Characterization of the Spanish juniper population of El Peñón de Alamedilla (Granada, Spain): conservation status and protection proposal

Aims of the study: To characterize the southernmost Spanish Juniper (Juniperus thurifera L.) population in Europe, a relict species of the tertiary flora.Area of study: El Peñón de Alamedilla, Los Montes region (Granada, Spain).Material and Methods: A census and geo-referencing of the individuals in the population was carried out, together with the determination of the population structure, inference of the potential extension of the population, and discussion of the risk faced by the population.Main results: A total of 899 individuals were located in mainly 128 ha from 806 to 888 m a.s.l. We found 50.6% adults, 35.7% saplings and 13.6% juveniles. Sexing on the adults showed a 60% of male feet compared to 39.1% of females (0.9% undifferentiated). 47% of the population has a basal diameter less than or equal to 50 mm. A 74.11% of the population was in grasslands + scrubs, and only 5.3% of the specimens were in arable lands. All individuals are on privately owned land.Research highlights: The characterization of this southernmost Spanish Juniper population suggests a good viability and resilience, though there is also a high risk of inbreeding, with the population being able to go into genetic drift, which is critical for successful reproduction and may easily jeopardize its conservation efforts. This species is not protected enough in Andalusia and conservation measures should be taken.Keywords: Juniperus thurifera, SE Iberian Peninsula, relict population, Natura 2000 Network.

La abeja de la miel y los abejorros (Bombus, Xylocopa), polinizadores potenciales de doce especies de Compositae en los cardales del macizo Cazorla-Segura (Jaén, SE Península Ibérica) (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Apidae)

Resumen Se aportan datos sobre Apis mellifera (Linnaeus, 1758), Bombus lapidarius (Linnaeus, 1758), Bombus maxillosus Klug, 1817; Bombus pascuorum (Scopoli, 1763), Bombus pratorum (Linnaeus, 1761), Bombus ruderatus (Fabricius, 1775), Bombus sylvestris (Lepeletier, 1832); Bombus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758), Bombus vestalis (Geoffroy, 1785), Xylocopa cantabrita Lepeletier,1841; Xylocopa iris (Christ, 1791), Xylocopa valga Gerstäcker, 1872 y Xylocopa violacea (Linnaeus, 1758) como polinizadores potenciales y visitantes florales de Carduus bourgeanus Boiss. & Reut. subsp. bourgeanus, C. platypus Lange subsp. granatensis (Willk.) Nyman, Carduus pycnocephalus L., C. tenuiflorus Curtis, Carlina hispanica Lam., Carthamus lanatus L., Cirsium odontolepis Boiss., Notobasis syriaca (L.) Cass., Onopordum acaulon L., O. nervosum Boiss., Scolymus hispanicus L. y Silybum marianum (L.) Graetn. (Compositae) en el macizo Cazorla-Segura (Jaén, SE Península Ibérica). Abstract Data about the Apis mellifera (Linnaeus, 1758) , Bombus lapidarius (Linnaeus, 1758), Bombus maxillosus Klug, 1817; Bombus pascuorum (Scopoli, 1763), Bombus pratorum (Linnaeus, 1761), Bombus ruderatus (Fabricius, 1775), Bombus sylvestris (Lepeletier, 1832); Bombus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758), Bombus vestalis (Geoffroy, 1785), Xylocopa cantabrita Lepeletier,1841; Xylocopa iris (Christ, 1791), Xylocopa valga Gerstöcker, 1872 y Xylocopa violacea (Linnaeus, 1758) as potencial pollinators and visitors of the Carduus bourgeanus Boiss. & Reut. subsp. bourgeanus, C. platypus Lange subsp. granatensis (Willk.) Nyman, Carduus pycnocephalus L., C. tenuiflorus Curtis, Carlina hispanica Lam., Carthamus lanatus L., Cirsium odontolepis Boiss. ex DC., Notobasis syriaca (L.) Cass., Onopordum acaulon L., O. nervosum Boiss., Scolymus hispanicus L. y Silybum marianum (L.) Graetn. (Compositae) in Cazorla-Segura mountains (Jaén, SE Iberian Peninsula) are presented.