News: APHIS and snakes in Ibiza

The research by A. Rotger Vallespir had make the news here and here. Andreu showed how the scale pattern on the head of the snake Hemorrhois hippocrepis changes across individuals and it can be used as a fingerprint to track individual and assess their life-history. The free available software APHIS, developped by the GEDA in 2015, can be used to process the images. Andreu's research was first presented at the VII Conference on Balearic Environment early this month.
You can find the IMEDEA press release here

News: Parasites and Storm Petrel!

The research led by A. Sanz-Aguilar of the GEDA en collaboration with the Department of Zoology of the UIB is on the news here (an article by J. M. L. Romero on the Diario de Ibiza). 

Ana is studying whether differences in the fledgling sucess among the different parts of the colony can be due to the presence of specific parasites (Ornithodoros maritimus). The results was presented at the VII Conference on Baelaric Enviroment early this month.

Most cited paper in Ardeola !

Photo: M Gomila

The work by A. Cortés-Avizanda of the GEDA on the ecological role of raptors published in Ardeola in 2016 (here) was the most cited period in the last 3-year period. 
Congrats Ainara (& Co.)!

GEDA at the VII Conference on Balearic Environment

 The GEDA participated at the VII Balearic Environmental Conference on Mallorca and Ibiza presenting the studies on lizards, vultures, shearwaters and storm petrels.

 

New Publication on modelling transient probability!

Sanz-Aguilar, A., Pradel, R. and Tavecchia, G. 2018 Age-dependent capture-recapture models and unequal time intervals. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation 42 (1), pag. 91-98  https://doi.org/10.32800/abc.2019.42.0091

Photo: M. Gomila

Abstract:Estimates of survival probabilities in natural populations can be obtained through capture–mark–recapture (CMR) models. However, when capture sessions are unevenly spaced, age–dependent models can lead to erroneous estimates of survival when individuals change age class during the time interval between two capture occasions.
We propose a solution to correct for the mismatch between time intervals and age class duration in two age class models. The solution can be implemented in different ways. The first consists of adding dummy occasions to the encounter histories and fixing the corresponding recapture probabilities at zero. The second makes use of the log–link function available in some CMR software (e.g. program MARK). We used simulated and real data to show that the proposed solution delivers unbiased estimates of age–dependent survival probabilities.

The VIII edition of the Workshop on CMRR analysis ended!

The VIII edition of the annual workshop on CAPTURE-MARK-RECAPTURE and RECOVERY analysis has ended last friday! Thanks for coming (although we have missed the very big shrimp :-) ! It has been great to have you all here at the IMEDEA and learn about dragon-flies, storks, cranes, swans, houbara bustard, audouin's gulls, penguins norway lobsters, black-tailed godwits, marking methods..etc.. and top of all, new exiting biological questions.  More next year!