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While most of the knowledge on invasive species focuses on their impacts, little is known about their potential positive effects on other species. Invasive ecosystem engineers can disrupt recipient environments; however, they may also facilitate access to novel resources for native species. The monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) is a worldwide invader and the only parrot that builds its own communal nests, which can be used by other species. However, the ecological effects of these interspecific interactions are barely known. We compared the role of the monk parakeet as a nest-site facilitator in different rural and urban areas, both invaded and native, across three continents and eight breeding seasons. A total of 2690 nests from 42 tenant species, mostly cavity-nesting birds, were recorded in 26% of 2595 monk parakeet nests. Rural and invaded areas showed the highest abundance and richness of tenant species. Multispecies communal nests triggered interspecific aggression between the monk parakeet host and its tenants, but also a cooperative defense against predators. Despite the positive effects for native species, monk parakeets also facilitate nesting opportunities to other non-native species and may also transmit diseases to tenants, highlighting the complexity of biotic interactions in biological invasions.
Dailos Hernández-Brito; Martina Carrete; Guillermo Blanco; Pedro Romero-Vidal; Juan Senar; Emiliano Mori; Thomas White; Álvaro Luna; José Tella. The Role of Monk Parakeets as Nest-Site Facilitators in Their Native and Invaded Areas. Biology 2021, 10, 683 .
AMA StyleDailos Hernández-Brito, Martina Carrete, Guillermo Blanco, Pedro Romero-Vidal, Juan Senar, Emiliano Mori, Thomas White, Álvaro Luna, José Tella. The Role of Monk Parakeets as Nest-Site Facilitators in Their Native and Invaded Areas. Biology. 2021; 10 (7):683.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDailos Hernández-Brito; Martina Carrete; Guillermo Blanco; Pedro Romero-Vidal; Juan Senar; Emiliano Mori; Thomas White; Álvaro Luna; José Tella. 2021. "The Role of Monk Parakeets as Nest-Site Facilitators in Their Native and Invaded Areas." Biology 10, no. 7: 683.
Parrots stand out among birds because of their poor conservation status and the lack of available information on their population sizes and trends. Estimating parrot abundance is complicated by the high mobility, gregariousness, patchy distributions, and rarity of many species. Roadside car surveys can be useful to cover large areas and increase the probability of detecting spatially aggregated species or those occurring at very low densities. However, such surveys may be biased due to their inability to handle differences in detectability among species and habitats. We conducted 98 roadside surveys, covering > 57,000 km across 20 countries and the main world biomes, recording ca. 120,000 parrots from 137 species. We found that larger and more gregarious species are more easily visually detected and at greater distances, with variations among biomes. However, raw estimates of relative parrot abundances (individuals/km) were strongly correlated (r = 0.86–0.93) with parrot densities (individuals/km2) estimated through distance sampling (DS) models, showing that variability in abundances among species (>40 orders of magnitude) overcomes any potential detectability bias. While both methods provide similar results, DS cannot be used to study parrot communities or monitor the population trends of all parrot species as it requires a minimum of encounters that are not reached for most species (64% in our case), mainly the rarest and more threatened. However, DS may be the most suitable choice for some species-specific studies of common species. We summarize the strengths and weaknesses of both methods to guide researchers in choosing the best–fitting option for their particular research hypotheses, characteristics of the species studied, and logistical constraints.
José Tella; Pedro Romero-Vidal; Francisco Dénes; Fernando Hiraldo; Bernardo Toledo; Federica Rossetto; Guillermo Blanco; Dailos Hernández-Brito; Erica Pacífico; José Díaz-Luque; Abraham Rojas; Alan Bermúdez-Cavero; Álvaro Luna; Jomar Barbosa; Martina Carrete. Roadside Car Surveys: Methodological Constraints and Solutions for Estimating Parrot Abundances across the World. Diversity 2021, 13, 300 .
AMA StyleJosé Tella, Pedro Romero-Vidal, Francisco Dénes, Fernando Hiraldo, Bernardo Toledo, Federica Rossetto, Guillermo Blanco, Dailos Hernández-Brito, Erica Pacífico, José Díaz-Luque, Abraham Rojas, Alan Bermúdez-Cavero, Álvaro Luna, Jomar Barbosa, Martina Carrete. Roadside Car Surveys: Methodological Constraints and Solutions for Estimating Parrot Abundances across the World. Diversity. 2021; 13 (7):300.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJosé Tella; Pedro Romero-Vidal; Francisco Dénes; Fernando Hiraldo; Bernardo Toledo; Federica Rossetto; Guillermo Blanco; Dailos Hernández-Brito; Erica Pacífico; José Díaz-Luque; Abraham Rojas; Alan Bermúdez-Cavero; Álvaro Luna; Jomar Barbosa; Martina Carrete. 2021. "Roadside Car Surveys: Methodological Constraints and Solutions for Estimating Parrot Abundances across the World." Diversity 13, no. 7: 300.
