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El acompañamiento y el seguimiento académico de los estudiantes son tareas de gran importancia, necesarias para garantizar el éxito de su carrera profesional durante su vida universitaria, y después de ésta. Estos procesos no comienzan necesariamente con el ingreso de los estudiantes en la Universidad, sino que se extienden a los estudiantes de último curso de educación secundaria y bachillerato. Existe por tanto la necesidad de incluir dentro de las acciones que realizamos en la facultad (información, formación, inclusión) a los estudiantes de bachillerato, dándoles a conocer nuestro entorno de cara a su incorporación en la facultad. Por otro lado, la experiencia del equipo que trabajará en este proyecto, nos ha llevado a ser conscientes de los innumerables problemas que tienen los estudiantes de nuestra facultad para obtener información, formación, acompañamiento, seguimiento o inclusión en cuestiones que pueden afectar de una forma directa en sus actividades académica cotidianas y en su formación integral que reciben en nuestra facultad. La falta de una unidad o servicio centralizado para satisfacer estas necesidades ha sido aún más patente desde la pandemia. En la Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas se realizan multitud de actividades relacionadas con estas iniciativas y que son desconocidas por gran parte de la comunidad universitaria. Las acciones que se vienen realizando desde la facultad de Ciencias Biológicas estas dispersas entre distintos servicios y vicedecanatos (Vicedecanato de Calidad, Innovación y Sostenibilidad, Vicedecanato de Estudiantes, Practicas Externas y Movilidad, Vicedecanato de Estudios, Coordinadora de Grado, Oficina Erasmus, Vicedecanato de Investigación, Secretaría Académica, Delegación de Estudiantes, Oficina de Diversidad, etc.). En este sentido, con este proyecto pretendemos potenciar, sincronizar, coordinar y dar visibilidad a todas estas, mostrando la inmensa utilidad que suponen para nuestros estudiantes, cómo influyen en la mejora de

Sustainability of agroecosystems depends on the ecosystem services, provided by beneficial organisms, such as the syrphids (Diptera: Syrphidae) acting as other‐insect predators and pollinators in different crops. In the case of olive groves, syrphids are predators of important pests and are endangered by the continuous intensification of agriculture, including landscape simplification. In this work, the effect of landscape structure on the abundance and species richness of syrphids in the olive agroecosystem of central Spain is assessed. Adult syrphids were sampled in 2015 and 2016 in the centre of circular areas of 15 olive grove landscapes (from 250 to 1500 m radius) representing a gradient of landscape complexity, in the province of Madrid, central Spain. The syrphid assemblage was made up of 57 species, although Eupeodes corollae, Eristalis tenax, Eristalis similis and Chrysotoxum intermedium made up 76% of the captures. Syrphid abundance and species richness were favoured in complex landscapes, with low olive grove area (CAO). Other landscape indices showed also this trend although their effect was not as strong and consistent as that of CAO. The area of scrublands (CAS) favoured syrphids in spring, but was unfavourable in autumn. The effect of Shannon's Evenness Index (SHEI) and mean shape index (MSI) was less consistent. The effect of CAO increased with increasing buffers radii, while the effect of CAS, SHEI and MSI was detected in general at smaller radii, indicating these indices affect different processes. Redundancy analysis (RDA) detected some differences between species regarding their abundance in spring autumn, and their relationship with landscape indices. This work provides new evidence that maintenance of complex landscapes is essential for maintaining functional biodiversity in the olive agroecosystem., Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

Current plant bioassays included in the guidelines for testing pesticides do not include the measurement of reproduction endpoints. A bioassay, based on reduction of flowering of cress was developed to detect soil residues of hexazinone and simazine at levels of 0.02 and 0.10 ppm, respectively. The endpoint used in the described bioassay is the percentage of plant viability that implies that the tested plants have reached the flowering stage. It was found that sensitivity of cress is lower in soils containing higher organic matter., Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

The size and dynamics of seed banks were studied in grazed and ungrazed Mediterranean pastures at different altitudes and topography positions. The soil samples were collected in autumn and spring and the seed banks composition was determined by greenhouse germination over a 9‐month period. The percentage of bare ground and the presence of new seedlings were recorded monthly from October to July in the field. A fall in seed density and species richness in the banks and a tendency for seeds to remain in the banks were linked to a rise in altitude. Germination in lower pastures mainly occurred in October in the numerous gaps left by the summer drought. At higher altitudes, the scarcity of gaps and the harsh climate led to an autumn–spring segregation of germination. On a local scale, the low slope positions and the ungrazed plots had a larger number of persistent seed bank species and a lower percentage of bare ground where seeds could germinate than their respective plots in the upper positions and grazed plots. A higher seed density in ungrazed than grazed plots was only detected in the three highest plots. No seed bank species richness trend was detected. In populations of the same species in different types of environments, the seasonal variation of seed numbers was environment‐dependent for the majority of the species. In general, perennial grassland and its related low gaps availability appear to favour persistent seed banks., Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

In Spain, fire is a tool used for management in rural landscapes but also wildfires can play a disruptive socio-ecological role. Therefore, its spatial structure analysis and spatial resilience quantification to wildfire is useful for territorial planning and management. Objectives We evaluate the relationship between the spatial structure of Spanish rural landscapes with the historical wildfire frequency. We develop and calculate indices of spatial resilience to wildfires and large wildfires. Methods We followed a stratified sampling based on the biogeoclimatic classes grouping by ecoregions. We calculated landscape metrics with Fragstats and collected wildfires occurrence from a national wildfire database. Spatial resilience was estimated with a self-elaborated index, using wildfires data and landscape structure subjected to a MANOVA and to a linear regression model. Results The Northwest region suffered more wildfires and large wildfires than the other ecoregions. The differences in frequency of large wildfires were small and low in. Some landscape metrics were positively related to wildfire frequency (forest plantations and scrublands) and other negatively (“dehesas” and crops). Spatial resilience to wildfires and large wildfires was lower in the Northwest area but for large wildfires were also low in the Mediterranean Littoral and Central region. Conclusions The relationship between the frequency of the two types of wildfires and landscape structure determines differences in spatial resilience indices. Large wildfires are positively related to shrubland abundance, whereas small wildfires are positively related to heterogeneous agricultural areas. Therefore, spatial resilience indices could be used as early warning tools to prevent wildfires., Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, TRUE, pub

The development of a co-ordinated system for monitoring European biodiversity that can provide policy makers with information to underpin the management of ecological resources requires an appropriate environmental stratification to facilitate sampling and data analysis. This paper quantifies the similarities between the European Environmental Stratification (EnS) and four regional stratifications to test whether the EnS is able to distinguish locally important environmental gradients. The results show that in general the EnS is comparable with regional stratifications, and resolves border effects where divergent environmental conditions are combined into dominant strata. However, some regional gradients are not discerned, illustrating the value of national stratifications to provide local detail within continental monitoring strata., Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

Vegetation and buried germinable seeds were examined in Mediterranean pastures differing both in time elapsed since last ploughing and in intensity of disturbance. Densities of buried germinable seeds in the greenhouse were determined from 10 × 10 × 3 cm soil cores taken during the autumn prior to the time of germination. Abundance of pasture species was recorded on the same sites during the following spring.The species composition of the seed bank was very similar to that of the vegetation: 80.9 % similarity (Sorensen's index). The number of species and density of buried seeds ready to germinate increased with suc‐cessional age from 0 to 4 yr and decreased later to a constant level after 9 yr. Regarding disturbance intensity, the highest species numbers are found at intermediate intensities while there is a drastic decrease at high disturbance intensity. The floristic composition of the seedbankwas analyzed through Correspondence Analysis (CA) and Binary Discriminant Analysis (BDA). Seed bank composition reflected both successional stage and intensity of disturbance. Characteristic species of both gradients were identified., Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

Environmentally friendly control measures are necessary for the olive fruit fly Bactrocera oleae. Predation of pupae in soil should be better understood because it contributes to the natural control of pest populations. A time course field trial was carried out in 2015 and 2016 in 15 olive orchards selected to represent a gradient of landscape complexity. Exclusion cages were used to estimate predation rate. A combination of tillage intensity and soil coverage by herbaceous vegetation, hereafter referred to as soil condition, was also assessed as a factor affecting predation rate. The viability of the pupae recovered from the field was also evaluated. Predation was higher in the autumn than in late winter–early spring, although predation rate values were generally quite low. Landscape structure affected predation. In the autumn, the area of Mediterranean scrublands promoted predation in the olive groves. In late winter–early spring, weak tendencies were registered. Soil condition affected predation in autumn as well. The intense tillage and poor soil coverage were related to lower values of predation rate. To favour conservation biological control of B. oleae by pupae predation, it is advisable to reduce the intensity of soil management, especially in autumn, and to preserve areas of scrublands surrounding the olive groves., Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, TRUE, pub

Large-scale socioeconomic changes in recent decades have driven shifts in the structure of Spanish rural landscapes, particularly in those located at the forest-agriculture interface (FAI), as well as in their wildfire regime. Using data from more than 200 16 km2 landscape plots in Spain surveyed between 1956 and 2008 through the SISPARES monitoring framework, we assessed the FAI vulnerability to wildfires and identified the main landscape structural factors related to an increased number of wildfire events. We found that the most vulnerable landscapes were those with high road density, high diversity of land uses and, most importantly, with fine-grained forest-agriculture mixtures. Ignition frequency was lower in those landscapes where crops and woodlands coexisted but distributed in large and well-separated patches, and much lower where both land uses were combined within an integrated production and management system (“dehesas”). We discuss the geographical distribution patterns and temporal trends of the different FAI types during recent decades. We conclude that such approach is useful to forecast the mutual interactions between land use pattern changes and wildfire regime in the Mediterranean agroforestry mosaics. This would also provide an ecological base for developing a complementary, cost-effective and durable passive strategy of wildfire management targeted to modify the inherent FAI susceptibility to ignition events., Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

Designing biological control strategies for the olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae (Rossi)) by predators requires the study of their biology and effectiveness. In this work, we have studied the relationship between ground beetle activity density and local (soil condition) and landscape factors in the olive area of southeastern Madrid, as well as the efficiency of the most abundant species, Orthomus barbarus (Dejean) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) by functional response experiments. Also, O. barbarus has been described for the first time by molecular methods through the barcode gene COI. The two dominant species, O. barbarus and Pterostichus globosus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) showed different responses to landscape structure, but soil condition was more relevant than landscape structure for both species, and for activity density of ground beetles as a whole. P. globosus is more efficient than O. barbarus, and it is possible that in the study area other taxa are relevant as B. oleae predators., Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

The analysis of the dependence of landscape patterns on environment was carried out in order to investigate the landscape structure evolution of Spain. The underlying concept was that the dependence between landscape spatial structure and environmental factors could be gradually decreasing over time. Land cover data were recorded from aerial photo interpretation of 206 4 × 4 km 2 samples from three different years: 1956, 1984 and 1998. Geographical variables were taken into consideration together with the purely environmental ones. General Linear Models of repeated measures were then used to segregate environmental from geographical effects on the pattern of the land cover patches of the samples. Aridity, lithology and topography were the environmental factors used to analyse structural indices of landscape. Landscape composition has a higher dependence on environment than configuration. Environmental variables showed higher correlations with landscape composition and configuration than geographical variables. Among them, overall the climatic aridity and topography significantly accounted for more variation than did lithology. There was a high degree of stability in land cover composition over time, with some signif icant exceptions. Nevertheless, the registered increase of fragmentation over time has demonstrated that configuration measures are needed to fully assess landscape change. Key words: climatic effects, structural indices, landscape, composition, configuration, lithology, geography, Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

Farming systems maintain ecosystem services related to arthropod biodiversity, which need to be understood for its effective conservation. Some of these arthropods may also be enemies of crop pests. It has been shown that farming systems surrounded by other types of natural or semi-natural land covers/uses are less affected by pests. The abundance and richness of hymenopteran parasitoid (HP) families in olive groves were analysed along a gradient of complexity of the landscape surrounding these agroecosystems. The working hypothesis was that landscape structure is related to the abundance and richness of HP families. Through principal component analysis of samples analysed in 15 olive groves during the springs and autumns of 2015 and 2016, we found that a higher richness of HP families is associated to simple landscapes with olive grove predominance and a lower richness in landscapes with higher diversity of land uses. The most abundant families in olive-dominated landscapes were Pteromalidae, Encyrtidae and Eulophidae, and the least abundant were Elasmidae, Eupelmidae, Chrysididae, Platygastridae and Eurytomidae. In the most diverse olive grove landscapes only three families appeared: Mymaridae, the most abundant, and Diapriidae and Signiphoridae with lower abundance. Scelionidae was the most abundant family in all olive landscapes, both simple and complex. The greater richness and abundance of HP in olive-dominated landscapes does not guarantee biological control, but it does provide conservation of arthropod biodiversity as a cross-cutting ecosystem service., Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)/Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional(FEDER), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

The economic importance of Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) and the problems associated with insecticides make necessary new management approaches, including deeper biological knowledge and its relationship with landscape structure. Landscape complexity reduces B. oleae abundance in late summer–autumn in areas of high dominance of olive groves, but the effect of landscape structure in spring and in areas less dominated by olive groves has not been studied. It is also unknown whether the insect disperses from olive groves, using other land uses as a refugee in summer. This work evaluates the effect of landscape structure on olive fruit fly abundance and movement in spring and autumn, and infestation in autumn, in central Spain, an area where the olive crop does not dominate the landscape. A cost–distance analysis is used to evaluate the movement of the fly, especially trying to know whether the insects move away from olive groves in summer. The results indicate that B. oleae abundance is consistently lower in complex landscapes with high scrubland area (CAS), patch richness (PR) and Simpson landscape diversity index (SIEI), and low olive grove area (CAO). The cost–distance analysis shows that the fly moves mainly in spring, and amongst olive groves, but there is no evidence that land uses other than olive groves serve as a summer refuge. Olive fly infestation decreased with decreasing CAO and increasing CAS and SIEI, accordingly with the effect of landscape on abundance. Thus, mixing olive groves with other land uses, which are not a source of flies, can help improve control of this important pest, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO), Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

El presente estudio propone la modelización de las potenciales vías de entrada de la especie exótica invasora Myiopsitta monachus al campus de Moncloa desde la Casa de Campo, considerada el principal núcleo reproductor de la especie en Madrid. El objetivo principal del trabajo es diseñar una metodología que pueda ser integrada en el Plan Estratégico de Infraestructura Verde y Biodiversidad, competencia de las autoridades del Campus de la UCM, facilitando la implantación de estrategias de prevención y control frente a la presencia y expansión de esta especie exótica considerada invasora. Para ello, se ha utilizado la herramienta "Corridor Designer", integrable en ArcGIS y específicamente diseñada para la construcción de corredores ecológicos que simulan el flujo de especies entre dos o más espacios geográficos, This study proposes the modelling of the potential entry pathways of the invasive alien species Myiopsitta monachus to the Moncloa campus from the Casa de Campo, considered the main breeding site of the species in Madrid. The main objective of the work is to design a methodology that can be integrated into the Strategic Plan for Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity, which is the responsibility of the authorities of the UCM Campus, and serve as a possible strategy for preventing the presence and expansion of this species, which is considered invasive. To this end, the “Corridor Designer” tool has been used, which is an ArcGIS extension specifically designed for the construction of ecological corridors that simulate the flow of species between two or more geographical spaces.

Landscape and crop management are important concepts for conservation biological control as they can influence the abundance of natural enemies. In this work we accomplished a multi-scale study focused on the effect of landscape structure and crop management on the olive moth, Prays oleae (Bernard), an important pest of the olive tree (Olea europaea L.). The olive moth was collected in different olive groves managed under organic farming and integrated production and surrounded by different landscape structures. Generalized additive mixed models were used to analyze the response of the pest to (i) landscape composition and configuration indices, (ii) the management system and (iii) pesticides applications at different scales. Results indicated that the landscape composition, through the effect of the Simpson’s diversity index, negatively influenced P. oleae abundance and that the effect was evident at larger scales. Also, the landscape configuration negatively affected P. oleae at larger scales. However, neither the crop management system nor the pesticide applications affected P. oleae abundance. This study emphasizes that the preservation or implementation of diverse and complex landscapes can contribute to maintain lower population levels of P. oleae when compared with homogenous landscape areas., Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal), Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO, Portugal), Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

The spatial structure of agricultural landscapes can affect crop resilience to potential pest development. Previous studies have found several spatial landscape metrics related to the abundance of the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae, and these were combined to elaborate a spatial resilience index. In this paper, this index was calculated for olive landscapes all over Spain, for four years spanning a 50-year temporal range (1956, 1984, 1998 and 2008), using a network of 64 16-km2 plots representing olive landscapes within a bio-geo-climatic gradient. The resilience index was then modified adapting it through the weighting of spatial landscape metrics determined from the monitoring of this time-series analysis. The results showed that the values of spatial resilience of olive landscapes is predominantly low in southern Spain and medium in northeast and central Spain. The value of the index increased throughout the time-series considered, but not in the south. Expansion and concentration of olive groves, diversification of land uses, and fragmentation of landscapes have been the driving forces behind the evolution and current spatial structure of olive landscapes. The weighted resilience index constitutes a valuable tool for the socio-ecological planning of olive landscapes., Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

Designing biological control strategies for the olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae (Rossi)) by predators requires the study of their biology and effectiveness. In this work, we have studied the relationship between ground beetle activity density and local (soil condition) and landscape factors in the olive area of southeastern Madrid, as well as the efficiency of the most abundant species, Orthomus barbarus (Dejean) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) by functional response experiments. Also, O. barbarus has been described for the first time by molecular methods through the barcode gene COI. The two dominant species, O. barbarus and Pterostichus globosus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) showed different responses to landscape structure, but soil condition was more relevant than landscape structure for both species, and for activity density of ground beetles as a whole. P. globosus is more efficient than O. barbarus, and it is possible that in the study area other taxa are relevant as B. oleae predators., Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España), Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Depto. de Genética, Fisiología y Microbiología, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

Guía rápida de SPSS v.25 para usar en las Prácticas de Ecología (Grado en Biología, 3er curso)

Conjunto de guiones de prácticas de Ecología, correspondientes al bloque temático sobre el estudio de comunidades, y material complementario (estadillo y plantilla para la matriz de datos).

Some of the groups of beneficial arthropods present in the olive grove canopy are hoverflies, hymenopteran parasitoids and bees. In this research we test the hypothesis that the abundance of these groups in olive groves increases with increasing landscape complexity. In spring 2015 and 2016 we determined the abundance of the beneficial insect groups in 15 olive groves by identification of insects captured on 4 yellow sticky traps in each olive grove. Indices of landscape structure were calculated in circular areas with radii ranging from 250 to 1500 m around the 15 olive groves selected. Preliminary results indicate that in both sampling dates, the abundance of hoverflies was negatively correlated with the patch size of the olive grove, but positively correlated with the total area of scrublands and oak forests and with the diversity index of land uses. The abundance of hymenopteran parasitoids and bees was also positively correlated with the total area of scrublands with oak, in both years, but negatively correlated with the patch size of olive groves in the case of bees. Not all these relationships were significant at all radii and years analysed. These results indicate that intermingling of spontaneous vegetation with olive groves favours the presence of beneficial arthropods., Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

We develop a procedure for assessing the environmental value of landscape mosaics that simultaneously considers the values of land use patches and the values of the boundaries between them. These boundaries indicate the ecological interactions between the patches. A landscape mosaic is defined as a set of patches and the boundaries between them and corresponds to a spatial pattern of ecological interactions. The procedure is performed in two steps: (i) an environmental assessment of land use patches by means of a function that integrates values based on the goods and services the patches provide, and (ii) an environmental valuation of mosaics using a function that integrates the environmental values of their patches and the types and frequencies of the boundaries between them. This procedure allows us to measure how changes in land uses or in their spatial arrangement cause variations in the environmental value of landscape mosaics and therefore in that of the whole landscape. The procedure was tested in the Sierra Norte of Madrid (central Spain). The results show that the environmental values of the landscape depend not only on the land use patches but also on the values associated with the pattern of the boundaries within the mosaics. The results also highlight the importance of the boundaries between land use patches as determinants of the goods and services provided by the landscape., Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN), Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

Environmentally friendly measures are needed to achieve natural pest control. A relationship between landscape structure and Bactrocera oleae, the main olive grove pest, indicated a general association between complex landscapes and reduced abundance of the insect. In this work we have characterised the relationship between spatial structure of specific land uses and the olive fruit fly abundance at different scales (from 600 to 2000 m radius). We paid special attention to the dominant land use in the studied area, the olive crop, and the surrounding natural land uses. In the landscape analysed the spatial arrangement of olive and scrubland patches showed a gradient of situations from areas with an abundance of olive area distributed in very few patches close to each other to landscapes with less olive area arranged in many patches and with larger scrubland areas. Linear mixed-effects models showed that the abundance of B. oleae is positively related to the proximity of olive patches at all studied scales. However, other landscape characteristics (total area of olive groves and scrublands) were differentially related to pest abundance depending on considered scales. According to the obtained results it is advisable to plan olive groves at a 1000–1500 m radius spatial scale, in which the role of scrublands regarding B. oleae population is favoured. The best planning option for the olive grove landscape is discussed in the “Land sharing-Land sparing” context., Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo realizar un análisis espacio-temporal de la relación entre la estructura del paisaje y la polilla del olivo (P. oleae). En primer lugar se construye una capa de usos del suelo en el área de estudio a partir de la capa del Sistema de Información sobre Ocupación de Suelo en España (SIOSE) que será el paisaje a analizar. A continuación se calculan índices de paisaje a diferentes escalas espaciales circundantes a las muestras de P. oleae (radios de influencia de 2000, 1500m, 1000m, 750m, 600m, 500m y anillos de influencia de 1500-2000, 1000-1500m, 750-1000m, 600-750m, 500-600m). Finalmente se lleva a cabo un análisis estadístico de correlación lineal entre los índices de paisaje y la población y el daño de cada una de las generación del P. oleae.

Located in the west of the Mediterranean and with high environmental heterogeneity, the Iberian Peninsula represents a challenging region for designing and implementing observation systems for landscape, habitat and species diversity indicators. Within the framework of a project designed to set up a European Biodiversity Observation Network (EBONE), a standardized protocol for field survey was used in pilot sites located across a major gradient in Portugal and Spain. Results are presented and compared to assess the efficiency of the method in detecting patterns along this gradient. These sites represent different types of Iberian landscapes selected using a stratified random procedure implemented in the Madrid province (Spain) and in the north of Portugal. Species and habitat richness and diversity (as well as their components) are compared in their relation to environmental gradients and survey area. Results from spatial analyses of landscape heterogeneity are also presented and discussed in relation to appropriate indicators. The implications for setting up cost-efficient observation schemes that capture the key indicators effectively are discussed. Perspectives for integration with complementary monitoring schemes targeted at key species, habitat and landscape indicators are also discussed in order to optimize the power and efficiency of these observation networks., Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

This research has been carried out in the framework of the EC FP7 project EBONE (EC-FP7 Contract ENV-CT-2008-212322) and co-financed by the Dutch Ministry of Economics, Agriculture and Innovation. Project code KB14-002-007., It is important to develop protocols for harmonisation in order to convert habitat categories recorded in monitoring projects in Europe into a format that enables datasets to be integrated. This deliverable demonstrates the success of the procedures for most available projects. The present document delivers conversion tables and summarises the conclusions, which can be drawn from them, including comments on their integration with satellite imagery. In Austria, Sweden and Great Britain the protocols are now being used to produce data which can be integrated at the environmental stratum level. In Spain the work in EBONE has shown that additional survey at the right level of detail will be required. The national protocols for habitat monitoring in Great Britain, Sweden and Austria have been converted into a common format based on General Habitat Categories (GHCs). The conversion tables enable full integration. This makes it possible to use national data in estimates for European comparisons and the production European habitat extent. Without common protocols it would be impossible to carry out comparisons between environmental zones and biogeographical regions. Although conversion at a high level will be possible with the Spanish SISPARES the scale of the Minimum Mappable Units does not fit the detail of the other projects. Further data therefore needs to be collected in the Spanish SISPARES sites to provide detailed mapping for integration. An additional conclusion reached during the preparation of protocols for the Countryside Survey of Great Britain, was that further divisions of the GHCs will be required to improve the relationship with Remote Sensing. These divisions are being made using ancillary data that are available in all existing projects as well as from the EBONE field records. The divisions will also provide more ecological details in rassland habitats. Other national and regional projects are expected to fit this approach. For example the categories of t, Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

This work reports on the relationship between landscape composition and configuration of land uses and the population density of the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae, a worldwide key pest of olive trees. The relationship was tested at different distances from the olive fruit fly sampling points, in circular areas with radii ranging from 500 to 2000 m. A significant relationship was found at short distances for the following indices: total number of patches, mean patch size, total length of patch edges, edge density and mean patch edge length. These results indicate that landscape features can affect populations of this phytophagous insect. However, more detailed understanding of the processes underlying this phenomenon is needed to implement measures to manage this important species., Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

Large-scale socioeconomic changes in recent decades have driven shifts in the structure of Spanish rural landscapes, particularly in those located at the forest-agriculture interface (FAI), as well as in their wildfire regime. Using data from more than 200 16 km2 landscape plots in Spain surveyed between 1956 and 2008 through the SISPARES monitoring framework, we assessed the FAI vulnerability to wildfires and identified the main landscape structural factors related to an increased number of wildfire events. We found that the most vulnerable landscapes were those with high road density, high diversity of land uses and, most importantly, with fine-grained forest-agriculture mixtures. Ignition frequency was lower in those landscapes where crops and woodlands coexisted but distributed in large and well-separated patches, and much lower where both land uses were combined within an integrated production and management system (“dehesas”). We discuss the geographical distribution patterns and temporal trends of the different FAI types during recent decades. We conclude that such approach is useful to forecast the mutual interactions between land use pattern changes and wildfire regime in the Mediterranean agroforestry mosaics. This would also provide an ecological base for developing a complementary, cost-effective and durable passive strategy of wildfire management targeted to modify the inherent FAI susceptibility to ignition events.

Hexazinone and simazine field dissipation was studied in two different soils from Spain (Toledo and Burgos), devoted to forest nurseries for Pinus nigra. Laboratory experiments (adsorption–desorption isotherms, leaching experiment and degradation study) were carried out to determine possible mechanisms of dissipation. Higher adsorption was observed for hexazinone in Toledo (KfT ¼ 0:69) compare to in Burgos soil (KfB ¼ 0:20) probably due to the higher organic matter (OM) content of Toledo soil. No differences in adsorption were obtained for simazine in both soils (KfT ¼ 1:27; KfB ¼ 1:34). In every case, adsorption was higher for simazine than for hexazinone, in both soils. The total recovery of hexazinone in the leachates from handpacked soil columns was higher in Burgos (100%) than in Toledo (80%), because of the larger adsorption of hexazinone in this last soil. No differences in simazine leaching between both soils were found, although the total amount of pesticide recovered in leachates (40% in the two soils) was lower for simazine than for hexazinone. Finally, lower degradation was found in Burgos (t1=2 ¼ 91 d) vs Toledo (t1=2 ¼ 47 d), directly related with the high OM content of Toledo. No half-life was calculated for simazine in Toledo because no changes in herbicide soil content were observed during the period of time studied. In the case of Burgos, the half-life for simazine was 50 days. The field residues study showed larger persistence of simazine than hexazinone mainly due to the higher adsorption and lower mobility of simazine in the two soils. The lower persistence of hexazinone in Toledo soil than in Burgos soil is related to the larger rainfall occurred in this soil besides the higher degradation of this herbicide observed in Toledo soil. The much lower temperature in Burgos than in Toledo soil during winter contribute to the higher persistence of the two herbicides in Burgos soil, Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

Approaches linking biodiversity assessment with landscape structure are necessary in the framework of sustainable rural development. The present paper describes a methodology to estimate plant diversity involving landscape structure as a proportional weight associated with different plant communities found in the landscape mosaic. The area occupied by a plant community, its patch number or its spatial distribution of patches are variables that could be expressed in gamma plant diversity of a territory. The methodology applies (1) remote sensing information, to identify land cover and land use types; (2) aspect, to discriminate composition of plant communities in each land cover type; (3) multi-scale field techniques, to asses plant diversity; (4) affinity analysis of plant community composition, to validate the stratified random sampling design and (5) the additive model that partitions gamma diversity into its alpha and beta components. The method was applied to three Spanish rural areas and was able to record 150–260 species per ha. Species richness, Shannon information index and Simpson concentration index were used to measure diversity in each area. The estimation using Shannon diversity index and the product of patch number and patch interspersion as weighting of plant community diversity was found to be the most appropriate method of measuring plant diversity at the landscape level., Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub