1. The role of natural science collections in the biomonitoring of environmental contaminants in apex predators in support of the EU’s zero pollution ambitionPaola Movalli, Jan Koschorreck, Gabriele Treu, Jaroslav Slobodnik, Nikiforos Alygizakis, Andreas Androulakakis, Alexander Badry, Emanuel Baltag, Fausto Barbagli, Kevin Bauer, Koos Biesmeijer, Al Vrezec, 2021, drugi znanstveni članki Povzetek: The chemical industry is the leading sector in the EU in terms of added value. However, contaminants pose a major threat and significant costs to the environment and human health. While EU legislation and international conventions aim to reduce this threat, regulators struggle to assess and manage chemical risks, given the vast number of substances involved and the lack of data on exposure and hazards. The European Green Deal sets a ‘zero pollution ambition for a toxic free environment’ by 2050 and the EU Chemicals Strategy calls for increased monitoring of chemicals in the environment. Monitoring of contaminants in biota can, inter alia: provide regulators with early warning of bioaccumulation problems with chemicals of emerging concern; trigger risk assessment of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances; enable risk assessment of chemical mixtures in biota; enable risk assessment of mixtures; and enable assessment of the effectiveness of risk management measures and of chemicals regulations overall. A number of these purposes are to be addressed under the recently launched European Partnership for Risk Assessment of Chemicals (PARC). Apex predators are of particular value to biomonitoring. Securing sufficient data at European scale implies large-scale, long-term monitoring and a steady supply of large numbers of fresh apex predator tissue samples from across Europe. Natural science collections are very well-placed to supply these. Pan-European monitoring requires effective coordination among field organisations, collections and analytical laboratories for the flow of required specimens, processing and storage of specimens and tissue samples, contaminant analyses delivering pan-European data sets, and provision of specimen and population contextual data. Collections are well-placed to coordinate this. The COST Action European Raptor Biomonitoring Facility provides a well-developed model showing how this can work, integrating a European Raptor Biomonitoring Scheme, Specimen Bank and Sampling Programme. Simultaneously, the EU-funded LIFE APEX has demonstrated a range of regulatory applications using cutting-edge analytical techniques. PARC plans to make best use of such sampling and biomonitoring programmes. Collections are poised to play a critical role in supporting PARC objectives and thereby contribute to delivery of the EU’s zero-pollution ambition.
Ključne besede: zero pollution, biomonitoring, chemicals of emerging concern, Apex predator, raptor, marine mammal, otter
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2. A schematic sampling protocol for contaminant monitoring in raptorsSilvia Espín, Jovan Andevski, Guy Duke, Igor Eulaers, Pilar Gómez-Ramírez, Gunnar Thor Hallgrimsson, Al Vrezec, 2021, drugi znanstveni članki Povzetek: Birds of prey, owls and falcons are widely used as sentinel species in raptor biomonitoring programmes. A major current challenge is to facilitate large-scale biomonitoring by coordinating contaminant monitoring activities and by building capacity across countries. This requires sharing, dissemination and adoption of best practices addressed by the Networking Programme Research and Monitoring for and with Raptors in Europe (EURAPMON) and now being advanced by the ongoing international COST Action European Raptor Biomonitoring Facility. The present perspective introduces a schematic sampling protocol for contaminant monitoring in raptors. We provide guidance on sample collection with a view to increasing sampling capacity across countries, ensuring appropriate quality of samples and facilitating harmonization of procedures to maximize the reliability, comparability and interoperability of data. The here presented protocol can be used by professionals and volunteers as a standard guide to ensure harmonised sampling methods for contaminant monitoring in raptors.
Ključne besede: best practices, birds of prey, falcons, large-scale biomonitoring, owls, Pan-European network
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3. A preliminary overview of raptor monitoring in Slovenia : an overview of methodologies, current monitoring status and future perspectivesAl Vrezec, 2012, pregledni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Among 48 raptor species (birds of prey, owls, shrikes) recorded recently in Slovenia, some long-term monitoring activities are being conducted for more than half of them, mainly for conservation and research purposes. However, national coverage is achieved only in 15% of the species, whereas other monitoring programmes are more or less local. Two monitoring approaches are considered, the species specific approach and assemblage approach. Current ongoing monitoring programmes for raptors in Slovenia lack monitoring of breeding success, which is now confined to only a few owl species. Use of nestboxes should therefore be considered more broadly in the future for some species at least.
Ključne besede: Slovenia, raptor monitoring, birds of prey, owls, shrikes, monitoring methodology
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4. Overview of raptor monitoring activities in EuropeAl Vrezec, Guy Duke, András Kovács, Pertti Saurola, Chris Wernham, Ian Burfield, Paola Movalli, Irena Bertoncelj, 2012, pregledni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Despite the key role of raptors (including birds of prey Falconiformes and owls Strigiformes) in ecosystems and their sensitivity to environmental change, a well coordinated, Europe-wide monitoring of raptors is lacking. EURAPMON, a Research Networking Programme of the European Science Foundation, was launched with the aim of establishing a sustainable Europewide network for monitoring of raptors. An overview of current monitoring schemes for raptor populations in 28 European countries, as reported by EURAPMON National Coordinators at the workshop in Murcia (Spain) in 2012, showed existing monitoring schemes to be limited to a restricted number of species (mostly diurnal and rare raptor species). The most widely monitored species are the Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos amongst diurnal raptors and the Eagle Owl Bubo bubo amongst owls. Broad coverage of a species range across Europe is reached only for restricted-range species. The key driver for monitoring, which is mostly coordinated by NGOs, is conservation, and the main end users are governmental institutions. International collaboration in the field of monitoring of raptors is mainly regional and not yet pan-European in scale. The involvement of volunteers in raptor monitoring was perceived as the main strength of many schemes, but insufficient manpower and a focus on rare species were recognised as the main weaknesses across Europe as a whole. Among priorities identified for the future development of monitoring schemes are: improvements to national coordination; support to increase the number of volunteers; and assurances of stable funding. Further analysis of EURAPMON questionnaires will identify knowledge gaps, which will steer good practice guidance on survey methodologies; the need for the latter was identified as the main benefit that National Coordinators expect to gain from international networking
Ključne besede: Europe, raptor monitoring scheme, birds of prey, owls, monitoring inventory
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5. Bird (aves) descriptions of Joannes Antonius Scopoli (1723-1788) : general overviewAl Vrezec, 2023, pregledni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Author of at least 175 new bird taxa, of which 59 taxa are still valid today, Joannes Antonius Scopoli (1723-1788) is one of the most important creators of ornithological history worldwide, yet often overlooked because his ornithological legacy remains poorly researched and known. His most important scientific work was conducted in Carniola (present-day Slovenia) between 1754 and 1769 and resulted in numerous publications. These include bird studies published in Annus I. Historico Naturalis, Descriptiones Avium (1769), while later studies were devoted to the revision of other explorer datasets, the most important being descriptions of birds from Pierre Sonnerat’s expeditions. The paper presents an overview of the all new bird taxa described by Scopoli.
Ključne besede: history of science, ornithology, collection, taxonomy, type specimens, zoological nomenclature, zoology
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6. The importance of population contextual data for large-scale biomonitoring using an apex predator : the Tawny Owl (Strix aluco)Urška Ratajc, Rui Lourenço, Silvia Espín, Pablo Sánchez Virosta, Simon Birrer, Dani Studler, Chris Wernham, Al Vrezec, 2023, pregledni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Top predators are often used as sentinel species in contaminant monitoring due to their exposure and vulnerability to persistent, bioaccumulative and, in some cases, biomagnificable contaminants. Some of their ecological traits can vary in space and time, and are known to influence the contamination levels and therefore information on ecological traits should be used as contextual data for correct interpretation of large-scale contaminant spatial patterns. These traits can explain spatiotemporal variation in contaminant exposure (traits such as diet and dispersal distances) or contaminant impacts (traits such as population trend and clutch size). The aim of our research was to review the spatial variation in selected contextual parameters in the Tawny Owl (Strix aluco), a species identified by the COST Action European Raptor Biomonitoring Facility as one of the most suitable candidates for pan-European biomonitoring. A considerable variation in availability of published and unpublished contextual data across Europe was found, with diet being the most extensively studied trait. We demonstrate that the Tawny Owl is a suitable biomonitor at local scale but also that taking spatial variation of other contextual data (e.g. diet) into account is necessary. We found spatial gaps in knowledge about the species ecology and biology in Southern Europe, along with gaps in certain population parameters (e.g. population trends) in several countries. Based on our findings, we proposed a minimal recommended scheme for monitoring of population contextual data as one of the first steps towards a pan-European monitoring scheme using the Tawny Owl.
