Analysis of the evolution of a fisheries management plan based on environmental governance: living laboratory in the Olo River, Portugal

Environmental governance aims to develop and understand the lessons, achievements and challenges of planning at both local and global levels. In particular, integrated river management is key to the sustainable development of ecosystems, and the collaborative and inclusive approach among stakeholders supports the decision-making process. The objective of this study was to assess the current management model for recreational fisheries in the Olo River Reserved Fishing Zone (RFZ). This management model aims to better rationalise the use of fishery resources by allowing only recreational fishing, ensuring the sustainability of this activity and of the environment, and guaranteeing that this activity contributes to the development of the basin. To this end, the state of this activity was evaluated before and after the implementation of the First Management Plan and the Second Management Plan. Samples of ichthyofauna were taken and an analysis of the data on the age, growth and physical condition of the endemic species was carried out. Multivariate analysis techniques applied to the biological and physical data sets allowed the determination of distribution patterns of Olo Basin and the relative importance of environmental variables in the discrimination of the fish assemblages.The presence of the species Salmo trutta fario improved in the stations sampled throughout the study. The abundance of fish throughout the study showed a remarkable improvement, from 1229 (year 2008), 1142 (year 2013) and 1781 (year 2018), the drop in 2013 was being due to a wildfire in the area. This fishing area has been a true living laboratory for the development of new and more sustainable inland fisheries management practices. The development of this planning and management model was successfully exported to other river basins in the area

PLS-PM analysis of forest fires using remote sensing tools. The case of Xurés in the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve

Forest fires have environmental, social and economic impacts in many areas. Various factors related to territory directly influence both the number and the surface area of each fire. The link between different variables (climate, social and environmental) in the risk of fire and in the characteristics of fires is studied here through Partial Least Squares - Path Models. In addition, images from the Sentinel-2 sensor and geographic information systems are used to create a cartographic base of fires in the Transboundary Biosphere Reserve of Galicia and the Site of Community Importance of Xurés (Galicia) between 2015 and 2020. In all, seven variables are analyzed in this study area using the partial least squares-path modeling method: climate, topography, land use, type of environmental protection, the anthropogenic factor, fire defense, and fire data (severity and area). The parameters for each variable are used to obtain weights and thus determine the importance of each one. The areas where the problem of forest fires is greatest are those with the greatest environmental protection. Up to 31% of the surface area of the Natura 2000 Network was burned in the 6-year study period. Topography and land use are also shown to be relevant factors in the effects of forest fires in this territory. By contrast, higher population density and the development of infrastructures such as roads and water tanks mitigate the impact of fires. The problem of forest fires encompasses many variables that need to be studied. By contextualizing each study area as far as possible, specific measures to prevent and reduce damage can be drawn up.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PCI2020–120705-2Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISU

Modelling and evaluation of land use changes through satellite images in a multifunctional catchment: social, economic and environmental implications

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGFloods are recurrent phenomena with significant environmental and socio-economic impacts. The risk of flooding increases when land use changes. The objective of this research is to detect land cover changes via Sentinel-2 images in the Umia Basin (Galicia, NW Spain) in 2016–2021 and to analyse the associated flood risk. This study focuses on how forest use and nature-based solutions (NBS) can reduce the risk and hazard of flooding in cities and crops in the high-risk area. A flood simulation was performed with the land use obtained from Sentinel-2 (Observed) and three more simulations were performed changing the location of afforestation and NBS, i.e. “S-Upstream”, “S-Downstream” and “S-Total”. Finally, the environmental, economic and social impacts of the scenarios designed and estimated are analysed and discussed. Land cover change was successfully monitored with Sentinel-2 imagery. The catchment area showed noteworthy changes in land use, most notably for the category of trees, which covered 6700 ha in 2016 and 10,911 ha in 2021. However riparian vegetation decreased by almost 11%. For the flood hazard simulations, an average reduction in peak discharge was obtained for all three scenarios (9.3% for S-Up; 8.6% for S-Down and 13% for S-Total). From the economic perspective, all three scenarios show a positive net present value for the period studied. However, S-Down is the scenario with the lowest benefits (€15,476,487), while S-Up and S-Total show better values at €29,580,643 and €65,158,130 respectively. However, investment cost is much higher for the S-Total scenario, and upstream actions affect the whole catchment, so S-Up is the best decision. This study concludes that the information provided by satellites is a large-scale analysis tool for small heterogeneous plots that facilitates the comprehensive analysis of a territory. This information can be incorporated into flood analysis models, facilitating simulation through the use of NBS. It has been proven that the use of reforestation upstream only is almost as beneficial as reforestation in the entire catchment and is economically more viable. This confirms that the methodology used reduces flood hazard, despite the territorial complexity, facilitating decision making on the use of NBS.Universidade de Vig

Assessment of high spatial resolution satellite imagery for monitoring riparian vegetation: riverine management in the smallholding

Riverine habitats are essential ecotones that bridge aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, providing multiple ecosystem services. This study analyses the potential use of high-resolution satellite imagery, provided by the WorldView-2 satellite, in order to assess its viability for monitoring riparian ecosystems. It is performed by calculating the riparian strip quality index (RSQI) and calibrating it with the riparian quality index (QBR). The methodology was implemented in the Umia River, which is characterised by elevated anthropogenic pressures (located in the northwest of Spain). The results obtained by the method have a 92% of veracity and a kappa coefficient of 0.88. The average quality value obtained for the RSQI index was 71.57, while the average value for the QBR was 55.88. This difference could be attributed to the fact that the former does not differ between autochthonous and non-autochthonous vegetation. The areas with more accurate mapping corresponded to stretches of vegetation with optimal cover (80–50%), with good connectivity with the adjacent forest ecosystem and few or no presence of invasive plants. The worst-scoring sites had the next characteristics: low connectivity (< 10%), low forest cover (< 10%) and a higher presence of invasive plants. The degradation of vegetation could be explained by the presence of agriculture and deficient land use rationing caused by the type of ownership of the study area. The application of this index through satellite images will facilitate the environmental governance of multiple ecosystems and in special riparian ecosystems, obtaining a quick and objective methodology, easily replicable in other basins.Universidade de Vigo/CISUGXunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431B 2022/1

Influence of Microcystis sp. and freshwater algae on pH: changes in their growth associated with sediment

Samples from two reservoirs with eutrophication problems, located in Pontevedra and Ourense (Northwestern Spain), were cultured, along with a third crop from a reservoir with no problems detected in Ourense (Northwestern Spain). The samples were grown under the same conditions (with an average temperature of 21 ± 2 °C, and a 3000 lux light intensity) in triplicate, and their growth, absorbance and pH were studied. High correlation values were obtained for pH and cellular growth (R2 ≥ 95%). The water from Salas showed the greatest microalgal growth (0.15 × 106 cells/ml to 31.70 × 106 cells/ml of "Microcystis sp." for the last day of culturing) and the greatest increase in pH (5.72–9.02). In all the cultures studied here, the main species that reproduced was "Microcystis sp.", which can produce neurotoxins and hepatotoxins. In addition, water samples were cultured with sediments of their own reservoir and with others to observe their evolution. The sediments studied in this case were rich in biotites, which can lead phosphate to be a limiting factor for phytoplankton due to the formation and sedimentation of insoluble salts of ferric phosphate. In crops grown with sediments from the Salas reservoir, actinobacteria developed which can inhibit microalgal growth. The study of the growth of cyanobacteria and possible methods of inhibiting them directly concerns the quality of water and its ecosystems, avoiding pollution and impact on ecosystems

Influence of ashes in the use of forest biomass as source of energy

One of the main challenges using biofuels, such as pellets or wood chips in domestic boilers, is the slagging and fouling risks associated to the process, which could damage the boiler and limit its efficiency. The prediction of sintering and slagging in biomass combustion is essential to establish biofuel quality standards, and minimize their harmful effects. In this work, we analysed the chemical composition of 40 woodchips samples from different genera and origins in order to predict slagging. We studied two indexes of deposition (%B and the NaK/B) in order to limit sintering of biomass ashes. In addition, a new threshold classification was proposed for ratio-slag viscosity index. These indexes were validated with two different tests: a qualitative test, and a quantitative test (Bioslag). Our results showed that the species chosen did not have an impact in slagging and sintering. However, biomass with high concentrations of SiO2 and tree bark showed high risk of slagging. On the other hand, high CaO concentrations showed a low slagging risk. The results obtained from the validation tests showed similar results to the ones obtained from the indexes. It can be concluded that the %B and NaK/B indexes show good potential and should be considered as tools for predicting slagging in woody and herbaceous biomass

Effect of 15 BMI-Associated polymorphisms, reported for europeans, across ethnicities and degrees of amerindian ancestry in mexican children

