Estat de conservació de les praderies de Posidonia oceanica (Linnaeus) Delile, 1813 dins la Badia de Portocolom (Mallorca)

[cat] Posidonia oceanica (Linnaeus), Delile, 1813 és una fanerògama marina endèmica del Mediterrani que proporciona gran quantitat de serveis ecosistèmics i és clau per a la conservació de la biodiversitat. Com la majoria de la vegetació marina està en greu recessió. Una de les principals amenaces que afecten aquesta planta, juntament amb l’eutrofització i l’escalfament global, és el fondeig incontrolat. En aquest estudi fem una avaluació de l’estat de conservació de la praderia de P. oceanica situada davant la platja de s’Arenal a la badia de Portocolom afectada per fondeig incontrolat. La mitjana del percentatge de cobertura entre una fondària de 2 i 4.8 metres va ser de 44.2 ± 13.6 %, cobertures inferiors a les reportades anteriorment per aquesta zona. Les densitats van variar entre 392 i 576 feixos/m2, amb una mitjana de 508 ± 31 feixos/m2. Aquesta praderia té molt baixa densitat, o densitat anormal, indicant que està sotmesa a pressions que posen en perill el seu estat de conservació. Vam poder estimar el nombre de feixos arrabassats per una àncora d’un vaixell d’uns 15 metres d’eslora, que va ser de 165 ± 31 feixos. Aquesta praderia necessitaria 5 anys en condicions òptimes per poder recolonitzar l’àrea arrabassada per aquesta àncora. Una estima del carboni alliberat per l’efecte del fondeig d’aquesta àncora revelaria que 915 g de carboni quedaria disponible i podria ser alliberat a l’atmosfera.[eng] Posidonia oceanica (Linnaeus), Delile, 1813 is an endemic Mediterranean seagrass that provides multiple ecosystem services and is a key species for biodiversity conservation. Like most submerged vegetation, this key habitat is regressing alarmingly. One of the main threats affecting this seagrass, together with eutrophication and global warming, is uncontrolled anchoring. Here, we evaluate the conservation status of the P. oceanica meadow in front of s’Arenal beach in Portocolom Bay that is affected by uncontrolled anchoring. The mean cover percentage at depths between 2 and 4.8 meters was 44.2 ± 13.6 %, lower than previously reported for this area. Densities varied between 392 and 576 shoots/m2, with an average of 508 ± 31 shoots/m2. This is a very low, or even an abnormal, density, indicating that this meadow is subject to pressures that are threatening its conservation. We could estimate the number of shoots that were torn off by the action of anchoring of a 15 m long boat: 165 ± 31 shoots. This meadow would require 5 years of optimal conditions to be able to recolonize the area removed by the action of this anchoring. An estimate of the carbon released by the action of this anchoring was 915 g of carbon that could become available and could be released to the atmosphere

Setting conclitions, Petrology ancl Geochemistry of calc-alkaline rhyolites, stephanian-permian, in the iberian chains

[Resumen] Se exponen los caracteres del emplazamiento, la composición petrológica y geoquímica de unos sills riolíticos que, con afinidad calco-alcalina, se emplazaron, bajo un ambiente sin-colisional, en diversos sectores de la Cadena Ibérica. Estas riolitas representan un origen crustal, con baja tasa de fusión, previo a un magmatismo calco-alcalino de origen subcrustal.[Abstract] The setting characters, the petrological and geochemical composition are exposed for sorne rhyolitic sills, with calc-alkaline affinity, which were set, in a syncollisional environment, in several areas of the Iberian Chains. These rhyolites represent a crustal origin, with a low degree of fussion, previous to a calc-alkaline magmatism of subcrustal origino

Effects of wastewater treatment plant effluent inputs on planktonic metabolic rates and microbial community composition in the Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is the world's largest area suffering from eutrophication-driven hypoxia. Low oxygen levels are threatening its biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. The main causes for eutrophication-driven hypoxia are high nutrient loadings and global warming. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) contribute to eutrophication as they are important sources of nitrogen to coastal areas. Here, we evaluated the effects of wastewater treatment plant effluent inputs on Baltic Sea planktonic communities in four experiments. We tested for effects of effluent inputs on chlorophyll <i>a</i> content, bacterial community composition, and metabolic rates: gross primary production (GPP), net community production (NCP), community respiration (CR) and bacterial production (BP). Nitrogen-rich dissolved organic matter (DOM) inputs from effluents increased bacterial production and decreased primary production and community respiration. Nutrient amendments and seasonally variable environmental conditions lead to lower alpha-diversity and shifts in bacterial community composition (e.g. increased abundance of a few cyanobacterial populations in the summer experiment), concomitant with changes in metabolic rates. An increase in BP and decrease in CR could be caused by high lability of the DOM that can support secondary bacterial production, without an increase in respiration. Increases in bacterial production and simultaneous decreases of primary production lead to more carbon being consumed in the microbial loop, and may shift the ecosystem towards heterotrophy

Reduction of CO2-emissions in ceramic tiles manufacture by combining energy-saving measures

Ceramic tile manufacture requires a great quantity of energy, mainly in the form of heat. The heat is principally used in the kilns and dryers, and it is obtained by natural gas combustion. The increasing cost of natural gas, as well as the application of a new gas tax, the new legislation in regard to emissions trading, and the difficult current economic situation have driven the ceramic tile sector to implement energy-saving actions in the production process with the twofold aim of reducing energy costs and abating carbon dioxide emissions. One such course of action is the European project REDUCER, funded by the European Commission and led by Azulev S.A.U., in which the Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica (ITC) also participates. This project seeks to implement energy-saving actions in company kilns and dryers in order to lower natural gas consumption and reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the tile manufacturing process. One of the saving actions envisaged is the installation of a system of waste heat recovery from one of the company kilns to the tile body dryers. This new waste heat recovery system is to be added to and will complement the already existing system at the company, thus achieving maximum heat recovery from the kiln stacks. The recovered heat will go entirely to the green tile body dryers, thus reducing natural gas consumption in the dryers. The designed installation seeks to recover 600 kW heat from the stacks of one of the kilns, entailing a natural gas saving of more than 120 k€/year and suppressing the emission into the atmosphere of 720 tons of CO2/year, savings that are to be added to those attained with other energy-saving measures. This paper describes the energy-saving actions implemented at the company, as well as the resulting energy savings

Brasil x Espanha: consumo de energia térmica e emissões de CO2 envolvidos na fabricação de revestimentos cerâmicos

A demanda de energia térmica da indústria de revestimentos cerâmicos é bastante elevada, sendo atendida quase por completo pela combustão do gás natural. Os gastos com geração de energia térmica representam uma grande parte do custo de produção de revestimentos cerâmicos, e as emissões de CO2 resultantes desta atividade industrial são muito expressivas. Neste sentido, o aumento da eficiência térmica nos processos produtivos conhecidos atualmente deve ser buscado constantemente com o objetivo de reduzir o custo de fabricação e as emissões de CO2. Para isso, é necessário dispor de uma base de dados de consumos energéticos e emissões de CO2, a fim de conhecer a situação atual do setor e as possibilidades de aumentar a eficiência energética do processo. Dessa forma, o presente trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de levantar dados baseados em medições diretas em equipamentos industriais consumidores de gás natural, no Brasil e na Espanha, utilizando a mesma metodologia. Foram visitadas 65 empresas e analisados 130 equipamentos, sendo possível estabelecer comparações entre o consumo de diversas tipologias de produtos, etapas do processo produtivo, distintas rotas de processamento, equipamentos com características construtivas diferenciadas, dentre outros. As informações obtidas constituem um inédito banco de dados que representa a real situação dos setores de revestimentos cerâmicos do Brasil e da Espanha, com respeito ao consumo energético e às emissões de CO2

Preliminary comparison of magmatic manifestations, calc-alkaline affinity and stephanian-permian age, in the Iberian Chain

[Resumen] En este trabajo se estudian, de forma sintética y actualizada, las manifestaciones (hipovolcánicas y volcanoclásticas) calco-alcalinas que, con carácter epizonal, pluriepisódico y edad Stephaniense-Pérmico, afloran en la Cadena Ibérica. El estudio del magmatismo en la cuenca de Sauquillo de Alcázar (Soria) permite identificar la geometría y la modalidad de este magmatismo con mayor precisi6n, respecto a lo obtenido en los cuatro afloramientos volcano-clásticos seleccionados. Los resultados obtenidos facilitan realizar consideraciones sobre el estudio espacio-temporal de este magmatismo..[Abstract] A synthetic and actualized study of several magmatic calc-alkaline manifestations of Stephanian-Permian age, of the Iberian Chain, is proposed in this papero The Sauquillo de Alcázar (Soria) outcrop allows a more complete study (with drilling logs and a surface profile) giving improved spacetime information on the geometry and evolution of this magmatism. Four pyroclastic outcrops are integrated in this compariso

Viure amb càncer colorectal

Treballs d'Educació Farmacèutica als ciutadans. Unitat Docent d'Estades en Pràctiques Tutelades. Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona. Curs: 2015-2016. Tutors: Jordi Casas Sánchez i Marian March Pujol

The Impact of Global Warming and Anoxia on Marine Benthic Community Dynamics: an Example from the Toarcian (Early Jurassic)

The Pliensbachian-Toarcian (Early Jurassic) fossil record is an archive of natural data of benthic community response to global warming and marine long-term hypoxia and anoxia. In the early Toarcian mean temperatures increased by the same order of magnitude as that predicted for the near future; laminated, organic-rich, black shales were deposited in many shallow water epicontinental basins; and a biotic crisis occurred in the marine realm, with the extinction of approximately 5% of families and 26% of genera. High-resolution quantitative abundance data of benthic invertebrates were collected from the Cleveland Basin (North Yorkshire, UK), and analysed with multivariate statistical methods to detect how the fauna responded to environmental changes during the early Toarcian. Twelve biofacies were identified. Their changes through time closely resemble the pattern of faunal degradation and recovery observed in modern habitats affected by anoxia. All four successional stages of community structure recorded in modern studies are recognised in the fossil data (i.e. Stage III: climax; II: transitional; I: pioneer; 0: highly disturbed). Two main faunal turnover events occurred: (i) at the onset of anoxia, with the extinction of most benthic species and the survival of a few adapted to thrive in low-oxygen conditions (Stages I to 0) and (ii) in the recovery, when newly evolved species colonized the re-oxygenated soft sediments and the path of recovery did not retrace of pattern of ecological degradation (Stages I to II). The ordination of samples coupled with sedimentological and palaeotemperature proxy data indicate that the onset of anoxia and the extinction horizon coincide with both a rise in temperature and sea level. Our study of how faunal associations co-vary with long and short term sea level and temperature changes has implications for predicting the long-term effects of “dead zones” in modern oceans

Global cooling as a driver of diversification in a major marine clade

Climate is a strong driver of global diversity and will become increasingly important as human influences drive temperature changes at unprecedented rates. Here we investigate diversification and speciation trends within a diverse group of aquatic crustaceans, the Anomura. We use a phylogenetic framework to demonstrate that speciation rate is correlated with global cooling across the entire tree, in contrast to previous studies. Additionally, we find that marine clades continue to show evidence of increased speciation rates with cooler global temperatures, while the single freshwater clade shows the opposite trend with speciation rates positively correlated to global warming. Our findings suggest that both global cooling and warming lead to diversification and that habitat plays a role in the responses of species to climate change. These results have important implications for our understanding of how extant biota respond to ongoing climate change and are of particular importance for conservation planning of marine ecosystems

Draxin acts as a molecular rheostat of canonical Wnt signaling to control cranial neural crest EMT

Neural crest cells undergo a spatiotemporally regulated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) that proceeds head to tailward to exit from the neural tube. In this study, we show that the secreted molecule Draxin is expressed in a transient rostrocaudal wave that mirrors this emigration pattern, initiating after neural crest specification and being down-regulated just before delamination. Functional experiments reveal that Draxin regulates the timing of cranial neural crest EMT by transiently inhibiting canonical Wnt signaling. Ectopic maintenance of Draxin in the cranial neural tube blocks full EMT; while cells delaminate, they fail to become mesenchymal and migratory. Loss of Draxin results in premature delamination but also in failure to mesenchymalize. These results suggest that a pulse of intermediate Wnt signaling triggers EMT and is necessary for its completion. Taken together, these data show that transient secreted Draxin mediates proper levels of canonical Wnt signaling required to regulate the precise timing of initiation and completion of cranial neural crest EMT