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Distribution map of the common waxbill Estrilda astrild expansion in Portugal from 1964–1967 to 1996–1999 using a 20 · 20- km UTM grid
Source publication
The common waxbill Estrilda astrild was first introduced to Portugal, from Africa, in 1964, from where it has spread to much of the country and to Spain. We
modelled the expansion of this species on a 20×20-km UTM grid in 4-year periods from 1964 to 1999. Colonisation process on
a grid was modelled as a function of several biophysical and spatio-te...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... common waxbill expansion was mapped on a 4-year basis, between 1964 and 1999. This information was plotted on 20·20-km squares using the UTM grid, covering all of Continental Portugal (Fig. 1). Data used in this paper were similar to those analysed by Silva et al. ...
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Using an exhaustive data compilation, Iberian vascular plant species richness in 50×50 UTM grid cells was regressed against 24 explanatory variables (spatial, geographical, topographical, geological, climatic, land use and environmental diversity variables) using Generalized Linear Models and partial regression analysis in order to ascertain the re...
Citations
... Common Waxbills are attractive small granivores native to sub-Saharan Africa and imported into Europe as caged birds in the 1960s (Reino, 2005;Cardoso and Reino, 2018). The species has adapted well to the Iberian Peninsula's Mediterranean climes. ...
... In the Iberian Peninsula, Common Waxbills occupy a marginal human-modified niche, which native species have not yet filled. Interspecific competition between Common Waxbills and their native counterparts and harmful impacts on agriculture are yet to be demonstrated (Reino, 2005;Cardoso and Reino, 2018). However, Batalha et al. (2013) suggested that studying interactions between Common Waxbills and the south-western subspecies of endangered Reed Buntings (Emberiza schoeniclus) is warranted, as their ecological nearest neighbour. ...
This 381-paged book covers the biology, ecology, impact and management of 34 common alien invasive species, with reviews on the history and context of avian introductions and invasions in five major regions (Oceania, Africa, Europe (including the Middle East, Asia and South America)), as well as management challenges and the potential of citizen science for monitoring alien birds. The book pitches at the introductory level and is ideal for readers to gain a quick and comprehensive view of the current status of global avian invasions. It has brought the records and research of avian invasion one step ahead of other alien invasive animal taxa. Many chapters contain distribution maps and data tables on the diet and morphology of the species, providing a good reference for the species and its management issues. Each chapter also contains a rich list of references that could help readers dive further into the topic.
... Waxbills (Estrildidae) are widespread, numerous and ecologically relevant in their native range. Moreover, they are important as crop pests (Silva et al. 2002), invasive species (Reino & Silva 1998;Oren & Smith 2001;Reino 2005;Reino et al. 2008), indicator species (Reino et al. 2008), laboratory animals and pets (Payne & Bonan 2019), and common in aviaries of bird-keepers. However, their ectoparasites were investigated rather scanty (see e.g. ...
Quill mites (Acariformes: Prostigmata: Syringophilidae) parasitizing waxbills of genus Estrilda Swainson (Aves: Passeriformes: Estrildidae) from the Sub-Saharan region are studied for the first time. Among them, a new species, Syringophiloidus estrildus sp. nov., is described and new host species for Neosyringophilopsis lonchurus Skoracki, 2008, Neoaulonastus oryzivorus (Skoracki, 2011) comb. nov., and Picobia lonchurae Skoracki et al., 2016 are recorded. In our study, we examined 120 specimens belonging to seven of the 16 (44%) species of the genus Estrilda. The prevalence of infestation by syringophilid species varied from 3.7 to 25%. The host and habitat (feather type) specificity are discussed.
... Currently we do not know whether these historical events are related to the onset of the waxbill invasion in Portugal, or whether the similar timing was coincidental. The first known established waxbill populations were in Central Portugal, in locations near the coast or near the Tagus River ( Fig. 7.3a; Reino andSilva 1996a, 1998), and recent reports suggest that in the late 1960s waxbills were also present more inland, near the city of Coimbra in Central Portugal (José Mourão pers. comm.). ...
... For example, in the 1980s (Fig. 7.3b) there were waxbills in the Algarve, quite far away from the remaining waxbill distribution at the time. Such discontinuous distributions were observed during the 1980s (Fig. 7.3b) and could have been due to independent introductions along the coastline or, alternatively, long-distance dispersion of individuals from central Portugal to those areas before a more continuous and sustained range expansion started to unfold (Reino andSilva 1996a, 1998). ...
... This may have helped their successful range expansion. Waxbills in Iberia have a preference for heterogeneous habitats, usually including agricultural fields along river systems and tributaries (Reino 2005;Sullivan et al. 2012). Some areas of Portugal have not been colonised or harbour smaller waxbill populations than elsewhere, mainly in mountainous inland regions. ...
