Dangerous effects extreme weather events in wildlife. a study led by University of Alicante (UA) and in the warning published in the journal Bird Conservation International More than 66% reduction of the population joker ricotti (Chersophilus duponti) after storm Philomena. This meteorological event biggest blizzard In Spain over the last 50 years Additionally, prior to this meteorological event, there was a week of extreme cold, which left temperatures around -5ºC and -15ºC in the affected areas and recorded below -33ºC in some places. The Ricotí lark was recently listed as an endangered species in Spain.
Cristian Perez-GranadosBeatriz Galindo, lead author of the paper and distinguished researcher from the UA Department of Ecology, said, “The aim of this study is to expand scientific knowledge On the impact of extreme meteorological events on the population dynamics of endangered fauna, such as the event with storm Philomena in Spain last January 2021. General threat to diversity”. In this context, it should be known that the frequency and intensity of these extreme weather events may increase in many regions in the coming years. climate change. “In this study we use the ricotti lark as a working model as it is a species. annual monitoring at various locations and because it is an established species, it is threatened and with a very specific habitat selection,” he adds.
The researchers analyzed changes in ricotti lark abundance before and after Filomena. 14 populations from the provinces Soria, Lleida, Murcia, Burgos, Segovia and Valencia. According to the results obtained during the control period; between 2017 and 2020suffering species dglobal annual decline of 19.4% For the 14 sampled populations. However, the average decrease After the filomena storm it was 66.5% One year before and after Filomena, i.e. for seven populations monitored during 2020 and 2021.
ten days of snow
“More than ten days of snow covered the ground in central and eastern Spain during the storm, which, together with the subsequent extreme cold wave, made the species find food sources and thermoregulate appropriatelyit forces them to travel long distances or occupy low-quality areas,” the researcher elaborates. Gerard Bootresponsible for Catalonia Forest Science and Technology Center Conservation Biology Group and also the author of the article. “These displacements can increase the risk of death of dispersed individuals and therefore greatly affect population dynamics and species conservation,” he notes.
Despite careful consideration, the results of this study may be representative of the impact of extreme weather events on threatened birds, due to the few studies that have evaluated the impact of such events on fauna. “Our results may also be useful for future studies with this species or other similar species, aimed at understanding the impact of stochastic events on the population dynamics of the species, such as population viability analyzes or climate change predictions. Current knowledge of the role catastrophic events may have on the dynamics of a population in the short term.” ”, he concludes. Juan Trababetween Autonomous University of Madridauthor of the study and editor of the national conservation strategy for the species.
species protection
Managing to protect species from future extreme weather events is not easy, but trying to “increase connectivity between existing populations, protect parts of habitat with potential vegetation that species may occupy as a refuge while such events persist, and increase the size of both occupied areas, habitat quality, population. like their size support the persistence of populations and increase the possibilities of future recolonization”, concludes UA researcher Cristian Pérez-Granados.
The paper’s working team consists of a dozen researchers from various centers such as: Ramon Margalef Multidisciplinary Institute for Ecology and Environmental Studies (IMEM) The Terrestrial Ecology Group of the University of Alicante, the Forest Science and Technology Center of Catalonia (CTFC) and the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM).