Gilberto Pasinelli

• PhD
• Scientific Director at Swiss Ornithological Institute

Knowing a species’ area requirements is fundamental for species conservation. For the nominate subspecies of the White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos , a species of high conservation concern in Europe, estimates of the seasonal and year-round area requirements based on telemetry are missing. In the present study, we radio-tracked adult Whit...

In this era of rapid global change, understanding the mechanisms that enable or prevent species from co-occurring has assumed new urgency. The convergent agonistic character displacement (CACD) hypothesis posits that signal similarity enables co-occurrence of ecological competitors by promoting aggressive interactions that reduce interspecific terr...

In species with resource-defense mating systems (such as most temperate-breeding songbirds), male dispersal is often considered to be limited in both frequency and spatial extent. When dispersal occurs within a breeding season, the favored explanation is ecological resource tracking. In contrast, movements of male birds associated with temporary em...

Mast seeding is the episodic, massive production of plant seeds synchronized over large areas. The resulting superabundance of seeds represents a resource pulse that can profoundly affect animal populations across trophic levels. Following years of high seed production, the abundance of both seed consumers and their predators increase. Higher preda...

Die Population des Grauspechts (Picus canus) ist seit den 1990er-Jahren in der Schweiz um zwei Drittel zurückgegangen, weshalb er seit 2021 auf der Roten Liste als stark gefährdet geführt wird. Die Ursachen für den markanten Populationsrückgang sind bislang jedoch unklar. Um mehr über seine Habitatansprüche zu erfahren, wurden im Schweizer Jura in...

Purpose of Review Wildfires, wind storms, and pest outbreaks are the main large-scale disturbances of temperate and boreal forests, which often generate large amounts of deadwood in the landscape. Salvage and sanitation loggings (hereafter salvage logging) are usually practiced following such disturbance events and the generated deadwood is then ex...

Conspecific attraction during habitat selection is common among animals, but the ultimate (i.e. fitness‐related) reasons for this behaviour often remain enigmatic. We aimed to evaluate the following three hypotheses for conspecific attraction during the breeding season in male Wood Warblers (Phylloscopus sibilatrix): the habitat detection hypothesi...

Nest predation is the primary cause of nest failure in most ground-nesting bird species. Investigations of relationships between nest predation rate and habitat usually pool different predator species. However, such relationships likely depend on the specific predator involved, partly because habitat requirements vary among predator species. Poolin...

Differences in population trends across a species' breeding range are ultimately linked to variation in demographic rates. In small songbirds, demographic rates related to fecundity typically have strong effects on population trends. Populations of a forest songbird, the wood warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix, have been declining in many but not all...

Context Natal dispersal critically influences eco-evolutionary dynamics and the persistence of spatially structured populations. As both short- and long-distance movements contribute to population persistence in fragmented landscapes, understanding dispersal requires assessing phenotypic and environmental effects on a wide range of distances. Obje...

Species are often arranged along a continuum from “specialists” to “generalists”. Specialists typically use fewer resources, occur in more patchily distributed habitats and have overall smaller population sizes than generalists. Accordingly, the specialist-generalist variation hypothesis (SGVH) proposes that populations of habitat specialists have...

Deep phylogeographic structure in mitochondrial DNA not reflected in morphological variation has been uncovered in a number of species over the past few decades. However, inferred phylogeographic structure solely based on mitochondrial DNA can be misleading and might not reflect the true history of evolutionary lineages. Consequently, such cases sh...

Die Entwicklung der Verbreitung der Schweizer Brutvögel ist ein Spiegelbild unseres Umgangs mit Natur und Umwelt. Mit dem Brutvogelatlas 2013-2016 wurden die aktuellen Vorkommen, die Häufigkeit und die Höhenverbreitung aller Brutvö-gel der Schweiz und des Fürstentums Liechtenstein dokumentiert. Zusammen mit den drei früheren Brutvogelatlanten lasse...

Die Entwicklung der Verbreitung der Schweizer Brutvögel ist ein Spiegelbild unseres Umgangs mit Natur und Umwelt. Mit dem Brutvogelatlas 2013-2016 wurden die aktuellen Vorkommen, die Häufigkeit und die Höhenverbreitung aller Brutvögel der Schweiz und des Fürstentums Liechtenstein dokumentiert. Zusammen mit den drei früheren Brutvogelatlanten lassen...

Old-growth forest specialists are among the species most affected by commercial forestry. However, it is often unclear whether such species can persist and what their habitat needs are in managed forests. We investigated habitat selection of one such old-growth forest specialist, the white-backed woodpecker Dendrocopos leu- cotos, a species highly...

In the springs of 2016–2017, 42 nests of the Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus were surveyed in 400 ha of the mountainous region of southwestern Iran. Egg laying began in late March. Clutch size was between three and five eggs (mean: 4±0.6, median: 4, N=26). The incubation period varied from nine to 13 days (mean: 10.7±1.2 days). Hatching most...

Modeling the population dynamics of patchily distributed species is a challenge, particularly when inference must be based on incomplete and small data sets such as those from most species of conservation concern. Here, we develop an open population spatial capture–recapture (SCR) model with sex‐specific detection and population dynamics parameters...

Understanding the foraging behaviour of predators is key to interpreting the role of anti‐predator adaptations of birds in reducing nest losses. Conducting research in primaeval habitats, with a low level of direct human interference, is particularly valuable in the understanding of predator–prey interactions. Using nest cameras, we investigated th...

Nest predation is one of the most important drivers of avian life history evolution and population dynamics. Increasing evidence suggests that birds are able to assess nest predation risk and avoid settling in high‐risk areas to increase their reproductive performance. However, the cues used for settlement decisions are poorly known in most species...

Resource pulses are wide-ranging, influential ecosystem processes with effects permeating throughout the food web, sometimes over several years. In temperate forests, resource pulses may be triggered by mast seeding of one or several tree species, providing a key food source to a multitude of species. However, direct and indirect consequences of ma...

In the springs of 2016-2017, 42 nests of the Syrian Woodpecker Dendro-copos syriacus were surveyed in 400 ha of the mountainous region of southwestern Iran. Egg laying began in late March. Clutch size was between three and five eggs (mean: 4 ± 0.6, median: 4, N = 26). The incubation period varied from nine to 13 days (mean: 10.7±1.2 days). Hatching...

opulation divergence could be strongly affected by species’ ecology and might not be a direct response to climate‐driven environmental change. We tested this in the middle spotted woodpecker (Dendrocoptes medius), a non‐migratory, low‐dispersal habitat specialist associated with old deciduous forests of the Western Palearctic. We present the first...

Resource pulses such as mast seeding in temperate forests may affect interspecific interactions over multiple trophic levels and link different seed and nonseed consumers directly via predation or indirectly via shared predators. However, the nature and strength of interactions among species remain unknown for most resource pulse–driven ecosystems....

The Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocops medius is one of 50 priority species of the conservation program «Swiss species recovery program for birds». In 2008, an action plan was published defining the goals, strategies and measures to ensure the survival of the species in Switzerland. The Swiss population was estimated 479 to 618 territories at tha...

The study of population dynamics and species-habitat interactions is important for many ecological and conservation issues. We analysed the occupancy dynamics of the Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix, a forest interior passerine that has suffered long-term declines in many European countries. Considering a broad range of habitat descriptors, inc...

Phylogeography of the middle spotted woodpecker Leiopicus medius

Kann der Waldlaubsanger durch gezielte forstliche Massnahmen gefordert werden? In Zusammenarbeit mit Forstern versucht die Schweizerische Vogelwarte Sempach, das im Rahmen bisheriger Forschungsprojekte gewonnene Wissen uber die Habitat anspruche des gefahrdeten Waldlaubsangers waldbaulich umzusetzen. In einem Artenforderungsprojekt in der Nordwests...

Decision-making during different life-history stages requires information, which is obtained through own or others’ experience and interaction with the environment. In birds, song is important for territory defense and mate attraction. Although song has evolved to purposely convey information, it can be inadvertently exploited by conspecifics. Expe...

Context Detailed information on habitat needs is integral to identify conservation measures for declining species. However, field data on habitat structure is typically limited in extent. Remote sensing has the potential to overcome these limitations of field-based studies. Objective We aimed to assess abiotic and biotic characteristics of territor...

Background Understanding the factors underlying habitat selection is important in ecological and evolutionary contexts, and crucial for developing targeted conservation action in threatened species. However, the key factors associated to habitat selection often remain poorly known. We evaluated hypotheses related to abiotic and biotic factors thoug...

Assessing the role of local populations in a landscape context has become increasingly important in the fields of conservation biology and ecology. A growing number of studies attempt to determine the source-sink status of local populations. As the source-sink concept is commonly used for management decisions in nature conservation, accurate assess...

The role of oak, deadwood and ivy for habitat selection of the middle spotted woodpecker Due to their habitat needs, woodpeckers are generally considered to be excellent indicators of forest habitat quality and biodiversity. In the EU and in Switzerland, the middle spotted woodpecker acts as a flagship species for nature conservation in forests. Af...

Identifying factors influencing a species' ecological niche and demography is a prerequisite for species conservation. However, our understanding of the interplay between demographic rates and biotic/abiotic factors is still poor for most species of conservation concern. We evaluated relevance of eight hypotheses relating to timing of breeding, tem...

We conducted a survey of an endangered and cryptic forest grouse, the capercaillie Tetrao urogallus, based on droppings collected on two sampling occasions in eight forest fragments in central Switzerland in early spring 2009. We used genetic analyses to sex and individually identify birds. We estimated sex-dependent detection probabilities and pop...

Changes in population size of a species are determined by the four key demographic rates fecundity («breeding success»), survival, emigration and immigration. Despite their importance in ecology and conservation biology, andwith the exception of fecundity, these key vital rates are hardly known for most species. For a population of the Red-backed S...

35 wissenschaftliche Institutionen (Universitäten und ETH, Forschungsanstalten und Fachhochschulen, Datenzentren zur Schweizer Flora und Fauna, Naturmuseen, Botanische Gärten und Zoos) unter der Federführung des Forum Biodiversität Schweiz legen mit diesem Bericht die Zahlen zum Zustand der Biodiversität in 2014 in der Schweiz vor. Die Analyse der...

Capsule The occurrence of the Middle Spotted Woodpecker in northern Switzerland was related to the availability of large oaks and standing dead trees, but not to trees with fruiting Common Ivy.

Impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation on distribution and population size of many taxa are well established. In contrast, less is known about the role of within-patch habitat quality for the spatial dynamics of species, even though within-patch habitat quality may substantially influence the dynamics of population networks. We studied occurrenc...

Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficients between continuous habitat variables. (DOC)

Density has been suggested to affect variation in extra-pair paternity (EPP) in avian mating systems, because increasing density promotes encounter rates and thus mating opportunities. However, the significance of density affecting EPP variation in intra- and interspecific comparisons has remained controversial, with more support from intraspecific...

This study explores differences and consistencies between ring re-encounter and light-based geolocator data from Red-backed Shrike when used for studying three aspects of bird migration: departure direction and its relationship with longitude and latitude, non-breeding distribution, and timing of migration. Departure directions were consistent betw...

Cavity nesting birds invest considerable time and effort into the construction of nests. The investment can be particularly high for species such as the black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) that selects living trees as nest substrates. However, the investment may be reduced if fungal rot is present to help soften the wood. We used Resistograph dril...

The quality and connectivity of ecological compensation areas (ECA) may be improved by habitat connectivity projects. The effects of such a project on the distribution of field cricket (Gryllus campestris) and large gold grasshopper (Chrysochraon dispar) were studied in the Plain of Wauwil (canton of Lucerne). The presence of both species, as well...

Many species persist in fragmented populations as a consequence of past and ongoing habitat destruction. Despite this, the importance of remnant fragments varying in size for the conservation of species is often unclear. From 2002 to 2006, we studied the role of small and large wetland fragments (2–247 ha) within a 200 km2 area in northeastern Swit...

Many species persist in fragmented populations as a consequence of past and ongoing habitat destruction. Despite this, the importance of remnant fragments varying in size for the conservation of species is often unclear. From 2002 to 2006, we studied the role of small and large wetland fragments (2-247 ha) within a 200 km2 area in northeastern Swit...

Source-sink theories provide a simple yet powerful framework for understanding how the patterns, processes and dynamics of ecological systems vary and interact over space and time. Integrating multiple research fields, including population biology and landscape ecology, this book presents the latest advances in source-sink theories, methods and app...

Several bird species appear to be closely associated with walnut-fruit forests of Kyrgyzstan, but their habitat needs are poorly understood. One of those species is the White-winged Woodpecker, endemic to Central Asia and considered one of the least-studied woodpecker species worldwide. We investigated habitat selection and cavity tree selection of...

Source-sink theories provide a simple yet powerful framework for understanding how the patterns, processes and dynamics of ecological systems vary and interact over space and time. Integrating multiple research fields, including population biology and landscape ecology, this book presents the latest advances in source-sink theories, methods and app...

Over the last decades, agricultural land-use practices have been intensified throughout Europe. As a consequence of the resulting loss of habitat heterogeneity, numerous species associated with traditional farmland have undergone severe population declines. To mitigate the negative effects of intensive agriculture on farmland biodiversity, agri-env...

Many organisms persist in populations that are spatially structured by human-induced loss and fragmentation of their native habitats. Despite this, the demographic contributions of local populations to a population network and to the growth rate of such a network are still largely unexplored. Using data on individually marked young and adult female...

Many species are currently experiencing anthropogenically driven environmental changes. Among these changes, increasing noise levels are specifically a problem for species relying on acoustic communication. Recent evidence suggests that some species adjust their acoustic signals to man-made noise. However, it is unknown whether these changes occur...

1. Populations of plants and animals typically fluctuate because of the combined effects of density-dependent and density-independent processes. The study of these processes is complicated by the fact that population sizes are typically not known exactly, because population counts are subject to sampling variance. Although the existence of sampling...

The two main functions of bird song are territory defence and mate attraction. Considerable progress has been made in understanding how species adjust the use of songs to serve these and other (presumed) functions of bird song, but the striking variety of singing behavior observable in wild birds remains enigmatic. Some species make do with simple...

Species often occur in subdivided populations as a consequence of spatial heterogeneity of the habitat. To describe the spatial organization of ubpopulations, existing theory proposes three main population models: patchy population, metapopulation and isolated populations. These models differ in their predicted levels of connectivity among subpopul...

Large habitat fragments are generally thought to host more species and to offer more diverse and/or better quality habitats than small fragments. However, the importance of small fragments for population dynamics in general and for reproductive performance in particular is highly controversial. Using an information-theoretic approach, we examined r...

I investigated sexual differences in morphology and foraging behaviour in the nearly monomorphic Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos medius. In the northeastern Swiss lowlands, radiotracked birds were observed from 1994 to 1996 between January and June. The sexes overlapped in all morphological characters, with males (n= 25) being on average larg...

Fifteen highly polymorphic microsatellite loci were characterized in the reed bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus. Eleven loci were autosomal and four linked to the Z chromosome. All loci were characterized and tested in 45 unrelated reed buntings from a Swiss population. Autosomal loci displayed seven to 17 and sex-linked loci displayed four to 13 allel...

ENGLISH: The Swiss Action Plan for the Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos medius describes the framework (i.e. the aims, strategies, measures, protagonists and their roles, etc.) for the conservation of the Middle Spotted Woodpecker in Switzerland. In view of the present state of the population, this means halting its decline in numbers by maint...

In 2005, all oak forests (≥5 ha) in the canton of Thurgau, Switzerland, were surveyed in search for Middle Spotted Woodpeckers using playback tapes. We found a total of 124 territories, of which 87 were considered to be true breeding territories, while the status of the remaining 37 territories was uncertain. The western of the two identified stron...

Success of species conservation depends to a large extent on comprehensive management that considers all critical aspects of a species’ niche. Many studies have examined habitat factors in relation to occurrence, abundance or foraging behaviour of European woodpecker species, while relatively little is known about nest site selection. I compared ha...

Predation is a major cause of nest failure in many bird species. High levels of nest loss may be a consequence of habitat fragmentation, leading to increased amounts of edge habitat. Yet the evidence for generally high nest predation rates along edges in fragmented landscapes is ambiguous. Using real nests of Reed Buntings Emberiza schoeniclus in w...

Studies of animal breeding dispersal have often focused on possible causes, whereas its adaptive significance has received less attention. Using an information-theoretic approach, we assessed predictions of four hypotheses relating to causes and consequences of breeding dispersal in a migratory passerine, the red-backed shrike Lanius collurio. As p...

Viele Arten weisen heute als Folge von Habitatzerstörung bzw. –veränderung eine fragmentierte Verbreitung auf. Die Bedeutung unterschiedlich grosser Habitatfragmente für die Erhaltung von Arten ist jedoch oft unklar. Seit 2002 untersucht ein Forscherteam der Universität Zürich in einem 200 km2 grossen Gebiet im Zürcher Oberland die Bedeutung von Fe...

In 2005, all oak forests (≥ 5 ha) in the canton of Thurgau, Switzerland, were surveyed in search for Middle Spotted Woodpeckers using playback tapes. We found a total of 124 territories, of which 87 were considered to be true breeding territories, while the status of the remaining 37 territories was uncertain. The western of the two identified stro...

Wetlands in many parts of the world are affected by fragmentation at multiple spatial scales. In Switzerland, most wetlands have been destroyed over the past two centuries and management of the remaining wetland reserves has intensified in the recent years leading to increased fragmentation of reed areas within reserves. Using four years of data on...

Inbreeding depression constitutes a significant threat to the viability of small populations. In addition to small size and isolation of populations, short distance dispersal may elevate risk of inbreeding, but empirical evidence is scarce. Inbreeding depression has been demonstrated in the highly endangered red-cockaded woodpecker Picoides boreali...

Optimal foraging theory assumes that a forager can adequately assess the quality of its prey and predicts that parents feed their young low-quality foods only when suffering unpredicted reductions in their ability to provision. Wildland Florida scrub-jays feed their young exclusively arthropods, but suburban parents include human-provided foods in...

From 1997–2003, forest management measures in favour of the vulnerable middle spotted woodpecker were conducted in an oak-hornbeam forest in northern Switzerland. In this study,we examine the consequences of these measures on population size and location of breeding cavities of middle spotted and great spotted woodpeckers. We found that population...

The song of the Reed Bunting is characterized by a large variability between individuals. Within Switzerland, the subspecies schoeniclus is breeding north and south of the Alps in wetlands, which are often small and unconnected. The local isolation might favour the development of local song characteristics, i.e. dialects. We therefore analysed 260...

Understanding temporal dynamics of populations is important for the management of endangered and/or harvested populations as well as for evolutionary biology. Population sizes usually fluctuate over time because of changes in reproduction, mortality/survival, immigration and emigration. I reviewed the state of knowledge with respect to these vital...

The song of the Reed Bunt­ing is characterized by a large variability between individuals. Within Switzerland, the subspecies schoeniclus is breeding north and south of the Alps in wetlands, which are often small and unconnected. The local isolation might favour the development of local song characteristics, i.e. dialects. We therefore analysed 260...

Der Mittelspecht gilt als Habitatsspezialist und besiedelt im gesamten Verbreitungsgebiet vor allem alte Eichenwälder. Im Niderholz (Kanton Zürich) wurde in den Jahren 1997 bis 2003 ein Eichenförderungsprojekt durchgeführt. Konnte der Mittelspecht davon profitieren?

Numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain variation in reproductive performance and local recruitment of animals. While most studies have examined the influence of one or a few social and ecological factors on fitness traits, comprehensive analyses jointly testing the relative importance of each of many factors are rare. We investigated how...

We analyzed more than 1,600 dispersal events from two populations of a North American cooperatively breeding woodpecker species to determine what factors influence natal dispersal distance and whether distance traveled affects reproduction later in life. We found significant heritability of natal dispersal distance, in both males and females, indic...