Press releases

 This female loggerhead turtle, equipped with a transmitter to track via satellite her movements in the western Mediterranean, laid two clutches of eggs on the Spanish coast within a thirteen-day interval

Rising temperatures and lower oxygen levels in water are causing aquatic insects to become smaller and experience increased mortality. Aquatic insects play a vital role in ecosystems. The combined effects of declining insect numbers and shrinking body sizes could lead to significant disruptions in aquatic ecosystems..

Baranov, V. Losana-García, J., Pascual, J., Fernández Bermejo, S. & Hamerlik, L., Impact of temperature and hypoxia on the size and survival of aquatic insects. Ecological entomology, early view online. https://doi.org/10.1111/een.13469

A combination of late rainfall, high river and sea levels, and the influence of the Montaña del Río dike has slowed the drainage of Doñana’s marshes, which remain significantly flooded at 47% of their capacity. This prolonged inundation will benefit waterbird breeding and vegetation regeneration but also presents challenges, such as the spread of invasive species and cyanobacteria. Despite this season’s rains, temporary ponds remain at risk due to aquifer overexploitation, highlighting the urgent need for long-term conservation efforts.

Extensive evidence indicates that crayfish were introduced to Spain from Italy in the 16th century, although some authors argue that genetic findings contradict this origin story. A research team from the Doñana Biological Station – CSIC now shows that genetic patterns actually reinforce conclusions drawn from other types of evidence, ruling out the idea that the crayfish is native to Spain.


Clavero, M., Bedmar, S., & Oficialdegui, F. J. (2025). How (not) to use genetic data to assess nativeness and the case of the Italian Crayfish in Iberia. http://hdl.handle.net/10261/393044

A new study shows a common pattern in the distribution of species globally. The discovery will help to understand life on Earth -including how ecosystems respond to global environmental changes

REFERENCE: Bernardo-Madrid R, González-Suárez M, Rueda M, Revilla E, Rosvall M, Carrete M, et al. A general rule on the organization of biodiversity on Earth’s biogeographical regions. Nature Ecology & Evolution. 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02724-5

Understanding trophic relationships is key to predicting species range shifts and protecting ecosystems. Researchers analyzed over three million localizations from approximately 3,000 bears, representing 14 European and Turkish populations

REFERENCE: P.M. Lucas et al.. (2025) Trophic interactions are key to understanding the effects of global change on the distribution and functional role of the brown bear. Global Change Biology DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70252

The role of the microbiota may determine the ability of mosquitoes to transmit disease. Bacteria from the families Burkholderiaceae and Erwiniaceae were predominantly identified. On the other hand, bacteria of the genus Wolbachia, which block virus replication in other mosquito species, were rare.

Marta Garrigós, Mario Garrido, María José Ruiz-López, María José García-López, Jesús Veiga, Sergio Magallanes, Ramón Soriguer, Isabel Moreno Indias, Jordi Figuerola, Josué Martínez-de la Puente. Microbiota composition of Culex perexiguus mosquitoes during the West Nile virus outbreak in southern Spain. PLos One. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314001

A study conducted by the Doñana Biological Station – CSIC and the University of Seville analyses how individual plants in various populations establish their interactions with the animals that consume their fruits. On average, a sigle individual attracts 70% of the diversity of frugivores animals present in its community, yet only a very small fraction of individuals play a central role in the network of interactions.

Quintero, E., Arroyo-Correa, B., Isla, J., Rodríguez-Sánchez, F., Jordano, P. (2025). Downscaling mutualistic networks from species to individuals reveals consistent interaction niches and roles within plant populations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(7), e2402342122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2402342122

Since 2004, the Doñana Biological Station has used remote sensing to monitor changes and trends in the Doñana Natural Area at a landscape scale. Research continues to integrate new techniques and expand its capabilities. Doñana stands out for its potential to become an international calibration and validation site for remote sensing products.

1. Coccia, Cristina, Eva Pintado, Álvaro L. Paredes, David Aragonés, Daniela C. O’Ryan, Andy J. Green, Javier Bustamante, and Ricardo Díaz-Delgado. 2024. “Modelling Water Depth, Turbidity and Chlorophyll Using Airborne Hyperspectral Remote Sensing in a Restored Pond Complex of Doñana National Park (Spain).” Remote Sensing 16 (16). 2996. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16162996

2. Gómez-Giráldez, Pedro J., Jordi Cristóbal, Héctor Nieto, Diego García-Díaz, and Ricardo Díaz-Delgado. 2024. “Validation of Gross Primary Production Estimated by Remote Sensing for the Ecosystems of Doñana National Park through Improvements in Light Use Efficiency Estimation.” Remote Sensing 16 (12). 2170. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16122170

3. Gómez-Giráldez, Pedro J., Marcos Jiménez, Ma Pilar Cendrero-Mateo, Shari Van Wittenberghe, Juan José Peón, Adrián Moncholí-Estornell, Jesús Delegido, Jose F. Moreno, and Ricardo Díaz-Delgado. 2024. “The Spafleximp Project: Spanish Flex-S3 Mission Calibration and Validation Plan Implementation.” In IGARSS 2024 - 2024 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, 296–300. doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/IGARSS53475.2024.10640946 .

A study by Ebro Delta Natural Park and the Estación Biológica de Doñana – CSIC highlights the severe decline of the European eel in recent years. The impacts of an invasive crab and inaction in fisheries management worsen the crisis of the European eel, considered a Critically Endangered species since 2008.

Franch N, Capdevila P, Fanlo H, Queral JM, Clavero M (2025) Recent ael decline in a large Mediterranean wetland. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.70046