The ancient forests whisper stories and the rugged mountains reach the sky, the Spanish landscape is filled with choruses of birds, drawing the audible brushstrokes of the vibrant mosaic of life. What led the residents of these feathers to the corner of choice for this diverse country? How do wind, water and woods call them, shaping their communities in arid plains and lush valleys? Initiating this narrative, we delve into the center of the Spanish natural world to uncover the invisible threads that weave together the fate of its bird population. Through the journey of discovery, we explore the observed climate and habitat powers that determine where birds flourish, revealing the intricate dance between species and their environment.
In the stunning landscape of Spain, countless birds have discovered refuges from the verdant northern Eurosia to the radiant southern Mediterranean. A recent study published in the journal Ecological Informatics, led by Dr. Javier Seoane of the Autonomous University of Madrid, in collaboration with Dr. Alba Estrada of the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology, Dr. Mirkka Jones and Dr. Otso Ovaskainen, both of Otso Ovaskainen Professor Helsinki ventures into the heart of these vibrant ecosystems. The joint researchers took on an ambitious task of elaborating the ecological factors that control the distribution of 191 terrestrial birds on the Spanish continent. They use complex models to describe complex ecological walls that are fundamental to the rich bird diversity in Spain.
From the core of the exploration, the research team focused on the impact of climate on bird populations. “Climate is the main driver of our study of species distribution on the Spanish continent on grains and scale, followed by topographic slopes and land cover.” This finding highlights Spain’s diverse climate zones depicting different bird species prosperity The key role of the situation highlights the wide range of environmental gradients that must be considered in biodiversity conservation efforts. Dr. Seoane notes: “The characteristics and environmental conditions of the species are intertwined. For example, living in cold species avoids warm Mediterranean conditions, favoring pine and broad-leaved forests, sedentary and short-distance immigration with non-seasonality Sexual evergreen woodland related.”
The approach that Dr. Seoane and colleagues used was as fascinating as their findings. Emanating from the depths of scientific terms, they employ a model that integrates various data layers, providing a comprehensive view of bird distribution. Dr. Seoane elaborated: “We built a layered multi-species model that illustrates both spatial, phylogenetic and trait-based dependencies.” This approach is similar to piecing together huge puzzle pieces, each piece All represent data on birds, their evolutionary history and unique characteristics, all based on various environmental contexts in the Spanish continent.
Their meticulous analysis goes beyond simple location data. It reveals the “reasons” behind bird distribution patterns, thus gaining insight into ecological mechanisms. Dr. Seoane highlights interesting findings about habitat, “species richness towards intermediate climatic conditions and aquatic habitat coverage decreases with forest and woody agricultural land coverage.” This finding is key to conservation, noting that Heterogeneous areas with water bodies and medium climates are key hot spots in bird diversity. Through their detailed examination, Dr. Seoane and colleagues laid the foundation for future research and conservation strategies to better understand the ecological and environmental determinants of Spanish bird life. Their research not only illuminates the current state of avian biodiversity, but also provides a roadmap to lead to climate change and the challenges posed by habitat changes for Spanish feathery residents.
Journal Reference
Javier Seoane, Alba Estrada, Mirkka M. Jones, Otso Ovaskainen, A case study on joint species distribution modeling using Bird Atlas data: Revealing the limitations on species wall cor, Ecological Informatics, Vol. 77, 2023.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2023.102202.
About the Author
Dr. Javier Seoane He is an associate professor of biology at the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain. After pH-D modeling of species distribution before the rise of this sub-semester, his current research interests are mainly in ecological biogeography and community ecology, with interest in sampling, monitoring and conservation of biodiversity. He has published 56 scientific articles cited > 1300 times, with an H index of 19.
Dr. Otso Ovaskainen He is a professor of mathematics and statistical ecology at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. He has published 250 scientific articles and two monographs, received >21,000 citations and 73 of H-Index. Ovaskainen leads the 126m€erc-Synergy Project Lifeplan, which map global biodiversity with sounds (birds, bats, insects), images (mammals), images (birds, insects). ) and DNA (fungi and insects). The Lifeplan project is also used for machine learning methods for species recognition, as well as statistical combined species distribution models for data analysis. Ovaskainen’s group consists of CA. 30 documents and doctoral students cover a wide range of methods expertise in biodiversity research, including empirical research and observational and experimental methods for mathematical and statistical modeling.
PhD Alba Estrada He is a postdoctoral researcher. Her research line lies in biogeography and macroecology, and her main motivation is focused on conservation. Her interests include: detecting changes in biodiversity patterns based on predicted climate and land use; identifying historical characteristics of life that can help species cope with global change; and combining intraspecies variability of different population morphology and evolutionary values to understand their Limitations under global change. She has experience detecting overlap between protected areas and important areas of biodiversity, as well as the concept of using fuzzy logic in conservation biogeography. She has developed her career in 5 different research institutions in Spain and Portugal: University of Malaga, Institute of Gaming and Wildlife (IREC-CSIC), University of Evora (Portugal), University of Oviere and School of Ecology (IPE) of the University of Pinaña (IPE) (IPE (IPE) – CSIC). During her research career, she has produced 48 science publications (by February 2024), 32 of which are included in the Science Citation Index (SCI). In addition, she has produced 6 scientific and technological reports. Her H index is 20 with 1162 references (Google Scholar). The average influencing factor for her SCI publications is 3.94. She participated in 16 research projects. She conducted the results of her research at 62 international or international conferences. She is a member of the Organizing Committee of two international and two national conferences. Since 2023, she has been a member of the Equality, Equity and Diversity Committee and a member of the Women and Science Group at the Villa Institute of Ecology (CSIC). She actively works with researchers in Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, France, Finland and the United States.
Dr. Milkar Jones Until recently, a researcher at the Center for Research on Ecological Changes at the University of Helsinki. She is now engaged in research services supporting the top sciences of the University of Aalto, Finland. Her own research interests lie in the intersection of community ecology, biogeography and statistical modeling. Her PhD is in Biodiversity Research, focusing on Neotropical Rainforests. She published 28 scientific articles, which were cited 1100 times and H-INDEX 14 times.