In Mexico, the genetic mechanisms underlying childhood obesity are poorly known. We evaluated the effect of loci, known to be associated with childhood body mass index (BMI) in Europeans, in Mexican children from different ethnic groups. We performed linear and logistic analyses of BMI and obesity, respectively, in Mestizos and Amerindians (Seris, Yaquis and Nahuatl speakers) from Northern (n = 369) and Central Mexico (n = 8545). We used linear models to understand the effect of degree of Amerindian ancestry (AMA) and genetic risk score (GRS) on BMI z-score. Northern Mexican Mestizos showed the highest overweight-obesity prevalence (47.4%), followed by Seri (36.2%) and Central Mexican (31.5%) children. Eleven loci (SEC16B/rs543874, OLFM4/rs12429545/rs9568856, FTO/rs9939609, MC4R/rs6567160, GNPDA2/rs13130484, FAIM2/rs7132908, FAM120AOS/rs944990, LMX1B/rs3829849, ADAM23/rs13387838, HOXB5/rs9299) were associated with BMI and seven (SEC16B/rs543874, OLFM4/rs12429545/rs9568856, FTO/rs9939609, MC4R/rs6567160, GNPDA2 rs13130484, LMX1B/rs3829849) were associated with obesity in Central Mexican children. One SNP was associated with obesity in Northern Mexicans and Yaquis (SEC16B/rs543874). We found higher BMI z-score at higher GRS (β = 0.11, p = 0.2 × 10−16) and at lower AMA (β = −0.05, p = 6.8 × 10−7). The GRS interacts with AMA to increase BMI (β = 0.03, p = 6.08 × 10−3). High genetic BMI susceptibility increase the risk of higher BMI, including in Amerindian children

Water toxicity in reservoirs after freshwater algae harvest

Blooms of microalgae and cyanobacteria increase every year, presenting great problems for the environment. Finding a way of harvesting these microalgae could be useful for water governance. Furthermore, the method should not cause cell lysis and should thus avoiding discharging toxins into the water. Three reservoirs were studied, two of them with eutrophication problems (As Conchas and A Baxe) and another (Salas) with no such problems. Three different harvesting methods were studied; electroflocculation (EF) with the application time being varied; centrifugation, with application times and speeds being varied; and finally, natural sedimentation. The highest efficiency was obtained in the culture from A Baxe, which had a higher initial absorbance value (1.664), using EF (90.64% for an application time of 2 min and 30 s) and centrifugation at 4000 rpm (92.25% for2 minutes, 92.73% for 5 min). Electrofloculation can obtain up to 84% more biomass than natural sedimentation alone. Sample toxicity was studied before and after harvesting using Microcystest and found to be higher after harvesting. It was observed that for the same sample, the higher the yield was the greater the toxicity was. For the A Baxe culture with an application time of 2 min, a speed of 2000 rpm and a yield of 87.02%, a toxicity figure of 0.94 μg/L was obtained, while for a speed of 4000 rpm the yield was 92.25% and the toxicity was 1.05 μg/L. The toxicity limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO) is 1 μg/L, and this small difference seems to be key. With these results, this study concludes that chlorophyll levels may interfere with the test used. Future tests or analyses should be developed so as to avoid such interference, which may alter the toxin values. Electroflocculation seems to be a promising method since it does not cause the lysis of "Microcystis aeruginosa", whereas the centrifugation method could give problems. Finally, it is worth highlighting the importance of performing toxin measurements after harvesting the microalgae to check that the method is viable in natural ecosystems

Water security and watershed management assessed through the modelling of hydrology and ecological integrity: a study in the Galicia-Costa (NW Spain)

Water management is a crucial tool for addressing the increasing uncertainties caused by climate change, biodiversity loss and the conditions of socioeconomic limits. The multiple factors affecting water resources need to be successfully managed to achieve optimal governance and thus move towards water security. This study seeks to obtain a holistic vision of the various threats that affect the ecological integrity of the basins that form the hydrological district of Galicia-Costa, through the method of partial least squares path modelling (PLS-PM). The data is analysed overall for the hydrological years from 2009 to 2015. The independent latent variables are “Anthropogenic” (comprising the percentage of water bodies with edges alongside artificial surfaces, the percentage connected to artificial land use patches, the edge density of artificial surfaces and population density) and “Nature” (edge density of forestry land uses, edge length of land water bodies alongside forested areas and the percentage of land occupied by the largest patch of forest). The dependent latent variables are “SWP”, which represents surface water parameters (biological oxygen demand, chlorides, conductivity and dissolved iron) and “Ecological Integrity” (METI Bioindicator). The connections between latent variables are uantified through path coefficients (β). From an overall perspective, the PLS-PM results reveal that 69.0% of “SWP” is predicted by the independent variables (R2 = 0.690), “Anthropogenic” contributes by increasing SWP (β = 0.471), while “Nature” decreases the concentration of SWP (β = −0.523), which indicates the polluting parameters in the water. The variables “Anthropogenic” (β = −0.351) and “SWP” (β = −0.265) lower the quality of “Ecological Integrity”. This variable must be managed through soil conservation measures for the benefit of water security. This study has been able to identify and quantify the variables that increase contaminant concentration and decrease ecological integrity, providing a promising methodology that facilitates protection and correction measures to guarantee water safety.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. R815 131H 64502Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | Ref. UID/AGR/04033/2020Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | Ref. UIDB/QUI/00616/2020Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | Ref. UIDP/00616/2020Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia | Ref. SFRH/BD/146151/201

Native American ancestry significantly contributes to neuromyelitis optica susceptibility in the admixed Mexican population

Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) is an autoimmune disease with a higher prevalence in non-European populations. Because the Mexican population resulted from the admixture between mainly Native American and European populations, we used genome-wide microarray, HLA high-resolution typing and AQP4 gene sequencing data to analyze genetic ancestry and to seek genetic variants conferring NMO susceptibility in admixed Mexican patients. A total of 164 Mexican NMO patients and 1,208 controls were included. On average, NMO patients had a higher proportion of Native American ancestry than controls (68.1% vs 58.6%; p = 5 × 10–6). GWAS identified a HLA region associated with NMO, led by rs9272219 (OR = 2.48, P = 8 × 10–10). Class II HLA alleles HLA-DQB1*03:01, -DRB1*08:02, -DRB1*16:02, -DRB1*14:06 and -DQB1*04:02 showed the most significant associations with NMO risk. Local ancestry estimates suggest that all the NMO-associated alleles within the HLA region are of Native American origin. No novel or missense variants in the AQP4 gene were found in Mexican patients with NMO or multiple sclerosis. To our knowledge, this is the first study supporting the notion that Native American ancestry significantly contributes to NMO susceptibility in an admixed population, and is consistent with differences in NMO epidemiology in Mexico and Latin America.Fil: Romero Hidalgo, Sandra. Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica; MéxicoFil: Flores Rivera, José. Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía; MéxicoFil: Rivas Alonso, Verónica. Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía; MéxicoFil: Barquera, Rodrigo. Max Planck Institute For The Science Of Human History; Alemania. Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia; MéxicoFil: Villarreal Molina, María Teresa. Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica; MéxicoFil: Antuna Puente, Bárbara. Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica; MéxicoFil: Macias Kauffer, Luis Rodrigo. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Villalobos Comparán, Marisela. Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica; MéxicoFil: Ortiz Maldonado, Jair. Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía; MéxicoFil: Yu, Neng. American Red Cross; Estados UnidosFil: Lebedeva, Tatiana V.. American Red Cross; Estados UnidosFil: Alosco, Sharon M.. American Red Cross; Estados UnidosFil: García Rodríguez, Juan Daniel. Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica; MéxicoFil: González Torres, Carolina. Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica; MéxicoFil: Rosas Madrigal, Sandra. Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica; MéxicoFil: Ordoñez, Graciela. Neuroimmunología, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía; MéxicoFil: Guerrero Camacho, Jorge Luis. Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía; MéxicoFil: Treviño Frenk, Irene. American British Cowdray Medical Center; México. Instituto Nacional de la Nutrición Salvador Zubiran; MéxicoFil: Escamilla Tilch, Monica. Instituto Nacional de la Nutrición Salvador Zubiran; MéxicoFil: García Lechuga, Maricela. Instituto Nacional de la Nutrición Salvador Zubiran; MéxicoFil: Tovar Méndez, Víctor Hugo. Instituto Nacional de la Nutrición Salvador Zubiran; MéxicoFil: Pacheco Ubaldo, Hanna. Instituto Nacional de Antropología E Historia. Escuela Nacional de Antropología E Historia; MéxicoFil: Acuña Alonzo, Victor. Instituto Nacional de Antropología E Historia. Escuela Nacional de Antropología E Historia; MéxicoFil: Bortolini, María Cátira. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: Gallo, Carla. Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; PerúFil: Bedoya Berrío, Gabriel. Universidad de Antioquia; ColombiaFil: Rothhammer, Francisco. Universidad de Tarapacá; ChileFil: Gonzalez-Jose, Rolando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas; ArgentinaFil: Ruiz Linares, Andrés. Colegio Universitario de Londres; Reino UnidoFil: Canizales Quinteros, Samuel. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Yunis, Edmond. Dana Farber Cancer Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Granados, Julio. Instituto Nacional de la Nutrición Salvador Zubiran; MéxicoFil: Corona, Teresa. Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía; Méxic