Predicting the biodiversity impacts of global warming implies that we know where and with what magnitude these impacts will be encountered. Amphibians are currently the most threatened vertebrates, mainly due to habitat loss and to emerging infectious diseases. Global warming may further exacerbate their decline in the near future, although the impact might vary geographically. We predicted that subtropical amphibians should be relatively susceptible to warming‐induced extinctions because their upper critical thermal limits (CT_max) might be only slightly higher than maximum pond temperatures (T_max). We tested this prediction by measuringCT_maxandT_maxfor 47 larval amphibian species from two thermally distinct subtropical communities (the warm community of the Gran Chaco and the cool community of Atlantic Forest, northern Argentina), as well as from one European temperate community. Upper thermal tolerances of tadpoles were positively correlated (controlling for phylogeny) with maximum pond temperatures, although the slope was steeper in subtropical than in temperate species.CT_maxvalues were lowest in temperate species and highest in the subtropical warm community, which paradoxically, had very low warming tolerance (CT_max–T_max) and therefore may be prone to future local extinction from acute thermal stress if rising pondT_maxsoon exceeds theirCT_max. Canopy‐protected subtropical cool species have larger warming tolerance and thus should be less impacted by peak temperatures. Temperate species are relatively secure to warming impacts, except for late breeders with low thermal tolerance, which may be exposed to physiological thermal stress in the coming years.

The spatial organization of the endangered Iberian lynx, Lynx pardinus (Temminck, 1827), was studied in Doñana National Park, south‐western Spain, between 1983 and 1992. Thirty‐six individuals (19 males and 17 females), including 24 adults (13 males and 11 females) were radio‐tracked, providing 13,950 locations during 17,111 radio‐tracking days. Iberian lynxes were essentially solitary (95.9% of simultaneous locations apart) and interactions were restricted to rearing activities by females. Adult associations were uncommon. Seasonal (four months) home ranges were larger for adult resident males (10.3 ± 1.9 km²; n= 5) than for females (8.7 ± 2.4 km²; n= 5). Lynxes used a central portion of the home range intensively (‘core area’, 50% Harmonic Mean) with similar size for males (3.7 ± 0.7 km²) and females (3.2 ± 0.8 km²), representing, on average, a 37.6 ± 1.5% and 36.6 ± 4.5% of male and female home ranges, respectively. Intrasexual home‐range overlap was usually low between same‐sex neighbours (15.1 ± 6.6% males and 22.1 ± 3.3% for females), but some instances of high overlap (>25%), both among males and females, were recorded, corresponding to spatial interactions between neighbours which usually ended with the displacement of one of the contenders. Core areas were mainly exclusive except during these spatial interactions. Actual fights resulting from these interactions seem more frequent than previously reported for other medium‐sized solitary felids, likely promoted by high competition for optimum territories due to saturation of the population. The Iberian lynx spatial organization in Doñana works as a land tenure system, as described for other solitary felids. Although the mating system tends to monogamy, with male home range overlapping mainly that of one female, individual variations to polygyny were also found.

The European wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is a species native to the Iberian Peninsula, where it was once extremely abundant. It is considered the most important prey item for the peninsula’s assemblage of Mediterranean vertebrate predators, which includes two endangered specialist rabbit feeders, the Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti) and the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). However, rabbit population trends in Spain have not been accurately documented. In the present study, we analysed trends in a population of European rabbits monitored over 23 years in the Doñana National Park, home to one of the most diverse and densest predator communities in Europe. Rabbit abundance and population trends were estimated using roadside counts. Results show that the rabbit population declined sharply by ~60% during the first wave of epizootic rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) in 1990. Since then, rabbit numbers have declined at a relatively constant rate and the species has become progressively scarcer in the area. The current population is less than 10% of that before the arrival of RHD. However, after the RHD epizootic we observed increasing intra-annual population recruitment. We hypothesise that density-dependent factors caused by enzootic viral diseases (myxomatosis, RHD) and higher predation of rabbits are the main factors preventing recovery of rabbit numbers. The effects of a decline in the prey species on the ecology of sympatric rabbit predators are discussed, and measures to improve ongoing rabbit conservation efforts are suggested.

From February 1983 to May 1985, 12 Iberian lynxes (Lynx pardinus) (six adults and six juveniles) were radiotracked at hourly intervals for 114 24-h p