Trophic niche segregation in a guild of top predators within the Mediterranean Basin.

Niche theory predicts that closely related and ecologically similar species with overlapping distribution ranges can coexist through resource partitioning that limits interspecific competition. However, studies examining the mechanisms promoting coexistence of top predators at a large geographical scale are still scant. Here, we describe the foraging ecology of 3 sympatric owl species (Northern long-eared owl [], Tawny owl [], Eurasian eagle owl []) in the Mediterranean Basin.

Experimental nest cooling reveals dramatic effects of heatwaves on reproduction in a Mediterranean bird of prey.

Future climatic scenarios forecast increases in average temperatures as well as in the frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme events, such as heatwaves. Whereas behavioral adjustments can buffer direct physiological and fitness costs of exposure to excessive temperature in wild animals, these may prove more difficult during specific life stages when vagility is reduced (e.g.

Italian odonates in the Pandora's box: A comprehensive DNA barcoding inventory shows taxonomic warnings at the Holarctic scale.

The Odonata are considered among the most endangered freshwater faunal taxa. Their DNA-based monitoring relies on validated reference data sets that are often lacking or do not cover important biogeographical centres of diversification. This study presents the results of a DNA barcoding campaign on Odonata, based on the standard 658-bp 5' end region of the mitochondrial COI gene, involving the collection of 812 specimens (409 of which barcoded) from peninsular Italy and its main islands (328 localities), belonging to all the 88 species (31 Zygoptera and 57 Anisoptera) known from the country.