Connectivity in Spanish metapopulation of Dupont's lark may be maintained by dispersal over medium-distance range and stepping stones.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Dupont's Lark is an endangered bird, whose fragmented distribution in Europe is entirely restricted to Spain. This lark, suffering pronounced population decline and range contraction, inhabits steppes that have long been used for grazing sheep and are now threatened by rural abandonment and land use changes. Thus, for conservation of the lark, increasing knowledge about the connectivity of the Spanish metapopulation and identifying the most important connectivity nodes are crucial.

Methods

The study was carried out in Spain, using over 16,000 Dupont's Lark georeferenced observations. We used distance buffers to define populations and subpopulations, based on the available scientific information. We identified potential stepping stones using a MaxEnt probability of

SUBMITTER: Garcia-Anton A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8380426 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature