Indicator taxa of benthic diatom communities: a case study in Mediterranean streams

A key issue in the implementation of the Water Framework Directive is the classification of streams and rivers using biological quality parameters and type-specific reference conditions. Four groups of stream types were defined in NE Spain on the basis of 152 diatom samples by means of detrended correspondence analysis and classification techniques. Diatom analysis was restricted to epilithic taxa, and the sites included gradients ranging from near-natural streams to sites with poor ecological quality. The main gradient shows a clear separation of sites in relation to the degree of human influence: polluted streams (mainly located in the lowlands) differ from streams in mountainous areas and in the Pyrenees. A second gradient is related to physiographical features. Headwater streams can be distinguished by their catchment geology. The type-specific diatom taxa for the stream types studied were determined by using indicator species analysis (IndVal). The type-specific taxa from near-natural streams are coincident with the indicator taxa for high ecological status. Human impact reduced the typological heterogeneity of the diatom community composition. Overall, the diatom communities in NE Spain exhibit a regional distribution pattern that closely corresponds with that observed in river systems elsewhere. Physiographical differences are only evident in undisturbed sites, while nutrient enrichment and other human disturbances may mask the regional differences in the distribution of diatom communities

Shared effects of organic microcontaminants and environmental stressors on biofilms and invertebrates in impaired rivers

Land use type, physical and chemical stressors, and organic microcontaminants were investigated for their effects on the biological communities (biofilms and invertebrates) in several Mediterranean rivers. The diversity of invertebrates, and the scores of the first principal component of a PCA performed with the diatom communities were the best descriptors of the distribution patterns of the biological communities against the river stressors. These two metrics decreased according to the progressive site impairment (associated to higher area of agricultural and urban-industrial, high water conductivity, higher dissolved organic carbon and dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentrations, and higher concentration of organic microcontaminants, particularly pharmaceutical and industrial compounds). The variance partition analyses (RDAs) attributed the major share (10%) of the biological communities' response to the environmental stressors (nutrients, altered discharge, dissolved organic matter), followed by the land use occupation (6%) and of the organic microcontaminants (2%). However, the variance shared by the three groups of descriptors was very high (41%), indicating that their simultaneous occurrence determined most of the variation in the biological communities

Síndrome de prune belly: presentación de caso Prune belly syndrome: a case report

El síndrome de prune belly es una rara enfermedad congénita de causa desconocida. Se presenta el caso de un recién nacido a término, del sexo masculino y de un día de nacido, que fue remitido al servicio de urología pediátrica por presentar ausencia de los músculos de la pared anterior del abdomen (rectos anteriores), criptorquidia bilateral y gran globo vesical. A partir de los hallazgos del examen físico se planteó el diagnóstico de síndrome de prune belly. Se encontraron anomalías asociadas como escoliosis y agenesia del pie derecho. En el estudio radiológico del tracto urinario se confirmaron malformaciones congénitas como valva de uretra posterior y megavejiga con uretero-hidronefrosis bilateral. Los análisis de laboratorio confirmaron la afectación de la función renal y una infección urinaria asociada. Se practicó una cistostomía a cielo abierto. El paciente falleció a los 10 días a causa de las complicaciones de la insuficiencia renalThe prune belly syndrome is a congenital rare disease of unknown origin. The case of a one-day-old full- term male newborn infant that was referred to the pediatric urology service for presenting absence of the muscles of the anterior abdomen wall (anterior rectus muscle), bilateral cryptochordism and big vesical globe, was presented. Starting from the findings of the physical examination, the prune belly syndrome was diagnosed. Associated abnormalities such as scoliosis and agenesis of the right leg were found. In the radiological study of the urinary tract, congenital malformations as posterior urethra valve and megabladder with bilateral ureterohydronephrosis were confirmed. The lab tests corroborated the affectation of the renal function and an associated urinary infection. The patient died at 10 days as a result of the complications of renal failur

Assessing and forecasting the impacts of global change on Mediterranean rivers. The SCARCE Consolider project on Iberian basins

The Consolider-Ingenio 2010 project SCARCE, with the full title "Assessing and predicting effects on water quantity and quality in Iberian Rivers caused by global change" aims to examine and predict the relevance of global change on water availability, water quality, and ecosystem services in Mediterranean river basins of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as their socio-economic impacts. Starting in December 2009, it brought together a multidisciplinary team of 11 partner Spanish institutions, as well as the active involvement of water authorities, river basin managers, and other relevant agents as stakeholders. The study areas are the Llobregat, Ebro, Jucar, and Guadalquivir river basins. These basins have been included in previous studies and projects, the majority of whom considered some of the aspects included in SCARCE but individually. Historical data will be used as a starting point of the project but also to obtain longer time series. The main added value of SCARCE project is the inclusion of scientific disciplines ranging from hydrology, geomorphology, ecology, chemistry, and ecotoxicology, to engineering, modeling, and economy, in an unprecedented effort in the Mediterranean area. The project performs data mining, field, and lab research as well as modeling and upscaling of the findings to apply them to the entire river basin. Scales ranging from the laboratory to river basins are addressed with the potential to help improve river basin management. The project emphasizes, thus, linking basic research and management practices in a single framework. In fact, one of the main objectives of SCARCE is to act as a bridge between the scientific and the management and to transform research results on management keys and tools for improving the River Basin Management Plans. Here, we outline the general structure of the project and the activities conducted within the ten Work Packages of SCARCE.This work has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the project Consolider-Ingenio 2010 CSD2009-00065. Special thanks are due to all partners of the SCARCE consortium and the peer review panel for ensuring quality results and fruitful collaboration within the project.Francés, F. (2012). Assessing and forecasting the impacts of global change on Mediterranean rivers. The SCARCE Consolider project on Iberian basins. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 19:918-933. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-011-0566-5S91893319Andreu J, Capilla J, Sanchís E (1996) AQUATOOL, a generalized decision-support system for water-resources planning and operational management. J Hydrol 177:269–291Barahona-Palomo M, Riva M, Sánchez-Vila X, Vázquez-Sune E, Guadagnini A (2011) Quantitative comparison of impeller-flowmeter and particle-size-distribution techniques for the characterization of hydraulic conductivity variability. Hydrogeology Journal 19:603–612Barceló D, Petrovic M (eds) (2011) The Ebro River basin. the handbook of environmental chemistry. Springer, BerlinBarceló D, Sabater S (2010) Water quality and assessment under scarcity: prospects and challenges in Mediterranean watersheds. J Hydrol 383:1–4Barrios M, Orozco J, López F, Francés F (2010). Influencia de momentos de segundo orden en el escalamiento espacial de parámetros hidrológicos. In: XXIV Congreso Latinoamericano de Hidráulica, Punta del Este, UruguayBoix D, García-Berthou E, Gascón S, Benejam L, Tornés E, Sala J, Benito J, Munné A, Solà C, Sabater S (2010) Response of community structure to sustained drought in Mediterranean rivers. J Hydrol 383:135–146Bolster D, Barahona M, Dentz M, Fernàndez-Garcia D, Sánchez-Vila X, Trinchero P, Valhondo C, Tartakovsky DM (2009) Probabilistic risk analysis of groundwater remediation strategies. Water Resour Res 45: W06413Brack W, Bakker J, de Deckere E, Deerenberg C, van Gils J, Hein M, Jurajda P, Kooijman B, Lamoree M, Lek S, López de Alda MJ, Marcomini A, Muñoz I, Rattei S, Segner H, Thomas K, von der Ohe PC, Westrich B, de Zwart D, Schmitt-Jansen M (2005) MODELKEY - Models for assessing and forecasting the impact of environmental key pollutants on freshwater and marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Environ Sci Pollut Res 12:252–256Calbó J (2010) Water scarcity in the Mediterranean. In: Sabater S, Barceló D (eds) The handbook of environmental chemistry. Springer, BerlinCarmona-Catot G, Benito J, García-Berthou E (2011) Comparing latitudinal and upstream–downstream gradients: life history traits of invasive mosquitofish. Divers Distrib 17:214–224CHE (2008) Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro. Available from: http://www.chebro.es . Accessed January 2009de Barros FPJ, Bolster D, Sanchez-Vila X, Nowak W (2011) A divide and conquer approach to cope with uncertainty, human health risk and decision making in contaminant hydrology. Water Resour Res (in press)Dodds WK, Bouska WW, Eitzmann JL, Pilger TJ, Pitts KL, Riley AJ, Schloesser JT, Thornbrugh DJ (2009) Eutrophication of US freshwaters: analysis of potential economic damages. Environ Sci Technol 43:12–19Elosegi A, Díez J, Mutz M (2010) Effects of hydromorphological integrity on biodiversity and functioning of river ecosystems. Hydrobiologia 657:199–215Estrela T, Fidalgo A, Fullana J, Maestu J, Pérez MA, Pujante AM (2004) Júcar Pilot River Basin. Provisional article 5. Report pursuant to the Water Framework Directive. Confederación Hidrográfica del Júcar, Valencia (Spain). p 208Fernàndez-Garcia D, Sánchez-Vila X (2011) Optimal reconstruction of concentrations, gradients and reaction rates from particle distributions. J Contam Hydrol 120–121:99–114Fernàndez-Garcia D, Sánchez-Vila X, Illangasekare TH (2002) Convergent-flow tracer tests in heterogeneous media: combined experimental-numerical analysis for determination of equivalent transport parameters. J Contam Hydrol 57:129–145Francés F, Vélez JI, Vélez JJ (2007) Split-parameter structure for the automatic calibration of distributed hydrological models. J Hydrol 332:226–240Funtowicz S, Ravetz J (1994) The worth of a songbird: ecological economics as a post-normal science. Ecol Econ 10:197–207García-Galán M, Garrido T, Fraile J, Ginebreda A, Díaz-Cruz M, Barceló D (2010a) Application of fully automated online solid phase extraction-liquid chromatography-electrospray-tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of sulfonamides and their acetylated metabolites in groundwater. Anal Bioanal Chem 399:795–806García-Galán MJ, Díaz-Cruz MS, Barceló D (2010b) Occurrence of sulfonamide residues along the Ebro river basin: removal in wastewater treatment plants and environmental impact assessment. Environ Int 37:462–473Gasith A, Resh VH (1999) Streams in Mediterranean climate regions: abiotic influences and biotic responses to predictable seasonal events. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 30:51–81Gaudes A, Artigas J, Muñoz I (2010) Species traits and resilience of meiofauna to floods and drought in a Mediterranean stream. Mar Freshw Res 61:1336–1347Ginebreda A, Muñoz I, López de Alda MJ, Brix R, López-Doval J, Barceló D (2010) Environmental risk assessment of pharmaceuticals in rivers: relationships between hazard indexes and aquatic macroinvertebrate diversity indexes in the Llobregat River (NE Spain). Environ Int 36:153–162Giorgi F, Lionello P (2008) Climate change projections for the Mediterranean region. Glob Planet Chang 63:90–104Greskowiak J, Prommer H, Massmann G, Johnston CD, Nutzmann G, Pekdeger A (2005) The impact of variably saturated conditions on hydrogeochemical changes during artificial recharge of groundwater. Appl Geochem 20:1409–1426Guasch H, Leira M, Montuelle B, Geiszinger A, Roulier JL, Tornés E, Serra A (2009) Use of multivariate analyses to investigate the contribution of metal pollution to diatom species composition: search for the most appropriate cases and explanatory variables. Hydrobiologia 627:143–158Guerra P, Eljarrat E, Barceló D (2010) Simultaneous determination of hexabromocyclododecane, tetrabromobisphenol A, and related compounds in sewage sludge and sediment samples from Ebro River basin (Spain). Anal Bioanal Chem 397:2817–2824IPCC (2007) Fourth assessment report: climate change 2007. Cambridge University Press, CambridgeIzagirre O, Agirre U, Bermejo M, Pozo J, Elosegi A (2008) Environmental controls of whole-stream metabolism identified from continuous monitoring of Basque streams. J N Am Benthol Soc 27:252–268Jelic A, Gros M, Ginebreda A, Céspedes-Sánchez R, Ventura F, Petrovic M, Barceló D (2011) Occurrence, partition and removal of pharmaceuticals in sewage water and sludge during wastewater treatment. Water Res 45:1165–1176Kay JJ, Regier HA, Boyle M, Francis G (1999) An ecosystem approach for sustainability: addressing the chanllenge of complexity. Futures 31:721–742Köck-Schulmeyer M, Ginebreda A, Postigo C, López-Serna R, Pérez S, Brix R, Llorca M, López de Alda MJ, Petrovic M, Munné A, Tirapu L, Barceló D (2011) Wastewater reuse in Mediterranean semi-arid areas: the impact of discharges of tertiary treated sewage on the load of polar micro pollutants in the Llobregat river (NE Spain). Chemosphere 82:670–678Kuster M, De la Cal A, Eljarrat E, López de Alda MJ, Barceló D (2010a) Evaluation of two aquatic passive sampling configurations for their suitability in the analysis of estrogens in water. Talanta 83:493–499Kuster M, Díaz-Cruz S, Rosell M, López de Alda MJ, Barceló D (2010b) Fate of selected pesticides, estrogens, progestogens and volatile organic compounds during artificial aquifer recharge using surface waters. Chemosphere 79:880–886Lacorte S, Raldúa D, Martínez E, Navarro A, Díez S, Bayona JM, Barceló D (2006) Pilot survey of a broad range of priority pollutants in sediment and fish from the Ebro river basin (NE Spain). Environ Pollut 140:471–482Lindenmayer DB, Likens GE (2009) Adaptive monitoring: a new paradigm for long-term research and monitoring. Trends Ecol Evol 24:482–486López-Serna R, Pérez S, Ginebreda A, Petrovic M, Barceló D (2010) Fully automated determination of 74 pharmaceuticals in environmental and waste waters by online solid phase extraction-liquid chromatography-electrospray-tandem mass spectrometry. Talanta 83:410–424Llorca M, Farré M, Picó Y, Barceló D (2010) Study of the performance of three LC-MS/MS platforms for analysis of perfluorinated compounds. Anal Bioanal Chem 398:1145–1159Marcé R, Rodríguez MA, García JC, Armengol J (2010) El Nino Southern oscillation and climate trends impact reservoir water quality. Glob Chang Biol 16:2857–2865Martín G, Toja J, Sala SE, Fernández MD, Reyes I, Casco MA (2010) Application of diatom biotic indices in the Guadalquivir River Basin, a Mediterranean basin. Which one is the most appropriated? Environ Monit Assess 170:519–534Mas-Martí E, García-Berthou E, Sabater S, Tomanova S, Muñoz I (2010) Comparing fish assemblages and trophic ecology of permanent and intermittent reaches in a Mediterranean stream. Hydrobiologia 657:167–180Medici C, Bernal S, Butturini A, Sabater F, Martín M, Wade AJ, Francés F (2010) Modelling the inorganic nitrogen behaviour in a small Mediterranean forested catchment, Fuirosos (Catalonia). Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 14:223–237Millenium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) Ecosystems and human well-being: synthesis. Island Press, Washington (US), p 137Muñoz I, López-Doval JC, Ricart M, Villagrasa M, Brix R, Geiszinger A, Ginebreda A, Guasch H, López de Alda MJ, Romaní AM, Sabater S, Barceló D (2009) Bridging levels of pharmaceuticals in river water with biological community structure in the Llobregat River Basin (Northeast Spain). Environ Toxicol Chem 28:2706–2714Nadal M, Kumar V, Schuhmacher M, Domingo JL (2008) Applicability of a neuroprobabilistic integral risk index for the environmental management of polluted areas: a case study. Risk Anal 28:271–286Navarro-Ortega A, Tauler R, Lacorte S, Barceló D (2010) Occurrence and transport of PAHs, pesticides and alkylphenols in sediment samples along the Ebro River Basin. J Hydrol 383:5–17Navarro A, Lacorte S, Barceló D (2010) Occurrence and transport of pesticides and alkylphenols in water samples along the Ebro River Basin. J Hydrol 383:18–29Navarro A, Tauler R, Lacorte S, Barceló D (2006) Chemometrical investigation of the presence and distribution of organochlorine and polyaromatic compounds in sediments of the Ebro River Basin. Anal Bioanal Chem 385:1020–1030Nelson E, Mendoza G, Regetz J, Polasky S, Tallis H, Cameron DR, Chan KMA, Daily GC, Goldstein J, Kareiva PM, Lonsdorf E, Naidoo R, Ricketts TH, Shaw MR (2009) Modeling multiple ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation, commodity production, and tradeoffs at landscape scales. Front Ecol Environ 7:4–11Nilsson C, Reidy CA, Dynesius M, Revenga C (2005) Fragmentation and flow regulation of the world's large river systems. Science 308:405–408Odum HT (1956) Primary production in flowing waters. Limnol Oceanogr 1:102–117Paredes-Arquiola J, Andreu-Álvarez J, Martín-Monerris M, Solera A (2010) Water quantity and quality models applied to the Jucar River Basin, Spain. Water Res Manag 24:2759–2779Paredes J, Andreu J, Solera A (2010) A decision support system for water quality issues in the Manzanares River (Madrid, Spain). Sci Total Environ 408:2576–2589Petrovic M, Farré M, López de Alda MJ, Perez S, Postigo C, Kock M, Radjenovic J, Gros M, Barceló D (2010) Recent trends in the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of organic contaminants in environmental samples. J Chromatogr A 1217:4004–4017Puy-Azurmendi E, Navarro A, Olivares A, Fernandes D, Martínez E, López de Alda MJ, Porte C, Cajaraville MP, Barceló D, Piña B (2010) Origin and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollution in sediment and fish from the biosphere reserve of Urdaibai (Bay of Biscay, Basque country, Spain). Mar Environ Res 70:142–149Quevedo DI, Francés F (2008) A conceptual dynamic vegetation-soil model for arid and semiarid zones. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 12:1175–1187Ramos-Fernández L, Francés F (2010). Utilidad de la precipitación obtenida por satélite en la modelación hidrológica aplicada a la cuenca del río. In: XXIV Congreso Latinoamericano de Hidráulica, Punta del Este, UruguayRamos-Jiliberto R, Valdovinos FS, Arias J, Alcaraz C, García-Berthou E (2011) A network-based approach to the analysis of ontogenetic diet shifts: an example with an endangered, small-sized fish. Ecol Complex 8:123–129Ricart M, Guasch H, Alberch M, Barceló D, Bonnineau C, Geiszinger A, Farré M, Ferrer J, Ricciardi F, Romaní AM, Morin S, Proia L, Sala L, Sureda D, Sabater S (2010a) Triclosan persistence through wastewater treatment plants and its potential toxic effects on river biofilms. Aquat Toxicol 100:346–353Ricart M, Guasch H, Barceló D, Brix R, Conceicao MH, Geiszinger A, López de Alda MJ, Lopez-Doval JC, Munoz I, Postigo C, Romani AM, Villagrasa M, Sabater S (2010b) Primary and complex stressors in polluted mediterranean rivers: pesticide effects on biological communities. J Hydrol 383:52–61Sabater S, Tockner K (2010) Effects of hydrologic alterations on the ecological quality of river ecosystems. In: Sabater S, Barceló D (eds) Water scarcity in the Mediterranean. Springer, BerlinSánchez-Vila X, Carrera J (1997) Directional effects on convergent flow tracer tests. Math Geol 29:551–569Sánchez-Vila X, Fernàndez-Garcia D, Guadagnini A (2010) Interpretation of column experiments of transport of solutes undergoing an irreversible bimolecular reaction using a continuum approximation. Water Resour Res 46:W12510Sand-Jensen K, Pedersen NL (2005) Differences in temperature, organic carbon and oxygen consumption among lowland streams. Freshw Biol 50:1927–1937Schroter D, Cramer W, Leemans R, Prentice IC, Araujo MB, Arnell NW, Bondeau A, Bugmann H, Carter TR, Gracia CA, de la Vega-Leinert AC, Erhard M, Ewert F, Glendining M, House JI, Kankaanpaa S, Klein RJT, Lavorel S, Lindner M, Metzger MJ, Meyer J, Mitchell TD, Reginster I, Rounsevell M, Sabate S, Sitch S, Smith B, Smith J, Smith P, Sykes MT, Thonicke K, Thuiller W, Tuck G, Zaehle S, Zierl B (2005) Ecosystem service supply and vulnerability to global change in Europe. Science 310:1333–1337Singer MB, Dunne T (2001) Identifying eroding and depositional reaches of valley by analysis of suspended sediment transport in the Sacramento River, California. Water Resour Res 37:3371–3381Stevenson RJ, Sabater S (2010) Understanding effects of global change on river ecosystems: science to support policy in a changing world. Hydrobiologia 657:3–18Tharme RE (2003) A global perspective on environmental flow assessment: emerging trends in the development and application of environmental flow methodologies for rivers. River Res Appl 19:397–441Tornés E, Sabater S (2010) Variable discharge alters habitat suitability for benthic algae and cyanobacteria in a forested Mediterranean stream. Mar Freshw Res 61:441–450Trinchero P, Sánchez-Vila X, Fernàndez-Garcia D (2008) Point-to-point connectivity, an abstract concept or a key issue for risk assessment studies? Adv Water Res 31:1742–1753Vázquez-Roig P, Andreu V, Blasco C, Picó Y, Andreu V (2010) SPE and LC-MS/MS determination of 14 illicit drugs in surface waters from the Natural Park of L'Albufera (ValSncia, Spain). Anal Bioanal Chem 397:2851–2864Vericat D, Batalla RJ (2006) Sediment transport in a large impounded river: the lower Ebro, NE Iberian Peninsula. Geomorphology 79:72–92Walker B, Carpenter S, Anderies J, Abel N, Cumming G, Janssen M, Lebel L, Norberg J, Peterson GD, Pritchard R (2002) Resilience management in social-ecological systems: a working hypothesis for a participatory approach. Conserv Ecol 6:14Weyhenmeyer GA (2004) Synchrony in relationships between the North Atlantic Oscillation and water chemistry among Sweden’s largest lakes. Limnol Oceanogr 49:1191–1201Ylla I, Sanpera-Calbet I, Vázquez E, Romaní AM, Muñoz I, Butturini A, Sabater S (2010) Organic matter availability during pre- and post-drought periods in a Mediterranean stream. Hydrobiologia 657:217–23