Mar Leza

• PhD Biology
• Professor (Assistant) at University of the Balearic Islands

Genetic diversity is an important biological trait for a successful invasion. During the expansion across a new territory, an invasive species may face unprecedented ecological conditions that will determine its demography and genetic diversity. The first record of the yellow‐legged hornet (Vespa velutina) in Europe dates back to 2004 in France, fr...

In this study we implemented an early detection and rapid response trapping network in the entry and distribution areas of plant material for 20 species on the island of Mallorca (the Balearic Islands, Westernmost Mediterranean Archipelago). Through this system we have detected the European hornet Vespa crabro, an exotic species, which despite not...

The yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina) is a social Hymenoptera native from Asia and an invasive species in Europe, where it was first detected in France in 2004. Since then, the species has spread across the continent invading mainland Spain and Mallorca island (Balearic archipelago, Western Mediterranean) in 2010 and 2015, respectively. Yellow-...

Honeybees are essential for the ecosystem maintenance and for plant production in agriculture. Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide widely used in crops to control weeds and could affect honeybees' health in sublethal doses. Our aim was to study how sublethal doses of glyphosate affects to oxidative stress and mitochondrial homeostasis...

Las Islas Baleares (España) son un punto caliente de biodiversidad tanto para abejas como para avispas. En este estudio, presentamos seis nuevos registros de estos grupos para la isla de Formentera: Anthophora atroalba Lepeletier, 1841, Colletes ligatus Erichson, 1835, Lasioglossum laticeps (Schenck, 1869), Lasioglossum smeathmanellum (Kirby, 1802)...

BACKGROUND The yellow‐legged hornet (Vespa velutina) is native to Southeast Asia and is an invasive alien species of concern in many countries. More effective management of populations of V. velutina could be achieved through more widespread and intensive monitoring in the field, however current methods are labor intensive and costly. To address th...

Aim of study: This is the first intensive study of the incidence of Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) in the Westernmost Mediterranean islands (Balearics). Area of study: Mallorca, Menorca, Eivissa and Formentera (Balearic Islands), Spain. Material and methods: The study was carried out in autumn 2010 and in spring 2011 because the presence of...

Ciertos grupos biológicos están predispuestos para invadir nuevos territorios, facilitado por las actividades humanas. Los Xyleborini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae) reúnen características que les dotan de capacidad invasiva: i) haplodiploidía, una única hembra puede generar poblaciones viables; ii) polifagia, no se alimentan del hospedador...

A primary goal in biology is to understand the effects of multiple, interacting environmental stressors on organisms. Wild and domesticated bees are exposed to a wide variety of interacting biotic and abiotic stressors, with widespread declines in floral resources and agrochemical exposure being two of the most important. In this study, we used exa...

Ecological niche models have proved to be a powerful tool in assessing invasiveness risk of alien species, allowing the optimization of control strategies. Vespa velutina (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) is an invasive species with strong ecological, economical and health impacts in Europe after it was first reported in France in 2004. It was detected for t...

Ecological niche models have proved to be a powerful tool in assessing invasiveness risk of alien species, allowing the optimization of control strategies. Vespa velutina (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) is an invasive species with strong ecological, economical and health impacts in Europe after it first report in France in 2004. It was detected for the fir...

Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff) (Col.: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) is an ambrosia beetle species native to subtropical Eastern Asia, with great concern due to its high invasive ability. This species has invaded 54 countries worldwide, including 4 European countries (Italy, France, Greece, and Spain); it was detected in Mallorca (Balearic Islands, S...

BACKGROUND The yellow‐legged hornet, Vespa velutina nigrithorax, is an invasive alien species (IAS) which was accidentally introduced in Europe from Asia. This social insect preys primarily on honeybees but also on other pollinators and insects. Consequently, the establishment of this pest has a negative impact on biodiversity, pollination and econ...

Poisonous animals imply a risk to human life, because their venom is a complex mixture of low molecular weight components, peptides and proteins. Hornets use the venom for self-defence, to repel intruders and to capture prey, but they can cause poisoning and allergic reactions to people. In particular, they seem to be a health problem in the countr...

We present the first record for Spain of the black twig borer, Xylosandrus compactus, an ambrosia beetle of Asian origin, collected from an infested carob tree located in Calvià (Majorca, Balearic Islands, Spain). X. compactus is included in the EPPO Alert List, and it has been recently reported causing damages in a Mediterranean maquis ecosystem i...

Several products are widely used to control gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) populations. The main purpose of the present study is to evaluate the aerial application effects of B. thuringiensis and diflubenzuron on non-target arthropods in a Mediterranean holm-oak forest. The density of gypsy moth population at the time of application of treatments wa...

Almond trees are one of the most important crops in the Balearic Islands. The pollination of almonds is limited to the activity of insects, and cross‐pollination is necessary for fruit development. Currently, honey bees and wild bee populations are declining considerably due to multiple causes, such as the use of pesticides, diseases and habitat lo...

Honeybees have an essential role in ecosystems pollinating wild flowers and cultivated crops,representingan important cultural and economic benefit for humans. Honeybee populations are decreasing over the last decade, due to multifactorial causes. The aim of this field study was to investigate the effects of the presence of the invasive species Ves...

The expansion of urbanized spaces and the increase of pollution is producing a progressive decrease in the number of pollinating insects. In the case of the cultivation of the almond tree in Mallorca, this reduction can bring with it the reduction of agricultural production, the degradation of the cultivated areas and the loss of the traditional la...

Bark beetles are a group of phytophagous insects which are considered important pests of conifer and broadleaf forests. In order to carry out the characterization and monitoring of bark beetles communities present in Majorca, flight interception traps (cross-vane type trap) have been placed in three plots of pine forest (Pinus halepensis) and three...

Bumblebees are among the world's most important groups of pollinating insects in natural and agricultural ecosystems. Each spring, queen bumblebees emerge from overwintering and initiate new nests, which ultimately give rise to workers and new reproductives later in the season. Nest initiation and survival are thus key drivers of both bumblebee pol...

The yellow-legged hornet, Vespa velutina nigrithorax is an Invasive Alien Species introduced into Europe in 2004, and is currently present in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, and Belgium. It was also recently introduced in the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Here we present the first detection of V. velutina in the westernmost Mediterranean...

During the last decades, the economic importance of tephritid fruit flies (FF) has increased worldwide because of recurrent invasions and expansions into new areas, and reduced control capabilities of current control systems. Efficient monitoring systems, thus, are required to provide fast information to act promptly. With this aim in mind, we deve...

Abstract: The Asian tiger mosquito is an invasive species showing a continuous expansion in the Mediterranean basin in general and in Spain in particular. The first detection of Aedes albopictus in mainland Spain was reported in 2004. Eight years later, in 2012, this mosquito species was detected in the Balearic archipelago, specifically on Majorca...

This article includes the details of the experiment conducted at the University of the Balearic Islands related to organize a hackathon which involves interdisciplinary, Service-learning and enterprise internship. The goal of the activity is to increase the student motivation and their knowledges and skills. Results are analysed through post-test s...

Se presenta el desarrollo de una plataforma tecnológica piloto para el control de la productividad, el análisis de riesgos de plagas y la optimización del tratamiento insecticida de los olivares mediterráneos. La plataforma cuenta con los siguientes elementos: red de sensores (temperatura, humedad, cámara), base de datos georeferenciada, aplicativo...

Epiphytic foraminifera are important components of the seagrass-meadow biota. These foraminifera previously were categorized, based upon their ecological and feeding strategies, into four morphotypes that were subsequently modified to include a new morphotype for the symbiont-bearing foraminifera. We propose further modifications to increase the ec...

1. Varroa destructor L innaeus ( A cari: V arroidae) is one of the greatest threats to apiculture. This study examines the role of host density, natural resource availability for bees, the management and climate in driving spatial and annual variability in the abundance of V arroa , and the occurrence of colony losses, recorded in apiaries across a...

The olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Diptera; Tephritidae), is a major pest of olives. The aim of the OliveFlyNet project is to develop environmentally effective e-monitoring and spraying management based on electronic traps (e-traps) linked to Decision Support System (DSS) software. The e-traps include a camera focused on a sticky trap, and temp...

The olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Diptera; Tephritidae), is considered the most devastating pest species on cultivated olives (Olea europaea) in Europe. Field monitoring must be conducted by sampling susceptible fruits for larvae, or by trapping adults. Assays with different traps and attractants were performed from September to October 2014 i...

The present study compared the efficacy of Apivar (a.i. amitraz) and Apiguard (a.i. thymol) in controlling the mite Varroa destructor during spring 2010 and autumn 2011, in the Balearic Islands (Spain). Number of fallen mites (NFM) was counted weekly and the efficacy of treatments was evaluated by using the percentage of reduction of the average da...

First finding in Mallorca of a horseshoe whip snake Hemorrhois hippocrepis in the stomach contents of a grey heron Ardea cinerea. The grey heron is an opportunistic predator capable of varying its diet depending on the prey available. In recent years it is relatively common to find invasive species included in its diet. Since 2003, the horseshoe wh...

Honeybee populations around the world are experiencing a decrease in colony numbers probably due to a combination of different causes, such as diseases, poor nutrition and frequent applications of insecticides to control pests. Previous studies about the effect of pesticide Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (Btk) on Apis mellifera L. report di...

To develop new population control methods for the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, a study comparing bait application techniques (BAT) with a female-biased mass trapping strategy was carried out in seven citrus orchards in Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). In the BAT treatment, fenthion, lambda-cyhalothrin and spinosad were applied se...