Indígenas y científicos: juntos hacia la conservación de la biodiversidad

Desde 2001 la Universidad de Málaga colabora con comunidades del Estado Amazonas de Venezuela para mejorar la situación medioambiental en espacios habitados por estos pueblos. Todo ello mediante la integración del conocimiento tradicional y el de los investigadores

Evaluación del efecto barrera de las vías de transporte andaluzas al desplazamiento de la fauna como respuesta al cambio climático

Se evaluó el posible efecto barrera de las infraestructuras viarias de Andalucía al desplazamiento de las distribuciones futuras que previsiblemente tendrán que efectuar 20 especies amenazadas de tetrápodos no voladores para responder al cambio climático. Para elaborar los modelos ambientales se usó la función de favorabilidad y se consideraron dos modelos de circulación (CGCM2 y ECHAM4) y dos escenarios de emisiones (A2 y B2). Solo se ha predicho un desplazamiento de las áreas favorables en el futuro para Salamandra salamandra. La favorabilidad ambiental de S. salamandra se verá reducida en la mitad occidental, mientras que en el cuadrante nororiental se incrementará. El posible efecto barrera de las infraestructuras viarias para esta especie se evaluó teniendo en cuenta el posible flujo entre áreas separadas por ellas. Salamandra salamandra morenica tendrá que superar las barreras de la línea férrea Córdoba–Almorchón y del Ave Sevilla-Córdoba-Madrid para alcanzar las zonas más favorables situadas en el cuadrante nororiental.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Changes in potential mammal diversity in national parks and their implications for conservation

Observed species richness (OSR) is a widely used and well-studied biodiversity metric. However, non-observed species in favorable ecosystems are also relevant. Two metrics that include observed and potential species were recently defined: potential biodiversity (hereafter potential species richness—PSR) and geometric mean of favorabilities (GMF). We used these metrics to evaluate the national park network of mainland Spain at two time periods (2002 and 2015), using terrestrial mammals on a UTM 100-km2 grid. PSR and GMF are based on the favorability function, a species distribution model that assesses how favorable an area is for the presence of a species, over and above its prevalence in the study area. For each park and for the whole network, we calculated the mean and sum of OSR, PSR, and GMF in each time period, as well as changes between periods. OSR and PSR were higher inside than outside the park network in both time periods. Thus, although the network covers a very small proportion of the country, it performs well for the representation of mammal species and their favorable areas. However, mean PSR was lower in 2015 than in 2002 inside the national park network, whereas the opposite was the case outside the network. Mountainous Parks generally not only concentrated highly favorable areas for mammals, but they also showed less favorable areas in 2015 compared to 2002, although the reduction was moderate to low. This is a result to consider for future analyses because if the tendency increases, it may have consequences for the conservation of mammals and for the adequacy of the national park network

Applying fuzzy logic to comparative distribution modelling: a case study with two sympatric amphibians.

We modelled the distributions of two toads (Bufo bufo and Epidalea calamita) in the Iberian Peninsula using the favourability function, which makes predictions directly comparable for different species and allows fuzzy logic operations to relate different models. The fuzzy intersection between individual models, representing favourability for the presence of both species simultaneously, was compared with another favourability model built on the presences shared by both species. The fuzzy union between individual models, representing favourability for the presence of any of the two species, was compared with another favourabilitymodel based on the presences of either or both of them. The fuzzy intersections between favourability for each species and the complementary of favourability for the other (corresponding to the logical operation “A and not B”) were compared with models of exclusive presence of one species versus the exclusive presence of the other. The results of modelling combined species data were highly similar to those of fuzzy logic operations between individual models, proving fuzzy logic and the favourability function valuable for comparative distribution modelling. We highlight several advantages of fuzzy logic over other forms of combining distribution models, including the possibility to combine multiple species models for management and conservation planning

Combined Effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation and the Arctic Oscillation on Sea Surface Temperature in the Alborán Sea

We explored the possible effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Arctic Oscillation (AO) on interannual sea surface temperature (SST) variations in the Albora´n Sea, both separately and combined. The probability of observing mean annual SST values higher than average was related to NAO and AO values of the previous year. The effect of NAO on SST was negative, while that of AO was positive. The pure effects of NAO and AO on SST are obscuring each other, due to the positive correlation between them. When decomposing SST, NAO and AO in seasonal values, we found that variation in mean annual SST and mean winter SST was significantly related to the mean autumn NAO of the previous year, while mean summer SST was related to mean autumn AO of the previous year. The one year delay in the effect of the NAO and AO on the SST could be partially related to the amount of accumulated snow, as we found a significant correlation between the total snow in the North Albora´n watershed for a year with the annual average SST of the subsequent year. A positive AO implies a colder atmosphere in the Polar Regions, which could favour occasional cold waves over the Iberian Peninsula which, when coupled with precipitations favoured by a negative NAO, may result in snow precipitation. This snow may be accumulated in the high peaks and melt down in spring-summer of the following year, which consequently increases the runoff of freshwater to the sea, which in turn causes a diminution of sea surface salinity and density, and blocks the local upwelling of colder water, resulting in a higher SST.CGL2009-11316 (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain, and FEDER

