Predictive models on breeding habitat preferences of Bonelli's eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus; Aves: Accipitridae) have been performed at four different spatial scales in Castello´n province, East of Iberian Peninsula. The scales considered were: (1) nest site scale (1·1 km 2 Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) square containing the nest); (2) near nest environment (3·3 km 2 UTM square); (3) home range scale (5·5 km 2 UTM square); and (4) landscape level scale (9·9 km 2 UTM square containing the above mentioned ones). Topographic, disturbance, climatic and land use factors were measured on a geographic information system (GIS) at occupied and unoccupied UTM squares. Logistic regression was performed by means of a stepwise addition procedure. We tested whether inclusion of new subset of variables improved the models by increasing the area under the receiver operator characteristic plot. At nest site scale, only topographic factors were considered as the most parsimonious predictors. Probability of species occurrence increases with slope in craggy areas at lower altitudes. At the 3·3 km 2 scale, climate and disturbance variables were included. At home range and landscape level scales, models included climate, disturbance, topographic and land use factors. Higher temperatures in January, template ones in July, higher rainfall in June, lower altitudes and higher slope in the sample unit increase probability of occurrence of Bonelli's eagle at broadest scales. The species seems to prefer disperse forests, scrubland and agricultural areas. From our results, we consider that there is a hierarchical framework on habitat selection procedure. We suggest that it is necessary to analyse what key factors are affecting Bonelli's eagle nest-site selection at every study area to take steps to ensure appropriate conservation measures. The combination of regression modelling and GIS will become a powerful tool for biodiversity and conservation studies, taking into account that application depends on sampling design and the model assumptions of the statistical methods employed. Finally, predictive models obtained could be used for the efficient monitoring of this scarce species, to predict range expansions or identify suitable locations for reintroductions, and also to design protected areas and to help on wildlife management.

Bird nests are structures whose properties affect breeding performance. Thus, the vast majority of bird species build their own characteristic nests, selecting appropriate materials to do so. However, in habitats where the availability of "ideal" materials is low, some ability to use alternative ones would be necessary, even at the cost of having breeding success reduced. The Great Tit (Parus major) breeds under widely different environmental conditions. Its nests are althought to be composed mainly of moss, although very few studies have quantified nest composition. Our target here was describing Great Tit nest mass and composition in four different Mediterranean habitats, and exploring their fitness consequences. We recorded the basic breeding parameters, collected nests after fledging, and decomposed a sample of them, in four eastern Spanish populations: Pina (pines and oaks), Mariola (pines), Font Roja (holm oaks), and Sagunto (orange trees). Nests were heavier in Sagunto and Mariola and lighter in Font Roja, and those from Sagunto had the lowest amount of moss. Clutch size decreased as moss mass increased in the four sites. In Sagunto, hatching success increased as moss mass increased. In all habitats, nestling condition was lower when the amount of sticks and feathers was higher. We conclude that Great Tit nest mass and composition varies considerably between habitats, and the amount of different materials could affect different breeding parameters.

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Several previous studies highlighted the importance of using field-collected soils instead of artificially spiked contaminated soils for phytotoxicity tests. However, the use of field-collected soils presents several difficulties for interpretation of results, due to presence of various contaminants in the soil and unavoidable differences in the physicochemical properties of the tested soils. The objective of this study was to estimate thresholds of copper phytotoxicity in topsoils of 27 agricultural areas historically contaminated by mining activities in Chile. We performed standard emergence and early growth (21 days) tests (OECD 208 and ISO 11269-2) with lettuce. The response of lettuce was best explained by Cu toxicity and P deficiency. Growth of lettuce was related to soil total Cu concentration and Olsen-P and was not affected by soluble Cu (extractable by 0.1 M KNO 3 ) or Cu 2+ free ion activity of the soil solution. Thus, lettuce has a limited applicability for metal toxicity assessment in metalcontaminated soils, due to sensitivity of its response to P deficiency. However, it was possible to determine toxic thresholds for shoot concentrations of Cu in lettuce for responses of shoot and root length, suggesting that shoot concentrations of Cu in lettuce can be useful as indicators of Cu toxicity even in soils with a wide range of nutrient concentrations.

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In this paper, we describe and analyze the diet of peregrine falcons during a long-term period . A combination of direct observations of prey brought to nests, prey remains, and regurgitated pellets were used to calculate diet diversity and dietary overlap between peregrine pairs. We also examined diet diversity in relation to breeding performance. All peregrine pairs fed mainly on birds, with pigeons the most common prey. An increase in pigeon availability has been associated with both an increase in population size and an increase in breeding performance (measured as the average productivity of pairs per year) of a small peregrine falcon population in eastern Spain. Average productivity was lower when dietary breadth was higher. We speculate that our results were the synergistic effect of declining persecution and increased pigeon availability through increased popularity of keeping racing pigeons. There is a conflict of interests between pigeon fanciers and peregrine conservation. As a consequence, this could result to an increased risk of mortality by direct persecution. In accordance with this, conservation measures aimed at preventing direct persecution are encouraged.