Simultaneous effects of age and territory quality on fecundity in Bonelli's Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus

Several factors that interact with a bird's age are likely to affect breeding performance. Because of habitat heterogeneity, individuals of different subpopulations may experience different probabilities of breeding, depending on the habitat that they occupy. The aim of this work is to test the hypothesis that age and territory quality independently affect breeding performance. We analysed data on breeding biology and fecundity at 298 breeding sites of Bonelli's Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus in Andalusia from 1980 to 2000. Our data confirmed that age and territory quality simultaneously affect reproductive output. After controlling for the effect of year and age, breeding performance varied among territories. Independently of territory quality, the age of breeding birds affected the number of fledged young and variance in productivity.     

Nature des roches et aires d’approvisionnement en matière première des industries lithiques archaïques des premiers habitants de l’Europe. Exploitation des territoires

The archaic lithic industries of Barranco León and Fuente Nueva sites in Orce in Andalusia and the stone tools of the Vallonnet french site was studied by petroarcheological analyses and reveal the sources exploited by the hominids. The localisation of these sources give data to define the territory exploited. These three examples provide the opportunity to assess the raw material selectivity, the behaviour and the territory occupation system of the first inhabitants of Europe. These lithic industries are composed by local raw material collected very close to the site or even on the site. These sources were probably an important argument on choosing the occupation site.     

中国植物新分类群、新名称2020年度报告

2020年中国共发表高等植物新分类群359个, 其中新属21个、新种312个、新亚种6个、新变种14个、新变型6个; 发表新组合(等级) 217个, 新名称11个; 发表国家级新记录48个; 将85个名称处理为65个名称的异名; 对14个名称进行了应用订正; 新指定后选(新)模式物种147个; 还新发现多年未曾发现的物种2个, 排除物种分布3个。新发表的物种中, 苔类植物门有3个、藓类植物门3个、蕨类植物门6个、裸子植物门1个新杂交种、被子植物门299个。这些新物种中, 有86个发表的同时提供了详细的分子证据, 78个在发表时就依据IUCN标准被评估处于受威胁的状态。云南、西藏、广西和四川等西南4省区发表新物种最多, 占全国新物种发表总数的2/3; 新物种发现密度最高的省级行政单位是云南、海南、台湾、广西和浙江等省区; 墨脱县是新物种发现数量最多的县级行政单位。2020年中国高等植物净新增294个分类群, 占全国总数的0.79%, 313个高等植物名称发生变动, 占全国总数的0.84%。     

The Pinus pinea L. woodlands along the coast of South-western Spain: data for a new geobotanical interpretation

The origin and natural range of the Stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) has been questioned for more than a century. In this work, we focus the investigation on one of the most important and controversial regions, viz., the Iberian Peninsula and, specifically, the Huelva and Cadiz populations in Andalusia, one of the most representative population cores. Although some authors maintain that it is an autochthonous Iberian species, most of them consider it to be exotic. From this idea, many works have been done and a sintaxonomic scheme has been created, which is accepted by the majority of the scientific community, not including Pinus pinea, nor its formations, since they are considered as man-induced forest crops. However, Stone has been present for several thousand years in the Iberian Peninsula and in the territory studied, as several paleobotanic and historical data show, proving that Pinus pinea is an autochthonous species of this region. This is a clear consequence to the field of geobotany, since – at least – the Stone pine woodlands from the Iberian Southeast must be considered as communities predominated by an autochthonous species that must be included in the sintaxonomichal schemes. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

中国丝膜菌属李玉丝膜菌组一新种：李玉丝膜菌

本研究报道了丝膜菌属的一个新种：李玉丝膜菌,该种采自中国吉林省蒙古栎林中,其主要特征为担子体小型、幼时具蓝紫色调,菌盖强水浸状、具条纹,担孢子近球形。该种在系统发育树中形成一个独立的分支,与斑丝膜菌组形成姐妹关系,但遗传关系较远,属于新组李玉丝膜菌组。本文对新分类单元进行了详细描述,并对其系统发育上相近的物种进行了比较。     

Life expectancy in a western and immigrant receiving population (El Ejido, SE Spain)

This study deals with the mortality pattern of El Ejido population, an agricultural Spanish community with a sub-tropical climate, located on the western Mediterranean coast (Andalusia). Based on the incorporation of modern agrarian techniques, this region has experienced a great economic development. Its demographic consequences were relevant, such as the arrival of immigrants throughout the second half of the twentieth century. The analysis of several demographic parameters shown in the abridged life table has revealed a small but non-random decrease of mortality during the last two decades of the past century. Furthermore, from the low value reached by the current entropy coefficient (H = 0.131), and the comparison of El Ejido life-expectancy at birth (e0) with Spain and Andalusia, we concluded that: a) The current mortality of El Ejido has approached a theoretical situation, where all deaths tend to take place at the age of 78.09 (its e0), and the death probability is very low at earlier ages. b) Some peculiar characteristics of its immigration as well as the high influence of the great public health system reached currently in Spain, reveal that El Ejido mortality does not depend on its remarkable immigration.     

North African Berber and Arab influences in the western Mediterranean revealed by Y-chromosome DNA haplotypes

We have analyzed Y-chromosome diversity in the western Mediterranean area, examining p49a,f TaqI haplotype V and subhaplotypes Vb (Berber) and Va (Arab). A total of 2,196 unrelated DNA samples, belonging to 22 populations from North Africa and the southern Mediterranean coast of occidental Europe, have been typed. Subhaplotype Vb, predominant in a Berber population of Morocco (63.5%), was also found at high frequencies in southern Portugal (35.9%) and Andalusia (25.4%). The Arab subhaplotype Va, predominant in Algeria (53.9%) and Tunisia (50.6%), was also found at a relatively high frequency in Sicily (23.1%) and Naples (16.4%); its highest frequency in Iberia was in northern Portugal (22.8%) and Andalusia (15.5%). In Iberia there is a gradient of decreasing frequencies in latitude for both subhaplotypes Va and Vb, related to eight centuries of Muslim domination (8th to 15th centuries) in southern Iberia.     

Ehrendorferiana, a new genus of Neotropical jumping plant lice (Insecta: Hemiptera: Psylloidea) associated with conifers (Cupressaceae)

Ehrendorferiana and its two included new species, E. austrocedri (the type species) and E. fitzroyae, are diagnosed. The new genus is a member of the predominantly temperate Neotropical subfamily Aphalaroidinae (Psyllidae). Based on the absence of metabasitarsal spurs it forms a likely monophyletic group with Baccharopelma, Panisopelma and Russelliana. The absence or paucity of long dorsal or marginal setae on the wing pads and caudal plate suggests a probable sister-taxon relationship with Russelliana. Apart from two species of Triozidae from New Zealand on Podocarpaceae, Ehrendorferiana is unique within Psylloidea in its host association with conifers, viz. Austrocedrus and Fitzroya (both Cupressaceae).

See also Electronic Supplement at: http://www.senckenberg.de/odes/05-12.htm     

Immunoglobulin genes in Andalusia (Spain). Genetic diversity in the Mediterranean space

Andalusia is the most densely populated region of Spain since ancient times, and has a rich history of contacts across the Mediterranean. Earlier studies have underlined the relatively high frequency of the Sub-Saharan GM 1,17 5* haplotype in western Andalusia (Huelva province, n = 252) and neighbouring Atlantic regions. Here, we provide novel data on GM/KM markers in eastern Andalusians (n = 195) from Granada province, where African GM*1,17 5* frequency is relatively high (0.044). The most frequent GM haplotypes in Andalusia parallel the most common in Europe. Altogether, these data allow us to gain insight into the genetic diversity of southern Iberia. Additionally, we assess population structure by comparing our Iberian samples with 41 Mediterranean populations. GM haplotype variation across the Mediterranean reflects intense and complex interactions between North Africans and South Europeans along human history, highlighting that African influence over the Iberian Peninsula does not follow an isotropic pattern.     

Spatio-temporal variation in territory quality and oxidative status: a natural experiment in the Seychelles warbler (Acrocephalus sechellensis)

1. Fluctuations in the quality of the habitat in which an animal lives can have major consequences for its behaviour and physiological state. In poor-quality habitat with low food availability, metabolically intensive foraging activity is likely to result in increased generation of reactive oxygen species, while scarcity of food can lead to a weakening of exogenously derived antioxidant defences. The consequent oxidant/antioxidant imbalance may lead to elevated oxidative stress. 2. Although the link between food availability and oxidative stress has been studied in the laboratory, very little is known about this relationship in the wild. Here, we investigate the association between territory quality (measured through food availability) and oxidative stress in the Seychelles warbler (Acrocephalus sechellensis). 3. Seychelles warblers are insectivorous birds that inhabit a fixed feeding territory year round. Individuals experience profound and rapid local fluctuations in territory quality within these territories, owing to changing patterns of vegetation defoliation resulting from seasonal changes in prevailing wind direction and wind-borne salt spray. 4. As expected, oxidant generation (measured as reactive oxygen metabolites; ROMs) was higher when territory quality was low, but there was no correlation between territory quality and antioxidant capacity (OXY). The negative correlation between territory quality and ROMs was significant between individuals and approached significance within individuals, indicating that the pattern resulted from individual responses to environmental variation. 5. ROMs and OXY levels within individuals were positively correlated, but the relationship between territory quality and ROMs persisted after including OXY as a covariate, implying that oxidative stress occurs in low territory quality conditions. 6. Our results indicate that the oxidative stress balance of an individual is sensitive to relatively short-term changes in territory quality, which may have consequences for the birds' fitness.     

The Dynamics of Territory Acquisition: A Model of Two Coexisting Strategies

Two potential strategies for acquiring territories are (1) fighting and taking over a territory from its owner, or (2) waiting until a territory owner dies and then taking its place. In this paper we explore territory acquisition using these two strategies, using a population dynamical model. Factors expected to affect the predominance of each strategy are injury rate, rate of successful territory takeover, birth and death rates on the territory, and birth and death rates while non-territorial. We explore the effects of these parameters on numbers of territorial and nonterritorial fighters and waiters. Waiters predominate when injury rate, birth rate of nonterritorial individuals, and death rate of territory owners are high. Fighters predominate when rate of successful territory takeover, death rate of nonterritorial individuals, and birth rate of territory owners are high. We present supportive evidence for these preditions from the literature.     

Territory size in the moorhen (Gallinula chloropus): An outcome of RHP asymmetry between neighbours

Territory size can be considered as the outcome of contests between an owner and its neighbours for the resource units in the defended area. Variation in territory size could be dependent upon three possible asymmetries: (1) difference in resource holding potential (RHP); (2) difference in resource value to the competitors; and (3) difference in ‘ownership’ status. These possibilities were tested in a 3-year study of moorhens which defend linear territories along ditches in a grazing marsh habitat. Of the three, relative difference in RHP between an owner and its two neighbours provided the best correlation with territory size. There was no relationship between the amount of resources per unit area and territory size nor between the time of establishing a territory and its later size. Heavier moorhens are more likely to win contests in winter flocks and are thought to have a greater RHP. The ratio of the weight of a male territory owner to the weight of both its male neighbours was highly correlated with territory size. Birds with larger territories may gain more potential nesting sites with good cover from predators.     

国土空间规划体系下风景园林规划研究

风景园林是绿色发展的重要载体,在国土空间规划变革的背景下,明确其在国土空间规划体系中的任务迫在眉睫。通过回顾国土空间规划的推进历史,总结风景园林规划对接国土空间规划体系的关键点,厘清目前风景园林的定位与职能。提出风景园林规划应有效地纳入国土空间规划体系,其内容不仅包括自然保护地规划与国家公园规划,还应发挥面向全域统筹的风景治理作用,从国土空间的空间格局开发保护、 城乡区域的统筹调适、城镇功能控制区的提升增质3个层面全面参与国土空间规划,从而构建中国特色风景园林规划体系。风景园林规划不仅顺应了国家治理的基本价值导向,而且对坚持生态文明、促进人与自然和谐共生、建设美丽国土空间、面向美好生活意义重大。     

Microsporogenesis and meiotic abnormalities in the hybrid complex of Phlomis composita (Lamiaceae)

The extent of chromosome structural differences such as permanent translocations and paracentric inversions has been studied in the hybrid complex of Phlomis composita and its putative parental taxa P. lychnitis and P. crinita . They are detected as meiotic abnormalities during microsporogenesis. In total, 117 plants from 19 populations in Andalusia (southern Spain) and Levante (eastern Spain) were studied for ploidy level, chromosome clumping, multivalent or univalent formation, late bivalent disjunction with bridges, chromatin bridges and fragments, irregular polysporads and variable pollen size. All individuals had the diploid chromosome number 2 n  = 20, with no significant difference in the frequencies of the above meiotic abnormalities either at taxon or population levels. However, very different frequencies were observed on the regional scale between populations in Andalusia and Levante. The results are discussed within the theoretical framework of homoploid hybrid or recombinational speciation.  © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2003, 143 , 79−85.     

Utilization of blueberry by the lappet moth, Streblote panda Hübner (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae): survival, development, and larval performance

The lappet moth, Streblote panda Hübner [1820] (Lasiocampidae), is a common species found in blueberry, Vaccinium spp. (Ericaceae) fields of Western Andalusia. The biology of this species as well as the extent to which its larvae can use and survive on blueberry is unknown. In this study, the suitability to larvae of several blueberry cultivars was studied. Larvae were grown under controlled laboratory conditions on excised foliage of six blueberry cultivars. Survival, development, and food use were determined for first and fifth instars. According to our results, blueberry has become an alternative host plant for S. panda in southwestern Andalusia. Low growth rates and efficiencies of use of food were observed. Lower gross efficiency of growth was found for larvae fed blueberry 'Sharpblue', despite a higher apparent digestibility of this cultivar. Larvae reared on this cultivar had the highest mortality, increased developmental time, and used a greater part of metabolism for maintenance. Herbivore pressure may be increased with the widespread planting of the most suitable cultivars 'Misty' and 'O'Neal', whereas 'Sharpblue' and'Climax' seem to be the least suitable host plants. These data provide useful information for planning and managing blueberry orchards in the presence of S. panda populations.     

Territorial damselfish enhances multi-species co-existence of foraminifera mediated by biotic habitat structuring

The structures of benthic foraminiferal communities inside and outside the territory of the pomacentrid damselfish Stegastes nigricans on coral rocks in a moat of Sesoko Is. (26°38′N, 127°52′E) in Okinawa, Japan were compared. Inside the territory, an algal farm, i.e., a dense stand of a filamentous rhodophyte, Womersleyella setacea, was maintained throughout the year. Outside the territory, in areas subjected to intensive and continuous grazing by various grazers, the flora was composed of mat-like cyanophytes, a prostrate turf-form Padina sp., microscopically thin filaments and scattered filamentous rhodophytes. Algal biomass was greater inside the territory than outside the territory of the damselfish. These differences were reflected by the structure of the associated foraminiferal communities. We classified foraminiferal species based on their microhabitat use around algal communities into four life types: free-living type, crawling type, sedentary type, and sessile type. The abundance of foraminifera, especially the free-living type (e.g., Peneroplis pertusus and Quinqueloculina seminulum) and sedentary type (Rosalina globularis and Cymbaloporetta squammosa), was greater inside the territory of the damselfish than outside the territory. Species richness was also higher inside the territory, mainly due to an increase in species richness of the free-living and sedentary types. These increases in abundance and species richness were caused by habitat structuring. W. setacea is a relatively tall and complicated alga with tangled rhizoids. Its dense stand inside the territory trapped a larger amount of sediment, which provided free-living foraminifera with heterogeneous and stable habitats. In addition, the dense stand of W. setacea provided sedentary-type foraminifera with a large, complex substratum, providing refuge and food inside the territory. This assumption was confirmed by the results of plate experiments showing that foraminiferal community structures were controlled by associations between foraminifera and algae. We showed that habitat-conditioning is an important process in biotic habitat-structuring and that habitat-conditioning by territorial damselfish maintains and enhances multi-species coexistence of foraminifera on coral rocks in a coral reef.     

Local ecological footprint using Principal Component Analysis: A case study of localities in Andalusia (Spain)

The quantity and quality of available information is one of the major constraints for the calculation of the ecological footprint, particularly for sub-national or sub-regional territorial levels. At the national or even regional level, the information that allows for computing the ecological footprint is generally available. However, when trying to calculate the footprint for lower-level territorial realities (e.g., cities or municipalities), this information is insufficient or non-existent. In this article, we propose an indirect method for calculating the ecological footprint of such territorial spaces through Principal Component Analysis. The case study utilises the ecological footprint of Andalusia (a Spanish region) as a starting point for footprint assignment to each of the 771 municipalities included in the Andalusian region. A set of variables related to the consumption levels in these municipalities has been utilised and is expressed in physical units. These variables make it possible to obtain a weighting factor to determine the ecological footprint of each municipality. This procedure also makes it possible to identify which variables or indicators have the greatest impact on the ecological footprint for a given territory. According to the results, the method also shows how inappropriate it is to consider the population as a way to distribute the ecological footprint; there are relevant differences between the weight of the population in municipalities and their generated footprint. There are also significant differences between the magnitude of economic indicators, such as GDP, and the estimated ecological footprint; for municipalities with higher income levels, the ecological impact is more than proportional to the weight of the monetary indicators.     

Genetic position of Andalusians from Huelva in relation to other European and North African populations: a study based on GM and KM allotypes

An understanding of population relationships in the Mediterranean region is crucial to the reconstruction of recent human evolution. Andalusia, the most southern region of Spain, has been continuously and densely occupied since ancient times and has a rich history of contacts with many different Mediterranean populations. Thus, to understand the Mediterranean peopling process, investigators should analyze the population relationships between the Iberian peninsula and northern Africa based on an assessment of genetic diversity that takes Andalusia into consideration. The aim of this study was to address the extent of genetic variation in the Iberian peninsula between its geographic extremes (Huelva and the Basque area) and to explain the intensity of the phylogenetic relationships between Andalusians and other neighboring populations, such as those from North Africa. We present, for the first time, results on allotype markers (GM and KM) of human immunoglobulins in the Andalusian population from Huelva. The most frequent GM haplotypes in Andalusia correspond to those that are also the most common in Europe. A sub-Saharan haplotype was found at a relatively high frequency compared to other Iberian samples, and a North Asian marker did not reach polymorphic frequencies in the study sample. A hierarchical cluster analysis based on the first two principal components (94.1% of the total genetic variance) revealed an interesting geographic structure for the 49 populations selected from the literature. The Huelva sample showed a central position in the multivariate space--despite being geographically located at one of the extremes of the Mediterranean basin--and clustered with most Western European populations. Western Europe and Eastern Europe (the latter group paradoxically including Italy and the major islands of the western Mediterranean) were differentiated. North African populations were grouped in two clusters that did not separate either Arabs and Berbers or their present-day countries. Analysis of immunoglobulin allotype markers shows that gene flow among human populations should generally be interpreted in terms of complex patterns, with the observed frequencies being the consequence of the entire genetic and demographic history of the population. Single historical events rarely determine gene frequencies in large human populations. Analysis of the GM system has shown that the Andalusian population from Huelva, as a result of its complex history, is not simply an outstanding part of the Mediterranean world but rather the genetic center of gravity of that world.     

Territorial defense, territory size, and population regulation

The carrying capacity of an environment is determined partly by how individuals compete over the available resources. To territorial animals, space is an important resource, leading to conflict over its use. We build a model where the carrying capacity for an organism in a given environment results from the evolution of territorial defense effort and the consequent space use. The same evolutionary process can yield two completely different modes of population regulation. Density dependence arises through expanding and shrinking territories if fecundity is low, breeding success increases gradually with territory size, and/or defense is cheap. By contrast, when fecundity is high, breeding success sharply saturates with territory size, and/or defense is costly, we predict fixed territory sizes and regulation by floaters. These "surplus" individuals form a buffer against population fluctuations. Yet floaters can also harm breeder performance, and by comparing population growth of a territorial population to a nonterritorial (and individually suboptimal) alternative, we can quantify the harmful effect of evolutionary conflict on population performance. Territoriality has often been found to increase population stability, but this may come at a cost of reduced equilibrium densities.     

Winter territory prospecting is associated with life‐history stage but not activity in a passerine

Finding a high quality territory is essential for many animals to reproduce successfully. Despite its importance for fitness, we know little about the process of territory prospecting in wild birds, and whether individual traits and behaviours, such as personality, co‐vary with territory prospecting. Here, we use long‐term data from a wild, insular house sparrow Passer domesticus population to test three hypotheses about territory fidelity and prospecting: 1) house sparrows show high territory fidelity between years and also during winter. 2) Individuals will prospect for a breeding territory during their first winter whereas older, more experienced individuals will keep a territory from previous years and will, therefore, show no or reduced winter territory prospecting. 3) More active behavioural types will prospect more than less active behavioural types. We use data from four winters from automatically, daily recorded nest‐box visits of 188 birds of known age. The number of nest‐boxes that each individual visited within each winter was used as a proxy of winter territory prospecting. We show that house sparrows visit multiple nest‐boxes during their first winter, whereas older individuals keep territories year‐round and, potentially because of this, indeed show reduced winter territory prospecting. Activity was not associated with the number of nest‐boxes visited. Further research is needed to investigate whether time of territory and mate acquisition differs among individuals and the possible effect on lifetime fitness.