Antonio Jesús López Montoya

Income inequality has emerged as one of the most pressing social and economic challenges in contemporary societies, closely intertwined with persistent forms of poverty, social vulnerability, and s...

This study examines the factors influencing the composition of Odonata communities in Sierra Nevada, a distinctive biogeographic region in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula. Odonates are valuable indicators of freshwater health, facing threats from both climate change and human-induced habitat alterations. Effective conservation strategies rely on thorough ecological assessments analysing the relationship between species and their environment. Sierra Nevada's diverse habitats and climatic gradients provide a unique setting for this research. We conducted quarterly sampling of larvae over three years (2012-2014) at 216 stations covering lotic (rivers, streams) and lentic (ponds, pools) habitats. Physicochemical variables and habitat characteristics were recorded. Generalised Linear Latent Variable Models (GLLVM) were used to analyse species interactions and the influence of environmental variables on community composition. The research revealed a diverse odonate fauna of 29 species (34.5% Zygoptera; 65.5% Anisoptera). Species richness and community composition varied significantly with habitat and altitude, ranging from 1 to 11 species per location (mean = 3.18 ± 2.45). Some species were widespread, while others were found in specific habitat or altitudinal preferences. Abundance analysis highlighted two dominant species: Cordulegaster boltonii in lotic and Libellula depressa in lentic habitats. GLLVM analysis identified distinct clusters of odonate species and their key environmental drivers. In lotic habitats, distinct associations included a C. boltonii dominance zone in headwaters and a basic rheophilic association at lower altitudes. In lentic habitats, a basic lentic association characterised by Pyrrhosoma nymphula, L. depressa, Sympetrum meridionale and Sympetrum striolatum prevailed in high-altitude ponds. This study underscores the importance of considering the variability in larval ecology of damselflies and dragonflies for effective conservation planning. Our findings advance the understanding of odonate ecology in Mediterranean high-altitude ecosystems, providing crucial knowledge for developing informed conservation strategies amidst environmental change.

In this study we have compiled the information from official databases about Iberian ibex, Capra pyrenaica, hunting yields, hunting trophies and hunting licenses in the Spanish regions where the species is present and hunted. Such quotas showed an increasing trend between 2005–2021 and, on average, during this period, ≈ 6400 animals were yearly harvested. Despite this number decreased in 2019 and 2020 (in this last year, mainly due to the lock down caused by the COVID pandemia), the annual quota raised, reaching over 12,000 ibexes in 2021. The number of trophies increased since the 1970s and peaked in the period 2001–2005, and then declined during the period 2006–2020. At national level, the number of hunting licenses decreased from 2006 to 2021 by a 36.5%. The regional average hunting yield was significantly correlated with a regional-based ibex abundance estimation. The current situation of continued population increase together with the trophy reduction might suggest that the overall population is exceeding the carrying capacity. In this context, if hunting activity was one of the main factors involved in local extinction of the species, currently it should be considered a tool for sustainable managing of ibex populations in an scenario of increasing demographic trends and generalized absence of predators.

The western capercaillie Tetrao urogallus , hereafter capercaillie, is the largest galliform bird present in the boreal and montane forests of the Western Palearctic. Precise and accurate methods for estimating the number of individuals and/or their densities are crucial for the proper management of its free‐ranging populations. However, obtaining reliable estimates of the abundance of populations of wild species and, particularly, of birds is not a simple task. In the case of lek‐mating birds such as capercaillie, surveys are traditionally based on lek counts, that is, counts of calling males present in their mating areas: the leks. This study was carried out on the Pyrenees at six capercaillie leks where two different lek counting approaches were performed: hide‐based and walk‐based. The results were compared with those obtained from an estimate of minimum population size (MPE) derived from genotyping all faeces samples found in the lek area, and with a population size estimate derived from a genetic mark‐recapture model () of each capercaillie lek. The results of were used to estimate the detection rate ( D ) of both lek count approaches. Our results show that traditional lek counts do not detect all male capercaillies since the detection rate was 0.34 (95% CI: 0.26–0.43) for hide‐ and 0.56 (95% CI: 0.43–0.68) for walk‐based lek counts. Our results suggest that the walk‐based lek counts were more efficient than the hide‐based ones, providing more accurate results compared to the estimate. The combination of non‐invasive sampling with genetic mark‐recapture model was found to be the most reliable method for obtaining the of leks given that traditional lek counts underestimate the number of capercaillie and, furthermore, can cause disturbance to the species at these sites.

Cordulegaster boltonii es una libélula de amplia distribución en Europa y el norte de África, con poblaciones registradas en más de 25 países. Sin embargo, los estudios biométricos realizados en larvas de esta especie son muy escasos. Basándonos en las investigaciones previas y en la finalidad de este estudio, se han seleccionado cuatro parámetros morfológicos muy representativos y utilizados para caracterizar larvas de esta especie: longitud total del cuerpo (LT), longitud abdominal (LA), ancho de la cabeza (AC) y longitud de la pteroteca metatorácica derecha (LP). Se presenta el primer estudio biométrico realizado con larvas de C. boltonii provenientes de cinco ríos de Sierra Nevada, en el sureste de la Península Ibérica. Al comparar los valores de estas variables entre larvas de diferentes sexos y estadios larvarios, no se detectaron diferencias significativas entre las poblaciones estudiadas. Los resultados revelan valores muy homogéneos y singulares para la especie en Sierra Nevada, estableciendo un patrón biométrico para los cuatro últimos estadios larvarios (F-3 a F-0), teniendo en cuenta además el sexo de los ejemplares.

Background: Sarcoptic mange is one of the main parasitic diseases affecting the Iberian ibexCapra pyrenaica. Scabietic animals suffer a decline in body condition and reproductive fitness and in severe cases may die. Although several previous studies of the pathology of this disease and the physiological changes it produces in ibex have been carried out in recent years, our knowledge of the relationship betweenSarcoptes scabieiand other ectoparasites of this host is still limited.Methods: We analysed 430 Iberian ibex skin samples. Ectoparasites were removed, counted and identified. Mite (S. scabiei) numbers were obtained after digesting the skin samples in a 5% KOH solution. We modelled mite numbers in terms of host sex and age, site, year, season and the presence of other ectoparasites such as ticks and lice using generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs) and ectoparasite co-occurrence patterns using two different models: the probabilistic model species co-occurrence and the generalized linear latent variable model (GLLVM).Results: The ectoparasite community was mainly composed ofS. scabiei, six ticks (Haemaphysalis sulcata,Haemaphysalis punctata,Rhipicephalus bursa,Rhipicephalus turanicus,Dermacentor marginatusandIxodes ricinus) and two lice (Bovicola crassipesandLinognathus stenopsis). Adult male ibex harboured more mites than females. Mite numbers varied greatly spatially and seasonally and increased with the presence of other parasites. Some positive co-occurrence relationships between pairs of different ectoparasites were observed, particularly between ticks. The presence ofS. scabieinegatively affected lice andH. sulcatanumbers.Conclusions: Sarcoptic mange has spread above all in ibex populations in and around the Mediterranean Basin, where it is now found in almost a third of its host’s range. Mite numbers varied seasonally and spatially and were higher in male hosts. The presence ofS. scabieihad a negative effect on lice numbers but favoured the presence of ticks.Graphical