Promoting individual and collective creativity in science students

Creativity is a scientific skill necessary to develop a successful research career. We expose the importance of a growth mindset, divergent, lateral, and associative thinking, serendipity, and being part of a nonhierarchical and diverse research team to improve both indi- vidual and collective creativity.Unidad de Excelencia Modeling Nature. Proyecto SOMM17/6109/UGR Consejería de Economía, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad, and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF

Patterns of microbial abundance and heterotrophic activity along nitrogen and salinity gradients in coastal wetlands

Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada/CBUA. This research was funded by the projects FLAMENCO (CGL2010-15812) and CRONOS (RTI2018-098849-B-I00) of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and Ministry of Science and Innovation, the Modeling Nature Scientific Unit (UCE. PP2017.03), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and a PhD fellowship FPI (Formacion del Personal Investigador: BES2011-043658) to GLB.Coastal wetlands are valuable aquatic ecosystems with high biological productivity, which provide services such as a reduction in nitrogen loading into coastal waters and storage of organic carbon acting as carbon dioxide sinks. The predicted rise of sea level or freshwater extractions, particularly in the arid Mediterranean biome, will salinize many coastal wetlands. However, there is considerable uncertainty about how salinization will affect microbial communities and biogeochemical processes. We determined the abundance of total prokaryotes, cyanobacteria, and viruses and quantified the heterotrophic production of prokaryotes sensitive- (predominantly Bacteria) and resistant- (predominantly Archaea) to erythromycin in 112 ponds from nine coastal wetlands. We explored the main drivers of prokaryotic abundance and heterotrophic production using generalized linear models (GLMs). The best GLM, including all the wetlands, indicated that the concentration of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) positively affected the total abundance of prokaryotes and the heterotrophic erythromycin-resistant (ery-R) production. In contrast, heterotrophic erythromycin-sensitive (ery-S) production was negatively related to TDN. This negative relationship appeared to be mediated by salinity and virus abundance. Heterotrophic ery-S production declined as salinity and virus abundance increased. Consequently, we observed a switch from heterotrophic ery-S production towards ery-R production as salinity and virus abundance increased. Our results imply that microbial activity will change from heterotrophic bacterial-dominated processes to archaeal-dominated processes with anthropogenic nitrogen and salinization increases. However, more studies are required to link the mineralization rates of dissolved nitrogen and organic carbon with specific archaeal taxa to enable more accurate predictions on future scenarios in coastal wetlands.Universidad de Granada/CBUASpanish Government CGL2010-15812 RTI2018-098849-B-I00Modeling Nature Scientific Unit UCE. PP2017.03European CommissionPhD fellowship FPI (Formacion del Personal Investigador) BES2011-04365

Ecosistemas de alta montaña, las atalayas de la troposfera

La troposfera es el fluido en el que vivimos los organismos terrestres. La dinámica de este fluido hace posible el funcionamiento de los ecosistemas terrestres y acuáticos continentales tal como los conocemos. Factores locales como las precipitaciones atmosféricas (secas y húmedas) o la calidad de la radiación solar que llega al suelo, muy afectada por el contenido de aerosoles en la troposfera, dependen de fenómenos que pueden ocurrir a miles de kilómetros. Los ecosistemas de alta montaña, como la Sierra Nevada del sur ibérico, son los sensores más finos que poseemos para el estudio de los efectos de esos factores y para detectar pronto sus tendencias y cambios

Greenhouse gas fluxes from reservoirs determined by watershed lithology, morphometry, and anthropogenic pressure

