Habitat suitability models and carrying capacity estimations for rock ptarmigans in a protected area of the Italian Alps
Rock ptarmigan populations in the Alps are suffering an overall decline, and management actions are needed to ensure their conservation. Yet wildlife management and conservation actions are often the consequences of political decisions taken by subjects that lack the scientific knowledge about the r...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:7185b3537c8b4d3b8bba0880acb7a3dd 2023-05-15T17:06:24+02:00 Habitat suitability models and carrying capacity estimations for rock ptarmigans in a protected area of the Italian Alps Luca Nelli 2015-12-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.4081/rio.2015.155 https://doaj.org/article/7185b3537c8b4d3b8bba0880acb7a3dd EN IT eng ita PAGEPress Publications https://sisn.pagepress.org/index.php/rio/article/view/155 https://doaj.org/toc/0035-6875 https://doaj.org/toc/2385-0833 doi:10.4081/rio.2015.155 0035-6875 2385-0833 https://doaj.org/article/7185b3537c8b4d3b8bba0880acb7a3dd Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia - Research in Ornithology, Vol 85, Iss 1 (2015) Carrying capacity Habitat suitability Lagopus muta helvetica Italian Alps Potential distribution Rock ptarmigan Zoology QL1-991 article 2015 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.4081/rio.2015.155 2022-12-31T02:38:22Z Rock ptarmigan populations in the Alps are suffering an overall decline, and management actions are needed to ensure their conservation. Yet wildlife management and conservation actions are often the consequences of political decisions taken by subjects that lack the scientific knowledge about the relationships between the environment and species ecology. Habitat suitability models are tools that translate these complex relationships into mathematical models and spatially explicit maps of potential presence and abundance of species that are easier to understand by people not experienced with the study of biological processes. In this study, I modelled the species-habitat relationships at two levels, by estimating the potential distribution and potential density of the species in a protected area of the Western Italian Alps. In particular, I took the results of a previous study carried out in the same area to estimate the probability of male occurrence by comparing the habitat structure in presence plots and random plots, respectively, by logistic regression analyses. Then, I applied the logistic regression equation to the same variables measured in hexagonal cells of a grid superimposed over the entire study area, and I obtained the map of the potential distribution of the species. Finally, I developed multiple regression analyses of male density estimated by distance sampling vs habitat variables, and I applied the results to the areas of potential distribution to forecast the potential density and therefore the carrying capacity of the study area. I obtained a potential distribution of 38.2 km2, with a potential average density of 5.1 males/km2. The latter was positively affected by the percentage cover of grassland and rocky grassland in the plots. The integrated approach that I used by combining models of occurrence and density allowed me to confirm and improve the results of previous works on rock ptarmigan predicted occurrence, to identify areas of conservation importance within the protected area and to ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Lagopus muta rock ptarmigan Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia 85 1 23 |
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Carrying capacity Habitat suitability Lagopus muta helvetica Italian Alps Potential distribution Rock ptarmigan Zoology QL1-991 |
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Carrying capacity Habitat suitability Lagopus muta helvetica Italian Alps Potential distribution Rock ptarmigan Zoology QL1-991 Luca Nelli Habitat suitability models and carrying capacity estimations for rock ptarmigans in a protected area of the Italian Alps |
topic_facet |
Carrying capacity Habitat suitability Lagopus muta helvetica Italian Alps Potential distribution Rock ptarmigan Zoology QL1-991 |
description |
Rock ptarmigan populations in the Alps are suffering an overall decline, and management actions are needed to ensure their conservation. Yet wildlife management and conservation actions are often the consequences of political decisions taken by subjects that lack the scientific knowledge about the relationships between the environment and species ecology. Habitat suitability models are tools that translate these complex relationships into mathematical models and spatially explicit maps of potential presence and abundance of species that are easier to understand by people not experienced with the study of biological processes. In this study, I modelled the species-habitat relationships at two levels, by estimating the potential distribution and potential density of the species in a protected area of the Western Italian Alps. In particular, I took the results of a previous study carried out in the same area to estimate the probability of male occurrence by comparing the habitat structure in presence plots and random plots, respectively, by logistic regression analyses. Then, I applied the logistic regression equation to the same variables measured in hexagonal cells of a grid superimposed over the entire study area, and I obtained the map of the potential distribution of the species. Finally, I developed multiple regression analyses of male density estimated by distance sampling vs habitat variables, and I applied the results to the areas of potential distribution to forecast the potential density and therefore the carrying capacity of the study area. I obtained a potential distribution of 38.2 km2, with a potential average density of 5.1 males/km2. The latter was positively affected by the percentage cover of grassland and rocky grassland in the plots. The integrated approach that I used by combining models of occurrence and density allowed me to confirm and improve the results of previous works on rock ptarmigan predicted occurrence, to identify areas of conservation importance within the protected area and to ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Luca Nelli |
author_facet |
Luca Nelli |
author_sort |
Luca Nelli |
title |
Habitat suitability models and carrying capacity estimations for rock ptarmigans in a protected area of the Italian Alps |
title_short |
Habitat suitability models and carrying capacity estimations for rock ptarmigans in a protected area of the Italian Alps |
title_full |
Habitat suitability models and carrying capacity estimations for rock ptarmigans in a protected area of the Italian Alps |
title_fullStr |
Habitat suitability models and carrying capacity estimations for rock ptarmigans in a protected area of the Italian Alps |
title_full_unstemmed |
Habitat suitability models and carrying capacity estimations for rock ptarmigans in a protected area of the Italian Alps |
title_sort |
habitat suitability models and carrying capacity estimations for rock ptarmigans in a protected area of the italian alps |
publisher |
PAGEPress Publications |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.4081/rio.2015.155 https://doaj.org/article/7185b3537c8b4d3b8bba0880acb7a3dd |
genre |
Lagopus muta rock ptarmigan |
genre_facet |
Lagopus muta rock ptarmigan |
op_source |
Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia - Research in Ornithology, Vol 85, Iss 1 (2015) |
op_relation |
https://sisn.pagepress.org/index.php/rio/article/view/155 https://doaj.org/toc/0035-6875 https://doaj.org/toc/2385-0833 doi:10.4081/rio.2015.155 0035-6875 2385-0833 https://doaj.org/article/7185b3537c8b4d3b8bba0880acb7a3dd |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.4081/rio.2015.155 |
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Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia |
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85 |
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1 |
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23 |
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1766061523562659840 |