Catherine Numa

International Union for Conservation of Nature | IUCN · Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, species and biodiversity program

The highly biodiverse, productive and vulnerable areas, such as coastal wetlands, are increasingly threatened by human-induced disturbances, resulting in habitat loss. This habitat loss is a critical driver of biodiversity decline and significantly impacts species distribution and behavior, increasing the risk of extinctions. To address these conce...

The Rüppell's Vulture (Gyps rueppelli) is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ at the global and regional levels in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. A multi-institutional collaboration to fit 13 vultures with GPS transmitters in northern Morocco was launched to get information on their movements and threats along the flyway, both to the north...

The Rüppell's Vulture (Gyps rueppelli) is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ at the global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and the Red Lists of breeding raptors of North Africa and Mediterranean region. Over the last 4 years, 27 individuals have been marked with GPS transmitters in northern Morocco during their movements from their...

This report summarises the results of a review of the conservation status of the 36 species of birds of prey that are considered to breed in North Africa according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level to guide appropriate conservation actions for improvin...

Theidentification of key biodiversity areas (KBA) was initiated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2004 to overcome taxonomic biases in the selection of important areas for conservation, including freshwater ecosystems. Since then, several KBAs have been identified mainly based on the presence of trigger species (i.e., species...

The Mediterranean Red List assessment is a review of the regional conservation status of approximately 6,000 species (amphibians, mammals, reptiles, birds, fishes, butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, corals and plants) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regio...

This document summarizes and updates current knowledge about sea turtles that either breed in the Mediterranean, such as the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) and the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), or can be observed in those waters, such as the leatherback turtle ( Dermochelys coriacea), olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), Kemp's ridle...

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.

The Mediterranean Red List assessment is a review of the conservation status at regional level of approximately 6,000 species of animals and plants. This report summarizes the results for a key group of Mediterranean biodiversity: saproxylic beetles. Despite their key role in the ecosystem´s health and food chain, saproxylic beetles are still large...

The Mediterranean Red List assessment is a review of the conservation status at regional level of approximately 6,000 species of animals and plants. This report summarizes the results for a key group of Mediterranean biodiversity: saproxylic beetles. Despite their key role in the ecosystem´s health and food chain, saproxylic beetles are still large...

The current Red List assessment of Mediterranean plants aims to assess all endemic and near-endemic monocotyledon taxa of the Mediterranean Basin Hotspot, in order to identify those that are threatened with extinction. Currently, more than 600 species or subspecies have been assessed (including more than 150 orchids), while hundreds of synonyms wer...

Abstract Among macrocyclic lactones (ML), ivermectin (IVM) and moxidectin (MOX) potentially affect all Ecdysozoan species, with dung beetles being particularly sensitive. The comparative effects of IVM and MOX on adult dung beetles were assessed for the first time to determine both the physiological sub-lethal symptoms and pre-lethal consequences....

Sponges are among the less-studied benthic invertebrates as regards their extinction risk and conservation status. Herein, we evaluate the regional conservation status of sponges in the Aegean ecoregion (Eastern Mediterranean Sea), using the IUCN Red List criteria. We examined 20 sponge taxa falling into three categories: i) threatened species list...

Ivermectin is the most common endectocide used to control parasites affecting livestock. Short-term physiological and behavioural effects of ivermectin on dung beetles may have long-term consequences for beetle populations and ecosystemfunctioning. Long-term effects of the use of ivermectin can be estimated by comparing dung assemblages and ecosyst...

The Mediterranean Basin biodiversity hotspot is known to be one of the most biologically rich and complex regions on Earth. The north-western part of the hotspot (the area that covers all of the Iberian Peninsula, southern France, most of Italy and Malta) supports important river, lake, karst and wetland systems critical for the survival of threate...

This article presents sites identified as Freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in the Mediterranean Hotspot which are important for threatened Odonata species. The article also introduces the recently launched IUCN Global Standard for the identification of KBAs and how it can be applied as a conservation tool for freshwater species.

The PREDICTS project—Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)—has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used t...

This report presents the conservation status of the anthozoans occurring in the Mediterranean Sea, based on the assessment of 136 species using the IUCN Red List methodology. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level to guide appropriate conservation actions in order to improve their status.

The European Red List of Habitats provides an overview of the risk of collapse (degree of endangerment) of marine, terrestrial and freshwater habitats in the European Union (EU28) and adjacent regions (EU28+), based on a consistent set of categories and criteria, and detailed data and expert knowledge from involved countries1. A total of 257 benthi...

Aim The Mediterranean Red List assessment is a review of the conservation status at regional level of approximately 6,000 species (amphibians, mammals, reptiles, fishes, butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, molluscs, corals and plants) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinct...

Ivermectin is a veterinary pharmaceutical generally used to control the ecto- and endoparasites of livestock, but its use has resulted in adverse effects on coprophilous insects, causing population decline and biodiversity loss. There is currently no information regarding the direct effects of ivermectin on dung beetle physiology and behaviour. Her...

https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/RL-262.2-001.pdf

The process of seed dispersal of many animal-dispersed plants is frequently mediated by a small set of biotic agents. However, the contribution that each of these dispersers makes to the overall recruitment may differ largely, with important ecological and management implications for the population viability and dynamics of the species implied in t...

Forest ecosystems and other wooded lands are an important component of landscapes in the Mediterranean region, contributing significantly to rural development, poverty alleviation and food security. They are sources of wood, cork, energy, food and incomes, and they provide important ecosystem services such as biodiversity conservation, soil and wat...

1. Using a recently created database representing the joint effort of around 100 invertebrate taxonomists, this study uses the information on 52 arthropoda and 27 mollusca species that are endangered and critically endangered to examine to what extent invertebrate species are represented in existing Spanish protected areas. 2. As distribution infor...

Local autocorrelation statistics offer new opportunities for the discrimination of important conservation areas since the spatial dependence of local values upon neigh-bouring ones may assist conservation decisions. We exemplify the use of local autocor-relation statistics for conservation purposes using data on Spanish threatened invertebrates to...

Using information from two recently published atlases of threatened invertebrate species in peninsular Spain, we examined the climatic, land use and geographic characteristics of the 100 km2 UTM cells with most likelihood of suffering extinctions (extinction cells), as well as the attributes of the species prone to population extinctions. Extinctio...

Dung beetles are considered keystone species because of their role in decomposition, seed dispersal, and control of vertebrate parasites in grazed habitats. Despite the ecological importance of this group to pasture ecosystem functioning, still little is known about its relationship with grazing management activities. We evaluated the conservation...

1. We study the factors that contribute to the variation in the local abundance of dung beetle species inhabiting Cabañeros National Park, a Mediterranean reserve in Central Spain. The relative roles of five different groups of explanatory variables (climatic, local-scale vegetation, landscape-scale vegetation, landscape connectivity and trophic re...

Ants and dung beetles are focal indicators of change in several ecological processes and successional vegetation stages in Mediterranean landscapes. Despite relatively good knowledge of local species distributions, there are few data on their distributions at different scales. In the present study, the influence of multiscale landscape structure wa...

1. Recently, a mutualistic relationship has been described between some dung beetles (Thorectes lusitanicus and Mycotrupes lethroides) and oak species (Quercus suber, Q. canariensis, and Q. rubra), which could be crucial for ensuring seedling recruitment and sustaining the equilibrium of oak populations. For T. lusitanicus, a diet based on acorns d...

Biodiversity of tropical forests varies at spatial and temporal scales, but at what scale and how the assemblages differ when we consider the same kind of forest and the same altitude has been poorly documented. We examined the variation in species richness and composition of three subfamilies of scarab beetles (Dynastinae, Rutelinae, and Melolonth...

Los Atlas de invertebrados amenazados de España tienen como objetivo prioritario aportar información útil para el diseño, desarrollo e implementación de estrategias de conservación y gestión fiables que ayuden a protegerlas de una posible extinción. La serie de Atlas de Invertebrados Amenazados de España se inició en el año 2006 para las especies e...

Animals eat different foods in proportions that yield a more favorable balance of nutrients. Despite known examples of these behaviors across different taxa, their ecological and physiological benefits remain unclear. We identified a surprising dietary shift that confers ecophysiological advantages in a dung beetle species. Thorectes lusitanicus, a...

The Media Luna lake-spring was selected as representative of all thermal or no thermal springs in the zone of Valley of Rioverde, a semi-arid vegetation in the North-eastern of Mexico. This system is inhabited by 11 fish species, of which six are native. Four of the native species are endemic to the region and threatened due to touristic pressure a...

We evaluated whether different types of grasslands lead to different patterns of dung beetle assemblages by comparing two different management conditions of grasslands in central Spain. Four different sites of grasslands with high wild herbivory (deer, roe deer) were sampled inside of Cabañeros National Park and four sites with traditional agrosilv...

We examine the potential for two species – the wild rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus and the dung beetle Thorectes valencianus – to affect the establishment of Erodium praecox, an endemic plant of the Iberian Peninsula. Rabbit latrines may be considered potential maternal parent areas of E. praecox. The spatial and temporal stability for nutrients and...

Animals eat different foods in proportions that yield a more favourable balance of nutrients. In spite of known examples of these behaviours across different taxa, the ecological and physiological benefits remain unknown. We identified a surprising dietary shift that confers ecophysiological advantages in a dung beetle species. _Thorectes lusitanic...

Aim Landscape structure influences the distribution of animals, altering their movements and their ability to reach habitat patches. We analysed the spatial patterns of dung beetle species diversity in three differently structured natural landscapes in a Mediterranean protected area in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. Location Cabañeros Nationa...

We examine the potential for two species – the wild rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus and the dung beetle Thorectes valencianus – to affect the establishment of Erodium praecox, an endemic plant of the Iberian Peninsula. Rabbit latrines may be considered potential maternal parent areas of E. praecox. The spatial and temporal stability for nutrients and...

Processes of seed predation and dispersal are crucial for tree regeneration and forest dynamics. To understand the role of the dung beetle, Thorectes lusitanicus (Col., Scarabaeoidea, Geotrupidae) as secondary seed disperser in Mediterranean oak forests, its food preference was investigated in the field and in the laboratory. This paper had for obj...

We analyze the impact of grazing on dung beetle diversity at the Barranca de Metztitlán Biosphere Reserve, a xeric ecosystem in central Mexico with a long history of use by humans. We compared the community structure, as well as the alpha and beta diversity between two cover conditions (open and closed vegetation) that represent the impact of grazi...

1. An analysis of whether niche differentiation in ball‐rolling dung beetles can be explained by the way in which they regulate their body temperature was conducted. 2. A priori assumptions were: (i) if thermoregulation affects niche partitioning, sympatric species must have different endothermic strategies that minimise encounters; or, alternative...

We explore the physiological constraints of body temperature as related to body mass and ambient temperature during flight in endothermic dung beetles showing a mass-related breakpoint where species show strong vs. weak endothermy. We found two different strategies in the dung beetles prior to flight; larger beetles (>1.9 g) elevate and maintain th...

The degree of influence of environment, location and geography on the distribution of closely-related Jekelius nitidus and Jekelius hernandezi, coleopteran species endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, was examined. Niche envelope model predictions of probable absence points were based on available presence information. Presence–absence information for...

We examined bat diversity at two different spatial scales: habitat and matrix, in the Quindío coffee region in Colombia. Habitats were: forest, shaded coffee and associated coffee; and matrices were: associated coffee (M1) and shaded coffee (M2). Three sampling sites from each type of habitat were located at each matrix. The forest areas of the Qui...

Primates are primary seed dispersers for many tropical tree species. Different species of primates vary considerably in ranging and feeding behaviour, seed processing, and in seed defecation patterns. Here we compare the role of two arboreal primate species, howlers (Alouatta palliata), and white-faced monkeys (Cebus capucinus) as seed dispersers i...