We studied the demography, movement, behaviour and choice of nectar plants by adults of Aporia crataegi. This study was done in a dense network of different types of habitats (total size of study ...area 16.26 ha) from open landscape to shrubland, the latter being a result of abandonment of traditional agricultural practices such as extensive mowing and grazing. Total population size was estimated to be approximately 1700 and 2700 for females and males, respectively. Median and maximum distances moved by males were 134 and 3493 m, and by females 138 and 3165 m, respectively. The average lifespan was ca. 7.1 and 7.5 days, with maximum recorded lifespans of 21 and 17 days for males and females, respectively. The greater capture probability recorded for males indicates their high activity, as they spend most of their time in fl ight patrolling and searching for mates. A parabolic recruitment curve and protandry were also recorded. Both sexes are highly mobile. The spatial distribution of both sexes was roughly similar. The adult behaviour differed in different habitats, with more time spent feeding and resting when nectar plants were plentiful and more time spent fl ying when they were rare. Although adults utilized nine nectar sources, only two were recorded in over 80% of all the feeding occasions. In order to re-establish open grassland with some shrubland, traditional and mosaic management of the landscape should be revived at least to some extent.
The diversity of vascular plant taxa in Europe is threatened. National red lists are valuable biodiversity conservation tools that provide us with information on the proximity of a taxon to ...extinction. However, there are still differences in the methods and implementation of these assessments across European countries, indicating gaps in conservation efforts at national and regional levels. To address these disparities, we conducted a study in which we compiled data from the most recent national red lists of vascular plants in European countries, including some countries from the eastern part of the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot. Our results confirm concerns that the conservation status of European vascular flora is not fully mapped. We also found that this knowledge is not evenly distributed across European regions. There were differences in the availability of red lists, the regularity of updates, and the implementation of assessment methods. Countries that assessed their entire flora had a higher proportion of threatened taxa than countries that assessed only a portion of the flora. This highlights the risk of overlooking the conservation status of less known taxa when assessments are limited to specific taxa. Financial capacity was found to be a critical factor influencing the extent of these shortcomings. Our study has shown that countries that assess their entire flora have, on average, higher national spending on environmental protection within their overall economies. This information is critical for developing effective biodiversity conservation strategies across Europe and for addressing the threats faced by vascular plants in the region.
The Horvath’s rock lizard
Iberolacerta horvathi
(Méhely, 1904) is an understudied lacertid species, which is geographically isolated from its congeners and currently classified as Near Threatened ...under IUCN red listing criteria. Due to its limited distribution and narrow environmental preferences, we expect that the species had been affected by past climatic oscillations. By combining all available data on species occurrences and our own records, we produced an updated distribution map. We used ecological niche models to identify the current environmental factors underlying the species range and developed a habitat suitability map. We sequenced one mitochondrial and one nuclear marker to characterize the distribution of the genetic variability and infer the historical demography of the species. The habitat suitability map identified areas where targeted field searches should be prioritized, as well as unsuitable habitats coinciding with likely barriers to gene flow. We found considerable genetic variability suggesting that the species probably survived the Pleistocene glaciations in at least two main refugia, one in the South and the other in the central/northern portion of its distribution. While southern populations show a moderate demographic decrease starting at the onset of the Eemian interglacial, the northern populations underwent an expansion during Late Pleistocene. We provide a revised species distribution and a first characterization of its genetic variability across its distribution to guide conservation priorities for this endemic and spatially restricted species.
We studied a population of the regionally endangered marsh fritillary butterfl y Euphydryas aurinia inhabiting a system of loosely connected dry calcareous grasslands in sub-Mediterranean Slovenia. ...Our goal was to set the basis for a long-term monitoring of this butterfl y in four meadows using mark-release-recapture (MRR). We determined its demographic parameters, dispersal, behaviour and utilization of nectar plants in different quality patches. Total population size was estimated to be approximately 347 males (95% confl dence interval: 262-432) and 326 females (95% confl dence interval: 250-402), with an unbiased sex ratio. The average lifespans were 6.3 and 8.6 days, respectively. Daily population sizes followed a parabola with marked protandry. Both sexes were relatively highly mobile with both occasionally moving over half a kilometre. The spatial distribution of animals seemed to be associated with patch size, host plant densities and nectar sources, resulting in much higher population densities in the largest patch. Adult behaviour differed between the sexes, with females resting more and flying less than males. Behaviour also changed during daytime and with the progression of the season. Adults were confl rmed to be opportunistic feeders, since as many as ten nectar sources were detected. We conclude that demographic parameters differ greatly among regions and habitats, thus conservation aims should be planned accordingly. Although the population studied is apparently in good condition, there are threats that may hamper the long-term persistence of the species in this area: succession, intensifl cation of mowing and overgrazing.
In Slovenia the False ringlet Coenonympha oedippus uniquely occurs both on wet (Ljubljana Marsh and surroundings) and dry grasslands (Slovenian Istria, Karst, Gorica Hills). Natural hazards that ...threaten its habitats include fires and floods; the frequency of their occurrence in the former and existing habitats of C. oedippus was determined using the χ2-test. We showed that habitats on wet grasslands are less threatened by fire than those on dry grasslands. Among the latter, habitats in the Karst and Slovenian Istria are the most threatened. Habitats of C. oedippus are threatened by flooding only in Slovenian Istria and Ljubljana Marsh. Considering the extent of fire and flood risk and fragmentation of C. oedippus habitats in Slovenia, we assume that such natural hazards may lead to local extinction of the species.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Leta 2018 smo v mrtvici Zaton na Petanjcih (Natura 2000 »Mura«, SAC SI3000215 & SCI SI5000010) ocenjevali številčnost populacije velikega/panonskega pupka (Triturus carnifex/dobrogicus). Deset ...zaporednih dni v obdobju razmnoževanja dvoživk smo v mrtvici postavili Ortmannove pasti, potem pa fotografirali individualno specifični ventralni barvni vzorec vseh ujetih osebkov velikih/panonskih pupkov. Iz primerjav fotografij po dnevih in med pastmi smo po metodi ulova, označitve in ponovnega ulova ocenili velikost populacije na 2951 osebkov (95 % interval zaupanja: 2226–3977 osebkov).
Barjanski okarček se v Sloveniji edinstveno pojavlja tako na vlažnih (Ljubljansko barje z okolico) kot na suhih traviščih (slovenska Istra, Kras, Goriška brda). Med naravnimi nesrečami, ki ogrožajo ...njegove habitatne krpe, so požari in poplave. Njihovo pogostost pojavljanja v nekdanjih in obstoječih bivališčih barjanskega okarčka smo ugotavljali s χ2-testom. Pokazali smo, da so življenjska okolja na vlažnih traviščih požarno manj ogrožena kot na suhih traviščih. Med slednjimi so najbolj ogrožene habitatne krpe na Krasu in v slovenski Istri. Habitatne krpe barjanskega okarčka so poplavno ogrožene le v slovenski Istri in na Ljubljanskem barju. Glede na stopnjo požarne in poplavne ogroženosti ter razdrobljenosti življenjskih okolij barjanskega okarčka v Sloveniji domnevamo, da lahko tovrstne naravne nesreče povzročijo lokalno izumrtje vrste.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
We addressed the species taxonomy of five-toed jerboas (
, subgenus
) in the Middle East by applying molecular markers (cytochrome
and a partial 16S rRNA). The study consisted of 17 specimens from ...eight localities in the Middle East, representing both species:
and
. The phylogenetic reconstructions yielded three highly divergent lineages, which failed to conform to the recent taxonomy of
. The first lineage (
lineage) encompassed all the samples of
from Turkey and Iran and also the specimens of
from Lebanon. The haplotypes of
were arranged into two lineages, which showed strong geographic associations. One lineage contained samples from Harran in Turkey and from Iran, while all the samples from Syria clustered in another lineage. The pairwise Kimura two-parameter values suggested similar divergences between the three lineages and were within the range reported for a sister species of rodents. Our results point to a cryptic species in
and also provide evidence of the expanded range of
further south to Lebanon.
Abstract
Mesotriton alpestris lacusnigri is regarded as being an extinct subspecies of the Alpine newt endemic to a small fishless alpine lake called Črno jezero (Black Lake) in the Julian Alps in ...Slovenia. To re-assess its taxonomic position we sequenced fragments of two mitochondrial genes (309 bp of cytochrome b and 315 bp of 16S rRNA) of two museum specimens collected in 1953. Specimens of the ssp. lacusnigri yielded two new haplotypes which formed a monophyletic group within a cluster of other Slovenian and central European haplotypes of ssp. alpestis. The name lacusnigri is therefore merely a junior synonym of the nominotypical subspecies and should be removed from red data listing. Our study highlights the outstanding value of natural history collections as baselines for contemporary biodiversity assessments.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Population size estimates are lacking for many small cave–dwelling aquatic invertebrates that are vulnerable to groundwater contamination from anthropogenic activities. Here we estimated the ...population size of freshwater shrimp Troglocaris anophthalmus sontica (Crustacea, Decapoda, Caridea) based on mark–release–recapture techniques. The subspecies was investigated in Vipavska jama (Vipava cave), Slovenia, with estimates of sex ratio and age distribution. A high abundance of shrimps was found even after considering the lower limit of the confidence intervals. However, we found no evidence of differences in shrimp abundances between summer and winter. The population was dominated by females. Ease of capture and abundant population numbers indicate that these cave shrimps may be useful as a bioindicator in cave ecosystems.
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