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Trabajo presentado en la 7th Seed Ecology Conference of the International Society for Seed Science, celebrada en Gijón (España) del 06 al 09 de septiembre de 2022.

Trabajo presentado en el 2nd Meeting of the Iberian Ecological Society (SIBECOL), celebrado en Aveiro (Portugal) del 03 al 08 de julio de 2022.

Trabajo presentado en el 2nd Meeting of the Iberian Ecological Society (SIBECOL), celebrado en Aveiro (Portugal) del 03 al 08 de julio de 2022.

Trabajo presentado en el XV Congreso Nacional de la AEET, celebrado en Plasencia (España) del 18 al 21 de octubre de 2021, Las recientes recolonizaciones y reintroducciones de grandes depredadores ofrecen una oportunidad única para estudiar su efecto en la cadena trófica y en la dinámica del ecosistema. Algunas funciones ecosistémicas como la dispersión de semillas podrían verse afectadas por una cascada trófica que involucre interacciones entre depredadores. Aquí, queremos evaluar el efecto de un superdepredador, el lince ibérico (Lynx pardinus), sobre el comportamiento de consumo de frutos de piruétano (Pyrus bourgaeana) de los carnívoros frugívoros. Se llevó a cabo un experimento de ofrecimiento de frutos comparando zonas con linces con zonas control. Se instalaron cámaras de fototrampeo para registrar las especies que visitaban los ofrecimientos, los frutos consumidos y el tiempo empleado y se identificaron individualmente los zorros. Encontramos que los zorros visitaban menos veces los ofrecimientos con linces, mientras que no encontramos diferencias significativas en los tejones. No encontramos un efecto del lince sobre el número de peras consumidas ni en el tiempo empleado en consumir un fruto por parte de los zorros. Sin embargo, encontramos que los zorros empleaban menos tiempo en los ofrecimientos donde había linces. Aunque el número de zorros identificados en zonas sin linces fue mayor, encontramos que la variabilidad asociada al individuo era un factor importante para entender el comportamiento de forrajeo de los zorros. Parece que el escenario de riesgo de depredación creado por los linces no solo tiene un efecto en la abundancia de zorros, sino que contribuye a seleccionar determinados fenotipos más eficientes y menos arriesgados en su comportamiento de forrajeo.

Trabajo presentado en el XVII Annual Meeting of the Spanish Group for Floral Ecology, celebrado en Bilbao (España) del 04 al 07 de marzo de 2020.

Trabajo presentado en el XV Congreso de la SECEM, celebrado en Córdoba (España) del 04 al 07 de diciembre de 2021.

Trabajo presentado en la Reunião sobre Ungulados Silvestres Ibéricos, celebrada en Vila Real (Portugal) del 01 al 02 de octubre de 2021.

Trabajo presentado en el I Congreso Español de Botánica, celebrado en Toledo (España) del 08 al 10 de septiembre de 2021., Las tierras destinadas a la agricultura y la ganadería suponen el mayor bioma terrestre de la actualidad, aunque en ciertas zonas, como Europa, esta extensión se ido reduciendo. Esto abre la puerta a la posibilidad de recuperar los hábitats que antaño había en esos lugares gracias a la restauración ecológica (ya sea facilitada o natural), aunque es más costosa en ciertos lugares, como la cuenca del Mediterráneo debido a su aridez, la poca disponibilidad de agua, las altas temperaturas, la erosión del suelo o la herbivoría (Rey-Benayas et al. 2007 ). En esta restauración posee un papel clave la dispersión de semillas, que forma parte de la dinámica y estructura de los hábitats al permitir colonizar nuevas áreas o recuperar zonas alteradas. El efecto percha juega un rol imprescindible en la dispersión de semillas y consiste en que las aves frugívoras utilicen las ramas de árboles y arbustos para posarse y defecar las heces que contienen las semillas. El uso reiterado de las mismas perchas da a lugar a procesos de nucleación que se ven acentuados en espacios perturbados. Aunque el efecto percha es conocido, este sería la primera vez que se estudia desde un punto de vista espacial. La planta que actúa como percha también puede actuar como nodriza, facilitando el establecimiento de las nuevas plántulas (plantas beneficiarias) (Joffre & Rambal 1993). La especie escogida para este estudio es el palmito (Chamaerops humilis L.), que es una planta pionera que coloniza fácilmente áreas perturbadas, utilizada en restauraciones ecológicas y cuyo papel como especie nodriza ha sido demostrado (Garrote et al. 2019). El objetivo de este estudio es comprobar (i) si realmente existe un efecto percha en nuestras áreas de estudio, (ii) si entre ambas áreas de estudio hay diferencia y por qué, (iii) si los palmitos agregados contienen más heces de aves con semillas dispersadas, (iv) si existen palmitos que actúan como hotspots para la llegada de heces (y semillas) y (v) si las semillas encontradas pertenecen a las mismas especies que las plantas beneficiarias encontradas en el interior de los palmitos.

Trabajo presentado en el 9th World Conference on Ecological Restoration. A new global trajectory: catalyzing change through the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, celebrado en modalidad virtual del 21 al 24 de junio de 2021.

Trabajo presentado en el XV Congreso Nacional de la AEET (El valor de la Naturaleza para una Sociedad Global), celebrado en Plasencia del 18 al 21 de octubre de 2021., Plant-animal interactions (mutualisms and antagonisms) can be altered when a third species modifies plant characters, leading to indirect effects on plant reproductive success. On the island of Mallorca (Balearic Islands), the invasive moth Paysandisia archon and dense goat populations are having a strong impact (via infection and herbivory, respectively) on the endemic Mediterranean palm Chamaerops humilis L. Despite some studies have quantified the direct effects of these alien species on C. humilis survival, no studies describe the effects on the palm interactions with other animal associates. For this purpose, we selected six palm populations. Paysandisia infection, goat florivory and folivory rates as well as variables related to pollination success (pollinators presence and abundance, fruit initiation and fruit development) were measured for 30 males and 30 females in each population during two sampling years (2019 and 2020). Goat florivory decreased the palm interaction with the pollinator Meligethinus pallidulus but not with Derelomus chamaeropis. However, the effect of Paysandisia infection was positive on M. pallidulus. Folivory by goats had no effect on pollinators. Goat herbivory (both florivory and folivory) decreased fruit initiation, and infection and florivory decreased fruit development. We conclude that P. archon and feral goats alter interactions between the dwarf palm and its pollinators in different ways, but both have a negative effect on the fruit set (fruit initiation and fruit development). Ongoing studies aim to clarify the effects on other palm-animal interactions, including seed dispersal and seed predation.

Trabajo presentado en el XV Congreso Nacional de la AEET, celebrado en Plasencia (España) del 18 al 21 de octubre de 2021, Understanding of ecological processes driving the natural (re)colonization of human-disturbed landscapes is crucial to restoring sensitive species and ecosystem services. Specifically, seed dispersal is one of the most critical factors on this (re)colonization process by ensuring seed arrival to these areas. However, few studies have examined how the genetic composition of seed rain varies both spatially and temporally within (re)colonizing plant populations and the potential implications of this variation for ecological restoration (i.e. genetic restoration). Here, we evaluated the spatiotemporal structuring of the genetic variation of naturally established seedlings at a human-disturbed area as a qualitative aspect of the seed dispersal (e.g. level of kinship among co-dispersed seeds). To this end, we intensively monitored the seed rain of the Mediterranean dwarf palm (Chamaerops humilis) during two consecutive years in Doñana National Park (SW Spain), where this palm is mostly dispersed by Eurasian badgers (Meles meles) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). For all emerged seedlings (N = 104), by molecular analyses at 12 microsatellite markers, we analyzed the fine-scale spatial genetic structure (FSGS), kinship among individuals and genetic rarity throughoutthe time. We found positive FSGS within seed dispersers’ feces. We found inflated kinship between seedlings coming from a single dispersal event, but decreased kinship among seedlings at greater spatial scales (latrines, population). We also found the genetic rarity of seedlings increased as the seed dispersal season progressed. We shed light on how frugivores control the genetic composition of seed rain and its potential consequences on the natural (re)colonization of human-disturbed landscapes. We emphasize the crucial role of population genetics to improve restoration actions with plants in the long term.

Trabajo presentado en el 7th Frugivores and Seed Dispersal Symposium, celebrado en la India del 2 al 6 de marzo de 2020.

Trabajo presentado en el 7th Frugivores and Seed Dispersal Symposium, celebrado en la India del 2 al 6 de marzo de 2020.

Trabajo presentado en el 7th Frugivores and Seed Dispersal Symposium, celebrado en la India del 2 al 6 de marzo de 2020.

Megafauna extinctions often lead to the disruption of plant-animal interactions, such as the seed-disperser mutualisms, which might entail severe consequences for plant populations and entire communities. Interestingly, the contemporary persistence of anachronistic plant species might be possible thanks to surrogate dispersers or seed dispersal >rescuers>. We know very little on how these relevant functional replacements are contributing to the performance of present-day plant-frugivore networks. The dwarf palm Chamaerops humilis L. is a Mediterranean endemism with fleshy fruits and typically dispersed by mammals. Despite its ecological importance and wide distribution in some of the Mediterranean islands, no information exists about its seed dispersal on these depauperated-fauna systems. In this study, we aim at identifying and quantifying the relative importance of introduced frugivores on the island of Mallorca (Balearic Islands), where no native terrestrial mammals exist. Specifically, we assess for the first time the seed dispersal effectiveness (SDE) for C. humilis on islands; we evaluate the quantitative component by fecal and regurgitation sampling surveys, and the qualitative component by means of seed germination experiments and seedling growth measures. Introduced goats (Capra hircus L.) and pine martens (Martes martes L.) were the local mammal fruit consumers of C. humilis identified in our study sites. Results suggest that goats are much more important quantitatively than pine martens, due to the high number of fruits handled in each foraging bout and their extremely high abundance on the island. However, pine marten-ingested seeds showed the highest final seedling emergence success and seedling growth, thus its qualitative contribution on C. humilis seed dispersal is higher than that of goats. Overall, SDE was almost 9-fold higher for goats than for pine martens. We conclude that these two non-native mammal species are effective seed dispersers of C. humilis in this and probably other Mediterranean islands, where humans led to the extinction of its native seed dispersers, as it was probably the case of the goat-like Myotragus balearicus in the Balearic Islands.

Janzen (1977) propuso que los vertebrados frugívoros prefieren los frutos sanos frente a los infectados por hongos y bacterias dado que los microbios producen compuestos tóxicos y antibióticos y, además, reducen el valor nutritivo de los frutos infectados. Valoramos dicha hipótesis mediante experimentos de campo en los que ofrecimos tres variedades comerciales de frutos del género Citrus sanos e infectados por Penicillium digitatum. Sorprendentemente, los frugívoros (principalmente conejos Oryctolagus cuniculus y roedores como la rata negra Rattus rattus y ratones, probablemente, Mus spretus y Apodemus sylvaticus) prefirieron siempre los cítricos infectados a los frutos "control" sanos. En concreto, el consumo de frutos infectados de las tres variedades estudiadas fue hasta 32 veces mayor en comparación con el consumo de frutos sanos. Proponemos tres hipótesis no excluyentes que podrían explicar la preferencia de los frutos infectados por mamíferos y otros vertebrados frugívoros., [EN] Janzen (1977) suggested that frugivorous vertebrates prefer healthy fruit against infected by fungi and bacteria because microbes produce toxic compounds and antibiotics, and also reduces the nutritional value of infected fruit. We evaluated this hypothesis by field experiments in which we offered three commercial varieties of Citrus fruits, both healthy and infected by Penicillium digitatum. Surprisingly, frugivores (mainly rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus and rodents such as black rats Rattus rattus and mice, probably, Mus spretus and Apodemus sylvaticus) always preferred infected as compared with "control" uninfected fruits. In particular, the consumption of infected fruits of all three varieties studied was up to 32 times higher compared with healthy fruit consumption. We propose three non-mutually exclusive hypotheses that could explain the revealed strong preference of infected fruit by mammals and other frugivores

5 páginas.-- 24 imágenes.-- 2 cuadros.-- 23 referencias, El Parque Nacional de Doñana es un espacio protegido de reconocida importancia para la conservación de la biodiversidad, tanto en el ámbito nacional, como europeo y mundial. Declarado Reserva de la Biosfera por la Unesco en 1981, alberga una alta heterogeneidad de hábitats (alcornocal, pinares, matorral, marismas, dunas, playa) y poblaciones de vertebrados altamente amenazados, como el lince ibérico (Lynx pardinus) y el águila imperial (Aquila adalberti). Menos conocida y celebrada es la alta diversidad vegetal de Doñana. Por ejemplo, se han registrado 1.386 especies o subespecies de plantas vasculares (1), 55 de las cuales son endemismos ibéricos y 4 endémicas de la propia Doñana: Rorippa valdes-bermejoi, Daucus arcanus, Linaria tursica y Juncus x donyanae. Es bien sabido que fue la importancia de Doñana como reserva de aves migratorias, así como el empeño de José Antonio Valverde, Francisco Bernis y varios ornitólogos británicos, lo que desencadenó su más que acertada protección mediante la compra de la Reserva Biológica en 1963, embrión del posterior Parque Nacional.

Muchas especies de mamíferos carnívoros (Orden Carnivora) consumen frutos carnosos, transportan semillas en sus tractos digestivos y las defecan sin dañarlas en condiciones apropiadas para la germinación. En este artículo, revisamos el conocimiento adquirido sobre este mutualismo en las últimas tres décadas, desde que tres trabajos pioneros revelaron la importancia de los carnívoros como dispersores de semillas en ecosistemas templados. Nos centramos en los rasgos funcionales de los carnívoros consumiendo frutos y diseminando semillas, haciendo especial énfasis en sus diferencias con las aves, el principal grupo de vertebrados frugívoros en ecosistemas templados. Los carnívoros no están sujetos a las restricciones fenológicas o morfológicas que típicamente limitan el consumo de determinados frutos en muchas especies de aves. Consumen preferentemente frutos cuyos atributos son compartidos con muchas especies de frutos cultivados por el hombre, lo que explica el consumo frecuente de éstos en paisajes antrópicos. Sus amplios requerimientos espaciales favorecen la dispersión de semillas a larga distancia, mientras que su generalismo en relación al hábitat favorece el flujo de semillas entre hábitats contrastados. De este modo, los carnívoros promueven la conectividad entre poblaciones vegetales y la colonización. Estas funciones ecológicas son clave para las comunidades vegetales nativas, especialmente en escenarios de cambios de uso de suelo. Sin embargo, estos patrones de dispersión de semillas pueden contribuir a la invasión de plantas exóticas. Aún ignoramos en gran medida el papel de los carnívoros en términos cuantitativos de la dispersión de semillas y las diferencias funcionales entre especies dentro del gremio. La integración de muestreos clásicos e innovadoras técnicas moleculares y de análisis espacial promete aportar conocimiento inédito en estas cuestiones, [EN ] Many species of carnivorous mammals (Order Carnivora) consume fleshy fruits, transport seeds in their digestive tracts, and defecate them without damage in conditions that are suitable for germination. In this article, we review the state of the art on this mutualism in the past three decades, since three pioneering studies revealed the importance of carnivores as seed dispersers in temperate ecosystems. We focus on the functional traits of carnivores consuming fruits and disseminating seeds, with particular emphasis on their differences with birds, the main group of vertebrate frugivores in temperate ecosystems. Carnivores are not subject to the phenological or morphological constraints that typically limit the consumption of certain fruit species in many bird species. They preferably consume fruits whose traits are shared with many fruit species cultivated by man, which explains the frequent consumption of cultivated fruits in anthropogenic landscapes. The large spatial requirements of carnivores promote long-distance seed dispersal, while their habitat generalism promotes seed flows between contrasting habitats. Thus, carnivores promote connectivity between plant populations and colonization. These are key ecological functions for native plant communities, especially in scenarios of land-use changes. However, these seed dispersal patterns can contribute to the invasion of exotic plants. We still largely ignore the role of carnivores in quantitative terms of seed dispersal and the functional differences between species within the guild. Integrating traditional fieldwork and innovative molecular techniques and spatial analysis promises to provide unprecedented knowledge on these issues

We quantitatively assessed the effect of three Methods of Diet Quantification (MDQ) (based on frequency of occurrence of prey, dry weight of prey remains, or estimation of fresh biomass ingested) on guild classification of three carnivores species based on five data sets. Diet dissimilarity matrices and recognition of trophic guilds were dependent on MDQ. Both omnivorous (Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes, and Eurasian Badger, Meles meles) shifted to different trophic guilds depending of the MDQ chosen, whereas Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus) remained consistently in the rabbit-eating guild. As a way to assess the pervasiveness of inconsistencies in guild classification, we applied our approach to six other predator assemblages. The number of recognized guilds shifted as a result of MDQ in 4 of 6 comparisons, changes in guild membership occurred in all assemblages, and mean percentage of guildmate fidelity was only 30 % (1SD = ± 21, n = 6). The choice of MDQ depends on the specific ecological question to be addressed with the data. When investigators focus on the effects of prey on predators, an estimate of biomass ingested seems the best choice, but when the focus is on the effects of predators on prey, an approach based on prey numbers is more appropiate., Nous avons évalué les effets respectifs de trois méthodes de quantification des régimes alimentaires (MQRA), basées sur la fréquence d’occurrence des proies, le poids sec des restes de proies et l’estimation de la biomasse fraîche ingérée, sur la classification en guildes de trois espèces de carnivores et sur la base de cinq jeux de données. Les matrices de dissemblance des régimes et la détermination des guildes dépendent de la MQRA choisie. Les deux omnivores (le Renard roux Vulpes vulpes et le Blaireau européen Meles meles) changeaient de guilde selon la MQRA alors que le Lynx pardelle (Lynx pardinus) restait constamment dans la guilde des consommateurs de lapins. Afin de vérifier la généralité de ces incohérences dans la détermination des guildes, nous avons analysé de la même façon six autres communautés de prédateurs. Selon la MQRA retenue, le nombre de guildes reconnues s’est modifié dans quatre des six comparaisons, des changements dans la composition des guildes se sont produits dans tous les cas et le degré moyen de constance dans une guilde n’a été que de 30 ± 21 % (n = 6). Le choix de la MQRA dépend de la question écologique posée en préalable à l’analyse des données. Quand le but est d’étudier l’effet des proies sur leurs prédateurs, une estimation de la biomasse consommée semble être le meilleur choix ; en revanche, quand il s’agit d’appréhender les effets des prédateurs sur leurs proies, l’approche basée sur le nombre de proies est alors la plus appropriée., Fedriani José M.,Travaini Alejandro. Predator trophic guild assignment : the importance of the method of diet quantification. In: Revue d'Écologie (La Terre et La Vie), tome 55, n°2, 2000. pp. 129-139.

The persistence of mutualisms despite the strong incidence of exploiters could be explained if exploiters deny one or more services (i.e., cheat) while eventually supplying some subtler but critical services. Pulp feeders usually ingest fruit reward without dispersing seeds and thus are considered to be mainly cheaters or thieves of seed-disperser mutualisms. By consuming the fruit pulp, however, they could release seeds from pulp inhibitory effect, enhancing germination and, potentially, subsequent seedling emergence, growth, survival, and thus local recruitment. We evaluated such a largely neglected hypothesis by considering the interaction between Pyrus bourgaeana and its pulp feeders. We experimentally showed that pericarp removal had a consistent strong positive effect on seed performance (e.g., lower rotting and higher germination percentages) and seedling fate (greater emergence, growth, and survival to two years old). Interestingly, these relatively large positive effects of depulpation on plant fitness persisted for a surprisingly long time. Though seedlings experienced higher mortality under fruiting conspecifics, the benefits of depulpation were not overridden by high propagule mortality beneath fruiting trees or in adverse microhabitats after two years of monitoring. Specifically, the cumulative probability of establishment for depulped seeds was 4–25 times higher than for seeds in whole ripe fruits. Thus, under some circumstances, pulp feeders can provide essential services to endozoochorous plants. Our study contributes to clarifying the apparent paradox of plant–frugivore mutualisms that persist in the face of exploitation by pulp feeders. Because “thieves” and “mutualists” refer to the extremes of a complex continuum, and because organisms displaying concurrent cheating and honest behaviors during different host stages are likely prevalent, the persistent language of mutualists vs. thieves, cheaters, or exploiters might be misleading. Read More: http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/11-0429.1

Debido a que la dispersión de semillas por animales vincula el final del ciclo reproductor de las plantas con el establecimiento de su descendencia, se le atribuyen profundos efectos sobre la sucesión, regeneración y conservación de los hábitats. En el Parque Nacional de Doñana abundan varias especies de mamíferos carnívoros con dietas parcialmente frugívoras. Casi nada se sabe sobre que papel juega la dispersión de semillas por mamíferos en la vegetación de Doñana. El conocimiento de esta interacción mutualista podría tener consecuencias importantes para el manejo y conservación de la vegetación del Parque Nacional. En este proyecto proponemos abordar seis objetivos concretos: 1. Identificación de las especies de plantas dispersadas por los carnívoros de Doñana y cuantificación de la importancia de estos como agentes dispersantes de semillas. 2. Valoración de un potencial beneficio de la dispersión de semillas por mamíferos para la planta mediante una disminución de las tasas de predación por agentes postdispersivos. 3. Cuantificación experimental del tiempo de retención de las semillas en los tractos digestivos de los carnívoros. 4. Evaluación del potencial papel positivo del consumo de frutos por carnívoros sobre la germinación de las semillas. 5. Valoración del potencial papel positivo de la frugivoría sobre la supervivencia durante los primeros años de vida de las plántulas. 6. Estudio detallado del mutalismo zorro-sabina y evaluación preliminar de una hipotética relación de causalidad entre el incremento de la población de zorros y la expansión de los sabinares en Doñana.

Pre- and post-dispersal Helleborus foetidus (Ranunculaceae) seed predation by mice Apodemus sylvaticus as well as post-dispersal seed removal by ants was studied, during two years, in six plant populations within three geographical regions (Caurel, Cazorla and Ma´gina) of the Iberian Peninsula. An observational approach revealed strong interregional differences in seed predation by mice during the pre-dispersal phase, with high and similar rates of predation in Cazorla and Ma´gina and much lower rates in Caurel. There were also significant inter-annual variations on pre-dispersal seed predation by mice, while the existing habitat-related differences (of lower magnitude) were not consistent across regions. Field experiments based on seed-offering exclosures, showed that, despite some interregional variation, post-dispersal seed removal by ants was consistently high through all spatial and temporal scales considered, with most seeds being removed within 48 h. Conversely, post-dispersal seed predation by mice was highly variable among regions, being very high in Cazorla and minimal or absent in Caurel and Ma´gina. Interestingly, in Cazorla, in presence of mice, the number of seeds removed was rather independent of the presence/absence of ants, while under mice exclusion, it was determined by the presence/absence of ants. Conversely, in Caurel, the number of seeds removed by each remover agent (ants or mice) was independent of the presence/absence of the other agent. Thus, though uniquely in Cazorla, mice limited the number of seeds available to ants and, therefore, in this region could potentially have interfered on the development of seed traits that enable ants to efficiently harvest them. Our results support the notion that geographical variation over the Iberian Peninsula of mice seed predation may have promoted a mosaic of well-matching and mismatching situations between H. foetidus diaspore traits and the characteristics of ant communities, which is consistent with some recent theories on the geographical structure of interactions.

