Papers by Massimo Scandura
EFSA Supporting Publications
The ENETWILD consortium implemented the EFSA-funded project "Wildlife: collecting and sharing dat... more The ENETWILD consortium implemented the EFSA-funded project "Wildlife: collecting and sharing data on wildlife populations, transmitting animal diseases agents", whose main objective is to collect wild boar density, hunting and occurrence data and model species geographical distribution and abundance throughout Europe. This subject is of particular concern due to the continued advance of African swine fever (ASF). In May 2019, the ENETWILD consortium organised a workshop for 30 game biologists, animal health professionals, and experts from national hunting and forest authorities from 14 countries form North East Europe. The overall objectives of the workshop were to present milestones and achievements of the ENETWILD project, review different country frameworks for wild boar data collection and harmonization (hunting, density and occurrence data), as well as to review scientific methods for determining wild boar abundance and density, and train on camera trapping and the random encounter method (REM). It was agreed that wild boar abundance and density estimates available in North Eastern Europe are unreliable because most of them are not based on scientific methods. Hence, there is a need to implement a novel method for determining wild boar abundance and density that uses hunting bag statistics including measures of hunting effort and efficiency during collective drive hunts, compared against density values calculated using camera trapping and the random encounter method (REM). Several collaborators from Poland, Finland, Belarus, Russia, Lithuania have declared their willingness to participate in such pilot studies, and all agreed in improving data collection, including by means of citizen science.
EFSA Supporting Publications
Enetwild consortium aims at aggregating data on occurrence, abundance and hunting bag of wildlife... more Enetwild consortium aims at aggregating data on occurrence, abundance and hunting bag of wildlife in Europe, either as raw data or as results of statistical estimation. These data come from a large community of researchers, hunters and wildlife managers. A flexible and robust data standard is therefore necessary to present the large diversity of data and collection method. We evaluated the possibilities offered by the Darwin Core Standard. The Event core, the occurrence extension and the extended measurement or fact extension proved their utility for our purpose. However, these were not able to record statistical estimation values. We proposed to extend the measurement or fact extension to allow them to be nested among themselves. Any confidence interval or precision measure is indeed a measurement about the punctual estimate, another measurement. We proposed controlled vocabularies adapted to wildlife survey in data and metadata. This will be aligned with the EFSA data model harmonisation under the SIGMA project.
EFSA Supporting Publications
EFSA Supporting Publications
Wildlife Biology
BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access t... more BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Anthropogenic hybridization is widely perceived as a threat to the conservation of biodiversity. ... more Anthropogenic hybridization is widely perceived as a threat to the conservation of biodiversity. Nevertheless, to date, relevant policy and management interventions are unresolved and highly convoluted. While this is due to the inherent complexity of the issue, we hereby hypothesize that a lack of agreement concerning management goals and approaches, within the scientific community, may explain the lack of social awareness Donfrancesco et al. Addressing Wolf-Dog Hybridization in Europe on this phenomenon, and the absence of effective pressure on decision-makers. By focusing on wolf x dog hybridization in Europe, we hereby (a) assess the state of the art of issues on wolf x dog hybridization within the scientific community, (b) assess the conceptual bases for different viewpoints, and (c) provide a conceptual framework aiming at reducing the disagreements. We adopted the Delphi technique, involving a three-round iterative survey addressed to a selected sample of experts who published at Web of Science listed journals, in the last 10 years on wolf x dog hybridization and related topics. Consensus was reached that admixed individuals should always be defined according to their genetic profile, and that a reference threshold for admixture (i.e., q-value in assignment tests) should be formally adopted for their identification. To mitigate hybridization, experts agreed on adopting preventive, proactive and, when concerning small and recovering wolf populations, reactive interventions. Overall, experts' consensus waned as the issues addressed became increasingly practical, including the adoption of lethal removal. We suggest three non-mutually exclusive explanations for this trend: (i) value-laden viewpoints increasingly emerge when addressing practical issues, and are particularly diverging between experts with different disciplinary backgrounds (e.g., ecologists, geneticists); (ii) some experts prefer avoiding the risk of potentially giving carte blanche to wolf opponents to (illegally) remove wolves, based on the wolf x dog hybridization issue; (iii) room for subjective interpretation and opinions result from the paucity of data on the effectiveness of different management interventions. These results have management implications and reveal gaps in the knowledge on a wide spectrum of issues related not only to the management of anthropogenic hybridization, but also to the role of ethical values and real-world management concerns in the scientific debate.
EFSA Supporting Publications
In October 2018 the ENETWILD consortium created suitability maps based on available data on wild ... more In October 2018 the ENETWILD consortium created suitability maps based on available data on wild boar occurrence at 10 km square resolution and initial version of abundance models based on hunting statistics at NUTS3 and NUTS2 resolution, that were statistically downscaled for MSs to 10x10 km grid squares. This report presents updated suitability map for wild boar presence based on additional occurrence data and new algorithms, and new models based on highresolution hunting yield data for MSs and neighbouring countries. New environmental variables closely associated with wild boar abundance and distribution were also included. Our results showed no consensus for a single best occurrence model: out of those tested, both Maxent and random forest could be considered the best options depending on the choice of assessment metric. Predictions from these models notably disagreed in eastern Europe where data on wild boar occurrence are limited. Despite agreement among models, predictions in the south appeared over-predicted, most likely due to a lack of contrasting absence data. Whilst there remain some methodological adjustments which could be tested, substantial improvement in the prediction from occurrence models relies on further collection of wild boar occurrence data in the east and complimentary data on survey effort in the south. The predictive performance of the hunting yield model was high. Although the incorporation of new data at higher spatial resolution markedly improved predictions, such data is still needed in some regions, ideally coupled with hunting effort, which would allow such estimates to be transformed into reliable densities. Comparison between predictions from the occurrence and hunting yield models showed they were statistically 1 ENETWILD Consortium: www.enetwild.com www.efsa.europa.eu/efsajournal 1 EFSA Supporting publication 2019:EN-1674 Modelling wild boar distribution associated, but the strength of that relationship was dependent on the type of occurrence model and the bioregion. These findings are compatible with previous interpretations of the occurrence model, and highlight the relevance of obtaining more accurate data, especially from northern and eastern bioregions in Europe.
Ecology and Evolution
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which... more This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
PloS one, 2018
European brown hare, Lepus europaeus, from Central and Eastern European countries (Hungary, Polan... more European brown hare, Lepus europaeus, from Central and Eastern European countries (Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Lithuania, Romania, Georgia and Italy) were sampled, and phylogenetic analyses were carried out on two datasets: 1.) 137 sequences (358 bp) of control region mtDNA; and 2.) 105 sequences of a concatenated fragment (916 bp), including the cytochrome b, tRNA-Thr, tRNA-Pro and control region mitochondrial DNA. Our sequences were aligned with additional brown hare sequences from GenBank. A total of 52 and 51 haplotypes were detected within the two datasets, respectively, and assigned to two previously described major lineages: Anatolian/Middle Eastern (AME) and European (EUR). Furthermore, the European lineage was divided into two subclades including South Eastern European (SEE) and Central European (CE). Sympatric distribution of the lineages of the brown hare in South-Eastern and Eastern Europe revealed contact zones there. BAPS analysis assigned sequences from L. europaeus to f...
Journal of Zoology
ABSTRACT Dispersal patterns can have vital consequences for the transfer of genes in a population... more ABSTRACT Dispersal patterns can have vital consequences for the transfer of genes in a population, thus shaping its genetic make-up and structure. Genetic relationships between individuals can, in turn, affect their social behaviour and the emergent social organization of the population. Using combination of behavioural and genetic data from the wild boar Sus scrofa population in Białowieża Primeval Forest (eastern Poland), we evaluated the socio-genetic structure of wild boar groups, the spatial genetic structure of the population and dispersal patterns. We found that wild boar post-weaning movements were largely spatially limited to the vicinity of maternal range, with female boars showing a tendency to settle in the direct neighbourhood of the kin and male boars dispersing further away from the natal area. Consequently, such dispersal patterns were reflected in the kin-based social organization and the spatial genetic structure of the population, which was manifested at a spatial scale corresponding to the size of a few home ranges (<5 km). A negative relationship between geographic distance and genetic relatedness, which was particularly strong in female boars, indicated a presence of local kin clusters dominated by female boars and the importance of female philopatry in shaping the structure of wild boar population. This was confirmed by the genetic profile and composition of social groups. This study showed the role dispersal decisions can play in the emergence of the kin-based and matrilineal social system of wild boars.
Acta Theriologica, Sep 1, 2004
Biological Conservation, Mar 8, 2004
The Casentinesi Forests, in the northern Apennines, harbour a rich community of wild ungulates, w... more The Casentinesi Forests, in the northern Apennines, harbour a rich community of wild ungulates, with the wolf representing the largest predator in the area. Between 1993 and 2000, wolf pack distribution in the area was monitored and estimates of pack size were obtained by wolf-howling surveys, snow-tracking, and occasional observations. Three to five packs were detected yearly, with sizes averaging 4.2 AE 0.9 wolves (maximum 7). The overall density in the area was 4.7 wolves per 100 km 2 with an average distance between adjacent packs of 11.1 km. The high wolf density in the Casentinesi Forests is mostly related to abundance and size of wild prey. In this, like in other areas at low latitudes, wolf density depends mainly on the number of packs, as pack size is rather small and recruitment limited by early dispersal and high mortality. Three homesites used in several years by resident packs were discovered. Homesite fidelity and pack reproductive success were higher in fully protected rather than harvested areas. Establishing a network of protected areas with high ungulate diversity and abundance is proposed as the main factor for allowing a full recovery of the wolf population in Italy.
Depredation on livestock and wolf pack (Canis lupus) distribution were investigated in the provin... more Depredation on livestock and wolf pack (Canis lupus) distribution were investigated in the province of Arezzo from 1998 to 2001. Although livestock was uniformly distributed, damage level and distribution were focused in the mountainous area inhabited by wolf packs so there were huge differences between areas with and without wolves. Few farms (6%) were persistently affected by predation, and they reported a wide percentage of the total attacks and losses (38%; 37%). Mass slaughter phenomena involved only sheep and goat farms, affecting 18% of the total. Thirty-five attacks (14% of the total attacks) reported 536 kills (44% of the total head killed in the whole province of Arezzo). Compensation costs and prevention funding devolved by the province were examined. During the study period wolf population was stable: wolf packs were distributed on 47% of the whole province (1,504 km 2); with a density estimated at 2.9 ± 0.7 pack/100 km 2 .
Behaviour, Oct 1, 1999
Female intra-sexual competition plays an important role in the settlement process during pair or ... more Female intra-sexual competition plays an important role in the settlement process during pair or harem formation and in established harems of Lamprologus ocellatus , a small snail shell inhabiting cichlid from Lake Tanganyika. Larger females settle first and this could partly be due to male preference for larger females as shown in simultaneous choice tests but is also due to dominance of the larger female. Smaller females were unable to settle close to a larger one. Even when snail shells were not limiting the smaller was either unable to settle or had to settle at a considerable distance. This effect was independent of prior residence. Intense female-female aggression suggests that close settlement is disadvantageous to females. Genetic analyses of maternity using microsatellite length polymorphism at five loci showed a reproductive skew between females in a harem. Additionally, it proved brood mixing in aquaria as well as in the field. Brood mixing can be detrimental to female breeding success through interbrood cannibalism if size difference of juveniles amounts to 5 mm. Territoriality of juveniles, shown even between same-sized siblings, may cause indirect mortality through earlier dispersal of young. Females rejected experimentally added larger juveniles but accepted young smaller than their own fry. Acceptance of smaller juveniles could be advantageous through a dilution of predator attacks but it also appears to induce costs since females with young at the shell do not rear another brood. Large median distances of 91 cm maintained aggressively between breeding females in the field may serve to minimize the adverse effects of breeding in a harem.
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Papers by Massimo Scandura