Ecophysiological study of the intertidal zonation of the estuarine rhodophytes Bostrychia scorpioides (Hudson) Montagne ex Kützing and Catenella caespitosa (Withering) L. M. Irvine

La presente tesis doctoral tiene como objetivo estudiar la ecofisiología de las macroalgas estuáricas Bostrychia scorpioides (Hudson) Montagne ex Kützing (Rhodophyta, Ceramiales) y Catenella caespitosa (Withering) L. M. Irvine (Rhodophyta, Gigartinales) y analizar el papel que desempeñan diferentes variables ambientales en su distribución y crecimiento en el intermareal del estuario del río Palmones. Desde el punto de vista ecofisiológico, estas especies destacan por su adaptación a bajas irradiancias, debido al efecto atenuante del dosel de vegetación sobre el que crecen, y su alta tolerancia a la desecación, la cual determina sus límites superiores de distribución. Los objetivos específicos son: 1) Evaluar la capacidad de fotoaclimatación y los requerimientos energéticos para la fotosíntesis y el crecimiento; 2) Determinar la capacidad de incorporación y requerimientos internos de nutrientes de cada especie; 3) Analizar el efecto individual e interactivo de las variables de emersión sobre las respuestas fisiológicas (tolerancia y recuperación); 4) Identificar la variabilidad intra- e interespecífica en la ecofisiología de B. scorpioides y C. caespitosa en relación al gradiente de marea; 5) Estudiar la dinámica estacional de la biomasa, crecimiento, fotosíntesis y composición interna de las especies objeto de estudio, a través de muestreos mensuales en el estuario. Bostrychia scorpioides posee una mayor variabilidad fenotípica a escala espacial y estacional, una alta plasticidad fotofisiológica, la capacidad de reducir las tasas de renovación de N y P internos en alturas de marea donde el aporte de nutrientes es menor y mantener tasas de crecimiento positivas en periodos severos de emersión diaria. Estas respuestas permiten a esta especie afrontar condiciones ambientales más fluctuantes, explicando su clara dominancia en lugares expuestos a mayor irradiancia, su presencia en los niveles más altos del intermareal y la distribución homogénea de su biomasa entre los distintos niveles mareales. Catenella caespitosa muestra una gran capacidad fotofisiológica adaptada a bajas irradiancias, con bajos requerimientos lumínicos para su crecimiento y la minimización de las tasas de respiración. Esta respuesta fisiológica, junto a su baja capacidad para reducir la demanda interna de N en posiciones más altas del intermareal y su mayor sensibilidad a las variables de emersión, explican su dominancia en las zonas intermareales más bajas y en lugares sombríos. El aumento de densidad en el dosel de vegetación aminora el estrés físico, facilitando el crecimiento de C. caespitosa, dada su menor tolerancia a la emersión, y limitando el de B. scorpioides, debido a sus mayores requerimientos lumínicos para crecer. La biomasa de ambas especies presentó un claro patrón estacional, con un aumento de fotosíntesis, crecimiento y contenido interno de nutrientes de invierno a primavera. Los factores físicos influyen de forma directa en la distribución espacial de B. scorpioides and C. caespitosa en el intermareal del estuario del río Palmones, teniendo las interacciones bióticas un papel marginal. Las variables de emersión y la disponibilidad de nutrientes establecen los límites superiores de distribución de ambas especies, e impiden el crecimiento de C. caespitosa en la zona superior del intermareal, mientras que la luz es el principal factor que limita la distribución de B. scorpioides a la zona intermedia y superior de éste

De novo transcriptome characterization of Ulva lacinulata under in situ emersion/immersion cyclic conditions.

The green algal genus Ulva Linnaeus (Ulvaceae, Ulvales, Chlorophyta) displays a worldwide distribution in marine, freshwater and brackish ecosystems, and are really well adapted to fluctuating natural environments. Despite increasing interest on the analysis of the ecophysiological responses showed by organisms to face environmental shifts, knowledge of the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying those responses are still scarce. These responses determine the survival of organisms under pressure of different environmental stresses and the regular ecosystem behaviour. In order to disentangle the genetic networks that might regulate the adaptation mechanisms of these organisms in a changing environment, the characterization of the de novo transcriptome from Ulva lacinulata derived from a coastal ecosystems of southern Spain under in situ cyclic conditions of emersion/immersion by using Next Generation Sequencing technologies was carried out. Transcriptome sequencing and transcript-level expression analysis were performed by Illumina®NextSeq® 550 system platform. A total of 100,251 unigenes were expressed during emersion/immersion process. Based on the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), genes associated with different biosynthetic metabolic pathways were annotated according to Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Orthology (KEGG). These findings shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying rapid and successful ecophysiological response of marine macroalgae in cyclic tidal conditions.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Catalytic hydrodehalogenation of the flame retardant tetrabromobisphenol A by alumina-supported Pd, Rh and Pt catalysts

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) is one of the most used BFRs, being characterized by a strong persistence and leading to negative effects on both the environment and human health. The aim of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of aqueous-phase catalytic hydrodehalogenation (HDH) for the fast and environmentally-friendly degradation of the brominated flame retardant TBBPA. Pd, Rh, and Pt on alumina commercial catalysts (1% wt.) were tested and reactions were performed under ambient operating conditions. TBBPA (1 mg L−1) was completely removed in short reaction times ( 95%) in 15 min using Pd/Al2O3. Nevertheless, employing Rh and Pt alumina-supported catalysts debromination of TBBPA increased progressively requiring much longer times and only 83% and 78% debromination yields were achieved after 2 h reaction, respectively. Bisphenol A (BPA), a well-known endocrine disruptor, was generated as reaction intermediate but it was further hydrogenated with both Pd and Rh catalysts, whereas it remained as reaction product with the Pt catalyst. A series reaction pathway considering both hydrodebromination and hydrogenation steps was proposed based on the obtained results. The experimental data obtained with the Pd/Al2O3 catalyst were successfully described by a pseudo-first order kinetic model, obtaining an apparent activation energy of 36 kJ mol−1. Notably, this catalyst showed a reasonable stability after three consecutive HDH run

Runtime reconfigurable system for decommissioned satellite identification and capture

The increasing number of space missions has led to the accumulation of space debris, becoming a problem to be taken into account. A possible solution to eliminate rubble in space consists of launching satellites capable of detecting these obstacles and then destroy them. This paper presents a system for decomissioned satellite identification and capture. The system was developed with a methodology which provides support for component management as well as runtime system reconfiguration. The proposed solution is able to reconfigure itself at runtime with different configurations that provide different performance and energy consumption strategies to adapt to the environmental conditions during a space mission.This work was done as part of the FitOptiVis project, funded by the ECSEL Joint Undertaking (grant H2020-ECSEL-2017-2-783162), and the Platino project, funded by Spanish MINECO (Reference TEC2017-86722-C4-3-R

How can seasonality modulate thermal sensitivity in early stages of fucoids?: The colder, the better

In the face of ocean global change, determining critical thermal thresholds for marine organisms is a key aspect to predict the survival and persistence of populations, particularly those from rear-edge areas. Seasonal variability implies acclimation of adult individuals, which might result in shifting thermal sensitivities of their recruits. In this work, we aimed to investigate the influence of natural seasonal parental acclimation on the warming response of single- and few-celled stages of Fucus guiryi, a monoecious fucoid from the east Atlantic coast and Strait of Gibraltar, whose populations are iteroparous. To address this, we obtained embryos from fertile thalli collected in early summer, late summer, and winter. In the three replicate experiments under laboratory-controlled conditions, we followed growth, development, survival, and photosynthetic responses of embryos exposed to control (15ºC) and warming conditions (25ºC) for 3 weeks, and initial elemental composition was characterized. Our findings revealed that breeding from winter parents possessed broader thermal sensitivity and thrived better under warming conditions than those from summer specimens, where only 50% survived and experience 75% reductions in photosynthetic rates. Nevertheless, there was a significant gain in thermal resilience from early to late summer regarding survival at 25º C. This research highlighted that warmer winters would not potentially harm new recruits, while extreme temperature events in early summer might compromise the survival of the most sensitive early summer recruits, considering the RCP8.5 predictions for 2050. The influence of parental and provisioning effects and how this might be applied to ecological restoration is discussed.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Microclimate accounts for demographic, morphological and reproductive differentiation of two neighbour peripheral populations of the canopy-forming Fucus guiryi

