La inflamabilitat dels nostres arbustos

Els matollars constitueixen un dels ecosistemes més abundants de les zones mediterrànies d'arreu del món i entre les espècies que els formen en trobem de més inflamables que altres. Així, la proporció d'unes o altres augmenta el risc d'incendi de la regió. La majoria d'espècies llenyoses que els integren tenen la capacitat de regenerar-se després d'un incendi seguint diferents estratègies: les germinadores, com les estepes o el romaní, germinen després de l'incendi, i d'altres, les no germinadores com els llentiscles o l'aladern, rebroten. Investigadors de la UAB han estudiat els arbustos de dues localitats mediterrànies i han demostrat que les espècies germinadores s'inflamen més ràpidament, fet que cal tenir en compte per predir els incendis en un futur.Los matorrales constituyen uno de los ecosistemas más abundantes de las zonas mediterráneas de todo el mundo y entre las especies que los forman encontramos algunas más inflamables que otras. Así, la proporción de unas u otras aumenta el riesgo de incendio de la región. La mayoría de especies leñosas que los integran tienen la capacidad de regenerarse después de un incendio siguiendo diferentes estrategias: las germinadoras, como las estepas o el romero, germinan tras el incendio, y otras, las no germinadoras como los lentiscos o el aladierno, rebrotan. Investigadores de la UAB han estudiado los arbustos de dos localidades mediterráneas y han demostrado que las especies germinadoras se inflaman más rápidamente, cosa que hay que tener en cuenta para predecir los incendios en un futuro

Avaluació de l’estat de conservació de la població de tortuga de rierol (Mauremys leprosa) dels estanyols del Mas Margall, Avinyonet de Puigventós

S’ha estudiat la població de tortuga de rierol (Mauremys leprosa) dels estanyols del Mas Margall (Avinyonet de Puigventós) per tal d’avaluar el seu estat de conservació. A través de la utilització de nanses per la seva captura i del marcatge dels individus capturats s’ha estudiat l’estructura i dimensió de la població. En total es varen capturar 90 individus. Els models poblacionals estimen una població d’uns 126 individus (e.e. 23). L’anàlisi biomètrica de diferents variables (longitud total, alçada de la closca i pes) ens mostra un clar dimorfisme sexual pel que fa al pes i l’alçada de la closca. Diferents paràmetres analitzats, com la proporció de sexes, les longituds mitjanes i les màximes ens mostren un bon estat de conservació de la població.We studied the population of Mediterranean pond turtle (Mauremys leprosa) of the Mas Margall ponds (Avinyonet de Puigventós, Girona, Catalonia) to assess their conservation status. Fyke nets were used to capture the individuals. All captured individuals were marked in order to study the size and structure of the population. 90 individuals were captured in total. The population model estimated a population of 126 individuals (s.e. 23). Biometric analysis of different variables (total length, total weight and height of shell) showed a clear sexual dimorphism, specially referred to weight and height of shell. Obtained results of different parameters such as sex-ratio, mean and maximum lengths indicate a good conservation status of the population

Towards a transdisciplinary approach in the training of teachers: Creating procedures in learning and teaching in higher education

[EN] For decades we have been immersed in a constant change in our society, registered together with an increase in its degree of complexity. This greatly affects the currently prevailing educational axioms, making them obsolete, which implies, according to our hypothesis, the need for a process of revision and innovation of existing models. Our proposal starts from a bibliographic review of some existing proposals in innovation, to create a new pedagogical model based on polyhedral and transdisciplinary methodologies. At the same time, we offer a case study in a core subject of the first teacher training course at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. After the practical application of our transdisciplinary methodological theories, it has been possible to successfully collect evidence of a balanced interaction between disciplinary areas by students. The application of the innovations can become a frame of reference for higher education institutions interested in following this very important process of adaptation to social reality.The present work was carried out thanks to the financing of ‘Ajuts de recerca per a la millora de la formació inicial de mestres’ (ARMIF) of the AGAUR - Catalan Government, and the support of the Faculty of Sciences Education, Autonomous University of Barcelona.Saura-Mas, S.; Blanco-Romero, A.; Barrera, J. (2021). Towards a transdisciplinary approach in the training of teachers: Creating procedures in learning and teaching in higher education. En 7th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'21). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 773-781. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd21.2021.13037OCS77378

War and Deforestation : Using Remote Sensing and Machine Learning to Identify the War-Induced Deforestation in Syria 2010-2019

Armed conflicts and other types of violence are key drivers of human-induced landscape change. Since March 2011, Syria has been embroiled in a prolonged and devastating armed conflict causing immense human suffering and extensive destruction. As a result, over five million people have been forced to seek refuge outside the country's borders, while more than six million have been internally displaced. This study focuses on examining the impact of this conflict on forest cover by identifying the drivers of forest change. To assess this change, Landsat and PALSAR imagery were used to differentiate between forested and non-forested areas. Spectral information was synthetized using the Tasseled Cap transformation and the time series data was simplified and despiked using the LandTrendr algorithm. Our results show that between 2010 and 2019 there was a substantial decrease of 19.3% in forest cover, predominantly concentrated in the northwestern region of Syria. This decline was induced by the armed conflict, with several key drivers contributing to the decline, such as illegal logging activities conducted by both locals and refugees living in nearby forest areas. Drivers such as proximity to refugee camps, roads, and settlements played an important role in producing this change by facilitating access to forests. In addition, the occurrence of explosive events such as bombings and shelling near forests also contributed to this decline by causing forest fires. To mitigate further deforestation and reduce dependence on forests for fuel, it is crucial for local governments in the post-conflict period to offer sustainable alternatives for heating and cooking to both the local populations and refugees. Additionally, governments are recommended to enforce strict laws and regulations to protect forests and combat illegal logging activities. These measures are essential for preserving and restoring forests, promoting environmental sustainability, and ensuring the well-being of both displaced populations and local communities

Are leaf, stem and hydraulic traits good predictors of individual tree growth?

Acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICA major foundation of trait-based ecology is that traits have an impact on individual performance. However, trait-growth relationships have not been extensively assessed in trees, especially outside tropical ecosystems. In addition, measuring traits directly related to physiological processes remains difficult and the differences between inter- and intraspecific relationships are seldom explored. Here, we use individual-level data on a set of hydraulic, leaf and stem traits to assess their ability to predict basal area increment (BAI) and growth efficiency (BAI per unit of tree leaf area, GE) among and within species for six dominant tree species along a water availability gradient under Mediterranean climate (Catalonia, NE Spain). Measured traits include: leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf nitrogen concentration (N), leaf C isotopic composition (δC), the leaf water potential at turgor loss (P), stem wood density (WD) and branch-level estimates of the Huber value (Hv), sapwood- and leaf-specific hydraulic conductivity (K and K) and resistance to xylem embolism (P). Trait-growth associations were generally weak, particularly for BAI and within species. High values of both growth metrics were associated with 'conservative' leaf and hydraulic traits. In particular, BAI was negatively associated with K (and wood density), while GE increased with LMA, allocation to sapwood relative to leaves (Hv) and resistance to xylem embolism (P). Climate effects on BAI and GE were indirectly mediated by changes in traits, stand structure and tree basal area. Overall, these results suggest that maintaining functionality over extended periods of time may be more important than maximum gas exchange or hydraulic capacity to achieve high radial growth under Mediterranean climates. Our study reveals that widely used 'functional traits' may be poor predictors of tree growth variability along environmental gradients. Moreover, trait effects (when present) do not necessarily conform to simple hypotheses based on our understanding of organ-level processes. An improved understanding of trait coordination along common axes of variation together with a revaluation of the variables that better reflect whole-tree performance can greatly improve our understanding of trait-growth relationships. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article

Co-teaching transdisciplinario: experiencias docentes

El texto analiza la aplicación de la metodología del “Learning Based on Project”, a partir de la evolución de asignaturas transdisciplinarias y en modalidad Co-Teaching de la Facultad de Educación e la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona

Co-teaching transdisciplinario : experiencias docentes

Este proyecto ha sido posible gracias al GRET (Grupo de Investigación en Educación Transdisciplinaria), y a todo el profesorado y alumnado implicado en las asignaturas Sociedad, ciencia y cultura y Miremos el mundo: proyectos transdisciplinarios a lo Llrgo de mas de 10 años. Este libro ha sido posible gracias a el programa interno de Mejora y Innovación Docente de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación de la UAB.Este libro pretende ser un compañero de viaje para el profesorado que desea plantearse la educación como un reto de actualización y puesta al día constante, y para quien desea un aliado frente a la parcelación de los conocimientos que realiza la visión exclusivamente disciplinaria de la formación tradicional. En este trabajo se podrá encontrar la recopilación y sistematización del material documental docente y de las experiencias vividas por un numeroso grupo de profesores, profesoras y alumnado universitario, en una asignatura multidisciplinaria que, a partir de la aplicación de una estrategia innovadora, basada en la pedagogía compleja de Edgar Morin (1999), se constituye como un acontecimiento transdisciplinario de docencia compartida (co-teaching transdisciplinario). De este modo, se observará cómo equipos de profesorado trabajan juntos en el desarrollo, la aplicación y la evaluación de "toda la responsabilidad instruccional de un grupo clase en un mismo espacio físico de enseñanza y aprendizaje" (Villa et al., 2008). Por lo tanto, en este texto se muestran los métodos seguidos por el profesorado para preparar las sesiones de co-teaching compartido que serán posteriormente utilizadas para el aprendizaje transdisciplinario, junto con todo el material docente original, elaborado y experimentado, a punto para ser utilizado por nuestros lectores y lectoras, como recurso educativo. Como continuidad necesaria y en forma de apéndice, se podrá conocer la derivación lógica de todo este trabajo pedagógico de co-teaching hacia su enervación en una metodología de aprendizaje basado en retos y proyectos (ABR/ABPr) aplicados a los estudios universitarios de ciencias de la educación: se señalarán sus fronteras y algunos de los transvases, un paso esencial y fundamental en los modelos de futuro del sistema educativo, en nuestro caso, desde el punto de vista del profesorado universitario

Experiències docents sobre l'ensenyament transdisciplinari

Les societats són cada vegada més complexes, i es requereixen noves maneres d'ensenyar que permetin aplicar perspectives que integrin la realitat actual. En aquest article, investigadors de la Facultat de Ciències de l'Educació presenten el resum del seu llibre, fruit de les experiències recollides en l'assignatura Societat, Ciència i Cultura, que s'imparteix des de 2009 a alumnes de primer d'educació primària, infantil, social i pedagogia. La idea és estimular en l'alumnat l'interès pel coneixement de les esferes social, natural i cultural, integrant classes coordinades amb molt diverses disciplines. Aquesta podria ser una manera d'ajudar-los a enfrontar-se a problemes reals i a desenvolupar un pensament crític.Las sociedades son cada vez más complejas, y se requieren nuevas maneras de enseñar que permitan aplicar perspectivas que integren la realidad actual. En este artículo, investigadores de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación presentan el resumen de su libro, fruto de las experiencias recogidas en la asignatura Sociedad, Ciencia y Cultura, que se imparte desde 2009 a alumnos de primero de educación primaria, infantil, social y pedagogía. La idea es estimular en el alumnado el interés por el conocimiento de las esferas social, natural y cultural, integrando clases coordinadas con muy diversas disciciplinas. Esta podría ser una manera de ayudarles a enfrentarse a problemas reales y a desarrollar un pensamiento crítico

Climatic events inducing die-off in Mediterranean shrublands : are species' responses related to their functional traits ?

Altres ajuts: ICTS-RBD 38/2007Extreme climatic episodes, likely associated with climate change, often result in profound alterations of ecosystems and, particularly, in drastic events of vegetation die-off. Species attributes are expected to explain different biological responses to these environmental alterations. Here we explored how changes in plant cover and recruitment in response to an extreme climatic episode of drought and low temperatures were related to a set of functional traits (of leaves, roots and seeds) in Mediterranean shrubland species of south-west Spain. Remaining aerial green cover 2 years after the climatic event was positively related to specific leaf area (SLA), and negatively to leaf water potential, stable carbon isotope ratio and leaf proline content. However, plant cover resilience, i.e. the ability to attain pre-event values, was positively related to a syndrome of traits distinguished by a higher efficiency of water use and uptake. Thus, higher SLA and lower water-use efficiency characterized species that were able to maintain green biomass for a longer period of time but were less resilient in the medium term. There was a negative relationship between such syndromes and the number of emerging seedlings. Species with small seeds produced more seedlings per adult. Overall, recruitment was positively correlated with species die-off. This study demonstrates the relationship between plant traits and strong environmental pulses related to climate change, providing a functional interpretation of the recently reported episodes of climate-induced vegetation die-off. Our findings reveal the importance of selecting meaningful traits to interpret post-event resilience processes, particularly when combined with demographic attributes

Non-structural carbohydrate dynamics associated with drought-induced die-off in woody species of a shrubland community

The relationship between plant carbon economy and drought responses of co-occurring woody species can be assessed by comparing carbohydrate (C) dynamics following drought and rain periods, relating these dynamics to species' functional traits. We studied nine woody species coexisting in a continental Mediterranean shrubland that experienced severe drought effects followed by rain. During drought, NSC concentrations were overall lower in stems and roots of plants experiencing leaf loss, while SS decreases were smaller. Roots had higher NSC concentrations than stems. After the rain, NSC concentrations continued to decrease, while SS increased. Green foliage recovered after rain, particularly in plants previously experiencing higher leaf loss, independently of NSC concentrations during drought. Species with lower WD tended to have more SS during drought and lower SS increases after rain. In low-WD species, plants with severe leaf loss had lower NSC relative to undefoliated ones. No significant relationship was found between H or SLA and C content or dynamics. Our community-level study reveals that, while responses were species-specific, C stocks overall diminished in plants affected by prolonged drought and did not increase after a pulse of seasonal rain. Dynamics were faster for SS than NSC. We found limited depletion of SS, consistent with their role in basal metabolic, transport and signalling functions. In a scenario of increased drought under climate change, NSC stocks in woody plants are expected to decrease differentially in coexisting species, with potential implications for their adaptive abilities and community dynamics