Spatial, environmental and human influences on the distribution of otter (Lutra lutra) in the Spanish provinces

In a previous survey of otters ( Lutra lutra L. 1758) in Spain, different causes were invoked to explain the frequency of the species in each province. To find common causes of the distribution of the otter in Spain, we recorded a number of spatial, environmental and human variables in each Spanish province. We then performed a stepwise linear multiple regression of the proportion of positive sites of otter in the Spanish provinces separately on each of the three groups of variables. Geographic longitude, January air humidity, soil permeability and highway density were the variables selected. A linear regression of the proportion of otter presence on these variables explained 62.4% of the variance. We then used the selected variables in a partial regression analysis to specify which proportions of the variation are explained exclusively by spatial, environmental and human factors, and which proportions are attributable to interactions between these components. Pure environmental effects accounted for only 5.5% of the variation, while pure spatial and pure human effects explained 18% and 9.7%, respectively. Shared variation among the components totalled 29.2%, of which 10.9% was explained by the interaction between environmental and spatial factors. Human factors explained globally less variance than spatial and environmental ones, but the pure human influence was higher than the pure environmental one. We concluded that most of the variation in the proportion of occurrences of otter in Spanish provinces is spatially structured, and that environmental factors have more influence on otter presence than human ones; however, the human influence on otter distribution is less structured in space, and thus can be more disruptive. This effect of large infrastructures on wild populations must be taken into account when planning large-scale conservation policies

Factores de correcção para os efeitos ambientais na quantidade e qualidade do leite em bovinos da raça frísia

A produção e qualidade do leite são influenciadas por factores ambientais como a nutrição, factores genéticos como a raça, e factores fisiológicos como a idade a idade ao parto ou o número de ordenhas diárias. Este trabalho teve por objectivo estimar factores de correcção para os efeitos ambientais que influenciam a quantidade e qualidade do leite com vista ao melhoramento genético dos animais. Para isso, foram utilizados os registos de 23897 contrastes leiteiros de vacas de raça Frísia, no período de 6 anos, recolhidos a partir dos dados da ANABLE. De acordo com os resultados, obtidos através do método dos quadrados mínimos, observa-se que para a produção de leite, gordura e proteína, todos os efeitos fixos de variação são significativos nas três características produtivas estudadas, pelo que se conclui que há interacção entre a idade da vaca ao parto e a produção e qualidade do leite, assim como, a época do ano em que ocorre o parto e o número de ordenhas diárias a que o animal está sujeito. ABSTRACT; Cow production and milk quality are influenced by environmental factors such as nutrition, by genetic factors as breed and physiological factors as age at calving or milking frequency. This study aimed to estimate correction parameters for environmental factors with influence on milk production and quality embodying genetic improvement. For this propose, a data base was used with information related to 23987 milk tests collected from official milk recording program. According to the results, where the at least square procedure was adopted, it shows that all the fixed effects of variation significantly affect the productive performances, so it can be concluded that there is a significant interaction between milking frequency, age at calving and season when it occurs, and milk production and quality.

Enzymatic activity on sediments and nematode assemblage responses during seagrass beds habitat recovery following the disturbance of the traditional digging activity of bivalves harvesting.

Sediment digging is an anthropogenic activity connected to the exploitation of living resources in estuarine and marine environments. The knowledge on the functional responses of the benthic assemblages to the physical disturbance is an important baseline to understand the ecological processes of the habitat recovery and restoration and to develop tools for the management of the harvesting activities. To investigate the effects of the digging activity of the bivalves on Zostera noltii seagrass beds a manipulative field experiment was conducted that included the enzymatic activity of sediments and the associated nematode assemblages. Four plots (two undisturbed serving as control and two dug to collect bivalves - treatment) with 18 subplots were randomly located at seagrass beds in the Mira estuary at the SW coast of Portugal. Samples were randomly and unrepeatably collected from three subplots of each plot in five different occasions, before sediment digging (T0) up to six months after disturbance (T5). Microbial activity in sediments was assess by determining the extracelular enzymatic activity of six hydrolytic enzymes (sulfatase, phosphatase, b -N-acetilglucosaminidase, b-glucosidase, urease, protease) and two oxidoreductases (phenol oxidase and peroxidase). The microbial community status was also assessed through the measurement of dehydrogenase, which reflects microbial respiration. The nematode assemblages composition, biodiversity and trophic composition at different sampling occasions were also analyzed. The fluorometric and biochemical parameters analysed of the Z. noltii plants during the experimental period showed a recovery of the seagrass beds, and it was detected an increase of the enzymatic activity of the sediments after disturbance. The nematodes assemblages were similar in all sampling occasions. The seagrass beds and the nematodes assemblages associated showed a high resilience to the stress caused by the traditional bivalves digging activity. The obtained results allow the development of a management programme for the commercial fishing activity to maintain the good environmental status and minimized the secondary environmental effects on marine and estuarine habitats through the establishment of a baseline for the regulation of the harvesting frequency.

Biodiesel production from waste cooking oil over sulfonated catalysts

Biodiesel production from waste cooking oil with methanol was carried out in the presence of poly(vinyl alcohol) with sulfonic acid groups (PVA-SO3H) and polystyrene with sulfonic acid groups (PS-SO3H), at 60°C. The PVA-SO3H catalyst showed higher catalytic activity than the PS-SO3H one. In order to optimize the reaction conditions, different parameters were studied. An increase of waste cooking oil conversion into fatty acid methyl esters with the amount of PVA-SO3H was observed. When the transesterification and esterification of WCO was carried out with ethanol over PVA-SO3H, at 60°C, a decrease of biodiesel production was also observed. The WCO conversion into fatty acid ethyl ester increased when the temperature was increased from 60 to 80°C. When different amounts of free fatty acids were added to the reaction mixture, a slight increase on the conversion was observed. The PVASO3H catalyst was reused and recycled with negligible loss in the activity.

Hierarchical spatial segregation of two Mediterranean vole species: the role of patch‑network structure and matrix composition

According to ecological theory, the coexistence of competitors in patchy environments may be facilitated by hierarchical spatial segregation along axes of environmental variation, but empirical evidence is limited. Cabrera and water voles show a metapopulation-like structure in Mediterranean farmland, where they are known to segregate along space, habitat, and time axes within habitat patches. Here, we assess whether segregation also occurs among and within landscapes, and how this is influenced by patch-network and matrix composition. We surveyed 75 landscapes, each covering 78 ha, where we mapped all habitat patches potentially suitable for Cabrera and water voles, and the area effectively occupied by each species (extent of occupancy). The relatively large water vole tended to be the sole occupant of landscapes with high habitat amount but relatively low patch density (i.e., with a few large patches), and with a predominantly agricultural matrix, whereas landscapes with high patch density (i.e.,many small patches) and low agricultural cover, tended to be occupied exclusively by the small Cabrera vole. The two species tended to co-occur in landscapes with intermediate patch-network and matrix characteristics, though their extents of occurrence were negatively correlated after controlling for environmental effects. In combination with our previous studies on the Cabrera-water vole system, these findings illustrated empirically the occurrence of hierarchical spatial segregation, ranging from withinpatches to among-landscapes. Overall, our study suggests that recognizing the hierarchical nature of spatial segregation patterns and their major environmental drivers should enhance our understanding of species coexistence in patchy environments.