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A giant lizard, supposedly extinct and belonging to the genus Gallotia (Lacertidae) was discovered in June 1999 on La Gomera Island in the Canarian Archipielago (Plate 1). This genus is endemic to the Canary Islands and is a remarkable example of adaptive radiation (Arnold, 1989, González et al., 1996; Rando et al., 1997). ; We thank Juan J. Ramos Manuel Siverio, Efraín Hernández, Juan C. Illera, Juan M. Martínez, José Dámaso, Jacinto Leralta and Rubén Martínez for assistance in the fieldwork. We thank the Canarian government (Viceconsejería de Medio Ambient) for financing this project. The Unidad de Medio Ambiente del Cabildo Insular de La Gomera gave all kindsof logistic support and together with the Unidad de Helicópteros nº 11 de la Guardia Civil en S/C de Tenerife (151ª Comandancia) provided us with their helicopter to reach otherwisw inaccesible places. We are also grateful to many apeople from La Gomera who advised us on safe acces to dangerous sites, particularly Manuel Gutiérrez and Juan Plasencia. This fascinating discovery is dedicated to the people of La Gomera. ; Peer reviewed

Verlagsinfo: Entre abril y mayo de 1934, Manuel Chaves Nogales acompañará a una exigua fuerza expedicionaria española en la ocupación del territorio marroquí de Ifni, ordenada por el gobierno de la República. Situado en la costa suroeste, justo por encima del Sáhara occidental, Ifni era una posesión colonial hasta entonces no hecha efectiva y abandonada como "uno de esos objetos valiosos que se apolillan en los desvanes". Chaves Nogales ya había dicho en algún momento antes de esta singladura: «Marruecos es un hecho tan confuso que todo es posible.» Y efectivamente, mientras deja testimonio directo de lo que él mismo llama "la última aventura colonial española", en un magnífico y amplio reportaje para el diario Ahora, se hace evidente esa misma cualidad borrosa, de tópicos y contratópicos, de intereses opacos y gestos "deportivos" que parece inherente a la cuestión marroquí. /// La falta de peligro y el extraño clima de paz y concordia dan aires fantasmales y humorísticos al gesto colonizador y hacen que el propio Chaves se pregunte: "¿Es esto imperialismo?". Junto a algunos militares visitará toda la zona sin peligro. Realizará amistosas entrevistas a los jefes locales, tan llenas de humor como de respeto. Trazará un breve perfil del héroe del momento, el coronel Capaz, y de las riquezas y miserias del territorio. Sin embargo, a pesar de su sorpresa y alegría ante el carácter poco traumático y nada violento de la expedición, no dejará de advertir entre las diferencias de una "verdadera ocupación" y una simple «posesión simbólica del sitio». Y no podía saber nuestro lúcido autor en 1934 que pisaba el futuro escenario de la última guerra colonial española, el episodio de Sidi Ifni entre 1957 y 1958, otro hecho borroso y olvidado de nuestra historia reciente con el vecino marroquí, en la que aún colea hasta nuestros días todo el asunto, también bastante opaco —y también presente en este libro— del Sáhara occidental.

Manuel Chaves Nogales reiste im Frühjahr 1934 in das nationalsozialistische Deutschland - ein verblüffender Bericht über die ersten Konzentrationslager. Als journalistisches Bravourstück sein Interview mit Propagandaminister Goebbels (das ihn jedoch auf die Todeslisten der Nationalsozialisten brachte).

1934 reist der Journalist Manuel Chaves Nogales nach Marokko und geht einem Gerücht nach, das Spanien seit dem militärischen Desaster von Annual (1921) zunehmend bewegt. 1923 muss König Alfonso XIII die Geschäfte an Primo de Rivera abtreten, der eine Militärdiktatur errichtet. 1931 siegen aber die Republikaner bei Wahlen, die Republik wird ausgerufen. Doch längst sind die Akteure, die Spanien in eine faschistische Diktatur führen werden, zugange. Das Gerücht, in Marokko würden seit Annual Spanier festgehalten, wird zum Politikum. Aber ein weiteres Ereignis gerät in den Focus der Recherche, für die er immer tiefer in das Marokko dieser Jahre vordringt: Spaniens letztes Abenteuer als Kolonialmacht.

In this study we present a review on the diet of the feral cat on the Canary archipelago, providing the first data from the reliet laurel forest (Garajonay National Park). Among the 403 prey items identified in this habitat, rats were most numerous followed by reptiles. A total of 1.047 scat groups has been studied in the lat eight years from the main habitats of the Canaries. Most of the 2.963 prey items identified represent introduced mammals (rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus; mouse, Mus cf.musculus and rat. Rattus sp.). These prey were commonly captured in most habitats with the exception of high mountain scrub. In this habitat, reptiles were taken instead introduced mammals. They were also more commonly included in the diet from open grpund and open forest than from the denser forest. Birds were more frecuently consumed in the forest than in open areas. Anthropods appeared in significant proportions in the scats from habitats where these items reached high numbers. The results indicate that the diet of feral cats clearly varies according to the different habitats. ; The authors would like to express their gratitude to Ornistudio S. L. specially to K. Emmerson, M. Oramas and E. C. Hernández for donating some of the material and data. A. Martín and J. C. Rando identified some prey items, and the ICONA's personal from La Gomera Island gave logistic support. All the studies carried out on the diet of feral cats on the Canaries were done without any government economie support. Bernie Zonfrillo revised the manuscript and made helpful comments. ; Peer reviewed

4 pages, 2 figures.-- Available online Dec 14, 2006. ; [EN] In this paper, we present results on germination patterns of the seed dispersal system of an endemic Macaronesian plant (Rubia fruticosa). Seeds from this plant are mainly dispersed by endemic lizards and native warblers; therefore, we included three different treatments: control seeds, seeds extracted from lizards and seeds found in warbler droppings. Seeds from the same pool of every treatment were germinated in two different seasons, one in autumn, coinciding with the arrival of the first rains, and another in spring, coinciding with the arrival of the dry season. A clear differential pattern of germination success was observed between the two seasons. Seeds planted in autumn achieved a higher percentage of germination than those sown in spring in all treatments. The great robustness of these results seems to indicate that germination timing is strongly selected in R. fruticosa and this evolutionary trend probably extends to other vascular plants growing in xeric coastal environments of the Macaronesian islands. ; [FR] Dans cet article, nous présentons les résultats concernant les patterns de germination du système de dispersion des graines d'une plante endémique des îles Macaronésiennes (Rubia fruticosa). Les graines de cette plante sont principalement dispersées par des lézards endémiques et des fauvettes locales. C'est pourquoi nous avons adopté trois traitements différents: des semences de contrôle, des semences extraites des lézards et celles trouvées dans les crottes des fauvettes. Les semences qui provenaient de la même origine étaient mises à germer dans deux saisons différentes, en automne, ce qui correspond à l'arriveé des premières pluies, et au printemps, au début de la saison sèche. On a observé un pattern de germination clairement différencié entre les deux saisons. Les semences planteés en automne avaient un pourcentage de germination plus élevé que celles plantées au printemps, quel que soit le traitement d'origine. La solidité de ces résultats semble indiquer que le timing de la germination est fermement choisi chez R. fruticosa, et cette tendance évolutive s'étend probablement aux autres plantes vasculaires qui poussent dans les environnements xériques des îles Macaronésiennes. ; The Cabildo Insular of Lanzarote granted permission to work in this protected area. This study has been carried out within project BOS2003-00044, granted to M.N., and financed by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología and the Feder funds from the European Union.

6 pages, 1 figure, 1 table. ; Size-related selection of insular lizards by two sympatric predatory bird species (Southern Grey Shrike and Eurasian Kestrel) was studied in an arid insular environment. The endemic lizard genus Gallotia was a key resource in the diet of both predators, constituting more than 50% of the total biomass. Shrikes captured smaller lizards than kestrels during all seasons (mean snout-vent length (SVL): 7.4 ± 1.9 vs. 9.4 ± 2.1 cm respectively), presenting a sequential use of lizard sizes and avoiding potential competition. On the other hand, shrikes and kestrels showed the same seasonal variation pattern, capturing the largest lizards during their breeding periods (spring). Considering lizard availability, shrikes displayed less selective predation than kestrels in all seasons. Shrikes positively selected the medium lizard size (SVL: 5-10 cm) during the nestling period, but negatively selected the small lizard size (SVL: 10 cm). ; This research was supported by grants to David P. Padilla and Patricia Marrero from the Canarian Government and Proyectos Intramurales Especiales (2004 3 0E 169) of the Spanish National Scientific Research Council, respectively. It was also partially financed by the project PI042004/037 (Consejería de Educación, Cultura y Deportes, Gobierno de Canarias), which are partially supported by Feder funds from the European Union.

9 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables. ; We found a total of 987 prey in the 500 scats of feral cats Felis silvestris catus Linnaeus, 1758 analyzed in the present study. Introduced mammals (rabbits, rats and mice) constituted the most important prey both in percentage and biomass. Reptiles were the second most important prey, being more frequent than birds and invertebrates. Mammals were the most frequently eaten group in all five main habitats of the island, being more frequent than the remainder of prey in the laurel forest. Rabbits appeared more often in the temperate forest, rats in the laurel forest and mice in the high mountain. Birds were more frequently captured in the three higher habitats (laurel and pine forest, and high mountain) than in the two lower ones (xerophytic shrub and temperate forest). Reptiles were preyed on less in the laurel forest than in the other main habitats. Morisita index indicates a high trophic overlap among the different habitats with the exception of the laurel forest which shows important differences from the other habitats. Levin's niche-breadth was broader in the xerophytic shrub and narrower in the temperate forest, reaching intermediate levels in the other three main habitats. The results obtained in the present study evidence a general pattern in the trophic ecology among similar habitats in the different subtropical Canarian islands. However, some important differences exist that could beafunction of the differential prey availability and composition in each ecosystem. ; We thank the Unidad de Medio Ambiente del Cabildo Insular de La Palma (Insular Government) for its logistic support.

Copyright by the Ecological Society of America ; Seed dispersal effectiveness (SDE) is the contribution of dispersers to plant recruitment and is estimated as the product of the number of seeds dispersed (quantity) and the probability of recruitment of each dispersed seed (quality). Although SDE is a key concept in seed dispersal ecology, few studies estimate SDE and none has a community approach. Oceanic islands, with simple communities, are ideal for this purpose. In this study, we compared the SDE of the main types of dispersers (lizards and passerine birds) at the community level in a given habitat. We estimated SDE using a stochastic simulation model parameterized with empirical data on quantity and quality components measured throughout the recruitment process. Although lizards are highly frugivorous and their density was ~20 times higher than that of birds, lizards and birds dispersed a similar quantity of seeds. This may be due to lower intake of seeds by lizards due to their slower metabolism (~20 times lower than birds). This low metabolic rate limits the importance of lizards as seed dispersers, but it is compensated by extraordinarily high lizard densities in the study area (~9600 individuals/km2). High densities of lizards are typical of islands, and this helps to explain why dispersal by lizards seems mainly an island phenomenon. Birds and lizards showed functional complementarity, especially regarding seed dispersal distribution patterns. In fact, lizards dispersed more seeds in shrublands and open sites, and birds in woodlands and beneath canopies, with their joint contribution helping to maximize recruitment. Lizards provided higher SDE than birds for 7 out of 11 plant species. The disperser with a higher quantity for a given plant generally had the higher quality, and plants could be classified as bird- or lizard-dependent for dispersal. This dependence increased when considering SDE instead of dispersal quantity only. Moreover, quality was a better predictor of SDE than quantity, which should be considered when parameterizing interaction networks, as this might affect inferences about their architecture. ; This work was financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Education project (CGL2007-61165/BOS), supported by FEDER funds from the European Union. ; Peer Reviewed

10 pages, 3 figures, 3 tables. ; We analyzed 621 lizard fecal pellets to assess the diet of the endemic lizard Gallotia galloti (Lacertidae) throughout one year in the thermophilous scrubland, the most threatened habitat in the Canary Islands. Indicating the importance of frugivory, 98.1% of pellets contained seeds from fleshy-fruited plant species (8,028 seeds in total), and the fruit volume reached 47.5%. The Canarian endemic plants Rhamnus crenulata and Canarina canariensis were most important in frequency of occurrence and number of seeds found in pellets, respectively. Lizards were more frugivorous during the summer (63.0% of volume), and seasonal variation was associated with temporal changes in availability of ripe fleshy fruits. We detected microspatial differences in the consumption of fruits and plant material. Significant correlations were found between plant cover of each species and their respective consumption by lizards. Lizards consumed invertebrates throughout the year; Formicidae, Hemiptera, Coleoptera, and Hymenoptera were the most frequently consumed prey (76.5% of the animal prey items). Our results indicate that G. galloti is one of the most frugivorous lacertids studied. The high number of undamaged seeds removed by these lizards also implies an important role in the seed dispersal processes of many fleshy-fruited plant species from this threatened habitat. ; This work was partially financed by a Canarian Government project (PI042004/037) and supported by Feder funds from the European Union. AR benefited from a postgraduate fellowship (I3P-BPG2005) from the Spanish National Research Council.