Browsing by browse.metadata.contributordepartment "Zoología y Antropología Física"
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- PublicationOpen AccessA remarkable life strategy in the Iberian endemic Acinipe segurensis (Bolívar, 1908) (Orthoptera: Pamphagidae)García, María Dolores; Clemente, Eulalia; Gómez, Ricardo; Presa Asensio, Juan José; Zoología y Antropología Física
- PublicationOpen AccessA revision of the genus Cholovocera Victor, 1838 (Coleoptera: Endomychidae).(EJT consortium, 2023) Delgado, Juan A.; Palma, Ricardo L.; Zoología y Antropología FísicaWe revise all the species of the genus Cholovocera Victor, 1838 (Coleoptera: Endomychidae), with descriptions, illustrations and complete synonymies, based on the examination of 1878 specimens of Cholovocera and a few beetles of other genera, collected by the senior author and from museum collections, including primary types. We recognise eight valid species, resurrecting three species from synonymy, sinking three as new junior synonyms, and describing a new species. Geographic distributions and a key for the identification of all the species are also given. Species which have been incorrectly associated with Cholovocera are listed and discussed.
- PublicationOpen AccessActualización de la distribución de los anfibios de la Región de Murcia (SE Península Ibérica)(Murcia: Universidad de Murcia, Servicio de Publicaciones, 2005) Egea Serrano, Andrés; Oliva Paterna, Francisco José; Miñano, Pedro A.; Verdiell Cubedo, David; Maya, José Antonio de; Zoología y Antropología Física; Facultad de BiologíaSe actualiza la distribución de la comunidad de anfibios presente en la Región de Murcia. Durante el período 2002-2004 se detectó la pre sencia en el área de estudio de nueve especies de anuros y una de urodelo. Para la mayor parte de estas especies ha sido registrada una reducción de sus áreas de distribución respecto a estudios previos. Las tipologías de cuerpo de agua donde se ha constatado la repro- ducción de la mayor parte de las especies detectadas corresponden a balsas, siendo los principales factores de amenaza a los que están expuestos estos cuerpos de agua la modificación del medio acuático y la presencia de vertidos.
- PublicationOpen AccessAn approach for identifying the influence of carcass type and environmental features on sarcosaprophagous Diptera communitiesPérez-Marcos, María; Arnaldos Sanabria, María Isabel; López-Gallego, Elena; Khedre, Azza; García, María Dolores; Luna Maldonado, Aurelio; Zoología y Antropología Física
- PublicationOpen AccessAportaciones a la distribución de Mauremys leprosa (Schweiger, 1812) y Natrix maura (L., 1758) en la Región de Murcia (España)(Murcia: Universidad de Murcia, Servicio de Publicaciones, 2004) Egea Vivancos, Alejandro; Maya, José Antonio de; Verdiell Cubedo, David; Oliva Paterna, Francisco José; Andreu Soler, Asunción; Torralva Forero, María del Mar; Miñano, Pedro A.; Zoología y Antropología Física; Facultad de Biología
- PublicationOpen AccessAquatic invasive alien species of freshwater and estuarine systems awareness and prevention in the Iberian Peninsula : projects visibility, impact & lessons learned(LIFE INVASAQUA, 2023-10-31) Oliva Paterna, Francisco José; Olivo del Amo, Rosa; López Cañizares, Celia; Guillén Beltrán, Antonio; Brandão, Pedro; Banha, Filipe; Anastácio, Pedro; Zoología y Antropología Física; Oliva Paterna, Francisco José; López Cañizares, Celia; Garrido García, S.; Olivo del Amo, Rosa; Facultades de la UMU::Facultad de BiologíaThe Spanish and Portuguese societies have a limited understanding of the threats posed by invasive alien species (IAS) in aquatic ecosystems. This gap of knowledge and awareness about IAS problems hampers any policy proposed by administrations and stakeholders, contributing to missing an IAS management strategy. We present the final results, impacts and some learned lessons achieved in the Environmental Governance and Information LIFE project—LIFE INVASAQUA—that will run between 2018 and 2023 in the Iberian Peninsula. The main goal of INVASQUA was to increase the Iberian public and stakeholders’ awareness of aquatic IAS problems and to develop instruments and tools that will improve an efficient management and Early Warning and Rapid Response frameworks for IAS in freshwater and estuarine ecosystems. This Technical Report focus on the project visibility results, main impact of actions and developed activities and outcomes of the project to explore some of the problems and lessons encountered in the implementation.
- PublicationOpen AccessAquatic invasive alien species of freshwater and estuarine systems: awareness and prevention in the Iberian Peninsula: actions, key-instruments & lessons learned(LIVE INVASAQUA, 2023-10-31) Oliva Paterna, Francisco José; Olivo del Amo, Rosa; López Cañizares, Celia; Guillén Beltrán, Antonio; Torralva Forero, María del Mar; Anastácio, Pedro; Banha, Filipe; Brandão, Pedro; Miranda, R.; Oscoz, Javier; Cobo, Fernando; Barca, S.; Casals, F.; Ribeiro, F.; Perdice, Anabel; Clavero-Sousa, H.; Numa, Catherine; Zoología y Antropología Física; Oliva Paterna, Francisco José; Olivo del Amo, Rosa; López Cañizares, Celia; Garrido García, S.; Facultad de BiologíaThe Spanish and Portuguese societies have a limited understanding of the threats posed by invasive alien species (IAS) in aquatic ecosystems. This gap of knowledge and awareness about IAS problems hampers any policy proposed by administrations and stakeholders, contributing to missing an IAS management strategy. We present the actions, main results and some learned lessons achieved in the Environmental Governance and Information LIFE project—LIFE INVASAQUA—that will run between 2018 and 2023 in the Iberian Peninsula. The main goal of INVASQUA was to increase the Iberian public and stakeholders’ awareness of aquatic IAS problems and to develop instruments and tools that will improve an efficient management and Early Warning and Rapid Response frameworks for IAS in freshwater and estuarine ecosystems. This Technical Report focus on tangible results, key-instruments and outcomes of the project to explore some of the problems and lessons encountered in the implementation.
- PublicationOpen AccessComercio electrónico de flora y fauna exótica invasora(LIFE INVASAQUA, 2022-11) Olivo del Amo, Rosa; López Cañizares, Celia; Guillén Beltrán, Antonio; Anastácio, Pedro; Banha, Filipe; Barca, Sandra; Casals, Frederic; Cobo, Fernando; Machodorm, Annie; Miranda, Rafael; Oscoz, Javier; Martínez Olmedo, B.; Perdices, Anabel; Pico, A.; Ribeiro, Filipe; Sánchez González, Jorge R.; Torralva Forero, María del Mar; Vieira-Lanero, Rufino; Gómez Calmaestra, R.; Oliva Paterna, Francisco José; Zoología y Antropología Física; Facultad de Biología
- PublicationOpen AccessContrasting effects of beekeeping and land use on plant-pollinator networks and pathogen prevalence in Mediterranean semiarid ecosystems(Wiley, 2023-12-26) Martinez-Lopez, Vicente; Ruiz, Carlos; Pires, Mathias M; De la Rúa, Pilar; Zoología y Antropología FísicaPollinators are fundamental for plant reproduction in natural and agricultural ecosystems. However, their populations are declining worldwide, threatening the functioning of the ecosystem service they provide. The factors driving this change are manifold, but land use changes and interspecific transmission of pathogens between managed and wild bees are prominent. In this context, most research efforts have focused on specific taxa and rarely at the community level, limiting our ability to fully understand the effects of global change on the functioning of plant–pollinator interactions in ecosystems. Here, we investigate the impact of human activities (beekeeping and land use intensity) on the spread of an emergent pathogen Vairimorpha ceranae in Mediterranean wild bee communities inhabiting landscapes with varying levels of anthropogenic disturbance. Plant–pollinator interactions were sampled in nine one-hectare plots along a gradient of land use (urban structures, croplands and natural vegetation) and beekeeping intensity. We analysed the impact of human disturbances on pollination networks and pathogen prevalence, and applied a network approach to examine whether total effects of species in networks (i.e. direct plus indirect interactions) explain pathogen spread through bee communities. We found that V. ceranae prevalence in honey bees is not a good predictor of the pathogen spread through bee communities. There seems to be a temporal mismatch between pathogen dynamics in managed and wild bees. Networks with more diversity of interactions and more plants showed less pathogen prevalence, but total effect analyses (i.e. combining direct and indirect interactions) failed to explain pathogen transmission across pollination networks. Croplands increased wild bee density, and interactions and species diversity in networks, while shrublands had the opposite effect. Our results highlight the importance of studying pathogen dynamics at the community level and analysing species interaction patterns to improve our understanding of pathogen spread through communities.
- PublicationOpen AccessContribution of artificial waterbodies to biodiversity: A glass half empty or half full?(Elsevier, 2020-08-24) Zamora Marín, Jose Manuel; Ilg, Christiane; Demierre, Eliane; Bonnet, Nelly; Wezel, Alexander; Robin, Joël; Vallod, Dominique; Calvo, José Francisco; Oliva Paterna, Francisco José; Oertli, Beat; Zoología y Antropología FísicaArtificial ponds are increasingly created for the services they provide to humans. While they have the potential to offer habitats for freshwater biodiversity, their contribution to regional diversity has hardly been quantified. In this study, we assess the relative contribution of five types of artificial ponds to regional biodiversity of five different regions, studying amphibians, water beetles and freshwater snails. This biodiversity is also compared with that observed in natural ponds from three of the investigated regions. Our results indicate that artificial ponds host, on average, about 50% of the regional pool of lentic species. When compared to natural ponds, the artificial ponds always supported a substantially lower alpha richness (54% of the natural pond richness). The invertebrate communities presented high values of beta diversity and were represented by a restricted set of widely distributed species, and by numerous rare species. There were discrepancies among the taxonomic groups: overall, amphibians benefited most from the presence of artificial ponds, since 65% of the regional lentic species pools for this group was found in artificial ponds, whereas 43% and 42% was observed in the case of beetles and snails, respectively. However, each invertebrate group was promptly the most benefited animal group in a single pond type. Therefore, artificial pond types were complementary among them in terms of contribution to regional diversity of the three animal groups. Based on these results, we forecast that future human-dominated landscapes in which most ponds are artificial will be particularly impoverished in terms of freshwater biodiversity, underlining the need to conserve existing natural ponds and to create new “near-natural” ponds. However, if properly designed and managed, artificial ponds could make a substantial contribution to support freshwater biodiversity at a regional scale. Furthermore, the number and diversity of artificial ponds must be high in each considered landscape.
- PublicationOpen AccessContribution to the knowledge of genus Dociostaurus Fieber, 1853 in the Iberian Peniensula, with special reference to its sound production (Orthoptera:Acridoidea)(Murcia: Universidad de Murcia, Servicio de Publicaciones, 2005) García García, María Dolores; Larrosa Pérez, Esther; Clemente Espinosa, Eulalia; Presa Asensio, Juan José; Zoología y Antropología Física; Facultad de BiologíaSe presenta una revisión de las especies del género Dociostaurus Fieber, 1853 que habitan en la Península Ibérica. Se propone la sinonimia de Dociostaurus monserrati García & Presa, 1984 con Dociostaurus jagoi occidentalis Soltani, 1978. Se aportan datos y figuras de aspectos anatómicos, comolas filas estriduladoras, de machos y de hembras. Se hace especial referencia a la producción de sonido de las distintas especies. Se describen por vez primera los cantos producidos por Dociostaurus crassiusculus (pantel, 1886) y Dociostaurus genei genei (Ocskay, 1832) y se presentan los primeros datos acerca de las características espectrales de todos los sonidos. Se presenta clave de identificación para las especies consideradas.
