Entomological data bank from Castilla-La Mancha: compilation, data quality analysis and conservation use.
Project funded by the Regional Government of Castilla La Mancha (POII11-0277-5747) in which 10 researchers from the University of Castilla La Mancha, the National Museum of Natural Sciences, and the Universities of Murcia and Autónoma de Madrid participate, with the objective of compiling the faunistic and biogeographical information of various groups of Iberian arthropods (see Geobrink)he platform is also associated with a biogeographical analysis module, which includes applications developed specifically to examine the exhaustiveness of existing inventories at different spatial scales and to discriminate the relatively well-sampled sites from those need additional surveys (see KnowBR and Rwizard)
Multi-scale effect of livestock veterinary compounds on the diversity and health status of dung beetles: from the individual level to the environmental scale.
Project funded by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain (CGL2015-68207-R) in which participate the University of Alicante, the National Museum of Natural Sciences of Madrid, the Universities of Granada and Montpellier, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Taking into account the importance of dung beetles for the decomposition of organic matter, the management of pasturelands and nutrient recycling, this project aims to determine the real effects caused by the use of chemical parasite control products (ivermectina and moxidectina) on dung beetle individuals. Furthermore the project is seeking to examine the effects of these antiparasitic treatments on the emission of greenhouse gases.
Thermoregulation, acclimation and thermal responses of dung beetles to spatio-temporal changes in temperature
Project funded by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain (CGL2015-64489) and carried out entirely in the National Museum of Natural Sciences of Madrid. This project aims to delimit the effect of temperature on the seasonal and daily activity variations of dung beetles, also estimating the role of acclimation in the thermal responses of these organisms, as well as investigating the role of the exoskeleton in alleviating or facilitating the adverse consequences of climate change.
Comparative effects of climate and land use changes on the spatial distribution of a group of indicator insects (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) in the Atlantic Forest.
Project funded by CAPES Ciências sem Fronteiras (Brasil) as Special Visitor Researcher (88881.068089/2014-01) with the participation of the Federal University of Santa Catarina and the National Museum of Natural Sciences of Madrid. This Project aims to study the structure of dung beetle assemblages along an elevational gradient located in the Atlantic Forest, as well as the role played by environmental temperature and species thermal physiology on the distribution and abundance of species.