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Sea beet (Beta vulgaris L. subsp. maritima (L.) Arcang.) is a wild member of the Amaranthaceae family and a progenitor for all the cultivated beets (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris). It is a source of stress-resistant genes, contributing 21 valuable traits to sugar beet through multiple breeding approaches. Despite its importance, the core morphological diversity of sea beet within the Egyptian Mediterranean coastal region has not yet been thoroughly explored. The field observations indicated notable morphological diversity among sea beet populations. This study investigated the morphological diversity of six sea beet populations along with their associated soil and climatic conditions in their primary habitats. Our morphometric investigations identified two varieties: Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima var. glabra, characterized by glabrous, erect, larger basal leaves, and Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima var. pilosa, distinguished by its hairy, prostrate form with smaller basal leaves. These varieties exhibited differences in their spatial distribution, showing high variations at the inter- and intra-population levels as well as the variety level. Soil parameters significantly influenced population morphological variability, which demonstrated a strong positive correlation with soil organic carbon. Our results highlight the need for precise survey and molecular characterization to secure these potential genetic resources from alteration and loss, especially in coastal habitats that are particularly sensitive to future climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grassland bird populations in the Mediterranean lowlands have declined dramatically over the past few decades. This decline is due to a combination of factors, including changes in land use and farming practices as well as the impacts of climate change. In particular, more intensive agricultural methods have played a significant role in this reduction. However, in the higher-altitude uplands of the region, traditional practices like pastoralism and rotational low-intensity farming are still common, and these areas continue to support substantial populations of several threatened grassland bird species. In this viewpoint, we discuss the challenges that the uplands are facing and suggest rethinking regional development to better balance the needs of people and nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea beet (Beta vulgaris L. subsp. maritima (L.) Arcang.) is a wild member of the Amaranthaceae family and a progenitor for all the cultivated beets (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris). It is a source of stress-resistant genes, contributing 21 valuable traits to sugar beet through multiple breeding approaches. Despite its importance, the core morphological diversity of sea beet within the Egyptian Mediterranean coastal region has not yet been thoroughly explored. The field observations indicated notable morphological diversity among sea beet populations. This study investigated the morphological diversity of six sea beet populations along with their associated soil and climatic conditions in their primary habitats. Our morphometric investigations identified two varieties: Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima var. glabra, characterized by glabrous, erect, larger basal leaves, and Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima var. pilosa, distinguished by its hairy, prostrate form with smaller basal leaves. These varieties exhibited differences in their spatial distribution, showing high variations at the inter- and intra-population levels as well as the variety level. Soil parameters significantly influenced population morphological variability, which demonstrated a strong positive correlation with soil organic carbon. Our results highlight the need for precise survey and molecular characterization to secure these potential genetic resources from alteration and loss, especially in coastal habitats that are particularly sensitive to future climate change.

Risk of predation is one of the main constraints of small mammal distribution and foraging activity. Aside from numerical effects on population size due to the presence and abundance of predators, indirect cues, such as vegetation structure and moonlight, determine patterns of activity and microhabitat use by small mammals. Indirect cues are expected to interact, as shading provided by vegetation can suppress the effects of changing moonlight. We analyzed the effects of moonlight levels on the activity patterns of three common small mammal species in Mediterranean habitats, and tested whether moonlight effects were modulated by shadowing associated with the development of tall vegetation due to spontaneous afforestation following land abandonment. A. sylvaticus, a strictly nocturnal species, decreased activity under moonlight with no interactive effects of vegetation cover. C. russula showed no activity change with moonlight levels and M. spretus increased activity, although activity in both species was mostly determined by vegetation cover, that favored it. The effects of moonlight on small mammal activity were not homogeneous among species, nor were the interactive effects of man-made gradients of habitat structure, a fact that will produce community changes along vegetation gradients mediated by varying fear landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant phylogeny sometimes predicts interspecific variation in pollinator composition better than floral features, and its predictive value seems to differ among major groups of insect pollinators. Earlier findings suggesting that pollination by Plant phylogeny sometimes predicts interspecific variation in pollinator composition better than gross floral features, and its predictive value seems to differ among major groups of insect pollinators. Pollination by beetles exhibits the strongest phylogenetic signal and the strongest phylogenetic conservatism, which is particularly intriguing given that beetles were probably the pollinators of early angiosperms. We examine in this paper the relationship between plant phylogeny and flower visitation by nitidulid beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), an old monophyletic group of flower specialists and pollinators of gymnosperms and angiosperms. Using quantitative data on pollinator composition for 251 plant species (belonging to 167 genera in 46 families) from well-preserved Mediterranean montane habitats from southeastern Spain, the following questions were addressed: Is pollination by nitidulids correlated with plant phylogeny in the large species sample studied, and if it does, which are the relative importances of plant phylogeny, floral characteristics, and environmental features as predictors of nitidulid pollination in the plant assemblage studied ? Nitidulids were recorded in flowers of 25% of the plant species considered. Their distribution was significantly related to plant phylogeny, being clustered on certain lineages (Ranunculales, Malvales, Rosales, Asterales) and remarkably absent from others (e.g., Fabales, Lamiales). None of the environmental (habitat type, elevation) or macroscopic floral features considered (perianth type and color, flower mass) predicted nitidulid visitation after statistically accounting for the effect of plant phylogeny. We theorize that nitidulid beetles use characters of plants that track plant phylogeny at least as deep as the early radiation of the eudicots, imaginably characters such as the chemical signatures of pollen.

Under Mediterranean climates with dry‐hot summers and cool‐wet winters, many forbs with potential for habitat restoration are winter annuals, but there is little information about their germination.We performed laboratory germination experiments on 13 ruderal dicots native to Andalusia (southern Spain). We measured the germination of recently harvested seeds from natural populations across nine temperature treatments (from 5 to 35 °C, constant and alternate); two storage periods; and eight water stress treatments (from 0 to −1.0 MPa). We then calculated the hydrothermal thresholds for seed germination.Final germination ranged from 0–100% and results were mixed in response to temperature. Base temperature was below 6 °C, optimal temperature was around 14 °C and the ceiling temperature around 23 °C. For five species, 10 months of storage improved total germination, indicating a dormancy‐breaking effect, but the other species did not respond or had their germination reduced. All species were relatively tolerant to water stress, with base water potential ranging from −0.8 to −1.8 MPa.Our results suggest that hydrothermal germination thresholds, rather than physiological dormancy, are the main drivers of germination phenology in annual forbs from Mediterranean semi‐dry environments. The variation in germination responses of these forb species differs from winter annual grasses, but their seeds are all suitable for being stored before restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seven strains of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) belonging to three species (Steinernema feltiae, S. ichnusae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora) naturally isolated from Mediterranean countries (Southern Italy and Lebanon) were evaluated for their potential to infest greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) larvae at different temperatures under laboratory conditions. The laboratory bioassay was conducted at six different temperatures ranging from 10°C to 35°C. Nematode Infective Juvenile (IJs) were put in contact with G. mellonella larvae in Petri dishes and mortality rates were recorded after 72 hours. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the temperature range in which the EPNs caused larval mortality; higher mortalities were recorded at 15°C and 20°C. All species failed at lower temperatures except for S. ichnusae ItS-SAR4, which caused 7% mortality. At 35°C S. ichnusae maintained its infectious activity (24%) along with H. bacteriophora ItH-LU1 (38%); both were isolated from Italy and were more efficient at high temperatures than the remaining Lebanese isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding ecological interactions among protected species is crucial for correct management to avoid conflicting outcomes of conservation planning. The occurrence of a superior competitor may drive the exclusion of a subordinate contestant, as in Sicily where the largest European population of the lanner falcon is declining because of potentially competing with the peregrine falcon. We measured the coexistence of these two ecologically equivalent species through null models and randomization algorithms on body sizes and ecological niche traits. Lanners and peregrines are morphologically very similar (Hutchinson ratios <1.3) and show 99% diet overlap, and both of these results predict competitive exclusion. In contrast, their use of diverse cliff substrates for breeding in different times of the season would predict coexistence. To compare these two mutually excluding hypotheses, we examined the pattern of inter-specific transitions in 88 sites that were studied for 14 years (2000-2013) using a Markov chain (MC) occupancy state model, and checked the sensitivity and elasticity of the community structure to changes in transition probabilities. During the study period, 1144 territorial transitions occurred in peregrine and lanner territories, and the MCs were predicted to converge to a stable equilibrium in 2065. Markovian analysis suggested that temporal and spatial segregation of habitat during reproduction might prevail over anatomical specialization for hunting and diet, allowing species coexistence, despite the prediction that peregrines will outnumber the lanners in future projections. Our approach combining niche-overlap analysis and species occupancy modelling led to practical information about conservation options available for the threatened lanner. Lanners are very sensitive to site abandonment, and measures increasing adult persistence in occupied territories could be more rewarding than those encouraging juvenile dispersal and colonization of new sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa, Linnaeus 1758, Phasianidae) is a common game bird in Europe and it is classified as SPEC 2 (Species of European Conservation Concern), that is, a species with unfavorable conservation status due to a marked population decline. Loss of suitable habitat and hunting management are considered among the major causes of its decline. Such a decline can be also related to agriculture intensification, changes in agricultural practices and the abandonment of less productive lands. Habitat suitability models are an important management tool to define the potential distribution range of a given species, design a protected area network, and plan appropriate management actions and evaluate their effects. This study was conducted on Elba Island (Tuscany) in spring 2011 to define the habitat factors that affect theA. rufadistribution in a typical Mediterranean landscape. On this island the species is declining, as it is in other areas of Europe. We carried out point counts in a survey stratified according to vegetation. We formulated Resource Probability Selection Functions following a presence vs. availability design by Binary Logistic Regression Analysis to obtain a map of potential distribution of the species. We observed that the red-legged partridge distribution was mainly linked to the natural habitat with garrigue and perennial meadows, whereas woody landscape had a negative effect. To stop the species decline on the island habitat improvement actions are needed, such as the cutting of dense vegetation to create open areas. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

During the spring and summer of 2010 evidence was found that otters were using artificial lakes on golf courses in southern Spain as feeding areas. The remains of carp and turtles eaten by the otters were found. The presence of these otters may be influences by distances to and connections with natural habitats of the species. The use of these lakes as a potential feeding area is occurring at a time when there is a great deal of environmental stress in the Mediterranean region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seed dispersal by Red fox ( Vulpes vulpes), Stone marten ( Martes foina), and Wild boar ( Sus scrofa) was analyzed in an extensively degraded mosaic landscape in Sierra Nevada (SE Spain). The main objective was to determine whether seed dispersal by mammals was related to habitat degradation within a mosaic of adjacent degraded patches mixed with native forest and thereby to determine the potential role of mammals as seed dispersers in degraded landscape units. For three consecutive years, mammal feces were collected in the fruit production period, extracting all seeds of woody species found therein and analyzing their viability. Feces were collected in three different plots for each of five different landscape units: shrubland, native forest, and dense, cleared, and fenced reforestation stands. Seeds from 16 woody species (which represent more than a half of the total fleshy-fruited woody species available) were recorded, although some agrarian species are also introduced in a low percentage of the scats. Seeds showed a high viability rate for all dispersed species, irrespective of the mammal disperser. No differences in species composition appeared in the overall landscape units or in the seed density between degraded habitats. Due to the small patch size, the high viability of dispersed seeds, and the large home range of the large mammals, these three animal species act as efficient seed dispersers for a diverse assemblage of woody plant species regardless of the habitat type within this degradation framework. This fact has important consequences for the biodiversity recuperation in these degraded habitats, principally in pine plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examined the responses of Eurasian badgers Meles meles to the temporal pattern of resource availability. Researchers forecast that they would respond both to the seasonal timing of resource availability and to occasional pulses when food items are abundant. They hypothesized that the diet of badgers would reflect the seasonal onset of specific food resources, closely tracking food abundance, and that this tracking would show a relationship between the energetic value and water content of each resource and badger requirements at the time.

Movement is the process by which individual organisms are displaced over time to eat, reproduce and defend resources. Fractal analysis is a technique used to study animal movement that measures spatial complexity of path tortuosity; here, we apply it to characterize the movement patterns of the Eurasian badger ( Meles meles) in a Mediterranean landscape. We calculated path tortuosity overall and seasonally, and for individuals of different sexes and social groups. The influence of variables related to badgers’ resources (food, shelter, water), human infra-structures and weather conditions were analysed with respect to the tortuosity of each badger’s path. A total of 55 search paths from six badgers were considered for this study. Although badgers generally displayed convoluted movement, there were two exceptions: (a) males overall and (b) all badgers in summer; for both, movements had a lower fractal value, i.e. were less tortuous. The convoluted movement pattern generally observed is probably adapted to the clumped distribution of food in the study area. Nevertheless, our results suggest that the use of dens and latrines were the principal determinants of tortuosity of badgers’ paths while foraging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conservation problems affecting the endangered rodent Microtus cabrerae are mainly related to habitat loss and fragmentation. In the present study, we examined the presence/absence of the species in a group of potentially suitable habitat patches, and then evaluated the microhabitat attributes of locations used by wild-ranging individuals within occupied patches. Our results revealed that shallow flooding and abundant grass cover appear to be important factors in determining the presence among localities, but high rush cover strongly determined the presence and habitat use by voles both among and within localities. The preservation of these microhabitat characteristics may be required to effectively ensure the occurrence and stability of M. cabrerae colonies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-disturbance survival is a key factor in the onset of secondary successions. Here we analyse capture-recapture data from two before/after disturbance studies to estimate the effect of fire on local bird survival. Analyses of six bird species at two Mediterranean shrubland sites were combined using a meta-analysis approach. Two warblers, Sylvia undata and S. melanocephala, were studied at one site altered by prescribed burning, and five passerines (Luscinia megarhynchos, Turdus merula, Parus major, P. caeruleus and S. melanocephala) at one site disturbed by wild fire. Based on the combined analysis, annual survival probability significantly decreased from 0.49 to 0.18 (i.e. a 64%decline) after the fire. Our results further suggest a trend for a higher decrease in annual survival associated with wildfire (-72%,from 0.51 to 0.14) than with prescribed burning (-35%, from 0.41 to 0.27), although this should be properly tested with a specific experimental design. In S. undata, a decline in survival in the long-term cannot account for the drop in density observed the first spring after fire. We suggest that a decrease in recruitment rate and an increase in the proportion of non-breeders immediately after the fire may contribute more strongly to the decline in the breeding population. Our results tend to support the idea that bird populations may respond to moderate disturbances with noticeable time lags, because of individual site tenacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary 1 We elucidated the critical life stages and processes in the recruitment of Rhamnus ludovici-salvatoris , a dioecious shrub endemic to the Balearic Islands (western Mediterranean), populations of which have been shrinking in recent decades. We evaluated transition probabilities between all stages involved in regeneration from pollination to seedling recruitment, in order to determine the overall probability of an ovule in a flower becoming an established individual in a population. 2 We compared populations in an oak (Quercus ilex ) forest and in a more disturbed habitat (an abandoned field). We studied seed rain and probabilities of predation, germination and survival in the main microhabitats within each community. 3 High levels of seed predation after dispersal and unfavourable conditions (water deficit) during germination and recruitment periods were the most critical factors limiting population growth in both habitats. 4 The greater fecundity of shrubs in the abandoned field did not compensate for the lower probability of ovules recruiting new individuals in that habitat compared to the forest. 5 Spatial patterns of recruitment in this species cannot be predicted from seed dispersal patterns produced by frugivorous birds. In both habitats, but especially in the forest, there was strong spatial discordance between seed rain (most seeds were deposited under conspecifics) and seedling establishment. In the forest, most established Rhamnus are found under oaks, whereas in the abandoned field, saplings and juveniles are more equally distributed across different microhabitats. 6 This empirical study supports the idea that habitat disturbance, in general, may considerably alter the patterns of plant recruitment. For endemic species with restricted and rather small populations, the loss of natural habitat is likely to be detrimental for species’ persistence, as recruitment in disturbed sites is greatly reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report the results of an experimental study on ant pollination of three plant species inhabiting the Mediterranean high mountains ( Alyssum purpureum, Arenaria tetraquetra and Sedum anglicum) and four species inhabiting the aridlands ( Lepidium subulatum, Gypsophyla struthium, Frankenia thymifolia and Retama sphaerocarpa) of South-eastern Spain. We determined several plant and ant traits, as well as the composition and abundance of the pollinator assemblage. Insects belonging to 29 families and five orders visited the flowers of the plant species studied. In all but two, L. subulatum and G. struthium, the ants comprised 70-100% of the flower visitors. The results clearly show that five out of seven of these plant species were pollinated by ants. The role of the ants as pollinators seems to depend heavily on the relative abundance of the ants with respect to the other species of the pollinator assemblage, ant pollination becoming evident when ants outnumber other floral visitors. The ant-pollination systems analysed in this study may be the result of prevailing ecological conditions more than an evolutionary result of a specialized interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Communities invaded by Carpobrotus spp. show a decrease in species richness. • Communities invaded by Carpobrotus spp. are dominated by the native E. farctus. • No significant differences between the impact of C. acinaciformis and C. edulis. Coastal sand dunes are widely acknowledged as fragile and dynamic ecosystems. Among the several threats affecting the native biodiversity of these systems, invasive plants are one of the most troubling ones. The genus Carpobrotus has been recognized as one of the most abundant invasive genera along the Mediterranean coast, particularly in coastal sand dunes. In Italy, two taxa belonging to this genus have been identified: C. edulis and C. acinaciformis. Given that the taxonomic identification of these two species is still subject of debate, we investigate whether there are differences concerning their ecology in terms of their impact on native plant communities in central Italy coastal dunes. To do so, we analyzed their relative impact on species richness, diversity and relative abundance. Vegetation sampling was carried out through paired-plots, comparing invaded to non-invaded plots. Although our results show a general decrease in native species richness in all the invaded plots, there were no significant differences between the richness and diversity of the native communities invaded by C. edulis and that of the communities invaded by C. acinaciformis , although slight differences on native species' relative cover was observed. In addition, we observed a higher occurrence of C. edulis in the areas closer to the seashore. We conclude that even though there are no meaningful differences in the impacts of the two taxa on native biodiversity, further analyses are needed to exclude potential differences in their relative ecological adaptations to the changing abiotic conditions found along the coastal zonation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current notions of "pollinator decline" and "pollination crisis" mainly arose from studies on pollinators of economic value in anthropogenic ecosystems of mid‐latitude temperate regions. Comprehensive long‐term pollinator data from biologically diverse, undisturbed communities are needed to evaluate the actual extent of the so‐called "global pollination crisis." This paper analyzes the long‐term dynamics of pollinator abundance in undisturbed Mediterranean montane habitats using pollinator visitation data for 65 plant species collected over two decades. Objectives are (1) to elucidate patterns of long‐term changes in pollinator abundance from the perspectives of individual plant species, major pollinator groups, and the whole plant community and (2) to propose a novel methodological implementation based on combining a planned missing data design with the analytical strength of mixed effects models, which allows one to draw community‐wide inferences on long‐term pollinator trends in species‐rich natural habitats. Probabilistic measurements ("patch visitation probability" and "flower visitation probability" per time unit) were used to assess pollinator functional abundance for each plant species on two separate, randomly chosen years. A total of 13,054 pollinator censuses accounting for a total watching effort of 2,877,039 flower‐min were carried out on 299 different dates. Supra‐annual unstability in pollinator functional abundance was the rule, with visitation probability to flowering patches and/or individual flowers exhibiting significant heterogeneity between years in the majority of plant species (83%). At the plant‐community level, there was a significant linear increase in pollinator functional abundance over the study period. Probability of pollinator visitation to flowering patches and individual flowers increased due to increasing visitation by small solitary bees and, to a lesser extent, small beetles. Visitation to different plant species exhibited contrasting changes, and insect orders and genera differed widely in sign and magnitude of linear abundance trends, thus exemplifying the complex dynamics of community‐wide changes in pollinator functional abundance. Results of this investigation indicate that pollinator declines are not universal beyond anthropogenic ecosystems; stress the need for considering broader ecological scenarios and comprehensive samples of plants and pollinators; and illustrate the crucial importance of combining ambitious sampling designs with powerful analytical schemes to draw reliable inferences on pollinator trends at the plant community level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]