Invasive species often damage the ecosystems they colonise. But non-harmful biological invasions also exist in nature, and understanding which biological invasions are ecologically benign is important for prioritizing conservation goals. As a case study, we review research on the biological invasion of the Iberian Peninsula by the common waxbill ( Estrilda astrild ), a small estrildid finch from sub-Saharan Africa, with the objectives of assessing the potential for detrimental impact on Mediterranean ecosystems, and illustrating how biological invasions provide research models for diverse sub-disciplines in ecology. Common waxbills are traded as pets and, starting from birds escaped or released from captivity, have been invading the Iberian Peninsula since the 1960s. Range expansion initially used coastal areas and river valleys, and later progressed to more inhospitable sites at higher altitude or inland. Colonising those diverse ecological environments poses adaptive challenges, and phenotypic changes have accompanied this invasion. Differences in personality among populations appear adaptive to the different climatic regimens waxbills colonised, and changes in ornamentation during the invasion are best explained by ecologically-mediated differences in sexual selection among sites. These phenotypic changes show the usefulness of invasive species for research in behavioural and evolutionary ecology. The niche waxbills occupy in Iberia is marginal in relation to the ecological space occupied by native passerines, and waxbills appear not to compete strongly with natives. The differentiated ecological niche that waxbills occupy is in part due to anthropogenic influences (irrigation of agricultural areas, and food provided by exotic plants). We conclude that anthropogenic modification of the landscape creates novel niches that native species may not have filled in, and that thus can accommodate some exotic species with minimal interference on the native community.
... Sites were assigned a residence time based on the date the 20 km 9 20 km UTM gridcell their centroid fell in was colonised, using colonisation data from Silva et al. (2002). The dataset compiled by Silva et al. (2002) combined published records of common waxbills with further records from correspondence with birdwatchers in Portugal and Spain to obtain the earliest record in each 20 9 20 km UTM square (Reino 2005;Reino et al. 2009;Reino and Silva 1998). We selected sites to provide an approximately balanced sampling design by residence time (\ 10 years, n = 8; 10-20 years, n = 10; 20-30 years, n = 10; [ 30 years, n = 13), and ensure the full ranges of residence times in each expansion axis were sampled. ...
The distributions of many species are not at equilibrium with their environment. This includes spreading non-native species and species undergoing range shifts in response to climate change. The habitat associations of these species may change during range expansion as less favourable climatic conditions at expanding range margins may constrain species to use only the most favourable habitats, violating the species distribution model assumption of stationarity. Alternatively, changes in habitat associations could result from density-dependent habitat selection; at range margins, population densities are initially low so species can exhibit density-independent selection of the most favourable habitats, while in the range core, where population densities are higher, species spread into less favourable habitat. We investigate if the habitat preferences of the non-native common waxbill Estrilda astrild changed as they spread in three directions (north, east and south-east) in the Iberian Peninsula. There are different degrees of climatic suitability and colonization speed across range expansion axes, allowing us to separate the effects of climate from residence time. In contrast to previous studies we find a stronger effect of residence time than climate in influencing the prevalence of common waxbills. As well as a strong additive effect of residence time, there were some changes in habitat associations, which were consistent with density-dependent habitat selection. The combination of broader habitat associations and higher prevalence in areas that have been colonised for longer means that species distribution models constructed early in the invasion process are likely to underestimate species’ potential distribution.
... We followed the method of Reino (2005), adapted from Legendre and Legendre (2012), to partition the proportion of variation in population trends attributable to species and habitat. We fitted a linear model with population trend as a function of habitat and species (M1), as well as models with just habitat (M2) or species (M3) as explanatory variables. ...
... It is traded as a pet bird and got transported to several parts of the world, invading many islands, large expanses of South America and, recently, the Iberian Peninsula (Lever 2005). In the Iberian Peninsula, the largest invasion started in the 1960s at sites near the Portuguese coastline, and then gradually expanded to most of Portugal, and also some adjacent parts of Spain (Reino and Silva 1998;Reino 2005;Sullivan et al. 2012), where it occupies an ecological niche very distinctive from that of native passerines ). The invasion progressed mostly from coastal and low-altitude sites toward inland and higher altitude sites, where cold winters might be a limiting factor (Reino 2005). ...
... In the Iberian Peninsula, the largest invasion started in the 1960s at sites near the Portuguese coastline, and then gradually expanded to most of Portugal, and also some adjacent parts of Spain (Reino and Silva 1998;Reino 2005;Sullivan et al. 2012), where it occupies an ecological niche very distinctive from that of native passerines ). The invasion progressed mostly from coastal and low-altitude sites toward inland and higher altitude sites, where cold winters might be a limiting factor (Reino 2005). Sites colonized more recently also tend to harbor lower densities of waxbills (Carvalho et al. 2013), suggesting that the expansion progressed from ecologically more favorable sites, which can harbor higher densities of waxbills, toward worse sites. ...