- PublicationOpen AccessCyanobacteria and Macroinvertebrate Relationships in Freshwater Benthic Communities beyond Cytotoxicity(MDPI, 2024-04-15) Ubero Pascal, Nicolás; Aboal Sanjurjo, Marina; Zoología y Antropología FísicaCyanobacteria are harmful algae that are monitored worldwide to prevent the effects of the toxins that they can produce. Most research efforts have focused on direct or indirect effects on human populations, with a view to gain easy accurate detection and quantification methods, mainly in planktic communities, but with increasing interest shown in benthos. However, cyanobacteria have played a fundamental role from the very beginning in both the development of our planet’s biodiversity and the construction of new habitats. These organisms have colonized almost every possible planktic or benthic environment on earth, including the most extreme ones, and display a vast number of adaptations. All this explains why they are the most important or the only phototrophs in some habitats. The negative effects of cyanotoxins on macroinvertebrates have been demonstrated, but usually under conditions that are far from natural, and on forms of exposure, toxin concentration, or composition. The cohabitation of cyanobacteria with most invertebrate groups is long-standing and has probably contributed to the development of detoxification means, which would explain the survival of some species inside cyanobacteria colonies. This review focuses on benthic cyanobacteria, their capacity to produce several types of toxins, and their relationships with benthic macroinvertebrates beyond toxicity.
- PublicationRestrictedDescription and DNA barcoding of a new Iberian species of Pijnackeria (Scali, 2009) from Sierra Nevada, Spain (Phasmida: Diapheromeridae).(Magnolia Press, 2015-12-18) Valero, Pablo; Ortiz, Antonio S.; Zoología y Antropología FísicaMale, female and egg of Pijnackeria recondita sp. n. are described from specimens collected at about 2,000 m in Sierra Nevada (Spain) feeding on Cytisus scoparius. The number of antennae segments in males, the smooth thorax in females and the different sculpturing of the egg capsule are the main differences from the other species of the genus. In addition, DNA barcode sequences (COI and COII) clearly differ from the other Iberian species of the genus. For COI, K2P minim-um distance between the new species and the most morphological related species, Pijnackeria hispanica (Bolívar, 1878), showed a mean of 8%. In the case of COII, comparison with the other species of Pijnackeria, showed a K2P minimum distance range from 8 to 10.5% (mean 9.2%); and comparison with the species of the related genus Leptynia, showed a K2P minimum distance range from 7.1 to 10.5%.
- PublicationEmbargoDiscriminating two sympatric species of Acinipe (Orthoptera: Pamphagidae) on the basis of egg-pod and egg morphologies(Elsevier, 2020-10-03) Ubero Pascal, Nicolás; García, María Dolores; Clemente, Eulalia; Presa Asensio, Juan José; Zoología y Antropología FísicaAlthough egg-pods and egg morphology represent useful features for phylogenetic purposes, they are less well known in Pamphagidae when compared with other Orthoptera groups of Caelifera, such as Acrididae. Breeding in the lab some specimens of Acinipe deceptoria (Bolívar, 1878) and Acinipe segurensis (Bolívar, 1908), two sympatric species inhabiting the Southeastern Iberian Peninsula, allowed us to study in detail such structures. The morphology of the egg-pods of both species is very similar and almost undistinguishable. The eggs general morphology is also similar. However, some chorionic features, such as the chorionic mesh-size and the micropyle morphology, make possible to distinguish between both species thus being useful for taxonomic applications. On the other hand, our observations on presence of egg-pods and micropyles arrangement support the classical systematics of Orthoptera splitting it in two suborders.
- PublicationOpen AccessDiscrimination of Diptera order insects based on their saturated cuticular hydrocarbon content using a new microextraction procedure and chromatographic analysis(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2024-04-15) León Morán, Lixy Olinda; Pastor Belda, Marta; Viñas López-Pelegrin, Pilar; Arroyo Manzanares, Natalia; García García, María Dolores; Arnaldos Sanabria, María Isabel; Campillo Seva, Natalia; Zoología y Antropología FísicaThe nature and proportions of hydrocarbons in the cuticle of insects are characteristic of the species and age. Chemical analysis of cuticular hydrocarbons allows species discrimination, which is of great interest in the forensic field, where insects play a crucial role in estimating the minimum post-mortem interval. The objective of this work was the differentiation of Diptera order insects through their saturated cuticular hydrocarbon compositions (SCHCs). For this, specimens fixed in 70 : 30 ethanol : water, as recommended by the European Association for Forensic Entomology, were submitted to solid–liquid extraction followed by dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction, providing preconcentration factors up to 76 for the SCHCs. The final organic extract was analysed by gas chromatography coupled with flame ionization detection (GC-FID), and GC coupled with mass spectrometry was applied to confirm the identity of the SCHCs. The analysed samples contained linear alkanes with the number of carbon atoms in the C9–C15 and C18–C36 ranges with concentrations between 0.1 and 125 ng g−1 . Chrysomya albiceps (in its larval stage) showed the highest number of analytes detected, with 21 compounds, while Lucilia sericata and Calliphora vicina the lowest, with only 3 alkanes. Non-supervised principal component analysis and supervised orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis were performed and an optimal model to differentiate specimens according to their species was obtained. In addition, statistically significant differences were observed in the concentrations of certain SCHCs within the same species depending on the stage of development or the growth pattern of the insect.
- PublicationOpen AccessDiseño de una actividad práctica para estudiantes de 4º curso de ESO basada en la entomología forense. Mejora de las habilidades de elaboración e interpretación de gráficasGázquez García, Antonio; García García, María Dolores; Arnaldos Sanabria, María Isabel; Zoología y Antropología Física; EducaciónVarios estudios han puesto de manifiesto las dificultades que tienen nuestros estudiantes de ESO a la hora de interpretar y, sobre todo, elaborar representaciones gráficas. Estas habilidades son procedimientos fundamentales para la ACyT de los jóvenes, ya que las gráficas están cada vez más presentes en la vida diaria de cualquier ciudadano del siglo XXI. En este trabajo presentamos una propuesta de innovación educativa para alumnos de cuarto curso de ESO con la finalidad de hacer frente a este problema de representación e interpretación de gráficas que tienen estos alumnos. El trabajo práctico que proponemos está contextualizado en la resolución de un caso del ámbito criminal en el que los alumnos tendrán que convertirse en investigadores para resolverlo. Tras una fase de recogida y análisis de muestras, los estudiantes elaborarán gráficas y tablas de cuyo análisis e interpretación obtendrán la información necesaria para descubrir cuál de los sospechosos es el culpable. A falta de la puesta en práctica y evaluación, consideramos que la propuesta presentada es un recurso muy útil para trabajar estas dificultades de los alumnos en un contexto motivador como es la entomología forense.
- PublicationOpen AccessEntomological contributions to the legal system in Southeastern Spain(MDPI, 2021-05-10) Arnaldos Sanabria, María Isabel; García, María-Dolores; Zoología y Antropología FísicaThe aim of this work is to present a number of forensic cases that took place in Southeastern Spain (Murcia province) in which the entomological evidence aided to fully solve the issues raised during the legal enquiry, enhancing the close interrelationships between experimental studies performed and actual forensic cases assessed. In all cases, the expert report was requested by the police agents or the medical examiners, the latter attempting to make stronger their own conclusions. The assessment of all cases was possible by comparing the evidence and circumstances of each one with the experimental data previously obtained in our laboratory concerning aspects such as faunistic, ecological, morphological, etc., and by considering data from other researchers. In all cases, the evidence could be addressed, although in some cases, it had not been properly collected or processed. Thus, the utility of the experimental studies in forensic practice, even when being considered merely biological, and without immediate practical application, can be demonstrated as well as the need for providing specialized instruction on Forensic Entomology procedures to the different agents involved in forensic investigation.
- PublicationOpen AccessEntry by brute force: An unusual behaviour displayed by Scaurus uncinus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), to access nests of Messor barbarus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Spain(European Journal of Entomology, 2024-09-12) Delgado, Juan A.; Palma, Ricardo L.; Zoología y Antropología FísicaWe describe a new and unusual myrmecophilous behaviour displayed by the darkling beetle, Scaurus uncinus (Forster, 1771) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), accessing nests of the harvester ant, Messor barbarus (Linnaeus, 1767) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), in southeast Spain. The beetles enter the interior of the ant nests using a relatively primitive strategy based only on brute force, which we name “brute force entries”. To understand the signifi cance of this behaviour, we have studied the interactions of these two species in the fi eld and in the laboratory during six years. Our observations confi rm that specimens of S. uncinus expend a considerable eff ort to enter the ant nests, despite the ants fi ercely attacking them, to the extent that the beetles lose legs and antennae through the process. We describe and discuss this behaviour, and identify hypotheses about its development and signifi cance.
- PublicationOpen AccessEstudio preliminar de la comunidad sarcosaprófaga en Córdoba (Argentina): aplicación a la entomología forense(Murcia: Universidad de Murcia, Servicio de Publicaciones, 2005) Battán Horenstein, Moira; Arnaldos Sanabria, María Isabel; Rosso, Beatriz; García García, María Dolores; Zoología y Antropología Física; Facultad de BiologíaSe ha desarrollado un estudio preliminar de la comunidad de artrópodos entomosarcosaprófagos sociados a cuerpos en descomposición en una zona hemisinantrópica de Córdoba (Argentina), perteneciente a la región Mediterránea del país. Este estudio resulta ser el primero llevado a cabo en dicha zona. Los muestreos se realizaron durante la primavera austral, en el mes de noviembre, empleando como dispositivo de colecta una trampa de Schoenly modifi cada, cebada con cadáver de ave. Se recogieron 3427 adultos y 456 inmaduros pertenecientes a 11 órdenes diferentes de artrópodos. Durante el proceso se reconocieron cinco fases de descomposición (estado fresco, enfi sematoso, de descomposición, descomposición tardía y esqueletización). Se presenta la fauna asociada a cada una de las etapas, así como los resultados globales de la comunidad encontrada, haciendo énfasis en las especies mejores indicadoras de intervalos postmortem.
- PublicationRestrictedEutrophication-induced shifts in fish assemblages from a Mediterranean coastal lagoon(Elsevier, 2025-10-24) Zamora López, Antonio; Guerrero Gómez, Adrián; Torralva Forero, María del Mar; Zamora Marín, José Manuel; Oliva Paterna, Francisco José; Zoología y Antropología Física; Facultad de BiologíaEutrophication remains a critical threat affecting estuarine and coastal lagoon ecosystems, largely driven by intensified anthropogenic pressures and exacerbated by climate change. Understanding the impacts of eutrophic processes on biological communities is essential to ensure effective conservation and management of these vulnerable environments. This study investigates the ecological consequences of eutrophication-induced algal blooms and hypoxia-mediated mass mortality events on fish communities in the Mar Menor coastal lagoon (Western Mediterranean Sea). We assessed temporal changes in fish assemblage structure and composition across three different periods: a baseline reference period (2002–2004), an algal bloom period (2018–2019), and a mass mortalities period (2020–2021). For that purpose, multiple community metrics were assessed, including species richness, abundance, biomass, β-diversity, functional guilds, and species dominance. Significant disturbances in fish abundance and biomass in response to critical eutrophic events were found, though species richness remained stable. Community similarity decreased during warmer seasons of eutrophic periods, but β-diversity values remained constant. Species-specific responses highlighted a marked decline of benthic taxa closely associated with bottom habitats, while zooplanktivores and planktivores became dominant, suggesting the emergence of top-down trophic control mechanisms. Additionally, during hypoxic events, large macrobenthivorous species appeared to seek refuge in shallow and more oxygenated areas, thus leading to evident shifts in fish assemblage composition. These findings provide robust evidence of structural and functional disruption in fish assemblages under eutrophic stress conditions. Our study underscores the relevance of long-term biological monitoring and adaptive management strategies in transitional systems, particularly under future climate and nutrient enrichment scenarios.