Landscape Genetics for the Empirical Assessment of Resistance Surfaces: The European Pine Marten (Martes martes) as a Target-Species of a Regional Ecological Network

Coherent ecological networks (EN) composed of core areas linked by ecological corridors are being developed worldwide with the goal of promoting landscape connectivity and biodiversity conservation. However, empirical assessment of the performance of EN designs is critical to evaluate the utility of these networks to mitigate effects of habitat loss and fragmentation. Landscape genetics provides a particularly valuable framework to address the question of functional connectivity by providing a direct means to investigate the effects of landscape structure on gene flow. The goals of this study are (1) to evaluate the landscape features that drive gene flow of an EN target species (European pine marten), and (2) evaluate the optimality of a regional EN design in providing connectivity for this species within the Basque Country (North Spain). Using partial Mantel tests in a reciprocal causal modeling framework we competed 59 alternative models, including isolation by distance and the regional EN. Our analysis indicated that the regional EN was among the most supported resistance models for the pine marten, but was not the best supported model. Gene flow of pine marten in northern Spain is facilitated by natural vegetation, and is resisted by anthropogenic landcover types and roads. Our results suggest that the regional EN design being implemented in the Basque Country will effectively facilitate gene flow of forest dwelling species at regional scale.

Disponibilidad de micromamíferos en el área de campeo del cárabo común en los bosques de Burceña (Valle de Mena): Primeros resultados del estudio

[ES] Este trabajo forma parte de un proyecto en el que se estudian dos poblaciones de cárabo común (Strix aluco); una en Durango (Bizkaia) y otra en Burceña (Burgos). Este trabajo se ha llevado a cabo en Burceña y en él se muestran los primeros resultados del uso del espacio de estas rapaces nocturnas y su disponibilidad de alimento en los bosques de esta zona. Para ello hemos obtenido localizaciones de diez cárabos durante un año para conocer los territorios de cada uno y hemos capturado en vivo la dieta principal de esta ave, micromamíferos. Estos resultados los hemos relacionado entre sí para saber si influye el uso del espacio en las capturas de micromamíferos. Estas dos variables también las hemos relacionado con el tipo y la edad de los bosques muestreados. Según los resultados obtenidos podemos afirmar que sí existe una influencia del uso en las capturas, demostrando una relación negativa; es decir, donde se han capturado más micromamíferos es en los bosques que menos frecuentan los cárabos, que a su vez, son los bosques menos accesibles para estas rapaces. ABSTRACT This investigation is part of a work project whereby two Tawny owl (Strix aluco) populations are studied. One of them lives in Durango, Biscay and the other one in Burceña, Burgos. This specific work took place in Burceña and lasted one year. It shows the first results of the study on the use of the space of the Tawny owls and the food availability in their woodland range area. We spotted and traced the home range of ten different tawny owls, and also trapped small mammals which are the staple diet of these owls. We compared both the results obtained in order to know if the use of the area is related to the capture of small mammals. These two variables (space-capture) were also related to the type and age of the sampled forests. The results obtained show that it is true there is an influence of the use of space upon the captures proving to be a negative relation, that is, the largest numbers of micromammals were captured in the woodlands where there are fewer owls, because they are the least accessible forests for these birds of prey.