Breeding site selection by bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) and Eurasian griffon (Gyps fulvus) in the Caucasus

Occupied and unoccupied sites of bearded vulture Gypaetus barbatus and Eurasian griffon Gyps fulvus were located in the Caucasus (mainly Georgia). Habitat variables related to nest-site characteristics, climate, terrain, human disturbance and food availability were used to construct predictive models of vulture breeding site selection by using a geographic information system (GIS), logistic regression and Bayesian statistical inference. The probability of bearded vulture occupancy of a cliff ledge that was safe from climatic adversity, human disturbance and predation was positively correlated with the following variables measured within a 20-km radius of the ledge: mean elevation, mean slope, the percentage of open areas, mean distance to roads, number of globally threatened wild goats Capra cylindricornis, C. caucasica and C. aegargus , and annual biomass of dead livestock. The probability of such a cliff ledge being occupied by Eurasian griffon was negatively correlated with annual rainfall at the ledge and positively correlated with the percentage of open areas and annual biomass of dead livestock within 20 km of the ledge. Provided that GIS coverage of the habitat variables is available, these models can be of help in various areas of the Caucasus and elsewhere to predict possible nest occurrence areas, and highlight sites where vultures may occur in the future if the population grows because of conservation or other activities.     

Coat Polymorphism in Eurasian Lynx: Adaptation to Environment or Phylogeographic Legacy?

Journal of Mammalian Evolution - We studied the relationship between the variability and contemporary distribution of pelage phenotypes in one of most widely distributed felid species and an array...     

The hypogean invertebrate fauna of Georgia (Caucasus)

Information about the cave invertebrates of Georgia, Caucasus, is summarised, resulting in 43 troglo- and 43 stygobiont taxa reported from 64 caves. Species distribution analyses were conducted for 61 caves harbouring 58 invertebrate taxa, with the majority of caves (39) located in Apkhazeti (north-western Georgia). In 22 caves from central-west Georgia (Samegrelo, Imereti and Racha-Lechkhumi regions of west Georgia) 31 taxa are reported. Composition of cave fauna differed strongly between the caves in Apkhazeti and the central-west of Georgia. Only two taxa of the total 86 were shared, resulting in negligible similarity (Sørensen-Dice coefficient S_s=4.8%). Rarefaction indicated an increase in number of species with additional sampling could increase species richness from 58 to 76 for caves in Apkhazeti and from 31 to 69 for caves in central-west Georgia. These findings suggest that the low invertebrate species richness observed in caves of western Georgia is the result of insufficient sampling. A pairwise approach to analysing species co-occurrence showed ten positive spatial associations in 7 out of 86 cave species, all from Kveda Shakurani and Tsebelda caves. The species co-occurring in the same microhabitat require further study to understand their relationships.     

Movements and habitat use by immature Cinereous Vultures (Aegypius monachus) from the Caucasus

Capsule Juvenile and immature Cinereous Vultures from the Caucasus move large distances across undeveloped open-dry habitats in response to snowfall or high summer temperatures.

Aim To study local and long-range movements of Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus), and investigate the influence of environmental variables on spatial and temporal distributions of the species on a large scale.

Methods We use 4-year-long location data from 6 juvenile Cinereous Vultures fitted with satellite-received transmitters to track their movements and obtain habitat suitability models.

Results A few months after fledging, Cinereous Vultures may migrate from the Caucasus as far south as the Arabian Peninsula. Their movements are concentrated in undeveloped open-dry habitats. High temperatures push the vultures to higher latitudes and altitudes, while reverse seasonal movements are triggered by the extent of snow cover.

Conclusions Our study shows the importance of the Arabian Peninsula and Iran as wintering areas for Cinereous Vultures. Long-distance movements by immature cinereous vultures are determined by climate seasonality, and in light of climate-warming scenarios for the next 100 years, there might be a shift in timing of the onset of the species seasonal movements and a change in the duration and geography of its wintering and summering.