The study was carried out to understand the factors that affect community structure and generate heterogeneity in gastropod species diversity in various types of man-made ponds (e.g., subsidence ponds, sand pits and fish ponds at forested and non-forested locations). The studied waterbodies differed in water chemistry, bottom sediment type, source and drainage of water and in terms of snail occurrence patterns. Differences in gastropod species composition were related to differences in bottom sediments and water chemistry. Two-way indicator species analysis split the clusters into four groups with respect to substratum type and location. Forest ponds were important for the gastropod diversity and specifically for Planorbidae species.

Climate change enables expansion of southern species whereas many boreal species retreat northwards. Range shifts create novel interactions that can affect abundance and distribution via competition and/or hybridization. It is possible that the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) long-term decline in northern Europe is linked to competition with the brown hare (L. europaeus). In order to understand consequences of hare interactions at high latitudes, we determined geographical extent of hybridization using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) introgression as a proxy. Additionally, we compared species distribution and snow conditions in Finland with introgression frequency. We found that introgression is bidirectional but direction is mostly from the mountain hare to the brown hare. Approximately 10% of brown hares have introgressed mtDNA, being most common at the northern expansion front of their distribution range. Introgression is likely linked to brown hare expansion facilitated by climate change, but due to complex nature of evolutionary processes, selective advantage cannot be fully excluded.

The goal of our study was to close gaps in knowledge regarding Carabidae distribution and activity in response to microclimate. We aimed to characterise the spatiotemporal distribution of Carabidae species along multiple gradients, and explain the activity-abundance of assemblages and their indicator species using microclimatic measurements to identify key determinants of Carabidae activity-abundance and distribution. We sampled 32 alpine sites using pitfall traps and data loggers, and identified species assemblages linked to distinct habitat types that follow the snow-cover patterns and dynamics. Moreover, we linked the activity-abundance and distribution of assemblages and characteristic species to different temperature thresholds using mixed models and spatial cross-validation to assess variable importance. Our results demonstrate that alpine Carabidae species show markedly different responses to thermal thresholds, which reflect the patterns of snow cover. The importance of snow cover for species distributions should thus be considered a hypothesis for future studies.

We studied the advancement of the spring migration in a 28-year period in two groups of blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) differing in wing length, which is known to be a proxy for migration distance. We related this advancement to the numbers of captured blackcaps. Short-winged birds (short-distance blackcaps), in the period preceding their increase in numbers (1982–1989), advanced their spring passage more and arrived 5 days earlier at their stop-over site than long-winged individuals (long-distance blackcaps). In the second period (1994–2009) characterised by a marked increase in numbers of blackcaps, advancement of spring migration was less pronounced and in this period all blackcaps arrived at the stop-over site at the same time. We suggest that the difference in the magnitude of the response of short- and long-winged birds resembles that found between short- and long-distance migrants. Shorter distance to the breeding grounds and earlier departure from their European wintering grounds may strongly affect spring migration phenology of the former group.

External anatomical measurements have a long tradition in morphometric studies. Recently, three-dimensional laser surface scanners have revolutionized the way such measurements can be obtained. The aim of this study was to quantify measurement error (hereafter ME) and reliability of several linear skull measurements of the red fox obtained with three different techniques: using calipers, and by analyzing two- and three-dimensional digital images. Differences between observers had the highest ME values for most traits, followed by method and replicate. Inter-observer variability contributed the most to total ME. Measurements obtained from calipers and two-dimensional digital images showed high agreement, validating their use in traditional morphometric studies. The laser surface scanner was unreliable when compared with the reference in almost half the traits. To achieve greater accuracy, in future studies full advantage of the device's capabilities should be taken. Objects should be scanned in high definition, from many angles and orientations, and self-calibration should be performed.

Climate affects the survival and distribution of animals in various ways. Insects respond to the changing environment with shift in geographical range or with modification of phenotypic characteristics. Conspicuous melanin-based warning colouration may be a traded off against thermal melanism, as darker individuals often have a thermoregulatory advantage in cold climates. Our study focused on climate-related phenotypic adaptations in the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris, which is an important predator and plant pollinator. Wasp workers were collected from three regions in Finland (Oulu, Turku and Kuopio) using beer traps. The analyses of the individual body size, melanisation and fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of wasps from different climatic conditions revealed that thermoregulation may constrain aposematism in colder environments. Wasps from higher latitudes were darker and bigger, however this tendency was not linear and there might be some location-specific differences between coastal and continental zones. The overall FA decreased with an increase of melanisation area. Variation in temperature and rainy days in different years affected abundance and body size to some degree but long-term studies are needed to validate the association between climate and morphology of the common wasp.

The Eurasian three-toed woodpecker Picoides tridactylus is considered to be a specialist and obligatory insect-feeder, but the significance of other food sources for its survival and reproduction is unclear. We investigated the importance of tree sap as an alternative food source. We found that three-toed woodpeckers spent up to 33% of their foraging time and 38% of foraging events obtaining phloem sap from coniferous trees in spring before the start of their breeding. Sap use was most common in April and early May, and decreased significantly during nesting in late May and June. The woodpeckers made large numbers of new rows of sap holes in trees in the spring, the maximum being 399 fresh rows in 17 trees during one spring within a single territory. The sap trees were mostly at mature forest edges with rows oriented towards southern open areas indicating that woodpeckers utilized beneficial thermal conditions to obtain sap. These patterns suggest that sap is of high importance especially during the critical period of gaining energy for the start of nesting. We conclude that sap use is an important adaptation that may buffer variation in the availability of insect food in spring, and may increase the probability of three-toed woodpeckers commencing successful breeding.

Browsing effects of voles on plants can be mitigated by means of non-lethal predation, i.e. by subjecting voles to predator cues. Earlier studies largely focused on mammalian olfactory cues, whereas here we exposed Microtus voles to owl calls to examine whether the introduced predation risk reduces browsing on tree seedlings (silver birch, Scots pine, Norway spruce). We found that owl risk was associated with higher growth rate of birch seedlings, but only late in the growing season, while there was no obvious effect in case of pine and spruce. Early in the season, in the absence of predation risk, voles were able to move freely and search for their preferred food, grasses. Late in the season, when grasses were less palatable, voles likely targeted birch seedlings to a higher degree. Our results suggest that owl calls could alleviate vole herbivory on birches but, at least on a short temporal scale, will not protect seedlings of conifers.

Wood ants are common in coniferous, mixed and deciduous forests of the Palaearctic ecozone. We conducted a survey of wood-ant mounds in an area of 1400 ha in the Białowieża Forest (NE Poland) and related physical mound characteristics to the surrounding forest properties. The overall density of inhabited wood-ant mounds was 0.13 per ha. Formica polyctena and F. rufa were the most abundant species, and the highest densities of their mounds were found in fresh mixed deciduous and fresh mixed coniferous forests. The physical mound properties, such as direction of the longest mound slope and the distance to the closest tree did not differ significantly between these two ant species. Amount of light significantly affected mound size and the distance to the closest tree distance: mound diameter, height and volume increased with increasing shade; and the distance to the closest tree with increasing amount of light. The results of our study suggest that coniferous forests with an admixture of deciduous trees are best for maintaining wood-ant populations.

Overwintering strategies of land snails are poorly known. This knowledge, however, would help planning effective conservation measures of rare and endangered species. We studied overwintering of two snail species, Vertigo moulinsiana and V. angustior, having high conservation priority according to the European Union Habitat Directive. The study was conducted in two localities in western Poland. The material was collected three times in six-week intervals, from February to April 2016. The analyses showed that the abundance of overwintering individuals of V. angustior was positively correlated with the amount of litter and mosses. In the case of V. moulinsiana, more juveniles were found in litter than on plants. Adults of this species, however, were overwintering on plants rather than in litter. Our study indicates that different protection measures are necessary to increase the survival rates of V. angustior and V. moulinsiana in winter.

The La Plata River basin comprises the second largest fluvial system in South America and includes the southernmost remains of the “Atlantic Forest Biodiversity Hotspot”. We used species distribution modelling to evaluate potential effects of climate change on six species of Stenoterommata. Changes in the size of suitable climatic regions and numbers of known occurrence sites were evaluated within the distribution limits of the studied species. We used MaxEnt (program for modelling species distributions from presence-only species records) to predict current and future suitable areas. Two representative concentration pathways (RCP6.0 and RCP8.5) that represent different greenhouse gas concentration trajectories were modelled for the years 2050 and 2070. The isothermality, temperature seasonality and variation in seasonal precipitation were found to be the top three variables that affect the range of Stenoterommata species. Highly suitable habitat was found to increase with time for most species, except for S. platensis, whose distribution area may shrink by more than 50% by the year 2070.

Although bees have been demonstrated to be abundant and species-rich in cities, several studies pointed out that oligolectic species are scarce in those urban landscapes. Oligolectic species are those whose females collect pollen from a few closely related plant species or from some species belonging to the same or related plant families. We studied three nest aggregations of the oligolectic bee Centris collaris (Apidae) in an urban area. Nest aggregations were found underneath building ramps at a university campus within the city of Uberlândia, southeastern Brazil. Females were observed in nesting activity from April to May 2016. The analysis of satellite images of a 2.57-km² area revealed that only 0.15% was suitable for nesting sites, i.e. areas of exposed soils. Seventeen plant species were identified as floral sources of C. collaris through the pollen analysis of 43 females' scopae. The interaction analysis produced a highly specialized network (C = 0.314, H₂′ = 0.744). The numbers of interactions of the plant species Senna pendula (Fabaceae), Malpighia emarginata (Malpighiaceae) and Dioclea violacea (Fabaceae) with C. collaris females were the highest, and those plants were classified as the main sources of pollen, oil, and nectar, respectively. Our results showed that in spite of the negative effects of urbanization, a small population of the oligolectic C. collaris could find places that met its biological requirements (floral resources, nesting sites) allowing for a long-term establishment in an urban area. Preservation of exposed soil areas as well as the use of native plants in urban forestry and gardening, especially those species visited by oligolectic bees, would be important measures to be adopted for bee conservation in cities.