Articles publicats en revistes (Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio))

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A critical assessement of Conservation Agriculture among smallholders in the Mediterranean region: Adoption pathways inspired by agroecological principles
(Springer Verlag, 2023-10-19) Cicek, Harun; Topp, Emmeline; Plieninger, Tobias; Blanco Moreno, José Manuel; Gultekin, Irfan; Mohamed, Hatem Cheikh; El Gharras, Oussama
Conservation agriculture (CA) is the key agricultural soil management approach for Mediterranean rainfed systems facing extreme droughts and soil degradation. Yet, CA uptake and applicability is still marginal and disputed in the Mediterranean region, where smallholder farmers are most representative. Lack of widespread adoption of CA in the Mediterranean region despite international efforts is perplexing. In order to investigate this paradox and provide solutions, we set out to examine the perceived constraints to CA implementation among farmers and stakeholders. Our approach is based on systems analysis of Mediterranean grain production systems, considering plant and livestock production, as well as sustainability and social-ecological interactions. CA promotion efforts are rarely adapted to the context of the Mediterranean region. We argue for adopting a more pragmatic and flexible approach to CA. Such an approach should be based on site-specific bio-physical and sociocultural considerations and augmented with principles of agroecology. Our review of perceived constraints allows us to suggest five pathways that could promote CA adoption in the Mediterranean across two main areas: (i) introduction of flexible, context-specific technical solutions and (ii) change of social perceptions and literacy on soil. Our five pathways aim to enhance farmers’ resilience to challenges of climate and market shocks, while integrating agroecological principles that enhance ecosystem multifunctionality. We advocate using agroecological principles to enable a more pragmatic application of CA with respect to its strict application—such as continuous no-till—to rehabilitate degraded lands, to increase water use efficiency, and to improve food security and economic well-being of communities in the Mediterranean region.
Wheat cultivar mixtures enhance the delivery of agroecosystem services compared to monocultures under contrasted tillage intensities and fertilization
(Springer Verlag, 2025-02-01) Tous Fandos, Alba; Bragg, Daniel; Blanco Moreno, José Manuel; Chamorro Lorenzo, Lourdes; Sans, Xavier (Sans i Serra)
Wheat cultivar mixtures provide a more complex and functional cropping system than monocultures. Their functionality mayresult in the delivery of agroecosystem services. However, research on cultivar mixture performance has mainly been donein controlled environments. Greenhouses and laboratory experiments do not account for environmental or agronomic factorsthat may influence the polyculture’s functionality. To fill this research gap, we set up a novel strip-split-block experimentaldesign with three factors (wheat treatment, tillage, and fertilization) in a field long-term trial. We assessed the performanceof the modern wheat cultivar Florence-Aurora and the traditional cultivars Xeixa (Triticum aestivum L. subsp. aestivum)and Forment (Triticum turgidum L. subsp. durum) monocultures and their mixture in providing aphid and weed controland promoting crop yield under contrasting tillage practices (moldboard ploughing vs. chisel ploughing) and fertilization(farmyard manure applied or not applied). We analyzed aphid abundance, number of aphids per tiller, parasitism rate, weedabundance and richness, and crop yield. Additionally, we examined wheat establishment, cover, phenology, and heightfor cultivar characterization. We observed that soil management practices affected some aspects of the cropping system.The wheat cultivars differed in their aphid susceptibility and weed suppression ability, with Florence-Aurora being lesssuppressant to weeds and more prone to aphid infestation. Most remarkably, our study shows for the first time that mixingwheat cultivars with distinguished traits enhances associational resistance for aphid and weed control. These benefits werespecifically important under high weed infestations generated by reduced tillage. Moreover, the yield of Florence-Auroramonoculture and the mixture was found to be influenced by tillage and fertilization. Our study underscores how soil managementpractices impact the functionality of cultivar mixtures. This emphasizes the need for further field research to betterunderstand the complexity of farming conditions that influence the delivery of agroecosystem services by cultivar mixtures.
Wheat mixtures as an effective option for weed management in organic farming
(Wiley, 2025-11-24) Tous Fandos, Alba; Blanco Moreno, José Manuel; Pérez-Ferrer, Alejandro; Chamorro Lorenzo, Lourdes; Sans, Xavier (Sans i Serra)
In organic cereal cropping systems, crop diversification has emerged as an environmentally friendly strategy for weed management. However, the role of crop mixtures in weed regulation, particularly in Mediterranean conditions, has been largely overlooked.This study evaluates the effects of wheat mixtures on weed suppression and weed species diversity. Over two years, we compared the weed suppression abilities of three wheat monocultures —Florence-Aurora (FA), Forment (FO), and Montcada (MO)— with two wheat mixtures: Florence-Aurora with Forment (FAFO) and Florence-Aurora with Montcada (FAMO) in five commercial fields. We analysed weed cover, weed biomass, and weed species community composition and richness. Additionally, we analysed some agronomic and functional wheat traits —including establishment, cover, height, biomass, and final tiller number— and correlated with final weed biomass to better understand the crops' ability to suppress weeds.Results indicated that wheat establishment, cover, and height were strongly negatively correlated with weed biomass. Wheat crops differed in both trait values and weed suppression abilities. Crop treatments that exhibited greater establishment, height and wheat cover, FAFO mixture and FO sole crop, significantly decreased weed cover and biomass. Nevertheless, FAMO did not outperform monocultures probably due to trait redundancy between the combined plants. Weed species composition was similar across treatments, although FO significantly reduced weed species richness.In conclusion, this study supports the use of wheat mixtures as an effective weed management strategy that also preserves weed species diversity. It further emphasizes the importance of including wheat plants with strong functional traits to maximize the mixture weed suppression performance.
Sea urchin holobionts: microbiome variation across species, compartments and locations in Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula
(Frontiers Media, 2025-10-16) Arranz, Vanessa; Schmütsch-Molina, Lea; Fernández-Vilert, Robert; Hernández, José Carlos; Pérez Portela, Rocío
Understanding holobiont dynamics is essential for unraveling the complex interactions between marine hosts and their microbiota. Sea urchins play pivotal roles in shaping benthic ecosystems, yet the functional roles of their microbial symbionts remain poorly characterized. Here, we present a comparative microbiome analysis of two sympatric echinoid species, Arbacia lixula and Paracentrotus lividus which occupy contrasting trophic niches. P. lividus is primarily herbivorous, while A. lixula exhibits omnivorous and carnivorous feeding behavior. We characterized microbial communities from coelomic fluid, coelomocytes, and egested fecal pellets, collected from two biogeographic regions, the Northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Applying Next-Generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene (V3-V4 region) and using the FAPROTAX functional annotation database to infer microbial ecological functions, we found distinct microbial signatures shaped by host species, body compartment, and location. Notably, species-specific differences may reflect dietary preferences, with P. lividus enriched in sulfur-metabolizing and phototrophic bacteria, while A. lixula displayed functional signatures potentially linked to nitrogen cycling and microbial pathogenesis. Fecal microbiota exhibited the highest diversity and functional enrichment in carbohydrate degradation and nutrient cycling. Coelomic compartment hosted microbial assemblages with potential immune host-interaction traits, including intracellular symbiosis or parasitism. Geographic variation further shaped microbiota composition, with stronger location-dependent functional shifts observed in P. lividus. These findings reveal a high degree of spatial and functional differentiation in sea urchin microbiomes, highlighting the plastic nature of sea urchin microbiomes and their potential role in host adaptation to environmental change.
A spatial planning approach for the identification of critical habitat for threatened species
(Wiley, 2025-08-01) Morán-Ordóñez, Alejandra; Bota Cabau, Gerard; Brotons, Lluís; Canessa, Stefano; García de la Morena, Eladio L.; Mañosa, Santi; Miret-Minard, Gabriel; Morales Prieto, Manuel B.; Traba, Juan; Villero Pi, Daniel; Hermoso, Virgilio
The designation of critical habitat for the conservation of threatened species has long been recognized in the environmental legislation of different countries. However, translating vague legislation about critical habitat into practical real-world designation remains challenging because of its sensitivity to many context- and species-specific criteria and assumptions.We explored how spatial prioritization tools can help navigate such challenges and explicitly address sensitivities. Using a case study on the endangered little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) in Spain and the spatial prioritization tool Marxan, we tested and compared different critical habitat spatial designs across a series of scenarios for the little bustard at the national level. The scenarios accounted for habitat availability requirements over the species’ annual cycle, the species’ representativeness across the territory, the spatial connectivity of its habitat and populations, and potential cost constraints. This approach allowed us to quantify the sensitivity of critical habitat designations to how these criteria are quantified and integrated. Considering unoccupied habitat as critical habitat for the species generated larger, more spatially aggregated solutions that would likely be harder to implement than scenarios focusing conservation efforts on currently occupied habitat only. Considering the species’ extirpation risks at individual planning units as a constraintto management success generated completely different solutions than scenarios assuming homogeneous extirpation risk across the landscape. The overall connectivity of identified critical habitats across the entire study area was double in scenarios that accounted for extirpation risk in individual planning units than that in scenarios that held extirpation risk constant across all units. Our approach, based on freely available software, can help guide conservation efforts by identifying new critical areas that maximize the effectiveness of conservation actions and can be used to assess the sensitivity and uncertainty of critical habitat designation to different criteria.
Biodiversity of Marine Mollusk Assemblages from Two Contrasted Algal Habitats in the Mediterranean Sea (Tossa de Mar, Costa Brava, NE Spain)
(MDPI, 2025-01-01) Ballesteros, Manuel (Ballesteros Vázquez); Silva, Angra S.; Villamizar, Óscar F.; Pontes, Miquel; Oliva Cuyàs, Francesc
The malacological faunae of two algal habitats with different lighting conditions—a sciophilous wall and a photophilous one—both located in Tossa de Mar (Costa Brava, Girona, NE Spain), have been studied to examine the differences in the malacological communities, their distribution over time, and the role played by micromollusks in these algal habitats. Every two months, for a year, samples were collected via scuba diving and scraping standardized surfaces (20 × 20 cm) of the algal communities. In the laboratory, the samples were washed and filtered using two metal sieves (2 mm for coarse fraction and 513 µm for fine fraction). Mollusks were separated, identified, and later analyzed statistically to assess biodiversity indices and sample grouping. A total of 7913 mollusk specimens from 148 species (112 Gastropoda; 32 Bivalvia and 4 Polyplacophora) were identified across all samples, with 1669 specimens (84 species) from the sciophilous algae and 6244 specimens (133 species) from the photophilous algae. Moreover, 10 species accounted for 76.27% of the total abundance, with each species represented by over 100 specimens in the total samples. The gastropod Bittium latreillii was the most abundant species, with 2106 specimens recorded. Regarding the two fractions, 337 specimens (69 species) were found in the coarse fraction, while 7576 specimens (111 species) were found in the fine fraction. Significant differences were obtained between samples with respect to time, habitat type, and size fraction. The Shannon–Wiener biodiversity index values indicated differences between the two communities over time, as well as variations in biodiversity, with the photophilous community exhibiting higher values. It was demonstrated that algal thalli provide a highly suitable substrate for juvenile forms and micromollusks. Our findings, combined with the literature and various online citations, establish Tossa de Mar as the town on the Catalan coast with the best-documented malacological fauna.
Postharvesting population dynamics of the South American sea lion (Otaria byronia) in the southwestern Atlantic
(Wiley, 2015-07-01) Franco-Trecu, Valentina; Drago, Massimiliano; Baladán, Claudia; Garcia-Olazabal, Mateo D.; Crespo, Enrique A.; Cardona Pascual, Luis; Inchausti, Pablo
Many pinniped populations precipitously declined during the 19th and 20th centuries due to overharvesting. In Uruguay, the South American sea lion (SASL) was harvested until 1986. Birth rates in two nearby breeding colonies have had opposite trends for at least 20 yr. We assessed different mechanisms that could explain opposite trends in birth rates in the two SASL colonies. We compared feeding habits (δ15N and δ13C) of breeding females, birth mass, individual growth rate and early survival of pups and the social structure between colonies. Breeding females from the two colonies did not differ in their feeding habits. However, male and female pups grew faster but had a lower survival in the second month in the smallest colony. We found differences in the social structures, with a higher proportion of males in the smallest colony. The latter is important because peripheral SASL males may abduct and kill pups, which may explain the lower survival of pups in smaller colonies. We believe that the cumulative effects of population extractions have lowered the local SASL population size and disrupted its social structure to the point where Allee-like effects could become important and hamper the recovery of the Uruguayan SASL population.
Dietary consistency of male South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens) in southern Brazil during three decades inferred from stable isotope analysis
(Springer Verlag, 2015-02-01) Zenteno Devaud, Lisette; Crespo, Enrique A.; Vales, Damián G.; Silva, Laura Alejandra; Saporiti, Fabiana; De Oliveira, Larissa Rosa; Secchi, Eduardo R.; Drago, Massimiliano; Aguilar, Àlex; Cardona Pascual, Luis
Marine predators may undergo remarkable dietary changes through time as a result of both anthropogenic and natural changes in the environment, but this variability is often difficult to tackle and seldom incorporated into ecosystem models. This paper uses the stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in skeletal material of South American sea lions from Brazilian scientific collections to investigate whether these animals modified their diet from 1986 to 2009, as reported for other marine predators in the region. Stable isotope ratios indicated that demersal potential prey were always enriched in 13C as compared with pelagic prey. Accordingly, the absence of any statistically significant correlation between stranding year and the δ13C values of adult males indicated no major increase in the consumption of pelagic prey from 1986 to 2009. Likewise, the results of the mixing model SIAR revealed a mixed diet including pelagic and demersal prey, with a central role for demersal fishes throughout the whole period. Furthermore, SIAR suggested no major changes in the proportion of pelagic and demersal prey in the diet of adult male South American sea lions during the past three decades. Demersal fishes were also relevant prey for juvenile South American sea lions during the whole period, but they always consumed a larger proportion of pelagic prey than the adults did. These results suggest no major changes in the diet of male South American sea lions during the past three decades in southern Brazil, contrary to what has been reported for other to predators in the regions and for the species in northern Patagonia.
Diet-to-female and female-to-pup isotopic discrimination in South American sea lions
(Wiley, 2015-08-30) Drago, Massimiliano; Franco-Trecu, Valentina; Cardona Pascual, Luis; Inchausti, Pablo
Rationale: The use of accurate, species-specific diet-tissue discrimination factors is a critical requirement when applying stable isotope mixing models to predict consumer diet composition. Thus, diet-to-female and female-to-pup isotopic discrimination factors in several tissues for both captive and wild South American sea lions were estimated to provide appropriate values for quantifying feeding preferences at different timescales in the wild populations of this species. Methods: Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in the blood components of two female-pup pairs and females' prey muscle from captive individuals were determined by elemental analyzer/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA/IRMS) to calculate the respective isotopic discrimination factors. The same analysis was carried out in both blood components, and skin and hair tissues for eight female-pup pairs from wild individuals. Results: Mean diet-to-female Δ13C and Δ15N values were higher than the female-to-pup ones. Pup tissues were more 15N-enriched than their mothers but 13C-depleted in serum and plasma tissues. In most of the tissue comparisons, we found differences in both Δ15N and Δ13C values, supporting tissue-specific discrimination. We found no differences between captive and wild female-to-pup discrimination factors either in Δ13C or Δ15N values of blood components. Conclusions: Only the stable isotope ratios in pup blood are good proxies of the individual lactating females. Thus, we suggest that blood components are more appropriate to quantify the feeding habits of wild individuals of this species. Furthermore, because female-to-pup discrimination factors for blood components did not differ between captive and wild individuals, we suggest that results for captive experiments can be extrapolated to wild South American sea lion populations.
Use of epidermis for the monitoring of tissular trace elements in Mediterranean striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba)
(Elsevier Ltd., 2015-03-01) Borrell Thió, Assumpció; Clusa Ferrand, Marcel; Aguilar, Àlex; Drago, Massimiliano
Trace elements accumulate in epidermis, liver, kidney and muscle tissues in cetaceans. However, contrarily to internal tissues, epidermis can be sampled using minimally-invasive techniques. We investigate the patterns of trace element tissue concentrations in relation to individual sex and length and the degree of inter-tissue equilibrium between epidermis and the main internal organs of the Mediterranean striped dolphin. With it, we aim to test whether epidermis is a suitable tissue to predict trace element concentrations of internal tissues in cetaceans. We focused on trace elements with high potential toxicity (mercury and cadmium) or biological significance (zinc, copper and selenium). In contrast to what was found for Cu and Zn, the concentrations of Hg, Cd and Se in epidermis were positively correlated with the levels found in the internal tissues sampled probably due to their capacity to bioaccumulate. Thus, we conclude that sampling and analysing epidermis is appropriate to monitor and predict the concentrations of Hg, Cd and Se in internal tissues but not for Cu and Zn.
