Spanish Mainland Research Articles

From trophic ecology to fish condition: contrasting pathways for European hake in the western Mediterranean

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 623:131-143 (2019) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13025 From trophic ecology to fish condition: contrasting pathways for European hake in the western Mediterranean Lucía Rueda1,*, María Valls1, Manuel Hidalgo1, Beatriz Guijarro1, Antonio Esteban2, Enric Massutí1 1Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares, 07015 Palma de Mallorca, Spain 2Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Murcia, 30740 San Pedro del Pinatar (Murcia), Spain *Corresponding author: lucia.rueda@ieo.es ABSTRACT: In marine ecosystems, where variability in the type and availability of food resources is a common property, species must adjust their feeding behaviour in order to fulfil their energetic needs within the requirements of ontogeny. These variations in the quality and quantity of food supply are crucial for the nutritional status of individuals. We investigated these relationships by analysing the isotopic composition and somatic body condition of European hake Merluccius merluccius within 3 areas in the western Mediterranean: the waters off the Ebro River delta and the northeastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, both off the Spanish mainland, and the Balearic Islands. These locations have contrasting oceanographic conditions and degrees of productivity. Results reveal important ontogenetic and spatial differences in the isotopic composition and body condition of recruits and juveniles, as well as a distinct trophic structure and pathways between areas. Isotopic signatures revealed differences between the waters off the mainland and the Balearic Islands, with an overlap in the isotopic niche of recruits and juveniles in mainland waters that contrasted with a clear separation in the Islands. The linkage between trophic ecology and somatic body condition revealed that this relationship cannot be as straightforward as expected, highlighting the importance of ecological processes such as competition for food resources. This study reveals the small-scale spatial complexity in the trophic ecology of European hake and its relationship with nutritional status. Acknowledging such complexity is of high importance for the implementation of integrative management of marine living resources. KEY WORDS: Merluccius merluccius · Somatic body condition · Stable isotopes · Trophic ecology · Oligotrophy · Western Mediterranean Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Rueda L, Valls M, Hidalgo M, Guijarro B, Esteban A, Massutí E (2019) From trophic ecology to fish condition: contrasting pathways for European hake in the western Mediterranean. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 623:131-143. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13025 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 623. Online publication date: July 30, 2019 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2019 Inter-Research.

Valoración de Bases de Datos de Usos de Suelo para la localización y distribución espacial de la energía solar y eólica en España

La implantación de energías renovables es una de las acciones más destacadas que se insertan dentro de las políticas de reducción de gases de efecto invernadero. Este es uno de los factores globales de mayor relevancia de su implantación. Sin embargo, desde la perspectiva territorial y local existen otros factores, como la relación con el paisaje, los usos de suelo, el medio ambiente y las actividades socio-económicas, que hacen necesario desarrollar fuentes de información espacial, que permitan conocer y entender las características y el modo a través del cual se implantan las energías renovables. Este trabajo tiene el objetivo de valorar las posibilidades que brinda el ‘Sistema de Información de Ocupación del Suelo en España’ (SIOSE) para realizar diversos análisis relacionados con los patrones de localización de las instalaciones de energía solar y eólica en el territorio español peninsular. Para llevar a cabo dicha valoración, se analiza el grado de implantación de las instalaciones de producción energética eólica y solar, así como de su distribución por regiones. Al mismo tiempo y, en combinación con la fuente CORINE Land Cover, se distinguen que usos y cobertura de suelo están siendo ocupados por estas energías, y que usos urbanos se encuentran más próximos a las instalaciones de producción. Por último, utilizando información altitudinal y bases de datos de espacios naturales protegidos, se observa como existen diferencias importantes entre la energía solar y eólica en el grado de ocupación de suelo dentro de estos espacios.

Las especies de <em>Hyalopterus</em> Koch, 1854 (Hemiptera, Aphididae), pulgones harinosos de los frutales de hueso, en España peninsular e Islas Baleares

Se ha estudiado la distribución de las especies del género Hyalopterus Koch, 1854 (Aphidinae, Aphidini, Rhopalosiphina) en España peninsular e Islas Baleares mediante la revisión de las citas bibliográficas, del material depositado en la colección de la Universidad de León y de las fotografías almacenadas en Insectarium virtual. Se actualiza la distribución de las especies y aportan citas en nuevas provincias. Además, se aporta una clave de identificación para las hembras vivíparas ápteras de las especies de Hyalopterus.

Identifying wildfire-prone atmospheric circulation weather types on mainland Spain

In this paper we present a detailed spatial assessment of the association between atmospheric synoptic conditions (the weather types, WT) and fires on the Spanish mainland. The WT approach allows the continuum of atmospheric fields to be compressed into a few comprehensive patterns, providing meaningful information on the movement of air masses, wind direction and, ultimately, wind speed. We analyzed a total of 291,547 individual fires from the official Spanish Fire database (1974–2014) and corresponding daily WT patterns on the Iberian Peninsula from the daily NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis database, 1951–2015. Underlying spatial patterns of association among fire and weather types were explored by means of self-organizing maps (SOM) coupled to hierarchical clustering.Our analyses have detected that fires tend to occur and become largermore likely under certain atmospheric conditions suggesting that specific weather patterns can promote or boost fire events. From a pyrogeographical point of view, the contribution of WTs to wildfires on the Spanish mainland seems to be highly diverse, and displays several temporal and spatial patterns. The northwest region responds mostly to eastern flows during summer and southern during winter. Fires in the northern Mediterranean coast are promoted by northerly flows while in southern regions fires are linked to C or SE extreme heat episodes during summer. Overall, fires activity usually increases in the lee ward of mountain ranges depending on the prevalent flow from WTs, and thus related to adiabatic heating of the air flow.

The role of short-term weather conditions in temporal dynamics of fire regime features in mainland Spain

In this paper we investigate spatial-temporal associations of fire weather danger and fire regime features from 1979 to 2013. We analyze monthly time series of fire activity (number of fires and burned area) and fire weather danger rating indices (Fire Weather Index, Burning Index and Forest Fire Danger Index) at two spatial scales: (i) regionally, splitting the Spanish mainland into Northwest, Hinterland and Mediterranean regions; and (ii) locally, using the EMCWF grid. All analyses are based on decomposing time series to retrieve differential indicators of seasonal cycles, temporal evolution and anomalies. At regional scale we apply lagged cross-correlation analysis (4 lags or months before fire) to explore seasonal associations; and trend detection tests on the temporal evolution component. At the local scale, we calculate Pearson correlation coefficients between each individual index and the 18 possible fire-activity subsets according to fire size (all sizes, >1 ha and >100 ha) and source of ignition (natural, unintended and arson); this analysis is applied to both cycles, temporal and anomalies series.Results suggest that weather controls seasonal fire activity although it has limited influence on temporal evolution, i.e. trends. Stronger associations are detected in the number of fires in the Northwest and Hinterland regions compared to the Mediterranean, which has desynchronized from weather since 1994. Cross-correlation analysis revealed significant fire-weather associations in the Hinterland and Mediterranean, extending up to two months prior fire ignition. On the other hand, the association between temporal trends and weather is weaker, being negative along the Mediterranean and even significant in the case of burned area. The spatial disaggregation into grid cells reveals different spatial patterns across fire-activity subsets. Again, the connection at seasonal level is noticeable, especially in natural-caused fires. In turn, human-related wildfires are occasionally found independent from weather in some areas along the northern coast or the Ebro basin. In any case, this effect diminishes as the size of the fire increases. Our work suggests that for some regions of mainland Spain, these fire danger indices could provide useful information about upcoming fire activity up to two months ahead of time and this information could be used to better inform wildland fire prevention and suppression activities.

The Islamic cemetery at 33 Bartomeu Vicent Ramon, Ibiza: investigating diet and mobility through light stable isotopes in bone collagen and tooth enamel

The Balearic Islands occupy a central space in the western Mediterranean, at the maritime crossroads between North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of southwestern Europe. As such, it is well placed to investigate changes in subsistence practices associated with the major cultural transitions following the arrival of Islamic rule. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis was carried out on bone collagen from the Islamic cemetery (ca. AD 950–1150) population excavated at 33 Bartomeu Vicent Ramon, Ibiza, including human (n = 42) and faunal remains (n = 3). Stable oxygen and carbon isotope analysis was also undertaken on human tooth enamel carbonate (n = 6), and six humans were directly radiocarbon dated, confirming the presence of two distinct burial phases. The collagen results emphasise a C3-based diet, with variable but generally minor contributions from marine and/or C4 foods. However, the enamel carbonate results indicate a far greater importance of C4 crops than suggested by the collagen results, contributing up to 40% of energy intake. In keeping with previous studies of the region and period, the dietary contribution of marine protein is probably limited. A small number of outliers in both collagen and carbonate isotope results are identified, suggesting the presence of individuals originating elsewhere. The results are compared with those from previous investigations on the Balearics and the Spanish mainland, highlighting the complexity of factors—both cultural and methodological—affecting inter-regional dietary investigation.

High-resolution spatio-temporal analyses of drought episodes in the western Mediterranean basin (Spanish mainland, Iberian Peninsula)

The purpose of this research was to identify major drought events on the Spanish mainland between 1961 and 2014 by means of two drought indices, and analyze the spatial propagation of drought conditions. The indices applied were the standardized precipitation index (SPI) and the standardized evaporation precipitation index (SPEI). The first was calculated as standardized anomalies of precipitation at various temporal intervals, while the second examined the climatic balance normalized at monthly scale, incorporating the relationship between precipitation and the atmospheric water demand. The daily meteorological data from Spanish Meteorological Archives (AEMet) were used in performing the analyses. Within the framework of the DESEMON project, original data were converted into a high spatial resolution grid (1.1 km2) following exhaustive quality control. Values of both indices were calculated on a weekly scale and different timescales (12, 24 and 36 months). The results show that during the first half of the study period, the SPI usually returned a higher identification of drought areas, while the reverse was true from the 1990s, suggesting that the effect from atmospheric evaporative demand could have increased. The temporal propagation from 12- to 24-month and 36-month timescales analyzed in the paper seems to be a far from straightforward phenomenon that does not follow a simple rule of time lag, because events at different temporal scales can overlap in time and space. Spatially, the propagation of drought events affecting more than 25% of the total land indicates the existence of various spatial gradients of drought propagation, mostly east–west or west–east, but also north–south have been found. No generalized episodes were found with a radial pattern, i.e., from inland to the coast.

Definition of a temporal distribution index for high temporal resolution precipitation data over Peninsular Spain and the Balearic Islands: the fractal dimension; and its synoptic implications

Precipitation on the Spanish mainland and in the Balearic archipelago exhibits a high degree of spatial and temporal variability, regardless of the temporal resolution of the data considered. The fractal dimension indicates the property of self-similarity, and in the case of this study, wherein it is applied to the temporal behaviour of rainfall at a fine (10-min) resolution from a total of 48 observatories, it provides insights into its more or less convective nature. The methodology of Jenkinson & Collison which automatically classifies synoptic situations at the surface, as well as an adaptation of this methodology at 500 hPa, was applied in order to gain insights into the synoptic implications of extreme values of the fractal dimension. The highest fractal dimension values in the study area were observed in places with precipitation that has a more random behaviour over time with generally high totals. Four different regions in which the atmospheric mechanisms giving rise to precipitation at the surface differ from the corresponding above-ground mechanisms have been identified in the study area based on the fractal dimension. In the north of the Iberian Peninsula, high fractal dimension values are linked to a lower frequency of anticyclonic situations, whereas the opposite occurs in the central region. In the Mediterranean, higher fractal dimension values are associated with a higher frequency of the anticyclonic type and a lower frequency of the advective type from the east. In the south, lower fractal dimension values indicate higher frequency with respect to the anticyclonic type from the east and lower frequency with respect to the cyclonic type.

