, experimentally provided under different demographic and environmental conditions. In order to determine the relative importance of such factors, we applied an AIC model selection procedure to alternative biological hypothesis groups, postulating that breeding success in artificial structures would primarily depend on population density, food availability and/or predator limitation. We found that the efficiency of artificial warrens in facilitating rabbit reproductive success can vary, with an increase associated with greater pasture availability. Predator limitation by fencing also positively affected rabbit reproduction, but only in combination with high pasture availability. On their own, fencing treatment and population reinforcements had low and null effectiveness facilitating reproduction, respectively, as well as entailing significant economic and biological costs. The best way to improve breeding success in artificial structures, therefore, was through their strategic placement in potential high-quality habitats, i.e. with suitable pasture availability. We suggest that vegetation management can effectively increase carrying capacity and consequently the target species’ reproductive success, especially in fast breeding species like the European wild rabbit. The provision of artificial breeding structures for conservation purposes may significantly benefit from the elaboration of concurrent experimental studies similar to the present research, which can help establish useful guidelines for optimizing future conservation efforts.Peer reviewedElsevierConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72]2014info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501http://hdl.handle.net/10261/98791reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSICinstname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)Ingléshttp://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2014.03.006Síinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:digital.csic.es:10261/987912026-05-22T06:33:51Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Free housing for declining populations: optimizing the provision of artificial breeding structures
title Free housing for declining populations: optimizing the provision of artificial breeding structures
spellingShingle Free housing for declining populations: optimizing the provision of artificial breeding structures
D'Amico, Marcello
Artificial warrens
European wild rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus
Food availability
Habitat management
Predator limitation by fencing
Reproduction
Restockings
title_short Free housing for declining populations: optimizing the provision of artificial breeding structures
title_full Free housing for declining populations: optimizing the provision of artificial breeding structures
title_fullStr Free housing for declining populations: optimizing the provision of artificial breeding structures
title_full_unstemmed Free housing for declining populations: optimizing the provision of artificial breeding structures
title_sort Free housing for declining populations: optimizing the provision of artificial breeding structures
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv D'Amico, Marcello
Tablado, Zulima
Revilla, Eloy
Palomares, Francisco
author D'Amico, Marcello
author_facet D'Amico, Marcello
Tablado, Zulima
Revilla, Eloy
Palomares, Francisco
author_role author
author2 Tablado, Zulima
Revilla, Eloy
Palomares, Francisco
author2_role author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72]
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Artificial warrens
European wild rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus
Food availability
Habitat management

Predator limitation by fencing
Reproduction
Restockings
topic Artificial warrens
European wild rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus
Food availability
Habitat management
Predator limitation by fencing
Reproduction
Restockings
description The improvement of habitat quality and reproductive success through the implementation of artificial breeding structures is one of the most widespread in situ conservation strategies applied to the recovery of declining wildlife populations. Several past studies have monitored the use of artificial breeding structures in the wild, but virtually none of them have investigated which demographic and environmental factors actually determine their effectiveness in facilitating reproductive success. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify those factors influencing breeding success in artificial structures. With this purpose we surveyed a declining population of a keystone species of Mediterranean ecosystems, namely the European wild rabbit. In Doñana National Park, we sampled during the course of two years the breeding success of wild rabbits from 47 artificial warrens, experimentally provided under different demographic and environmental conditions. In order to determine the relative importance of such factors, we applied an AIC model selection procedure to alternative biological hypothesis groups, postulating that breeding success in artificial structures would primarily depend on population density, food availability and/or predator limitation. We found that the efficiency of artificial warrens in facilitating rabbit reproductive success can vary, with an increase associated with greater pasture availability. Predator limitation by fencing also positively affected rabbit reproduction, but only in combination with high pasture availability. On their own, fencing treatment and population reinforcements had low and null effectiveness facilitating reproduction, respectively, as well as entailing significant economic and biological costs. The best way to improve breeding success in artificial structures, therefore, was through their strategic placement in potential high-quality habitats, i.e. with suitable pasture availability. We suggest that vegetation management can effectively increase carrying capacity and consequently the target species’ reproductive success, especially in fast breeding species like the European wild rabbit. The provision of artificial breeding structures for conservation purposes may significantly benefit from the elaboration of concurrent experimental studies similar to the present research, which can help establish useful guidelines for optimizing future conservation efforts.
publishDate 2014
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2014
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10261/98791
url http://hdl.handle.net/10261/98791
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2014.03.006
Sí
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
instname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
instname_str Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
reponame_str DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
collection DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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