A5056456536- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Human-Animal Interaction Studies
- Ecology and biodiversity studies
- Wildlife-Road Interactions and Conservation
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Forest Management and Policy
- Marine animal studies overview
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
- Zoonotic diseases and public health
- Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology
- Morphological variations and asymmetry
- Geographies of human-animal interactions
- Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Forensic and Genetic Research
- Census and Population Estimation
- Bat Biology and Ecology Studies
- Bioinformatics and Genomic Networks
Sapienza University of Rome
2016-2025
University of Palermo
2023
Université de Montpellier
2021
École Pratique des Hautes Études
2021
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
2021
Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive
2021
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
2021
Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier
2021
European University of Rome
2020
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
1992
The conservation of large carnivores is a formidable challenge for biodiversity conservation. Using data set on the past and current status brown bears ( Ursus arctos ), Eurasian lynx Lynx gray wolves Canis lupus wolverines Gulo gulo ) in European countries, we show that roughly one-third mainland Europe hosts at least one carnivore species, with stable or increasing abundance most cases 21st-century records. reasons this overall success include protective legislation, supportive public...
Abstract Grey wolves Canis lupus have been studied extensively, but there has no detailed review of the species’ feeding ecology, despite growing debate about how to conserve wolf populations while limiting their impacts on wild or domestic ungulates. Here, we assess extent which grey diet varies among and within North America, Europe, Asia. We derived dietary data from searches published literature. grouped studies based bioregional location. compared locations using non‐metric...
Understanding the rich social lives of animals benefits international conservation efforts
About 100 km east of Rome, in the central Apennine Mountains, a critically endangered population ∼50 brown bears live complete isolation. Mating outside this is prevented by several bear-free territories. We exploited natural experiment to better understand gene and genomic consequences surviving at extremely small size. found that bear populations Europe lost connectivity since Neolithic times, when farming communities expanded forest burning was used for land clearance. In Italy, resulted...
Abstract Aim The recent recovery of large carnivores in Europe has been explained as resulting from a decrease human persecution driven by widespread rural land abandonment, paralleled forest cover increase and the consequent availability shelter prey. We investigated whether population density changes are related to relative probability occurrence three European carnivores: grey wolf ( Canis lupus ), Eurasian lynx Lynx ) brown bear Ursus arctos ). Location Europe, west 64° longitude....
A key goal of conservation is to protect biodiversity by supporting the long-term persistence viable, natural populations wild species. Conservation practice has long been guided genetic, ecological and demographic indicators risk. Emerging evidence animal culture across diverse taxa its role as a driver evolutionary diversification, population structure processes may be essential for augmenting these conventional approaches decision-making. Animal was focus ground-breaking resolution under...
ABSTRACT Three‐quarters of the planet's land surface has been altered by humans, with consequences for animal ecology, movements and related ecosystem functioning. Species often occupy wide geographical ranges contrasting human disturbance environmental conditions, yet, limited data availability across species' constrained our understanding how pressure resource jointly shape intraspecific variation space use. Leveraging a unique dataset 758 annual GPS movement trajectories from 375 brown...
Home range, habitat use, activity and movement patterns were studied in a pack of wolves mountainous region Abruzzo, central Italy from June 1986 to March 1987. The home estimated by the minimum convex polygon 421 radio locations, measured 197 km 2 comprised several infrastructures areas human presence, including four garbage dumps two offal sites. Core areas, calculated harmonic mean method, located toward centre range where disturbance road density lowest but forest cover was highest....
Abstract The increasing trend of large carnivore attacks on humans not only raises human safety concerns but may also undermine conservation efforts. Although rare, by brown bears Ursus arctos are the rise and, although several studies have addressed this issue at local scales, information is lacking a worldwide scale. Here, we investigated bear (n = 664) between 2000 and 2015 across most range inhabited species: North America 183), Europe 291), East 190). When occurred, half people were...
Abstract Only scanty and outdated knowledge is available on the food habits of Apennine brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) population, despite its critical conservation status. Based 2,359 scats, collected from June 2006 through December 2009, we documented seasonal annual variation in diet this population within 1,294-km2 core distribution Abruzzo, Lazio, Molise National Park external buffer area central Italy. Using correction factors to estimate digestible energy, revealed substantial...
Summary Wildlife damage to human property threatens human–wildlife coexistence. Conflicts arising from wildlife in intensively managed landscapes often undermine conservation efforts, making mitigation and compensation of special concern for conservation. However, the mechanisms underlying occurrence claims at large scales are still poorly understood. Here, we investigated patterns caused by brown bears Ursus arctos its ecological socio‐economic correlates a continental scale. We compiled...
In ecologically pristine ecosystems, top-down effects of apex predators play a fundamental role in shaping trophic cascades and structuring but human-modified landscapes anthropogenic may markedly alter the ecological predators. particular, human-provisioned food subsidies represent serious concern for conservation predators, even though little empirical attention has been given to this aspect assessing outcomes. To assess extent which affected feeding ecology protected wolf (Canis lupus)...
Six scat‐analysis methods were compared and tested for differential assessment of a wolf Canis lupus diet in the Northern Apennine Mountains, Italy. A sample 217 scats was analysed using standardised laboratory techniques, recovered undigested remains quantified according to following measurements: frequency occurrence, dry weight (estimated measured), relative volume, biomass ingested (two methods). With exception one methods, there no significant disagreement between procedures examined....
In this paper we compare some socio-ecological traits of feral dogs and wolves in order to assess the social ecology terms its adaptive value natural environment, evaluate what extent domestication process altered wolf's patterns. Referring as those living a wild state with no food shelter intentionally provided by humans, showing continuous strong avoidance direct human contacts, review currently available information on dog ecology, particular reference is made 3-year term project Abruzzo,...
Summary Habitat suitability models are usually produced using species presence or habitat selection, without taking into account the demographic performance of population considered. These cannot distinguish between sink and source habitats, causing problems especially for with low reproductive rates high susceptibility to levels mortality as in case critically endangered Apennine brown bear Ursus arctos marsicanus . We developed a spatial model based on (2544 locations) data (37 used...
ABSTRACT By using Global Positioning System technology, we documented the long‐distance dispersal of a wolf ( Canis lupus ) from northern Apennines in Italy to western Alps France. This is first report wolves human‐dominated landscapes southern Europe, providing conclusive evidence that expanding population originates Apennine source through natural recolonization. crossing 4 major 4‐lane highways, agricultural areas, and several regional provincial jurisdictions, trajectory M15 revealed...
Accurate and precise estimates of population size are critical for effective management but can be particularly difficult to achieve small populations large carnivores. We approached this challenge by integrating multiple noninvasive data sources into a DNA-based mark–recapture framework estimate the abundance endangered Apennine brown bear population. To improve sample coverage, we collected hair samples from June September 2011 concurrently using 4 sampling methods: intensive hair-snagging...
Anthropogenic hybridisation is widely perceived as a threat to the conservation of biodiversity. Nevertheless, date, relevant policy and management interventions are unresolved highly convoluted. While this due inherent complexity issue, we hereby hypothesise that lack agreement concerning goals approaches, within scientific community, may explain social awareness on phenomenon, absence effective pressure decision-makers. By focusing wolf x dog in Europe, (a) assess state art issues (b)...
Although the brown bear (Ursus arctos) population in Abruzzo (central Apennines, Italy) suffered high mortality during past 30 years and is potentially at risk of extinction, no formal estimate its abundance has been attempted. In 2004, Italian Forest Service National Park applied DNA-based techniques to hair-snag samples from Apennine population. Even though sampling theoretical limitations prevented estimating size being objective these first applications, we extracted most could out 2004...