Concentrations of mercury in tissues of striped dolphins suggest decline of pollution in Mediterranean open waters
(Elsevier Ltd., 2014-07-01) Borrell Thió, Assumpció; Aguilar, Àlex; Tornero Álvarez, Ma. Victoria; Drago, Massimiliano
The Mediterranean is a semi-enclosed sea subject to high mercury (Hg) pollution from both natural and anthropogenic sources. With the objective of discerning temporal changes in marine Hg pollution in the oceanic waters of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, we analysed liver and kidney from striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) collected during 2007–2009 and compared them with previous results from a similar sample from 1990–1993. The effect of body length and sex on tissue Hg concentrations was investigated to ensure an unbiased comparison between the periods. The Hg concentrations did not show significant sex-related differences in any tissue or period but were correlated positively with body length. Using body length as a covariate, Hg concentrations in liver and kidney were higher in 1990–1993 than in 2007–2009. This result suggests that measures to reduce emissions in Western European countries have been effective in reducing mercury pollution in Mediterranean open waters.
Prey dynamics and breeding performance in a generalist predator: the differential role of prey densitiy, biomass, and effective consumption rates
(Elsevier Masson SAS, 2024-05-01) Torre, Ignasi; Grajera, Joan; Amat Orriols, Fèlix; Oro, Daniel; Mañosa, Santi
The breeding performance of predators is influenced by the differential consequences of prey density, prey biomass and effective consumption rates. Using camera traps at nests, we investigated whether changes in prey abundances caused functional and/or numerical responses of the common buzzard (Buteo) in a Mediterranean woodland region. After determining 1150 prey delivered to the nests by adults, we found that the biomass of prey caught was not a good indicator of its influence on individual life history traits such as productivity. Indeed, the consumption of small mammal prey, despite representing only 11% of the biomass delivered, had a much greater influence on buzzards' productivity than the consumption of snakes, which made up 47% of the biomass delivered. Live trapping evidenced that small mammals were roughly preyed according to its availability in the field, and their abundance in spring was directly related to buzzards' productivity and inversely related to hatching dates. Small mammals – mostly mice – can be considered as very suitable prey, owing quick handling times, profitability, and high energy intake. Our results pointed out the relevance of mice on buzzards' breeding performance, and altogether with the outstanding role of open-land small mammals on buzzards' demography during autumn-winter, suggested a key role of small mammals on buzzards’ ecology throughout the year cycle in the Mediterranean area studied. These findings have important implications for our understanding of the foraging strategies of generalist species and the role that habitat and environmental factors play in shaping them.
Effects of niche marginality on hotter-drought tree mortality in angiosperms and gymnosperms
(John Wiley & Sons, 2025-09-21) Batllori Presas, Enric; Hammond, William M.; Jump, Alistair; Pérez-Navarro, María Ángeles; Allen, Craig D.; Lloret Maya, Francisco
Aim: Current observations of global tree mortality events associated with drought raise concerns about climate change risks to forests' dynamics and function. It is unclear which forests are more susceptible to pulses of mortality under further changing climates. We examined whether tree mortality related to hotter droughts is predominantly occurring in edge or core populations in niche space and assessed whether mortality patterns are consistent with species' drought tolerances. Location: Global. Time Period: 1970–2020. Major Taxa Studied: Angiosperm and gymnosperm trees. Methods: We estimated species' climatic niches on the basis of global occurrences and annual time series of climate. We computed the distance to the niche core of drought mortality sites (982 observations, 44 tree species) and compared it with null models of randomly distributed tree mortality. We assessed how loss of xylem conductance and hydraulic safety margin related to populations' position in niche space and to the degree of climate anomaly during mortality. Results: In the year of mortality, 64.3% of the sites were closer to the species' niche edge than the niche core. However, when considering long-term climate averages, both marginal and central populations experienced drought-associated pulses of mortality. Overall, tree mortality was related to populations' shifts towards the edge of species' climatic niches and, in angiosperm mortality sites, species' drought tolerances were correlated with the intensity of climatic anomalies. In gymnosperm sites, marginal populations were more affected and other processes, such as heat-induced stress or cumulative drought effects, may have affected mortality. Main Conclusions: Both marginal and central populations, even for highly drought-tolerant species, are vulnerable to climate change. Climate anomaly magnitude, cumulative drought effects, plant physiological limits and species niche geometry help explain range-wide patterns of hotter-drought-associated tree mortality.
Molecular evidence for the intermediate disturbance hypothesis in an acidified marine system
(Springer Verlag, 2025-10-01) González-Delgado, Sara; Pérez Portela, Rocío; Hernández, José Carlos
The Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis (IDH), postulated by Connell (1978), suggests that ecosystems exhibit higher species diversity when disturbances occur at intermediate scales. In this study, the applicability of the IDH at the intraspecific scales (organismal) was investigated using molecular data. As an experimental perturbation framework, a naturally acidified system located in La Palma Island, Canary Island (Spain) with a sharp fluctuating pH gradient was sampled. Molecular data were obtained from sequences of a fragment of the mitochondrial Cytochrome C Oxidase subunit I gene in two sea urchin species (Arbacia lixula and Paracentrotus lividus) to explore genetic diversity at the organism level. These data were compared with previous metabarcoding results of taxonomic benthic diversity at the community level. Both sea urchin species showed the highest levels of haplotype and nucleotide diversity at the intermediate pH fluctuation zone, mirroring metabarcoding data that revealed the highest levels of taxonomic diversity at the same zone. The results support the validity of the IDH in marine ecosystems affected by strong pH fluctuations and across different levels of biological organization (from organisms to communities).
The role of fire in terrestrial vertebrate richness patterns
(John Wiley & Sons, 2023-04-01) Moritz, Max A.; Batllori Presas, Enric; Bolker, Benjamin M.
Productivity is strongly associated with terrestrial species richness patterns, although the mechanisms underpinning such patterns have long been debated. Despite considerable consumption of primary productivity by fire, its influence on global diversity has received relatively little study. Here we examine the sensitivity of terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity (amphibians, birds, and mammals) to fire, while accounting for other drivers. We analyze global data on terrestrial vertebrate richness, net primary productivity, fire occurrence (fraction of productivity consumed), and additional influences unrelated to productivity (i.e., historical phylogenetic and area effects) on species richness. For birds fire is associated with higher diversity, rivaling the effects of productivity on richness, and for mammals fire’s positive association with diversity is even stronger than productivity; for amphibians, in contrast, there are few clear associations. Our findings suggest an underappreciated role for fire in the generation of animal species richness and the conservation of global biodiversity.
Chlorination Cessation Alters Greenhouse Gas Dynamics in Artificial Urban Ponds
(Wiley, 2025-08-05) Montes-Pérez, Jorge Juan; Irusta, Paula; Cañas, Lídia; Mejía, Fernanda; Pinaud-Brageot, Näel; Obrador Sala, Biel; Puigserver Cuerda, Diana; Millán Martos, Alberto; Schiller Calle, Daniel von
Cities are facing an ecological challenge, and international policies are increasingly focused on implementing nature-based solutions to support this transition. In this context, the naturalization of artificial urban ponds (AUP) is a promising approach with proved benefits for biodiversity and human well-being. However, the naturalization of AUP may be accompanied by increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Here, we evaluated the effect of chlorination cessation, an essential step in the naturalization process, on GHG dynamics in AUP. Partial pressures of CO2 (pCO2), CH4 (pCH4), and N2O (pN2O) were measured in 41 artificial urban ponds (28 non-chlorinated and 13 chlorinated) in the city of Barcelona during winter and summer to assess: (a) the effect of chlorination treatment, (b) the effect of seasonality, and (c) the main drivers behind the partial pressures of these GHGs. Results show that although chlorination cessation increased pCH4, it reduced pN2O and had no significant effect on pCO2. The main drivers of these patterns were naturalization, with factors related to primary production playing a major role; seasonality, with temperature as a key environmental variable; and groundwater legacy. Importantly, the net global warming potential (GWP), expressed as CO2 equivalents, was not significantly higher in non-chlorinated ponds. These findings suggest that the naturalization of artificial water bodies could be a viable strategy to create more resilient cities without significantly increasing GHG emissions.
Learning the syntax of plant assemblages
(2025-10-13) Leblanc, César; Bonnet, Pierre; Servajean, Maximilien; Thuiller, Wilfried; Chytrý, Milan; Aćić, Svetlana; Argagnon, Olivier; Biurrun, Idoia; Bonari, Gianmaria; Bruelheide, Helge; Campos, Juan Antonio; Čarni, Andraž; Ćušterevska, Renata; De Sanctis, Michele; Dengler, Jürgen; Dziuba, Tetiana; Garbolino, Emmanuel; Jandt, Ute; Jansen, Florian; Lenoir, Jonathan; Moeslund, Jesper Erenskjold; Pérez Haase, Aaron; Pielech, Remigiusz; Sibik, Jozef; Stančić, Zvjezdana; Uogintas, Domas; Wohlgemuth, Thomas; Joly, Alexis
To address the urgent biodiversity crisis, it is crucial to understand the nature of plant assemblages. The distribution of plant species is shaped not only by their broad environmental requirements but also by micro-environmental conditions, dispersal limitations, and direct and indirect species interactions. While predicting species composition and habitat type is essential for conservation and restoration purposes, it remains challenging. In this study, we propose an approach inspired by advances in large language models to learn the ‘syntax’ of abundance-ordered plant species sequences in communities. Our method, which captures latent associations between species across diverse ecosystems, can be fine-tuned for diverse tasks. In particular, we show that our methodology is able to outperform other approaches to (1) predict species that might occur in an assemblage given the other listed species, despite being originally missing in the species list (16.53% higher accuracy in retrieving a plant species removed from an assemblage than co-occurrence matrices and 6.56% higher than neural networks), and (2) classify habitat types from species assemblages (5.54% higher accuracy in assigning a habitat type to an assemblage than expert system classifiers and 1.14% higher than tabular deep learning). The proposed application has a vocabulary that covers over 10,000 plant species from Europe and adjacent countries and provides a powerful methodology for improving biodiversity mapping, restoration and conservation biology. As ecologists begin to explore the use of artificial intelligence, such approaches open opportunities for rethinking how we model, monitor and understand nature.
Annual Vegetation of Saline Seasonal Wetlands (Crypsietea aculeatae) in Europe
(Wiley, 2025-11-07) Iemelianova, Svitlana; Dítě, Daniel; Dítě, Zuzana; Willner, Wolfgang; Bergmeier, Erwin; Pérez Haase, Aaron; Dziuba, Tetiana; Aćić, Svetlana; Ćuk, Mirjana; Ćušterevska, Renata; Dubyna, Dmytro; Vassilev, Kiril; Chytrý, Milan
Aims: The class Crypsietea aculeatae comprises pioneer ephemeral dwarf-graminoid vegetation occurring in periodically flooded saline habitats. Although numerous regional studies have described this vegetation, a unified classification across Europe has been lacking. This study aims to establish a formalized, continent-wide classification at the association level, identify its biogeographical patterns, and assess relationships between species composition and environmental gradients. Location: Europe (except Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia). Methods: We compiled a dataset of 2538 vegetation plots from the European Vegetation Archive (EVA), private databases, and literature. A hierarchical expert system was developed using formal definitions of syntaxa based on species cover. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) was applied to evaluate compositional differences and reveal biogeographical patterns. Distance-based redundancy analysis (db-RDA) and unweighted community means of Ellenberg-type indicator values (EIVs) were used to assess environmental drivers. Results: We present a revised syntaxonomic framework for the class Crypsietea aculeatae and propose updates to the EuroVegChecklist. One alliance (Cypero-Spergularion marinae) and four associations (Crypsietum aculeatae, Crypsietum schoenoidis, Cyperetum pannonici, and Oxybasio chenopodioidis-Crypsietum aculeatae) were formally defined, with basic descriptions of their species composition, ecological characteristics, and geographical distribution. The main gradients in vegetation variability within the class Crypsietea aculeatae are driven by climatic gradient and edaphic factors, including soil moisture, soil acidity, salinity, and nutrient availability. Conclusions: We established the first formal classification of annual vegetation in European saline seasonal wetlands. The syntaxonomic nomenclature was revised, and modifications to the EuroVegChecklist were proposed. The resulting classification system, accompanied by an expert system, enables consistent application in nature conservation and ecological research.
Crossing the polar front—Antarctic species discovery in the nudibranch genus Tritoniella (Gastropoda)
(Springer Verlag, 2022-06-01) Schächinger, Peter M.; Schrödl, Michael; Wilson, Nerida G.; Moles, Juan
Tritoniella belli is the only valid species of a nudibranch genus endemic to the Southern Ocean. Recent exhaustive sampling and molecular analyses led to the discovery of several new lineages. A total of 69 specimens were collected from 25 sites across the Weddell and Scotia Seas, from 5 to 751 m depth. In this study, we provide morphological and anatomical characters to describe five new Tritoniella species, namely T. gnocchi n. sp., T. prinzess n. sp., T. gnathodentata n. sp., T. schoriesi n. sp., T. heideae n. sp. Detailed descriptions of colouration, external morphology, digestive and reproductive organs, distribution, and ecology are presented in a systematic context. These are compared to the type material from the Ross Sea of T. belli and its synonym T. sinuata, whose status requires additional sampling to be solved. Discrete differences in external characters, including the shape of dorsal notum ridge and mantle edges, support the species hypotheses delimited by Moles, Berning et al. (2021). Moreover, detailed scanning electron microscopy images of the masticatory border of the jaws, radula teeth, and penial papilla were provided and their differences discussed. The gut content of all species revealed sclerites of Primnoidae gorgonians as their preferred prey. Pseudo-cryptic radiations along the Scotia Arc, explained by the combination of distribution reduction due to glacial cycles and the existence of refugia, and enhanced by their direct development, could explain the allopatric speciation events in Tritoniella species.
Analysing the contribution of intermittent rivers to beta diversity can improve freshwater conservation in Mediterranean rivers
(Springer Verlag, 2024-04-25) Soria Extremera, Maria; Bonada i Caparrós, Núria; Cid Puey, Núria; Ortega, Jean Carlo Gonçalves; Bini, Luis Mauricio; Acosta Rivas, Carlos Raul; Gutiérrez-Cánovas, Cayetano; Rodríguez Lozano, Pablo; Fortuño, Pau; Vinyoles Cartanyà, Dolors; Gallart Gallego, Francesc; Prat i Fornells, Narcís
In Mediterranean climate regions, intermittent rivers (IRs) harbor highly dynamic communities with species and trait composition changing over time and space. Simultaneously considering multiple biodiversity facets and a spatiotemporal perspective is, therefore, key to developing effective conservation strategies for these ecosystems. We studied the spatiotemporal dynamics of aquatic macroinvertebrates in rivers of the western Mediterranean Basin by analysing (1) the taxonomic and functional richness and the local contribution to beta diversity (LCBD; measured considering taxonomic and functional facets) of perennial rivers and IRs over five sampling times, and (2) their relation with flow intermittence, local environmental uniqueness, and the number of anthropogenic impacts. Both analyses were also conducted for the subset of data including only IRs to compare values between their flowing and disconnected pool phases. According to our results, taxonomic and functional richness tended to be higher in perennial rivers than in IRs, while taxonomic and functional LCBD tended to be higher in IRs than in perennial rivers. When comparing IR sites over time, higher values of taxonomic and functional LCBD corresponded mostly to their disconnected pool phase. Flow intermittence, the number of anthropogenic impacts and th environmental uniqueness were significant predictors of taxonomic and functional richness, but only flow intermittence was an important predictor of taxonomic LCBD. For the IR-only data subset, disconnected pool permanence was the main predictor explaining spatiotemporal patterns. Our results highlight the importance of IRs to biodiversity conservation of Mediterranean climate rivers, especially during the disconnected pool phase, suggesting that these ecosystems cannot be ignored in conservation planning strategies.

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