Search Results (32)

Loess–palaeosol sequences (LPSs) are continuous records of palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic conditions during the Quaternary. This study includes 17 LPS located in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula, irregularly distributed, associated with different river basins: the Ebro Basin, the Mora Basin, and the Ter sub-basin. The soils developed on these loess deposits present a loam–sandy texture, coarser than the typical loess, ochre in colour, with variable thickness (1–12 m), calcareous composition (20–45% CaCO₃ eq.), very low or null organic matter (OM), and basic pH. These deposits have been classified as desert LPS, whose pedogenesis is mainly associated with the redistribution of calcium carbonate and, in some cases, gypsum. Several methodologies have been applied to determine their mineralogical, physical, and chemical characteristics and date them by luminescence techniques. In addition, some relevant pedofeatures (porosity, CaCO₃, gypsum, etc.) have been characterised in detail. The aims of the present study have been to know the pedogenic development of the LPS by defining the main soil-forming factors that have affected them in order to associate these factors with the characteristic palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental conditions reported in this area over time and to improve the understanding of soil evolution. Full article

The Costa Brava, a Mediterranean coastal strip spanning ca. 250 km (in NE Spain), is a hotspot of plant invasions. To address this issue, the LIFE medCLIFFS project was launched to improve the management of invasive species along sea cliffs in the region. The initial phase of the project involved designing more than 100 transects distributed across the coastline, each 1 km in length, which were to be monitored by volunteers. During the fieldwork for transect design, we identified a total of 126 alien species. This is a substantial number, considering that the observations were confined to the transect areas. Notably, among the 126 observed taxa, 24 represented floristic novelties: 7 were new to the Costa Brava, 7 to the province of Girona, 4 to Catalonia, 1 to Spain, 1 to the Iberian Peninsula, and 4 to Europe. Additionally, we provide information on other alien taxa that, although not novel for the study area, could be significant for control and management efforts. These observations provide a foundation for compiling a comprehensive catalog of the alien flora of the Costa Brava. Full article

Different giant and very large hail events have occurred in Catalonia (NE of the Iberian Peninsula) in the last three years, with stones ranging between 8 and more than 10 cm in diameter. These sizes have not occurred in this area in at least thirty years. This research analyzed all those events with at least one severe hail register (more than 2 cm diameter) in the region for 2013–2023. The present study considered large volumes of high reflectivity in weather radar 3D fields at high tropospheric levels (more than 10 km). The goal was to determine if high reflectivity cores (over 55 dBZ) occurred at those levels before or during the hail-fall. The main question was whether this radar signature could reveal the occurrence of very large or giant hail. The 55 dBZ volumes occurred and were maintained over 10 km between six and sixty minutes in a high percentage of large-hail cases. However, giant hail cases did not present the maximum duration of high reflectivity at high levels as was initially expected. Full article

Leishmania infantum is a zoonotic protozoan parasite distributed worldwide that is transmitted by phlebotomine sandflies. Dogs are the main reservoir for human infections. However, in recent years, the capacity of lagomorphs to contribute to Leishmania transmission has been confirmed. The present study aimed to assess Leishmania spp. exposure and infection in lagomorphs and sympatric domestic dogs in NE Spain. Sera from European hares, European rabbits, and rural dogs were tested for antibodies against L. infantum using an in-house indirect ELISA. PCR analysis targeting Leishmania spp. was performed in spleens from L. europaeus. Antibodies against Leishmania spp. were detected in all the species analyzed. Total sample prevalence was significantly higher in O. cuniculus (27.9%) than in L. europaeus (2.0%). Results of the PCR were all negative. The present study expands knowledge about Leishmania infections in free-ranging lagomorphs in the Iberian Peninsula, suggesting a more important role of O. cuniculus in the study area. Given the strong correlation between lagomorph densities and human leishmaniasis outbreaks in Spain, the high rabbit and human densities in NE Spain, and the high Leishmania spp. seroprevalence in rabbits, it becomes imperative to establish surveillance programs for lagomorphs in this region. Full article

Peri-urban regions, especially in the Mediterranean, face challenges like farmland loss due to urban pressure. This study emphasizes retail stores as strategic focal points for evaluating societal, economic, and production systems. It hypothesizes that analyzing retail stores in agricultural areas provides insights into traded and cultivated agrobiodiversity. Using the Baix Llobregat Agrarian Park (Catalonia, NE Iberian Peninsula) as a case study, this research examines different food retailers from short and conventional food supply chains. Results indicate variations in plant diversity, origin, and seasonality among different retail stores. Farmers’ markets exhibit higher intraspecific diversity, contributing to local agrobiodiversity conservation. This study observes temporal changes in farmers’ markets, highlighting shifts influenced by socioeconomic factors and climate change perceptions. Finally, this research underscores certain strategies to promote sustainable peri-urban local food systems and preserve agrobiodiversity, offering valuable insights into food supply chain dynamics in peri-urban agricultural regions. Full article

Groups with morphological stasis are an interesting framework to address putative cryptic species that may be hidden behind traditional taxonomic treatments, particularly when distribution ranges suggest disjunct and environmentally heterogeneous biogeographic patterns. New hypotheses of delimitation of evolutionary independent units can lead to the identification of different biogeographic processes, laying the foundation to investigate their historical and ecological significance. Jasione is a plant genus with a distribution centered in the Mediterranean basin, characterized by significant morphological stasis. Within the western Mediterranean J. gr. crispa species complex, J. sessiliflora s.l. and allied taxa form a distinct group, occupying environmentally diverse regions. At least two ploidy levels, diploid and tetraploid, are known to occur in the group. The internal variability is assessed with phylogenetic tools, viz. GMYC and ASAP, for species delimitation. The results are compared with other lines of evidence, including morphology and cytology. The fitting of distribution patterns of the inferred entities to chorological subprovinces is also used as a biogeographical and environmental framework to test the species hypothesis. Despite the scarcity of diagnostic morphological characters in the group, phylogenetic delimitation supports the description of at least one cryptic species, a narrow endemic in the NE Iberian Peninsula. Moreover, the results support the segregation of a thermophilic group of populations in eastern Iberia from J. sessiliflora. Ploidy variation from a wide geographical survey supports the systematic rearrangement suggested by species delimitation. Taxonomic reorganization in J. sessiliflora s.l. would allow ecological interpretations of distribution patterns in great accordance with biogeographical regionalization at the subprovince level, supporting geobotanical boundaries as a framework to interpret species ecological coherence of cryptic lineages. These results suggest that species differentiation, together with geographic isolation and polyploidization, is associated with adaptation to different environments, shifting from more to less thermophilic conditions. Thus, the recognition of concealed evolutionary entities is essential to correctly interpret biogeographical patterns in regions with a complex geologic and evolutionary history, such as the Mediterranean basin, and biogeographical units emerge as biologically sound frameworks to test the species hypothesis. Full article

Satellite remote sensing has become an important tool for monitoring and evaluating the impacts of drought. In this study, a modeling framework aimed at estimating the time series of evapotranspiration (ET), a key variable for drought monitoring, at a regional scale is presented. A two-source energy balance (TSEB) model was used concurrently with Terra/Aqua MODIS data and the ERA5 atmospheric reanalysis dataset. The modeling framework is based on the SEN-ET scheme to calculate the surface energy balance of the soil-canopy-atmosphere continuum and estimate ET at 1 km spatial resolution. The model was applied for the whole Iberian Peninsula, and it was evaluated with a pistachio orchard flux tower data in Lleida (NE Iberian Peninsula). Preliminary daily ET evaluation results for the Terra dataset showed an RMSE, MBE, and R² of around 1.43 W·m⁻², −1.27 W·m⁻², and 0.56, respectively, and for the Aqua dataset were 1.05 W·m⁻², −0.84 W·m⁻² and 0.48, respectively within 100 days in 2022. Ongoing evaluation is being carried out on two forested watersheds as well as mountain meadows and semi-arid vegetation flux towers. Full article

The hailstorm of 30 August 2022 in the NE of Catalonia (NE of the Iberian Peninsula) produced the largest hail size, with diameters exceeding 10 cm. Furthermore, hail occurrence exceeded 2 cm in fourteen days and 4 cm in seven days during August 2022. The size and the days number constituted new records in Catalonia for at least the last 30 years. The analysis has compared the thermodynamic values derived from the sounding of Barcelona with the climatic data for 1998–2022 (25 years of data). This fact has allowed the selection and evaluation of different thermodynamic parameters’ behaviour during hail days in Catalonia. In this research, the precipitable water mass provided the best results as a hail forecaster. Second, the study has evaluated if the different parameters have a significant trend during the study period. The answer is yes in all cases, but some parameters presented a stepped rise while others increased smoothly. Finally, the research has analysed if the parameter values during August 2022 were extraordinary compared with the rest of the period. In this case, the thermodynamic parameters nature was well correlated with the hail size and occurrence maximums of August 2022. Full article

In the climate change context, wildfires are an increasing hazard in the Mediterranean Basin, especially those triggered by lightning. Although lightning activity can be predicted with a reasonable level of confidence, the challenge remains in forecasting the thunderstorm’s probability of ignition. The present work aims to characterise the most suitable predictors to forecast lightning-ignited wildfires. Several ERA5 parameters were calculated and compared for two different samples, thunderstorm episodes that caused a wildfire (n = 961) and ordinary thunderstorms (n = 1023) that occurred in Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula) in the 2006–2020 period. Lightning wildfires are mostly associated with dry thunderstorms, characterised by: weak-to-moderate Mixed-Layer Convective Available Potential Energy (MLCAPE, 150–1100 J kg⁻¹), significant Dew Point Depression at 850 hPa (DPD₈₅₀, 3.3–10.1 °C), high Most-Unstable Lifted Condensation Level (MULCL, 580–1450 m) and steep 500–700 hPa Lapse Rate (LR, −7.0–−6.3 °C). Under these conditions, with relatively dry air at lower levels, thunderstorms tend to be high-based, the rain evaporating before reaching the ground and lightning occurring without significant rainfall. Specifically forecasting the probability of LIW occurrence would be of great assistance to the forest protection tactical decision-making process, preparing for “dry” thunderstorm days where multiple ignitions can be expected. Full article

The main goal of this study was to analyze the reproductive patterns of edible dormouse (Glis glis) populations in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula using an 18-year period of data obtained from nest boxes collected between 2004 and 2021. The average litter size in Catalonia (Spain) was 5.5 ± 1.60 (range: 2–9, n = 131), with litter sizes between 5 and 7 pups as the more frequent. The overall mean weight in pink, grey and open eyes pups was 4.8 g/pup, 11.7 g/pup and 23.6 g/pup, respectively. No differences in offspring weights between sexes were found in any of the three age groups. Maternal body weight was positively associated with mean pup weight, whereas no correlation between the weight of the mothers and litter size was found. The trade-off between offspring number and size was not detected at birth. Regarding litter size variation across the geographic gradient (and their climatic gradient associated) from the southernmost populations of the Iberian Peninsula located in Catalonia to the Pyrenees region in Andorra, no evidence to suggest that geographic variables affect litter size was found, discarding (1) an investment in larger litters to compensate shorter seasons related to higher altitudes or northern latitudes, and (2) variation in litter size related to weather changes (e.g., temperature and precipitation) along latitudinal and/or altitudinal gradients. Full article

One of the most important reception sites for Phoenician pottery imports in the NE Iberian Peninsula is the Early Iron Age (800–550 BC) settlement of Sant Jaume. This site is exceptional in terms of preservation and the large number of complete vessels recovered. Moreover, the ceramic assemblage comprises one of the best collections of the earliest wheel-thrown pottery that is considered evidence of trade from the western Phoenician colonies and their specific interest in exploiting metallurgical resources. In this research, a sample of 58 individuals of wheel-thrown pottery has been analysed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), petrography (PE), and scanning electron microscopy attached with an energy dispersive X-ray unit (SEM-EDX). It was possible to identify 29 ceramic groups, some of which correspond to known Phoenician workshops of southern Andalusia and Ibiza, though the origin of most groups remains to be determined. The wide variety of sources identified illuminates the patterns of trade and exchange that the Phoenicians developed during the Early Iron Age and the export of their manufactured products. This information is fundamental to our understanding of the economic system developed by the Western Mediterranean Phoenician colonies that affected and transformed indigenous communities in the Mediterranean region. Full article

In recent years, some works have forecasted the future scenario of severe weather phenomena, which include large hail. In the present manuscript, the authors focus on a region, Catalonia (NE of the Iberian Peninsula), influenced by complex topography, the Mediterranean Sea, and different air masses. These components are a complicated formula in determining the behavior of the hailfall in the Catalan territory. The events of recent years have shown that expectations and the historical context are not always the best indicators for the future, implying the necessity of the further study of hail events. Using radar fields combined with ground registers and a topographic model permits the characterization of the events in the territory. There is high seasonal and annual variability, with reduced hit areas and small vertical developments in non-summer cases. All these factors are not well solved by the spatial resolution of the current climatic models. Full article

Forest fires are a major concern in Mediterranean areas, where factors such as slope and aspect determine the degree of water and nutrient retention and their availability in soil. In this work, we analysed the effects of slope and aspect on minor soil elements. The study area was located in Ódena (NE Iberian Peninsula) in a typical Mediterranean forest. Four geomorphologically representative and contrasting soil profiles were sampled from different slopes and aspects. Eleven samples were taken from each profile at different depths. The amount of extractable aluminium (Al), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), boron (B), and lead (Pb) and the calcium (Ca):Al ratio in all horizons of each profile were determined. The results showed that Al, Fe, and Pb and the Ca:Al ratio were mainly affected by slope, whereas Mn, Zn, and B were especially conditioned by aspect. This type of study aims to determine which areas have to be managed in order to avoid not only soil contamination by heavy metals but also a shortage of certain essential nutrients for plant regeneration and, thus, improved soil quality. Full article

Nowadays, extensive livestock farming faces substantial threats in the Mediterranean region, provoking a setback dynamic in the sector. In 2016, the Fire Flocks (FF) project was conceived and implemented as a regional strategy to revert this situation and revalue the sector in Catalonia, in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula. FF promotes forest management through extensive livestock farming, and more specifically silvopastoralism, to reduce vegetation load and wildfire risk. The initiative also works on fire risk awareness with the aim of promoting extensive livestock products through FF label and valorization strategies. Five years after its initial implementation, the project managers detected several weaknesses and potential improvements directly affecting the economic and environmental performance of the participating farms. It was therefore considered necessary to conduct targeted qualitative interviews with the farmers participating in the project in order to gather their opinions on the project’s functioning and further steps. To this end, 17 farmers were interviewed with the aid of a qualitative questionnaire. The farmers stated that although FF is not providing them with any direct financial benefits, it does present an opportunity to belong to a group of farmers working on wildfire prevention, thereby lending them a voice as a group, and reaching more social visibility. The qualitative analyses elucidate key elements to be promoted in FF, such as redesign of the operational structure, expansion to a regional scale and action lines to facilitate grazing activity. Full article

The global degradation of wetlands is increasing their susceptibility to invasions, which is greatly determined by a niche overlap between native and invasive species. We analyze its role in regulating the coexistence of the native Mediterranean stripe-necked terrapin Mauremys leprosa and the invasive Red-eared Slider Trachemys scripta elegans in a coastal wetland. We analyzed both water chemistry and landscape attributes, using variance-partitioning analysis to isolate the variance explained by each set of variables. Then, the influence of environmental variables on species co-occurrence patterns was assessed by using latent variable models (LVM), which account for correlation between species that may be attributable to biotic interactions or missing environmental covariates. The species showed a very low niche overlap, with clear differences in their response to environmental and landscape filters. The distribution of T. s. elegans was largely explained by landscape variables, preferring uniform landscapes within the daily movement buffer, whereas at larger scales, it was associated with a high diversity of habitats of small and uniform relative sizes. A high percentage of the distribution of M. leprosa was unexplained by the measured variables and may be related to the competitive exclusion processes with T. s. elegans. The species was positively related with large patches with high perimeter values or ecotone area at medium spatial scales, and it was benefited from a marked heterogeneity in the patches’ size at larger scale. According to latent variable models, both species had wide eutrophication and salinity tolerance ranges, but they showed different environmental preferences. T. s. elegans was related to eutrophic freshwater environments, whereas M. leprosa was related to more saline and less eutrophic waters. Our results suggest that M. leprosa modifies its habitat use in order to avoid interaction with the T. s. elegans. Thus, management actions aimed at removing the invasive species from the territory and promoting habitat heterogeneity might be needed to protect M. leprosa and avoid local extinctions. Full article