Hoverfly diversity (Diptera: Syrphidae) of Pyrenean oak woodlands in Central-Western Spain: a preliminary study with conservation outcomes

Hoverflies are frequently used as biodiversity indicators and are targets of ecological studies across Europe. How hoverfly diversity responds to ecological variables is essential for species and habitat conservation. The present study is a first attempt to assess the hoverfly diversity of deciduous woodlands of Pyrenean oak (Quercus pyrenaica) in La Vera (Central-Western Spain), a habitat in need of conservation and a region that is poorly known in terms of hoverflies. Hoverflies were sampled with hand net in a mature-woodland site, a young-woodland site, and two close-by grassland sites. A higher number of species and individuals was recorded in woodland sites than in grassland sites, with only two species exclusive to the grasslands and thus, suggesting that woodland sites might be acting as a hoverfly reservoir and source. The proportion of species with phytophagous and saprophagous larvae in woodland sites was higher than outside the woodlands, probably due to a higher availability of resources in woodland sites for phytophagous and saprophagous species. The mature woodland was found to have a higher number of species and individuals than the young woodland, possibly due to the presence of grassy clearings and rotting materials in the trees of the mature woodland. The highest number of species was found in the predatory guild (Syrphinae), and smaller-bodied species within this guild were found to be more frequent in grassland than in woodland sites; possible explanations for this result are discussed. Further investigation is required to confirm and expand the results and conclusions found in this initial study on the hoverfly community of the poorly studied Q. pyrenaica woodlands of Central-Western Spain.Open access funding provided by Stockholm University. We thank to the ‘Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia de Conocimiento’ for funding Antonio Ricarte’s position (Ref. UATAL05) at the University of Alicante

Effects of Longer Droughts on Holm Oak Quercus ilex L. Acorn Pests: Consequences for Infestation Rates, Seed Biomass and Embryo Survival

The effects of climate change on oaks Quercus spp. constitute a main environmental concern for the conservation of temperate forests. In this context, we assessed the consequences of longer droughts on the interactions between the holm oak Quercus ilex L. and its main acorn pests. Infested acorns were prematurely abscised before reaching their potential size. The volume of the acorns attacked by Cydia fagiglandana (Lepidoptera) was smaller than those attacked by Curculio elephas (Coleoptera); however, their weight did not differ because Curculio larvae consumed more cotyledon. For the same reason, embryo survival likelihood was not lower in Cydia acorns despite their smaller size. Delays of late summer rain reduced infestation by Curculio, as soil hardness hampers adult emergence from their underground cells. By contrast, late and scarce precipitations benefited Cydia; rainfall might hamper adult flight and eggs/L1 larvae survival. There was not a “zero-sum” effect, because the decrease of Curculio infestation rates was not fully compensated by an increase of Cydia. Under the longer droughts projected for the Mediterranean Basin, our results predict lower infestation rates and higher acorn survival likelihood. However, further studies including other environmental factors are needed to better forecast the net consequences for holm oak fitness

Effect of climate and insemination technique on reproductive performance of gilts and sows in a subtropical zone of Mexico

The objective of this study was to analyse the reproductive performance of hybrid (Yorkshire x Landrace) gilts/sows in relation to temperature-humidity index (THI) at artificial insemination (AI), season of AI, occurrence of estrus >8 d post-weaning, repeated estrus, insemination technique (cervical, CAI or post-cervical, PCAI) and parity. Data included 8851 reproductive records (1771 for gilts and 7080 for sows) from a pig farm in a sub-tropical zone (THI ranged from 72.9 in January to 81.8 in June). A decrease in pregnancy rate (PR, 89.8 vs 93.0%; P<0.01) and a tendency to decline farrowing rate (FR, 87.9 vs 90.3%; P=0.07) following AI during high THI (>82), compared to AI at <74 THI were observed. The spring and summer season were associated with decreased (P<0.01) PR compared with fall and winter (90.0% vs 93.0%). Likewise, FR decreased in spring and summer compared to fall and winter (88.5% vs. 90.9%). FR was higher (P<0.01) in non-repeat breeders compared with that of repeat-breeders (90.3% vs 76.2%). Litter size increased (P<0.01) from 10.8 ± 3.2 to 11.1 ± 3.1 pigs when the interval from weaning to estrus was >8 d. The insemination technique did not affect PR and FR but the litter size decreased (P<0.05) from 11.3 ± 3.0 to 11.1 ± 2.9 pigs when PCAI was used compared to CAI. This study reaffirms the negative effects of the hot season on reproductive performance of gilts/sows, although thermal stress at AI did not cause foetal losses. Also, there is no advantage in using the PCAI as compared to the CAI in gilts/sows with high numbers of sperm cells per AI

Trees increase ant species richness and change community composition in Iberian Oak savannahs

Iberian man-made oak savannahs (so called dehesas) are traditional silvopastoral systems with a high natural value. Scattered trees provide shelter and additional food to livestock (cattle in our study sites), which also makes possible for animals depending on trees in a grass-dominated landscape to be present. We compared dehesas with nearby treeless grasslands to assess the effects of oaks on ant communities. Formica subrufa, a species associated with decayed wood, was by far the most abundant species, especially in savannahs. Taxa specialized in warm habitats were the most common both in dehesas and grasslands, as expected in areas with a Mediterranean climate. Within dehesas, the number of species was higher below oak canopies than outside tree cover. Compared to treeless grasslands, the presence of oaks resulted in a higher species richness of aphid-herding and predator ants, probably because trees offer shelter and resources to predators. The presence of oaks changed also the species composition, which differed between grasslands and dehesas. In self-standing scattered oaks, ant communities did not differ between the trunks and soil below canopies. These results stress the conservation value of trees in dehesas; within grasslands, they offer an additional microhabitat for species that would otherwise be scarce or absent

Latitudinal variation in seed predation correlates with latitudinal variation in seed defensive and nutritional traits in a widespread oak species

10 páginas, 1 tabla, 4 figuras. Supplementary data are available online at https://academic.oup.com/aobBACKGROUND AND AIMS: Classic theory on geographical gradients in plant-herbivore interactions assumes that herbivore pressure and plant defences increase towards warmer and more stable climates found at lower latitudes. However, the generality of these expectations has been recently called into question by conflicting empirical evidence. One possible explanation for this ambiguity is that most studies have reported on patterns of either herbivory or plant defences whereas few have measured both, thus preventing a full understanding of the implications of observed patterns for plant-herbivore interactions. In addition, studies have typically not measured climatic factors affecting plant-herbivore interactions, despite their expected influence on plant and herbivore traits. METHODS: Here we tested for latitudinal variation in insect seed predation and seed traits putatively associated with insect attack across 36 Quercus robur populations distributed along a 20° latitudinal gradient. We then further investigated the associations between climatic factors, seed traits and seed predation to test for climate-based mechanisms of latitudinal variation in seed predation. KEY RESULTS: We found strong but contrasting latitudinal clines in seed predation and seed traits, whereby seed predation increased whereas seed phenolics and phosphorus decreased towards lower latitudes. We also found a strong direct association between temperature and seed predation, with the latter increasing towards warmer climates. In addition, temperature was negatively associated with seed traits, with populations at warmer sites having lower levels of total phenolics and phosphorus. In turn, these negative associations between temperature and seed traits led to a positive indirect association between temperature and seed predation. CONCLUSIONS: These results help unravel how plant-herbivore interactions play out along latitudinal gradients and expose the role of climate in driving these outcomes through its dual effects on plant defences and herbivores. Accordingly, this emphasizes the need to account for abiotic variation while testing concurrently for latitudinal variation in plant traits and herbivore pressure.This research was financially supported by a Spanish National Research Grant (AGL2015-70748-R), a Regional Government of Galicia Grant (IN607D 2016/001) and the Ramón y Cajal Research Programme (RYC-2013–13230) to X.M.10 páginas, 1 tabla, 4 figura

MAREJADAS RURALES Y LUCHA POR LA VIDA, VOL. I:CONSTRUCCIÓN SOCIOCULTURAL Y ECONÓMICA DEL CAMPO.

