Press releases

A scientific team from the Biological Station of Doñana (EBD-CSIC) has studied the seed dispersal capacity of geese and how changes in their migratory patterns could have implications for this ecological function. These birds help plants disperse their seeds over distances they would not be able to reach by any other means.

Iciar Jiménez-Martín, Adrián Monreal, Víctor Martín-Vélez, María J. Navarro-Ramos, Anthony D. Fox, Ádám Lovas-Kiss, Andy J. Green. High levels of seed dispersal by a declining wintering population of migratory geese. Freswater Biology, https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.14347

In an experiment conducted by the CSIC, spotless starling nestlings signaled for food with less intense postures and distinctiv sounds when a harmless infection was induced under controlled food deprivation conditions.

Parejo-Pulido, D., Redondo, T. & Pérez-Rodríguez, L. Immune challenge reduces begging effort and modifies begging call structure in spotless starling nestlings. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 78, 81 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-024-03497-w

A study led by the CSIC concludes that biological larviciding is by far the primary adopted method to control mosquitoes, respecting biodiversity and protecting nearby populations. Researchers recommend applying this type of strategy in the Lower Guadalquivir, in southwest Spain, to reduce the presence of mosquitoes and the transmission of diseases such as the West Nile virus.


Mikel A. González, Alexandra Chaskopoulou, Loukas Georgiou, Eva Frontera, Francisco Cáceres, Montse Masia, Raquel Gutiérrez-Climente, Gregory L’Ambert, Hugo Osório, Gonçalo Seixas, Francesco Defilippo, Mattia Calzolari, Fabrizio Montarsi, Andrea Mosca, Jordi Figuerola. Mosquito management strategies in European rice fields: Environmental and public health perspectives. Journal of Environmental Management. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122534

Researchers study how to optimise camera traps to ease detection of fauna in areas where there is little communication infrastructure. The new technology enables real-team localization and reduces manual work.

Delia Velasco-Montero, Jorge Fernández-Berni, Ricardo Carmona Galán, Ariadna Sanglas, Francisco Palomares. Reliable and efficient integration of AI into camera traps for smart wildlife monitoring based on continual learning. Ecological Informatics. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2024.102815

El actual programa de investigación para ayudar a la preservación de esta especie responde a la colaboración entre el CSIC y la Fundación Reina Sofía

In 2022, the scientists, led by the Australian Museum in Sidney participated in the discovery of a spectacular Lagerstätte in Australia. This study provides the first detailed analysis of the community of aquatic insects from this deposit. The study provides new information about what the insects of Australia were like before the continent went through a process of aridification.

Viktor Baranov, Michael Frese, Robert Beattie, Tara Djokic, Matthew R. McCurry. New aquatic insects form the Miocene of Australia with notes on the ecology and ontogeny of a new species of Chaoborus (Diptera, Chaoboridae). Papers in Palaeontology. https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1580

Matthew R. McCurry, David J. Cantrill, Patrick M. Smith, Robert Beattie, Mary Dettman, Viktor Baranov, Charles Magee, Jacqueline M. T. Nguyen, Marnie A. Forster, Jack Hinde, Ross Pogson, Helen Wang, Christopher E. Marjo, Paulo Vasconcelos, Michael Frese. A Lagerstätte from Australia provides insight into the nature of Miocene mesic ecosystems. Science Advances. https://doi.org/10.1126%2Fsciadv.abm1406

The researchers have analyzed the role of this mosquito as vector of avian malaria pathogens. The tiger mosquito may play a minor role in avian Plasmodium transmission in the wild, likely due to its mammal-biased blood-feeding pattern.

Veiga, J.; Garrido, M.; Garrigós, M.; Chagas, C.R.F.; Martínez-de la Puente, J. A Literature Review on the Role of the Invasive Aedes albopictus in the Transmission of Avian Malaria Parasites. Animals 2024, 14, 2019. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14142019

The study, the most comprehensive to date conducted in Protected Areas of Spain, has revealed the widespread presence of pesticides, some of them banned since 2009, in both National Parks

The compounds detected have an important environmental impact and may pose a high risk to aquatic ecosystems.

Mantaining their genetic diversity is essential to the species and requires the conservation of a wide network of interconnected ponds. Aquifer overexploitation, climatic change and invasive species threaten the aquatic ecosystems in Doñana

Sánchez-Montes, G., Martínez-Solano, I., Díaz-Paniagua, C., Martínez-Gil, H., Arntzen, J. W. & Gomez-Mestre, I. (2024). Pond area and availability safeguard amphibian genetic diversity across Iberia's largest protected wetland. Freshwater Biology, 69: 917-931. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/fwb.14255

The aims include to assess if melanin is a protective factor against radiation and if there are patterns of adaption to radioactivity