Here we explored the matching between phenology and the thermal sensitivity of standard (SMR) and routine metabolic rates (RMR), metabolic scope (i.e. the difference between RMR and SMR), survival and growth-development trajectories in larvae of a prolonged breeder amphibian Alytes almogavarii acclimated to 10 and 20°C, belonging to three cohorts: autumn pre-overwintering, autumn overwintering and spring tadpoles. At 20°C, survival of autumn pre-overwintering larvae was lower than for the rest. Although all cohorts showed acclimation potential, patterns for SMR and RMR differed, leading to differences in metabolic scope. Leer más.

—Fifteen years have elapsed since the arrival of the invasive snake Hemorrhois hippocrepis to the island of Ibiza (Balearic Islands, Spain). In that time, the only endemic vertebrate, the Ibiza Wall Lizard (Podarcis pityusensis), has disappeared across half of the island, a subspecies restricted to an offshore islet has
vanished, and its extinction in its native range is likely to happen in the next several years if managers do not implement conservation measures with alacrity and decisiveness. In light of these fndings, our re-assessment of the IUCN extinction risk category for this lizard shows that its risk status has increased by two levels since its last assessment in 2008, from Near Threatened to Endangered. Leer más.

Fotografia: Albert Masats. Wikipedia.

Desde el proyecto SAFE (Stop Atropellos de Fauna en España) queremos evaluar la mortalidad de fauna por atropello en nuestro país. Los atropellos de fauna son un problema ampliamente reconocido, pero, sin embargo, no conocemos su magnitud real. De hecho, sabemos poco de la mortalidad de fauna que genera el tráfico rodado. Por ello, si te acuerdas de algún incidente de este tipo rellena este formulario y cuéntanos tu experiencia ¡Sólo te llevará dos minutos! Tus datos y todos los que recopilemos a lo largo y ancho de la Península Ibérica nos ayudarán a estudiar las características habituales de los eventos de atropello y así poder hacer un diagnóstico de la mortalidad de fauna en carreteras españolas, en forma de iniciativa de ciencia ciudadana ¡Gracias por tu participación! Leer más.

La següent clau dicotòmica s’ha creat per tal d’identificar correctament qualsevol espècie de tortuga, llangardaix, sargantana, dragó, lludrió i serp que ens podem trobar a tota Catalunya. S’ha procurat que les descripcions permetin diferenciar els organismes, tant adults com juvenils, sense manipular-los. Leer más.

The ability to bear live offspring, viviparity, has evolved multiple times across the tree of life and is a remarkable adaptation with profound life-history and ecological implications. Within amphibians the ancestral reproductive mode is oviparity followed by a larval life stage, but viviparity has evolved independently in all three amphibian orders. Two types of viviparous reproduction can be distinguished in amphibians; larviparity and pueriparity.  Leer más.