El congreso permitirá el intercambio de experiencias y opiniones sobre las investigaciones que se están llevando a cabo en la actualidad en sobre la biología y conservación de organismos acuáticos. En nuestro caso, se ha identificado previamente que la Red de Parques Nacionales presenta un vacío de protección claro con los ecosistemas acuáticos salinos (de alta rareza geográfica y gran interés de conservación). Estos ambientes son especialmente abundantes en el sureste ibérico y su gestión y conservación se puede ver claramente beneficiada por estudios que ayuden a conocer aspectos tan importantes como la ecofisiología de las especies acuáticas salinas. En este sentido, el trabajo que se presenta al congreso en forma de comunicación oral, es muy interesante y esperamos que tenga una buena acogida entre la comunidad científica limnológica.

Comunicación 1: Reduced salinities compromise the thermal tolerance of hypersaline specialist diving beetles (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae) Oral

Inland saline waters are globally threatened habitats that harbour unique assemblages of specialist invertebrates. In many Mediterranean regions, irrigation associated with intensive agriculture is lowering the salinity of these habitats, resulting in the loss of their specialist biota, although the mechanisms by which reductions in salinity lead to species loss are poorly understood. Here, the effects of reduced salinity on the temperature tolerance and thermal acclimatory abilities of two related species of hypersaline waters beetles (Nebrioporus baeticus (Schaum) and N. ceresyi (Aubé)) are explored. Both upper (UTL) and lower thermal limits (LTL) are assessed, and both salinity and temperature found to influence the thermal biology of Nebrioporus. Mean UTLs are greater in individuals of both species acclimated at high salinities; salinity appearing to be more important than acclimation temperature in determining UTL. In both taxa, the lowest mean LTLs are recorded in individuals acclimated at the highest salinities and lowest temperatures; temperature-dependent acclimation only being reported following exposure to relatively high salinities. Results demonstrate that salinity influences the thermal tolerance and acclimatory ability of these hypersaline beetles, and show that lowered salinity compromises the ability of adult Nebrioporus to cope with both heat and cold. Such an effect may partly explain why specialist species are lost from hypersaline habitats subject to salinity reductions, and suggests that ongoing freshening may compromise the ability of such specialist taxa to cope with rapid climate change.