Manuel Jesús López-Rodríguez

University of Granada | UGR · Department of Ecology

Identification and Ecology of Freshwater Arthropods in the Mediterranean Basin covers the entire Mediterranean basin, including parts of Europe, Asia, Africa and the Mediterranean islands, but excluding other biogeographic locations with Mediterranean climates located outside the region. The book provides an extensive description of the taxonomy an...

In this paper we present the results of a study of different populations of the genus Tyrrhenoleuctra, which includes morphologically cryptic species, in the Iberian Peninsula. A total of six populations were analysed from a molecular point of view and a behavioural study was conducted on three of them. Two phylogenetic trees, maximum likelihood (M...

List of troglobia and stygobia species of the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands Abstract: The Iberian-Balearic hypogean or cave fauna has been highlighted for many years by numerous zoologists in different disciplines. Specialists of the different faunal groups capable of colonizing both the caves and the groundwater that runs through them. T...

Resumen: La fauna hipogea o cavernícola ibero-balear ha sido a lo largo de muchos años puesta en evidencia por numerosos zoólogos en las distintas disciplinas. Especialistas de los distintos grupos faunísticos capaces de colonizar tantos las cuevas como las aguas subterráneas que las recorren. Hoy sabemos que esta diversidad de troglobios y estigob...

The geographical situation of Sierra NevadaSierra Nevada and its great altitudinal gradient generate particular environmental conditions in the watercourses that flow through the massif, which determines the composition and structure of the animal communityCommunity inhabiting them. Regarding invertebrates, macroinvertebratesMacroinvertebrates have...

Nucleic acids help clarify variation in species richness of insects having different metamorphosis modes, a biological conundrum. Here we analyse nucleic acid contents of 639 specimens of aquatic insects collected from four high mountain streams of Sierra Nevada in southern Spain to test whether the allocation to RNA or DNA content differs during o...

Diversity at the local scale is determined by different, and often interacting factors. One factor that is suggested to be important in determining community structure is productivity, which is related to diversity. Though this relationship might depend on different factors, a hump-shaped, U-shaped or positive linear relationship seems to be freque...

Anthropogenic flow intermittency is considered a severe disturbance for benthic macroinvertebrates with largely unknown impacts on the organization of benthic communities and their food webs. We analysed the community composition (as taxonomic composition and relative abundance of taxa) and food webs of the macroinvertebrates inhabiting pools and r...

ion for irrigation has an important effect on stream organisms in general and aquatic macroinvertebrates in particular. The alteration of flow modifies the habitat conditions and creates important ecological constraints for many of these animals, so shaping the communities and affecting their diversity. With the aim to assess the impact of flow and...

Conservation status of Paramuricea clavata (Risso, 1826) (Anthozoa, Alcyonacea) in the Chafarinas Islands (Mediterranean Sea). The red gorgonian Paramuricea clavata (Risso, 1826) is affected by the combined effects of environmental stress factors and diseases in the Mediterranean area. Samplings at different depths in two sites of Chafarinas Island...

This chapter describes the current knowledge on the mating behavior of stoneflies (Insecta, Plecoptera). Arctoperlarian stoneflies use intersexual vibrational communication as a mechanism for encountering mates and pair forming, acting as a reproductive isolation mechanism. These vibrational signals can be produced by drumming, rubbing, tremulation...

We here review the current knowledge on the trophic ecology of stoneflies, an aquatic insect group of substantial ecological importance in lotic systems. We provide information on the feeding habits of nymphs and adults of the different families and highlight those studies that support particularly interesting findings. Regarding nymphs, we discuss...

• Functional feeding groups (FFGs) have been used over recent decades to classify aquatic insects according to their trophic resources and the mechanisms used to acquire them. Nonetheless, the classification of a taxon into an FFG is often based on its membership of a genus or family rather than on species level information. This extrapolation of t...

The knowledge of the diet of aquatic insects is important to assess the use of resources and overlap of trophic niche between species, as well as to understand their role in the food web of the freshwater ecosystems they inhabit. This is particularly necessary in tropical areas where information on this topic is scarce. The aim of the present work...

Records of mortality after a high temperature event in 2014 in the white gorgonian Eunicella singularis were compiled in six different locations around the Chafarinas Islands. Quadrats were used to quantify dead colonies, colonies affected by epibionts and healthy colonies at different depths. No relationship was found between depth and percentage...

The goal of this study is to experimentally assess the possible effect of macroinvertebrate predators on the decomposition rate of leaves in a Mediterranean stream and to analyse the pattern of colonization by macroinvertebrates of the litter bags through time. We designed a factorial experiment with three types of litter bags (allowing the entranc...

Records of mortality after a high temperature event in 2014 in the white gorgonian Eunicella singularis were compiled in six different locations around the Chafarinas Islands. Quadrats were used to quantify dead colonies, colonies affected by epibionts and healthy colonies at different depths. No relationship was found between depth and percentage...

– In the present article, we show the results of a study carried out in a seasonal stream where several taxa of Plecoptera and Odonata coexist. We analyzed the diet of selected top predators within these macroinvertebrate groups during a whole hydrological year and we studied the possible variations of diet with size. Moreover, we quantified their...

Some aspects of the biology of two endemic Iberian stonefly species, Isoperla morenica Tierno de Figueroa and Luzón-Ortega, 2011 and Brachyptera vera cordubensis Berthélemy and Baena, 1984, were studied in a temporary stream from Sierra Morena (Southern Spain). Isoperla morenica shows a univoltine fast seasonal life cycle, with nymphs growing from...

We present the results of a study of the life cycle and nymphal feeding of the stonefly Capnioneura gelesae Berthélemy & Baena, 1984 in two temporary streams of the Sierra Morena (southern Iberian Peninsula). The species has a fast-seasonal univoltine life cycle at both sites, but the diet differs depending on the stream. Nymphs from one stream fee...

In the present paper we study the antennal sensilla of the unusual hypogean stonefly Protonemura gevi Tierno de Figueroa & López-Rodríguez, 2010 (Plecoptera: Nemouridae), comparing them with those of two epigean species of the genus Protonemura, P. alcazaba (Aubert, 1954) and P. meyeri (Pictet, 1842), with the aim to describe possible peculiarities...

Here, we analyse the annual dynamics in the diversity and the food web structure of the macroinvertebrate community in a Mediterranean permanent stream. Then, we also tested the validity of different proposed predictive models in their ability to fit our results. We calculated the Shannon-Wiener diversity index, the evenness, several food web prope...

Few studies of the ecology of Mediterranean saline streams exist. The strong selective pressure exerted by salinity greatly limits the presence of many taxa, Plecoptera (stoneflies) among them. However, a few species of stoneflies have been reported inhabiting saline streams, particularly components of the thermophilous biocoenosis seemed to have a...

p>In this work, we study the oxidative state of nine taxa of aquatic insects [ Serratella ignita (Poda, 1761), Ephemera danica Müller, 1764 , Crocothemis erythraea (Brullé, 1832), Dinocras cephalotes (Curtis, 1827) , Perla bipunctata Pictet , 1833, Isoperla morenica Tierno de Figueroa & Luzón-Ortega, 2011, Notonecta maculata Fabricius, 1794, Gerris...

Interesting information (new scientific records or rarities) on 37 species of hypogean invertebrates found in subterranean habitats from Sierra de Segura (Jaén) is presented. Ten of them are nematodes and 27 arthropods.

We present the results of a study of the food web of a Mediterranean river in the four seasons of the year. A high-resolution taxonomic description has been produced to characterise the different community components. We have also determined the trophic relationships among organisms by analysing their gut contents. From the network topology, we ext...

Biological invasions have increased significantly in response to global change and constitute one of the major causes of biodiversity loss. Insects make up a large fraction of invasive species, in general, and freshwaters are among the most invaded ecosystems on our planet. However, even though aquatic insects dominate most inland waters, have unpa...

The feeding habits of two different populations of Perla pallida from two different streams in Armenia are described. Among Plecoptera, Perlidae have been particularly well studied regarding their feeding habits, but the trophic behaviour of this species all along its distribution area was neglected. This is the first information on the nymphal die...

Interesting information (new scientific records or rarities) on 37 species of hypogean invertebrates found in subterranean habitats from Sierra de Segura (Jaén) is presented. Ten of them are nematodes and 27 arthropods.

We present the results of a study of the functional feeding group (FFG) composition of the macroinvertebrate community and the developed food web in a Mediterranean river along four seasons of one year. We determined the FFGs and trophic relationships among consumers and resources by analysing their gut contents. Furthermore, from the food web topo...

Some aspects of the life history of a population of Dinocras cephalotes inhabiting a Mediterranean river in Southern Spain were studied over a year (2012–2013). The life cycle of this population seems to be semivoltine, of approximately two years of duration, and with an asynchronous egg hatching period. The comparison of these data with those of a...

Despite the enormous importance of alpine streams, information about many aspects of their ecology is still insufficient. Alpine lotic systems differ in many environmental characteristics from those lower down, for example because above tree line streams drain catchments where terrestrial vegetation is scarce and allochthonous organic input is expe...

Our study focuses on the oxidative state of two aquatic insects of the order Plecoptera belonging to the family Perlidae, namely Dinocras cephalotes (Curtis 1827) and Perla bipunctata Pictet, 1833. These species are widely distributed throughout the Western Palearctic region and coexist in the stream where individuals for this study come from.We hi...

Recent studies suggested a general warming trend in the Alps, resulting in a significant migration of forests to altitudes higher than the usual, regional tree line. As a consequence, some headwater streams will likely receive more allochthonous organic matter. For this reason, the dynamics of decomposition of terrestrial leaf detritus in stream re...

Cave animals have evolved specialised morphological and behavioural adaptations to a dark and stable environment. When their ancestors were surface species living in continental climates, and thus adapted to annual changes from extreme cold to extreme warm periods, it is highly intriguing how adaptation to cave stable temperature took place. The ph...

Most of the energy input of low-order lotic food webs derives from non-living sources of terrestrial organic matter. For this reason, many studies have examined patterns of leaf breakdown; most recently, interest has focused on the importance of water quality or the nature (native versus exotic) of plant material. In this study, we combined both as...

The male drumming signal of Capnopsis schilleri is studied for the first time. It is a monophasic call composed of 4–8 beats with a decreasing frequency. In the present paper, the drumming signals of some Protonemura species are also recorded and described for the first time both in males (Protonemura alcazaba, Protonemura meyeri and Protonemura na...

We review the diversity of freshwater organisms in the Mediterranean Basin (hereafter Med), particularly from streams and rivers. We present available information on the richness, endemicity, and distribution of each freshwater organism group within the Med, and make a comparison with Palearctic diversity. Approximately 35% of known Palearctic fres...

In this work we present the results of a study conducted on the benthic macroinvertebrate community of a Southern Spain seasonal stream over a year. We constructed the food web focusing on the benthic fauna and we studied the ecology and dynamics of the community in terms of trophic resources. The benthic trophic web was composed by 35 taxa; these...

The call of the male of Besdolus bicolor, produced by percussion or drumming, is described for the first time. It represents the first recorded and analyzed signal for the genus Besdolus. It consists of a repetition of two or three beat groups, with each group composed by two (rarely three) beats, and with very constant interbeat intervals and inte...

Life cycle, feeding habits and nymphal density of a population of Ephoron virgo from the Bormida river (Northwestern Italy) were studied. Nymphs were present in the river from the beginning of May until August, with the highest density of nymphs recorded at the end of May–beginning of June. The life cycle was univoltine and the nymphal growth was f...

The aim of the present study is to determine whether a relationship exists between the maximum lifespan potential (MLSP) of different fish species (Squalius pyrenaicus, Cyprinus carpio, Carassius auratus, Luciobarbus sclateri and Oncorhynchus mykiss) and the oxidative state of brain and liver. For this purpose, the activity of the antioxidant enzym...

The biology of stoneflies from Apennine mountain system is little known. In the present study, we provide information on the life cycle, secondary production, nymphal feeding and flight period of Capnia bifrons (Newman, 1838) in the Albedosa creek (NW Italy). At this study site, the species has a univoltine life cycle, with a relatively short and f...

In this work we present the results of a one-year study on the macroinvertebrate community in an intermittent stream in southern Spain. We have studied the taxonomic composition, diversity and food web monthly in order to consider temporal variability in these parameters. More than 60 macroinvertebrate taxa have been recorded in the stream, but the...

The life history of two species of Perlodidae stoneflies, Perlodes microcephalus (Pictet, 1833) and Isoperla nevada Aubert, 1952, are studied in a high mountain stream of the Sierra Nevada (Granada, Spain). Both species show a univoltine life cycle. The nymphal development of P. microcephalus occurs mainly in summer and autumn, and adults emerge at...

Abstract Protonemura gevi is a Palearctic stonefly with unique morphological adaptations for a cavernicolous life. In this study, the development, nymphal and adult feeding, adult behavior, and mate encounter mechanisms of this species are investigated. This species inhabits a stream flowing through a cave, in darkness and at a constant temperature...

Leuctridae is the richest stonefly family on the European continent, with many species of Leuctra often coexisting in sympatry in the same lotic environment. In this work we studied the life cycle and feeding habits of two species, Leuctra fusca and L. hippopus, coexisting in a small Italian Apennine stream. The life cycles of the two species are n...

Vibrational signals of both males and females of Eoperla ochracea are described from a southeastern Iberian Peninsula population. The signal comprises an ancestral percussive monophasic pattern composed by a sequence of beats with constant interbeat intervals, but those interbeat intervals in males are notably shorter than in females (mean: 27 ms i...

Plecoptera (Perlidae) are among the major macroinvertebrate predators in stream ecosystems and one of the insect families with lower tolerance to environmental alterations, being usually employed as bioindicators of high water ecological quality. The differences in the trophic roles of the coexisting species have been exclusively studied from their...

The life history, nymphal feeding and secondary production of the mayfl y Serratella ignita (Poda 1761) and the stonefl y Leuctra geniculata (Stephens, 1836) are studied. Both species are univoltine and complete their nymphal development in the same time (seven months), but L. geniculata growth is constant, while nymphs of fi rst stages of S. ignit...

Allochthonous leaf litter from riparian vegetation represents the main energy source in small lotic systems, where canopy limits autochthonous primary production. In this study, leaf packs of two tree species (the native Salix neotrichia and the introduced Populus x canadensis) were positioned in the Fardes Stream (southern Spain) to analyze the ma...

The male drumming calls of four species of the genus Capnioneura, and for the first time, the female answer signal from one species of this genus are described. Only the male call of C. mitis from a southern Iberian Peninsula is known. In the current study, the male calls of three additional C. mitis populations from two different mountain drainage...

The Central-Southern European genus Besdolus was reinstated and revised by Zwick and Weinzierl (1995), and includes five species: B. imhoffi (Pictet), B. ventralis (Pictet), B. bicolor (Navás), B. ravizzarum Zwick & Weinzierl, and B. illyricus Kovács & Zwick. Overall, these species are rarely collected and have apparent relictual distributions. Fro...

Abstract The nymphal biology of a population of Torleya major (Klapálek) in southern Iberian Peninsula was studied. An atypical life cycle pattern is described, with eggs hatching in August producing a fast‐developing cohort with adults emerging in autumn and a second slow‐developing cohort with adults emerging in spring of the following year. Nymp...

The feeding habits of Padogobius bonelli (Bonaparte, 1846) were studied in two sites in the Orba stream (NW Italy), characterized by natural or altered flow conditions. The species fed mainly on aquatic insects, positively selecting Chironomidae, Simuliidae, Hydroptilidae and negatively Baetidae and other taxa. We hypothesised that size, mobility a...

The identity of Isoperla curtata Navás, 1924, an Iberian endemic, has been questioned since its description. Marked variability in pigmentation, wing length, penial armature and ecology of populations have been noted. To clarify the taxonomic status of I. curtata we examined variation in mating calls and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequences for...

The digestive enzymes of two stoneflies species, Hemimelaena flaviventris and Isoperla morenica, were studied for the first time. These species are temporary water inhabitants and exhibit great feeding plasticity. Although they are traditionally referred to as predators, a previous study revealed that H. flaviventris incorporates some diatoms into...

The order Odonata comprises many predaceous species that inhabit aquatic systems, and a few that are restricted to flowing waters. Cordulegaster boltoni is a widespread Odonata in Europe, which usually inhabits small lotic systems. In this study we analysed the gut contents of C. boltoni immature stages, collected in the Rocchetta Tanaro Natural Pa...

Studies in recent decades have revealed that the group Arctoperlaria (Plecoptera) has developed the most diverse and complex system of vibrational communication known in insects (Stewart, 2001). Within this group, the family Taeniopterygidae includes almost 150 species distributed in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions (Fochetti and Tierno de Figu...

The aim of the present work is to conduct a comparative study of oxidative states in the nymphs of four species of Plecoptera belonging to the superfamily Perloidea: Perla marginata (Panzer, 1799) (family Perlidae), Guadalgenus franzi (Aubert, 1963), Isoperla curtate Navás, 1924, and lsoperla grammatica (Poda, 1761) (family Perlodidae) in relation...

Feeding habits of the Euholognathan stoneflies Nemoura hesperiae and Amphinemura sulcicollis are studied in a little stream located in northern Italy. The former fed mainly on coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM), together with detritus, while the latter fed principally on detritus and, in a lower concern, on CPOM. Thus they can be catalogued f...

Padogobius bonelli in Curone Creek (Italy) fed mainly on aquatic insects, positively selecting Chironomidae, Simuliidae, and Hydroptilidae and negatively Baetidae, possibly related to the high mobility of the latter. When studying the variation of the diet with size, a positive correlation with some big prey items was detected. Nevertheless, no dif...

The selection of habitat by macroinvertebrates living in running waters may be influenced by the physical characteristics of the substratum, as well as by the presence of other species. In this study, an artificial river with three different substrata (pebbles, detritus, and leaves) was utilized to analyze the microhabitat preference of two Plecopt...

We evaluated 516 species and/or subspecies of European stoneflies for vulnerability to climate change according to autoecological data. The variables considered were stream zonation preference, altitude preference, current preference, temperature range preference, endemism and rare species. Presence in ecoregions was used to analyse the vulnerabili...

Abstract We have studied some aspects of Besdolus ravizzarum biology in the Apennines. This stonefly has a very localized distribution in southeastern France and northern Italy. This species is considered threatened. For this reason it is especially relevant to improve knowledge about its natural history, previously unknown. Despite the large size...

A new species of Plecoptera, Protonemura gevi sp. n., is described from both adults and nymphs from the Southern Iberian Peninsula. It is quite probable that this species finishes its entire life cycle within a 60 m deep cave. Morphologically, P. gevi is brachypterous, has extremely long antennae, and has small eyes, all features that may have been...

We study the life history, nymphal feeding and secondary production of two leptophlebiid mayfly species (Habrophlebia eldae and Paraleptophlebia submarginata). They cohabit in a Mediterranean stream and present a very high niche overlap in terms of trophic resources. The life cycle was estimated using size-frequency analysis of samples taken throug...

The nymphal feeding of Perla grandis and Dinocras cephalotes was analyzed in a stream from southern Apennines (Argentino stream, Calabria, Italy). Both species behave as predators, feeding mainly on Ephemeroptera Baetidae and Diptera Chironomidae. Data analyses showed high niche overlapping in relation to feeding habits. Shifts on type of prey inge...

The male call of Capnioneura mitis, produced by drumming, is recorded and analyzed for the first time. It also represents the first known signal for the genus. It consists of a highly variable number of beats (2–32) with inter-beat duration approximately constant along the call, but inter-beat duration is temperature dependent. Thus, at 13°C the me...

We studied abdominal growth of nine species representing the seven European Plecoptera families. Our data indicate that a linear or a power model best describes the relationship between abdomen length and total length, showing an obvious isometric growth for all the nine species. It was previously supposed that large-sized Perloidea may present an...

Feeding habits of larval Isoperla carbonaria Aubert, 1953 have been investigated in the Rio Alpetto, an Alpine creek of northwestern Italy. This species is characterised by relatively small size and rheophilous habits, and inhabits streams above 350 in a.s.l. in the Alps, Apennines and Sicily. In this study, we analysed the gut contents of 72 larva...

We studied aspects of the nymphal biology and ecology of 3 Perlodidae species (Guadalgenus franzi, Hemimelaena flaviventris, and Isoperla curtata) in a Mediterranean seasonal stream in the southern Iberian Peninsula. Their life-history strategies were greatly influenced by the characteristics of their environment, i.e., a summer dry period with rel...

The life cycles of lsoperia grammatica, Amphinemura sulcicollis and Nemoura hesperiae are studied in a Northern Italy stream, sited in trie Apennines. The three species show a univoltine life cycle and their development coincides approximately in the same period of the year, although the one of l. grammatica is longer. Possible egg dormancy could e...

We studied some ecological aspects of two taxa of Nemouroidean stoneflies (Tyrrhenoleuctra sp. and Brachyptera vera cordubensis) from a seasonal stream in Southern Europe. Tyrrhenoleuctra sp. shows a univoltine life cycle with a nymphal dormancy during the drought, and a long flight period. The eggs of this species are fully developed when laid, an...

We studied the flight periods of 16 stonefly species from Curone stream (northern Apennines, Italy) and grouped them into four categories according to their flight