A study of a project on science stand-up comedy developed in Portugal between 2009 and 2013 is presented, in which thirteen scientists, coordinated by a science communicator and a professional actor, created and presented comedy acts. Eleven of these scientists were asked about their motivations to participate, the process of performance development and the perceived value of the project. Personal motivations were highly important, but professional reasons were also mentioned. Working in a group with the guidance of coordinators, testing and re-writing the texts and gradually gaining confidence on stage were considered fundamental in the development of the shows. Additionally, a questionnaire revealed that the audience, most of whom were young adults, and held a higher education degree, were satisfied with the show. Overall, both participating scientists and audience members considered that stand-up comedy has potential for science communication.

The introduction of exotic species is one of the most pervasive consequences of the increased human mobility. The most known negative effects are the decrease or extinction of natives. The common-genet, Genetta genetta, and the Egyptian mongoose, Herpestes ichneumon, were introduced in the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th and 19th centuries, respectively. The competitive exclusion principle defines that two ecologically similar species cannot coexist. Thus, some degree of partitioning has to occur in species realized niche, which can occur at the trophic level. To test this hypothesis of partitioning we compared the diet of these two exotic species with that of two native species (stone marten, Martes foina, and red fox, Vulpes vulpes). The results show a high degree of overlap (>45%) between the diets of species similar in their feeding strategies (arboreal and ground feeding). Nonetheless, at the finer scale of prey consumed at the species level some differences are found between the native and exotic species. These results suggest that if coexistence is due to trophic niche partitioning it only occurs at the level of the consumed species. However, coexistence may also be due to a combination of different strategies (home-range size, time and space use) that structured the different realized niches of each species.

The Eurasian beaver ( Castor fiber L., 1758) was extirpated until the beginning of the twentieth century, but is becoming re-established over much of its former range. Since this rodent is considered both a keystone species and an ecosystem engineer, it is important to understand its habitat use in a population near its carrying capacity. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that habitat selection in beaver populations near their carrying capacities is different from populations that are still expanding. Also, a resource-selection model for the species using logistic regression was derived. Although most of the tested habitat variables were important for both populations expanding and populations near their carrying capacities, there were significant differences in the importance of the presence of shrub and (or) hardwood on the riverbank and the river flow speed. Beaver presence was associated with narrower river widths, bank slope, water depth close to the bank, silt–soil bank substrates, cover of deciduous forest, and cover of shrub and (or) hardwood on the bank. The models had high overall accuracy (overall correct classification >85%, area under the curve >90%). The final model is thought to be robust and applicable to areas with similar river and vegetation characteristics. Our results extend the habitat selection patterns of beavers to patterns at high-density populations.

This study aims to test the perceptions of audiences to positive and non-aggressive humour in two popular articles. The themes were the effects of climate change on biodiversity and the over-exploitation of species. Both articles were published on-line at a Portuguese environmental site, and readers were asked to answer to an on-line survey. A total of 159 participants submitted their answers concerning their receptiveness to the humour, demographic information and comments. Results showed that the use of humour in popular articles is considered valuable for the majority of these readers, but different degrees of receptiveness suggest caution in its use.