http://hdl.handle.net/10256/1536 2025-05-09T10:23:02Z http://hdl.handle.net/10256/26634 Spatial Dynamics and Lifespan of Adult Cicadas After Fire and Logging: A Radiotracking Study Tobella, Carles; Franch Quintana, March; Bas Lay, Josep Maria; Brotons, Lluís; Pons Ferran, Pere Recently burnt and logged habitats challenge the persistence of animal populations. Insects like cicadas, which survive belowground during fire and logging, are exposed to hostile conditions due to increased predation and limited resources when they emerge as adults. This study investigates the combined effects of wildfire and post-fire salvage logging on the survival, spatial behavior, and habitat selection of the cicada Lyristes plebejus in Mediterranean pine forests. A total of 63 individuals were captured, tagged, and released across six plots in three disturbance contexts: burnt and logged, burnt and unlogged, and unburnt. Using radio telemetry, we tracked their movements and compared home range size and survival across these contexts. Results show that cicadas in burnt but unlogged areas were more mobile and tended to select areas of lower fire severity compared to those in burnt and logged areas. Salvage logging removed essential fire refuges, increasing exposure to predators. Although no significant differences in total distance covered were found, cicadas in burnt and logged areas displayed lower movement rates, indicating a reduced ability to explore and select suitable habitats. These findings highlight the importance of considering both wildfire and post-fire management practices in conservation. Salvage logging exacerbates the negative effects of fire, emphasizing the need to preserve biological legacies and fire refuges to promote ecosystem resilience. The study suggests that careful forest management is crucial for protecting biodiversity, particularly for species like cicadas that depend on both above and below-ground habitats 2025-03-26T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10256/26624 Spatial versus spatio-temporal approaches for studying metacommunities: a multi-taxon analysis in Mediterranean and tropical temporary ponds Gálvez, Ángel; Peres-Neto, Pedro R.; Castillo-Escrivà, Andreu; Bonilla, Fabián; Camacho, Antonio; García-Roger, Eduardo M.; Iepure, Sanda; Miralles, Javier; Monrós, Juan S.; Olmo, Carla; Picazo, Antonio; Rojo, Carmen; Rueda, Juan; Sasa, Mahmood; Segura, Mati; Armengol Díaz, Xavier; Mesquita-Joanes, Francesc Prior research on metacommunities has largely focused on snapshot surveys, often overlooking temporal dynamics. In this study, our aim was to compare the insights obtained from metacommunity analyses based on a spatial approach repeated over time, with a spatio-temporal approach that consolidates all data into a single model. We empirically assessed the influence of temporal variation in the environment and spatial connectivity on the structure of metacommunities in tropical and Mediterranean temporary ponds. Employing a standardized methodology across both regions, we surveyed multiple freshwater taxa in three time periods within the same hydrological year from multiple temporary ponds in each region. To evaluate how environmental, spatial and temporal influences vary between the two approaches, we used nonlinear variation partitioning analyses based on generalized additive models. Overall, this study underscores the importance of adopting spatio-temporal analytics to better understand the processes shaping metacommunities. While the spatial approach suggested that environmental factors had a greater influence, our spatio-temporal analysis revealed that spatial connectivity was the primary driver influencing metacommunity structure in both regions. Temporal effects were equally important as environmental effects, suggesting a significant role of ecological succession in metacommunity structure 2024-04-10T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10256/26621 Reproductive inhibition among nestmate queens in the invasive Argentine ant Abril, Sílvia; Gómez López, Crisanto In social species, the presence of several reproductive individuals can generate conflict. In social insects, as queen number increases, individual oviposition rate may decrease because of direct and indirect behavioural and/or chemical interactions. Understanding the factors that mediate differences in queen fecundity should provide insight into the regulation and maintenance of highly polygynous insect societies, such as those of the invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile). In this study, we investigated (1) whether differences in the oviposition rates of Argentine ant queens exposed to polygynous conditions could result from interactions among them; (2) whether such differences in fecundity stemmed from differences in worker attention; and (3) whether polygynous conditions affected the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of queens (CHCs). We found that differences in queen fecundity and CHC profiles observed under polygynous conditions disappeared when queens were exposed to monogynous conditions, suggesting some form of reproductive inhibition may exist when queens cohabit. These differences did not seem to arise from variation in worker attention because more fecund queens were not more attractive to workers. Levels of some CHCs were higher in more fecund queens. These CHCs are associated with greater queen productivity and survival. Our findings indicate that such compounds could be multifunctional queen pheromones 2020-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10256/26613 The role of species thermal plasticity for alien species invasibility in a changing climate: A case study of Lophocladia trichoclados Golo, Raül; Santamaría Pérez, Jorge; Vergés Guirado, Alba; Cebrian Pujol, Emma The Mediterranean Sea provides fertile ground for understanding the complex interplay between invasive species and native habitats, particularly within the context of climate change. This thermal tolerance study reveals the remarkable ability of Lophocladia trichoclados, a red algae species that has proven highly invasive, to adapt to varying temperatures, particularly thriving in colder Mediterranean waters, where it can withstand temperatures as low as 14 °C, a trait not observed in its native habitat. This rapid acclimation, occurring in less than a century, might entail a trade-off with high temperature resistance. Additionally, all sampled populations in the Mediterranean share the same haplotype, suggesting a common origin and the possibility that we might be facing an exceptionally acclimatable and invasive strain. This high degree of acclimatability could determine the future spread capacity in a changing scenario, highlighting the importance of considering both acclimation and adaptation in understanding the expansion of invasive species' ranges 2024-09-01T00:00:00Z