Mediterranean springs: Keystone ecosystems and biodiversity refugia threatened by global change

Mediterranean spring ecosystems are unique habitats at the interface between surface water and groundwater. These ecosystems support a remarkable array of biodiversity and provide important ecological functions and ecosystem services. Spring ecosystems are influenced by abiotic, biotic, and anthropogenic factors such as the lithology of their draining aquifers, their climate, and the land use of their recharge area, all of which affect the water chemistry of the aquifer and the spring discharges. One of the most relevant characteristics of spring ecosystems is the temporal stability of environmental conditions, including physicochemical features of the spring water, across seasons and years. This stability allows a wide range of species to benefit from these ecosystems (particularly during dry periods), fostering an unusually high number of endemic species. However, global change poses important threats to these freshwater ecosystems. Changes in temperature, evapotranspiration, and precipitation patterns can alter the water balance and chemistry of spring water. Eutrophication due to agricultural practices and emergent pollutants, such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and pesticides, is also a growing concern for the preservation of spring biodiversity. Here, we provide a synthesis of the main characteristics and functioning of Mediterranean spring ecosystems. We then describe their ecological value and biodiversity patterns and highlight the main risks these ecosystems face. Moreover, we identify existing knowledge gaps to guide future research in order to fully uncover the hidden biodiversity within these habitats and understand the main drivers that govern them. Finally, we provide a brief summary of recommended actions that should be taken to effectively manage and preserve Mediterranean spring ecosystems for future generations. Even though studies on Mediterranean spring ecosystems are still scarce, our review shows there are sufficient data to conclude that their future viability as functional ecosystems is under severe threat.Mediterranean spring ecosystems are unique habitats supporting a remarkable array of biodiversity and providing important ecological functions and ecosystem services. However, global change poses important threats to these freshwater ecosystems, such as changes in climate patterns and increasing human pressures like overexploitation and pollution. We provide a synthesis of the main characteristics and functioning of Mediterranean spring ecosystems and their threats due to global change.imag

Monitoring and impact assessment of organic micropollutants in important bird and biodiversity areas from Spain

Resumen del trabajo presentado al SETAC Europe 31st Annual Meeting, celebrado de forma virtual del 3 al 6 de mayo de 2021.The authors thank financial support from SEO/BirdLife and Ecoembes through LIBERA project. The Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain under the project PID2019-105732GB-C21 is also acknowledged. The authors also gratefully acknowledge funding from Severo Ochoa Program.Peer reviewe

Mediterranean springs: Keystone ecosystems and biodiversity refugia threatened by global change

Mediterranean spring ecosystems are unique habitats at the interface between surface water and groundwater. These ecosystems support a remarkable array of biodiversity and provide important ecological functions and ecosystem services. Spring ecosystems are influenced by abiotic, biotic, and anthropogenic factors such as the lithology of their draining aquifers, their climate, and the land use of their recharge area, all of which affect the water chemistry of the aquifer and the spring discharges. One of the most relevant characteristics of spring ecosystems is the temporal stability of environmental conditions, including physicochemical features of the spring water, across seasons and years. This stability allows a wide range of species to benefit from these ecosystems (particularly during dry periods), fostering an unusually high number of endemic species. However, global change poses important threats to these freshwater ecosystems. Changes in temperature, evapotranspiration, and precipitation patterns can alter the water balance and chemistry of spring water. Eutrophication due to agricultural practices and emergent pollutants, such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and pesticides, is also a growing concern for the preservation of spring biodiversity. Here, we provide a synthesis of the main characteristics and functioning of Mediterranean spring ecosystems. We then describe their ecological value and biodiversity patterns and highlight the main risks these ecosystems face. Moreover, we identify existing knowledge gaps to guide future research in order to fully uncover the hidden biodiversity within these habitats and understand the main drivers that govern them. Finally, we provide a brief summary of recommended actions that should be taken to effectively manage and preserve Mediterranean spring ecosystems for future generations. Even though studies on Mediterranean spring ecosystems are still scarce, our review shows there are sufficient data to conclude that their future viability as functional ecosystems is under severe threat.This review was written thanks to the funding provided by the CREAF's Severo Ochoa CEX2018-000828-S Synthesis actions program. This research was supported by the Catalan government project SGR2021-01333, the European Research Council project ERC-StG-2022-101076740 STOIKOS and the Spanish MCIN project KALORET (PID2021-128778OA-I00). M.F-M. was supported by a Ramón y Cajal fellowship (RYC2021-031511-I) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, the NextGenerationEU program of the European Union, the Spanish plan of recovery, transformation and resilience, and the Spanish Research Agency. E.R. was supported by the Severo Ochoa Excellence Program (CEX2018-000828-S) of the Spanish Research Agency. J.M.Z-M. was supported by a postdoctoral grant funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the European Union NextGeneration EU/PRTR (FJC2021-046923-I). We acknowledge the Institució Catalana d'Història Natural (ICHN) and the Secció de Ciències Biològiques de l'Institut d'Estudis Catalans (IEC) for additional funding for studying Mediterranean springs. We thank Jordi Gomis (www.meteomataro.com) for providing publicly available climate data for the region of study. We finally thank the Direcció de Cultura, Ajuntament de Mataró for providing the venue to hold the workshop that promoted this review. We also thank Zeynep Ersoy, Ricardo Figueroa, Verónica Ferreira, Roderick J. Fensham (The Fellowship of the Spring), Manuel Graça, Vincent H. Resh, Boudjéma Samraoui, Farrah Samraoui, and Nikos Skoulikidis for providing invaluable information regarding cultural activities and traditions related to springs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio