Global assessment and mapping of ecological vulnerability to wildfires

Fire is a natural phenomenon that has played a critical role in transforming the environment and maintaining biodiversity at a global scale. However, the plants in some habitats have not developed strategies for recovery from fire or have not adapted to the changes taking place in their fire regimes. Maps showing ecological vulnerability to fires could contribute to environmental management policies in the face of global change scenarios. The main objective of this study is to assess and map ecological vulnerability to fires on a global scale. To this end, we created ecological value and post-fire regeneration delay indices on the basis of existing global databases. Two ecological value indices were identified: biological distinction and conservation status. For the post-fire regeneration delay index, various factors were taken into account, including the type of fire regime, the increase in the frequency and intensity of forest fires, and the potential soil erosion they can cause. These indices were combined by means of a qualitative cross-tabulation to create a new index evaluating ecological vulnerability to fire. The results showed that global ecological value could be reduced by as much as 50 % due to fire perturbation of poorly adapted ecosystems. The terrestrial biomes most affected are the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest, tundra, mangroves, tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests.This research has been supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (grant no. RTI2018- 097538-B-I00) and the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (grant no. PRE2019-089208)

Synthesis and characterization of magnetic chitosan microspheres as low-density and low-biotoxicity adsorbents for lake restoration

We propose a novel magnetic adsorbent for optimal Phosphorus (P) removal from the upper sediment layers. For this aim, magnetic chitosan microparticles were prepared using a reverse-phase suspension cross-linking technique. The resulting particles and suspensions were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, magnetometry, thermogravimetric analysis, electrophoretic mobility and turbidity measurements. The hybrids are multicore particles consisting of well dispersed magnetite nanoparticles (approx. 10% w/w) homogeneously distributed within the biopolymer matrix. These microparticles can be easily separated from the water column and sediment using magnetic field gradients. Their P adsorption capacity is evaluated in batch conditions resulting in a maximum P adsorption capacity of ML ¼ 4.84 mg g 1 at pH ¼ 7. We demonstrate that these particles are excellent candidates to remove P from water column and also P mobile from the upper sediment layers due to two main reasons: they sediment slower and present lower potential toxicity (due to a their larger size) than conventional iron/iron oxide microparticles previously proposed for lake restoration.The authors would like to thank F. Galisteo-Gonz alez for providing the Bool2k software used for the generation of particlesize distributions from SEM micrographs and F. Vereda for his help in the Chemistry Laboratory. This workwas supported by Junta de Andalucía projects of excellence P10-RNM-6630 and P11-FQM- 7074 (Spain); MINECO CTM 2013-46951-R, MAT 2013-44429-R and PCIN 2015-051, MAT 2016-78778-R projects (Spain); and by the European Regional Development Fund

An enclosure experiment for testing the consequences of using magnetic microparticles on water quality and sediment phosphorus pools

By using microcosm enclosures containing brackish water (6000 µS cm-1) and natural surface sediment from an hypertrophic aquatic ecosystem, this study assessed the effects of adding iron (Fe) magnetic microparticles (MPs) on water quality, with special focus on P concentrations in water column and in the sediment. Two different treatments were considered for a constant 85:1 MPs:PMobile molar ratio: T-W, where MPs were applied above the surface layer of water, and T-S, where MPs were added directly above the sediment. Our study demonstrated the convenience of adding MPs for reducing both P concentrations in lake water and lake sediment. Both, T-W and T-S exhibited a reduction of 68 ± 6% in dissolved inorganic P concentration (DIP) on average for a 70-days oxic period and a reduction of 80 ± 8% (T-W) and 80 ± 4% (T-S) for a 5-days anoxic period. MPs also decreased reactive silicate (Si) concentration approx. by 50% on average for both periods whereas dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was only reduced by 15% after 24 h of MPs addition. Despite the drastic reduction in DIP concentration due to MPs addition, chlorophyll a (Chl a) was not reduced because total P (TP) concentration after treatments (> 200 µg L-1; before treatments: > 700 µg L-1) was still higher than that required (0.05–0.1 mg L-1) to see changes in biological community. P bound to Al oxides, clay minerals and humic substances (P→NaOH) and easily degradable organic P (Org-PLabile) showed a reduction of 15% and 12%, respectively in T-S compared to control. P bound to humic substances (P→NaOH, Humic) was reduced by 11-22% in both treatments. Finally, considering the efficiency in P and MPs removal in both treatments (T-W and T-S), we recommend T-W treatment for a future whole-lake application to ensure the effectiveness of P export (in water and sediment) and the recovery of MPs.This work was supported by Junta de Andalucía projects P10-RNM-6630 and P11-FQM-7074 (Proyectos de Excelencia, Spain), MINECO CTM 2013-46951-R, MAT 2013-44429-R and PCIN 2015-051 projects (Spain) and by the European Regional De-velopment Fund (ERDF)

Magnetic microparticles as a new tool for lake restoration: A microcosm experiment for evaluating the impact on phosphorus fluxes and sedimentary phosphorus pools

In the last decades, magnetic particles (MPs) as adsorbents have gained special attention due to their high adsorption capacity and the possibility of recovering them by applying a magnetic separation gradient. For the first time MPs have been tested as P adsorbents in a microcosm experiment in a context of lake restoration. MPs were added to sediment cores from a hypertrophic lake, at Fe:PMobile molar ratio of 285:1 and 560:1 under both, oxic and anoxic conditions. We have found that, under anoxic conditions (anoxic), MPs are able to reduce P release rate from the sediment to the overlying water and to reduce sedimentary PMobile concentration (a 22e25% reduction within 0e4 cm depth compared to controls). Under oxic conditions, the addition of MPs do not affect P fluxes across the sediment and water interface since the lake sediment is naturally rich in iron oxides. However a measured reduction in sedimentary PMobile concentration (12e16% reduction in 0e10 cm depth) contributes to a potential reduction in longterm P efflux.This work was supported by Junta de Andalucía projects P10- RNM-6630 and P11-FQM-7074 (Proyectos de Excelencia, Spain), and MINECO CTM 2013-46951-R and MAT 2013-44429-R and projects (Spain)

Acute and chronic effects of magnetic microparticles used in lake restoration on Daphnia magna and Chironomus sp.

Magnetic microparticles (MPs) have been recently proposed as a new and promising tool for restoring eutrophicated inland waters. In this study, we analyzed the acute and chronic effects of iron (Fe) MPs on Daphnia magna and on the benthic macroinvertebrate Chironomus sp. The endpoint in the acute toxicity tests was immobilization. In the chronic toxicity tests the offspring production (male and female) in D. magna and the mortality of larvae and pupae, and adult emergence in Chironomus sp. experiments were used as the endpoints. The concentration of MPs that caused 50% of immobilized individuals (EC50) in the acute toxicity test was much higher in D. magna (0.913 g Fe l-1) than in Chironomus sp. (0.445 g Fe l-1), which is likely to be the result of differences in the lifestyle of these organisms, planktonic and benthic respectively. Considering the regular dose of MPs that could be used in a restoration plan, slight effects on organism immobilization are expected. The results of chronic toxicity tests in D. magna showed that in presence of dissolved Fe (dFe), parthenogenetic reproduction was significantly affected, while no significant effect on mortality of larvae and pupae and on adult emergence was detected in Chironomus sp. test. Taking into account that long-term exposure is not likely to occur under the regular procedure of MPs, we conclude that MPs is a riskless (no toxic effect on planktonic and benthic organisms) and efficient (high P adsorption capacity) tool for lake restoration.This work was supported by Junta de Andalucía project P10-RNM-6630 (Proyectos de Excelencia, Spain), MINECO CTM 2013-46951-R projects (Spain) and by the European Founding for the Regional Development (Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, FEDER)

Determining major factors controlling phosphorus removal by promising adsorbents used for lake restoration: a linear mixed model approach

Phosphorus (P) removal from lake/drainage waters by novel adsorbents may be affected by competitive substances naturally present in the aqueous media. Up to date, the effect of interfering substances has been studied basically on simple matrices (single-factor effects) or by applying unsuitable statistical approaches when using natural lake water. In this study, we determined major factors controlling P removal efficiency in 20 aquatic ecosystems in the southeast Spain by using linear mixed models. Two non-magnetic -CFH-12® and Phoslock®- and two magnetic materials -hydrous lanthanum oxide loaded silica-coated magnetite (Fe-Si-La) and commercial zero-valent iron particles (FeHQ)- were tested to remove P at two adsorbent dosages. Results showed that the type of adsorbent, the adsorbent dosage and color of water (indicative of humic substances) are major factors controlling P removal efficiency. Differences in physico-chemical properties (i.e. surface charge or specific surface), composition and structure explain differences in maximum P adsorption capacity and performance of the adsorbents when competitive ions are present. The highest P removal efficiency, independently on whether the adsorbent dosage was low or high, were 85-100% for Phoslock and CFH-12®, 70-100% for Fe-Si-La and 0-15% for FeHQ. The low dosage of FeHQ, compared to previous studies, explained its low P removal efficiency. Although non-magnetic materials were the most efficient, magnetic adsorbents (especially Fe-Si-La) could be proposed for P removal as they can be recovered along with P and be reused, potentially making them more profitable in a long-term period.This work was supported by Junta de Andalucía project P10-RNM-6630 [Proyectos de Excelencia, Spain]; MINECO CTM 2013-46951-R project; and MAT 2016-78778-R project [Spain]. Authors would also like to thank Fernando Ortega for helping in the sampling procedure

Carbon stocks and changes in biomass of Mediterranean woody crops over a six-year period in NE Spain

Carbon sequestration and storage in biomass is one of the most important measures to mitigate climate change. Mediterranean woody crops can sequestrate carbon in the biomass of their permanent structures for decades; however, very few studies have focused on an assessment of biomass and carbon sequestration in these types of crops. This study is the first to estimate above- and belowground biomass carbon stock in Mediterranean woody crops through a bottom-up approach in the NE Iberian Peninsula in 2013. Moreover, this is the first time that an assessment of the annual changes in carbon stock in the study area over a six-year period is presented. For this purpose, eight crop- and site-specific equations relating biomass or biometric variables to crop age were calculated. Most of the data were our own measurements, but unpublished data supplied from other authors as well as data from literature were also considered. Census of Agriculture data was used to scale results from individual data up to the municipality level at the regional scale. Results show that in woody cropland in NE Spain the total biomass carbon stock in 2013 was 5.48 Tg C, with an average value of 16.44 ± 0.18 Mg C ha−1. Between 2013 and 2019, although there was a 2.8% mean annual decrease in the area covered by woody crops, the carbon stock in the biomass of these crops increased annually by 3.8% due to the growth of the remaining woody cropland. This new estimation of carbon stocks may contribute to better understand carbon balances and serve as a baseline to global inventories. It may also serve to assess and manage carbon storage as an ecosystem service provided by Mediterranean woody cropland for mitigating climate change and, in combination with adaptive strategies, for supporting a productive and resilient agro-food system.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Cognitive Scale of Basic and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living for Multidomain Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Patients: Validation of its Extended Version

The Ext. Cog-ADL Scale demonstrated good psychometric properties. Episodic and working memory tests were the main predictors of most cognitive-functional items of the scale. While patients with dementia obtained lower scores in most error categories of the scale, affecting both BADL and IADL, mdMCI patients showed a more specific pattern of difficulties. Apart from the typical alterations in IADL, mdMCI patients also showed difficulties in several error categories related to BADL (i.e., error detection, problem solving, task self-initiation, distraction inhibition, and restore).This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through a PhD research fellowship awarded to the last author (FPI BES-2009-020741), the Regional Government of Andalusia, Spain, through a research project granted to the second and last authors (Junta de Andalucía SEJ-6351) and the Fundación para la Investigación Biosanitaria de Andalucía Oriental – Alejandro Otero, a foundation for biomedical research in Eastern Andalusia, through a scholarship granted to the first author. Funding for open access charge: University of Málaga

Blooming under Mediterranean Climate: Estimating Cultivar-Specific Chill and Heat Requirements of Almond and Apple Trees Using a Statistical Approach

Climate change, and specifically global temperature increase, is expected to alter plant phenology. Temperate deciduous fruit trees have cultivar-specific chill and heat requirements to break dormancy and bloom. In this study, we aimed to estimate chill and heat requirements (in chill portions, CP, and growing degree hours, GDH, respectively) of 25 almond (30–36 years) and 12 apple (14–26 years) cultivars grown under a Mediterranean climate. The set included early and late blooming genotypes. Long-term phenological and temperature records were analyzed by means of partial least squares (PLS) regression. The main difference between early and late genotypes was chill requirement, ranging from 8.40 CP of early genotypes to 55.41 CP of extra-late genotypes. However, as chill requirements are quite easily attained by all almond cultivars in this study, year-to-year variations in actual blooming dates for each genotype are governed by variability of mean forcing temperatures. In contrast, different chill and heat combinations resulted in similar mean blooming dates for the studied apple cultivars. Mean temperature in both chilling and forcing phases determined their blooming time in the location studied. Overlaps and gaps between both phases were obtained. Despite some limitations, the PLS analysis has proven to be a useful tool to define both chilling and forcing phases. Nevertheless, since the delineation of these phases determine the total amount of CP and GDH, further efforts are needed to investigate the transition of these phases.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Agricultural soil organic carbon stocks in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula: Drivers and spatial variability

Estimating soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks under agriculture, assessing the importance of their drivers and understanding the spatial distribution of SOC stocks are crucial to predicting possible future SOC stocks scenarios under climate change conditions and to designing appropriate mitigation and adaptation strategies. This study characterized and modelled SOC stocks at two soil depth intervals, topsoil (0–30 cm) and subsoil (30–100 cm), based on both legacy and recent data from 7245 agricultural soil profiles and using environmental drivers (climate, agricultural practices and soil properties) for agricultural soils in Catalonia (NE Spain). Generalized Least Square (GLS) and Geographical Weighted Regression (GWR) were used as modelling approaches to: (i) assess the main SOC stock drivers and their effects on SOC stocks; (ii) analyse spatial variability of SOC stocks and their relationships with the main drivers; and (iii) predict and map SOC stocks at the regional scale. While topsoil variation of SOC stocks depended mainly on climate, soil texture and agricultural variables, subsoil SOC stocks changes depended mainly on soil attributes such us soil texture, clay content, soil type or depth to bedrock. The GWR model revealed that the relationship between SOC stocks and drivers varied spatially. Finally, the study was only able to predict and map topsoil SOC stocks at the regional scale, because controlling factors of SOC stocks at the subsoil level were largely unavailable for digital mapping. According to the resulting map, the mean SOC stock value for Catalan agriculture at the topsoil level was 4.88 ± 0.89 kg/m2 and the total magnitude of the carbon pool in agricultural soils of Catalonia up to 30 cm reached 47.9 Tg. The present study findings are useful for defining carbon sequestration strategies at the regional scale related with agricultural land use changes and agricultural management practices in a context of climate change.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio