Fire is a major agent involved in landscape transformation and an indirect cause of changes in species composition. Responses to fire may vary greatly depending on life histories and functional traits of species. We have examined the taxonomic and functional responses to fire of eight taxonomic animal groups displaying a gradient of dietary and mobility patterns: Gastropoda, Heteroptera, Formicidae, Coleoptera, Araneae, Orthoptera, Reptilia and Aves. The fieldwork was conducted in a Mediterranean protected area on 3 sites (one unburnt and two burnt with different postfire management practices) with five replicates per site. We collected information from 4606 specimens from 274 animal species. Similarity in species composition and abundance between areas was measured by the Bray-Curtis index and ANOSIM, and comparisons between animal and plant responses by Mantel tests. We analyze whether groups with the highest percentage of omnivorous species, these species being more generalist in their dietary habits, show weak responses to fire (i.e. more similarity between burnt and unburnt areas), and independent responses to changes in vegetation. We also explore how mobility, i.e. dispersal ability, influences responses to fire. Our results demonstrate that differences in species composition and abundance between burnt and unburnt areas differed among groups. We found a tendency towards presenting lower differences between areas for groups with higher percentages of omnivorous species. Moreover, taxa with a higher percentage of omnivorous species had significantly more independent responses of changes in vegetation. High- (e.g. Aves) and low-mobility (e.g. Gastropoda) groups had the strongest responses to fire (higher R scores of the ANOSIM); however, we failed to find a significant general pattern with all the groups according to their mobility. Our results partially support the idea that functional traits underlie the response of organisms to environmental changes caused by fire.

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No abstract

The collection of type specimens of the family Ptinidae (Coleoptera) deposited in the Natural History Museum of Barcelona, Spain.-The collection of the Ptinidae family (Coleoptera) deposited in the Natural History Museum of Barcelona, Spain has been organised, revised and documented. This collection belonged to Francesc Español Coll, a world specialist in this family, and it has become an important reference point for research on that family. The collection is composed of a total of 8,854 specimens, 498 of which are type species. In this paper we provide all the available information related to these type specimens, so for any single taxon, species or subspecies, the following information is given: the original and current taxonomic status, original citation of type materials, exact transcription of original labels, and preservation condition of specimens. Moreover, the differences between original descriptions and labels are discussed. When a taxonomic change has occurred, the references that examine those changes are included at the end of the taxa description.

Laid Ouakid a , Abdelkrim Tahraoui a Résumé : La faune entomologique est un élément essentiel dans la dynamique et le fonctionnement des écosystèmes forestiers. Le rôle écologique ainsi que le caractère bio-indicateur de certaines espèces d'insectes peuvent indiquer l'état sanitaire des forêts et déterminer certains facteurs liés à la dégradation de celles-ci. Au niveau des subéraies Algériennes, de nombreuses attaques d'insectes touchant principalement les feuilles, les fruits ainsi que le tronc du chêne ont étés signalés. L'action de certains Coléoptères phytophages (Curculionidae,..) est l'une des principales causes de la défoliation, les xylophages affaiblissent l'arbre tandis que les ravageurs des glands ont un impact direct sur la régénération. Afin de déterminer la relation entre la faune entomologique et le dépérissement des forêts de chêne-liège en Algérie, nous avons réalisé un inventaire des Coléoptères de deux subéraies de l'Est Algérien (la subéraie du Parc National d'El-Kala et la subéraie Souk-Ahras) en ayant recourt aux différentes techniques utilisées dans le domaine de l'entomologie (Récolte à vue, Pots Barber, Pièges aériens). Nous avons recensé plus de 100 espèces de Coléoptères appartenant à 25 différentes familles, dont 68 espèces récoltées au Parc National d'El-Kala et 41 espèces à Souk-Ahras. L'étude du régime alimentaire (coprophagie, saproxylie, prédation, phytophagie ou décomposition) a permis d'évaluer le rôle écologique des espèces inventoriées dans les écosystèmes forestiers.