Learning plant biodiversity in nature: the use of the citizen–science platform iNaturalist as a collaborative tool in secondary education

Biodiversity is a concept of great scientific interest and social value studied in different subjects of the secondary education curriculum. Citizen–science programs may contribute to increasing the engagement of students when studying biodiversity. This work aimed to explore the use of the citizen–science platform iNaturalist as a complement of the elaboration of herbaria in an outdoor activity for 4th course 16-year-old students in the Basaula Reserve. The platform iNaturalist was chosen for its suitability to develop collaborative projects in an educational context. The Basaula project was created and 122 students were trained to record plant species in an outdoor activity. A total of 32 species were recorded, among them the most abundant were beech (Fagus sylvatica) and holm oak (Quercus ilex). The students positively evaluated their experience, highlighting its adequacy to record biodiversity data and make a virtual herbarium. Students valued the innovative character of iNaturalist and its usefulness for research but also the opportunity to integrate mobile devices in school education. We concluded that iNaturalist is a valuable tool to carry out collaborative projects dealing with biodiversity in secondary education.This research was funded by the Education Department of the Navarra Government, grant number CENEDUCA3/2019

Monitoring rainfed alfalfa growth in semiarid agrosystems using Sentinel-2 imagery

The aim of this study was to assess the utility of Sentinel-2 images in the monitoring of the fractional vegetation cover (FVC) of rainfed alfalfa in semiarid areas such as that of Bardenas Reales in Spain. FVC was sampled in situ using 1 m2 surfaces at 172 points inside 18 alfalfa fields from late spring to early summer in 2017 and 2018. Different vegetation indices derived from a series of Sentinel-2 images were calculated and were then correlated with the FVC measurements at the pixel and parcel levels using different types of equations. The results indicate that the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and FVC were highly correlated at the parcel level (R 2 = 0.712), where as the correlation at the pixel level remained moderate across each of the years studied. Based on the findings, another 29 alfalfa plots (28 rainfed; 1 irrigated) were remotely monitored operationally for 3 years (2017–2019), revealing that location and weather conditions were strong determinants of alfalfa growth in Bardenas Reales. The results of this study indicate that Sentinel-2 imagery is a suitable tool for monitoring rainfed alfalfa pastures in semiarid areas, thus increasing the potential success of pasture management.Andres Echeverria was supported by a predoctoral fellowship from the Government of Navarra. This work was supported by the knowledge transfer contract 2018020023 UPNA-Bardenas Reales Committee with partial collaboration of the project PID2019-107386RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/ 501100011033 (MINECO/FEDER-UE)

From model to crop: root functional analysis of Medicago forage legumes to face drought stress at the whole plant level

Las leguminosas son el segundo cultivo más importante en la Tierra y ocupan alrededor del 15% del área total cultivada. Son ecológicamente importantes debido a su capacidad de fijar nitrógeno atmosférico y representan una de las mayores fuentes de proteínas para la dieta humana y animal. Entre las diferentes especies, la alfalfa (Medicago sativa, Ms) es una de las más conocidas y más ampliamente cultivada a lo largo del mundo, mientras que Medicago truncatula (Mt), que esta filogenéticamente relacionada con la alfalfa, se puede encontrar en la zona semiárida del Mediterráneo. En el escenario actual de cambio climático, donde la sequía es cada vez más intensa, y la población mundial aumenta año a año, existe una preocupación global por la disponibilidad de alimento para los seres humanos y las especies animales. Es aquí donde el papel de estas dos especies de leguminosas cobra gran importancia para afrontar los requerimientos nutricionales de la población mundial. El estudio de las respuestas de las plantas frente a la sequía es fundamental para lograr estos objetivos en seguridad alimentaria. El objetivo general de este trabajo es entender las respuestas de Ms y Mt en condiciones de sequía en relación con el metabolismo del carbono a nivel global de planta y con especial atención al órgano radicular. En este contexto hemos incluido el estudio de varias parcelas de alfalfa de secano en Bardenas reales que nos gustaría utilizar en el futuro para valorar marcadores de estrés identificados en condiciones controladas bajo condiciones naturales.Legumes are the second most important crop family in the world representing around the 15% of the cultivated area. They are ecologically relevant because its capacity to fix atmospheric nitrogen and represent one of the most relevant inputs of protein for human and animal feed. Between them, alfalfa (Medicago sativa, Ms) is one of the most well-known and widely cultivated worldwide, while Medicago truncatula (Mt), which is phylogenetically related to alfalfa is naturally present in the Mediterranean semiarid area. In a climate change scenario, where drought is becoming more serious, and world population increases year by year, there is a concern for food availability both for humans and animals, and these two species are key in reaching this food requirements. To meet food security goals is important to know plant responses under drought stress. The general aim of this work is to understand the responses of Ms and Mt to drought conditions, focusing mainly in carbon metabolism at root level. In this context, we included a rainfed alfalfa study at the field level in Bardenas Reales.Gobierno de Navarra (Resolución 541/2016)). Universidad Publica de Navarra 'Ayudas predoctorales de movilidad internacional' (Resolución 534/2018).Programa de Doctorado en Agrobiología Ambiental (RD 99/2011)Ingurumen Agrobiologiako Doktoretza Programa (ED 99/2011