Ključne besede: raptors, sentinel species, contamination exposure, contamination impact, diet, minimal recommended monitoring scheme
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7. The Ural Owl, Strix uralensis macroura, in Slovenia : an overview of current knowledge on species ecologyAl Vrezec, Tomaž Mihelič, 2012, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: In Slovenia the Ural Owl, Strix uralensis macroura, is on the north-western limit of its distribution with an estimated population size of 400-700 breeding pairs. The densities of territories range between 0.9 to 13.4 territories per 10 km2, and the highest densities are reached in montane forests of the southern Dinaric region. In the forests with dominant deciduous trees, e.g. Fagus sylvatica and Quercus robur, the breeding densities are significantly higher than in the forests with a higher proportion of coniferous trees, e.g. Picea abies. The species does not select specific altitude and throughout Slovenia it occurs between 150 and 1600 m a.s.l. Most natural nests were found in tree holes or semi-holes (56%) and on the tree stumps (20%). Breeding begins between 15 March to 21 June with median clutch sizes of 3.0 eggs per nest. In the brood there are 2 young and 1.5 young are fledged in median. At present 75% of nests produce at least one young. Voles and Mice are the most frequent prey in the diet, but the Fat Dormouse, Glis glis, seems to have very important role in the post-breeding period. As a top predator, the Ural Owl influences also the distribution of other owl species in the guild through direct predation or competitive exclusion. However, it could have also a positive indirect effect on smaller species, e.g. Tengmalm’s Owl, Aegolius funereus, which are tolerated within Ural Owl territories, and are able to extend their distribution due to exclusion from certain areas of the Tawny Owl, Strix aluco, by the Ural Owl.
Ključne besede: distribution, breeding density, habitat, breeding biology, interactions, Slovenia
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8. Quantifying the intersexual and interspecific morphometric variation in two resembling sympatric lacertids : Iberolacerta horvathi and Podarcis muralisAnamarija Žagar, Nadja Osojnik, Miguel A. Carretero, Al Vrezec, 2012, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Podarcis muralis and Iberolacerta horvathi are sympatric, frequently syntopic, lacertids through the entire range of I. horvathi and very similar in their general body size and shape, as well as in most ecological traits. We morphologically compared adults from the area of sympatry using biometric measurements and performed analyses to investigate their sexual size and shape dimorphism. A total of 34 males and 24 females of I. horvathi, and 25 males and 23 females of P. muralis, all adult individuals, were measured. Both species showed sexual size dimorphism with females being longer (snout-vent length, SVL) than males. After SVL correction (ANCOVA), head width, length and height and mass showed to be sexually dimorphic in both species. Males carry relatively wider, longer and higher heads and were heavier than conspecific females. I. horvathi heads were more flattened than those of P. muralis and P. muralis were heavier than I. horvathi. Both species displayed the same pattern of sexual dimorphism regarding body size, head size and shape not only in direction but also in magnitude. All results confirm that both species are very similar in studied biometric characters and, together with their ecological similarities, these suggest in absence of other factors they are likely to interact when living together.
Ključne besede: biometric characters, sexual dimorphism, southern Slovenia, Podarcis muralis, Iberolacerta horvathi, Lacertidae
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