Publications

This research embarked on the study of a new binaphthyl phosphate scaffold of copper. There are two independent neutral complexes in the asymmetric unit: Cu1/Cu2 (I) and Cu3/Cu4 (II) from a similar structure to paddle-wheel-like, with one arm formed by an intra-hydrogen bond between the water molecule bonded to the copper and the phosphine oxide (P[double bond, length as m-dash]O) moieties. Moreover, in the first complex two water and one ketone molecule complete the coordination sphere of the two-copper metals, instead, in the second one, one water and two ketone molecules. The experimental value obtained for the effective paramagnetic moment indicates that there is no appreciable interaction between the copper(II) cations and that they behave as paramagnetic ions over the entire temperature range explored (5–350 K).

El éxito biológico del programa de reintroducción del oso pardo en los Pirineos, pasando de cinco ejemplares en 1996 a más de setenta en la actualidad, contrasta con la permanencia de un conflicto social con el sector ganadero. Para entender mejor esa conflictividad, este artículo examina cómo la producción de la reserva del oso se basa en un engaño temporal: la restauración de un paisaje pretérito al amparo del discurso de la patrimonialización. Este análisis se desarrolla comparativamente con la producción de la reserva de Baqueira Beret, sustentada en el reemplazo de un pasado ganadero por un presente turístico. Sin embargo, desde el prisma de la historicidad etnográfica, tanto la restauración como el reemplazo se fundamentan en el engaño temporal de diluir los nexos entre pasado, presente y futuro propios de cualquier transformación paisajística.

Felis catus is considered a domestic species, but the individuals belonging to this taxonomic category navigate along the domestic-wild-feral spectrum. This ethnography draws attention to the plethora of adjectives used by three social groups, namely biologists, hunters, and animal-rights campaigners, to examine the ways in which these terms serve to frame cats concerning different moral ecologies in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). The use of these adjectives is always morally charged and pursues specific political agendas regarding how cats should be framed, whether as companion domestic animals to care for or devastating feral predators to kill based on their negative impact in the environment. By teasing out the rationales behind these adjectives, this ethnography reveals how the variables of space and time are key to bringing cats in or pushing them out the human sphere through synchronic or diachronic moral ecologies.

The genus Issus Fabricius, 1803 is divided into nine groups of species according to the structure of male genitalia. Phylogenetic position of the Canarian species of the genus is inferred with Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood analyses of four gene markers (COI, H3, CytB, 16S) dataset. Results revealed a well-supported basal dichotomy of the genus into two clades, corresponding to the Mediterranean and the Canarian species. This confirms the monophyly of the Canarian complex of Issus species which is divided into four clades corresponding to I. canariensis, I. rarus, I. bimaculatus, and I. hidipus groups of species. Our results contradict a previously published opinion on the primitiveness of the Canarian species, instead confirming the advanced position of this group. Issus canalaurisi Sergel, 1986 is placed in synonymy under I. cagola Remane, 1985, and I. maderensis Lindberg, 1954 – under I. climacus Fieber, 1876. Issus hidipus Remane 1985 is recorded for the first time from La Gomera and Tenerife Islands, I. padipus Remane 1985 – from El Hierro Island, and I. cagola – from Tenerife Island.

Funaria hygrometrica, a cosmopolitan moss species known for its remarkable dispersal capacity, was selected as the focal organism to investigate the relationship between landscape features and genetic diversity. Our study encompassed samples collected from two distinct regions: the Spanish Sierra Nevada Mountains (SN), characterized by a diverse landscape with an altitudinal difference of nearly 3500 m within a short distance, and the Murcia Region (MU) in Southeast Spain, characterized by a uniform landscape akin to the lowlands of Sierra Nevada. Genotyping analysis targeted three genetic regions: the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS), the chloroplast rps3-rpl16 region, and the mitochondrial rpl5-rpl16 spacer. Through this analysis, we aimed to assess genetic variability and population structure across these environmentally contrasting regions.The Sierra Nevada populations exhibited significantly higher haplotype diversity (Hd = 0.78 in the highlands and 0.67 overall) and nucleotide diversity (π% = 0.51 for ITS1) compared to the Murcia populations (Hd = 0.35, π% = 0.14). Further investigation unveiled that samples from the lowlands of Sierra Nevada showed a closer genetic affinity to Murcia than to the highlands of Sierra Nevada. Furthermore, the genetic differentiation between highland and lowland populations was significant (ΦST = 0.55), with partial Mantel tests and ResistanceGA analysis revealing a strong correlation between ITS1-based genetic diversity and landscape features, including altitude and bioclimatic variables. Our study elucidated potential explanations for the observed genetic structuring within F. hygrometrica samples’ populations. These included factors such as a high selfing rate within restricted habitats, a limited average dispersal distance of spores, hybrid depression affecting partially incompatible genetic lineages, and recent migration facilitated via human activities into formerly unoccupied areas of the dry zones of Southeast Spain.

Competitive dietary and morphological divergence among co-occurring species are fundamental aspects of ecological communities, particularly on islands. Cabo Verde (~570 km west of continental Africa) hosts several endemic reptiles descended from common ancestors, with sympatric species exhibiting wide morphological variation and competing for limited resources. To explore the mechanisms of resource partitioning between coexisting species, DNA metabarcoding was used to compare the diets of large and small skinks, Chioninia vaillantii and Chioninia delalandii, in sympatric and allopatric contexts on Fogo Island and in a more competitive context on the small and resource-poor Cima Islet. The morphological variation of all populations was also examined to test the character displacement hypothesis and to compare the effect of different competitive scenarios. Results showed significant differences in diet and linear measurements between species and populations. The two sympatric populations of C. delalandii on Fogo and Cima showed similar changes in head morphology compared to the allopatric population, supporting character displacement. The effect of higher competitive pressure on Cima was evidenced by the increased morphological and dietary variation observed. This study demonstrates how sister species develop dietary adaptations/morphologies to maintain stable coexistence, especially in highly competitive scenarios, providing useful insights for effective conservation strategies.

A practical and efficient addition of water to readily available activated alkynes delivering divinyl ethers is reported. The reaction proceeds with full atom economy in a very straightforward experimental procedure. Additionally, of all the tertiary amines studied to catalyze the reaction, the best and most efficient is clearly DABCO (1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane). Finally, the solvent choice is crucial for the efficiency of this process and we have found that the reaction is best performed in wet dichloromethane for propiolic esters and alkynones, and in wet acetonitrile for propiolamides.

The search for natural product-based biopesticides from endophytic fungi is an effective tool to find new solutions. In this study, we studied a pre-selected fungal endophyte, isolate YCC4, from the paleoendemism Persea indica, along with compounds present in the extract and the identification of the insect antifeedant and nematicidal ones. The endophyte YCC4 was identified as Phyllosticta sp. by molecular analysis. The insect antifeedant activity was tested by choice bioassays against Spodoptera littoralis, Myzus persicae, and Rhopalosiphum padi, and the in vitro and in vivo mortality was tested against the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica. Since the extract was an effective insect antifeedant, a strong nematicidal, and lacked phytotoxicity on tomato plants, a comprehensive chemical study was carried out. Two new metabolites, metguignardic acid (4) and (-)-epi-guignardone I (14), were identified along the known dioxolanones guignardic acid (1), ethyl guignardate (3), guignardianones A (5), C (2), D (7), and E (6), phenguignardic acid methyl ester (8), the meroterpenes guignardone A (9) and B (10), guignarenone B (11) and C (12), (-)-guignardone I (13), and phyllomeroterpenoid B (15). Among these compounds, 1 and 4 were effective antifeedants against S. littoralis and M. persicae, while 2 was only active on the aphid M. persicae. The nematicidal compounds were 4, 7, and 8. This is the first report on the insect antifeedant or nematicidal effects of these dioxolanone-type compounds. Since the insect antifeedant and nematicidal activity of the Phyllosticta sp. extract depend on the presence of dioxolanone components, future fermentation optimizations are needed to promote the biosynthesis of these compounds instead of meroterpenes.

The open ecosystem (e.g. grasslands, prairies, shrublands) tends to be ecologically less stable than closed one (i.e. forests) and encompassess higher spatial heterogeneity in terms of environmental diversity. Such differences are expected to differentially constrain the diversity and structure of the communities that inhabit each of them, but identifying the specific processes driving contrasting biodiversity patterns between open and closed systems is challenging. In order to understand how environmental variability might structure spider assemblages, both between and within open and closed ecosystems, we implement a high throughput multiplex barcode sequencing approach to generate a dataset for 8585 specimens representing 168 species, across the open ecosystem within the Canary Islands. Combining these with spider sequences from the closed ecosystem within the same islands, we show that spider communities in the open ecosystem show higher species richness, higher beta diversity, and higher proportions of rare species but proportionately lower numbers of endemic species than communities in the closed ecosystem. We furthermore assess if environmental heterogeneity and habitat stability are the major drivers of such differences by assessing spatial genetic structuring and the influence of bioclimatic variables. Our results point to environmental heterogeneity rather than stability as a major driver of spatial patterns between open and closed ecosystems.