Pablo Villalva

I am a conservation ecologist with broad interests in spatial ecology, macroecology, biodiversity conservation and global change biology. My research is focused on the factors that determine species distributions, abundances and extinctions, with an emphasis on the effect of human influence on species and interactions among them.
My main goal is the conservation of biodiversity through the combination of ecological and social views, both vital to understand the actual biodiversity crisis.

EDUCATION

PhD Biología Integrada - Universidad de Sevilla 2022
MSc Biodiversity and Conservation Biology - Universidad Pablo de Olavide 2011
Expert in Geographic Information Systems - Universidad Internacional de 2010 Andalucía
Graduado en Biología - Universidad de Sevilla 2010

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Biodiversity, Conservation biology, Global Change Biology, Macroecology, Spatial Ecology.

Scopus Publications

Commentary to: An integrated historical study on human–tiger interactions in China
Pablo Villalva
Wiley
AbstractThe tiger holds a revered position in Chinese culture, symbolizing power and strength, yet its coexistence with human populations has often been marked by tension and conflict. Understanding the historical dynamics of human‐tiger relations is essential for comprehending the current state of tiger populations and shaping future coexistence with the species. The article “An integrated historical study on human‐tiger interactions in China” examines several aspects of human attitudes toward tigers across varying dynasties, revealing striking differences, with some periods marked by intense exploitation and others characterized by greater tolerance. While the article discusses a number of interesting historical and current issues that help the reader to better understand human–tiger relations, it does not mention significant issues such as the practice of tiger farming, which appears to be a major area of human–tiger interaction as the number of captive tigers is now double that of wild populations. It is also important to consider the fundamental role of legislation in shaping human‐tiger interactions in China. This commentary aims to complement the article's vision by addressing these gaps and offering valuable guidance for policymakers and conservationists working toward long‐term human‐tiger coexistence in China.


FRUGIVORY CAMTRAP: A dataset of plant–animal interactions recorded with camera traps
Pablo Villalva, Blanca Arroyo‐Correa, Gemma Calvo, Pablo Homet, Jorge Isla, Irene Mendoza, Eva Moracho, Elena Quintero, Francisco Rodríguez‐Sánchez, and Pedro Jordano
Wiley
AbstractEcological interactions are a key component of biodiversity, essential for understanding ecosystem services and functioning. Recording and quantifying ecological interactions is challenging, frequently requiring complex logistics and substantial effort in the field. Camera traps are routinely used in ecology for various applications, and have proven to be an excellent method for passive and non‐invasive sampling of plant–animal interactions. We implemented a standardized camera trap protocol to document vertebrate frugivores‐fleshy fruited plants interactions in Doñana National Park, SW Spain, with the central objective of inventorying the diversity of plant–animal ecological interactions providing seed dispersal services. From 2018 to 2023 we recorded pairwise interactions from which we obtained qualitative (presence‐absence) and quantitative (frequency of visits) information. Each record in the dataset contains information of a visit by an individual animal to an individual plant, resulting in any form of fleshy‐fruit use and provides information on visitation phenology, visit length, and feeding behavior. The dataset presented here includes 10,659 frugivory interaction events for 59 vertebrate species (46 birds, 13 mammals) recorded on 339 plant individuals from 13 different plant species which dominate the fleshy‐fruited plant assemblage in the Doñana National Park. The most recorded animal species consuming fruits and playing a legitimate seed dispersal role was Curruca melanocephala (1678 records) among birds and Vulpes vulpes among mammals (751 records). Cervus elaphus, a fruit consumer with a marginal role as legitimate seed disperser, was the most recorded mammal species (1508 records). Avian frugivores, particularly those from the Sylviidae and Turdidae families, are widespread in the region and play a crucial role in maintaining the dispersal service for the fleshy‐fruited plant populations in the area. The dataset offers highly versatile quantitative information that can be used to investigate frugivory from the highest resolution scale, the interaction event between pairs of individuals. In addition, other information that can be extracted includes the timing of interactions of animals and plants (their phenological couplings), activity periods of the animals, behavior during the events and preferences for individual plants within populations. There are no copyright restrictions on the data. When using the data from this data paper in publications, we kindly request that you cite the paper accordingly. Additionally, we encourage researchers and educators to inform us about how they are using this data, as we value feedback and would like to be aware of its various applications.


Effect of uneven tolerance to human disturbance on dominance interactions of top predators
Pablo Villalva, Francisco Palomares, and Marina Zanin
Wiley
AbstractAnthropogenic activities may alter felid assemblage structure, facilitating the persistence of tolerant species (commonly mesopredators), excluding ecologically demanding ones (top predators) and, consequently, changing coexistence rules. We aimed to determine how human activities influence intraguild relationships among top predators and their cascading effects on mesopredators, which remain poorly understood despite evidence of top carnivore decline. We used structural equation modeling at a continental scale to investigate how habitat quality and quantity, livestock density, and other human pressures modified the intraguild relations of the 3 species that are at the top of the food chain in the Neotropics: jaguars (Panthera onca), pumas (Puma concolor), and ocelots (Leopardus pardalis). We included presence–absence data derived from systematic studies compiled in Neocarnivores data set for these felid species at 0.0833° resolution. Human disturbance reduced the probability of jaguar occurrence by −0.35 standard deviations. Unexpectedly, the presence of sheep (Ovis aries) or goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) and jaguars was positively related to the presence of pumas, whereas puma presence was negatively related to the presence of ocelots. Extent of forest cover had more of an effect on jaguar (β = 0.23) and ocelot (β = 0.12) occurrences than the extent of protected area, which did not have a significant effect. The lack of effect of human activities on puma presence and the positive effect of small livestock supports the notion that pumas are more adaptable to habitat disturbance than jaguars. Our findings suggest that human disturbance has the potential to reverse the hierarchical competition dominance among large felids, leading to an unbalanced community structure. This shift disadvantages jaguars and elevates the position of pumas in the assemblage hierarchy, resulting in the exclusion of ocelots, despite their relatively lower susceptibility to anthropogenic disturbance. Our results suggest that conservation efforts should extend beyond protected areas to encompass the surrounding landscape, where complexities and potential conflicts are more pronounced.


A continental approach to jaguar extirpation: A tradeoff between anthropic and intrinsic causes
Pablo Villalva and Francisco Palomares
Elsevier BV



The differential genetic signatures related to climatic landscapes for jaguars and pumas on a continental scale
Marina ZANIN, Noa GONZALEZ‐BORRAJO, Cuauhtémoc CHÁVEZ, Yamel RUBIO, Bart HARMSEN, Claudia KELLER, Pablo VILLALVA, Ana Carolina SRBEK‐ARAUJO, Leonora Pires COSTA, and Francisco PALOMARES
Wiley
Modern and paleoclimate changes may have altered species dynamics by shifting species' niche suitability over space and time. We analyze whether the current genetic structure and isolation of the two large American felids, jaguar (Panthera onca) and puma (Puma concolor), are mediated by changes in climatic suitability and connection routes over modern and paleoclimatic landscapes. We estimate species distribution under five climatic landscapes (modern, Holocene, last maximum glaciations - LMG, average suitability, and climatic instability) and correlate them with individuals' genetic isolation through causal modeling on a resemblance matrix. Both species exhibit genetic isolation patterns correlated with LMG climatic suitability, suggesting that these areas may have worked as 'allele refuges'. However, the jaguar showed higher vulnerability to climate changes, responding to modern climatic suitability and connection routes, whereas the puma showed a continuous and gradual transition of genetic variation. Despite differential responsiveness to climate change, both species are subjected to the climatic effects on genetic configuration, which may make than susceptible to future climatic changes since these are progressing faster and with higher intensity than changes in the paleoclimate. Thus, the effects of climatic changes should be considered in the design of conservation strategies to ensure evolutionary and demographic processes mediated by gene flow for both species. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics
Mariana Nagy‐Reis, Júlia Emi de Faria Oshima, Claudia Zukeran Kanda, Francesca Belem Lopes Palmeira, Fabiano Rodrigues Melo, Ronaldo Gonçalves Morato, Lilian Bonjorne, Marcelo Magioli, Caroline Leuchtenberger, Fabio Rohe,et al.
Ecology Wiley



Perceptions and livestock predation by felids in extensive cattle ranching areas of two Bolivian ecoregions
Pablo Villalva and Francisco Palomares
Springer Science and Business Media LLC



Non-invasive genetic identification of two sympatric sister-species: ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) and margay (L. wiedii) in different biomes
Begoña Adrados, Marina Zanin, Leandro Silveira, Pablo Villalva, Cuauhtemoc Chávez, Claudia Keller, Noa González-Borrajo, Bart J. Harmsen, Yamel Rubio, and Francisco Palomares
Springer Science and Business Media LLC



Tiger trade threatens big cats worldwide
Pablo Villalva and Eva Moracho
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)



Do dry ledges reduce the barrier effect of roads?
Pablo Villalva, Dyana Reto, Margarida Santos-Reis, Eloy Revilla, and Clara Grilo
Elsevier BV

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

A machine learning application to camera-traps: robust species interactions datasets for analysis of mutualistic networks
P Villalva, P Jordano
bioRxiv 2025



Fleshy-Fruit Consumption in Doana
P Villalva, E Quintero, J Isla, P Jordano
Bulletin Ecological society of America 2024



FRUGIVORY CAMTRAP: A dataset of plant-animal interactions recorded with camera traps
P Villalva, B Arroyo-Correa, G Calvo, P Homet, J Isla, I Mendoza, ...
Ecology 2024



Commentary to: An integrated historical study on human–tiger interactions in China
P Villalva
Integrative Conservation 2024



Effect of uneven tolerance to human disturbance on dominance interactions of top predators
P Villalva, F Palomares, M Zanin
Conservation Biology 2024



FRUGIVORY CAMTRAP: A dataset of plant-animal interactions recorded with camera traps
P Villalva, B Arroyo-Correa, G Calvo, P Homet, J Isla, I Mendoza, ...
DIGITAL. CSIC 2023



AI based workflow for recording plant animal interactions data with camera traps
P Villalva, P Jordano
CSIC-Estacin Biolgica de Doana (EBD) 2023



Amenazas actuales de los felinos neotropicales: la ganadera en el punto de mira
P Villalva Aguilar
2022



A continental approach to jaguar extirpation: A tradeoff between anthropic and intrinsic causes
P Villalva, F Palomares
Journal for Nature Conservation 66, 126145 2022



Amenazas actuales de los felinos neotropicales: la ganadera en el punto de mira
PV Aguilar
Universidad de Sevilla 2022



The differential genetic signatures related to climatic landscapes for jaguars and pumas on a continental scale
M Zanin, N GONZALEZ‐BORRAJO, C Chavez, Y Rubio, B Harmsen, ...
Integrative Zoology 16 (1), 2-18 2021



NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics
M Nagy‐Reis, JEF Oshima, CZ Kanda, FBL Palmeira, FR de Melo, ...
Ecology 101 (11), e03128 2020



Perceptions and livestock predation by felids in extensive cattle ranching areas of two Bolivian ecoregions
P Villalva, F Palomares
European Journal of Wildlife Research 65, 1-10 2019



Non-invasive genetic identification of two sympatric sister-species: ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) and margay (L. wiedii) in different biomes
B Adrados, M Zanin, L Silveira, P Villalva, C Chavez, C Keller, ...
Conservation Genetics Resources 11, 203-217 2019



Tiger trade threatens big cats worldwide
P Villalva, E Moracho
Science 364 (6442), 743-743 2019



Do dry ledges reduce the barrier effect of roads?
P Villalva, D Reto, M Santos-Reis, E Revilla, C Grilo
Ecological Engineering 57, 143-148 2013



The differential genetic signatures related to climatic landscapes for jaguars and pumas
M Zanin, N Gonzalez-Borrajo, C Chvez, Y Rubio, B Harmsen, C Keller, ...




Plant-animal frugivore interactions and beyond in Doana's fruiting season: Insights from DNA barcoding
E Moracho, G Calvo, P Homet, P Villalva, E Quintero, J Isla, JM Arroyo, ...

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics
M Nagy‐Reis, JEF Oshima, CZ Kanda, FBL Palmeira, FR de Melo, ...
Ecology 101 (11), e03128 2020
Citations: 61



Do dry ledges reduce the barrier effect of roads?
P Villalva, D Reto, M Santos-Reis, E Revilla, C Grilo
Ecological Engineering 57, 143-148 2013
Citations: 37



Perceptions and livestock predation by felids in extensive cattle ranching areas of two Bolivian ecoregions
P Villalva, F Palomares
European Journal of Wildlife Research 65, 1-10 2019
Citations: 17



A continental approach to jaguar extirpation: A tradeoff between anthropic and intrinsic causes
P Villalva, F Palomares
Journal for Nature Conservation 66, 126145 2022
Citations: 15



Tiger trade threatens big cats worldwide
P Villalva, E Moracho
Science 364 (6442), 743-743 2019
Citations: 13



The differential genetic signatures related to climatic landscapes for jaguars and pumas on a continental scale
M Zanin, N GONZALEZ‐BORRAJO, C Chavez, Y Rubio, B Harmsen, ...
Integrative Zoology 16 (1), 2-18 2021
Citations: 10



Non-invasive genetic identification of two sympatric sister-species: ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) and margay (L. wiedii) in different biomes
B Adrados, M Zanin, L Silveira, P Villalva, C Chavez, C Keller, ...
Conservation Genetics Resources 11, 203-217 2019
Citations: 8



Effect of uneven tolerance to human disturbance on dominance interactions of top predators
P Villalva, F Palomares, M Zanin
Conservation Biology 2024
Citations: 2



FRUGIVORY CAMTRAP: A dataset of plant-animal interactions recorded with camera traps
P Villalva, B Arroyo-Correa, G Calvo, P Homet, J Isla, I Mendoza, ...
Ecology 2024
Citations: 1



AI based workflow for recording plant animal interactions data with camera traps
P Villalva, P Jordano
CSIC-Estacin Biolgica de Doana (EBD) 2023
Citations: 1