Plant–animal interactions are key to sustaining whole communities and ecosystem function. However, their complexity may limit our understanding of the underlying mechanisms and the species involved. The ecological effects of epizoochory remain little known compared to other seed dispersal mechanisms given the few vectors identified. In addition, epizoochory is mostly considered non-mutualistic since dispersers do not obtain nutritional rewards. Here, we show a widespread but unknown mutualistic interaction between parrots and plants through epizoochory. Combining our observations with photos from web-sources, we recorded nearly 2000 epizoochory events in 48 countries across five continents, involving 116 parrot species and nearly 100 plant species from 35 families, including both native and non-native species. The viscid pulp of fleshy fruits and anemochorous structures facilitate the adherence of tiny seeds (mean 3.7 × 2.56 mm) on the surface of parrots while feeding, allowing the dispersion of these seeds over long distances (mean = 118.5 m). This parrot–plant mutualism could be important in ecosystem functioning across a wide diversity of environments, also facilitating the spread of exotic plants. Future studies should include parrots for a better understanding of plant dispersal processes and for developing effective conservation actions against habitat loss and biological invasions.
Dailos Hernández-Brito; Pedro Romero-Vidal; Fernando Hiraldo; Guillermo Blanco; José Díaz-Luque; Jomar Barbosa; Craig Symes; Thomas White; Erica Pacífico; Esther Sebastián-González; Martina Carrete; José Tella. Epizoochory in Parrots as an Overlooked Yet Widespread Plant–Animal Mutualism. Plants 2021, 10, 760 .
AMA StyleDailos Hernández-Brito, Pedro Romero-Vidal, Fernando Hiraldo, Guillermo Blanco, José Díaz-Luque, Jomar Barbosa, Craig Symes, Thomas White, Erica Pacífico, Esther Sebastián-González, Martina Carrete, José Tella. Epizoochory in Parrots as an Overlooked Yet Widespread Plant–Animal Mutualism. Plants. 2021; 10 (4):760.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDailos Hernández-Brito; Pedro Romero-Vidal; Fernando Hiraldo; Guillermo Blanco; José Díaz-Luque; Jomar Barbosa; Craig Symes; Thomas White; Erica Pacífico; Esther Sebastián-González; Martina Carrete; José Tella. 2021. "Epizoochory in Parrots as an Overlooked Yet Widespread Plant–Animal Mutualism." Plants 10, no. 4: 760.
Introduced organisms have to overcome several obstacles, including the scarcity of conspecific mates, before becoming successfully established. We recorded interspecific mating in non‐native areas (Spain) that involved Orange‐winged Amazons Amazona amazonica with three non‐congeneric parrot species: Scaly‐headed Parrot Pionus maximiliani, Rose‐ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri and Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus. Rather than mating with parakeets, a male Orange‐winged Amazon successfully bred with a female Scaly‐headed Parrot, raising hybrid offspring during five consecutive years and thus increasing the initial population size from five to 12 individuals in 9 years. Non‐congeneric hybridization seems to be extremely rare in wild parrots and, in this case, it may facilitate the successful establishment of a small introduced population in Tenerife, Spain.
Dailos Hernández‐Brito; José L. Tella; Martina Carrete; Guillermo Blanco. Successful hybridization between non‐congeneric parrots in a small introduced population. Ibis 2021, 163, 1093 -1098.
AMA StyleDailos Hernández‐Brito, José L. Tella, Martina Carrete, Guillermo Blanco. Successful hybridization between non‐congeneric parrots in a small introduced population. Ibis. 2021; 163 (3):1093-1098.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDailos Hernández‐Brito; José L. Tella; Martina Carrete; Guillermo Blanco. 2021. "Successful hybridization between non‐congeneric parrots in a small introduced population." Ibis 163, no. 3: 1093-1098.
Background Non-native species are often introduced in cities, where they take advantage of microclimatic conditions, resources provided by humans, and competitor/predator release to establish and proliferate. However, native communities in the surrounding rural or natural areas usually halt their spread through biotic resistance, mainly via top-down regulative processes (predation pressure). Here, we show an unusual commensal interaction between exotic and native bird species that favours the spread of the former from urban to rural habitats. Results We show how Monk parakeets Myiopsitta monachus, an invasive species often introduced in cities worldwide, associated for breeding with a much larger, native species (the white stork Ciconia ciconia) to reduce predation risk in central Spain, thus allowing their colonization of rural areas. Parakeets selected stork nests close to conspecifics and where breeding raptors were less abundant. Parakeets always flushed when raptors approached their nests when breeding alone, but stayed at their nests when breeding in association with storks. Moreover, when storks abandoned a nest, parakeets abandoned it in the following year, suggesting that storks actually confer protection against predators. Conclusions Our results show how a protective-nesting association between invasive and native species can counteract biotic resistance to allow the spread of an invasive species across non-urban habitats, where they may become crop pests. Monk parakeet populations are now growing exponentially in several cities in several Mediterranean countries, where they coexist with white storks. Therefore, management plans should consider this risk of spread into rural areas and favour native predators as potential biological controllers.
Dailos Hernández-Brito; Guillermo Blanco; José L. Tella; Martina Carrete. A protective nesting association with native species counteracts biotic resistance for the spread of an invasive parakeet from urban into rural habitats. Frontiers in Zoology 2020, 17, 1 -13.
AMA StyleDailos Hernández-Brito, Guillermo Blanco, José L. Tella, Martina Carrete. A protective nesting association with native species counteracts biotic resistance for the spread of an invasive parakeet from urban into rural habitats. Frontiers in Zoology. 2020; 17 (1):1-13.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDailos Hernández-Brito; Guillermo Blanco; José L. Tella; Martina Carrete. 2020. "A protective nesting association with native species counteracts biotic resistance for the spread of an invasive parakeet from urban into rural habitats." Frontiers in Zoology 17, no. 1: 1-13.
Electrocution is one of the less known anthropogenic impacts likely affecting the bat population. We surveyed 925 km of overhead distribution power lines that supply energy to spreading urbanized areas in Sri Lanka, recording 300 electrocuted Indian flying foxes (Pteropus giganteus). Electrocutions were recorded up to 58 km from the nearest known colony, and all of them were in urbanized areas and very close (X¯ = 4.8 m) to the exotic fruiting trees cultivated in gardens. Predictable anthropogenic food subsidies, in the form of cultivated fruits and flowers, seem to attract flying foxes to urban habitats, which in turn become ecological traps given their high electrocution risk. However, electrocution rates greatly varied among the 352 power lines surveyed (0.00–24.6 indiv./km), being highest in power lines with four wires oriented vertically (X¯ = 0.92 indiv./km) and almost zero in power lines with wires oriented horizontally. Therefore, the latter design should be applied to projected new power lines and old vertically oriented lines in electrocution hotspots should be substituted. Given that flying foxes are key seed dispersers and pollinators, their foraging habitat selection change toward urban habitats together with high electrocution risk not only may contribute to their population decline but also put their ecosystem services at risk.
José L. Tella; Dailos Hernández-Brito; Guillermo Blanco; Fernando Hiraldo. Urban Sprawl, Food Subsidies and Power Lines: An Ecological Trap for Large Frugivorous Bats in Sri Lanka? Diversity 2020, 12, 94 .
AMA StyleJosé L. Tella, Dailos Hernández-Brito, Guillermo Blanco, Fernando Hiraldo. Urban Sprawl, Food Subsidies and Power Lines: An Ecological Trap for Large Frugivorous Bats in Sri Lanka? Diversity. 2020; 12 (3):94.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJosé L. Tella; Dailos Hernández-Brito; Guillermo Blanco; Fernando Hiraldo. 2020. "Urban Sprawl, Food Subsidies and Power Lines: An Ecological Trap for Large Frugivorous Bats in Sri Lanka?" Diversity 12, no. 3: 94.
Understanding the factors influencing the establishment of non-native species is pivotal with regards to the development of effective biosecurity policies. In this paper, we aim to assess the role of climate matching, trade patterns and breeding origin as drivers of establishment success of introduced lovebirds (Agapornis species). A comprehensive database on the worldwide distribution of eight species of non-native lovebirds (including establishment success and population size from 21 countries spanning 27 years) was compiled. We combined climate-based species distribution models with environmental niche analyses to evaluate environmental suitability and potential niche shifts in the introduced range of lovebirds. Then, we tested whether combining habitat suitability with information on trade, introduction effort and breeding origin (captive-bred or wild-caught) of imported birds can improve model predictions at the country level. Although climate-based models fit well with the current distribution of non-native lovebirds at 5-arcminute resolution and significant niche similarity was found for 3 species, we also observed successful establishments in areas climatically distinct from those occupied in native ranges. At the country level, only a significant relationship between the number of established populations and both the number of introduction sites and the year of first importation was observed. A significant effect of breeding origin was not found, but most traded birds had a captive-bred origin. Our work contributes to the growing evidence of the complexity of the invasion process and the difficulty of pre-introduction invasion assessments based solely on the characteristics of the recipient environments for the Agapornis species. Surveillance protocols should be applied to both wild-caught and captive-bred lovebirds, as additional data becomes available to better tease apart the role of origin in those species.
Emiliano Mori; Laura Cardador; Luís Reino; Rachel L. White; Dailos Hernández-Brito; Marine Le Louarn; Lorenzo Mentil; Pim Edelaar; Liviu G. Pârâu; Boris P. Nikolov; Mattia Menchetti. Lovebirds in the air: trade patterns, establishment success and niche shifts of Agapornis parrots within their non-native range. Biological Invasions 2019, 22, 421 -435.
AMA StyleEmiliano Mori, Laura Cardador, Luís Reino, Rachel L. White, Dailos Hernández-Brito, Marine Le Louarn, Lorenzo Mentil, Pim Edelaar, Liviu G. Pârâu, Boris P. Nikolov, Mattia Menchetti. Lovebirds in the air: trade patterns, establishment success and niche shifts of Agapornis parrots within their non-native range. Biological Invasions. 2019; 22 (2):421-435.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEmiliano Mori; Laura Cardador; Luís Reino; Rachel L. White; Dailos Hernández-Brito; Marine Le Louarn; Lorenzo Mentil; Pim Edelaar; Liviu G. Pârâu; Boris P. Nikolov; Mattia Menchetti. 2019. "Lovebirds in the air: trade patterns, establishment success and niche shifts of Agapornis parrots within their non-native range." Biological Invasions 22, no. 2: 421-435.
The identification of effects of invasive species is challenging owing to their multifaceted impacts on native biota. Negative impacts are most often reflected in individual fitness rather than in population dynamics of native species and are less expected in low-biodiversity habitats, such as urban environments. We report the long-term effects of invasive rose-ringed parakeets on the largest known population of a threatened bat species, the greater noctule, located in an urban park. Both species share preferences for the same tree cavities for breeding. While the number of parakeet nests increased by a factor of 20 in 14 years, the number of trees occupied by noctules declined by 81%. Parakeets occupied most cavities previously used by noctules, and spatial analyses showed that noctules tried to avoid cavities close to parakeets. Parakeets were highly aggressive towards noctules, trying to occupy their cavities, often resulting in noctule death. This led to a dramatic population decline, but also an unusual aggregation of the occupied trees, probably disrupting the complex social behaviour of this bat species. These results indicate a strong impact through site displacement and killing of competitors, and highlight the need for long-term research to identify unexpected impacts that would otherwise be overlooked.
Dailos Hernández-Brito; Martina Carrete; Carlos Ibanez; Javier Juste; José L. Tella. Nest-site competition and killing by invasive parakeets cause the decline of a threatened bat population. Royal Society Open Science 2018, 5, 172477 .
AMA StyleDailos Hernández-Brito, Martina Carrete, Carlos Ibanez, Javier Juste, José L. Tella. Nest-site competition and killing by invasive parakeets cause the decline of a threatened bat population. Royal Society Open Science. 2018; 5 (5):172477.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDailos Hernández-Brito; Martina Carrete; Carlos Ibanez; Javier Juste; José L. Tella. 2018. "Nest-site competition and killing by invasive parakeets cause the decline of a threatened bat population." Royal Society Open Science 5, no. 5: 172477.
José Luis Tella; Adrián Baños-Villalba; Dailos Hernández-Brito; Abraham Rojas; Erica Pacífico; José A. Díaz-Luque; Martina Carrete; Guillermo Blanco; Fernando Hiraldo. Parrots as overlooked seed dispersers. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 2015, 13, 338 -339.
AMA StyleJosé Luis Tella, Adrián Baños-Villalba, Dailos Hernández-Brito, Abraham Rojas, Erica Pacífico, José A. Díaz-Luque, Martina Carrete, Guillermo Blanco, Fernando Hiraldo. Parrots as overlooked seed dispersers. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 2015; 13 (6):338-339.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJosé Luis Tella; Adrián Baños-Villalba; Dailos Hernández-Brito; Abraham Rojas; Erica Pacífico; José A. Díaz-Luque; Martina Carrete; Guillermo Blanco; Fernando Hiraldo. 2015. "Parrots as overlooked seed dispersers." Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 13, no. 6: 338-339.