[EN]We studied the distribution of a water-dependent species (southern water vole, Ari’icola .sopidus) in a Mediterranean region (Doflana National Park, southwest Spain) characterized by a complex array of different-sized pnnds (where voles were confined) embedded in a mostly unsuitable landscape. For each surveyed pond (n = 1 85). a total of 26 variables related lo both local (20) and landscape (6) atti-ibutes were quantified, and the presence of voles was evaluated by finding their typical signs (latrines). We found signa of water voles in 60% of ponds, despite the fact that most of them (84%) were totally dried out. A generalized linear model analysis showed that water voles were sensitive to both local and landscape attributes of ponds. At a landscape scale, presence of voles was more likely in ponds located outside the national park, close to other ponds holding voles, and far away from areas rich in potential predators and competitors. At a local scale, ponds with water voles were characterized by abundant grasses, banks well covered by brushes, low altitude, and low abundance of rabbits (Oryctolngus cu,nculos). We also studied the use of microhabitat by voles within four specific ponds and found that they preferred plots of higher vegetation cover; thus, there was consistency in some cues used by water voles at the populationlsubpopulation scale (among different ponds) and at the behavioral scale (within ponds). Our study strongly supports the notion that the entire vole population is structured in distinct subpopulations, which are affected by a hierarchy of processes ranging from metapopulation dynamics and thfluenced by the landscape within which ponds are embedded as well as the local habitat quality, [FR] Nous avons dtudid Ia repartition d’une espèce aquatique (Ic campagnol amphibie. Arc/coin srspidus) au Parc national Doflana, dans Ic sud-ouest de l’Espagne. Cette region méditerranécnne est caractérisée par un arrangement complexe d’étangs de différentes tailles (oh les campagnols sont confines) entourCs d’un paysage plutôt inhospitalier. Pour chacun des Ctangs étudids (ii = 185), un total de 26 variables relides a des caractéristiques locales (20) ou a des caractéristiques do paysage (6) ont été échantillonnCes. La découverte de latrines permettait de confirmer Ia presence de campagnols dans ces étangs. Nous avons trouvé des indices de la presence de campagnols dana 60 % des étangs, bien qoe la plupart de ces dcrnicrs (84 %) eta/cot complètemeot sees. Selon on modèle d’analyse linéaire, les campagnols amphibies sont senaiblea ala fois aox caractéristiques locales des étanga et aux caractéristiques do paysage. A l’échelle do paysage, ils se rencootrent sortout dana les étangs sitoés a l’extérieor do parc national, près d’aotres étangs habités par des campagnols, loin des secteurs fréquentés par lea prédateors et compétiteors potentiels. A one échelle locale, les étangs oh l’on trouve des campagnola aunt a une altitude peo élevée et soot colonisés par d’abnndantes graminées. Leors berges sont recoovertea d’arbuatea et on troove peu de lapins (Oiyctoiagus con/cu/os) dans lea environs. Noos avona également étudié l’utilisation par lea campagnola de microhabitata dana qoatre etanga. Ainai, lea campagnola préfèrent les sites oh le couvert végélal eat haut, cc qoi montre que lea camctéristiqoes recherchéea par lea campagnols aunt aimilaires, qoe cc soil a l’echelle d’une population no done anus-population (cntrc différents étanga) no encore a one échclle comportementale (a l’intérieur même des etangs). L’cnaemble de Ia population de campaguols aerait done sobdiviaée en anus-populations distinctes influencées par Ia structure do payaage entourant lea étangs et par Ia qualité des habitats, mais qul interagissent malgré tout au scm d’une métapopolation. Mots-clés : Arvicolo sopidus, selection d’habitat, repartition en plaques, misc a l’échelle apatiale, campagnol amphibie

Spatial ecology and diet of Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) and the abundance of its main prey, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), were studied in southwestern Spain from December 1992 to December 1996 when a decline in rabbit populations occurred. Our objectives were to relate spatial ecology of lynx to rabbit abundance, water availability, and protection from human disturbance. Rabbits were almost the sole prey of lynx; rabbit remains were present in 99.2% (n = 1,171) of feces analyzed. Rabbit abundance and density in 6 different habitats were estimated by line transect sampling. Rabbits were more abundant in Mediterranean scrubland, closely followed by ash stands. Pastureland and lentiscus in plantations had 4.5 times fewer rabbits, and pine plantations 15-20 times fewer rabbits, than the Mediterranean scrubland. Abundance of rabbits in the Mediterranean scrubland was not spatially uniform, as density for 1994 and 1995 varied from 42-55/ha in the area close to the edge of the marsh (locally called the Vera) to 2-7/ha far from the Vera. Rabbit density was 3.5 times higher during spring than during autumn. A decline in rabbit density occurred in 1996 when numbers were 72-91% lower than the previous years. We mapped warren density in Mediterranean scrubland and pastureland to determine intra-habitat differences in spatial distribution of rabbits. Warren density, entrance density, and mean number of entrances per warren declined significantly with distance from the Vera in the Mediterranean scrubland, following a negative exponential function (adj. r2 ranging between 83 and 97%). However, none of these variables showed any trend in relation to the Vera in the pastureland. The lynx population contained three stable pairs of adults plus young raised each year, some of which remained on the study area as subadults (older than one year). The seasonal number of different lynx in the study area ranged between 7 and 17. Average adult and young/subadult seasonal density was 0.77 (range = 0.72-0.88) and 0.46, tex-math>$\text{individuals}/{\rm km}^{2}$ (range = 0.07-1.12), respectively. We estimated home range and daily movements of lynx to determine changes that might be due to sex, season, or changing prey density. On average, total lynx home range size was $7.3\ {\rm km}^{2}$ for young, $9.5\ {\rm km}^{2}$ for adult females, and $18.2\ {\rm km}^{2}$ for adult males. Mean core areas (60% isopleth using the kernel approximation) were on average 15%, 10%, and 34% of total home ranges of young, adult females, and adult males, respectively. Significant differences were found for home range and core area sizes among sex-age classes, but neither season nor year affected home range size or core area size. Daily movements averaged 8.0 km. Daily distance traveled was not affected by sex-age class or season, but was different among years, with lynx traveling shorter distances in 1993 and 1996. Daily home range size averaged $1.46\ {\rm km}^{2}$, and again only varied by year. Lynx daily movements were associated with permanent, artificial water sites. Habitat use by lynx was remarkably constant, with no differences detected among sex-age classes, active or inactive locations, seasons, or years. The habitat most frequently used was Mediterranean scrubland (53% of locations), and both it and ash stands were the only habitats preferred by lynx; pine and eucalyptus plantations were avoided, and marsh, pastureland and lentiscus in plantations were neither preferred or avoided. When lynx were found in the non-preferred habitats, on most occasions (78%) animals were closer than 300 m from the edge of one of the two preferred habitats, whereas on only 4% of occasions were animals further than 1 km. This behavior was particularly accentuated when lynx moved through open habitats. Lynx appeared to respond to high human presence, as they were mainly located inside the National Park (82% of occasions), and when outside the Park they more frequently used the areas that were farther from a tourist village. We used a Geographical Information System (GIS) to estimate average rabbit density and number of rabbits within lynx home ranges. On average, rabbit density within home ranges was 5.6/ha. The habitats that sustained more rabbits were Mediterranean scrubland (74.2% of total number of rabbits within home ranges) and ash stands (32.2% for 6 home ranges where these habitats were available). Rabbit densities within core areas were similar to those found in home ranges. Throughout the study period the lowest rabbit density estimated within home ranges was about 1/ha in autumn 1996. The number of rabbits per lynx ranged between 1,367 in spring 1994 and 73 in autumn 1996. Rabbit density within home ranges, core areas, and the trapping area were not correlated with range size (P's > 0.2). Lynx and rabbits preferred the least human-transformed scrubland habitats; therefore natural habitats must be favored over plantations and pastureland areas. The edges of the preferred habitats were also heavily used by rabbits and consequently by lynx. The vegetation structure of the preferred habitats was characterized by intermediate understory cover (25-35%), low tree cover, and large and frequent grasslands. The rabbit decline observed during the study did not affect lynx spatial behavior or reproduction. Therefore, rabbit densities as low as 1 and 4.6/ha for the times of the lowest and highest rabbit density (i.e., autumn and spring, respectively) were enough to sustain the lynx population. Other factors such as the presence of permanent water sites and relatively low human presence are important components of quality lynx habitat.

Seguimiento de una reintroducción de corzo (Capreolus capreolus) en ambiente mediterráneo. Dispersión y área de campeo, Modelos de distribución de los insectívoros ern la Península Ibérica, Dieta anual del zorro, Vulpes vulpes, en dos hábitats del Parque Nacional de Doñana, Desarrollo juvenil del cráneo en las poblaciones ibéricas de gato montés, Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777, Presencia y expansión del visón americano (Mustela vison) en las provincias de Teruel y Castellón (Este de España)., Preferencias de hábitat invernal de la musaraña común (Crocidura russula) en un encinar fragmentado de la submeseta norte, Uso de cámaras automáticas para la recogida de información faunística., Dieta del lobo en dos zonas de Asturias (España) que difieren en carga ganadera., Consumo de frutos y dispersión de semillas de serbal (Sorbus aucuparia L.) por zorros y martas en la cordillera Cantábrica occidental, Evaluación de espermatozoides obtenidos postmorten en el ciervo., Frecuencia de aparición de diferentes restos de conejo en excrementos de lince y zorro, Atlas preliminar de los mamíferos de Soria (España), Censo y distribución de la marmota alpina (Marmota marmota) en Navarra., Trampeo fotográfico del género Martes en el Parque Nacional de Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici (Lleida)

Restricted seed dispersal frequently leads to fine-scale spatial genetic structure (i.e., FSGS) within plant populations. Depending on its spatial extent and the mobility of pollinators, this inflated kinship at the immediate neighbourhood can critically impoverish pollen quality. Despite the common occurrence of positive FSGS within plant populations, our knowledge regarding the role of long-distance pollination preventing reproductive failure is still limited. Using microsatellite markers, we examined the existence of positive FSGS in two low-density populations of the tree Pyrus bourgaeana. We also designed controlled crosses among trees differing in their kinship to investigate the effects of increased local kinship on plant reproduction. We used six pollination treatments and fully monitored fruit production, fruit and seed weight, proportion of mature seeds per fruit, and seed germination. Our results revealed positive FSGS in both study populations and lower fruit initiation in flowers pollinated with pollen from highly-genetically related individuals within the neighbourhood, with this trend intensifying as the fruit development progressed. Besides, open-pollinated flowers exhibited lower performance compared to those pollinated by distant pollen donors, suggesting intense qualitative pollen limitation in natural populations. We found positive fine-scale spatial genetic structure is translated into impoverished pollen quality from nearby pollen donors which negatively impacts the reproductive success of trees in low-density populations. Under this scenario of intrapopulation genetic rescue by distant pollen donors, the relevance of highly-mobile pollinators for connecting spatially and genetically distant patches of trees may be crucial to safeguarding population recruitment., Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Grant/Award Number: CGL2010‐21926/BOS ; Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Grant/Award Number: IF/00728/2013, SFRH/BD/130527/2017 and SFRH/BPD/115781/2016; Władysław Szafer Institute of Botany Polish Academy of Sciences, Grant/Award Number: CGL2007‐63488/BOS; Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia; Agencia Estatal de Investigacion, Grant/Award Number: CGL2016‐77720‐P

[EN] Introduction: Little is known concerning novel interactions between species that typically interact in their native range but, as a consequence of human activity, are also interacting out of their original distribution under new ecological conditions. Objective: We investigate the interaction between the orange tree and wild boar, both of which share Asian origins and have been introduced to the Americas (i.e. the overseas). Methods: Specifically, we assessed whether i) wild boars consume orange (Citrus sinensis) fruits and seeds in orchards adjacent to a remnant of the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, ii) the orange seeds are viable after passing through boar's digestive tract and iii) whether the orange tree may naturalise in the forest remnant assisted by wild boars. Results: Our camera surveys indicated that wild boar was by far the most frequent consumer of orange fruits (40.5 % of camera trap-days). A considerable proportion of sown orange seeds extracted from fresh boar feces emerged seedlings (27.8 %, N = 386) under controlled greenhouse conditions. Further, 37.6 % of sown seeds (N = 500) in the forest remnant emerged seedlings in July 2015; however, after similar to 4 years (March 2019) only 9 seedlings survived (i.e. 4.8 %, N = 188). Finally, 52 sweet orange seedlings were found during surveys within the forest remnant which is intensively used by wild boars. This study indicates a high potential of boars to act as effective seed dispersers of the sweet orange. However, harsh competition with native vegetation and the incidence of lethal diseases, which quickly kill sweet orange trees under non-agricultural conditions, could seriously limit orange tree establishment in the forest. Conclusions: Our results have important implications not only because the wild boar could be a vector of potential invasive species, but also because they disperse seeds of some native species (e.g. the queen palm, Syagrus romanzofiana) in defaunated forests, where large native seed dispersers are missing; thus, wild boars could exert critical ecological functions lost due to human activity., [ES] Introducción: Se conoce relativamente poco sobre las llamadas `interacciones noveles¿ entre especies que típicamente interactúan en su área de distribución nativa pero que, como consecuencia de la actividad humana, también interactúan fuera de su distribución original bajo nuevas condiciones ecológicas. Objetivo: Investigamos la interacción entre el naranjo y el jabalí, ambos con origen asiático e introducidos en las Américas (es decir, del extranjero). Métodos: Específicamente, evaluamos si i) los jabalíes consumen frutas y semillas del naranjo (Citrus sinensis) en naranjales adyacentes a un parche remanente del bosque atlántico de Brasil, ii) las semillas de naranja son viables tras pasar por el tracto digestivo del jabalí, y iii) si el naranjo puede llegar a naturalizarse en el parche de bosque gracias a los jabalíes. Resultados: Los resultados de nuestro fototrampeo indicaron que el jabalí fue, con mucho, el consumidor más frecuente de las naranjas (40.5 % cámaras trampa-días). Una proporción considerable de semillas de naranjo extraídas de heces de jabalí frescas y sembradas emergieron plántulas bajo condiciones de invernadero controladas (27.8 %, N = 386). Además, del 37.6 % de las semillas sembradas (N = 500) en el parche remanente de bosque emergieron plántulas en julio 2015; sin embargo, después de ~ 4 años (marzo 2019) solo sobrevivieron 9 plántulas (es decir, 4.8 %, N = 188). Finalmente, se encontraron 52 plántulas de naranja dulce durante varias prospecciones dentro del parche de bosque que es utilizado intensivamente por los jabalíes. Este estudio indica un alto potencial de los jabalíes para actuar como dispersores de semillas eficaces del naranjo dulce. Sin embargo, la severa competencia con la abundante vegetación nativa y la incidencia de enfermedades letales, que matan rápidamente los naranjos dulces en condiciones no agrícolas, podrían limitar seriamente el establecimiento de naranjos en el bosque. Conclusiones: Nuestros resultados tienen implicaciones importantes no solo porque el jabalí podría ser un vector de posibles especies de plantas invasoras, sino también porque dispersan semillas de algunas especies nativas (p.e., la palmera reina, Syagrus romanzofiana) en estos bosques defaunados, donde faltan dispersores nativos de semillas de gran tamaño. Por ello, los jabalíes podrían ejercer funciones ecológicas críticas que se han perdido debido a la actividad humana., We sincerely thank A. Tachibana for allowing us to work at Fazenda Cambuhy Agricola and to his staff for helping to perform our field experiments. We thank Fundecitrus for funding and technical support. Eugene Schupp and three anonymous reviewers provided numerous comments and suggestions which greatly improved an earlier draft. JMF was funded by a Portuguese FCT grant (IF/00728/2013).

Given their strong masticatory system and the powerful microbial digestion inside their complex guts, mammalian ruminants have been frequently considered seed predators rather than seed dispersers. A number of studies, however, have observed that ruminants are able to transport many viable seeds long distances, either attached to the hair or hooves (i.e., epizoochory) or inside their body after ingesting them (i.e., endozoochory). However, very few studies have investigated a modality of endozoochory exclusive to ruminants: the spitting of usually large-sized seeds while chewing the cud. A systematic review of the published information about this type of endozoochory shows a marked scarcity of studies. Nonetheless, at least 48 plant species belonging to 21 families are dispersed by ruminants in this manner. Most of these plants are shrubs and trees, have fleshy or dry fruits with large-sized seeds, and are seldom dispersed via defecation. Many cases have been observed in tropical areas, where more frugivorous ruminant species occur, but other records are from temperate and dry areas, covering thus all continents except Antarctica. Twenty-one species of ruminants from 18 genera have been reported as endozoochore spitters. They involve domestic and wild species belonging to the families Tragulidae, Cervidae, and Bovidae. This suggests that almost any ruminant species could potentially eat fruits and regurgitate large hard seeds during rumination. Likely, this seed dispersal mechanism has been neglected due to the difficulty of observing rumination behavior and locating spat seeds. Further research on the potential of wild and domestic ruminant species as long-distance seed dispersers through spitting seeds from the cud appears particularly important given their increasing pervasiveness and abundance worldwide., JF was funded by the Portuguese FCT (grant IF/00728/2013).

Investigating spatial variation in the relative importance of sexual reproduction and clonal propagation is critical to obtain more accurate estimates of future effective population sizes and genetic diversity, as well as to identify ecological correlates of clonality. We combined a stratified sampling scheme with microsatellite genetic analyses to estimate variation in the proportion of sexual versus clonal recruits among saplings in five populations of the tree Pyrus bourgaeana. Using a likelihood framework, we identified clones among the genotypes analysed and examined variation among populations regarding the proportion of saplings coming from clonal propagation. We also examined the relationship between the relative abundance of clonal shoots across the studied populations and their herbivory levels. Our results revealed that one third of the saplings examined (N = 225 saplings) had a probability above 0.9 of being clones of nearby (, A.R.C. was supported by the post-doctoral fellowship SFRH/BPD/115781/2016 from the Portuguese Foundation for Scienceand Technology (FCT). J.M.F. was funded by the Investigator Programme (IF/00728/2013) from the Foundation for Scienceand Technology (FCT).

Plant provenance, plant facilitation and the characteristics of restoration sites are critical determinants of revegetation success. Surprisingly, however, very little is known about how these key factors interact, both with each other and to complex patterns of recruitment in target plant species. We investigated, for the first time, the potential of combining seed provenance, plant facilitation and restoration site characteristics to guide revegetation efforts. As a model system, we used the Iberian pear (Pyrus bourgaeana) and three potential nurse shrub species. To this end, we completed a comprehensive reciprocal transplant experiment in five P. bourgaeana populations within a fragmented landscape at the Doñana Biosphere Reserve (SW Spain). There were marked differences among provenances for seedling emergence and growth, as well as for recruitment, but no evidence of local adaptation was found. Shrubs generally had a positive or neutral effect on P. bourgaeana seedling performance with, for example survival underneath shrubs being, on average, twice as high as in open microhabitats. Interestingly, however, the magnitude and even the sign of such plant–plant interactions changed with both sowing locality and seed provenance. For instance, shrubs enhanced seedling survival and recruitment at the end of the study in four of the five sowing localities, whereas it decreased it in the remaining locality. Also, although nurse shrubs lessened seedling size of two provenances, it did not have a significant effect on the other three. Synthesis and applications. We show how revegetation success can be maximized, not only by selecting the most appropriate plant material, taking advantage of plant facilitative interactions and selecting the right restoration site, but also by using these factors in an integrated fashion. We propose local managers efficiently undertake future revegetation campaigns by mixing seeds from several genetically adequate source populations in numbers weighted according to previously estimated provenance-specific recruitment successes. Our novel approach can help to guide revegetation of many tree and plant species living in stressful conditions, such as arid, semi-arid and high mountain habitats., This research was financed by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (CGL2007‐63488/BOS). A.R.C., P.J.G. and J.M.F. were funded by Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (grants SFRH/BD/130527/2017, SFRH/BPD/115781/2016, IF/00728/2013 respectively).

[ES] Las plantas interaccionan con multitud de animales de una forma que, en muchas ocasiones, condiciona dramáticamente la transición de una fase del ciclo vital a la siguiente. Por ejemplo, los polinizadores son responsables de la fecundación de las flores y la consiguiente producción de frutos y semillas. Los herbívoros limitan fuertemente la cantidad de plántulas capaces de convertirse en adultos, etc. Como consecuencia, algunos animales modifican la configuración de la vegetación, actuando como ingenieros del paisaje . Tanto plantas y animales como sus interacciones pueden verse seriamente afectados por alteraciones humanas. Una de las alteraciones más frecuentes es la construcción de estructuras lineales como autopistas, carreteras, caminos y cortafuegos. Los efectos ecológicos de autopistas y carreteras pavimentadas han sido extensamente estudiados, mientras que los de estructuras menos aparentes, como caminos y cortafuegos (que denominamos estructuras lineales suaves o « Soft Linear Developments », SLD) permanecen inexplorados. En esta tesis doctoral se evalúan los efectos de las SLD sobre las interacciones planta-animal, y sus consecuencias sobre la configuración espacial, la abundancia y la diversidad del matorral mediterráneo. En el capítulo 1 se estudia el efecto de las SLD sobre la polinización y la depredación de flores y frutos por ungulados, ambos determinantes de la producción de frutos y semillas del jaguarzo. Las SLD tuvieron un efecto neto negativo sobre la llegada de polen y, en consecuencia, los jaguarzos de los bordes de SLD produjeron menos frutos y semillas que los jaguarzos de matorrales adyacentes. En el capítulo 2 se analiza el efecto de las SLD sobre la dispersión de semillas de arbustos de frutos carnosos por mamíferos terrestres. Las SLD actuaron como receptores de semillas, acaparando más del 77 % de las semillas dispersadas, especialmente de aquellas especies consumidas por zorros y conejos, que seleccionaron positivamente los bordes de SLD para defecar., En el capítulo 3 se evalúa el efecto de las SLD sobre la supervivencia post- dispersiva de semillas de arbustos de frutos carnosos. Aunque el efecto neto de las SLD fue neutro, la supervivencia de las semillas de algunas especies (e.g. camarina, sabina) fue superior en los bordes de SLD, mientras que la de las semillas de zarzamora fue inferior en estas zonas que en matorrales adyacentes. En el capítulo 4 se investiga el efecto de las SLD sobre la emergencia y supervivencia de plántulas de arbustos de frutos carnosos. La emergencia y supervivencia de plántulas fue similar en los bordes de SLD y en matorrales adyacentes, lo que indica que las SLD son hábitats adecuados para su reclutamiento. En el capítulo 5 se valora la configuración espacial, la abundancia y la diversidad de arbustos en relación a las SLD, comparando las comunidades de arbustos en sus bordes y matorrales adyacentes. La densidad de arbustos de frutos carnosos fue mayor en los bordes de SLD que en los matorrales, lo cual se explica fundamentalmente por la llegada diferencial de semillas. Una vez consideradas todas las fases del ciclo de vida, se concluye que la interacción planta-animal más afectada por las SLD, y por tanto más influyente en la configuración espacial, abundancia y diversidad del matorral mediterráneo es la dispersión de semillas. Gracias a la función ecológica de zorros y conejos, las SLD pueden convertirse en « hotspots » de reclutamiento y establecimiento de arbustos autóctonos, que probablemente favorezcan a la biodiversidad local en múltiples formas (e.g. evitando la erosión, mejorando la conectividad entre poblaciones aisladas, favoreciendo la reforestación de hábitats adyacentes, etc.). No obstante, las consecuencias de la alteración de las interacciones planta-animal por parte de las SLD fueron diferentes dependiendo de la especie de arbusto considerada. Por tanto, la generalización de estos resultados es probablemente contexto-dependiente, [EN]Most plants interact with a broad diversity of animals that often drive the transition of one stage of the plant’s life cycle to the next one. For example, fruit and seed production often rely on the transportation of pollen mediated by pollinators. Likewise, herbivores often limit the amount of seedlings that reach the adult stage. By doing so, some animals can modify the patterns of plant recruitment and thus the configuration of the vegetation, acting as ecological engineers. Either plants, animals, or their interactions can be strongly affected by human alterations. One of the most pervasive alterations is the construction of linear developments such as highways, paved roads, trails and firebreaks. The ecological effects of highways and paved roads have been broadly studied. However, those of weaker landscape modifications such as trails and firebreaks (also called Soft Linear Developments, hereafter SLD) remain unexplored. This doctoral thesis evaluates the effect of SLD on plant-animal interactions and the accumulated effect of these alterations on the spatial configuration, abundance and diversity of the Mediterranean scrubland. In Chapter 1, we studied the effect of SLD on fruit and seed production of Halimium halimifolium , mediated by its interaction with pollinators and browsing herbivores. SLD had a negative effect on pollination and thereby on the overall fruit and seed set. In Chapter 2, we assessed the effect of SLD on fleshy-fruited shrub seed dispersal mediated by terrestrial mammals. SLD act as seed reception cores, receiving more than 77 % of seeds dispersed by mammals, especially of those species consumed by foxes and rabbits, which positively selected SLD verges for defecation., In Chapter 4, we investigated the effect of SLD on fleshy-fruited shrub seedling emergence and survival. SLD had no effect on these stages, i.e. seedling emergence and survival were similar both in SLD verges and in adjacent scrublands suggesting that these habitats are suitable for shrub recruitment. In Chapter 5, we measured the abundance, diversity and spatial configuration of Mediterranean shrubs in relation to SLD, comparing shrub communities along SLD verges with those in adjacent scrublands. Fleshy-fruited shrub densities were higher along SLD verges than in adjacent scrublands, which is mostly a consequence of the differential seed arrival. Considering all analyzed stages of the plant life cycle, we conclude that the plant-animal interaction more affected by SLD, with the potential to influence the spatial configuration, abundance and diversity of the Mediterranean scrubland was seed dispersal. Given seed dispersal by foxes and rabbits, SLD may become hotspots of recruitment and establishment of native Mediterranean shrubs. In the long term, those shrubs may create hedgerows that probably benefit biodiversity in multiple ways (e.g. reducing erosion, improving the connectivity between otherwise isolated populations, promoting the reforestation of adjacent fields, etc.). The conservation of seed dispersers and a careful management of SLD verges are needed in order to take advantage of all these potential benefits.