The influence of environmental factors on abundance and prevalence of a commensal ostracod hosted by an invasive crayfish: are ‘parasite rules’ relev…

2014

Summary Symbiosis represents a widespread and successful lifestyle, but research on symbiotic associations has been mainly focused on parasites. Three general patterns in parasite ecology have been proposed: (i) aggregation, (ii) positive and tight correlation between mean symbiont abundance and its variance and (iii) positive correlation between abundance and prevalence of symbionts. The factors affecting abundance and prevalence within symbiont species can be grouped into host features and environmental conditions. According to research in parasite ecology, environmental conditions seem to play a minor role. We investigated whether the three most recognised parasite patterns were also evi…

Coastal Evolution in a Mediterranean Microtidal Zone: Mid to Late Holocene Natural Dynamics and Human Management of the Castellò Lagoon, NE Spain

2016

We present a palaeoenvironmental study of the Castelló lagoon (NE Spain), an important archive for understanding long-term interactions between dynamic littoral ecosystems and human management. Combining geochemistry, mineralogy, ostracods, diatoms, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, charcoal and archaeo-historical datasets we reconstruct: 1) the transition of the lagoon from a marine to a marginal environment between ~3150 cal BC to the 17th century AD; 2) fluctuations in salinity; and 3) natural and anthropogenic forces contributing to these changes. From the Late Neolithic to the Medieval period the lagoon ecosystem was driven by changing marine influence and the land was mainly exploited …

Disturbance-induced emigration: an overlooked mechanism that reduces metapopulation extinction risk.

2021

Emigration propensity (i.e., the tendency to leave undisturbed patches) is a key life-history trait of organisms in metapopulations with local extinctions and colonizations. Metapopulation models of dispersal evolution typically assume that patch disturbance kills all individuals within the patch, thus causing local extinction. However, individuals may instead be able to leave a patch when it is disturbed, either by fleeing before being killed or simply because the disturbance destroys the patch without causing mortality. This scenario may pertain to a wide range of organisms from horizontally transmitted symbionts, to aquatic insects inhabiting temporary ponds, to vertebrates living in fra…

Dynamics of Ostracoda (Crustacea) assemblages in a Mediterranean pond system (Racó de l'Olla, Albufera Nat. Park) with focus on the exotic speciesCan…

2013

Coastal pond systems can account for a rich aquatic faunal diversity and complex functioning due to interplay between freshwater wetlands and marine influences. Within the large Albufera wetland Natural Park, Raco de l'Olla is constituted by a set of permanent and temporary ponds with strict protection level for migrating bird conservation. Its terrestrial faunal diversity and dynamics has been partially characterized in previous studies, but nothing was known about its ostracod communities. Benthic samples collected monthly for 1 year in 11 points through the pond system, together with limnological information, allowed establishing a sound knowledge on its ostracod community and population…

Quantitative Transfer Function Approaches in Palaeoclimatic Reconstruction Using Quaternary Ostracods

2012

Abstract Quantifying (palaeo-)environmental changes is a key challenge for aquatic biological proxies, but the number of published transfer functions is increasing rapidly for the main palaeoecologically relevant groups such as diatoms and chironomids, and several transfer functions have also been developed during the past decades based on ostracod findings. The main environmental variables influencing the species assemblage composition in ostracod training sets are specific ion concentrations or ratios, salinity, water temperature and/or water depth. The available transfer functions and training sets are globally scattered, but often regionally restricted in their application. The most com…

Relative growth in the Mediterranean endemic shore crab Brachynotus foresti Zariquiey Álvarez, 1968 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Varunidae)

2019

AbstractThe relative growth of crustaceans has become a solid field of study since the early allometric studies undertaken during the first decades of the 20th century. The type of relative growth of brachyuran crabs mainly depends on the number of critical moults and growth phases, as well as on differences in the slopes of the relative growth of secondary sexual characters. We analysed for the first time the allometric growth of the brachyuran Brachynotus forestiZariquiey Álvarez, 1968 (Varunidae), a small Mediterranean endemic species, testing whether its small size might impede the manifestation of large allometries through ontogeny. We obtained 13 body measurements from 370 females and…

Invasion biology in non‐free‐living species: interactions between abiotic (climatic) and biotic (host availability) factors in geographical space in …

2013

In invasion processes, both abiotic and biotic factors are considered essential, but the latter are usually disregarded when modeling the potential spread of exotic species. In the framework of set theory, interactions between biotic (B), abiotic (A), and movement-related (M) factors in the geographical space can be hypothesized with BAM diagrams and tested using ecological niche models (ENMs) to estimate A and B areas. The main aim of our survey was to evaluate the interactions between abiotic (climatic) and biotic (host availability) factors in geographical space for exotic symbionts (i.e., non-free-living species), using ENM techniques combined with a BAM framework and using exotic Entoc…

Captive breeding of Margaritifera auricularia (Spengler, 1793) and its conservation importance

2019

Margaritifera auricularia is one of the most endangered freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionida) in the world. Since 2013, the abundance of this species in the Ebro River basin (Spain) has sharply declined, driving the species to the verge of regional extinction. Therefore, any management measures that might facilitate the recovery of this species would be essential for its conservation. During 2014–2016, captive breeding of M. auricularia allowed the production of >106 juveniles, out of which 95% were released into the natural environment, and 5% were grown in the laboratory under controlled conditions. The aim of this experimental work was to establish the best culture conditions for the s…

Comparison of Two Chemicals for Removing an Entocytherid (Ostracoda: Crustacea) Species from Its Host Crayfish (Cambaridae: Crustacea)

2011

Entocytherids are epifauna on larger crustaceans. We assessed the effectiveness of chlorobutanol and carbonated water for removing entocytherid, Ankylocythere sinuosa, from crayfish, Procambarus clarkii. This was done using different exposure times and by assessing entocytherid and crayfish survival, together with the number of entocytherids removed. According to our results, chlorobutanol submersion of crayfishes in shorter time periods is more effective for removing entocytherids without killing the crayfish host. However, carbonated water submersion is better to extract larger amounts of living entocytherids. Finally, both chemicals are appropriate tools to establish standardised protoco…

Effects of environmental and temporal factors on Glomeromycotina spores in sand dunes along the Gulf of Valencia (Spain)

2019

Abstract AMF symbiosis in sand dunes is the key for maintenance of stable vegetation. The main goal of this work was to determine the effects of environmental and temporal factors on AMF living in sand dunes (Gulf of Valencia, Spain). Soil samples were collected seasonally at 6 sites, during 2 yrs, from three habitats and four plant species and the frequency and relative abundance of AMF was examined. AMF were more frequent in mobile than in embryonic dunes, in spring and in sites with old vegetation. Ten AMF species were identified, their distribution depending mainly on the anthropogenic disturbance of the site. Gigasporaceae Cetraspora sp. and Dentiscutata sp. preferred undisturbed soil …

On the Occurrence of Metadiaptomus chevreuxi (Calanoida, Diaptomidae, Paradiaptominae) in the Iberian Peninsula, With Notes on the Ecology and Distri…

2020

Temporary ponds are one of the most peculiar ecosystems in the world, being characterized by an extraordinarily rich crustacean fauna, with a high degree of endemism. Among them, diaptomid copepods are among the most biogeographically interesting taxa. However, the present knowledge on diaptomid distribution is still far from being exhaustive, even in the relatively well-studied western European countries. In this study, we report the first record of the diaptomid calanoid copepod Metadiaptomus chevreuxi for the Iberian Peninsula, where it was collected in five temporary ponds in Andalusia (Spain). The characteristics of the new sites are described, the literature dealing with the European …

A new species of Cypris (Crustacea: Ostracoda) from the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, with comments on the first ostracod named using t…

2020

19 páginas, 9 figuras, 3 tablas.

Seasonal wetlands in the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Nicaragua: environmental characterisation and conservation state.

2015

Seasonal wetlands in the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Nicaragua: environmental characterisation and conservation status On the Pacific coast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, rainfall patterns and clay-rich soils allow the development of extensive wetlands. These environments constitute unique habitats for the maintenance of aquatic biodiversity and provide significant ecological services to the surrounding seasonal dry forest. Despite these benefits, wetlands have been severely reduced in the last four decades, and little information is available on their biology and current conservation status. Here, we describe the main limnological traits of 30 sites representing different types of wetlan…

The distribution of sexual reproduction of the geographic parthenogenEucypris virens(Crustacea: Ostracoda) matches environmental gradients in a tempo…

2013

Niche segregation may prevent competitive exclusion and promote local coexistence. This typically results in the occupation of different habitats. In the freshwater ostracod Eucypris virens (Jurine, 1820), the distribution of sexual and parthenogenetic populations in the temporary Lake Caracuel, central Spain, was not homogeneous. Parthenogens were found everywhere including the littoral, whereas sexuals were restricted to the centre. We investigated the hypothesis that spatial distribution responded to ecological differences. We studied the ecological significance of this segregation by linking environmental data to male presence, sexual fraction, ploidy, and genetic structure of our model…

Hydrology Affects Environmental and Spatial Structuring of Microalgal Metacommunities in Tropical Pacific Coast Wetlands

2016

The alternating climate between wet and dry periods has important effects on the hydrology and therefore on niche-based processes of water bodies in tropical areas. Additionally, assemblages of microorganism can show spatial patterns, in the form of a distance decay relationship due to their size or life form. We aimed to test spatial and environmental effects, modulated by a seasonal flooding climatic pattern, on the distribution of microalgae in 30 wetlands of a tropical dry forest region: the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Three surveys were conducted corresponding to the beginning, the highest peak, and the end of the hydrological year during the wet season, and species abun…

Effects of environmental and spatial variables on lotic ostracod metacommunity structure in the Iberian Peninsula

2015

The heterogeneous distribution of aquatic species in lotic environments has been studied little in terms of metacommunity theory. Previous empirical tests have found significant spatial and environmental effects in pond and lake communities, but this has not yet been clearly established for stream networks. We conducted a multi-season survey of mountain streams in the Iberian Peninsula. We recorded GIS and in situ environmental data and collected biological samples to determine ostracods and macroinvertebrates and identified 41 ostracod species, the most common belonging to genera Herpetocypris , Sarscypridopsis , and Ilyocypris . A generalized linear model analysis showed that thermal rang…

Crayfish invasion facilitates dispersal of plants and invertebrates by gulls

2018

The red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), originally from North America, is one of the world's worst aquatic invaders. It is a favoured prey item for waterbirds, but the influence of this novel predator–prey relationship on dispersal of other organisms has not previously been considered. We investigated the potential for dispersal of plants and invertebrates by migratory waterbirds feeding on alien P. clarkii in European ricefields at harvest time. In November–December of 2014–2015, we collected propagules from the outside of 13 crayfish captured as they moved out of ricefields during harvest in Doñana, south‐west Spain. We also collected excreta (N = 76 faeces, 14 pellets) of lesser‐bl…

The Ecology of Ostracoda Across Levels of Biological Organisation from Individual to Ecosystem

2012

Abstract Palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic applications of fossil ostracods rely on a uniformitarian approach underpinned by knowledge of the biology and ecology of living species. This review reveals that in recent decades, major advances have been made in the understanding of species’ abiotic niches in relation to their preferences for different water chemistries and temperatures. However, the underlying ecophysiological mechanisms for such preferences are still largely unknown. Only a few works analyse in detail aspects of population growth or species interactions (competition, predation) in the framework of classical ecological theories. Similarly, the role of Ostracoda in the asse…

Effects of the temporal scale of observation on the analysis of aquatic invertebrate metacommunities

2020

The development of metacommunity theory has boosted the implementation of numerous empirical tests with field data, mostly focused on the role of spatial and environmental gradients on metacommunity organization. These studies showed an important dependence of the results on the observational scale considered, i.e., spatial grain, sampling spacing, and extent. However, few works deal with time per se as a component explaining metacommunity structure, even when data from periodic sampling are available. We suggest adding time explicitly to metacommunity analysis, but taking into account that the temporal scale of observation could affect the estimation of the relative influence of environmen…

Are Iberian ribbed newts Pleurodeles waltl Michahelles, 1830 negatively affecting the populations of other amphibians?

2021

Metacommunities from bacteria to birds: stronger environmental selection in mediterranean than in tropical ponds

2021

AbstractThe metacommunity concept provides a theoretical framework that aims at explaining organism distributions by a combination of environmental filtering, dispersal and drift. With the development of statistical tools to quantify and partially isolate the role of each of these processes, empirical metacommunity studies have multiplied worldwide. However, few works attempt a multi-taxon approach and even fewer compare two distant biogeographical regions using the same methodology. Under this framework, we tested the expectation that temperate (mediterranean-climate) pond metacommunities would be more influenced by environmental and spatial processes than tropical ones, because of stronge…

Artificial dam lakes as suitable habitats for exotic invertebrates: Ostracoda ecology and distribution in reservoirs of the Eastern Iberian Peninsula

2014

Reservoirs are the most common deep lakes in Spain, as a consequence of water needs and dry climate. Although these aquatic systems can play an important ecological role in such an area with few large natural lakes, they can also provide new habitats for exotic species, which can colonize ecosystems that native species have not explored yet. Here we present our results for a biannual survey of the ostracod fauna from 24 reservoirs in Xuquer River basin. We check which variables affect ostracod presence, test for differences between winter and summer assemblages, and compare our data with previous available ostracod records from the same river drainage network. Our results reveal that ostrac…

Rice fields as facilitators of freshwater invasions in protected wetlands: the case of Ostracoda (Crustacea) in the Albufera Natural Park (E Spain)

2014

Background: Previous studies have identified rice fields in the Mediterranean region as ‘hot spots’ for the introduction of alien freshwater organisms. Consequently, special attention should be paid when rice fields are located inside or near protected areas for the conservation of native, endangered species. To analyse the relationship between rice field environmental traits and the ecology of aquatic invaders, a study of zoobenthic communities was carried out in JulySeptember 2008 and May-August 2009 in ten rice fields located in the Albufera Natural Park (E Spain), with focus on Ostracoda. Results: A total of nine ostracod species were found including four considered exotic: Candonocypri…

The role of watercourse versus overland dispersal and niche effects on ostracod distribution in Mediterranean streams (eastern Iberian Peninsula)

2016

Abstract The processes behind the heterogeneous distribution of species involve a combination of environmental and spatial effects. In the spatial context, stream networks constitute appropriate systems to compare the relative importance of two dispersal modes in aquatic organisms: overland and watercourse dispersal. In the present study, we analyzed the distribution of ostracod species in a river network in the eastern Iberian Peninsula, with variation partitioning between environmental and spatial factors, using Moran and Asymmetric Eigenvector Maps (MEMs, AEMs) as spatial variables. Our aims were to determine the relative importance of environmental and spatial control and to compare the…

Revision of the taxonomic position ofPseudocyprettaKlie, 1932 (Ostracoda: Cyprididae), with a redescription ofP. maculataKlie, 1932

2022

AbstractPseudocypretta maculata Klie, 1932, type species of the genus, is redescribed based on new material from Thailand. The main diagnostic features of the species are the presence of marginal septa, presence of Wouters organ on the first antenna, strongly serrated claw G2 of the second antenna (A2), small β seta on the mandibular palp, elongated terminal segment of the maxillular palp, smooth and large bristles on the third endite of the maxillula, undivided penultimate segment of the second thoracopod (T2), absence of d1 seta on the T2, completely separated terminal segment of the third thoracopod, absence of a pincer organ, and reduced caudal ramus with a triangular base. The taxonomi…

Mate recognition as a reproductive barrier in sexual and parthenogenetic Eucypris virens (Crustacea, Ostracoda)

2013

Mate selection is one of the motors of evolution and of particular importance in the case of organisms in which sexual and parthenogenetic populations coexist. Sexual populations of the ostracod species complex Eucypris virens are often mixed with parthenogenetic ones. A powerful mate selection mechanism must exist to avoid time, energy and sperm loss, for the maintenance and success of sexual reproduction in these mixed populations. There are four types of E. virens individuals: males (diploid), sexual females (diploid) and asexual females (parthenogenetic and either di- or triploid). From one parthenogenetic population and two populations with males of E. virens, we sampled early stage ju…

Differential endozoochory of aquatic invertebrates by two duck species in shallow lakes

2017

Abstract Animal vectors are essential for the movement of invertebrate resting eggs between water bodies. However, differences in habitat preferences and feeding behaviour between bird species may result in variations in the dispersal of invertebrates via these birds, even if the different bird species live in the same lake. To test such effects, faecal samples from Anas platyrhynchos (collected in autumn and spring) and Tadorna tadorna (collected in spring) were cultured in water at 20° C and 12 L: 12 D conditions in order to quantify the resting eggs which could be internally transported by these birds. One half of each faecal sample was initially cultured at a conductivity of 0.6 mS cm −…

Environment and Space Rule, but Time also Matters for the Organization of Tropical Pond Metacommunities

2020

Metacommunities are dynamic systems, but the influence of time independently of environmental change in their configuration has been rarely considered. Temporary ponds are excellent ecosystem models, as they have well-defined boundaries in time and space; their communities are relatively isolated through a landscape matrix, and the progress of time leads to major changes through ecological succession and in habitat suitability related to hydroperiod dynamics. Therefore, strong temporal effects are expected to influence their metacommunity structure. We surveyed 30 temporary ponds along the dry tropical region of western Costa Rica and Nicaragua at three different moments of their hydroperio…

Mutual Climatic Range Methods for Quaternary Ostracods

2012

Abstract The development of Mutual Climatic Range (MCR) methods for ostracods has included the estimation of marine bottom-water palaeotemperatures, but it has focused mainly on the use of non-marine ostracods to infer past air temperatures. The Delorme analogue MCR method, using only those components of a fossil assemblage that co-exist today, has yielded mean annual air temperature and annual precipitation estimates for North American Quaternary sites. The Mutual Ostracod Temperature Range (MOTR) non-analogue MCR method utilises all species in a fossil assemblage; calibrations based on a European database have been applied to the estimation of mean July and January air temperatures for En…

The influence of climate and sea-level change on the Holocene evolution of a Mediterranean coastal lagoon: Evidence from ostracod palaeoecology and g…

2013

Abstract Coastal lagoons provide an excellent basis for the study of processes controlling the evolution of a coastal zone. We examine the relative importance of these processes during the middle to late Holocene through a study of an 8.5 meter-long sediment record from the Albufera de Valencia (Spain). We combine sedimentological analyses with investigations into the palaeoecology, taphonomy and geochemistry (Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, δ 18 O and δ 13 C) of ostracod valves in order to assess the effects of sea-level changes, storm events and effective moisture on the evolution of a Western Mediterranean coastal wetland. The late Pleistocene sediments represent a subaerial environment, which was followe…

Different Scales of Spatial Segregation of Two Species of Feather Mites on the Wings of a Passerine Bird

2011

The "condition-specific competition hypothesis" proposes that coexistence of 2 species is possible when spatial or temporal variations in environmental conditions exist and each species responds differently to those conditions. The distribution of different species of feather mites on their hosts is known to be affected by intrinsic host factors such as structure of feathers and friction among feathers during flight, but there is also evidence that external factors such as humidity and temperature can affect mite distribution. Some feather mites have the capacity to move through the plumage rather rapidly, and within-host variation in intensity of sunlight could be one of the cues involved …

Ontogeny of Heterocypris bosniaca (Ostracoda: Cyprididae): description of postembryonic instars and rediscovery of the neglected A-9 stage

2013

Despite being the most common and widespread family of Ostracoda in fresh water, the Cyprididae are still poorly known with respect to species ontogeny. The full series of eight juvenile instars has been described in detail for just five of the approximately 1000 living species, and only in one case did this include the earliest A-9 stage. We aimed to fill this gap with a morphological study of the post-embryonic development of Heterocypris bosniaca Petkowski, Scharf and Keyser, 2000, a species with unusual morphological traits within the genus, including putatively paedomorphic characters such as valves without tubercles and the narrow calcified inner lamella on both valves. Inside the egg…

Metacommunity dynamics of Ostracoda in temporary lakes: Overall strong niche effects except at the onset of the flooding period

2017

Abstract Metacommunity research usually focuses on the structure of species assemblages and their influencing factors, chiefly environment and space. However, the temporal dynamics of metacommunities and their structuring processes are rarely investigated. Here, we analyze the temporal variations in a metacommunity of ostracods from temporary shallow lakes of the Iberian Peninsula. Our aims were to determine the variability of the ostracod assemblages throughout a hydrological cycle by means of partial triadic analysis (PTA), and to analyze the response of these communities to both environmental and spatial variables. The metacommunity was moderately stable through the study period, with la…

Spatial and environmental effects on a rock-pool metacommunity depend on landscape setting and dispersal mode

2017

Empirical studies on structuring mechanisms of metacommunities usually focus on the major roles of environmental filtering and dispersal. Recent works suggest that the relative importance of these structuring mechanisms differs among organisms with different body size, taxonomic affiliation, and dispersal abilities, and also depends on spatial extent and environmental heterogeneity. However, the effects of physical connectivity among sites and dispersal mode are less commonly considered explicitly in field metacommunity studies. We analysed a rock‐pool animal metacommunity, comparing both environmental and spatial effects between a set of pools in a ravine setting, with ephemeral connecting…

A review of the Entocytheridae (Ostracoda) of the world: updated bibliographic and species checklists and global georeferenced database, with insight…

2014

The creation of biodiversity datasets freely available for the scientific community is a valuable task to stimulate global research on biodiversity. Among others, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is a remarkable resource providing free online access to biodiversity data on many diverse taxonomic groups (including Ostracoda) from both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. More specific databases for Ostracoda georeferenced data have been built (e.g., NACODe and OMEGA), some with freely available data. However, the Entocytheridae, a family of ostracods living commensal on other crustaceans, with 220 living species, representing the third non-marine ostracod family in number of…

Mid-Holocene and historical palaeoecology of the Albufera de València coastal lagoon

2019

espanolLa laguna costera de la Albufera de Valencia es uno de los mayores lagos oligohalinos de la Peninsula Iberica. Fuertemente contaminada y amenazada por planeamientos de desarrollo urbanistico, fue finalmente protegida como Parque Natural en 1986, con el fin de preservar la cubeta y sus ambientes aledanos, los cuales consisten fundamentalmente en arrozales y un bosque sobre la barra arenosa costera. Los planes de restauracion se centran en recuperar la calidad del agua y la cobertura de macrofitos sumergidos que ocupaban la mayor parte de la laguna en los anos 50. Hasta la publicacion de algunos trabajos recientes, se conocia bien poco de la historia paleoambiental esta zona humeda. Co…

Population dynamics and tolerance to desiccation in a crustacean ostracod adapted to life in small ephemeral water bodies

2011

AbstractGiven their small size, isolation and unpredictability, temporary rockpools present high environmental stress and impoverished communities of species that have adapted to such stressful conditions. Special adaptations of the invertebrates living in these habitats include tolerance to desiccation and fast ontogenetic development in order to maintain stable populations and face high risk of extinction. Dozens of small rockpools (mostly with Ø<1m) can be found in east Spain on limestone substrate, where the only known Iberian populations of Heterocypris bosniaca Petkovski et al. (2000), an ostracod species with geographic parthenogenesis, have been recently found. In this survey, two o…

Ostracod palaeolimnological analysis reveals drastic historical changes in salinity, eutrophication and biodiversity loss in a coastal Mediterranean …

2013

The Albufera of Valencia, one of the largest oligohaline coastal lagoons of the Iberian Peninsula, has suffered hydrological and landscape modifications since medieval times. This paleolimnological study clears up the controversy about the factors, which drove the lake to its present state. Lithological descriptions, ostracod paleoassemblages and Cyprideis torosa (Jones, 1850) shell morphological variations and geochemistry (δ18O, δ13C and Sr/Ca) have been used to reconstruct the lake ecosystem evolution during the last two centuries. The sandy sediments at the bottom of L’Antina core (63 cm) presented a typical assemblage of brackish water ostracods, with shell-derived δ18O values, inferre…

Acute Toxicity Tests with Cadmium, Lead, Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate, and Bacillus thuringiensis on a Temporary Pond Ostracod

2012

A complete assessment of effects of pollutants in the environment requires the use of a wide assemblage of test organisms. Crustaceans have been widely used in aquatic environments, but within this group, ostracods have been overlooked, even though they are one of the commonest groups of animals in temporary waters. Within this framework, static acute toxicity bioassays were conducted with heavy metals Cd and Pb, the surfactant SDS and spores of the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis var. israeliensis using adult parthenogenetic females of the temporary pond ostracod Heterocypris bosniaca. Experiments were run at 20 °C and in a 12 by 12 h photoperiod. The toxicity tests results are expressed a…

The interplay of nested biotic interactions and the abiotic environment regulates populations of a hypersymbiont.

2018

1.The role of biotic interactions in shaping the distribution and abundance of species should be particularly pronounced in symbionts. Indeed, symbionts have a dual niche composed of traits of their individual hosts and the abiotic environment external to the host, and often combine active dispersal at finer scales with host‐ mediated dispersal at broader scales. The biotic complexity in the determinants of species distribution and abundance should be even more pronounced for hypersymbionts (symbionts of other symbionts). 2.We use a chain of symbiosis to explore the relative influence of nested biotic interactions and the abiotic environment on occupancy and abundance of a hypersymbiont. 3.…

Extreme tolerance to environmental stress of sexual and parthenogenetic resting eggs ofEucypris virens(Crustacea, Ostracoda)

2012

Summary 1. The freshwater ostracod (Ostracoda), Eucypris virens, is commonly found in European temporary pools, where its long-term persistence completely relies on the build-up of resting egg banks. Extreme tolerance of dormant eggs and seeds is widely assumed, but freshwater ostracod eggs are relatively poorly studied. The study of ostracod resting eggs is of particular relevance as it may yield the key to understanding the distribution of the sexes in many species capable of both sexual and asexual reproduction. 2. We assessed the tolerance of dried resting eggs produced by females originating from three populations with males and three all-female E. virens populations. Hatching time and…

Holocene paleoclimate inferred from salinity histories of adjacent lakes in southwestern Sicily (Italy)

2016

Marked uncertainties persist regarding the climatic evolution of the Mediterranean region during the Holocene. For instance, whether moisture availability gradually decreased, remained relatively constant, or increased during the last 7000 years remains a matter of debate. To assess Holocene limnology, hydrology and moisture dynamics, the coastal lakes Lago Preola and Gorgo Basso, located in southwestern Sicily, were investigated through several stratigraphic analyses of ostracodes, including multivariate analyses of assemblages, transfer functions of salinity, and biochemical analyses of valves (Sr/Ca, δ18O and δ13C). During the early Holocene, the Gorgo Basso and Lago Preola ostracode rec…

Linking present environment and the segregation of reproductive modes (geographical parthenogenesis) in Eucypris virens (Crustacea: Ostracoda)

2013

Aim Geographical parthenogenesis – in which parthenogenetic populations are more widely distributed than sexually reproducing populations – is observed in many plant and animal species. Many hypotheses have been proposed to account for this biogeographical pattern, and these often invoke historical processes such as the influence of glaciation. However, there are relatively few empirical studies of the contemporary factors associated with geographical parthenogenesis. The aim of this study was to understand its causes by linking contemporary environmental gradients with reproductive modes in the freshwater ostracod Eucypris virens. Location Europe and North Africa. Methods We sampled popula…

Empirical calibration of shell chemistry of Cyprideis torosa (Jones, 1850) (Crustacea: Ostracoda)

2012

Abstract Cyprideis torosa is a species of ostracode that inhabits a wide range of aquatic habitats in which its low Alk/Ca requirement is met. Its fossil remains are widely used in palaeoecological studies of coastal environments and inland salt lakes. We collected C. torosa from 20 water bodies near Valencia, Spain. Temperature, chlorophyll a concentration, electrical conductivity, and the concentration of major ions and oxygen isotopes were measured at each site. Between 2 and 20 live individuals of C. torosa were collected per site, their instar stage and sex determined and their shell chemistry (Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and carbon and oxygen isotope composition) analyzed. Three of these sites were …

Breaking the temperature-size rule: Thermal effects on growth, development and fecundity of a crustacean from temporary waters

2013

The temperature-size rule (TSR) is a well-established phenomenon to describe the growth response of ectotherms to temperature by which individuals maintained at low temperatures grow more slowly, but attain a larger size upon maturity. Although there are adaptive and non-adaptive theories about the plasticity of body size in response to temperature, these cannot be applied to all ectotherms, and little is known about the changes in growth and development rates through ontogeny. The ostracod species Heterocypris bosniaca, an inhabitant of freshwater temporary ponds, was used to examine the growth and development rates of its nine growth stages and female fecundity at four different temperatu…

Population trends and habitat selection of threatened marsh passerines in a protected Mediterranean wetland

2021

Global distribution of Fabaeformiscandona subacuta: an exotic invasive Ostracoda on the Iberian Peninsula?

2012

Although exotic species of Ostracoda have been recorded from various sites in Europe, none of them have a widespread European distribution. Reviews of existing literature, examination of specimens, and sampling in Spain and Japan has greatly expanded the known distribution of the candonid ostracode Fabaeformiscandona subacuta (Yang, 1982). We herein present new reports of its presence in mainland eastern Asia, Australia, and South America, and we review its distribution on the Iberian Peninsula. Although this species is globally widespread, we hypothesize that it is an invasive species on the Iberian Peninsula in light of the following facts: it is not known from other European countries, i…

Data from: The interplay of nested biotic interactions and the abiotic environment regulates populations of a hypersymbiont

2019

1. The role of biotic interactions in shaping distribution and abundance of species should be particularly pronounced in symbionts. Indeed, symbionts have a dual niche composed of traits of their individual hosts and the abiotic environment external to the host, and often combine active dispersal at finer scales with host-mediated dispersal at broader scales. The biotic complexity in the determinants of species distribution and abundance should be even more pronounced for hypersymbionts (symbionts of other symbionts). 2. We use a chain of symbiosis to explore the relative influence of nested biotic interactions and the abiotic environment on occupancy and abundance of a hypersymbiont. 3. Ou…