Fire is a major agent involved in landscape transformation and an indirect cause of changes in species composition. Responses to fire may vary greatly depending on life histories and functional ...traits of species. We have examined the taxonomic and functional responses to fire of eight taxonomic animal groups displaying a gradient of dietary and mobility patterns: Gastropoda, Heteroptera, Formicidae, Coleoptera, Araneae, Orthoptera, Reptilia and Aves. The fieldwork was conducted in a Mediterranean protected area on 3 sites (one unburnt and two burnt with different postfire management practices) with five replicates per site. We collected information from 4606 specimens from 274 animal species. Similarity in species composition and abundance between areas was measured by the Bray-Curtis index and ANOSIM, and comparisons between animal and plant responses by Mantel tests. We analyze whether groups with the highest percentage of omnivorous species, these species being more generalist in their dietary habits, show weak responses to fire (i.e. more similarity between burnt and unburnt areas), and independent responses to changes in vegetation. We also explore how mobility, i.e. dispersal ability, influences responses to fire. Our results demonstrate that differences in species composition and abundance between burnt and unburnt areas differed among groups. We found a tendency towards presenting lower differences between areas for groups with higher percentages of omnivorous species. Moreover, taxa with a higher percentage of omnivorous species had significantly more independent responses of changes in vegetation. High- (e.g. Aves) and low-mobility (e.g. Gastropoda) groups had the strongest responses to fire (higher R scores of the ANOSIM); however, we failed to find a significant general pattern with all the groups according to their mobility. Our results partially support the idea that functional traits underlie the response of organisms to environmental changes caused by fire.
•Make a morphological description of the eggs of the studies species and find the micropillar area.•Use ootaxonomy as a tool to distinguish and group taxa.
In the present study, eggs of eight species ...of the Tettigonoidea superfamily have been examined with the aim to find characteristic traits of each of the studied taxa. In addition, we aim to distinguish them through their eggshell morphology, a technique that nowadays is known as ootaxonomy. All the eggs analysed belong to four subfamilies of the Tettigoniidae family (Bradyporinae: Ephippiger diurnus cunii, Parasteropleurus perezii, Lluciapomaresius panteli, L. ortegai, Tettigoniinae: Decticus verrucivorus, Antaxius hispanicus, and Meconematinae: Cyrtaspis scutata) and from family Phaneropteridae: Phaneroptera nana. Observations and comparisons were made after optical and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) photographs. In all katydids evaluated, we observed that hexagonal cells usually compose the chorion, nevertheless, in some cases egg surfaces appearance is follicular or smooth. Micropylar areas are different among the species examined. Ootaxonomy allowed us to differentiate between the genera studied and the two more related species: Lluciapomaresius panteli and L. ortegai.
Fire is a major agent involved in landscape transformation and an indirect cause of changes in species composition. Responses to fire may vary greatly depending on life histories and functional ...traits of species. We have examined the taxonomic and functional responses to fire of eight taxonomic animal groups displaying a gradient of dietary and mobility patterns: Gastropoda, Heteroptera, Formicidae, Coleoptera, Araneae, Orthoptera, Reptilia and Aves. The fieldwork was conducted in a Mediterranean protected area on 3 sites (one unburnt and two burnt with different postfire management practices) with five replicates per site. We collected information from 4606 specimens from 274 animal species. Similarity in species composition and abundance between areas was measured by the Bray-Curtis index and ANOSIM, and comparisons between animal and plant responses by Mantel tests. We analyze whether groups with the highest percentage of omnivorous species, these species being more generalist in their dietary habits, show weak responses to fire (i.e. more similarity between burnt and unburnt areas), and independent responses to changes in vegetation. We also explore how mobility, i.e. dispersal ability, influences responses to fire. Our results demonstrate that differences in species composition and abundance between burnt and unburnt areas differed among groups. We found a tendency towards presenting lower differences between areas for groups with higher percentages of omnivorous species. Moreover, taxa with a higher percentage of omnivorous species had significantly more independent responses of changes in vegetation. High- (e.g. Aves) and low-mobility (e.g. Gastropoda) groups had the strongest responses to fire (higher R scores of the ANOSIM); however, we failed to find a significant general pattern with all the groups according to their mobility. Our results partially support the idea that functional traits underlie the response of organisms to environmental changes caused by fire.
Litters of small Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) cubs ranged from one to four, with those of one and two accounting for 95%. Significant variations were found between locations and according to the main ...diet (average ranging between 1.1 and 2.4 cubs/female). We found a seasonal pattern in otter breeding in some areas, being different in each. In the Prepyrenees, most births took place between March and June (85%). In Mediterranean rivers of the Ebro basin, most births occurred between December and February (57%). In both, the small cubs were found outside the dens just 23 months after the time of birth. Fish and crayfish exhibited a seasonal fluctuation, with a maximum density of biomass between the end of spring and the end of summer and minimum densities in winter. Water was always flowing in the Pyrenees and Prepyrenees rivers; however, in Mediterranean rivers, important periods of drought were observed, concentrated especially in summer and some winters. Timing of birds corresponded to variation in abundance of food (energy needs) and water resources in space and time. The presence of adequate prey species for the cubs (Ebro's barbel (Barbus graellsii and Barbus haasi) and American crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) in our study area) plays an important role. Interannual variations in food can affect the otter's reproductive cycle and breeding success.
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