Diversidad oscura de mamíferos en la Red de Parques Nacionales

La función de favorabilidad para la presencia de una especie se puede considerar como análoga a la función de onda, utilizada en física cuántica, y los cambios experimentados en la distribución de las especies de mamíferos estarían representados por los cambios en sus funciones de favorabilidad a lo largo del tiempo. Se han publicado novedosas medidas de la biodiversidad derivadas de estos conceptos, como son la biodiversidad potencial (suma de favorabilidades), la media geométrica de favorabilidades, y la biodiversidad oscura (suma de favorabilidades para las especies ausentes de un territorio). Estas medidas fueron aplicadas a los mamíferos en los Parques Nacionales de España peninsular en 2002 y 2015. Los Parques con mayor diversidad fueron Parques montañosos ubicados en el norte de España, aunque tuvieron áreas algo menos favorables para los mamíferos en 2015 que en 2002. Se presentan ejemplos de especies que están ausentes de determinados parques pero tienen potencial para estar presentes dada la favorabilidad local, es decir, forman parte de la biodiversidad oscura del parque. Parte de esta biodiversidad que era oscura en 2002 pasó a ser biodiversidad observada en 2015.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Species distribution models as a useful tool in conservation programs: the case of the Northern Bald Ibis

The Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) is one of the most endangered species on the planet. Over the last century, the species had suffered an extreme decline in its population size, and is now considered to be critically endangered. Nowadays, the original distribution range of the species is restricted to the Agadir region in Morocco. In Europe the species is only present in Spain and Austria, and this is due to two different conservation projects with introduced animals born and raised in captivity. The aim of this project is to characterize those past and present areas used by the Northern Bald Ibis in their natural distribution in Morocco, identifying the most favorable areas for the assessment of the species in Morocco and also for making it possible to reintroduce this species to Europe. We used species distribution models with a presence/absence database obtained from bibliography and a set of environmental variables. Spatial variables were combined obtaining a trend surface variable, which is a purely spatial descriptor of the cohesion trend in the distribution of the species regarding its history and population dynamics. Another model was built using only environmental variables to identify those areas which are favorable for the species in relation to the environment, without the effects of the population's cohesion trend. Obtained models classified the areas into 'favorable', 'unfavorable' or 'uncertain'. In the case of Andalusia, introduced individuals have moved to favorable places in the North of Morocco, where the species was not present in the past. Moreover, for the first time there have been new records of this species on the occidental coast of Morocco, where the models also predict a maximum in the favorability. This methodology could be used to detect the best places to introduce new individuals or to create protected areas.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Barreras geográficas como factores explicativos en los modelos de distribución. El caso de los primates en la cuenca del Congo (África central) y en la región San Martín (Perú)

En Biogeografía, las barreras geográficas conforman, con frecuencia, límites naturales para la distribución de las especies. En África Central, el río Congo pone límite a primates, como el chimpancé (Pan troglodytes) y el bonobo (Pan paniscus); y en Perú, el río Huallaga también representaría una barrera geográfica para la distribución de algunas especies de mono tocón (Plecturocebus oenanthe y Plecturocebus discolor). La modelación de la distribución de especies es una herramienta importante que nos aproxima a entender las relaciones entre las especies y su entorno, pero hasta ahora los modelos no incluyen la presencia de barreras geográficas como un factor explicativo a considerar. El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido comparar diferentes métodos para tener en cuenta las barreras. Se han puesto a prueba variables que describen la estructura espacial de las distribuciones para considerar posibles causas históricas ("trend surface" análisis, basado en la latitud y la longitud), y variables diseñadas para incluir en los modelos el efecto de las barreras geográficas. Estas variables específicas pueden describir la barrera como límite físico o bien como límite ecológico. El análisis de la estructura espacial ha sido capaz de reflejar en los mapas resultantes la presencia de una barrera geográfica. En todos los casos de estudio ha sido positivo incluir también el efecto de una barrera geográfica a través de una variable diseñada para su descripción. En estos casos, el modelo mejor valorado fue el que describió la barrera como un límite físico para la distribución. En Perú el río tiene un papel importante como barrera física porque estaría amortiguando la dispersión, y por tanto dificultando el contacto entre especies potencialmente competidoras. Este estudio brinda un enfoque en el cual la función de favorabilidad permite integrar variables para poder describir y entender el papel de las barreras geográficas.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech