Javier Peralta

AFLIBER v.2 provides an updated synthesis of vascular plant distributions in the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, a major Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot. This new release incorporates 368 additional data sources, including open repositories, restricted-access collections, and non-digitized regional floras, resulting in 417,684 new records (121,441 non-duplicated novelties) and a total of 3.13 million distributional records at a 10 × 10 km UTM resolution. Taxonomic updates, recent chorological novelties, and a rigorous validation process—removing over 3,000 doubtful citations—substantially improve data reliability. The new dataset enhances coverage in previously under-sampled territories, particularly the Iberian and Baetic Systems and several Portuguese provinces, and confirms the exceptional floristic richness of Mediterranean mountain regions. AFLIBER v.2 constitutes a curated, publicly accessible resource for floristic, ecological, and biogeographical research, providing an essential baseline for conservation planning. Future developments will address nomenclatural harmonization, finer spatial resolution, and automated data workflows within the infrastructure coordinated by the Spanish Botanical Society (SEBOT).

The relationship between taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity remains underexplored. Our goal was to determine whether a causal link exists between species richness and phylogenetic diversity. We wanted to evaluate whether species richness determines the phylogenetic diversity in realized assemblages (taxonomic determinant hypothesis) or phylogenetic diversity determines the species richness (phylogenetic determinant hypothesis). We also hypothesize that this causal framework could shift in different bioclimatic regions. We sampled over 1700 plant assemblages in grasslands and shrublands across three bioclimatic regions in Navarra, Spain. Using non-recursive structural equation modelling, we found that species richness influences phylogenetic diversity, and that this causal relationship remains consistently negative and is unaffected by climate differences among regions. Specifically, greater plant richness leads to increased phylogenetic convergence, resulting in reduced phylogenetic diversity. This means that the incorporation of new species into assemblages involves adding closely related species in phylogenetic terms, regardless of the bioclimatic region.

Natural and anthropogenic factors affect forest structure worldwide, primarily affecting forest canopy and its light properties. However, not only stand-replacing events modify canopy structure, but disturbances of lower intensity can also have important ecological implications. To study such effects, we analyzed long-term changes in light properties of a conifer–broadleaf mixed forest in the Southwestern Pyrenees, placed in the fringe between the Mediterranean and Eurosiberian biogeographical regions. At this site, a thinning trial with different intensities (0%, 20%, and 30–40% basal area removed) took place in 1999 and 2009, windstorms affected some plots in 2009 and droughts were recurrent during the sampling period (2003, 2005, 2011). We monitored light properties during 14 years (2005–2019) with hemispherical photographs. We applied partial autocorrelation functions to determine if changes between years could be attributed to internal canopy changes or to external disturbances. In addition, we mapped the broadleaf canopy in 2003, 2008, and 2016 to calculate broadleaf canopy cover and richness at the sampling points with different buffer areas of increasing surface. We applied generalized linear mixed models to evaluate the effects of light variables on canopy richness and cover. We found that light variables had the most important changes during the period 2008 to 2010, reacting to the changes caused that year by the combined effects of wind and forest management. In addition, we found that an area of 4.0 m radius around the sampling points was the best to explain the relationship between light properties and species richness, whereas a radius of 1.0 m was enough to estimate the relationship between light and canopy cover. In addition, light-related variables such as diffuse light and leaf area index were related to species richness, whereas structural variables such as canopy openness were related to canopy cover. In summary, our study demonstrates that non stand-replacing disturbances such as windstorms, thinning, or droughts can have an important role in modifying structural and light-related canopy properties, which in turn may influence natural processes of stand development and ecological succession.

Biodiversity is a concept of great scientific interest and social value studied in different subjects of the secondary education curriculum. Citizen–science programs may contribute to increasing the engagement of students when studying biodiversity. This work aimed to explore the use of the citizen–science platform iNaturalist as a complement of the elaboration of herbaria in an outdoor activity for 4th course 16-year-old students in the Basaula Reserve. The platform iNaturalist was chosen for its suitability to develop collaborative projects in an educational context. The Basaula project was created and 122 students were trained to record plant species in an outdoor activity. A total of 32 species were recorded, among them the most abundant were beech (Fagus sylvatica) and holm oak (Quercus ilex). The students positively evaluated their experience, highlighting its adequacy to record biodiversity data and make a virtual herbarium. Students valued the innovative character of iNaturalist and its usefulness for research but also the opportunity to integrate mobile devices in school education. We concluded that iNaturalist is a valuable tool to carry out collaborative projects dealing with biodiversity in secondary education.

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Peralta, J., Zepeda, N.A., Imbert, J.B. 2013. ¿Puede haber carrascales en el sur de Navarra? Una aproximación mediante la modelización de distribución de especies. Ecosistemas 22(3):58-65. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.2013.22-3.09. De acuerdo con algunos mapas de vegetación potencial diversos factores climáticos y edáficos limitan el hábitat disponible para los bosques de carrasca (Quercus rotundifolia) en el sur de Navarra (NE de España). Este es un territorio con un intenso y antiguo uso agrícola y ganadero, lo que dificulta valorar si son las variables ambientales o factores antrópicos los que hacen que sean muy escasos los carrascales existentes. Para tratar de responder a la cuestión de si este territorio es adecuado para el desarrollo de carrascales, se construyen modelos de distribución de la carrasca con Maxent y modelos lineales generalizados (GLM), se comparan con mapas de vegetación potencial y con otros modelos generados para esta especie en el conjunto de la Península Ibérica. Las variables empleadas para construir los modelos son precipitación media de agosto, continentalidad, temperatura media de las máximas de enero, radiación de enero, pendiente y desarrollo del suelo; todas fueron significativas en el GLM. En Maxent la variable con mayor contribución al modelo fue la precipitación de agosto. Los distintos modelos y mapas difieren sobre todo en los límites nordeste y sur de distribución de los carrascales. Los modelos construidos en este trabajo y los ya existentes sugieren que las variables ambientales consideradas no limitan el desarrollo de carrascales, al menos en algunas zonas del tercio meridional de Navarra, no contempladas en los mapas de vegetación potencial tradicionales. Peralta, J., Zepeda, N.A., Imbert, J.B. 2013. . 2013. Could green-oak woodlands thrive in the south of Navarre? An approximation through species distribution modelling. Ecosistemas 22(3):58-65. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.2013.22-3.09. According to some potential vegetation maps, various climatic and edaphic factors limit the suitable habitat for green-oak woodlands (Quercus rotundifolia) in the South of Navarre (NE Spain). This area has been used for agriculture and livestock since ancient times, making it difficult to assess whether environmental or anthropic factors are the cause of the scarcity of green-oak woodlands. To try to answer this question green-oak distribution models were built with Maxent and generalized linear models (GLM). Their outcome was then compared with potential vegetation maps and previous models built for the Iberian Peninsula applied to data from Navarre. The environmental variables used to build the models were August mean rainfall, continentality, January mean maximum temperature, January irradiation, slope and soil development; all were significant in the GLM analysis. The variable that most contributed to Maxent model was August mean rainfall. Predictions of spatial distributions of green-oak woodlands by models and maps mainly differ for the north-eastern and southern range of Navarre. Our models and the pre-existent ones suggest that the studied environmental variables do not limit the habitat suitability for green-oak woodlands at least in some areas of southern Navarre, which were not considered in traditional potential natural vegetation maps.

[fr]Sur la base de 391 rélevés procédant de la Navarre, les auteurs ont analysé les caractères physionomiques, floristiques, dynamiques et écologiques des garrigues subméditérranéennes (Thymelaeo-Aphyllanthetum monspeliensis) et ont établi également la comparaison avec d'autres types de matorral basophiles. Ainsi les garrigues du Thymelaeo-Aphyllanthetum se montrent plus diverses et avec un pourcentage d'hemicryptophytes plus élevé que celui de la lande à Genista occidentalis (Genistion occidentalis), elles se localisent à une moindre altitude, sur des pentes l'Aphyllanthion appartenant au secteur dit somontano-aragonais -aussi présentes en Navarre-, ils se distinguent par l'abondance des taxons atlantiques et eurosihériens, par la plus basse présence de nanophanérophytes et parce qu'ils montrent un préférence pour les localités plus pluvieuses. À vrai dire, entre ces trois types de garrigues s'avèrent des changements floristiques et structurels graduels que l'on peut rapporter aux changements climatiques liés à la transition Mediterranéo-eurosibérienne. Ainsi la composition floristique du Thymelaeo-Aphyllanthetum -avec une plus haute fréquence des espèces de Rosmarinetea et Rosmarinetalia face à ceux de Festuco-Ononidetea striatae et Ononidetalia striatae- et aussi sa physionomie, justifieraient bien l'inclusion de cette association dans l'alliance Aphyllanthion, ce qui montrerait ses relations avec les matorrals somontano-aragonais. [es]Se analizan las características fisionómicas, floristicas, dinámicas y ecológicas de los tomillares submediterráneos (Thymelaeo-Aphyllanthetum monspeliensis), y se comparan con otros dos grupos de matorrales basófilos, mediante el análisis de 391 inventarios, procedentes todos ellos de Navarra. Los tomillares del Thymelaeo-Aphyllanthetum son más diversos y cuentan con un mayor porcentaje de hemicriptófitos que los matorrales de Genista occidentalis (Genistion occidentalis), se localizan en altitudes inferiores, con menor pendiente y en posiciones con mayor insolación. Frente a los tomillares somontano-aragoneses presentes en Navarra, que representan fades xerófilas de Aphyllanthion, se diferencian por la mayor abundancia de taxones atlánticos y eurosiberianos, menor presencia de nanofanerófitos y por preferir localidades más lluviosas. Entre los tres grupos de matorral existe un cambio gradual en su flora y estructura, relacionado con el cambio de las condiciones climáticas en la transición Eurosiberiano-mediterránea. La composición florística del Thymelaeo-Aphyllanthetum, con una mayor frecuencia de especies de Rosmarinetea y Rosmarinetalia frente a las de Festuco-Ononidetea striatae y Ononidetalia striatae, así como su fisionomía, justifican la inclusión de esta asociación en la alianza Aphyllanthion, mostrando sus relaciones con los tomillares somontano-aragoneses.