Estudio de comunidades de matorral mediterráneo II

Conjunto de guiones de prácticas de Ecología, correspondientes al bloque temático sobre el estudio de comunidades, centrado en el análisis de la diversidad de las comunidades presentes en el territorio objeto de estudio, y su respuesta a la perturbación. Acompañan dos archivos Excel de ejemplo, y el simulador de distribuciones de datos de vegetación

Haciendo visibles procesos e interacciones ecológicas a través de la experimentación

El presente proyecto aborda la facilitación del aprendizaje de conceptos abstractos en ecología mediante experimentación.Para ello proponemos la realización de modelos de experimentación que permitan abordar conceptos abstractos en ecología a través de la selección de procedimientos experimentales necesarios para obtener las mediciones (el cómo se hace). Sobre estos procedimientos se realizará un modelo lo más real posible con todos los elementos básicos, de manera que los estudiantes puedan ver la configuración material del mismo y, sobre éste esquema discutir las limitaciones empíricas y su aportación a la generalización abstracta del proceso medido. El resultado son tres productos prácticos que incluyen el desarrollo teórico, un guión de prácticas, hojas de cálculo (Excel) para la realización de los cálculos y una presentación que permite conocer detalles teóricos y del desarrollo material de la práctica

Ecological and economic sustainability in olivegroves with different irrigation management and levels of erosion: a case study

In the last 50 years, both the agricultural labour force and irrigated land area have increased almost eightfold in Spain. The main objective of irrigation, in the short term, is to increase agricultural production. However, in the long term, the environmental externalities of irrigation and its direct relationship with soil erosion processes are more uncertain and still poorly studied. In this study, in an olive-growing region of Andalusia, Spain, the variation of several soil parameters related to irrigation and erosion levels was analysed. The results showed that irrigation, while increasing the productive level of the olive groves, entails a progressive alteration of the soil, modifying physical aspects (greater compaction and humidity of the soil together with lower gravel content, porosity and soil weight) and chemical aspects (reduction of the organic matter of the soil and the content of nitrates) that can aggravate the consequences of the erosive processes. In the long term, the productive benefit attributed to irrigation could be unsustainable from an ecological and, consequently, economic point of view. In addition, the lack of sustainability of olive irrigation agroecosystems could be exacerbated by the future restrictive impacts of climate change on water resources in Mediterranean environments. This situation demands spatial planning and alternative management based on soil conservation and rational and efficient forms of irrigation to ensure the sustainability of olive groves and their economic viability

Examining potential environmental consequences of climate change and other driving forces on the sustainability of spanish olive groves under a socio-ecological approach

Olive groves form characteristic Mediterranean socio-ecological landscapes, occupying more than 5 M ha; 2.5 M ha in Spain. In recent decades, traditional extensive management of olive groves has shifted to an intensive regime, with some cases of abandonment. These situations triggered negative environmental and economic externalities that led farmers to adopt increasingly multifunctional management models. From a transdisciplinary perspective, the current state of Spanish olive groves was analyzed, assessing their vulnerability to climate change as one of the main threats to their sustainability. Based on our findings and assuming that by 2050, in the Mediterranean, there will be an increase in temperature of 0.8–2.3 ◦C and a decrease in rainfall of up to 200 mm per year, a displacement of the distribution area of olive groves is expected towards zones of lower temperature and higher moisture. The predicted climatic conditions would increase evapotranspiration of vegetation and atmospheric CO2 emissions. Moreover, climate change will reduce the chill accumulation in olive groves, altering its flowering, fructification and crop yields. Thus, it is necessary to adopt management models that promote olive grove resilience in face of climate change, ensuring their socio-ecological sustainability

Impacts of erosion on the sustainability of organic olive groves: a case study (Estepa Region, Southwestern Spain)

Spain has more than 2.5 M ha of olive groves, with 60% of this area (i.e., 1.5 M ha) concentrated in the region of Andalusia (Southern Spain). Assuming the socio-ecological characteristics of these crops, of which their contribution to ecosystemic services (ES) is fundamental for society, it is highly relevant to direct their management towards practices that guarantee their durability. Organic management of olive groves constitutes a multifunctional model that contributes to ensuring its sustainability and represents 2.4–3.5% of the olive grove area in Spain. Taking the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Estepa (Southwestern Spain) as a study model, where organic olive groves are novel, a study of the impacts of erosion on the economic, social, and environmental factors associated with this management was carried out in addition to estimating its impacts. The results showed how organic management promotes edaphic fertility, keeping the levels of diffuse pollution under the legislative limits. Although the increase in erosion has negative effects on the sustainability/durability of agricultural holdings, organic management consolidates a sustainable model that satisfies farmers’ demands. Therefore, organic farming is a model that focuses on the correct use of natural resources associated with the geographical region of study, and contributes to increasing the sustainability of olive groves

Enseñar Ecología hoy: abandonando la tarima para jugar con el mundo real

Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y EvoluciónFac. de Ciencias BiológicasFALSEsubmitte

Estudio de comunidades de matorral mediterráneo I

Conjunto de guiones de prácticas de Ecología, correspondientes al bloque temático sobre el estudio de comunidades, y material complementario (estadillo y plantilla para la matriz de datos)

Guía Rápida de SPSS v.25 (Prácticas de Ecología)

Guía rápida de SPSS v.25 para usar en las Prácticas de Ecología (Grado en Biología, 3er curso

Physiological study of pulmonary involvement in adults with cystic fibrosis through simulated modeling of different clinical scenarios

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disorder of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene (CFTR) that affects the respiratory system. Current treatment is palliative, but there is a gene therapy under investigation which involves inserting a functional CFTR gene into affected cells. Given the clinical variety of the disease, it is necessary to characterize key indicators in its evolution (e.g., the number of functional alveolar sacs and its relationship with a healthy lung function), to anticipate its advancement. A dynamic model was used to evaluate the evolution of cystic fibrosis over time. We considered the application of conventional medical treatments and evaluated the benefits of the application of an experimental gene therapy that would reverse lung damage. Without treatment the life expectancy of the patient is low, but it is increased with the application of conventional treatments, being the progressive loss of the lung function inevitable. Simulating the application of a gene therapy, the life expectancy of patients would not be limited, given the recovery of all altered cellular processes. With this model we can make predictions that demonstrate the need for a curative treatment, in addition to presenting the evolution of pathology in a specific clinical setting. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]Authors want to thank the support received for this work by a predoctoral contract of researcher in training (UCM-Santander scholarship) granted by University Complutense of Madrid to Antonio Alberto Rodríguez Sousa and a predoctoral scholarship granted to Jonathan Pereira Miller