... For statistical analyses, we assigned to each site the Julian date of the first day of fieldwork or, in the case of 1 site visited in both years, the mean of the 2 Julian dates. We sampled sites within Portuguese borders because there are detailed historical records of the invasion there (Reino 2005) and because it comprises almost all the range of the invasion in western Iberia (Sullivan et al. 2012) as well as diverse climatic and ecological conditions. We captured on average 28 waxbills per site using mist-nets, aged birds as juveniles or adults based on bill color (adults have red bill and juveniles have black bills that change to red as they mature; Clement et al. 1993) and on bill commissures (fleshier in juveniles), and sexed them molecularly (see below). ...
Sexual selection during range expansions has seldom been investigated, but it could be important for speciation because expansions create peripatric populations and sexual ornaments mediate reproductive isolation. We compared carotenoid-based ornamentation of common waxbills (Estrilda astrild) across a recent biological invasion that is representative of typical expansions, in that it progressed from ecologically favorable environments, where the source populations inhabit, toward less favorable ones. We found that sexual ornamentation and sexual dichromatism augmented during the expansion, involving an increase in male color saturation and decrease in female ornamental area. We disfavor explanations based solely on environmental effects or differential dispersal because of the opposite changes in each sex and because environmental factors alone (availability of dietary carotenoids) would predict decreased ornamentation. Results instead suggest increasing sexual selection along the expansion. Sexual signals generally allow female choice of high-quality males and, thus, intersexual selection may increase during expansions because the fitness differential between mating with high- or low-quality males is larger in less favorable environments. This is potentially a general mechanism that, if it proves common, could have implications for macroevolution (e.g., young peripatric species having more elaborate sexual traits).
... Matias (2002) considerou que os limites da sua distribuição no território nacional teriam sido alcançados, apesar de continuarem a colonizar novos locais como na zona do Tejo Internacional, zona de Chaves e de Guarda. Segundo Reino (2005) e Matias (2002) até à data, não foram encontrados impactos visíveis, quer negativos quer positivos, que possam ter causado quer às espécies nativas quer na produção agrícola. ...
... O Bico-de-lacre é conhecido por ser uma ave adaptável, sendo que em muitas regiões é quase omnipresente, evitando apenas as áreas sem água superficial ou vegetação. Isto sugere que a espécie é bastante versátil, uma das principais razões para o seu sucesso em muitos lugares onde foi introduzido (Reino, 2005). ...
... It is highly gregarious, gathers in flocks year-round, inhabits open habitats in proximity of water, and feeds on herbaceous seeds (Clement et al. 1993). In Europe, common waxbills use an ecological niche quite distinct from native passerines' (Batalha et al. 2013), and their largest invasion started in the 1960s at locations near the Portuguese coastline, initially progressing slowly, but then expanding to most of Portugal and also spilling to some parts of southwest and northwest Spain (Reino and Silva 1998; Martí and Moral 2003; Reino 2005). The expansion in Portugal was well documented (Reino 2005; Sullivan et al. 2012 ), and it now encompasses a range of abiotic ecological conditions (altitude, climate, and climate seasonality;Figure 1B–F), as well as sites colonized for longer and with higher population densities and sites colonized more recently and with lower population densities (Figure 1A). ...
... In Europe, common waxbills use an ecological niche quite distinct from native passerines' (Batalha et al. 2013), and their largest invasion started in the 1960s at locations near the Portuguese coastline, initially progressing slowly, but then expanding to most of Portugal and also spilling to some parts of southwest and northwest Spain (Reino and Silva 1998; Martí and Moral 2003; Reino 2005). The expansion in Portugal was well documented (Reino 2005; Sullivan et al. 2012 ), and it now encompasses a range of abiotic ecological conditions (altitude, climate, and climate seasonality;Figure 1B–F), as well as sites colonized for longer and with higher population densities and sites colonized more recently and with lower population densities (Figure 1A). We tested if these differences among sites predict behavior and assessed if behavior changes plastically with season or if it differs among individuals of different sex and age classes. ...
Behavioral differences among individuals are common and are organized into personalities in a wide variety of species. Hypotheses for the coexistence of behavioral differences fall into 3 categories: variation in selection, frequency-dependent selection, and behavioral plasticity. We tested predictions of those hypotheses regarding geographic covariation of behavior with ecology, using a recent (≈40 years) biological invasion of common waxbills (Estrilda astrild). Behavior in tests for exploration and social interaction covaried among individuals, suggesting a behavioral syndrome, although we could only demonstrate within-individual repeatability in the test for social interaction. These 2 behaviors changed geographically with the ecology of sites (degree of climate variation) in an apparently adaptive way, rather than with the direction of invasion. We found behavioral plasticity but showed that short-term plastic effects do not explain geographic divergence. Differential dispersal does not explain geographic divergence either, which is orthogonal to the direction of invasion. Results are best interpreted either as evolved divergences, although a candidate-gene approach could not identify genetic correlates of behavior, or as long-term behavioral plasticity (e.g., effects of rearing environment). In this recent invasion, geographic differences in ecology and behavior equate to repeated and fast changes over time. Thus, fluctuations in ecological conditions, which are common in nature, may have a widespread role maintaining behavioral and personality differences via selection and/or long-term behavioral plasticity.
... • Aves: La cotorra argentina (Myipsitta monachus (Boddaert, 1783)) (Santos, 2005), la malvasía canela (Oxyura jamaicensis (J. F. Gmelin 1789)), el pico de coral común (Estrilda astrild (Linnaeus, 1758)) (Reino, 2005). ...
The zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771), is known to be one of the worst freshwater invasive species worldwide. This successful invasive bivalve is native to the Ponto-Caspian region and has been introduced throughout Europe and North America. It was first discovered in the Iberian Peninsula in the lower Ebro River in 2001. Since its invasion the zebra mussel has spread throughout most of the Ebro river basin and other catchments of the Iberian Peninsula.
The high ecological and economical impacts caused by the zebra mussel have promoted the study of this specie. In the case of the Ebro river basin studies are still scarce. The present PhD thesis focuses on the study of zebra mussel populations established in the lower Ebro River, between the Mequinenza reservoir (Zaragoza) and the beginning of the estuarine area (Tarragona).
Throughout the present study information on the structure, distribution patterns and population dynamics of the zebra mussel present in the Mequinenza, Ribarroja and Flix reservoirs, was obtained for a full year. Planktonic and sessile larval stages were studied, and their relationship with reservoirs’ environmental variables were analyzed.
Most studies on the zebra mussel are focused on lentic systems, such as reservoirs or lakes, where populations reach higher densities. However, the habitat preferences of this species in lotic systems are poorly known. Therefore, in this PhD thesis the relationship between environmental and water physicochemical parameters and the abundance and distribution of the zebra mussel in the lower Ebro River, from the Flix reservoir to the limit of the salt wedge was assessed.
Moreover, the filtration rate of the zebra mussel inhabiting this river stretch was calculated. This parameter was determined because of its importance in both the zebra mussel populations’ auto regulation and the potential effects on colonized water bodies. Finally, a population dynamics model to simulate the zebra mussel abundance over time was developed. The construction of this model was performed with both bibliographic information and own data generated in the present PhD thesis.
... The pure and shared contributions of climatic/topographical, landscape and spatial variables were estimated using the approach developed by Borcard et al. (1992), which is frequently used with three groups of predictors (e.g. Heikkinen et al., 2004;Reino, 2005). The estimated proportions of explained variation were based on the Nagelkerke R-square (Nagelkerke, 1991). ...
Aim
Although the negative effects of habitat fragmentation have been widely documented at the landscape scale, much less is known about its impacts on species distributions at the biogeographical scale. We hypothesize that fragmentation influences the large‐scale distribution of area‐ and edge‐sensitive species by limiting their occurrence in regions with fragmented habitats , despite otherwise favourable environmental conditions. We test this hypothesis by assessing the interplay of climate and landscape factors influencing the distribution of the calandra lark, a grassland specialist that is highly sensitive to habitat fragmentation.
Location
Iberia Peninsula, Europe.
Methods
Ecological niche modelling was used to investigate the relative influence of climate/topography, landscape fragmentation and spatial structure on calandra lark distribution. Modelling assumed explicitly a hierarchically structured effect among explanatory variables, with climate/topography operating at broader spatial scales than landscape variables. An eigenvector‐based spatial filtering approach was used to cancel bias introduced by spatial autocorrelation. The information theoretic approach was used in model selection, and variation partitioning was used to isolate the unique and shared effects of sets of explanatory variables.
Results
Climate and topography were the most influential variables shaping the distribution of calandra lark, but incorporating landscape metrics contributed significantly to model improvement. The probability of calandra lark occurrence increased with total habitat area and declined with the number of patches and edge density. Variation partitioning showed a strong overlap between variation explained by climate/topography and landscape variables. After accounting for spatial structure in species distribution, the explanatory power of environmental variables remained largely unchanged.
Main conclusions
We have shown here that landscape fragmentation can influence species distributions at the biogeographical scale. Incorporating fragmentation metrics into large‐scale ecological niche models may contribute for a better understanding of mechanism driving species distributions and for improving predictive modelling of range shifts associated with land use and climate changes.
