CECILIA DI BERNARDI

Dottoressa di ricerca

ciclo: XXXIV



Titolo della tesi: Wolf feeding ecology in a multi-ungulate system – investigating the effect of individual predator traits and abundance of co-occurring species

Predation patterns by large carnivores are influenced by a combination of physical, behavioural, and environmental factors. With the recolonization of these apex predators reaching vast parts of their former ranges, there is a need to better understand carnivores’ ecology and effect on prey populations in human dominated landscapes. Data on individual traits of large carnivores are difficult to retrieve and even more to associate with individual feeding behaviour. Alongside cluster checks of GPS-collared wolves, the growing field of faecal DNA-based diet analysis in combination with individual genotyping has the potential to increase the feasibility of large-scale analyses of food use related to individual predator traits. However, the validation of prey DNA detection protocols is still lagging behind the methodological advances. In this thesis, the development and empirical validation of a molecular method for prey DNA detection was followed by the analysis of intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting feeding ecology of wolves (Canis lupus). The method used nanofluidic array technology and a set of 80 multiple species-specific markers to detect DNA of 17 target prey from wolf scats. Through controlled feeding experiments with captive wolves, we estimated method sensitivity and accordingly calibrated the thresholds to reliably define a positive prey detection. The application of this methodology to the Scandinavian wolf population revealed variability at the landscape level in the use of the two main prey species, moose (Alces alces) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), indicating a dietary response of wolves to changes in wild ungulates relative abundance. In addition, GPS-data showed how scavenging constituted only a minor proportion of wolves’ feeding behaviour, related to season and with moderate support to bear and human density. By taking advantage of the long-term wolf monitoring, we showed that wolf feeding patterns (i.e. prey use and extent of scavenging) were affected by social status, sex, and level of inbreeding. These innovative patterns underline the relevance of considering predator individual traits when studying carnivore feeding ecology. The development and validation of our molecular method highlighted the overlooked relevance of assessing method sensitivity and including it in the evaluation of optimal thresholds for binary detection of prey species in predator scats. As the molecular method can be easily customized to different ecological settings, it may be further developed and applied to other areas and large carnivores. The knowledge gained in this study has the potential to help understanding the impact of recolonizing wolf populations on prey communities and inform the adaptive management of such predator and prey species living in a landscape highly managed by humans.

Produzione scientifica

11573/1689192 - 2023 - Experimental feeding validates nanofluidic array technology for DNA detection of ungulate prey in wolf scats
Di Bernardi, Cecilia; Wikenros, C.; Ciucci, P.; Boitani, L.; Sand, H.; Akesson, M. - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: ENVIRONMENTAL DNA (Hoboken NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc., [2019]-) pp. 723-732 - issn: 2637-4943 - wos: (0) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85161445262 (0)

11573/1555779 - 2021 - Fitness and fur colouration. Testing the camouflage and thermoregulation hypotheses in an Arctic mammal
Di Bernardi, Cecilia; Mathilde Thierry, Anne-; Eide, Nina E.; Bowler, Diana E.; Rød- Eriksen, Lars; Blumentrath, Stefan; Tietgen, Lukas; Sandercock, Brett K.; Flagstad, Øystein; Landa, Arild - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY (Cambridge : University Press) pp. 1328-1340 - issn: 1365-2656 - wos: WOS:000629689100001 (9) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85102598169 (7)

11573/1567714 - 2021 - Multiple species-specific molecular markers using nanofluidic array as a tool to detect prey DNA from carnivore scats
Di Bernardi, Cecilia; Wikenros, Camilla; Hedmark, Eva; Boitani, Luigi; Ciucci, Paolo; Sand, Håkan; Åkesson, Mikael - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell) pp. 11739-11748 - issn: 2045-7758 - wos: WOS:000679912800001 (3) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85111656287 (5)

11573/1587743 - 2021 - Fur colour in the Arctic fox. Genetic architecture and consequences for fitness
Tietgen, Lukas; Hagen, Ingerid J.; Kleven, Oddmund; Di Bernardi, Cecilia; Kvalnes, Thomas; Norén, Karin; Hasselgren, Malin; Fredrik Wallén, Johan; Angerbjörn, Anders; Landa, Arild; Eide, Nina E.; Flagstad, Øystein; Jensen, Henrik - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: PROCEEDINGS - ROYAL SOCIETY. BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (Royal Society:6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG United Kingdom:011 44 20 78395561, EMAIL: sales@royalsoc.ac.uk, INTERNET: http://www.pubs.royalsoc.ac.uk, Fax: 011 44 20 79761837) pp. 1-10 - issn: 0962-8452 - wos: WOS:000700832600002 (9) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85117347633 (7)

11573/1490749 - 2017 - Fitness correlates of arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) fur coloration in Norway
Di Bernardi, Cecilia; Thierry, Anne-Mathilde; Eide, Nina E.; Boitani, Luigi; Landa, Arild - 04f Poster
congresso: 5th International Conference in Arctic Fox Biology (Université du Québec à Rimouski, Canada)
libro: 5th International Conference in Arctic Fox Biology, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Canada - ()

11573/1283836 - 2017 - Female bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) use objects to solicit the sexual partner
Visalberghi, E.; Di Bernardi, C.; Marino, L. A.; Fragaszy, D.; Izar, P. - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PSYCHOLOGY (American Psychological Association:750 First Street Northeast:Washington, DC 20002:(800)374-2721, (202)336-5600, EMAIL: susbscriptions@apa.org, INTERNET: http://www.apa.org, Fax: (202)336-5502) pp. 207-213 - issn: 0735-7036 - wos: WOS:000407394100003 (5) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85015677057 (7)

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