Demography, reproductive ecology and thermal regime of Fucus guiryi from the Strait of Gibraltar was monitored between 2018-2019, at two populations ca. 7 km apart (Tarifa and Guadalmesí, South Spain). Due to its peripheral and southern range distribution, they are characterized by low population density and minimum length of reproductive individuals, shorter individuals, and higher individual bushiness in comparison to their northern counterparts. Significant interactions were detected among populations and sampling locations and related to local environmental conditions. Tarifa population had higher population density, cover, extent, and more aggregated individuals, while Guadalmesí had a patchier distribution. Outside the canopies of F. guiryi in Tarifa there is a plethora of biota growing on the numerous protruding rocks, leading to varying microhabitats, while at Guadalmesí, there is only barnacle-covered bare rock. Accordingly, specimens from Tarifa had greater mean and maximum individual lengths, a higher minimum length of reproductive individuals, a greater proportion of mature receptacles and higher individual bushiness. Thermal regime and wave exposure confirmed that F. guiryi from Guadalmesí is exposed to higher disruptive stress due to higher summer temperatures, which is less buffered due to its distribution. Between summer and fall 2018, high summer air temperatures, exceeding overall mean historical records, caused the breakage of apical fronds at Guadalmesí, disrupting the expected parallel seasonal dynamics. Thallus height declined towards the upper intertidal limits to a similar extent in both populations. Canopies of F. guiryi ameliorated understory microclimatic conditions, by reducing the temperature in 5-7ºC and surface irradiance by 10-16%. Demographic, morphological and reproduction-related variables from these populations consistently “fit in” the core to edge trends reported along Portuguese Iberian coasts.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Teaching Digital Competence and Eco-Responsible Use of Technologies: Development and Validation of a Scale

The environmental impact produced by digital technologies is one of the fundamental contents to be developed by teachers of the 21st century. Different investigations raise the need to redesign education towards sustainable models and promote a critical look at digital technologies. The main objective of this manuscript is to design a valid, reliable and useful scale to measure self-perceived teacher digital competence regarding the eco-responsible use of technologies. The instrument has been designed based on a detailed analysis of the main frameworks for the development of digital competence in Europe: INTEF and DigCompEdu. A content validation process has been followed through the expert judgment method. Subsequently, its reliability and validity are estimated using structural equation modeling techniques. The results obtained guarantee the reliability and validity of the model. Therefore, the need to establish environmental teacher training plans and more awareness about the eco-responsible use of technologies is established

Resilience of a warm-temperate fucoid to a simulated marine heatwave: Exploring the interplay between life stages and tissues in relation to emersion.

Oral communication presented at Symposia 8 "Algal photosynthesis, carbon fixation and respiration"Marine heatwaves (MHW) represent one of the main climatic threats for seaweed assemblages, altering their functioning, structure, and ecosystem services. Experimental simulations allow to assess the potential impacts of MHWs, given the unpredictability of these events and frequently, the lack of responsive workflows to access the target population during these events. This study explored the ability of the warm-temperate intertidal fucoid Fucus guiryi to respond to a simulated MHW. We aimed to evaluate the intraspecific response of different life stages (adult/juvenile/recruit) and blade types (vegetative / fertile−receptacles) in response to emersion, and to ascertain whether previous moderate MHWs in the area might impact its recruitment. The experimental design accounted for daily thermal and emersion fluctuations considering the most intense registered MHW event and maximum air temperatures in the study area. Photophysiological evaluation revealed that receptacles were the most resilient tissue to the combined effects of heat and emersion, followed by canopy-protected embryos. Vegetative apices and plantlets exhibited marked declines in Fv/Fm, ETRmax and NPQmax close to the MHW peak, due to the additive stressors, while embryos were more affected by the end of the experiment. During the recovery and end phases, recruit density dropped by 50% in the MHW treatment, being 80% of extruded structures unfertilized egg packets, while in the control treatment recruitment was successful and up to 35-times higher. Fucus guiryi was able to recover from the MHW, but more intense and frequent events might affect their reproductive output and compromise its long-term survival.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Botánica 3.0: Uso de las TICS y estrategias de gamificación en la enseñanza de la botánica

Adaptar las actividades formativas clásicamente presenciales a la docencia en línea como consecuencia de la actual pandemia ha supuesto un gran reto para la mayoría de docentes. Se tuvieron que desarrollar recursos que permitiesen a los estudiantes adquirir competencias botánicas que normalmente se adquieren en un aula o en un laboratorio: identificar organismos vegetales, identificar los principales tipos de vegetación y saber reunir/interpretar datos relevantes en informes científicos (aprendizaje servicio) para emprender estudios relacionados con la gestión de ecosistemas. El objetivo es confeccionar nuevos recursos docentes que fomenten un aprendizaje activo de los estudiantes del Grado de Ciencias Ambientales en relación al estudio de las disciplinas relacionadas con la Botánica en este nuevo escenario de docencia. Estos recursos fueron elaborados mediante el empleo de: plataformas online, aplicaciones “Smartphone” y la realización de actividades al aire libre. Las aplicaciones usadas fueron: “Genial.ly”, plataformas como “Goosechase”, elaboración de “Escape-room” botánico (gamificación), “QUIZs” mediante “Kahoot” y actividades de repaso con “Educaplay”. Genially permitió la creación de material para impartición en línea de las prácticas de la asignatura de Botánica de primero y también la realización de claves botánicas auto guiadas que permiten al estudiante la identificación de organismos vegetales. También permitió crear material para realización de salidas de campo online. La presencia de un Jardín Botánico permitió la elaboración de una yincana al aire libre, donde los estudiantes han de ir encontrando colaborativamente, a través de caracteres diagnósticos, las diferentes gimnospermas del Jardín. La mayoría de los recursos creados demostraron ser herramientas potentes para hacer frente a la docencia en el momento actual en el que nos encontramos donde, disciplinas básicas como la botánica resultan difíciles de atraer la atención de los estudiantes.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Temporal and spatial variability in population traits of an intertidal fucoid reveals local-scale climatic refugia

Global change is imposing significant losses in the functional traits of marine organisms. Although areas of climatic refugia ameliorate local conditions and help them to persist, the extent to which mesoscale effects contribute for intraregional variability on population traits and conservation is uncertain. Here we assess patterns of conservation status of Fucus guiryi, the main intertidal habitat-forming seaweed in the Strait of Gibraltar (southern Spain and northern Morocco). We investigated the demography, reproductive phenology, and morphology at northern and southern side populations. Population traits were compared seasonally within populations from each side, and at spatial scale in early summer 2019. In the last decade three populations became extinct; two marginal populations had dispersed individuals with a narrower fertility season and miniaturized individuals below 3 cm; and five populations showed variable density and cover with more than 20% of reproductive individuals over the seasons. Highest density, cover, morphology, and reproductive potential was detected at one population from each side, suggesting local-scale climatic refugia in upwelling areas located inside marine protected areas. Southern recruits were more warm-tolerant but grew less at colder conditions than northern ones, revealing a mesoscale heterogeneity in thermal affinities. This study evidenced functional losses and distinct reproductive strategies experienced by F. guiryi at peripheral locations and urges to prioritize its conservation and restoration at contemporary climatic refugia.We thank the Plant Culture unit of SCAI-UMA for providing culture chambers, particularly Dr Lara Jim ́enez for her technical assistance. The authors thank the anonymous reviewer that helped us improve the first version of manuscript. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBU