Airam Rodríguez

Museo Natural de Ciencias Naturales CSIC · Ecología Evolutiva

Visible light on Earth largely comes from the sun, including light reflected from the moon. Predation risk is strongly determined by light conditions, and some animals are nocturnal to reduce predation. Artificial lights and its consequent light pollution may disrupt this natural behavior. Here, we used 13 years of attendance data to study the effe...

Light pollution and its consequences on ecosystems are increasing worldwide. Knowledge on the threshold levels of light pollution at which significant ecological impacts emerge and the size of dark refuges to maintain natural nocturnal processes is crucial to mitigate its negative consequences. Seabird fledglings are attracted by artificial lights...

Light pollution is increasing around the world and altering natural nightscapes with potential ecological and evolutionary consequences. A severe ecological perturbation caused by artificial lights is mass mortalities of organisms, including seabird fledglings that are attracted to lights at night on their first flights to the sea. Here, we report...

Every year and across the world, thousands of fledglings of different petrel species crash into human structures because they are disorientated by artificial lights during their first flights. As this phenomenon is rather predictable, rescue cam-paigns are organized to help birds to reach the ocean, but unfortunately, a low proportion gets hurt or...

Seabirds, and particularly fledglings of burrow-nesting species, are greatly impacted by light pollution. During their inaugural flights from colony to sea, fledglings become grounded after encountering artificial light. Such groundings, or fallout events, affect many fledglings each year causing mass mortality events. To mitigate this light induce...

Seabirds, and particularly fledglings of burrow-nesting species, are greatly impacted by light pollution. During their inaugural flights from colony to sea, fledglings become grounded after encountering artificial light. Such groundings, or fallout events, affect many fledglings each year. To mitigate this light-induced mortality, rescue programs h...

Light pollution is a main pressure affecting Procellariiform seabirds. While adults are rarely found grounded in urban lit polluted areas, thousands of fledglings are grounded every year. It remains unknown to what extent does light pollution affect adults, e.g. what are the physiological or behavioral consequences of chronic exposure to light poll...

The use of anthropogenic debris as nest-building materials may affect nest function. We study ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) on an island with scarce vegetation and high availability of beached marine debris. We describe the anthropogenic debris in osprey nests, evaluate the factors affecting its prevalence and abundance, and test its potential effect...

Rescue programs aiming to mitigate light-induced mortality of seabird fledglings have reported that fewer birds are grounded (and rescued) during full moon nights. Two non-mutually exclusive hypotheses have been proposed as explanations: (1) reduction of strandings because birds are less attracted to and disorientated by light pollution during full...

1. Culturally dependent human social behaviours involving artificial light usage can potentially affect light pollution patterns and thereby impact the night-time ecology in populated areas, although to date this has not been examined globally. 2. By analysing continuous (monthly), highly resolved, spatially explicit data on global night lights (Vi...

Light pollution critically affects fledglings of burrow-nesting seabirds, leading to massive mortality events. A successful management of this pollutant depends upon a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing visual sensitivity and corresponding behaviours towards light. Factors shaping the development of the visual system could accou...

Seabirds’ reliance on the dynamic ocean environment also exposes them to global pollution sources. Major pollution threats include plastics, contaminants, oil spills, and artificial lights at night (ALAN). Plastics and contaminants are harmful because they are ingested directly and secondarily from prey, and they can cause starvation, hormonal chan...

The attraction of seabirds to artificial lights leads to fallout and mortality events involving, in some cases, thousands of birds in a single breeding season. To mitigate light pollution-induced mortality the most common action is the rescue programs, but these programs rescue already grounded birds and do not address the cause of the problem. Thi...

Europe holds a rich community of diurnal birds of prey, and the highest proportion of transcontinental migratory raptorial species of any landmass. This study will test the hypotheses that the high diversification of the raptor assemblage in Europe is a recent event, that closely related species sharing the same trophic niches can only coexist in s...

Petrels are particularly sensitive to predation by introduced species. Many populations have reduced their breeding ranges, currently mainly occupying predator-free sites. Breeding range reduction leads to interspecific competition for nesting sites, which can be detrimental to petrels. Here, we evaluate how the presence of introduced mammals (cats...

The main factors affecting specific road casualty rates are related to life-history traits, road features, and landscape variables. After road inauguration, roadkill rate and spatial and temporal patterns can change substantially due to changes in traffic intensity, avoidance behaviour or local population decline. Despite the Canary Islands constit...

The globally widespread adoption of Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) began in the mid‐20th century. Yet, it is only in the last decade that a renewed research focus has emerged into its impacts on ecological and biological processes in the marine environment that are guided by natural intensities, moon phase, natural light and dark cycles and daily...

Aim Europe should be considered as a diversity hotspot for diurnal raptors, but just during the breeding season, as it holds the higher proportion of transcontinental migratory species of any landmass, and the area becomes depleted during the winter period. This study will test the hypothesis that the high diversification of the raptor assemblage i...

Light pollution causes attraction and/or disorientation of seabirds, leading to mortality events due to multiple threats. This is a poorly understood phenomenon, largely because of the challenge to track seabirds at night from their nests to the grounding light-polluted locations. New tracking technologies can inform about this phenomenon. Here, we...

Procellariiformes are one of the most threatened groups of birds of the world so knowledge of nesting habitat and factors affecting breeding rates are vital issues for their conservation. Although Cory's Shearwater Calonectris borealis is a well-studied seabird species on the whole, information on the relationship between its breeding parameters an...

Oceanic conditions determine food availability to seabirds and affect seabird reproductive parameters, such as breeding success, chick growth, and survival rates. In seabirds, juvenile survival at sea is positively correlated with body condition at fledging. In addition, in several seabird species, especially petrels and shearwaters (Order Procella...

Due to their life-history traits, the petrels are particularly sensitive to predation by introduced species. Therefore, many populations have constricted their original breeding distribution range, currently only occupying predator-free sites. In this scenario, interspecific competition for nesting sites can be detrimental for the petrel’ conservat...

Any efforts to conduct a sustainable management of urban and natural landscapes benefit from an interdisciplinary approach and active collaboration between actors, thus increasing the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed actions. With the emergent transition of urban lighting to white LED technology, such shifts can bring a variety of nega...

Forest‐dwelling raptors living on islands are more vulnerable than continental relatives due to their particular life history traits and habitat degradation. The Canary Islands' forests have suffered severe transformations because of intense human exploitation since its colonization by the Europeans. In recent decades, forest managers have initiate...

The Lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) evolved as a separate species in the Old-World kestrel radiation starting in the late Miocene. Given that the first cities were erected in the Holocene, this urban colonial raptor has only become a major town dweller recently in its evolutionary history. Today, more than 95% of lesser kestrel colonies in Spain an...

ContextUrbanization and artificial light at night (ALAN) are major drivers of local biodiversity losses causing community alterations, disruption of predator-prey interactions, and ultimately, promotion of cascading effects. However, some species can colonize urban environments.Objectives We explore the role of ALAN as a driver of the colonization...

Grouping is a widespread form of predator defence, with individuals in groups often performing evasive collective movements in response to attack by predators. Individuals in these groups use behavioural rules to coordinate their movements, with visual cues about neighbours' positions and orientations often informing movement decisions. Although th...

The taxonomy of Procellariiformes, particularly petrels and shearwaters, is still unresolved. The Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus is one of the best studied seabirds worldwide. Most of the information known on this seabird is focused on the northern core populations where the species is abundant. However, the species shows a high number of periph...

Grouping is a widespread form of predator defense, with individuals in groups often performing evasive collective movements in response to predators' attacks. Individuals in these groups use behavioral rules to coordinate their movements, with visual cues about neighbors' positions and orientations informing movement decisions. Although the exact v...

The Macaronesian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus granti) is an endemic subspecies restricted to the forest habitats of Madeira and the Canary Islands. We studied its inter-habitat diet variation on the largest of the Canaries, Tenerife, during the 2014-2015 breeding seasons. We also compared the current food spectrum (2014-2015) with that reported in...

Seabirds are impacted by coastal light pollution, leading to massive mortality events. Juveniles comprise the majority of affected individuals, while adults are only seldom grounded and reported in rescue programs. We propose a connection between visual system development of burrow nesting seabirds and the observed higher vulnerability to light pol...

Artificial light pollution has demonstrable effects on the behavioural and population ecology of organisms in natural settings. In several seabird species, especially petrels and shearwaters (Order Procellariiformes), fledglings are disoriented and attracted to artificial lights during their maiden flights from their nests to the sea. Once grounded...

Falcons were detected by admissions to La Tahonilla Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Cabildo de Tenerife (1998-2017), lost falcons reports issued by falconers to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (2007-2017), and field observations by authors (1993-2017). Territory: yes = holding territory. Paired : Yes = Mated, No = Unmated

Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) on the Canary Islands are considered to be of the Barbary Falcon subspecies (F. p. pelegrinoides). Here we report on lost falconry birds present among the wild population of resident falcons, and provide rough approximations of their abundance for Tenerife, the largest island of the Canaries. We observed lost fa...

Shearwaters and petrels (hereafter petrels) are highly adapted seabirds that occur across all the world’s oceans. Petrels are a threatened seabird group comprising 124 species. They have bet-hedging life histories typified by extended chick rearing periods, low fecundity, high adult survival, strong philopatry, monogamy and long-term mate fidelity...

Despite the increase of literature on seabird plastic ingestion in recent years, few studies have assessed how plastic loads vary according to different sampling methods. Most studies use necropsies of seabirds with a natural cause of death, e.g. beached or predated, to determine plastic loads and monitor marine debris. Sampling naturally dead seab...

Plants, unlike animals, are organisms with a sessile adult stage, and consequently they need external vectors for moving their propagules (mainly seeds) away from mother plants. The movement of seeds is a central process in the life cycle of plants called seed dispersal (Howe and Smallwood 1982). This process determines the spatial pattern of seed...

Significant demographic fluctuations can have major genetic consequences in wild populations. The lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) has suffered both population declines and range fragmentation during the second half of the 20th century. In this study we analysed multilocus microsatellite data to assess the genetic structure of the species. Our analy...

For many decades, the spectral composition of lighting was determined by the type of lamp, which also influenced potential effects of outdoor lights on species and ecosystems. Light‐emitting diode (LED) lamps have dramatically increased the range of spectral profiles of light that is economically viable for outdoor lighting. Because of the array of...

Significant demographic fluctuations can have major genetic consequences in wild populations. The Lesser Kestrel ( Falco naumanni ) has suffered from both population declines and range fragmentation during the second half of the 20th century. In this study we analysed multilocus microsatellite data to assess the genetic structure of the species. Ou...

The specific spatial distribution and habitat association -strongly influenced by environmental factors or competitive interactions- are major issues in ecology and conservation. We located and georeferenced nesting sites of five cliff-nesting raptors (Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus, common buzzard Buteo buteo, osprey Pandion haliaetus, com...

Wildlife watching is an emerging ecotourism activity around the world. In Australia and New Zealand, night viewing of little penguins attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors per year. As penguins start coming ashore after sunset, artificial lighting is essential to allow visitors to view them in the dark. This alteration of the nightscape warran...

Insular wildlife is more prone to extinction than their mainland relatives. Thus, a basic understanding of non-natural mortality sources is the first step in the development of conservation management plans. The Canary Islands are an important tourist destination due to their unique climate and rich scenery and biodiversity. During the last few dec...

Model assumptions and validations. (DOCX)

Species, locations (UTM 28R coordinates) and dates of roadkills found on Lanzarote, Canary Islands (November 2010-October 2011). (CSV)

Number of carcasses (roadkills) found on Lanzarote, Canary Islands (November 2010-October 2011). Mortality was estimated by considering carcass removal time (PT) and probability of observer detectability (D) of each species according to bibliography [52]. (DOCX)

We studied the post-fledging movement of two sibling (male and female) juvenile Barbary Falcons (Falco peregrinus pelegrinoides) hatched in Lanzarote (Canary Islands) in 2011 using satellite tracking. Birds were tracked from fledging in May to the end of November, when the signals of both transmitters were lost. During the first 45 d following fled...

Las aves marinas, aquellas adaptadas a la vida en los océanos, se encuentran entre los grupos de aves más amenazados globalmente según criterios de la IUCN. Debido a su comportamiento y a unos rasgos de vida muy particulares, el orden Procellariiformes, que incluye a pardelas, petreles y paíños, está entre los grupos más amenazados de aves marinas....

The use of artificial light at night and its ecological consequences are increasing around the world. Light pollution can lead to massive mortality episodes for nocturnally active petrels, one of the most threatened avian groups. Some fledglings can be attracted or disoriented by artificial light on their first flights. Studies testing the effect o...

One of the most critical phases in the life of petrels (Procellariiformes) is at fledging when young birds pass from parental dependence on land to an independent life at sea. To mitigate mortality at this time, rescue programs are implemented near breeding sites around the world, especially for birds grounded by artificial lights. We evaluated the...

Artificial lights at night cause high mortality of seabirds, one of the most endangered groups of birds globally. Fledglings of burrow-nesting seabirds, and to a lesser extent adults, are grounded by lights when they fly at night. We review the current state of knowledge of light attraction, identify information gaps and propose measures to address...

Petrels are among the most threatened group of birds. On top of facing predation by introduced mammals and incidental bycatch, these seabirds have to deal with an emerging threat, light pollution, which is increasing globally. Fledglings are disoriented and attracted to artificial lights in their maiden night flights from their nests to the sea. On...

Capsule: Flowers of an invasive plant species are more visited by native birds than flowers of ornithophilous endemic plants. Aims: To describe the bird guild and its behaviour visiting the century plant Agave americana in an insular environment and to determine which factors are affecting visitation rates. Methods: We noted number and species of b...

The Teno range of mountains, located in the northwest Tenerife, Canary Islands, is still a refuge for the flora and fauna of the island. Until now, at least four native species of reptiles, 232 of birds (both breeding and migrant), and six mammals have been recorded for that site. For some of these animals, such as Canarian Spotted Lizard (Gallotia...

Individual immune responses are likely affected by genetic, physiological, and environmental determinants. We studied the determinants and short-term consequences of Phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) induced immune response, a commonly used immune challenge eliciting both innate and acquired immunity, on lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) nestlings in semi-ca...

We studied nesting habitat selection of the endangered non-migratory Osprey Pandion haliaetus population of the Canary Islands and evaluated the effect of human expansion in recent decades. Compared with randomly selected potential nest-sites, Osprey nests were more frequently found on taller, southwest-facing cliffs, char-acterized by lower human...

a sure death by collision with vehicles, predation by cats, dogs, or starvation, and they have been returned to the wild 1. However, this percentage is overestimated as people tend to rescue live fledglings. D uring the last six decades, humans have globally transformed the natural nightscapes by the use of artificial night lighting. The resulting...

Light pollution, i.e., the detrimental alteration of the natural levels of darkness due to artificial lights, has aroused in recent years a growing interest among the scientific community. Besides the widely known consequences of the increased skyglow for science, in particular for optical astronomy, the misuse of artificial light at night has be...

CapsuleThe breeding foraging and post-breeding dispersal movements of five satellite-tagged Bulwer's Petrels from the Canary Islands were recorded. Foraging trips lasted 5.6 days in average (n=3), while the mean distance covered was 1261 km, and foraging areas were located over the continental slope and the adjacent pelagic waters, around 1200-2000...

The evolution of bird plumage colouration may be explained by a wide range of selective pressures, including both defensive and advertising needs. However, the relationship between plumage colouration and body size has never been investigated in detail. Here we hypothesize that body size represents a constraint for the evolution of plumage colour h...