Este volumen incluye trabajos que abordan temáticas que demuestran que el campo es una construcción sociocultural, por lo tanto, el medio rural es diferenciado y está en constante cambio y adaptación a los procesos globales y locales. Son 19 trabajos divididos en dos secciones, la primera, denominada Nuevas dinámicas sociales, económicas y culturales en el medio rural, está compuesta por 8 capítulos, en esta sección se incluyen aquellos trabajos que analizan de manera concreta los cambios perceptibles en las relaciones rurales y en las actividades económicas; procesos como desagrarización y nuevas actividades económicas son abordados aquí, así como propuestas metodológicas para el estudio de lo rural considerando los cambios y adaptaciones que se registran en los territorios. La segunda sección, Resistencias y alternativas al modelo neoliberal en la producción agrícola y alimentaria, está integrada por 11 trabajos que abordan las diversas formas en que los campesinos y productores agrícolas resisten y se adaptan a los cambios globales y a las modificaciones de política pública, desde los mercados alternativos hasta la producción de nuevos cultivos que generan un mercado nuevo a su producción, hasta las resistencias y defensa de la milpa, las reflexiones que nos ofrecen dan idea de la diversidad de formas en que la vida campesina se mantiene a pesar de todos los embates.INSTITUTO DE CIENCIAS AGROPECUARIAS Y RURALES (ICAR), UNIVERSIDAD DE GUADALAJARA, EL COLEGIO DE MICHOACÁN A.C., CUCOSTA SUR GRANA, FACULTAD DE ESTUDIOS SUPERIORES ACATLÁN-UNAM, ECOSU

Métodos y técnicas de monitoreo y predicción temprana en los escenarios de riesgos socionaturales

Esta obra concentra los métodos y las técnicas fundamentales para el seguimiento y monitoreo de las dinámicas de los escenarios de riesgos socionaturales (geológicos e hidrometeorológicos) y tiene como objetivo general orientar, apoyar y acompañar a los directivos y operativos de protección civil en aterrizar las acciones y políticas públicas enfocadas a la gestión del riesgo local de desastre

The effect of climate on oak-based species interactions : annual number of leaf flushes and insect voltinism

Plants interact with a large diversity of organisms, including insects and microorganisms. These species interactions are strongly influenced by climate, as illustrated by the advances in plant and insect phenology in response to increasing temperatures. Beyond changes in phenology, climate might also affect the number of times certain events take place during the same year, such as the number of leaf flushes of plants and the number of generations of insects (voltinism). In this thesis, I investigated the impact of the number of leaf flushes and insect voltinism on the oak food web. I focussed on the pedunculate oak Quercus robur and the community of herbivores and fungi that share oaks as a common resource. In the first half of my thesis, I looked into the impact of the co-existence of multiple leaf flushes on plant chemistry, insect attack, pathogen infection and the structure of the foliar fungal community along the distributional range of oaks in Europe. In the second half of my thesis, I examined the impact of temperature and species traits on the voltinism of the oak-associated herbivore community, as well as the joint impact of plant spring phenology and pathogen infection on the preference and performance of multigenerational attackers during the growing season. Overall, my findings showed that I) plant chemistry, insect attack and pathogen infection differ between leaf flushes, II) the foliar fungal community is strongly affected by oak leaf flush and latitude, III) temperature and resource specialisation are the main drivers for changes in voltinism within the oak-associated community of herbivores, and IV) spring phenology and pathogen infection affect the preference and performance of multigenerational attackers. Taken together, my thesis contributes to our understanding of the effects of climate-induced changes in the number of leaf flushes and voltinism on the structure and dynamics of the oak food web

The effect of climate on oak-based species interactions : annual number of leaf flushes and insect voltinism

Plants interact with a large diversity of organisms, including insects and microorganisms. These species interactions are strongly influenced by climate, as illustrated by the advances in plant and insect phenology in response to increasing temperatures. Beyond changes in phenology, climate might also affect the number of times certain events take place during the same year, such as the number of leaf flushes of plants and the number of generations of insects (voltinism). In this thesis, I investigated the impact of the number of leaf flushes and insect voltinism on the oak food web. I focussed on the pedunculate oak Quercus robur and the community of herbivores and fungi that share oaks as a common resource. In the first half of my thesis, I looked into the impact of the co-existence of multiple leaf flushes on plant chemistry, insect attack, pathogen infection and the structure of the foliar fungal community along the distributional range of oaks in Europe. In the second half of my thesis, I examined the impact of temperature and species traits on the voltinism of the oak-associated herbivore community, as well as the joint impact of plant spring phenology and pathogen infection on the preference and performance of multigenerational attackers during the growing season. Overall, my findings showed that I) plant chemistry, insect attack and pathogen infection differ between leaf flushes, II) the foliar fungal community is strongly affected by oak leaf flush and latitude, III) temperature and resource specialisation are the main drivers for changes in voltinism within the oak-associated community of herbivores, and IV) spring phenology and pathogen infection affect the preference and performance of multigenerational attackers. Taken together, my thesis contributes to our understanding of the effects of climate-induced changes in the number of leaf flushes and voltinism on the structure and dynamics of the oak food web