Spanish vineyard classification according to bioclimatic indexes

Background and Aims Spain has more than one million hectares of vineyards, being the first country in the world, and the third in production of wine. Local zoning studies have been carried out using bioclimatic indexes to show the influence of climate; however, no detailed study has been undertaken at national level that included the current area of vineyards. The aim of this study was to prepare a thermal characterisation and zoning of winegrowing areas in Spain through four bioclimatic indexes. Methods and Results From data of the European Climate Assessment & Dataset (1980–2010), four bioclimatic indexes adapted to viticulture were calculated and integrated into a geographic information system, which allowed the graphical visualisation of their patterns by means of geostatistical interpolation techniques (kriging). The results show that there is a significant spatial variability of the climate from a winegrowing perspective, and each index defines the differences between the climatic classes suitable for viticulture. Conclusions In order to define and assess the climatic differences in wine production and the suitability of the Spanish mainland territory, it is necessary to combine several indexes. Significance of the Study For the first time, the climatic variability of Spain has been described and the peculiarities that differentiate its vineyards have been highlighted. High‐resolution kriged maps have made this study possible.

Variaciones espaciales y temporales de las condiciones bioclimáticas en la España peninsular (1951-2010)

Hemos analizado los cambios de las condiciones bioclimáticas de la España peninsular en las décadas más recientes mediante la clasificación Worldwide Bioclimatic Classification System. La comparación entre las treintenas 1951-1980 y 1981-2010 ha permitido identificar cambios en los niveles más bajos de la clasificación (Continentalidad, y régimen térmico y ombrotérmico), no observándose grandes variaciones espaciales en la distribución de los niveles elevados (Macrobioclimas, Bioclimas/Variantes), pero sí en el nivel de Piso Bioclimático (Termotipos y Ombrotipos). Los resultados sugieren que los cambios ocurridos en las condiciones bioclimáticas han afectado con preferencia a la mitad norte peninsular, y no han sido tan intensos ni extensos como cabría pensar de anteriores estudios.

Nuevos datos sobre la distribución de <em>Lipara</em> Meigen, 1830 (Diptera: Chloropidae) y sus clorópidos inquilinos en la península ibérica

El género Lipara Meigen, 1830 (Diptera: Chloropidae) tiene la capacidad de inducir agallas en Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud., 1841 (Poaceae). Dichas agallas son microhábitats importantes que aportan recursos a otros clorópidos que viven dentro de ellas. En la península ibérica, las agallas de Lipara y la fauna asociada no han sido bien estudiadas. En este trabajo se recogen nuevas citas de Lipara lucens Meigen, 1830, L. similis Schiner, 1854 y sus inquilinos, Calamoncosis minima (Strobl, 1893) y Cryptonevra flavitarsis (Meigen, 1830) en la península ibérica, combinando muestreos en campo, con información disponible en portales fotográficos. Se citan por primera vez en la España peninsular L. lucens, C. minima y Cr. flavitarsis. A pesar de que son un grupo que ha sido poco estudiado, estas especies parecen estar ampliamente distribuidas por la península ibérica.

A moving windows visual approach to analysing spatial variation in temperature trends on the Spanish mainland 1951–2010

ABSTRACTIn this article, we approached the study of spatiotemporal variation in trends for the monthly mean values of maximum and minimum temperatures on the Spanish mainland between 1951 and 2010, in order to find out how length and selected periods affected trends. The trend and significance signals were calculated every month and for each cell individually, in a high spatial resolution grid (Mann–Kendall test) by using decreasing and increasing temporal windows (from 20 to 60 years and vice versa). Finally, the results are presented as a sequence of temporal window trend maps to show the spatiotemporal variability of trends at high resolution over the years. The results of increasing temporal window trends show that temperatures have increased overall on the Spanish mainland, but the impact is different for cold and warm months, maximum and minimum temperatures, and the area affected by significant trends varies depending on the month. The positive and significant trend affecting >20% of the total area extends in a west–east gradient during the cold months, while the reverse is true for the warmest ones. The analyses from decreasing the length of moving windows also vary greatly among months. The areas affected by significant trends are highly variable month‐on‐month, differ for maximum and minimum temperatures, and evolve in different ways over time. Few months show a significant trend during the last 30 years, and spatial distribution differences among trends for the maximum and minimum temperatures are detected. Spatially, a more complex gradient can be observed, but the global east–west and west–east gradient can also be generally seen in the warmest or coldest months. These findings show that a selected period determines the final trend. Furthermore, the results suggest that recent warming processes on the Spanish mainland have high spatial variability that differs among months and maximum and minimum temperatures, and has not been constant.

Genetic diversity of Patellifolia patellaris from the Iberian Peninsula, a crop wild relative of cultivated beets

The genetic diversity of Patellifolia patellaris has been investigated to generate information required for the organisation of a systematic genetic resources conservation action combining the best elements of the ex situ and in situ conservation concept. To this end, ten occurrences of the species were sampled on the Iberian Peninsula in Portugal and Spain. A total of 271 individuals was analysed using 24 microsatellite markers. The factorial analysis separated the material into two occurrences from Portugal, two occurrences sampled east of Gibraltar and six occurrences from the eastern Spanish coast. The pairwise genetic distance between occurrences and the complementary compositional differentiation among occurrences were calculated. The genetic distance values were used to construct an Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean tree, which can be separated into four equidistant clusters. Two clusters are located in Portugal and two further clusters in Spain. The factorial analysis as well as the genetic distance and differentiation analysis indicate that the two occurrences from Portugal are clearly genetically different from the Spanish group of occurrences. Both occurrences have low population sizes and are therefore highly endangered. In situ conservation actions are urgently required for both occurrences. Further investigations are needed to organise better informed conservation actions for P. patellaris, namely to study genetic relationships between occurrences on the Spanish mainland and occurrences distributed on the Canary Islands, Madeira and Cape Verde Islands as well as in Morocco.

Compositional analysis of topsoil metals and its associations with cancer mortality using spatial misaligned data

The presence of toxic metals in soil per se, and in soil impacted by mining, industry, agriculture and urbanisation in particular, is a major concern for both human health and ecotoxicology. The dual aim of this study was: to ascertain whether topsoil composition could influence the spatial distribution of mortality due to different types of cancer and to identify possible errors committed by epidemiological studies which analyse soil composition data as a closed number system. We conducted an ecological cancer mortality study, covering 861,440 cancer deaths (27 cancer sites) in 7917 Spanish mainland towns, from 1999 to 2008. Topsoil levels of Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined by ICP-MS at 13,317 sampling points. We transformed the topsoil data in two ways, i.e. log transformation and centred logratio transformation. Principal factor analysis was performed to obtain independent latent factors for the transformed variables. To estimate the effect on mortality of topsoil factor loadings, we fitted Besag, York and Mollié models embedded in geostatistical-spatial models. This model included soil sample locations and town centroids (non-aligned data), fitted using the integrated nested Laplace approximation (INLA) as a tool for Bayesian inference and stochastic partial differential equations (SPDE). All results were adjusted for socio-demographic variables. The results indicated that soil composition could have an influence on the spatial distribution and mortality patterns of cancer. The analysis adjusted for socio-demographic variables showed excess male mortality due to digestive system tumours in areas with soils containing higher Cd, Pb, Zn, Mn and Cu concentrations, bladder cancer in areas with soils containing higher Cd concentrations, and brain cancer in areas with soils containing As. In both sexes, cancer of oesophagus was associated with soils containing a higher lead content, while lung cancer was associated with soils containing a higher copper content. Stress should be laid on the importance of taking into account the compositional nature of the data in this type of analysis.

Association between heavy metal and metalloid levels in topsoil and cancer mortality in Spain

Spatio-temporal cancer mortality studies in Spain have revealed patterns for some tumours which display a distribution that is similar across the sexes and persists over time. Such characteristics would be common to tumours that shared risk factors, including the geochemical composition of the soil. The aim of this study was to assess the possible association between heavy metal and metalloid levels in topsoil (upper soil horizon) and cancer mortality in mainland Spain. Ecological cancer mortality study at a municipal level, covering 861,440 cancer deaths (27 different tumour locations) in 7917 Spanish mainland towns, from 1999 to 2008. The elements included in this analysis were Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. Topsoil levels (partial extraction) were determined by ICP-MS at 13,317 sampling points. For the analysis, the data on the topsoil composition have been transformed by the centred logratio (clr-transformation). Principal factor analysis was performed to obtain independent latent factors for the transformed variables. To estimate the effect of heavy metal levels in topsoil composition on mortality, we fitted Besag, York and Mollié models, which included each town’s factor scores as the explanatory variable. Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (INLA) was used as a tool for Bayesian inference. All results were adjusted for sociodemographic variables. The results showed an association between trace contents of heavy metals and metalloids in topsoil and mortality due to tumours of the digestive system in mainland Spain. This association was observed in both sexes, something that would support the hypothesis that the incorporation of heavy metals into the trophic chain might be playing a role in the aetiology of some types of cancer. Topsoil composition and the presence of potentially toxic elements in trace concentrations might be an additional component in the aetiology of some types of cancer, and go some way to determine the ensuing geographic differences in mortality in Spain. The results support the interest of inclusion of heavy metal levels in topsoil as a hypothesis in analytical epidemiological studies using biological markers of exposure to heavy metals and metalloids.

Validating proposed migration equation and parameters' values as a tool to reproduce and predict 137Cs vertical migration activity in Spanish soils

This paper shows the procedure performed to validate the migration equation and the migration parameters’ values presented in a previous paper (Legarda et al., 2011) regarding the migration of 137Cs in Spanish mainland soils.In this paper, this model validation has been carried out checking experimentally obtained activity concentration values against those predicted by the model. This experimental data come from the measured vertical activity profiles of 8 new sampling points which are located in northern Spain. Before testing predicted values of the model, the uncertainty of those values has been assessed with the appropriate uncertainty analysis. Once establishing the uncertainty of the model, both activity concentration values, experimental versus model predicted ones, have been compared. Model validation has been performed analyzing its accuracy, studying it as a whole and also at different depth intervals. As a result, this model has been validated as a tool to predict 137Cs behaviour in a Mediterranean environment.

Arsenic and chromium topsoil levels and cancer mortality in Spain.

Spatio-temporal cancer mortality studies in Spain have revealed patterns for some tumours which display a distribution that is similar across the sexes and persists over time. Such characteristics would be common to tumours that shared risk factors, including the chemical soil composition. The objective of the present study is to assess the association between levels of chromium and arsenic in soil and the cancer mortality. This is an ecological cancer mortality study at municipal level, covering 861,440 cancer deaths in 7917 Spanish mainland towns from 1999 to 2008. Chromium and arsenic topsoil levels (partial extraction) were determined by ICP-MS at 13,317 sampling points. To estimate the effect of these concentrations on mortality, we fitted Besag, York and Mollié models, which included, as explanatory variables, each town’s chromium and arsenic soil levels, estimated by kriging. In addition, we also fitted geostatistical-spatial models including sample locations and town centroids (non-aligned data), using the integrated nested Laplace approximation (INLA) and stochastic partial differential equations (SPDE). All results were adjusted for socio-demographic variables and proximity to industrial emissions. The results showed a statistical association in men and women alike, between arsenic soil levels and mortality due to cancers of the stomach, pancreas, lung and brain and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL). Among men, an association was observed with cancers of the prostate, buccal cavity and pharynx, oesophagus, colorectal and kidney. Chromium topsoil levels were associated with mortality among women alone, in cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract, breast and NHL. Our results suggest that chronic exposure arising from low levels of arsenic and chromium in topsoil could be a potential risk factor for developing cancer.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11356-016-6806-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A new climatology of maximum and minimum temperature (1951–2010) in the Spanish mainland: a comparison between three different interpolation methods

ABSTRACTThis study presents a new climatology of monthly temperature for mainland Spain (1951–2010), performed with the highest quality and spatially dense, up-to-date monthly temperature dataset available in the study area (MOTEDAS).Three different interpolation techniques were evaluated: the Local Weighted Linear Regression (LWLR), the Regression-Kriging (RK) and the Regression-Kriging with stepwise selection (RKS), a modification of RK. The performances of the different models were evaluated by the leave-one-out validation procedure, comparing the results from the models with the original data and calculating different error measurements.The three techniques performed better for Tmax than for Tmin, and for the cold, rather than warmer months, also at lower altitude than highland areas. The best results were achieved with LWLR applied for the first time on temperatures in the Spanish mainland. This method improved the accuracy of the temperature reconstruction with respect to RK and RKS.We present a collection of Tmax and Tmin monthly charts, using the same temperature legend to prevent any visual bias in the interpretation of the results. The dataset is available upon request.

First record of the ant-loving cricket Myrmecophilus fuscus Stalling, 2013 (Orthoptera: Myrmecophilidae) in mainland Spain

We present the first published records of Myrmecophilus fuscus Stalling, 2013 from the Spanish mainland. We observed the species at various localities in Catalonia and in the city of Madrid. Six ant species are known hosts for M. fuscus in mainland Spain: Camponotus lateralis (Olivier, 1792), Crematogaster scutellaris (Olivier, 1792) and Formica cunicularia Latreille, 1798, as well as three ant species of the genus Lasius , two native and one exotic: L. grandis Forel, 1909, L. cinereus Seifert, 1992, and the invasiv e L. neglectus Van Loon, Boomsma & Andrasfalvy, 1990.

Recent trend in temperature evolution in Spanish mainland (1951–2010): from warming to hiatus

ABSTRACTThe most recent debate on global warming focuses on the hiatus in global temperature, for which several explanations have been proposed. On the other hand, spatial variability and nonlinearity in temperature evolution has been recognized as a key point in global change analyses.In this study, we analyse the evolution of the warming rate in the Spanish mainland using the MOTEDAS data set for the last 60 years (1951–2010). Our special emphasis is on the last decades to detect and identify a possible hiatus, and to determine the effects of daytime (Tmax) and night‐time (Tmin) records at annual and seasonal scale on the hiatus. Moving windows running trend analyses were applied to calculate temperature trend and significance for any temporal window from the beginning to the end of the series, ranging from 20 years to the whole series length (60 years)The results suggest that the warming rate in the Spanish mainland reached a maximum between 1970 and 1990, followed by a decrease in intensity in both Tmax and Tmin until the present. Furthermore, the decrease in the warming rate in Tmax has been higher than in Tmin for the last three decades; therefore, recent annual warming rates appears to depend more on Tmin than on Tmax. Significant trends disappear from the middle of the 1980s at any temporal window length in both Tmax and Tmin at annual and seasonal scales except in spring Tmin.Some differences among seasons are evident and, during the last few decades, the highest rates of warming are found in spring and summer, with Tmax and Tmin behaving in different ways. This study highlights how the warming rate is highly dependent on the length of the period analysed.