A new index of resilience applicable to external pulse-disturbances that considers the recovery of communities in the short term

.Resilience is a key concept in the study of the recovery of ecosystems affected by disturbances. Currently, there are numerous indices to measure resilience, but many of them do not show the accuracy of the resilience value or the behaviour of ecological parameters in the face of disturbances. New approaches and technologies enable large amounts of information to be obtained, facilitating the proposal of new resilience indices that work consistently and intuitively for a wide variety of ecological response variables under different scenarios after pulse-disturbances. In this study, we propose and verify a new resilience index, comparing its performance with others previously published. We validated the performance of the new index using real data based on field measurements of changes in soil bacterial OTUs diversity and abundance after a wildfire. The new resilience index provided an automatic and robust functional classification of the behaviour of ecosystems after disturbances, supported by a bootstrap analysis. We identified 5 scenarios of ecosystem resilience performance according to their behaviour after a pulse-disturbance: resilient, non-resilient, recovering, rebound, and continuing.S

Mapping Soil Burn Severity at Very High Spatial Resolution from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

ArtículoThe evaluation of the effect of burn severity on forest soils is essential to determine the impact of wildfires on a range of key ecological processes, such as nutrient cycling and vegetation recovery. The main objective of this study was to assess the potentiality of different spectral products derived from RGB and multispectral imagery collected by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at very high spatial resolution for discriminating spatial variations in soil burn severity after a heterogeneous wildfire. In the case study, we chose a mixed-severity fire that occurred in the northwest (NW) of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain) in 2019 that affected 82.74 ha covered by three different types of forests, each dominated by Pinus pinaster, Pinus sylvestris, and Quercus pyrenaica. We evaluated soil burn severity in the field 1 month after the fire using the Composite Burn Soil Index (CBSI), as well as a pool of five individual indicators (ash depth, ash cover, fine debris cover, coarse debris cover, and unstructured soil depth) of easy interpretation. Simultaneously, we operated an unmanned aerial vehicle to obtain RGB and multispectral postfire images, allowing for deriving six spectral indices. Then, we explored the relationship between spectral indices and field soil burn severity metrics by means of univariate proportional odds regression models. These models were used to predict CBSI categories, and classifications were validated through confusion matrices. Results indicated that multispectral indices outperformed RGB indices when assessing soil burn severity, being more strongly related to CBSI than to individual indicators. The Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) was the best-performing spectral index for modelling CBSI (R2cv = 0.69), showing the best ability to predict CBSI categories (overall accuracy = 0.83). Among the individual indicators of soil burn severity, ash depth was the one that achieved the best results, specifically when it was modelled from NDWI (R2cv = 0.53). This work provides a useful background to design quick and accurate assessments of soil burn severity to be implemented immediately after the fire, which is a key factor to identify priority areas for emergency actions after forest fires.S

Resistance of soil bacterial communities from montane heathland ecosystems in the Cantabrian mountains (NW Spain) to a gradient of experimental nitrogen deposition

[EN] Elevated atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on terrestrial ecosystems has become one of the most important drivers of microbial diversity loss on a global scale, and has been reported to alter the soil function of nutrient-poor, montane Calluna vulgaris heathlands in the context of global change. In this work we analyze for the first time the shifts of bacterial communities in response to experimental addition of N in Calluna heathlands as a simulation of atmospheric deposition. Specifically, we evaluated the effects of five N addition treatments (0, 10, 20, and 50 kg N ha−1 yr−1 for 3-years; and 56 kg N ha−1 yr−1 for 10-years) on the resistance of soil bacterial communities as determined by changes in their composition and alpha and beta diversities. The study was conducted in montane Calluna heathlands at different development stages (young and mature phases) in the southern side of the Cantabrian Mountains (NW Spain). Our results evidenced a substantial increase of long-term (10-years) N inputs on soil extractable N-NH4+, particularly in young Calluna stands. The alpha diversity of soil bacterial communities in mature Calluna stands did not show a significant response to experimental N addition, whereas it was significantly higher under long-term chronic N addition (56 kg N ha−1 yr−1 for 10-years) in young Calluna stands. These bacterial community shifts are mainly attributable to a decrease in the dominance of Acidobacteria phylum, the most representative in montane Calluna ecosystems, in favor of copiotrophic taxa such as Actinobacteria or Proteobacteria phyla, favored under increased N availability. Future research should investigate what specific ecosystem functions performed by soil bacterial communities may be sensitive to increased nitrogen depositions, which may have substantial implications for the understanding of montane Calluna ecosystems' stability.SINext-Generation Funds of the European Union (EU) in the framework of the FIREMAP project (TED2021-130925B-I00)Regional Government of Castile and León in the framework of the IA-FIREXTCyL project (LE081P23)Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology in the frame of project UIDB/04033/2020Spanish Ministry of Universities (FPU21/00309

Using remote sensing methods to study the relationship between fire history and burn severity

Este libro recoge las contribuciones científicas presentadas en el XVIII Congreso de la Asociación Española de Teledetección, celebrado en Valladolid entre el 25 y el 27 de septiembre de 2019[ES] Los regímenes de incendios en la Cuenca Mediterránea se están modificando debido a cambios en el clima y en los usos del suelo. Estos cambios pueden comprometer la capacidad de la vegetación para recuperarse, por lo que su estudio es de gran interés. El objetivo de este trabajo es caracterizar los atributos del régimen de incendios (tiempo desde el último incendio, recurrencia y severidad) mediante técnicas de teledetección, así como analizar la relación ente la historia de incendios (tiempo desde el último incendio y recurrencia de incendios) y la severidad del fuego. Para ello se seleccionaron dos grandes incendios ocurridos en la Península Ibérica: el incendio de La Cabrera (9939 ha) y el incendio de Gátova (1414 ha). En cada una de las zonas se caracterizó el régimen de incendios utilizando la serie temporal de imágenes Landsat 1984-2017 (sensores TM, ETM+ y OLI). Los resultados mostraron una alta heterogeneidad espacial en relación con los tres atributos del régimen de incendios en ambas zonas de estudio. La Cabrera mostró una amplia variedad de situaciones, con periodos libres de incendios entre O y 33 años y recurrencias entre 1 y 7 incendios. En Gátova predominaron los periodos libres de fuego largos(> 20 años) y la baja recurrencia (1-2 incendios). La variación espacial de la severidad mostró una distribución por categorías equitativa en ambos incendios. El análisis de la relación entre los parámetros de la historia de incendios y la severidad del fuego mostró en ambas zonas de estudio que las severidades más altas se alcanzaron en las zonas que se quemaron hace 15-20 años, mientras que las zonas recientemente quemadas y las no quemadas anteriormente presentaron severidades menores. Este estudio demuestra la capacidad de las imágenes Landsat para analizar los potenciales condicionantes de la severidad del fuego en grandes incendios forestales[EN] Fire regimes in the Mediterranean Basin are changing owing to shifis in climate and land use. These changes in fire regimes might hinder the capacity of vegetation to recover after disturbances, being their study of great interest. The objective of this work is to characterize the fire regime attributes (time since the last fire, fire recurrence and burn severity) by means of remate sensing, as well as to analyse the relationship between the fire history parameters (time since the lastfire andfire recurrence) and burn severity. We selected two largefires in the Iberian Península: La Cabrera wildfire (9939 ha) and Gátova wildfire (1414 ha). In each study site we characterize the fire regime attributes using Landsat imagery from 1984 to 2017 (TM, ETM + and OLI sensors). Results showed a high spatial heterogeneity in both study sites in relation to the three fire regime attributes. La Cabrera showed a wide variety of situations, comprising fire-free periods between O and 33 years and fire recurrences between 1 and 7 fires. In Gátova, long free fire periods (>20 years) and low recurrences (1-2 fires) prevailed Burn severity levels (low, moderate and high) were equitably represented in both fires. The analysis of the relationship between the fire history parameters and the severity of the last fire indicated that, in both study sites, the highest severities were reached in the areas that were burned 15-20 years ago, while the recently burned areas and the most mature areas had the lowest severities. This study demonstrates the ability of Landsat imagery to analyse the fire history and its relationship with burn severityEste estudio ha sido financiado por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad y por el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional mediante el proyecto FIRESEVES (AGL2017-86075-C2-1-R), y por la Junta de Castilla y León a través del proyecto SEFIRECYL (LE001P17). Víctor Fernández-García y José Manuel Fernández Guisuraga disfrutan de contratos predoctorales del Ministerio de Educación (FPU14/00636 y FPU16/03070 respectivamente). David Beltrán-Marcos y Rayo PintoPrieto disfrutan de contratos de personal técnico de apoyo a la investigación dentro del Sistema Nacional de Garantía Juvenil y cofinanciados por el Fondo Social Europeo y la Iniciativa de Empleo Juvenil de la Junta de Castilla y Leó

Mulching treatments favour the recovery of ecosystem multifunctionality after a large wildfire in Northwest Spain

[EN] Wildfires are a widespread phenomenon in forests across the Mediterranean Basin but have increased in risk and severity in recent decades. Post-fire treatments are measures that help recover burned vegetation and their functionality but to what extent they also help recover soil functionality is currently unknown. The main objective of this study was to assess the effect of post-fire treatments on ecosystem multifunctionality after a large wildfire in the Cabrera mountain range in 2017 (NW Spain) where close to 10000 Ha of forest were burnt. At the end of 2017 and during 2018, the administration applied different post-fire treatments in high fire severity affected areas: i) straw mulching, ii) woody debris and iii) subsoiling and iv) mechanical hole afforestation. In each treatment, we established ten 2 x 2 m plots and ten adjacent untreated burned plots and collected a composite soil sample from each plot four years after the fire (2021). We calculated regulating services as the standardized mean of total soil organic C (climate regulation), soil water repellence (water regulation) and soil aggregation (soil protection). Supporting services were measured as the standardized mean of mineral N-NH4+ and N-NO3- and available P (soil fertility), β-glucosidase, urease and acid phosphatase (nutrient cycling) and microbial biomass (soil quality). Ecosystem multifunctionality was measured as the standardized mean of all functions measured. Application of straw mulch and woody debris increased regulating ecosystem services in relation to burned control plots. Afforestation with holes had no impact but subsoiling decreased regulating ecosystem services in relation to burned control plots. Post-fire treatments did not have any effect on supporting services. Straw mulch, Woody debris and afforestation with holes improved ecosystem multifunctionality when compared with subsoiling methods. These results show that post-fire stabilisation treatments, in particular straw mulching have a significant positive impact on regulating services and are effective measures in restoring the ecosystem multifunctionality, helping develop effective management based-decisions for the recovery of ecosystem services and functioning after large wildfiresThis research was financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness in the framework of the FIRESEVES (AGL2017-86075-C2-1-R) project, and by the Regional Government of Castilla and León in the framework of the WUIFIRECYL (LE005P20) projec

Potencial de recuperación post-fuego a medio plazo de Pinus pinaster en la Sierra del Teleno en función de la frecuencia de incendios

[EN] Los pinares de Pinus pinaster de La Sierra del Teleno se han visto históricamente afectados por numerosos incendios de escasa extensión. Sin embargo, en los últimos años se ha incrementado la recurrencia y se han producido dos grandes incendios (en 1998 y 2012), probablemente consecuencia del cambio en las condiciones climáticas y en la gestión del pinar. El objetivo de este estudio es determinar el efecto de la recurrencia del fuego sobre el potencial reproductor de Pinus pinaster. Se seleccionaron zonas quemadas por un solo incendio (2012) en los últimos 30 años, y zonas quemadas por dos incendios (1998 y 2012). El muestreo se realizó a los 6 años desde el último incendio. Se estimó la cobertura de las especies arbustivas y se llevó a cabo un estudio más detallado de los parámetros poblacionales de la población de P. pinaster. Los resultados ponen de manifiesto que la cobertura de las especies de matorral es mayor en las zonas quemadas dos veces. Por el contrario, los pinos presentan un patrón opuesto. Tanto sus características morfológicas (edad, altura y diámetro), como sus características reproductivas (número y tamaño de piñas y porcentaje de germinación de los piñones) son mayores en las zonas quemadas una sola vez. Pese al efecto negativo de la recurrencia de incendios, cabe destacar la extraordinaria precocidad reproductora de los pinos estudiados, que producen piñones viables, aunque en una proporción muy pequeña, desde los 4 añosEste estudio ha sido financiado por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España, y el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), en el marco de los proyectos GESFIRE (AGL2013- 48189-C2-1-R) y FIRESEVES (AGL2017-86075-C2-1-R); y por la Junta de Castilla y León en el marco de los proyectos FIRECYL (LE033U14), SEFIRECYL (LE001P17) y WUIFIRECYL (LE005P20

Evaluación de la resiliencia forestal al fuego mediante la inversión de modelos de transferencia radiativa a partir de imágenes de satélite

[ES] El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la resiliencia ingenieril a corto plazo de diversas comunidades de matorral en función de su estrategia regenerativa y la severidad del fuego, dentro del perímetro de un mega-incendio ocurrido en verano de 2017 en el noroeste de la Península Ibérica. Se dispuso de una serie temporal de imágenes de satélite Sentinel-2 para las que se computó la fracción de cubierta vegetal (FVC) para cada pixel mediante la inversión híbrida del modelo de transferencia radiativa (RTM) PROSAIL-D utilizando el algoritmo random forest. Se obtuvo un elevado ajuste para toda la serie temporal (R2 > 0,75), a partir de la validación con datos de campo. Mediante un muestreo de FVC de puntos aleatorios estratificados por tipo de estrategia regenerativa y nivel de severidad del fuego, se determinó la resiliencia de las comunidades de matorral en términos de recuperación de la cobertura utilizando un índice de resiliencia normalizado por impacto y un modelo de regresión lineal. Severidades altas influyeron negativamente en la resiliencia ingenieril a corto plazo de las comunidades de matorral dominadas por especies germinadoras facultativas. En cambio, las comunidades dominadas por especies rebrotadoras alcanzaron valores de cobertura pre-incendio independientemente de la severidad del fuegoEste estudio ha sido financiado por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España, y el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), en el marco de los proyectos GESFIRE (AGL2013- 48189-C2-1-R) y FIRESEVES (AGL2017-86075-C2-1-R); y por la Junta de Castilla y León en el marco de los proyectos FIRECYL (LE033U14), SEFIRECYL (LE001P17) y WUIFIRECYL (LE005P20)

Aprendizaje-Servicio en el entorno rural de León

[ES] A través del grupo de Innovación Docente BIOMETAC, nace esta experiencia de ApS para promover en los estudiantes de los grados en Biología, Biotecnología y Ciencias Ambientales de la ULE, la iniciativa cívica de participación en la sociedad. El objetivo general del proyecto es que el alumnado aplique sus conocimientos y habilidades para sensibilizar y dinamizar a la población de varios municipios rurales de León frente a retos de la Agenda 2030 asociados a la salud y la sostenibilidad ambiental. Se establecieron 3 grupos de trabajo, cada uno integrado por 12 estudiantes de los tres grados, que trabajan en 3 municipios rurales de la provincia de León: Cistierna, Truchas y Villablino, con diversas problemáticas en el ámbito de la salud y medioambiente. El Proyecto se realiza en tres fases: Preparación, Ejecución y Evaluación y Difusión. Durante la primera fase (curso 2021/22), se realizaron reuniones con el alumnado para guiarlos en el diagnóstico de cada municipio. Los datos obtenidos permitieron detectar los problemas que más preocupaban a la población de cada municipio. En una segunda fase (curso 2022/23), los alumnos profundizarán en las distintas problemáticas mediante actuaciones propuestas por ellos mismos y presentarán sus conclusiones en cada municipio. Esta experiencia pretende que los estudiantes pongan los conocimientos y las competencias adquiridas al servicio de comunidades rurales, trabajando directamente sobre varios Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS), mejorando su capacidad de iniciativa, autonomía en la organización del trabajo, y responsabilidad para la resolución de problemas

In COVID-19 Health Messaging, Loss Framing Increases Anxiety with Little-to-No Concomitant Benefits: Experimental Evidence from 84 Countries

The COVID-19 pandemic (and its aftermath) highlights a critical need to communicate health information effectively to the global public. Given that subtle differences in information framing can have meaningful effects on behavior, behavioral science research highlights a pressing question: Is it more effective to frame COVID-19 health messages in terms of potential losses (e.g., "If you do not practice these steps, you can endanger yourself and others") or potential gains (e.g., "If you practice these steps, you can protect yourself and others")? Collecting data in 48 languages from 15,929 participants in 84 countries, we experimentally tested the effects of message framing on COVID-19-related judgments, intentions, and feelings. Loss- (vs. gain-) framed messages increased self-reported anxiety among participants cross-nationally with little-to-no impact on policy attitudes, behavioral intentions, or information seeking relevant to pandemic risks. These results were consistent across 84 countries, three variations of the message framing wording, and 560 data processing and analytic choices. Thus, results provide an empirical answer to a global communication question and highlight the emotional toll of loss-framed messages. Critically, this work demonstrates the importance of considering unintended affective consequences when evaluating nudge-style interventions

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges