In order to asses the main oceanic and local environmental traits forcing the glass eel Anguilla anguilla (L., 1758) recruitment to the southernmost European estuary, glass eels recruitment pattern to the Guadalquivir River estuary was studied during nine successive migration seasons (June 1997-December 2006) using a fishery-independent experimental survey at three sampling sites in the estuary. A clear seasonal pattern was observed: density was highest between late autumn and spring with two migration peaks, and lowest during summer. Short-term (inter-month) changes in glass eel density were partially driven by local environmental variables, such as estuarine turbidity, local rainfall and water temperature. Long-term (inter-year) changes were positively correlated with oceanic factors related to recruitment success (NAO index and primary production at the spawning area) as well as local environmental factors (westerly and southerly wind mixing indices and rainfall). Spatial changes in glass eel density within the estuary depended on tidal and light situations; however, maximum densities were mainly observed at diurnal and/or nocturnal flood tides. Although it has been widely known since the 1980s that the abundance of European glass eels is decreasing, during this study there was no evidence of a declining trend, probably because the time series was not long enough.

Catastrophic collapse of a mine tailings dam released several million cubic meters of toxic mud and acidic water into the Guadiamar River valley, southern Spain, in 1998. Remediation efforts removed most of the sludge from the floodplain, but contamination persists. Clean-up activities also produced clouds of aerosolized materials that further contaminated the surrounding landscape. Whole-body concentrations of 21 elements in the Moorish wall gecko, Tarentola mauritanica, a common inhabitant of both rural and urban areas, were compared among seven locations. Locations spanned an expected contamination gradient and included a rural and an urban non-mine-affected location, two mine-affected towns, and three locations on the contaminated floodplain. Multivariate analyses of whole-body concentrations identified pollutants that increased across the expected contamination gradient, a trend particularly evident for As, Pb, and Cd. Additionally, higher contaminant concentrations occurred in prey items eaten by geckos from mine-affected areas. Comparison of element concentrations in tails and whole bodies suggests that tail clips are a viable nondestructive index of contaminant accumulation. Our results indicate that areas polluted by the mine continue to experience contamination of the terrestrial food chain. Where abundant, geckos represent useful taxa to study the bioavailability of some hazardous pollutants.

No abstract

Length-weight relationships were determined for 13 species captured in the marshlands of the Don˜ana National Park (SW Iberian Peninsula). This is the first record of length-weight relationships for two of these species.