We considered variation in mortality over 8 years in a protected population of isards (Pyrenean chamois; Rupicapra pyrenaica) within the Pyrenean National Park using monthly systematic skull collection. After testing the stationary-type pattern of estimates of mortality of the living population, we (i) analysed the composition of a sample of dead animals in terms of age and sex; (ii) investigated temporal patterns of mortality and their relationship with winter severity; (iii) tested for sexual differences in mortality rates in this weakly sexually dimorphic species. Of 588 animals found dead from natural causes, 114 were kids (19.4%). No statistical differences existed in the composition of the sample according to sex (the ratio of males to females was 1/1.13). Age at death did not differ significantly between the sexes or among years. A positive relationship was found between winter severity (expressed as cumulative snowfall) and mortality rates for both kids and adults. During mild winters, the mortality rate was low (a mean of 38.4 carcasses per year versus 124 per year in severe winters) and was concentrated on the oldest animals, mainly males. Based on 303 skulls more than 1 year old, annual survivorship curves revealed a period of low mortality (prime age) extending to 9 and 10 years of age for males and females, respectively, followed by a period of increasing mortality (senescence). Our results are commented on in light of recent publications on the demography of populations of large herbivores.

The Pyrenean population of Spanish wild goat (Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica) is nearly extinct.To find the most appropriate source of individuals for supplementing the Pyrenean population, we identified Evolutionary Significant Units (ESUs) among populations of the Capra pyrenaica species. We have examined sequence variability of portions of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region and cytochrome b (cyt b) gene. Samples were from seven populations of Spanish wild goat distributed over the species' geographic range. The level of divergence between the Pyrenean and other Spanish haplotypes is almost as high as the divergence between the Alpine (C. ibex ibex) and the Spanish wild goats. In addition, the Pyrenean goat is morphologically distinct from other Spanish wild goats. Therefore the Pyrenean population should be considered as an ESU. For the reinforcement, we suggest either using individuals from the most polymorphic Spanish population, or mixing individuals from diverse Spanish origins, since all the other Spanish populations are equally genetically distant from the Pyrenean population.

BackgroundInfectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) is an ocular infectious disease caused by Mycoplasma conjunctivae which affects small domestic and wild mountain ruminants. Domestic sheep maintain the pathogen but the detection of healthy carriers in wildlife has raised the question as to whether M. conjunctivae may also persist in the wild. Furthermore, the factors shaping the dynamics of IKC outbreaks in wildlife have remained largely unknown. The aims of this study were (1) to verify the etiological role of M. conjunctivae in IKC outbreaks recorded between 2002 and 2010 at four study sites in different regions of France (Pyrenees and Alps, samples from 159 Alpine ibex Capra ibex, Alpine chamois Rupicapra rupicapra and Pyrenean chamois Rupicapra pyrenaica); (2) to establish whether there existed any epidemiological links between the different regions through a cluster analysis of the detected strains (from 80 out of the 159 animals tested); (3) to explore selected pathogen, host and environmental factors potentially influencing the dynamics of IKC in wildlife, by joining results obtained by molecular analyses and by field observations (16,609 animal observations). All of the samples were tested for M. conjunctivae by qPCR, and cluster analysis was based on a highly variable part of the lppS gene.ResultsWe documented infections with M. conjunctivae in epidemic and endemic situations, both in symptomatic and asymptomatic animals. The identified M. conjunctivae strains were site-specific and persisted in the local wild population for at least 6 years. In epidemic situations, peaks of cases and disease resurgence were associated with the emergence of new similar strains in a given area. Social interactions, seasonal movements and the landscape structure such as natural and anthropogenic barriers influenced the spatio-temporal spread of IKC. Adults were more affected than young animals and host susceptibility differed depending on the involved strain.ConclusionOur study indicates that IKC is a multifactorial disease and that M. conjunctivae can persist in wildlife populations. The disease course in individual animals and populations is influenced by both host and mycoplasma characteristics, and the disease spread within and among populations is shaped by host behavior and landscape structure.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-017-0972-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

From the long-term monitoring of isard females ( Rupicapra pyrenaica pyrenaica Bonaparte, 1845) marked in two areas of the Parc National des Pyrénées (France) with a quite constant population size for 20 years, we have conducted an analysis of age variation in recruitment (estimated as the proportion of offspring surviving through the winter per female). As predicted for a well-established high-density population, recruitment rates were low for young females (0.156 at 3 years of age and 0.221 at 4 years of age), but also for prime-aged females (0.414 per year for 5–16 year old females). No female older than 16 that we monitored recruited in any year. Recruitment rates were highly variable among females, among years (0.183 in 2002 vs. 0.635 in 1996 for prime-age females), and among areas (0.562 kid at Mayouret vs. 0.359 at Péguère). The use of an age-structured demographic model allowed us then to compare population dynamics between the well-established isard population in the Park and the colonizing population of isards at Bazès, in the eastern part of the Pyrénées. As predicted, the natural rate of increase of the isard population was much higher at Bazès (1.262) than in the Park (1.037). Likewise, the age structure of isard in the Park markedly differed from that obtained at Bazès (50% of females were younger than 5 years of age, and 19% were older than 10 years of age in the Park versus 67% and only 3.6%, respectively, at Bazès). Such differences in both population growth and age structure between isard populations with contrasted demographic regimes were well illustrated by marked differences in generation time (4.97 years at Bazès vs. 8.25 years in the Park). Our comparative study therefore demonstrates that generation time can vary markedly in relation to the demographic status within a given species.