The influence of climate and land-cover scenarios on dam management strategies in a highwater pressure catchment in Northeast Spain

Zabalza-Martínez J., Vicente-Serrano S.M., López-Moreno J.I., Calvo G.B., Savé R., Pascual D., Pla E., Morán-Tejeda E., Domínguez-Castro F., Tague C.L. (2018) The influence of climate and land-cover scenarios on dam management strategies in a highwater pressure catchment in Northeast Spain. Water (Switzerland). 10: 0-0.
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Doi: 10.3390/w10111668

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This paper evaluates the response of streamflow in a Mediterranean medium-scaled basin under land-use and climate change scenarios and its plausible implication on the management of Boadella-Darnius reservoir (NE Spain). Land cover and climate change scenarios supposed over the next several decades were used to simulate reservoir inflow using the Regional Hydro-Ecologic Simulation System (RHESsys) and to analyze the future impacts on water management (2021-2050). Results reveal a clear decrease in dam inflow (-34%) since the dam was operational from 1971 to 2013. The simulations obtained with RHESsys show a similar decrease (-31%) from 2021 to 2050. Considering the ecological minimum flow outlined by water authorities and the projected decrease in reservoir's inflows, different water management strategies are needed to mitigate the effects of the expected climate change. © 2018 by the authors.

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Applicability of butterfly transect counts to estimate species richness in different parts of the palaearctic region

Zhang C., Harpke A., Kühn E., Páramo F., Settele J., Stefanescu C., Wiemers M., Zhang Y., Schweiger O. (2018) Applicability of butterfly transect counts to estimate species richness in different parts of the palaearctic region. Ecological Indicators. 95: 735-740.
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Doi: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.08.027

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Transect counts are one of the most popular approaches to assess and monitor butterfly diversity, especially with the background of biodiversity loss. This method was developed in Europe, but its transferability is seldom tested across the world. To assess transferability, we compared butterfly richness estimates based on transect counts in Spain, Germany and central China, a region with a considerably different biogeographic history and more diverse butterfly fauna compared to Europe. We found that the efficiency of transect counts was much lower in China than in the other two regions. Apart from the fact that traditional transect counts may undersample canopy species which are predominant in central China, higher efficiency in Europe may be primarily attributed to different patterns of butterfly richness likely caused by different biogeographic and anthropogenic land-use history. Our results highlight that great caution is needed when transect count methods are transferred to other regions of the world, especially to particularly species rich areas with a high number of rare species. Low detectability of certain species can substantially mask species richness estimates, and we suggest to carefully adapt sampling effort and perhaps combine transect counts with other methods to ensure more realistic assessment of species richness in such regions. © 2018

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QMEC: a tool for high-throughput quantitative assessment of microbial functional potential in C, N, P, and S biogeochemical cycling

Zheng B., Zhu Y., Sardans J., Peñuelas J., Su J. (2018) QMEC: a tool for high-throughput quantitative assessment of microbial functional potential in C, N, P, and S biogeochemical cycling. Science China Life Sciences. : 0-0.
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Doi: 10.1007/s11427-018-9364-7

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Microorganisms are major drivers of elemental cycling in the biosphere. Determining the abundance of microbial functional traits involved in the transformation of nutrients, including carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and sulfur (S), is critical for assessing microbial functionality in elemental cycling. We developed a high-throughput quantitative-PCR-based chip, Quantitative microbial element cycling (QMEC), for assessing and quantifying the genetic potential of microbiota to mineralize soil organic matter and to release C, N, P and S. QMEC contains 72 primer pairs targeting 64 microbial functional genes for C, N, P, S and methane metabolism. These primer pairs were characterized by high coverage (average of 18–20 phyla covered per gene) and sufficient specificity (>70% match rate) with a relatively low detection limit (7–102 copies per run). QMEC was successfully applied to soil and sediment samples, identifying significantly different structures, abundances and diversities of the functional genes (P

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Identification and characterization of inorganic-phosphate-solubilizing bacteria from agricultural fields with a rapid isolation method

Zheng B.-X., Ibrahim M., Zhang D.-P., Bi Q.-F., Li H.-Z., Zhou G.-W., Ding K., Peñuelas J., Zhu Y.-G., Yang X.-R. (2018) Identification and characterization of inorganic-phosphate-solubilizing bacteria from agricultural fields with a rapid isolation method. AMB Express. 8: 0-0.
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Doi: 10.1186/s13568-018-0575-6

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The ability to solubilize fixed inorganic phosphorus (P) for plant growth is important for increasing crop yield. More P can be released by inoculating soil with inorganic-phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (iPSBs). We used 96-well microplates instead of traditional 200-mm petri dishes to rapidly screen iPSB strains for their solubilizing ability. We simultaneously obtained 76 iPSB isolates from 576 wells containing two agricultural soils. This method conveniently identified positive iPSB strains and effectively prevented fungal cross-contamination. Maximum-likelihood phylogenetic trees of the isolated strains showed that Bacillus megaterium was the most dominant iPSB, and strains Y99, Y95, Y924 and Y1412 were selected as representatives for the analysis of P solubilization. Succinic acid was the main organic acid of B. megaterium for releasing P. It was strongly correlated with the increase in soluble P concentration during 168 h of incubation of these four strains. pH was negatively exponentially correlated with the amount of soluble P in the medium, and the amount of succinic acid was strongly linearly correlated with the amount of P released (P

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Draft genome sequence of Rhodococcus opacus strain 04-OD7, which can mobilize phosphate

Zheng B.-X., Zhang H.-K., Ding K. (2018) Draft genome sequence of Rhodococcus opacus strain 04-OD7, which can mobilize phosphate. Genome Announcements. 6: 0-0.
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Doi: 10.1128/genomeA.00494-18

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Rhodococcus opacus strain 04-OD7 (=CCTCC AB 2017148) is a Grampositive bacterium showing inorganic phosphate solubilization capacity for the first time in the genus Rhodococcus. We present here the draft genome description of R. opacus 04-OD7 along with multiple phosphorus (P) mobilization-related genes, supporting its inorganic phosphate solubilization. © 2018 Zheng et al.

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The large mean body size of mammalian herbivores explains the productivity paradox during the Last Glacial Maximum

Zhu D., Ciais P., Chang J., Krinner G., Peng S., Viovy N., Peñuelas J., Zimov S. (2018) The large mean body size of mammalian herbivores explains the productivity paradox during the Last Glacial Maximum. Nature Ecology and Evolution. 2: 640-649.
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Doi: 10.1038/s41559-018-0481-y

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Large herbivores are a major agent in ecosystems, influencing vegetation structure, and carbon and nutrient flows. During the last glacial period, a mammoth steppe ecosystem prevailed in the unglaciated northern lands, supporting a high diversity and density of megafaunal herbivores. The apparent discrepancy between abundant megafauna and the expected low vegetation productivity under a generally harsher climate with a lower CO2 concentration, termed the productivity paradox, requires large-scale quantitative analysis using process-based ecosystem models. However, most of the current global dynamic vegetation models (DGVMs) lack explicit representation of large herbivores. Here we incorporated a grazing module in a DGVM based on physiological and demographic equations for wild large grazers, taking into account feedbacks of large grazers on vegetation. The model was applied globally for present-day and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The present-day results of potential grazer biomass, combined with an empirical land-use map, infer a reduction in wild grazer biomass by 79-93% owing to anthropogenic land replacement of natural grasslands. For the LGM, we find that the larger mean body size of mammalian herbivores than today is the crucial clue to explain the productivity paradox, due to a more efficient exploitation of grass production by grazers with a large body size. © 2018 The Author(s).

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Human dissemination of genes and microorganisms in Earth's Critical Zone

Zhu, Y.-G., Gillings, M., Simonet, P., Stekel, D., Banwart, S., Penuelas, J. (2018) Human dissemination of genes and microorganisms in Earth's Critical Zone. Global Change Biology. 24: 1488-1499.
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Doi: 10.1111/gcb.14003

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Simultaneous population fluctuations of rodents in montane forests and alpine meadows suggest indirect effects of tree masting

Zwolak R., Witczuk J., Bogdziewicz M., Rychlik L., Pagacz S. (2018) Simultaneous population fluctuations of rodents in montane forests and alpine meadows suggest indirect effects of tree masting. Journal of Mammalogy. 99: 586-595.
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Doi: 10.1093/jmammal/gyy034

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Resource pulses can generate cross-habitat dispersal of consumers, and therefore affect organisms even in areas where the resource pulses do not occur. We investigated this phenomenon at the elevational treeline in the Carpathian Mountains, where beech (Fagus sylvatica) masting caused an increase in abundance of forest rodents and intensified their use of alpine meadows. We tested 3 hypotheses concerning the impact of forest rodent spillover on the abundance of meadow-dwelling pine voles (Microtus subterraneus): 1) the competition hypothesis: if the spillover affects pine voles mostly through intensified competitive interactions, then pine voles should decline when forest rodents reach their peak abundance, i.e., 1 year after masting; 2) the apparent competition hypothesis: if predators switch to alternative prey when populations of forest rodents collapse, then pine voles should decline 2 years after masting; and 3) the apparent mutualism hypothesis: if the increase of forest rodents temporarily releases pine voles from predatory pressure, pine voles should increase in synchrony with forest rodents-1 year after masting. Our results, while correlative in nature, supported the apparent mutualism hypothesis: 1 year after masting, both forest rodents and pine voles strongly increased their abundance. Two years after masting, when populations of forest rodents crashed, abundance of pine voles returned to pre-masting levels rather than collapse. These findings suggest that pulsed spillover, known mostly from negative effects on organisms in recipient habitats, can also create indirect positive interactions. Furthermore, they illustrate how density-dependent spillover of animals might increase the spatial scale of masting effects beyond the habitats where seeds are released. © 2018 American Society of Mammalogists, www.mammalogy.org.

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Annual Report CREAF 2016

(2017) Annual Report CREAF 2016. . : -.

A multi-species synthesis of physiological mechanisms in drought-induced tree mortality

Adams, H.D., Zeppel, M.J.B., Anderegg, W.R.L., Hartmann, H., Landhäusser, S.M., Tissue, D.T., Huxman, T.E., Hudson, P.J., Franz, T.E., Allen, C.D., Anderegg, L.D.L., Barron-Gafford, G.A., Beerling, D.J., Breshears, D.D., Brodribb, T.J., Bugmann, H., Cobb, R.C., Collins, A.D., Dickman, L.T., Duan, H., Ewers, B.E., Galiano, L., Galvez, D.A., Garcia-Forner, N., Gaylord, M.L., Germino, M.J., Gessler, A., Hacke, U.G., Hakamada, R., Hector, A., Jenkins, M.W., Kane, J.M., Kolb, T.E., Law, D.J., Lewis, J.D., Limousin, J.-M., Love, D.M., Macalady, A.K., Martínez-Vilalta, J., Mencuccini, M., Mitchell, P.J., Muss, J.D., O'Brien, M.J., O'Grady, A.P., Pangle, R.E., Pinkard, E.A., Piper, F.I., Plaut, J.A., Pockman, W.T., Quirk, J., Reinhardt, K., Ripullone, F., Ryan, M.G., Sala, A., Sevanto, S., Sperry, J.S., Vargas, R., Vennetier, M., Way, D.A., Xu, C., Yepez, E.A., McDowell, N.G. (2017) A multi-species synthesis of physiological mechanisms in drought-induced tree mortality. Nature Ecology and Evolution. 1: 1285-1291.
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Doi: 10.1038/s41559-017-0248-x

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