Biology subjects

Falaschi, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Falaschi, M..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

First report of overwintering tadpoles in the endemic Italian agile frog Rana latastei

Climate change is affecting organism seasonality patterns, and this can drive phenological shifts for key traits, including breeding activity. Here we report a first record of overwintering tadpoles of the Italian agile frog (Rana latastei), a threatened endemic species of Northern Italy. This species usually breeds between late January and April, with tadpoles reaching metamorphosis by early summer. In February 2025, together with the first freshly-laid egg-clutches of the season, several large-sized tadpoles were found in one reproductive site of R. latastei in Como province. A few days after hatching, six individuals from newly hatched tadpole cohorts and six individuals from large-sized cohorts were captured, photographed and measured. Concurrently, a newly metamorphosed froglet was found. Results from morphological inspections revealed that individuals showed typical traits of R. latastei. Moreover, while newly hatched tadpoles were at development Gosners stages 25-26, large cohort individuals were visibly bigger and at late development stage, which was not compatible with the classical late winter breeding timing of this species. Our study shows for the first time a case of overwintering in R. latastei, suggesting shifts in this frog development trajectory (prolonged larval time) or breeding habits (autumnal reproduction) may be occurring. While mechanisms behind this unusual observation have to be ascertained, such a phenological shift might have been favoured by variation in climatic regime.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2024

Conserving steppe-land birds under climate change: a gap analysis for the Eurasian Stone-curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus) in the Western Palearctic

Climate change is having dramatic impacts on the distribution of animals. Birds, and especially steppe-land birds, are particularly sensitive to climate change and identifying areas that are critical for their conservation is pivotal, as well as estimating the expected impact on these areas under different climate and land use change scenarios. In-situ climate refugia (areas suitable under both current and future climates) are especially valuable for the conservation of climate-sensitive species, and is therefore important to identify them and evaluate their coverage by protected areas. Via species distribution modelling, we aimed to identify in-situ climate refugia in the Western Palearctic for the Eurasian Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus, an umbrella steppic species of conservation concern. We used a comprehensive dataset of occurrences in the breeding period to fine-tune a Maxent species distribution model and project it under three carbon emission scenarios of increasing severity for the year 2050. We then identified in-situ climate refugia and performed a gap analysis estimating the percentage of refugia falling within the network of currently protected areas. In all modelled future scenarios a northward expansion of suitable breeding habitats was predicted, and suitable areas had similar extents, with a slight increase of the overall suitability under more severe scenarios. According to our results, the Eurasian Stone-curlew has the potential to maintain viable populations in the Western Palearctic, even though dispersal limitations might hinder the colonization of newly suitable breeding areas. In-situ climate refugia were mainly identified outside protected areas, particularly in Northern Africa and the Middle East. Therefore, we advocate targeted actions in climate refugia to promote the conservation of this and other steppe-land species under global environmental change.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

An automated approach for systematic detection of Key Biodiversity Areas

The new Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) standard is an important method for identifying regions of the planet hosting unique biodiversity. KBAs are identified through the implementation of threshold-based criteria that can be applied to any target species and region. Efficient methods to rapidly assess the existence of potential KBAs in different areas of the planet are still missing, although they are needed to accelerate the KBA identification process for large numbers of species globally. We developed a methodology to scan geographical regions and detect potential KBAs under multiple criteria. We tested the methodology on 59 species of reptiles and amphibians in Italy through the application of selected KBA criteria. Potential KBAs were identified for multiple species under most criteria, covering 1.4% to 12% of the study area, depending on analytical settings. Unit size used to identify KBAs played an important role in shaping the distribution of potential KBAs, also affecting the degree of overlap between areas triggered by different criteria. New potential KBAs identified in this study are only partially nested within current KBAs in Italy (previously identified for birds) and within the national protected areas.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2020

Close encounters of the three morphs: does color affect aggression in a polymorphic lizard?

Color polymorphism is genetically controlled and the process generating and maintaining morphs can affect speciation and/or extinction rates. Competition and aggression among morphs can contribute to polymorphism maintenance and color badges are useful signals in intraspecific communication, because they convey information about alternative strategies and avoid unnecessary conflicts. This could lead to an uneven spatial distribution of morphs in a population, because the local frequency of each morph establishes the intensity of the competition in that neighborhood, and then the fitness of each male. We used a polymorphic lizard, Podarcis muralis, to assess if aggression varies among morphs under two contrasting hypotheses: a heteromorphic vs. a homomorphic aggression. We used laboratory mirror tests after lizard color manipulation and we verified the results consistency with the analysis of the spatial distribution of morphs in a wild population. Both the experiments confirmed that aggression is morph-specific and notably homomorphic. The adoption of behavioral alternative strategies that minimize risks and costs of unwanted conflicts could facilitate the stable coexistence of the phenotypes and reduce the resource competition. A bias in aggression to like-coloured males would advantage rarer morph, which would suffer less harassment by common morphs and obtain a fitness advantage. This process would be negatively-frequency-dependent and would stabilize polymorphism in the populations, possibly leading to sympatric speciation.

animal behavior and cognition↗