EL-P was supported by a PhD fellowship FPU (Formación del Profesorado Universitario: 014/02917) from the Ministry of Education, Culture y Sports. This research was also funded by the Consejería de Economía, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), ref. SOMM17/6109/UGR. We specially thank to Jesús Forja, Teodora Ortega and Ana Sierra for helping with gas chromatography analysis and Eulogio Corral Arredondo for sampling support.Human population growth has increased the demand for water and clean energy, leading to the massive construction of reservoirs. Reservoirs can emit greenhouse gases (GHG) affecting the atmospheric radiative budget. The radiative forcing due to CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions and the relative contribution of each GHG in terms of CO2 equivalents to the total forcing is practically unknown. We determined simultaneously the CO2, CH4, and N2O fluxes in reservoirs from diverse watersheds and under variable human pressure to cover the vast idiosyncrasy of temperate Mediterranean reservoirs. We obtained that GHG fluxes ranged more than three orders of magnitude. The reservoirs were sources of CO2 and N2O when the watershed lithology was mostly calcareous, and the crops and the urban areas dominated the landscape. By contrast, reservoirs were sinks of CO2 and N2O when the watershed lithology was predominantly siliceous, and the landscape had more than 40% of forestal coverage. All reservoirs were sources of CH4, and emissions were determined mostly by reservoir mean depth and water temperature. The radiative forcing was substantially higher during the stratification than during the mixing. During the stratification the radiative forcings ranged from 125 mg CO2 equivalents m−2 d−1 to 31 884 mg CO2 equivalents m−2 d−1 and were dominated by the CH4 emissions; whereas during the mixing the radiative forcings ranged from 29 mg CO2 equivalents m−2 d−1 to 722 mg CO2 equivalents m−2 d−1 and were dominated by CO2 emissions. The N2O contribution to the radiative forcing was minor except in one reservoir with a landscape dominated by crops and urban areas. Future construction of reservoirs should consider that siliceous bedrocks, forestal landscapes, and deep canyons could minimize their radiative forcings.This research was funded by the project HERA (CGL2014-52362-R) and CRONOS (RTI2018-098849-B-I00) to IR and RM-B of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, and the Modeling Nature Scientific Unit (UCE.PP2017.03) to IR co-financed with FEDER funds

P inputs determine denitrifier abundance explaining dissolved nitrous oxide in reservoirs

This research was supported by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (HERA project, grant no. CGL2014‐52362‐R), and the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (CRONOS project, RTI2018‐098849‐B‐I00) of Spain to IR and RM‐B. Elizabeth León‐Palmero was supported by a PhD fellowship from the Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte of Spain (grant nos. FPU014/02917), and a postdoctoral contract from CRONOS project, and later from Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond (DFF, 1026‐00428B) at SDU. This manuscript was improved through feedback from an anonymous reviewer, and Dr. Van Meter. Universidad de Granada/CBUA funded the open access of this article.Reservoirs are important sites for nitrogen processing, especially those located in agricultural and urban watersheds. Nitrogen inputs promote N2O production and emission, but the microbial pathways controlling N2O have been seldom studied in reservoir water columns. We determined N2O concentration in the water column of 12 reservoirs during the summer stratification and winter mixing. We explored the potential microbial sources and sinks of N2O by quantifying key genes involved in ammonia oxidation (bacterial and archaeal amoA) and denitrification (nirS and nosZ). Dissolved N2O varied up to three orders of magnitude (4.7–2441.2 nmol L−1) across systems, from undersaturated to supersaturated values (37%–24,174%) depending on reservoirs and depths. N2O concentration depended on nitrogen and oxygen availabilities, with the lowest and highest N2O values at suboxic conditions. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea dominated over ammonia-oxidizing bacteria but were not related to the dissolved N2O. In contrast, the abundance of the nirS gene was significantly related to N2O concentration, and three orders of magnitude higher than amoA abundance. Denitrifying bacteria appeared consistently in the water column of all reservoirs. The nirS and nosZ genes appeared in oxic and suboxic waters, but they were more abundant in suboxic waters. The nitrate concentration, and nirS and nosZ relative abundances explained the dissolved N2O. Besides, nirS abundance was related positively with total phosphorus and cumulative chlorophyll a, a proxy for fresh organic matter. Therefore, P inputs, not just N inputs, promoted N2O production by denitrification in the water column of reservoirs.Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond 1026‐00428BMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades RTI2018‐098849‐B‐I00Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2014‐52362‐RMinisterio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte of Spain FPU014/02917SDUUniversidad de Granada/CBU

Prochlorococcus as a Possible Source for Transparent Exopolymer Particles (TEP)

Transparent exopolymer particles (TEP), usually associated with phytoplankton blooms, promote the formation of marine aggregates. Their exportation to deep waters is considered a key component of the biological carbon pump. Here, we explored the role of solar radiation and picocyanobacteria in the formation of TEP in oligotrophic surface waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in ten on-deck incubation experiments during the Malaspina 2010 Expedition. TEP concentrations were low on the ocean’s surface although these concentrations were significantly higher on the surface of the Pacific (24.45 ± 2.3 μg XG Eq. L-1) than on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean (8.18 ± 4.56 μg XG Eq. L-1). Solar radiation induced a significant production of TEP in the on-deck experiments from the surface water of the Pacific Ocean, reaching values up to 187.3 μg XG Eq. L-1 compared with the low production observed in the dark controls. By contrast, TEP production in the Atlantic Ocean experiments was lower, and its formation was not related to the light treatments. Prochlorococcus sp. from the surface ocean was very sensitive to solar radiation and experienced a high cell decay in the Pacific Ocean experiments. TEP production in the on-deck incubation experiments was closely related to the observed cell decay rates of Prochlorococcus sp., suggesting that this picocyanobacteria genus is a potential source of TEP. The evidence to propose such potential role was derived experimentally, using natural communities including the presence of several species and a variety of processes. Laboratory experiments with cultures of a non-axenic strain of Prochlorococcus marinus were then used to test TEP production by this genus. TEP concentrations in the culture increased with increasing cell abundance during the exponential phase, reaching the highest TEP concentration at the beginning of the stationary phase. The average TEP concentration of 1474 ± 226 μg XG Eq. L-1 (mean ± SE) observed at the stationary phase of P. marinus cultures is comparable with the values reported in the literature for diatom cultures, also growing in non-axenic as well as axenic cultures. Our results identify Prochlorococcus sp. as a possible relevant source of TEP in the oligotrophic ocean.This research was funded by the Expedición Malaspina 2010 project of the CONSOLIDER program (ref. CSD2008-00077), the project Stress-X (ref. CTM2012-32603) of the Spanish Minister of Economy and Competitiveness, and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology baseline funding to SA. FI was supported by a CSIC JAE-preDOC fellowship

Use of statistical design of experiments in the optimization of Ar–O2 low-pressure plasma treatment conditions of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for increasing polarity and adhesion, and inhibiting hydrophobic recovery

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film was treated with RF low-pressure plasmas (LPPs) made of mixtures of oxygen and argon for increasing surface polarity, minimizing hydrophobic recovery (i.e. retard ageing) and increasing adhesion to acrylic adhesive tape for medical use. Statistical design of experiments has been used for determining the most influencing experimental parameters of the LPP treatment of PDMS. Water contact angle values (measured 24 h after treatment) and the O/C ratio obtained from XPS experiments were used as response variables. Working pressure was the most influencing parameter in LPP treatment of PDMS, and the duration of the treatment, the power and the oxygen–argon mixture composition determined noticeably its effectiveness. The optimal surface properties in PDMS and inhibited hydrophobic recovery were achieved by treatment with 93 vol% oxygen + 7 vol% argon LLP at low working pressure (300 mTorr), low power (25 W) and long duration of treatment (120 s).This study was carried out in the framework of COST MP1101project

A new genus and species of Eucoilinae (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea, Figitidae) parasitoid of Euxesta eluta Loew (Diptera, Otitidae) attacked Bt sweet corn in Argentina

Euxestophaga Gallardo, a new genus of Eucoilinae (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea, Figitidae) and Euxestophaga argentinensis Gallardo, sp. n. from Argentina, are described and illustrated. This new genus belongs to the Ganaspini and morphologically resembles Epicoela Borgmeier and Striatovertex Schick, Forshage and Nordlander. A key to differentiate these genera is given. Specimens were reared from pupae of Euxesta eluta Loew (Diptera: Otitidae), attacked Bt sweet corn in Santa Fe province and other in Tucumán province (Argentina).El material suplementario de este artículo puede accederse haciendo clic en "Documentos relacionados".Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

A new genus and species of Eucoilinae (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea, Figitidae) parasitoid of Euxesta eluta Loew (Diptera, Otitidae) attacked Bt sweet corn in Argentina

Euxestophaga Gallardo, a new genus of Eucoilinae (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea, Figitidae) and Euxestophaga argentinensis Gallardo, sp. n. from Argentina, are described and illustrated. This new genus belongs to the Ganaspini and morphologically resembles Epicoela Borgmeier and Striatovertex Schick, Forshage and Nordlander. A key to differentiate these genera is given. Specimens were reared from pupae of Euxesta eluta Loew (Diptera: Otitidae), attacked Bt sweet corn in Santa Fe province and other in Tucumán province (Argentina)

A new genus and species of Eucoilinae (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea, Figitidae) parasitoid of Euxesta eluta Loew (Diptera, Otitidae) attacked Bt sweet corn in Argentina

Euxestophaga Gallardo, a new genus of Eucoilinae (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea, Figitidae) and Euxestophaga argentinensis Gallardo, sp. n. from Argentina, are described and illustrated. This new genus belongs to the Ganaspini and morphologically resembles Epicoela Borgmeier and Striatovertex Schick, Forshage and Nordlander. A key to differentiate these genera is given. Specimens were reared from pupae of Euxesta eluta Loew (Diptera: Otitidae), attacked Bt sweet corn in Santa Fe province and other in Tucumán province (Argentina).El material suplementario de este artículo puede accederse haciendo clic en "Documentos relacionados".Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse