Evaluación del hábitat físico para la especie Lefua echigonia mediante simulación en el río Yagawa, Japón

El rápido desarrollo que ha tenido lugar en los últimos años, como consecuencia del incremento poblacional y la aparición de distintos avances tecnológicos, tiene como consecuencia directa una degradación de los ecosistemas naturales, y por tanto una pérdida de la biodiversidad. Las actividades humanas, tales como la urbanización o la abstracción de agua resultan en presiones ejercidas sobre los sistemas naturales, sobre los que cabe destacar los ecosistemas acuáticos. Estas presiones pueden presentarse en diversas formas, alterando el ecosistema y dificultando a las especies que habitan en él el completar sus ciclos vitales y perpetuarse en el tiempo, conllevando así una pérdida de la biodiversidad, y por tanto de la resiliencia del sistema. En este contexto, Tokio adquiere un gran importancia, por ser una de las ciudades con mayor extensión del mundomás de 2000km2), representando por tanto un problema de gran envergadura en Japón. Dada la enorme extensión que ocupa, afectando a una gran proporción del terreno japonés, y dado que la tendencia es creciente, es de vital importancia recuperar y mantener su biodiversidad, realizando actuaciones que ayuden a mejorar las condiciones de estos ecosistemas profundamente alterados. Por eso, este estudio se centra en un pequeño río urbano, en el que habita Lefua echigonia, una especie nativa de Japón en peligro de extinción, con el objetivo de simular su hábitat, y proponer alternativas de mejora que ayuden a proteger esta especie, y mantener la biodiversidad. Para ello, se ha elaborado un modelo de idoneidad de hábitat, basado en curvas de idoneidad para Lefua echigonia, y se ha evaluado el hábitat a lo largo de un periodo temporal de 24 meses. Este estudio aporta por tanto una información muy valiosa en aras de mantener y recuperar la biodiversidad en un entorno tan grande como el de Tokio, la urbe más grande del planeta; dado que es uno de los primeros estudios de idoneidad de microhábitat realizados en Japón, al margen de los salmónidos, muy estudiados en todo el mundo, centrándose en una especie endémica en peligro de extinción, de gran importancia para la sostenibilidad de los ecosistemas; y siendo al mismo tiempo fundamental en la realización de estudios de caudales ecológicos posteriores. Por otro lado, al haberse realizado en un río urbano, adquiere una gran importancia, al estudiar así un tipo de río muy presente en esta gran metrópolis, que a pesar de haber sido normalmente ignorados en este tipo de estudios, son de vital importancia en el mantenimiento de ecosistemas clave para ciertas especies que en ellos habitan. Al mismo tiempo, las medidas de restauración propuestas para el caso de estudio pueden ser extrapolables a otros ríos cercanos que presenten la misma problemática.The rapid development that has taken place during the last decades, as a result of the population increase and the appearance of different technological advances, is a direct cause of the natural ecosystem degradation. Human activities, such as urbanization or water abstraction, result in pressures exerted on natural systems, among which aquatic ecosystems can be highlighted. These pressures affect the ecosystems in different ways, altering them or making it difficult for the inhabiting species to complete their life cycles, and last in time; leading to a loss of biodiversity and therefore to the resilience of the system. In this context, Tokyo acquires a great importance, being one of the largest cities in the world (over 2000 km2), turning into a big problem in Japan. Due to the enormous area that it occupies, affecting a large proportion of the Japanese land, and given the growing trend, it is essential to recover and maintain its biodiversity, performing actions that help improving the habitat conditions of this deeply disturbed ecosystems. This study focuses on a small urban river, inhabited by Lefua echigonia, an endangered native species from Japan, in order to simulate its habitat, and proposing different alternatives for improvement, to protect this species and maintain biodiversity. To this aim, a habitat suitability model was developed, based on suitability curves, and the habitat was evaluated for a 24-months-period. Therefore, this study provides valuable information in order to maintain and recover biodiversity in an environment as large as the one of Tokyo, along with the fact that it is one of the first microhabitat suitability studies carried in Japan (apart from the salmonids ones, very studied around the world), focusing on an endemic endangered species with a great importance for the ecosystems sustainability. The information obtained is essential while realizing later ecological flows studies accomplishment. As it was carried in an urban river, it acquires a great importance when studying similar rivers, with a great presence in this metropolis, which, in spite of having been often ignored in this kind of studies, show a vital importance in the maintenance of the key ecosystems for certain species. At the same time, the proposed restoration measures for the case of study may be extrapolated to other nearby rivers presenting the same problem.Miguel Gallo, MD. (2018). Evaluación del hábitat físico para la especie Lefua echigonia mediante simulación en el río Yagawa, Japón. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/113882TFG

Final cessation of the armed activity or the end of terror? The declaration of the end of ETA’s violence on the cover of Spanish newspapers

Este trabajo propone analizar la noticia del anuncio de ETA del fin de la violencia en la portada de los diarios de información general publicados en España el 21 de octubre de 2011, al día siguiente de que la banda enviara su comunicado a los diarios vascos Gara y Berria, la BBC y el The New York Times. Se trata de la interpretación global de 112 portadas, con el objetivo de conocer cuántas versiones diferentes del mismo hecho salieron a la luz aquel día, describirlas, y comprobar cómo los diferentes modos de tratar un mismo hecho noticiable construyen diferentes realidades que responden a un modo particular de ver el mundo: la ideología del medio y también, implícitas, la del grupo editor, el gobierno, la oposición, los anunciantes, los grupos de presión, etc.This paper aims to analyze the announcement of the end of ETA violence on the cover of general newspapers published in Spain on October 21, 2011, the day after the band sent their statement to the Basque daily Gara and Berria, the BBC and The New York Times. It is the overall interpretation of 112 covers, in order to know how many different versions of the same fact came to light that day, and to describe and see how the different ways of addressing the same newsworthy event build different realities related to a particular way of seeing the world: the ideology of the media and also, implicit, the ideology of the publishing group, the government, the opposition, advertisers, lobbyists, etc

Effects of physical exercise on job productivity and well-being

This study analyses a systematic physical activity programme carried out over one year. The study was conducted with 92 employees working in a consultancy company. A total of 53 employees agreed to participate in the programme, while the remaining 39 formed the control group. The aim of the study was to improve the participants’ overall physical condition as a way to enhance cardiovascular resistance, strength and flexibility. The results obtained showed an improvement in the participants’ physical condition. Once the efficacy of the physical training programme was demonstrated, the influence of the intervention on other parameters was examined. The programme participants showed higher levels of well-being and satisfaction with life and work as well as lower levels of perceived stress and better job performance evaluations than the participants in the control group. The implications of the findings are discussedEl presente estudio analiza el efecto de un programa sistematizado de ejercicio físico con una duración de un año sobre la productividad y satisfacción laboral, el bienestar y la percepción de estrés. Participaron 92 trabajadores de una empresa de consultoría, 53 en el programa y 39 como grupo control. El programa estaba basado en la mejora global de la condición física, con tareas enfocadas al incremento de la resistencia cardiovascular, la fuerza y la flexibilidad. Los resultados muestran que la intervención mejoró la condición física de los empleados. Comprobada la eficacia del programa, los resultados mostraron la influencia de la intervención sobre las dimensiones estudiadas: los participantes en el programa manifestaron mayores niveles de bienestar y satisfacción el trabajo, menor grado de estrés percibido y obtuvieron una valoración de su rendimiento laboral más elevada que los participantes en el grupo control. Se discuten las implicaciones de los resultadosO presente estudo analisa o efeito de um programa sistematizado de exercício físico com a duração de um ano sobre a produtividade e satisfação laboral, o bem-estar e a percepção de stresse. Participaram 92 trabalhadores de uma empresa de consultoria, 53 inseridos no programa e 39 no grupo de controlo. O programa baseou-se na melhoria global da condição física, com tarefas focadas no aumento da resistência cardiovascular, da força e da flexibilidade. Os resultados mostram que a intervenção melhorou a condição física dos funcionários. Comprovada a eficácia do programa, os resultados mostraram a influência da intervenção sobre as dimensões estudadas: os participantes no programa manifestaram maiores níveis de bem-estar e satisfação no trabalho, menor grau de stresse percebido e obtiveram uma avaliação mais elevada do seu rendimento laboral comparativamente com os participantes do grupo de controlo. São discutidas as implicações dos resultado

Efecto del ejercicio físico en la productividad laboral y el bienestar

This study analyses a systematic physical activity programme carried out over one year. The study was conducted with 92 employees working in a consultancy company. A total of 53 employees agreed to participate in the programme, while the remaining 39 formed the control group. The aim of the study was to improve the participants' overall physical condition as a way to enhance cardiovascular resistance, strength and flexibility. The results obtained showed an improvement in the participants' physical condition. Once the efficacy of the physical training programme was demonstrated, the influence of the intervention on other parameters was examined. The programme participants showed higher levels of well-being and satisfaction with life and work as well as lower levels of perceived stress and better job performance evaluations than the participants in the control group. The implications of the findings are discussed

Dataciones absolutas para un menhir del Valle de Valdelucio (Burgos): resultados de un sondeo en el túmulo de La Cuesta del Molino

[ES] Los menhires carentes de contexto plantean graves problemas de datación. En este trabajo se analiza la problemática de un ejemplar hincado en el túmulo de La Cuesta del Molino (Burgos, España), cuya erección es situada por el radiocarbono en la plenitud de la Edad del Cobre.[EN] Menhirs that do not have a clear context show important dating problems. This paper analyses the case of a menhir stuck in the barrow of La Cuesta del Molino (Burgos, Spain). Radiocarbon dating brackets this event to the fullness of Calcolithic times

Habitat evaluation for the endangered fish species Lefua echigonia in the Yagawa River, Japan

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Ecohydraulics on 2019, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/24705357.2019.1614886[EN] Spring-fed streams in Tokyo are important habitats for various aquatic species, whereas urbanization as well as introduction of invasive species is threatening the sustainability of such aquatic ecosystems. This study applies the System for Environmental Flow Analysis (SEFA) in a small urban river in Tokyo to assess the dynamics of the suitable habitats for the endangered freshwater fish Lefua echigonia (Jordan and Richardson 1907). A set of Habitat Suitability Curves (HSCs) for water depth, velocity and substrate was developed to evaluate the suitable habitats. The habitat assessment indicated that the Area Weighted Suitability (AWS) reached the maximum at 0.02 m3/s, which is close to the base flow of the target river; a gradual decrease in AWS was observed for higher flows. The temporal distribution of AWS, during forty-one consecutive months, showed that, on average, the best habitat conditions for adult L. echigonia occur during the period between January and July, whereas the worst situation occurs during the period between August and December. This work presents information and tools for instream habitat analysis that should help managers to conserve this aquatic species and prioritize actions to further rehabilitate urban rivers, using L. echigonia as a case study.We thank Dr. Masaomi Kimura, Masato Kondo, Taichi Kasahara, and Akihiro Tanaka for their support in the field survey. This study was made in part with the support of the JSPS Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Grant number: 17H03886 and 17H04631) and the PROMOE grant for Marina de Miguel Gallo, funded by the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, between April and August 2018.De-Miguel-Gallo, M.; Martinez-Capel, F.; Muñoz Mas, R.; Aihara, S.; Matsuzawa, Y.; Fukuda, S. (2019). Habitat evaluation for the endangered fish species Lefua echigonia in the Yagawa River, Japan. Journal of Ecohydraulics. 4(2):147-157. https://doi.org/10.1080/24705357.2019.1614886S14715742Bovee KD, Lamb BL, Bartholow JM, Stalnaker CB, Taylor J, Henriksen J. 1998. Stream habitat analysis using the instream flow incremental methodology. U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division Information and Technology Report USGS/BRD-1998-0004. Fort Collins: U.S. Geological Survey.Bovee KD. 1986. Development and evaluation of habitat suitability criteria for use in the instream flow incremental methodology. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Report, 86/7.Lambert TR. 1994. Evaluation of factors causing variability in habitat suitability criteria for Sierra Nevada trout. Environment, Health & Safety. Report 009.4-94.5. San Francisco: Pacific Gas and Electric Company.Martínez-Capel F. 2000. Preferencias de microhábitat de Barbus bocagei, Chondrostoma polylepis y Leuciscus pyrenaicus en la cuenca del río Tajo [PhD Dissertation]. Madrid: Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. (In Spanish)Matsuzawa Y, Aoki K, Fukuda S. 2017a. Critical swimming speed of Lefua echigonia in a laboratory open channel. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Irrigation Drainage and Reclamation Engineering (JSIDRE). ID: 4-30. Tokyo: Japanese Society of Irrigation Drainage and Reclamation Engineering.Matsuzawa Y, Ohira M, Fukuda S. 2017b. Microhabitat Modelling for an Endangered Freshwater Fish, Lefua Echigonia, in a Spring-Fed Urban Stream. E-Proceedings of the 37th IAHR World Congress. Kuala Lumpur: International Association for Hydro-environment Research and Engineering (IAHR).Poff NL. 2018. Beyond the natural flow regime? Broadening the hydro-ecological foundation to meet environmental flows challenges in a non-stationary world. Freshwater Biol. 63(8):1011–1021

Network-based analysis reveals differences in plant assembly between the native and the invaded ranges

Associated with the introduction of alien species in a new area, interactions with other native species within the recipient community occur, reshaping the original community and resulting in a unique assemblage. Yet, the differences in community assemblage between native and invaded ranges remain unclear. Mediterranean grasslands provide an excellent scenario to study community assembly following transcontinental naturalisation of plant species. Here, we compared the community resemblance of plant communities in Mediterranean grasslands from both the native (Spain) and invaded (Chile) ranges. We used a novel approach, based on network analysis applied to co-occurrence analysis in plant communities, allowing us to study the co-existence of native and alien species in central Chile. This useful methodology is presented as a step forward in invasion ecology studies and conservation strategies. We found that community structure differed between the native and the invaded range, with alien species displaying a higher number of connections and, therefore, acting as keystones to sustain the structure within the invaded community. Alien species acting like keystones within the Chilean grassland communities might exacerbate the threat posed by biological invasions for the native biodiversity assets. Controlling the spread of the alien species identified here as keystones should help managing potential invasion in surrounding areas. Network analyses is a free, easy-to-implement and straightforward visual tool that can be widely used to reveal shifts in native communities and elucidate the role of multiple invaders into communitie

Impacts of desert dust outbreaks on air quality in urban areas

Air pollution has many adverse effects on health and is associated with an increased risk of mortality. Desert dust outbreaks contribute directly to air pollution by increasing particulate matter concentrations. We investigated the influence of desert dust outbreaks on air quality in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a city located in the dust export pathway off the west coast of North Africa, using air-quality observations from a six-year period (2012–2017). During winter intense dust outbreaks PM10 mean (24-h) concentrations increased from 14 µg m−3 to 98 µg m−3 , on average, and PM2.5 mean (24-h) concentrations increased from 6 µg m−3 to 32 µg m−3 . Increases were less during summer outbreaks, with a tripling of PM10 and PM2.5 daily mean concentrations. We found that desert dust outbreaks reduced the height of the marine boundary layer in our study area by >45%, on average, in summer and by ∼25%, on average, in winter. This thinning of the marine boundary layer was associated with an increase of local anthropogenic pollution during dust outbreaks. NO2 and NO mean concentrations more than doubled and even larger relative increases in black carbon were observed during the more intense summer dust outbreaks; increases also occurred during the winter outbreaks but were less than in summer. This has public health implications; local anthropogenic emissions need to be reduced even further in areas that are impacted by desert dust outbreaks to reduce adverse health effects.This activity has been undertaken in the framework of the World Meteorological Organisation Global Atmosphere Watch Urban Research Meteorology and Environment (GURME) project

Ecotypic differentiation and phenotypic plasticity combine to enhance the invasiveness of the most widespread daisy in Chile, Leontodon saxatilis

Dispersal and reproductive traits of successful plant invaders are expected to undergo strong selection during biological invasions. Numerous Asteraceae are invasive and display dimorphic fruits within a single flower head, resulting in differential dispersal pathways - wind-dispersed fruits vs. nondispersing fruits. We explored ecotypic differentiation and phenotypic plasticity of seed output and fruit dimorphisms in exotic Chilean and native Spanish populations of Leontodon saxatilis subsp. rothii. We collected flower heads from populations in Spain and Chile along a rainfall gradient. Seeds from all populations were planted in reciprocal transplant trials in Spain and Chile to explore their performance in the native and invasive range. We scored plant biomass, reproductive investment and fruit dimorphism. We observed strong plasticity, where plants grown in the invasive range had much greater biomass, flower head size and seed output, with a higher proportion of wind-dispersed fruits, than those grown in the native range. We also observed a significant ecotype effect, where the exotic populations displayed higher proportions of wind-dispersed fruits than native populations. Together, these patterns reflect a combination of phenotypic plasticity and ecotypic differentiation, indicating that Leontodon saxatilis has probably increased propagule pressure and dispersal distances in its invasive range to enhance its invasiveness