BOTLAND

Many thanks to the PIM team for welcoming us and for their interest in our research on the flora of the Balearic islets. 🌸

The PIM Initiative is an international NGO dedicated to preserving Mediterranean and Macaronesian islands smaller than 1,000 hectares, through concrete conservation actions and by building networks of managers and experts across the region. 🌍💧

🔗 Learn more: initiative-pim.org

During the meeting, we exchanged experiences with other research groups such as the Applied Zoology and Conservation Group (UIB), the Sóller Botanic Garden Foundation – Balearic Museum of Natural Sciences, the Natural History Society of the Balearic Islands, and the GOB. 🤝

On October 2nd, Miquel Capó attended, on behalf of BOTLAND, the PIM Initiative – Small Islands of the Mediterranean Board of Directors meeting, to present our research work and future projects on the Balearic islets. 🌿

🐝 We have already published some results on the pollinators of S. migjornensis, and in the coming months more publications from the project will be released. 💡

Work partially funded and supported by GOIB through the Ministry of Education and Universities, and by Next Generation EU (BIO2022/007).

We have investigated their reproductive biology, such as pollinators, mating system, seed germination, as well as key aspects of their demography and population dynamics. Researchers from the RBG of Madrid also took part to study the variability and genetic differentiation of the populations.

🌿 This year we concluded the two-year project “BioLitoral”, led by Joana Cursach with the participation of numerous researchers from BOTLAND.

The goal was to deepen the study of two unique coastal species:
the dune endemic Silene migjornensis
and the micro-area coastal species Diplotaxis ibicensis.

✨ One community was associated with Bryum dichotomum, linked to ruderalization, and another with Ptychostomum torquescens, indicating the stabilization of mobile dunes due to human management.

doi.org/10.1016/j.ec...

📊 A total of 335 inventories were carried out in 17 dune systems across the Balearic Islands.
➡️ Five cryptogam communities were identified, strongly associated with their microsite conditions.

The study was led by Pere Miquel Mir Rosselló as part of his PhD thesis, with the support of the DUNMEN project granted by the Institut Menorquí d’Estudis, where Pere Miquel is also the principal investigator.

This year, a research study has been published on cryptogams (bryophytes and lichens) inhabiting dune systems and their potential use as bioindicators to assess human impacts or define specific habitats.

It includes only 116 individuals, and the study also revealed high seedling mortality and warned of possible threats such as the impact of introduced herbivores and the small number of individuals.

doi.org/10.1016/j.pp...

doi.org/10.5209/mbot...

This is why it has been described as a new subspecies: Femeniasia balearica subsp. majoricensis 🌱

📊 This very year, Botland researchers Miquel Rodríguez and Joana Cursach published a demographic study of the Mallorcan population:

✨ The Menorcan population grows in coastal habitats and has been studied as part of the FeMen project.

⛰️ In Mallorca it is found only in a single nucleus in the Cúber area. A recent study confirmed that it is natural and also genetically and morphologically distinct from the Menorcan plants.

🌿 Femeniasia balearica is an endemic species of the Balearic Islands that, until recently, was considered the same in both Mallorca and Menorca. However, it has now been divided into two different subspecies: one for each island.

En #SEBICOP estamos ultimando nuestra participación en el 2º Congreso de botánica de @OficialSebot : #SEBOT2025
Sserán días repletos de actividades, encuentros y muchas personas y sobre todo mucha #BOTANICA
Si puedes NO te lo pierdas ‼️

In short, we now have key information to protect this species and implement concrete measures to ensure its survival.

Femeniasia balearica is a vulnerable plant endemic to Menorca and Mallorca, living mainly in Menorca. During the project, we located and georeferenced all the plants in the known populations, studied their demographic structure, and analysed how climate change could affect their future.

This year we have worked on the project Femeniasia balearica: conservation status of an endemic species of the Balearic Islands (FeMen), led by Joshua Borràs and Joana Cursach, with the support of members of BOTLAND and the Marimurtra Botanical Garden, and funded by the Consell Insular de Menorca.

Additionally, he is complementing his training by collaborating in various bryophyte ecology projects in areas of the Nebrodi Mountains and Mount Etna, contributing to the generation of new knowledge on Mediterranean mountain ecosystems and their conservation, particularly regarding bryophytes

In line with the topic of his PhD thesis on bryophytes in the Balearic Islands, this stay aims to deepen the study of phytosociology and the conservation of Mediterranean bryophytes.

These last three months, our colleague Pere Miquel Mir Rosselló @petermikeler.bsky.social is carrying out a research stay at the Università di Catania in Sicily, as part of his doctoral training funded by the University Teaching Training Grant (FPU).

During her visit, we shared insights and ideas about Mediterranean island ecosystems, focusing on Mallorca and Sardinia. We learned about her work in wetland environments, and she had the chance to explore our local study sites as well.

Thank you for visiting us, Alba! We hope to see you again soon

Last May, we had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Alba Cuena, a researcher from the Università degli Studi di Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy), through the Erasmus+ Staff Mobility for Teaching program.

It is worth noting that Silene migjornensis is an endemic species recently discovered in Arenal de Sa Ràpita, and very little is known about its biology. Thank you, Lucía, for helping us better understand it and for being part of Botland 😊😊

This thesis evaluated the role of floral volatiles, nectar production, and pollen germinability in the reproductive biology of this endemic species.

👩🏻‍🔬🌸 Lucía Parramon defended her Master's Thesis last Friday, titled "Insights into the floral biology of Silene migjornensis, a range-restricted species with nocturnal pollination", supervised by Joana Cursach.

📢 Here we will share projects, publications, field activities, and the daily life of our team.
Follow us to discover how botany helps us understand and protect the world around us. 🌱

🔍 We work on:
– Endemic and threatened flora
– Exotic flora
– Island ecology and biogeography
– Global change and conservation
– Knowledge transfer and science communication

We study the flora and vegetation of Mediterranean islands with a scientific, critical, and biodiversity-focused approach. We are interested in understanding how island ecosystems work, how species evolve, and how we can conserve them.