Ricerc@Sapienza

The Vallparadís composite section (VCS) includes the nearby paleontological sites of Cal Guardiola and Vallparadís Estació (Vallès-Penedès Basin, northeastern Iberian Peninsula). The section spans from before the Jaramillo subchron to the early Middle Pleistocene (ca. 1.2–0.6 Ma). In this study, we describe the suid record from VCS and we review those from several other European sites, in order to refine the taxonomic identity and chronostratigraphic range of Quaternary suids in Europe.

Extraterritorial forays in wolves (Canis lupus) have rarely been documented, especially in humanmodified landscapes of southern and central Europe. Integrating information on extraterritorial forays is currently enhanced by Global Positioning System (GPS) telemetry and contributes to our knowledge of the spatial dynamics of wolf populations. We hereby report GPS-revealed extraterritorial forays performed by 4 wolves in 3 packs in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park (central Apennines, Italy,

Three non-phoretic blister-beetle species (Mylabris schreibersi, Actenodia distincta and Cabalia segetum) were investigated to trace their Siculo-Maghrebian biogeographic origins and to understand how Tertiary and Quaternary paleogeographic events (e.g. the ‘Messinian Salinity Crisis’ and the cyclic Quaternary glacio-eustatic marine oscillations) shaped their phylogeographic patterns. Data from CAD and RpP01 nuclear genes highlighted a clear lineage sorting between Sicilian and Maghrebian populations of M.

Many marine organisms have complex genetic patterns that cannot be easily resolved by data analysis on spatial distribution of variability usually applied in population genetic studies. We propose an analytical framework to evaluate the role of dispersal during early life stages that considers the actual hydrodynamic connectivity in the Mediterranean Sea, as a factor shaping the population structure of demersal fishes.

Alfalfa is a reservoir providing natural enemies to adjacent crops. However, whether these crops act only as receptors or also as donors is unknown. The pattern of movement between alfalfa and maize of Orius majusculus, Orius niger and Nabis provencalis and the role of both crops as “donor” or “receptor” were inferred through carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis. Results show that all heteropteran species are able to move between crops, but the predators’ movement is species specific and the role of alfalfa and maize as “donor” or “receptor” varies.