The genetics of the pre-Roman Iberian Peninsula: a mtDNA study of ancient Iberians.

PubMed

Sampietro, M L; Caramelli, D; Lao, O; Calafell, F; Comas, D; Lari, M; Agustí, B; Bertranpetit, J; Lalueza-Fox, C

2005-09-01

The Iberians developed a surprisingly sophisticated culture in the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula from the 6th century BC until their conquest by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. They spoke and wrote a non-Indo-European language that still cannot be understood; their origins and relationships with other non-Indo-European peoples, like the Etruscans, are unclear, since their funerary practices were based on the cremation of bodies, and therefore anthropology has been unable to approach the study of this people. We have retrieved mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from a few of the scarce skeletal remains that have been preserved, some of them belonging to ritualistically executed individuals. The most stringent authentication criteria proposed for ancient DNA, such as independent replication, amino-acid analysis, quantitation of template molecules, multiple extractions and cloning of PCR products, have been followed to obtain reliable sequences from the mtDNA hypervariable region 1 (HVR1), as well as some haplogroup diagnostic SNPs. Phylogeographic analyses show that the haplogroup composition of the ancient Iberians was very similar to that found in modern Iberian Peninsula populations, suggesting a long-term genetic continuity since pre-Roman times. Nonetheless, there is less genetic diversity in the ancient Iberians than is found among modern populations, a fact that could reflect the small population size at the origin of the population sampled, and the heterogenic tribal structure of the Iberian society. Moreover, the Iberians were not especially closely related to the Etruscans, which points to considerable genetic heterogeneity in Pre-Roman Western Europe.

Characterization of the Iberian Y chromosome haplogroup R-DF27 in Northern Spain.

PubMed

Villaescusa, Patricia; Illescas, María José; Valverde, Laura; Baeta, Miriam; Nuñez, Carolina; Martínez-Jarreta, Begoña; Zarrabeitia, Maria Teresa; Calafell, Francesc; de Pancorbo, Marian M

2017-03-01

The European paternal lineage R-DF27 has been proposed as a haplogroup of Iberian origin due to its maximum frequencies in the Iberian Peninsula. In this study, the distribution and structure of DF27 were characterized in 591 unrelated male individuals from four key populations of the north area of the Iberian Peninsula through the analysis of 12 Y-SNPs that define DF27 main sublineages. Additionally, Y-SNP allele frequencies were also gathered from the reference populations in the 1000 Genomes Project to compare and obtain a better landscape of the distribution of DF27. Our results reveal frequencies over 35% of DF27 haplogroup in the four North Iberian populations analyzed and high frequencies for its subhaplogroups. Considering the low frequency of DF27 and its sublineages in most populations outside of the Iberian Peninsula, this haplogroup seems to have geographical significance; thus, indicating a possible Iberian patrilineal origin of vestiges bearing this haplogroup. The dataset presented here contributes with new data to better understand the complex genetic variability of the Y chromosome in the Iberian Peninsula, that can be applied in Forensic Genetics. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Marine exotic isopods from the Iberian Peninsula and nearby waters.

PubMed

Martínez-Laiz, Gemma; Ros, Macarena; Guerra-García, José M

2018-01-01

Effective management of marine bioinvasions starts with prevention, communication among the scientific community and comprehensive updated data on the distribution ranges of exotic species. Despite being a hotspot for introduction due to numerous shipping routes converging at the Strait of Gibraltar, knowledge of marine exotics in the Iberian Peninsula is scarce, especially of abundant but small-sized and taxonomically challenging taxa such as the Order Isopoda. To fill this gap, we conducted several sampling surveys in 44 marinas and provide the first comprehensive study of marine exotic isopods from the Iberian Peninsula, the southern side of the Strait of Gibraltar (northern Africa) and the Balearic Islands. Exotic species included Ianiropsis serricaudis (first record for the Iberian Peninsula and Lusitanian marine province), Paracerceis sculpta (first record for the Alboran Sea ecoregion), Paradella dianae , Paranthura japonica (earliest record for the Iberian Peninsula) and Sphaeroma walkeri . Photographs with morphological details for identification for non-taxonomic experts are provided, their worldwide distribution is updated and patterns of invasion are discussed. We report an expansion in the distribution range of all species, especially at the Strait of Gibraltar and nearby areas. Ianiropsis serricaudis and Paranthura japonica are polyvectic, with shellfish trade and recreational boating being most probable vectors for their introduction and secondary spread. The subsequent finding of the studied species in additional marinas over the years points at recreational boating as a vector and indicates a future spread. We call for attention to reduce lags in the detection and reporting of small-size exotics, which usually remain overlooked or underestimated until the invasion process is at an advanced stage.

Marine exotic isopods from the Iberian Peninsula and nearby waters

PubMed Central

Ros, Macarena; Guerra-García, José M.

2018-01-01

Effective management of marine bioinvasions starts with prevention, communication among the scientific community and comprehensive updated data on the distribution ranges of exotic species. Despite being a hotspot for introduction due to numerous shipping routes converging at the Strait of Gibraltar, knowledge of marine exotics in the Iberian Peninsula is scarce, especially of abundant but small-sized and taxonomically challenging taxa such as the Order Isopoda. To fill this gap, we conducted several sampling surveys in 44 marinas and provide the first comprehensive study of marine exotic isopods from the Iberian Peninsula, the southern side of the Strait of Gibraltar (northern Africa) and the Balearic Islands. Exotic species included Ianiropsis serricaudis (first record for the Iberian Peninsula and Lusitanian marine province), Paracerceis sculpta (first record for the Alboran Sea ecoregion), Paradella dianae, Paranthura japonica (earliest record for the Iberian Peninsula) and Sphaeroma walkeri. Photographs with morphological details for identification for non-taxonomic experts are provided, their worldwide distribution is updated and patterns of invasion are discussed. We report an expansion in the distribution range of all species, especially at the Strait of Gibraltar and nearby areas. Ianiropsis serricaudis and Paranthura japonica are polyvectic, with shellfish trade and recreational boating being most probable vectors for their introduction and secondary spread. The subsequent finding of the studied species in additional marinas over the years points at recreational boating as a vector and indicates a future spread. We call for attention to reduce lags in the detection and reporting of small-size exotics, which usually remain overlooked or underestimated until the invasion process is at an advanced stage. PMID:29507825

The Sixteenth Nation: Spain’s Role in NATO,

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-01-01

in NATO. GEOPOLITICAL ASPECTS Until the twentieth century, the strategic location of the Iberian peninsula has had a major influence on the course of...remains pivotal. The Iberian peninsula provides NATO forces with the badly needed depth for any conflict in Europe (as well as for potential wars outside...emplacement. The vast expanse of the Iberian peninsula presents the possibility of stationing theater nuclear weapons in Spain, although range limitations

The Middle-to-Upper Palaeolithic transition in Cova Gran (Catalunya, Spain) and the extinction of Neanderthals in the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Martínez-Moreno, Jorge; Mora, Rafael; de la Torre, Ignacio

2010-03-01

The excavations carried out in Cova Gran de Santa Linya (Southeastern PrePyrenees, Catalunya, Spain) have unearthed a new archaeological sequence attributable to the Middle Palaeoloithic/Upper Palaeolithic (MP/UP) transition. This article presents data on the stratigraphy, archaeology, and (14)C AMS dates of three Early Upper Palaeolithic and four Late Middle Palaeolithic levels excavated in Cova Gran. All these archaeological levels fall within the 34-32 ka time span, the temporal frame in which major events of Neanderthal extinction took place. The earliest Early Upper Palaeolithic (497D) and the latest Middle Palaeolithic (S1B) levels in Cova Gran are separated by a sterile gap and permit pinpointing the time period in which the Mousterian disappeared from Northeastern Spain. Technological differences between the Early Upper Palaeolithic and Late Middle Palaeolithic industries in Cova Gran support a cultural rupture between the two periods. A series of 12 (14)C AMS dates prompts reflections on the validity of reconstructions based on radiocarbon data. Thus, results from excavations in Cova Gran lead us to discuss the scenarios relating the MP/UP transition in the Iberian Peninsula, a region considered a refuge of late Neanderthal populations. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The recent (upper Miocene to Quaternary) and present tectonic stress distributions in the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herraiz, M.; de Vicente, G.; Lindo-Ñaupari, R.; Giner, J.; Simón, J. L.; GonzáLez-Casado, J. M.; Vadillo, O.; RodríGuez-Pascua, M. A.; CicuéNdez, J. I.; Casas, A.; CabañAs, L.; Rincón, P.; CortéS, A. L.; RamíRez, M.; Lucini, M.

2000-08-01

A general synthesis of the recent and present stress situation and evolution in the Iberian Peninsula was obtained from microstructural and seismological analysis. The stress evolution was deduced from (1) fault population analysis (FPA) from 409 sites distributed throughout the Iberian Peninsula, (2) paleostress indicators given by 324 stations taken from the bibliography, and (3) seismic data corresponding to 161 focal mechanisms evenly spread in the studied region. The application of FPA together with the determination of stress tensors and focal mechanisms for the whole Iberian microplate has provided two main results: (1) the Iberian Peninsula is undergoing a NW-SE oriented compression, except for the northeastern part (Pyrenees, Ebro Basin, and Iberian Chain), where it is N-S to NE-SW, and the Gulf of Cádiz, where it seems to be E-W, and (2) the main trends of the stress field have remained almost constant since the upper Miocene. The analysis performed by zones suggests the presence of local heterogeneities in the stress field.

Clusters of Earthquakes In The Southern of Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Posadas, A. M.; Luzón, F.; Vidal, F.

The southern part of the Iberian Peninsula forms part of the western border of Eurasia- Africa plate boundary. This area is characterized by the occurrence of earthquakes of moderate magnitude (the maximum magnitude ranging from 4.5 to 5.5). From the point of view of seismic activity, this region is the most active one in he Iberian Penin- sula. Until earlier 80, only the National Seismic Network belonging to the National Geographic Institute monitores the activity in the south of Iberian Peninsula. From 1983 to the actuality, the Andalusian Seismic Network belonging to the Andalusian Geophysics Institute and Seismic Disaster Prevention, records the microseismicity of the area. Nowadays, the earthquakes catalogue used belongs to the Andalusian Insti- tute of Geophysics and Seismic Disaster Prevention and it counts on more than 20000 events registered from 1985 to 2001. Today, after 20 years of recording seismic ac- tivity, statistics analysis of the catalogue have sense. In this paper we present a first approach to the clustering properties of the seismicity in the south of the Iberian Penin- sula. The analysis carried out starts with the study of clustering properties (temporal and spatial properties) in the Southern of Iberian Peninsula seismicity to demonstrate, by using the Fractal Dimension of the temporal earthquake distribution and the Mor- ishita Index of the spatial distribution of earthquakes, that this seismicity is charac- terized by a tendency to form earthquake clusters, both spatial and temporal clusters. As an example, five seismogenetic areas of the zone are analyzed (Adra-Berja, Agron, Alboran, Antequera and Loja). This particular study of the series find out the b param- eter from the Gutenberg-Richter's Law (which characterizes the energetic relaxation of events), the p parameter from Omori's Law (that characterizes the temporal relax- ation of aftershocks) and the Fractal Dimension of the spatial distribution of earth- quakes (to find the

The climate of the Common Era off the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abrantes, Fátima; Rodrigues, Teresa; Rufino, Marta; Salgueiro, Emília; Oliveira, Dulce; Gomes, Sandra; Oliveira, Paulo; Costa, Ana; Mil-Homens, Mário; Drago, Teresa; Naughton, Filipa

2017-12-01

The Mediterranean region is a climate hot spot, sensitive not only to global warming but also to water availability. In this work we document major temperature and precipitation changes in the Iberian Peninsula and margin during the last 2000 years and propose an interplay of the North Atlantic internal variability with the three atmospheric circulation modes (ACMs), (North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), east atlantic (EA) and Scandinavia (SCAND)) to explain the detected climate variability. We present reconstructions of sea surface temperature (SST derived from alkenones) and on-land precipitation (estimated from higher plant n-alkanes and pollen data) in sedimentary sequences recovered along the Iberian Margin between the south of Portugal (Algarve) and the northwest of Spain (Galiza) (36 to 42° N). A clear long-term cooling trend, from 0 CE to the beginning of the 20th century, emerges in all SST records and is considered to be a reflection of the decrease in the Northern Hemisphere summer insolation that began after the Holocene optimum. Multi-decadal/centennial SST variability follows other records from Spain, Europe and the Northern Hemisphere. Warm SSTs throughout the first 1300 years encompass the Roman period (RP), the Dark Ages (DA) and the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA). A cooling initiated at 1300 CE leads to 4 centuries of colder SSTs contemporary with the Little Ice Age (LIA), while a climate warming at 1800 CE marks the beginning of the modern/Industrial Era. Novel results include two distinct phases in the MCA: an early period (900-1100 years) characterized by intense precipitation/flooding and warm winters but a cooler spring-fall season attributed to the interplay of internal oceanic variability with a positive phase in the three modes of atmospheric circulation (NAO, EA and SCAND). The late MCA is marked by cooler and relatively drier winters and a warmer spring-fall season consistent with a shift to a negative mode of the SCAND. The Industrial Era

Patterns of acoustic variation in Cicada barbara Stål (Hemiptera, Cicadoidea) from the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco.

PubMed

Pinto-Juma, G A; Seabra, S G; Quartau, J A

2008-02-01

Field recordings of the calling song and of an amplitude modulated signal produced by males of Cicada barbara from North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula were analysed in order to assess the geographical acoustic variation and the potential usefulness of acoustic data in the discrimination of subspecies and populations. Sound recordings were digitized and the frequency and temporal properties of the calls of each cicada were analysed. In all regions studied, peak frequency, quartiles 25, 50 and 75% and syllable rate showed low coefficients of variation suggesting inherent static properties. All frequency variables were correlated with the latitude, decreasing from south to north. In addition, most acoustic variables of the calling song showed significant differences between regions, and PCA and DFA analyses supported a partitioning within this species between Iberian Peninsula+Ceuta and Morocco, corroborating mtDNA data on the same species. Therefore, the subspecific division of C. barbara into C. barbara barbara from Morocco and C. barbara lusitanica from Portugal, Spain and Ceuta finds support from the present acoustic analyses, a result which is also reinforced by molecular markers.

Active faulting in the central Betic Cordillera (Spain): Palaeoseismological constraint of the surface-rupturing history of the Baza Fault (Central Betic Cordillera, Iberian Peninsula)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castro, J.; Martin-Rojas, I.; Medina-Cascales, I.; García-Tortosa, F. J.; Alfaro, P.; Insua-Arévalo, J. M.

2018-06-01

This paper on the Baza Fault provides the first palaeoseismic data from trenches in the central sector of the Betic Cordillera (S Spain), one of the most tectonically active areas of the Iberian Peninsula. With the palaeoseismological data we constructed time-stratigraphic OxCal models that yield probability density functions (PDFs) of individual palaeoseismic event timing. We analysed PDF overlap to quantitatively correlate the walls and site events into a single earthquake chronology. We assembled a surface-rupturing history of the Baza Fault for the last ca. 45,000 years. We postulated six alternative surface rupturing histories including 8-9 fault-wide earthquakes. We calculated fault-wide earthquake recurrence intervals using Monte Carlo. This analysis yielded a 4750-5150 yr recurrence interval. Finally, compared our results with the results from empirical relationships. Our results will provide a basis for future analyses of more of other active normal faults in this region. Moreover, our results will be essential for improving earthquake-probability assessments in Spain, where palaeoseismic data are scarce.

First record of the Granulate Ambrosia Beetle, Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), in the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Gallego, Diego; Lencina, José Luis; Mas, Hugo; Ceveró, Julia; Faccoli, Massimo

2017-06-06

The Granulate Ambrosia Beetle Xylosandrus crassiusculus, an alien species of Asian origin, was recorded for first time in the Iberian Peninsula. Many specimens were collected in October 2016 in the Valencia region (Spain) from infested carob trees. The species is included in the EPPO Alert List as causing serious damage in many Mediterranean regions. A key for the morphological identification of the Xylosandrus species occurring in Europe is also reported.

Following solar activity with geomagnetic and cosmic-ray ground-based stations in the Iberian Peninsula region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villasante-Marcos, Victor; José Blanco, Juan; Miquel Torta, Joan; Catalán, Manuel; Ribeiro, Paulo; Morozova, Anna; Tordesillas, José Manuel; Solé, Germán; Gomis-Moreno, Almudena

2016-04-01

The Iberian Peninsula is located in the South-West of Europe between 36°00' N and 43°47' N and between 9°29' W and 3°19' E. There are four Geomagnetic Observatories currently operative in this area devoted to the observation of the Earth's magnetic field: Observatori de l'Ebre (NE Spain); Observatorio de San Pablo de los Montes (central Spain); Observatorio de San Fernando (southern Spain); Observatório de Coimbra (central Portugal); plus another one, Observatorio de Güímar, in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). There is also one neutron monitor located in Guadalajara (central Spain; 40°38' N, 3°9' W at 708 m asl) continuously measuring the arrival of cosmic rays to the Earth's surface. In this work we show combined observations of these six stations during events caused by solar activity. We analyze them looking for differences that could imply extremely local effects caused by the response of the Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere to solar activity.

Volumetric runoff coefficients for experimental rural catchments in the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taguas, Encarnación V.; Molina, Cecilio; Nadal-Romero, Estela; Ayuso, José L.; Casalí, Javier; Cid, Patricio; Dafonte, Jorge; Duarte, Antonio C.; Farguell, Joaquim; Giménez, Rafael; Giráldez, Juan V.; Gómez, Helena; Gómez, Jose A.; González-Hidalgo, J. Carlos; Keizer, J. Jacob; Lucía, Ana; Mateos, Luciano; Rodríguez-Blanco, M. Luz; Schnabel, Sussane; Serrano-Muela, M. Pilar

2015-04-01

Analysis of runoff and peaks therein is essential for designing hydraulic infrastructures and for assessing the hydrological implications of likely scenarios of climate and/or land-use change. Different methods are available to calculate runoff coefficients. For instance, the runoff coefficient of a catchment can be described either as the ratio of total depth of runoff to total depth of rainfall or as the ratio of peak flow to rainfall intensity for the time of concentration (Dhakal et al. 2012). If the first definition is considered, runoff coefficients represent the global effect of different features and states of catchments and its determination requires a suitable analysis according to the objectives pursued (Chow et al., 1988). In this work, rainfall-runoff data and physical attributes from small rural catchments located in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) were examined in order to compare the representative values of runoff coefficients using three different approaches: i) statistical analysis of rainfall-runoff data and their quantiles (Dhakal et al., 2012); ii) probabilistic runoff coefficients from the rank-ordered pairs of observed rainfall-runoff data and their relationships with rainfall depths (Schaake et al., 1967); iii) finally, a multiple linear model based on geomorphological attributes. These catchments exhibit great variety with respect to their natural settings, such as climate, topography and lithology. We present a preliminary analysis of the rainfall-runoff relationships as well as their variability in a complex context such as the Iberian Peninsula where contrasted environmental systems coexist. We also discuss reference parameters representing runoff coefficients commonly included into hydrological models. This study is conceived as the first step to explore further working protocols and modeling gaps in a very susceptible area to the climate change such as the Iberian Peninsula's, where the analysis of runoff coefficients is

The subgenus Monotarsobius in the Iberian Peninsula with a description of a new pseudo-cryptic species from Northern Spain revealed by an integrative revision of Lithobius crassipes L. Koch, 1862 (Chilopoda, Lithobiomorpha, Lithobiidae)

PubMed Central

Voigtländer, Karin; Iorio, Etienne; Decker, Peter; Spelda, Jörg

2017-01-01

Abstract The widespread European centipede species Lithobius (Monotarsobius) crassipes L. Koch, 1862 was revised using an integrative approach incorporating sequence data and morphology. The partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcoding gene was amplified and sequenced for 21 individuals from northern Spain, France and Germany as well as for individuals of three other species of the subgenus Monotarsobius Verhoeff, 1905. The dataset was used for molecular phylogenetic analysis and genetic distance determination. In addition, Monotarsobius specimens from more than 100 localities in northern Spain, France, and Germany were morphologically investigated. Both morphological and molecular data indicate that specimens from the Navarre and Gipuzkoa provinces, northern Spain, represent a distinct pseudo-cryptic species, only differing in some minor characters from L. crassipes. The new species L. (Monotarsobius) crassipesoides sp. n. is described and compared to L. crassipes in detail using morphology and morphometric statistics for body, head, and antennae length, number of ocelli and coxal pores, as well as the starting leg for legpair spines Vmt and DaP. The Iberian and European records of L. crassipes are discussed. The subspecies L. crassipes morenoi Garcia Ruiz, 2014 from Southern Spain is elevated to species as L. morenoi stat. n. A checklist, distribution map and key to all five species of Monotarsobius of the Iberian Peninsula are presented. PMID:28769719

Characteristics of storms that contribute to extreme precipitation events over the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trigo, Ricardo; Ramos, Alexandre M.; Ordoñez, Paulina; Liberato, Margarida L. R.; Trigo, Isabel F.

2014-05-01

Floods correspond to one of the most deadly natural disasters in the Iberian Peninsula during the last century. Quite often these floods are associated to intense low pressure systems with an Atlantic origin. In recent years a number of episodes have been evaluated on a case-by-case approach, with a clear focus on extreme events, thus lacking a systematic assessment. In this study we focus on the characteristics of storms for the extended winter season (October to March) that are responsible for the most extreme rainfall events over large areas of the Iberian Peninsula. An objective method for ranking daily precipitation events during the extended winter is used based on the most comprehensive database of high resolution (0.2º latitude by 0.2º longitude) gridded daily precipitation dataset available for the Iberian Peninsula. The magnitude of an event is obtained after considering the total area affected as well as its intensity in every grid point (taking into account the daily normalised departure from climatology). Different precipitation rankings are studied considering the entire Iberian Peninsula, Portugal and also the six largest river basins in the Iberian Peninsula (Duero, Ebro, Tagus, Minho, Guadiana and Guadalquivir). Using an objective cyclone detecting and tracking scheme [Trigo, 2006] the storm track and characteristics of the cyclones were obtained using the ERA-Interim reanalyses for the 1979-2008 period. The spatial distribution of extratropical cyclone positions when the precipitation extremes occur will be analysed over the considered sub-domains (Iberia, Portugal, major river basins). In addition, we distinguish the different cyclone characteristics (lifetime, direction, minimum pressure, position, velocity, vorticity and radius) with significant impacts in precipitation over the different domains in the Iberian Peninsula. This work was partially supported by FEDER (Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional) funds through the COMPETE (Programa

A New Species of Haplophyllum A. Juss. (Rutaceae) from the Iberian Peninsula: Evidence from Morphological, Karyological and Molecular Analyses

PubMed Central

NAVARRO, F. B.; SUÁREZ-SANTIAGO, V. N.; BLANCA, G.

2004-01-01

• Background and Aims The discovery of a new species, Haplophyllum bastetanum F.B. Navarro, V.N. Suárez-Santiago & Blanca sp. nov., in the south-east of Spain has prompted the comparative study of species of the Iberian Peninsula, and others related, through morphological, cytogenetic, molecular, distributional and ecological characterization. • Methods The morphological study involved a quantitative analysis of the species present in the Iberian Peninsula and a comparative analysis of the morphological characteristics between H. bastetanum and other related species. Mitotic analyses were made with root meristems taken from germinating seeds. Phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA were performed using neighbour-joining (NJ) and maximum-parsimony methods. • Key Results Haplophyllum bastetanum is a diploid species (2n = 18) distinguished primarily for its non-trifoliate glabrous leaves, lanceolate sepals, dark-green petals with a dorsal band of hairs, and a highly hairy ovary with round-apex locules. The other two Iberian species (H. linifolium and H. rosmarinifolium) are tetraploid (2n = 36) and have yellow petals. Both phylogenetic methods generated a well-supported clade grouping H. linifolium with H. rosmarinifolium. In the NJ tree, the H. linifolium–H. rosmarinifolium clade is a sister group to H. bastetanum, while in the parsimony analysis this occurred only when the gaps were coded as a fifth base and the characters were reweighted according to the rescaled consistency index. This latter group is supported by the sequence divergence among taxa. • Conclusions The phylogenies established from DNA sequences together with morphological and cytogenetic analyses support the separation of H. bastetanum as a new species. The results suggest that the change in the number of chromosomes may be the key mechanism of speciation of the genus Haplophyllum in the Iberian Peninsula. An evolutionary scheme for them

The gastropod Phorcus sauciatus (Koch, 1845) along the north-west Iberian Peninsula: filling historical gaps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubal, Marcos; Veiga, Puri; Moreira, Juan; Sousa-Pinto, Isabel

2014-03-01

The intertidal gastropod Phorcus sauciatus is a subtropical grazer that reaches its northern boundary in the Iberian Peninsula. Distribution of P. sauciatus along the Iberian Peninsula shows, however, gaps in its distribution. The present study was aimed at detecting possible recent changes on the population structure and distribution of P. sauciatus along the north-west Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula. To achieve this aim, we adopted a qualitative sampling design to explore the presence of P. sauciatus along a region within its historical gap of distribution (north Portuguese coast). In addition, a quantitative sampling design was adopted to test hypotheses about the abundance and size structure of P. sauciatus populations among regions with different historical records of its abundance and among shores with different exposure. Results showed that P. sauciatus was present along the north Portuguese coast. However, the abundance and size structure of the newly settled populations were significantly different to those of the historically recorded populations. Moreover, P. sauciatus was able to establish populations at sheltered shores. Considering these results, we propose models for the distribution of P. sauciatus along the Iberian Peninsula, based on effects of sea surface temperature, and to explain the size-frequency of their populations based on their density.

Groundwater influence on soil moisture memory and land-atmosphere interactions over the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez-de la Torre, Alberto; Miguez-Macho, Gonzalo

2017-04-01

We investigate the memory introduced in soil moisture fields by groundwater long timescales of variation in the semi-arid regions of the Iberian Peninsula with the LEAFHYDRO soil-vegetation-hydrology model, which includes a dynamic water table fully coupled to soil moisture and river flow via 2-way fluxes. We select a 10-year period (1989-1998) with transitions from wet to dry to again wet long lasting conditions and we carry out simulations at 2.5 km spatial resolution forced by ERA-Interim and a high-resolution precipitation analysis over Spain and Portugal. The model produces a realistic water table that we validate with hundreds of water table depth observation time series (ranging from 4 to 10 years) over the Iberian Peninsula. Modeled river flow is also compared to observations. Over shallow water table regions, results highlight the groundwater buffering effect on soil moisture fields over dry spells and long-term droughts, as well as the slow recovery of pre-drought soil wetness once climatic conditions turn wetter. Groundwater sustains river flow during dry summer periods. The longer lasting wet conditions in the soil when groundwater is considered increase summer evapotranspiration, that is mostly water-limited. Our results suggest that groundwater interaction with soil moisture should be considered for climate seasonal forecasting and climate studies in general over water-limited regions where shallow water tables are significantly present and connected to land surface hydrology.

Ancient DNA evidence of Iberian lynx palaeoendemism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez-Varela, Ricardo; Tagliacozzo, Antonio; Ureña, Irene; García, Nuria; Crégut-Bonnoure, Evelyne; Mannino, Marcello A.; Arsuaga, Juan Luis; Valdiosera, Cristina

2015-03-01

The Iberian lynx, endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, is the most threatened carnivore in Europe and the most endangered felid in the world. Widely distributed throughout Iberia during the Pleistocene and Holocene it is now confined to two small populations in southern Spain. Lynx species differentiation, based solely on morphological analysis from skeletal traits, is a difficult task and can potentially lead to misidentification. In order to verify whether Iberian lynx had a wider geographical distribution in the past, we successfully sequenced 152 base pairs (bp) of the cytochrome b gene and 183 bp of the mitochondrial control region in 20 Late Pleistocene and Holocene fossil remains of Lynx sp. from southern Europe. Our results confirm the presence of Iberian lynx outside the Iberian Peninsula demonstrating that this is a palaeoendemic species that had a wider distribution range in southern Europe during the Holocene and the Late Pleistocene. In addition, we documented the presence of both Palaearctic extant lynx species in the Arene Candide (north Italy) site during the Last Glacial Maximum.

Genetic diversity and structure of Iberian Peninsula cowpeas compared to world-wide cowpea accessions using high density SNP markers.

PubMed

Carvalho, Márcia; Muñoz-Amatriaín, María; Castro, Isaura; Lino-Neto, Teresa; Matos, Manuela; Egea-Cortines, Marcos; Rosa, Eduardo; Close, Timothy; Carnide, Valdemar

2017-11-21

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is an important legume crop due to its high protein content, adaptation to heat and drought and capacity to fix nitrogen. Europe has a deficit of cowpea production. Knowledge of genetic diversity among cowpea landraces is important for the preservation of local varieties and is the basis to obtain improved varieties. The aims of this study were to explore diversity and the genetic structure of a set of Iberian Peninsula cowpea accessions in comparison to a worldwide collection and to infer possible dispersion routes of cultivated cowpea. The Illumina Cowpea iSelect Consortium Array containing 51,128 SNPs was used to genotype 96 cowpea accessions including 43 landraces and cultivars from the Iberian Peninsula, and 53 landraces collected worldwide. Four subpopulations were identified. Most Iberian Peninsula accessions clustered together with those from other southern European and northern African countries. Only one accession belonged to another subpopulation, while two accessions were 'admixed'. A lower genetic diversity level was found in the Iberian Peninsula accessions compared to worldwide cowpeas. The genetic analyses performed in this study brought some insights into worldwide genetic diversity and structure and possible dispersion routes of cultivated cowpea. Also, it provided an in-depth analysis of genetic diversity in Iberian Peninsula cowpeas that will help guide crossing strategies in breeding programs.

Surface ozone measurements in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula (Huelva, Spain).

PubMed

Carnero, Jose A Adame; Bolívar, Juan P; de la Morena, Benito A

2010-02-01

Photochemical ozone pollution of the lower troposphere (LT) is a very complex process involving meteorological, topographic emissions and chemical parameters. Ozone is considered the most important air pollutant in rural, suburban and industrial areas of many sites in the world since it strongly affects human health, vegetation and forest ecosystems, and its increase during the last decades has been significant. In addition, ozone is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. For these reasons, it is necessary to carry out investigations that determine the behaviour of ozone at different locations. The aim of this work is to understand the levels and temporal variations of surface ozone in an industrial-urban region of the Southwest Iberian Peninsula. The study is based on ozone hourly data recorded during a 6-year period, 2000 to 2005 at four stations and meteorological data from a coastal station. The stations used were El Arenosillo and Cartaya--both coastal stations, Huelva--an urban site and Valverde--an inland station 50 km away from the coastline. The general characteristics of the ozone series, seasonal and daily ozone cycles as well as number of exceedances of the threshold established in the European Ozone Directive have been calculated and analysed. Analysis of the meteorological data shows that winter-autumn seasons are governed by the movement of synoptic weather systems; however, in the spring-summer seasons, both synoptic and mesoescale conditions exist. Average hourly ozone concentrations range from 78.5 +/- 0.1 microg m(-3) at Valverde to 57.8 +/- 0.2 microg m(-3) at Huelva. Ozone concentrations present a seasonal variability with higher values in summer months, while in wintertime, lower values are recorded. A seasonal daily evolution has also been found with minimum levels around 08:00 UTC, which occurs approximately 1-1.5 h after sunrise, whereas the maximum is reached at about 16:00 UTC. Furthermore, during summer, the maximum value

Population structure of Cicada barbara Stål (Hemiptera, Cicadoidea) from the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco based on mitochondrial DNA analysis.

PubMed

Pinto-Juma, G A; Quartau, J A; Bruford, M W

2008-02-01

We assess the genetic history and population structure of Cicada barbara in Morocco and the Iberian Peninsula, based on analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. The divergence between Morocco and the Iberian Peninsula populations was strongly corroborated by the molecular data, suggesting genetically isolated populations with a low level of gene flow. The Ceuta population from Spanish North Africa was more similar to the Iberian populations than the surrounding Moroccan populations, suggesting that the Strait of Gibraltar has not been acting as a strict barrier to dispersal while the Rif Mountains have. The Iberian Peninsula specimens showed a signature of demographic expansion before that which occurred in Morocco, but some of the assumptions related to the demographic parameters should be considered with caution due to the small genetic variation found. The high haplotype diversity found in Morocco implies higher demographic stability than in the Iberian Peninsula populations. These results do not, however, suggest a Moroccan origin for Iberian cicadas; but the most northwest region in Africa, such as Ceuta, might have acted as a southern refuge for Iberian cicadas during the most severe climatic conditions, from where they could expand north when climate improved. The separation of two subspecies within C. barbara (C. barbara lusitanica and C. barbara barbara) finds support with these results.

Latest Early Pleistocene remains of Lynx pardinus (Carnivora, Felidae) from the Iberian Peninsula: Taxonomy and evolutionary implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boscaini, Alberto; Alba, David M.; Beltrán, Juan F.; Moyà-Solà, Salvador; Madurell-Malapeira, Joan

2016-07-01

The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is a critically endangered felid that, during the last fifty years, has been subject to an intensive conservation program in an attempt to save it from extinction. This species is first recorded at ca. 1.7-1.6 Ma (late Villafranchian, late Early Pleistocene) in NE Iberian Peninsula, roughly coinciding with the large faunal turnover that occurred around the middle to late Villafranchian boundary. Here we describe the largest collection of L. pardinus remains available to date from the Iberian late Early Pleistocene (Epivillafranchian), including localities from the Vallparadís Section (Vallès-Penedès Basin, NE Iberian Peninsula) and Cueva Victoria (Cartagena, SE Iberian Peninsula). The morphology and biometry of the studied material attests to the widespread occurrence of L. pardinus in the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula since the latest Early Pleistocene, i.e., about 0.5 million years earlier than it was generally accepted (i.e., at the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene). Based on the features observed in the large sample studied in this paper, we conclude that Lynx spelaeus is a junior synonym of L. pardinus and further propose to assign all the Epivillafranchian and younger fossil lynxes from SW Europe to the extant species L. pardinus. Due to the arrival of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) into Europe at the beginning of the Late Pleistocene, the attribution of specimens younger than MIS 5e to either this species or L. pardinus solely on morphological grounds has proven equivocal. Here we discuss the main diagnostic features of both species of European lynxes and further review their evolutionary history and paleobiogeography throughout the Pleistocene.

Are the Pyrenees a barrier for the transport of birch (Betula) pollen from Central Europe to the Iberian Peninsula?

PubMed

Izquierdo, Rebeca; Alarcón, Marta; Mazón, Jordi; Pino, David; De Linares, Concepción; Aguinagalde, Xabier; Belmonte, Jordina

2017-01-01

This work provides a first assessment of the possible barrier effect of the Pyrenees on the atmospheric transport of airborne pollen from Europe to the North of the Iberian Peninsula. Aerobiological data recorded in three Spanish stations located at the eastern, central and western base of the Pyrenees in the period 2004-2014 have been used to identify the possible long range transport episodes of Betula pollen. The atmospheric transport routes and the origin regions have been established by means of trajectory analysis and a source receptor model. Betula pollen outbreaks were associated with the meteorological scenario characterized by the presence of a high-pressure system overm over Morocco and Southern Iberian Peninsula. France and Central Europe have been identified as the probable source areas of Betula pollen that arrives to Northern Spain. However, the specific source areas are mainly determined by the particular prevailing atmospheric circulation of each location. Finally, the Weather Research and Forecasting model highlighted the effect of the orography on the atmospheric transport patterns, showing paths through the western and easternmost lowlands for Vitoria-Gasteiz and Bellaterra respectively, and the direct impact of air flows over Vielha through the Garona valley. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the historical precipitation in the South East Iberian Peninsula at different spatio-temporal scale. Study of the meteorological drought

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Chacón, Francisca; Pulido-Velazquez, David; Jiménez-Sánchez, Jorge; Luque-Espinar, Juan Antonio

2017-04-01

Precipitation is a fundamental climate variable that has a pronounced spatial and temporal variability on a global scale, as well as at regional and sub-regional scales. Due to its orographic complexity and its latitude the Iberian Peninsula (IP), located to the west of the Mediterranean Basin between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, has a complex climate. Over the peninsula there are strong north-south and east-west gradients, as a consequence of the different low-frequency atmospheric patterns, and he overlap of these over the year will be determinants in the variability of climatic variables. In the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula dominates a dry Mediterranean climate, the precipitation is characterized as being an intermittent and discontinuous variable. In this research information coming from the Spain02 v4 database was used to study the South East (SE) IP for the 1971-2010 period with a spatial resolution of 0.11 x 0.11. We analysed precipitation at different time scale (daily, monthly, seasonal, annual,…) to study the spatial distribution and temporal tendencies. The high spatial, intra-annual and inter-annual climatic variability observed makes it necessary to propose a climatic regionalization. In addition, for the identified areas and subareas of homogeneous climate we have analysed the evolution of the meteorological drought for the same period at different time scales. The standardized precipitation index has been used at 12, 24 and 48 month temporal scale. The climatic complexity of the area determines a high variability in the drought characteristics, duration, intensity and frequency in the different climatic areas. This research has been supported by the GESINHIMPADAPT project (CGL2013-48424-C2-2-R) with Spanish MINECO funds. We would also like to thank Spain02 project for the data provided for this study.

Pleistocene leopards in the Iberian Peninsula: New evidence from palaeontological and archaeological contexts in the Mediterranean region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchis, Alfred; Tormo, Carmen; Sauqué, Víctor; Sanchis, Vicent; Díaz, Rebeca; Ribera, Agustí; Villaverde, Valentín

2015-09-01

This study analyses the fossil record of leopards in the Iberian Peninsula. According to the systematic and morphometric features of new remains, identified mainly in Late Pleistocene palaeontological and archaeological sites of the Mediterranean region, they can be attributed to Panthera pardus Linnaeus 1758. The findings include the most complete leopard skeleton from the Iberian Peninsula and one of the most complete in Europe, found in a chasm (Avenc de Joan Guitón) south of Valencia. The new citations and published data are used to establish the leopard's distribution in the Iberian Peninsula, showing its maximum development during the Late Pleistocene. Some references suggest that the species survived for longer here (Lateglacial-Early Holocene) than in other parts of Europe. Finally, the contexts of appearance and origin of leopard remains are described and the processes of interaction with prehistoric human groups are assessed.

Extreme precipitation events in the Iberian Peninsula and its association with Atmospheric Rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos, Alexandre M.; Liberato, Margarida L. R.; Trigo, Ricardo M.

2015-04-01

Extreme precipitation events in the Iberian Peninsula during the winter half of the year have major socio-economic impacts associated with floods, landslides, extensive property damage and life losses. In recent years, a number of works have shed new light on the role played by Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) in the occurrence of extreme precipitation events in both Europe and USA. ARs are relatively narrow regions of concentrated WV responsible for horizontal transport in the lower atmosphere corresponding to the core section of the broader warm conveyor belt occurring over the oceans along the warm sector of extra-tropical cyclones. Over the North Atlantic ARs are usually W-E oriented steered by pre-frontal low level jets along the trailing cold front and subsequently feed the precipitation in the extra-tropical cyclones. It was shown that more than 90% of the meridional WV transport in the mid-latitudes occurs in the AR, although they cover less than 10% of the area of the globe. The large amount of WV that is transported can lead to heavy precipitation and floods. An automated ARs detection algorithm is used for the North Atlantic Ocean Basin allowing the identification and a comprehensive characterization of the major AR events that affected the Iberian Peninsula over the 1948-2012 period. The extreme precipitation days in the Iberian Peninsula were assessed recently by us (Ramos et al., 2014) and their association (or not) with the occurrence of AR is analyzed in detail here. The extreme precipitation days are ranked by their magnitude and are obtained after considering 1) the area affected and 2) the precipitation intensity. Different rankings are presented for the entire Iberian Peninsula, Portugal and also for the six largest Iberian river basins (Minho, Duero, Tagus, Guadiana, Guadalquivir and Ebro) covering the 1950-2008 period (Ramos et al., 2014). Results show that the association between ARs and extreme precipitation days in the western domains (Portugal

Annual variation in decomposition and insect succession at a periurban area of central Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Díaz-Aranda, Luisa M; Martín-Vega, Daniel; Gómez-Gómez, Aída; Cifrián, Blanca; Baz, Arturo

2018-05-01

The variation in decomposition and insect succession among the four seasons of one year was studied for the first time in a periurban area of central Spain. During the winter trial, the carcasses showed corification, a cadaveric preservation phenomenon which apparently leaded to a significant delay in decomposition processes. The composition of the insect fauna breeding on carcasses changed significantly between trials. Active decay was mainly driven by Calliphoridae (Diptera) larvae in every season except in winter trial, when larvae of Thanatophilus species (Coleoptera: Silphidae) were the main consumers of soft tissues. Advanced decay was characterized by the occurrence of Dermestidae, Silphidae, Cleridae, Nitidulidae (Coleoptera) and Piophilidae (Diptera) larvae. Differences in the species composition in comparison with other regions of the Iberian Peninsula were also observed. The current paper provides baseline and preliminary information on the insect succession on carrion in central Spain, as well as a starting point for further research on forensic entomology in this region. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Weather Types, temperature and relief relationship in the Iberian Peninsula: A regional adiabatic processes under directional weather types

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peña Angulo, Dhais; Trigo, Ricardo; Cortesi, Nicola; Gonzalez-Hidalgo, Jose Carlos

2016-04-01

We have analyzed at monthly scale the spatial distribution of Pearson correlation between monthly mean of maximum (Tmax) and minimum (Tmin) temperatures with weather types (WTs) in the Iberian Peninsula (IP), represent them in a high spatial resolution grid (10km x 10km) from MOTEDAS dataset (Gonzalez-Hidalgo et al., 2015a). The WT classification was that developed by Jenkinson and Collison, adapted to the Iberian Peninsula by Trigo and DaCamara, using Sea Level Pressure data from NCAR/NCEP Reanalysis dataset (period 1951-2010). The spatial distribution of Pearson correlations shows a clear zonal gradient in Tmax under the zonal advection produced in westerly (W) and easterly (E) flows, with negative correlation in the coastland where the air mass come from but positive correlation to the inland areas. The same is true under North-West (NW), North-East (NE), South-West (SW) and South-East (SE) WTs. These spatial gradients are coherent with the spatial distribution of the main mountain chain and offer an example of regional adiabatic phenomena that affect the entire IP (Peña-Angulo et al., 2015b). These spatial gradients have not been observed in Tmin. We suggest that Tmin values are less sensitive to changes in Sea Level Pressure and more related to local factors. These directional WT present a monthly frequency over 10 days and could be a valuable tool for downscaling processes. González-Hidalgo J.C., Peña-Angulo D., Brunetti M., Cortesi, C. (2015a): MOTEDAS: a new monthly temperature database for mainland Spain and the trend in temperature (1951-2010). International Journal of Climatology 31, 715-731. DOI: 10.1002/joc.4298 Peña-Angulo, D., Trigo, R., Cortesi, C., González-Hidalgo, J.C. (2015b): The influence of weather types on the monthly average maximum and minimum temperatures in the Iberian Peninsula. Submitted to Hydrology and Earth System Sciences.

Allergenic pollen in the subdesert areas of the Iberian peninsula.

PubMed

Cariñanos, P; Galán, C; Alcázar, P; Domínguez, E

2000-01-01

The yearly distribution of Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae, two of the most common types of pollen in a rural area located in the southeastern part of the Iberian peninsula, was studied over a 3-year period (1995-1997). The particular bioclimatic conditions of the area, such as its subdesert climate, extreme dryness and high mountain location (1,000 m above sea level), have led to the adaptation and abundance of these species in this area. They usually flower in the second half of the year, and are the main pollen types collected in the samples in that time period. The Artemisia pollen levels recorded are the highest in Spain, since there are several species in the area which flower at different times. Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae pollen counts are also very high. The severity of both pollen types was also analyzed. The height of the sampler was taken into account because the quantities at human height can be considerably higher than those recorded at 20 m off the ground. It was concluded that both pollen types should be considered some of the main causes of allergy in this area.

Future Drought Projections over the Iberian Peninsula using Drought Indices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Valdecasas Ojeda, M.; Yeste Donaire, P.; Góngora García, T. M.; Gámiz-Fortis, S. R.; Castro-Diez, Y.; Esteban-Parra, M. J.

2017-12-01

Currently, drought events are the cause of numerous annual economic losses. In a context of climate change, it is expected an increase in the severity and the frequency of drought occurrences, especially in areas such as the Mediterranean region. This study makes use of two drought indices in order to analyze the potential changes on future drought events and their effects at different time scales over a vulnerable region, the Iberian Peninsula. The indices selected were the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), which takes into account the global warming through the temperature, and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), based solely on precipitation data, at a spatial resolution of 0.088º ( 10 km). For their computation, current (1980-2014) and future (2021-2050 and 2071-2100) high resolution simulations were carried out using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model over a domain centered in the Iberian Peninsula, and nested in the 0.44 EUROCORDEX region. WRF simulations were driven by two different global bias-corrected climate models: the version 1 of NCAR's Community Earth System Model (CESM1) and the Max Planck Institute's Earth System Model (MPI-ESM-LR), and under two different Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios: RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5. Future projections were analyzed regarding to changes in mean, median and variance of drought indices with respect to the historical distribution, as well as changes in the frequency and duration of moderate and severe drought events. In general, results suggest an increase in frequency and severity of drought, especially for 2071-2100 period in the RCP 8.5 scenario. Results also shown an increase of drought phenomena more evident using the SPEI. Conclusions from this study could provide a valuable contribution to the understanding of how the increase of the temperature would affect the drought variability in the Mediterranean regions which is necessary for a suitable

Drought trends in the Iberian Peninsula over the last 112 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gouveia, Célia M.; Ramos, Patrícia; Russo, Ana; Trigo, Ricardo M.

2015-04-01

The Iberian Peninsula is often affected by drought events with strong influences in ecosystems and the related social and economic impacts (Gouveia et al. 2012, Trigo et al., 2013). In the last decades the severity of droughts in Iberia have increased due to the higher atmospheric evaporative demand (Vicente-Serrano et al., 2014). The need for a deeper knowledge of drought frequency, duration and intensity over the Iberian Peninsula during the last 112 years is reinforced by the findings showing that the period of 1970-2010 over the Mediterranean region was considered drier when compared with 1901-1970. Together with the increasing dryness, the projections point for an increase of drought conditions during the twenty-first century (Hoerling et al., 2012) will tend to exacerbate these problems. The evolution of drought in the Iberian Peninsula was analyzed, using the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), for the period 1901-2012, and the sub-periods 1901-1937, 1938-1974 and 1975-2012. We have used SPI and SPEI for the time scale of 12 months, as obtained from CRU TS3.21 database between 1901 and 2012, using a spatial resolution of 0.5°. The drought indices were analyzed in order to identify significant trends during the entire period and sub-periods. Trends in annual precipitation and PET were also performed. Drought's duration, magnitude and time spanned between drought events were computed. SPI and SPEI significant trends show areas with opposite signals in the period 1901-2012, following precipitation patterns. Precipitation trends are significant and positive in the Northwestern region of the IP, and significant and negative in the Southern areas. SPEI identified dryer conditions and an increase in the area affected by droughts, which is in agreement with the increase in PET on the majority of the territory. The same spatial differences were identified in the drought duration, magnitude and

Assessing methods for developing crop forecasting in the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ines, A. V. M.; Capa Morocho, M. I.; Baethgen, W.; Rodriguez-Fonseca, B.; Han, E.; Ruiz Ramos, M.

2015-12-01

Seasonal climate prediction may allow predicting crop yield to reduce the vulnerability of agricultural production to climate variability and its extremes. It has been already demonstrated that seasonal climate predictions at European (or Iberian) scale from ensembles of global coupled climate models have some skill (Palmer et al., 2004). The limited predictability that exhibits the atmosphere in mid-latitudes, and therefore de Iberian Peninsula (PI), can be managed by a probabilistic approach based in terciles. This study presents an application for the IP of two methods for linking tercile-based seasonal climate forecasts with crop models to improve crop predictability. Two methods were evaluated and applied for disaggregating seasonal rainfall forecasts into daily weather realizations: 1) a stochastic weather generator and 2) a forecast tercile resampler. Both methods were evaluated in a case study where the impacts of two seasonal rainfall forecasts (wet and dry forecast for 1998 and 2015 respectively) on rainfed wheat yield and irrigation requirements of maize in IP were analyzed. Simulated wheat yield and irrigation requirements of maize were computed with the crop models CERES-wheat and CERES-maize which are included in Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT v.4.5, Hoogenboom et al., 2010). Simulations were run at several locations in Spain where the crop model was calibrated and validated with independent field data. These methodologies would allow quantifying the benefits and risks of a seasonal climate forecast to potential users as farmers, agroindustry and insurance companies in the IP. Therefore, we would be able to establish early warning systems and to design crop management adaptation strategies that take advantage of favorable conditions or reduce the effect of adverse ones. ReferencesPalmer, T. et al., 2004. Development of a European multimodel ensemble system for seasonal-to-interannual prediction (DEMETER). Bulletin of the

Freshwater macroinvertebrate samples from a water quality monitoring network in the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Escribano, Nora; Oscoz, Javier; Galicia, David; Cancellario, Tommaso; Durán, Concha; Navarro, Patricia; Ariño, Arturo H

2018-06-05

This dataset gathers information about the macroinvertatebrate samples and environmental variables collected on rivers of the Ebro River Basin (NE Iberian Peninsula), the second largest catchment in the Iberian Peninsula. The collection is composed of 1,776 sampling events carried out between 2005 and 2015 at more than 400 sampling sites. This dataset is part of a monitoring network set up by the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation, the official body entrusted with the care of the basin, to fulfill the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive. Biological indices based on the freshwater macroinvertebrate communities were used to evaluate the ecological status of the water bodies within the basin. Samples were qualitatively screened for all occurring taxa. Then, all individuals from all taxa in a quantitative subsample of each sample were counted. Biological indices were calculated to estimate water quality at each sampling site. All samples are kept at the Museum of Zoology of the University of Navarra.

Freshwater macroinvertebrate samples from a water quality monitoring network in the Iberian Peninsula

PubMed Central

Escribano, Nora; Oscoz, Javier; Galicia, David; Cancellario, Tommaso; Durán, Concha; Navarro, Patricia; Ariño, Arturo H.

2018-01-01

This dataset gathers information about the macroinvertatebrate samples and environmental variables collected on rivers of the Ebro River Basin (NE Iberian Peninsula), the second largest catchment in the Iberian Peninsula. The collection is composed of 1,776 sampling events carried out between 2005 and 2015 at more than 400 sampling sites. This dataset is part of a monitoring network set up by the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation, the official body entrusted with the care of the basin, to fulfill the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive. Biological indices based on the freshwater macroinvertebrate communities were used to evaluate the ecological status of the water bodies within the basin. Samples were qualitatively screened for all occurring taxa. Then, all individuals from all taxa in a quantitative subsample of each sample were counted. Biological indices were calculated to estimate water quality at each sampling site. All samples are kept at the Museum of Zoology of the University of Navarra. PMID:29870034

The maternal genetic make-up of the Iberian Peninsula between the Neolithic and the Early Bronze Age.

PubMed

Szécsényi-Nagy, Anna; Roth, Christina; Brandt, Guido; Rihuete-Herrada, Cristina; Tejedor-Rodríguez, Cristina; Held, Petra; García-Martínez-de-Lagrán, Íñigo; Arcusa Magallón, Héctor; Zesch, Stephanie; Knipper, Corina; Bánffy, Eszter; Friederich, Susanne; Meller, Harald; Bueno Ramírez, Primitiva; Barroso Bermejo, Rosa; de Balbín Behrmann, Rodrigo; Herrero-Corral, Ana M; Flores Fernández, Raúl; Alonso Fernández, Carmen; Jiménez Echevarria, Javier; Rindlisbacher, Laura; Oliart, Camila; Fregeiro, María-Inés; Soriano, Ignacio; Vicente, Oriol; Micó, Rafael; Lull, Vicente; Soler Díaz, Jorge; López Padilla, Juan Antonio; Roca de Togores Muñoz, Consuelo; Hernández Pérez, Mauro S; Jover Maestre, Francisco Javier; Lomba Maurandi, Joaquín; Avilés Fernández, Azucena; Lillios, Katina T; Silva, Ana Maria; Magalhães Ramalho, Miguel; Oosterbeek, Luiz Miguel; Cunha, Claudia; Waterman, Anna J; Roig Buxó, Jordi; Martínez, Andrés; Ponce Martínez, Juana; Hunt Ortiz, Mark; Mejías-García, Juan Carlos; Pecero Espín, Juan Carlos; Cruz-Auñón Briones, Rosario; Tomé, Tiago; Carmona Ballestero, Eduardo; Cardoso, João Luís; Araújo, Ana Cristina; Liesau von Lettow-Vorbeck, Corina; Blasco Bosqued, Concepción; Ríos Mendoza, Patricia; Pujante, Ana; Royo-Guillén, José I; Esquembre Beviá, Marco Aurelio; Dos Santos Goncalves, Victor Manuel; Parreira, Rui; Morán Hernández, Elena; Méndez Izquierdo, Elena; Vega Y Miguel, Jorge; Menduiña García, Roberto; Martínez Calvo, Victoria; López Jiménez, Oscar; Krause, Johannes; Pichler, Sandra L; Garrido-Pena, Rafael; Kunst, Michael; Risch, Roberto; Rojo-Guerra, Manuel A; Haak, Wolfgang; Alt, Kurt W

2017-11-15

Agriculture first reached the Iberian Peninsula around 5700 BCE. However, little is known about the genetic structure and changes of prehistoric populations in different geographic areas of Iberia. In our study, we focus on the maternal genetic makeup of the Neolithic (~ 5500-3000 BCE), Chalcolithic (~ 3000-2200 BCE) and Early Bronze Age (~ 2200-1500 BCE). We report ancient mitochondrial DNA results of 213 individuals (151 HVS-I sequences) from the northeast, central, southeast and southwest regions and thus on the largest archaeogenetic dataset from the Peninsula to date. Similar to other parts of Europe, we observe a discontinuity between hunter-gatherers and the first farmers of the Neolithic. During the subsequent periods, we detect regional continuity of Early Neolithic lineages across Iberia, however the genetic contribution of hunter-gatherers is generally higher than in other parts of Europe and varies regionally. In contrast to ancient DNA findings from Central Europe, we do not observe a major turnover in the mtDNA record of the Iberian Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age, suggesting that the population history of the Iberian Peninsula is distinct in character.

Larval connectivity studies in the Western Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubert, Jesus; Nolasco, Rita; Queiroga, Henrique

2010-05-01

The study of the connectivity between populations is one of the 'hot' applications of numerical models of the ocean circulation. An IBM (Individual Based model) was developed, using Carcinus manenas larvae crab as a model. A set of particles was used as a representation of larvae, in order to study their larval life cycle, including the larval growth, larval mortality (both depending on temperature and salinity), larval dispersal by currents, diel vertical migration, and larval recruitment. The life cycle of every larvae in the ocean, was modeled from zoeae 1 stage to megalopae stage, during typical periods of 30-50 days. Larvae were initialized in 14 estuarine systems of the Atlantic Western Iberian Peninsula, from January to July. In every period, a number of 225 larvae are initialized in everyone of the 14 considered estuaries, with fortynighly periodicity. The larvae evolves during the (variable, depending mainly on temperature) period of growth in the ocean, and when a larvae reach the age for recruit, if it is located in the neighborhood of the considered estuarine systems, the larvae is accounted as a recruited larvae in that place. With this methodology, a connectivity matrix can be computed, acconting for the 225 larvae emitted in every estuary, the number of larvae that reaches the every place. The connectivity matrix depends strongly on the current regime along the Atlantic coast of Iberian Peninsula, and has been calculated for the present circulation, for the period 2001 to 2009, for runs with realistic forcing with NCEP2 and Quikscat (for winds) forcing. The connectivity matrix, have also been calculated for climatological runs. For the present climatological conditions, it is observed the prevalence of southward transport for the period January-July, because the prevalence of Northerly winds along the west coast of IP in the COADS present time climatology. Strong dispersal is observed at the Northern estuaries, during winter with strong loss of

High resolution reconstruction of monthly autumn and winter precipitation of Iberian Peninsula for last 150 years.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cortesi, N.; Trigo, R.; González-Hidalgo, J. C.; Ramos, A.

2012-04-01

Precipitation over Iberian Peninsula (IP) presents large values of interannual variability and large spatial contrasts between wet mountainous regions in the north and dry regions in the southern plains. Unlike other European regions, IP was poorly monitored for precipitation during 19th century. Here we present a new approach to fill this gap. A set of 26 atmospheric circulation weather types (Trigo R.M. and DaCamara C.C., 2000) derived from a recent SLP dataset, the EMULATE (European and North Atlantic daily to multidecadal climate variability) Project, was used to reconstruct Iberian monthly precipitation from October to March during 1851-1947. Principal Component Regression Analysis was chosen to develop monthly precipitation reconstruction back to 1851 and calibrated over 1948-2003 period for 3030 monthly precipitation series of high-density homogenized MOPREDAS (Monthly Precipitation Database for Spain and Portugal) database. Validation was conducted over 1920-1947 at 15 key site locations. Results show high model performance for selected months, with a mean coefficient of variation (CV) around 0.6 during validation period. Lower CV values were achieved in western area of IP. Trigo, R. M., and DaCamara, C.C., 2000: "Circulation weather types and their impact on the precipitation regime in Portugal". Int. J. Climatol., 20, 1559-1581.

Effects of teleconnection patterns on the atmospheric routes, precipitation and deposition amounts in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izquierdo, Rebeca; Alarcón, Marta; Aguillaume, Laura; Àvila, Anna

2014-06-01

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) has been identified as one of the atmospheric patterns which mostly influence the temporal evolution of precipitation and temperature in the Mediterranean area. Recently, the Western Mediterranean Oscillation (WeMO) has also been proposed to describe the precipitation variability in the eastern Iberian Peninsula. This paper examines whether the chemical signature and/or the chemical deposition amounts recorded over NE Iberian Peninsula are influenced by these climatic variability patterns. Results show a more relevant role of the WeMO compared to NAO in the deposition of either marine (Cl-, Na+, Mg2+) or anthropogenic pollutants (H+, NH4+, NO3- and SO42-). A cluster classification of provenances indicated that in winter (December to March) fast Atlantic air flows correspond to positive WeMO indices, while negative WeMOi are associated to Northeastern and Southwestern circulations. The negative phase of WeMO causes the entry of air masses from the Mediterranean into the Iberian Peninsula, that are enriched with marine ions and ions of anthropogenic origin (NH4+, NO3- and SO42-). For these later, this suggests the advection over the Mediterranean of polluted air masses from southern Europe and the scavenging and deposition of this pollution by precipitation during the WeMO negative phases. This will carry transboundary pollutants to the NE Iberian Peninsula. However, local pollutants may also contribute, as precipitation events from the Mediterranean and the Atlantic (associated to both WeMO phases) may incorporate emissions that accumulate locally during the winter anticyclonic episodes typical of the region.

Meta-Analysis of Mitochondrial DNA Variation in the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Barral-Arca, Ruth; Pischedda, Sara; Gómez-Carballa, Alberto; Pastoriza, Ana; Mosquera-Miguel, Ana; López-Soto, Manuel; Martinón-Torres, Federico; Álvarez-Iglesias, Vanesa; Salas, Antonio

2016-01-01

The Iberian Peninsula has been the focus of attention of numerous studies dealing with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation, most of them targeting the control region segment. In the present study we sequenced the control region of 3,024 Spanish individuals from areas where available data were still limited. We also compiled mtDNA haplotypes from the literature involving 4,588 sequences and 28 population groups or small regions. We meta-analyzed all these data in order to shed further light on patterns of geographic variation, taking advantage of the large sample size and geographic coverage, in contrast with the atomized sampling strategy of previous work. The results indicate that the main mtDNA haplogroups show primarily clinal geographic patterns across the Iberian geography, roughly along a North-South axis. Haplogroup HV0 (where haplogroup U is nested) is more prevalent in the Franco Cantabrian region, in good agreement with previous findings that identified this area as a climate refuge during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), prior to a subsequent demographic re-expansion towards Central Europe and the Mediterranean. Typical sub-Saharan and North African lineages are slightly more prevalent in South Iberia, although at low frequencies; this pattern has been shaped mainly by the transatlantic slave trade and the Arab invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. The results also indicate that summary statistics that aim to measure molecular variation, or AMOVA, have limited sensitivity to detect population substructure, in contrast to patterns revealed by phylogeographic analysis. Overall, the results suggest that mtDNA variation in Iberia is substantially stratified. These patterns might be relevant in biomedical studies given that stratification is a common cause of false positives in case-control mtDNA association studies, and should be also considered when weighting the DNA evidence in forensic casework, which is strongly dependent on haplotype frequencies.

Meta-Analysis of Mitochondrial DNA Variation in the Iberian Peninsula

PubMed Central

Barral-Arca, Ruth; Pischedda, Sara; Gómez-Carballa, Alberto; Pastoriza, Ana; Mosquera-Miguel, Ana; López-Soto, Manuel; Martinón-Torres, Federico; Álvarez-Iglesias, Vanesa; Salas, Antonio

2016-01-01

The Iberian Peninsula has been the focus of attention of numerous studies dealing with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation, most of them targeting the control region segment. In the present study we sequenced the control region of 3,024 Spanish individuals from areas where available data were still limited. We also compiled mtDNA haplotypes from the literature involving 4,588 sequences and 28 population groups or small regions. We meta-analyzed all these data in order to shed further light on patterns of geographic variation, taking advantage of the large sample size and geographic coverage, in contrast with the atomized sampling strategy of previous work. The results indicate that the main mtDNA haplogroups show primarily clinal geographic patterns across the Iberian geography, roughly along a North-South axis. Haplogroup HV0 (where haplogroup U is nested) is more prevalent in the Franco Cantabrian region, in good agreement with previous findings that identified this area as a climate refuge during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), prior to a subsequent demographic re-expansion towards Central Europe and the Mediterranean. Typical sub-Saharan and North African lineages are slightly more prevalent in South Iberia, although at low frequencies; this pattern has been shaped mainly by the transatlantic slave trade and the Arab invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. The results also indicate that summary statistics that aim to measure molecular variation, or AMOVA, have limited sensitivity to detect population substructure, in contrast to patterns revealed by phylogeographic analysis. Overall, the results suggest that mtDNA variation in Iberia is substantially stratified. These patterns might be relevant in biomedical studies given that stratification is a common cause of false positives in case-control mtDNA association studies, and should be also considered when weighting the DNA evidence in forensic casework, which is strongly dependent on haplotype frequencies. PMID

First report of Setaria tundra in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) from the Iberian Peninsula inferred from molecular data: epidemiological implications.

PubMed

Angelone-Alasaad, Samer; Jowers, Michael J; Panadero, Rosario; Pérez-Creo, Ana; Pajares, Gerardo; Díez-Baños, Pablo; Soriguer, Ramón C; Morrondo, Patrocinio

2016-09-29

Filarioid nematode parasites are major health hazards with important medical, veterinary and economic implications. Recently, they have been considered as indicators of climate change. In this paper, we report the first record of Setaria tundra in roe deer from the Iberian Peninsula. Adult S. tundra were collected from the peritoneal cavity during the post-mortem examination of a 2 year-old male roe deer, which belonged to a private fenced estate in La Alcarria (Guadalajara, Spain). Since 2012, the area has suffered a high roe deer decline rate (75 %), for unknown reasons. Aiming to support the morphological identification and to determine the phylogenetic position of S. tundra recovered from the roe deer, a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene from the two morphologically identified parasites was amplified, sequenced and compared with corresponding sequences of other filarioid nematode species. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the isolate of S. tundra recovered was basal to all other formely reported Setaria tundra sequences. The presence of all other haplotypes in Northern Europe may be indicative of a South to North outbreak in Europe. This is the first report of S. tundra in roe deer from the Iberian Peninsula, with interesting phylogenetic results, which may have further implications in the epidemiological and genetic studies of these filarioid parasites. More studies are needed to explore the reasons and dynamics behind the rapid host/geographic expansion of the filarioid parasites in Europe.

Composition and microstructure of Roman metallic artefacts of Southwestern Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valério, P.; Voráčová, E.; Silva, R. J. C.; Araújo, M. F.; Soares, A. M. M.; Arruda, A. M.; Pereira, C.

2015-10-01

The Roman invasion introduces new alloys and metallurgical practices in Iberian Peninsula. The southwestern end of this region has many evidences of connections with the Roman World, but there are no studies about the manufacture and use of copper-based artefacts during this period. Therefore, a set of about 20 ornaments, tools and small attachments recovered at the Roman sites of Monte Molião and Cidade das Rosas was studied by an analytical approach combining micro-EDXRF, optical microscopy, SEM-EDS and Vickers microhardness testing. The artefact composition shows a good correlation with function, namely pure copper for nails and rivets, low-tin bronze (2-6 wt% Sn) for basic tools, high-tin bronze (14 wt% Sn) for fibulae and high-lead bronze (19 wt% Pb) for a decorated jug handle. The manufacture also depends on function because most artefacts were subjected to thermomechanical processing, except the ornaments that would not benefit from post-casting work. Brass and gunmetal were only present in the site with a later chronology. A metallurgy visibly ruled by economical, aesthetical and technological concerns reinforces the evidences about the total integration of Southwestern Iberian Peninsula in the Roman World, but further studies will be essential to determine the evolution of copper-based alloys in Lusitania under Roman influence.

Persistent genetic signatures of colonization in Brachionus manjavacas rotifers in the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Gómez, Africa; Montero-Pau, Javier; Lunt, David H; Serra, Manuel; Campillo, Sergi

2007-08-01

Recent phylogeographical assessments have consistently shown that continental zooplankton display high levels of population subdivision, despite the high dispersal capacity of their diapausing propagules. As such, there is an apparent paradox between observed cosmopolitanism in the zooplankton that is associated with long-distance dispersal, and strong phylogeographical structures at a regional scale. Such population dynamics, far from migration-drift equilibrium, have been shown in the rotifer species complex Brachionus plicatilis, a group of over a dozen species inhabiting salt lakes and coastal lagoons worldwide. Here we present the mitochondrial DNA phylogeography of one of these species, Brachionus manjavacas, in the Iberian Peninsula, where it often co-occurs with the morphologically similar species B. plicatilis sensu stricto. We obtained sequences from 233 individuals from diapausing eggs and clonal cultures from 16 lakes in the Iberian Peninsula, and a Tunisian lake. Two strongly supported deep mitochondrial DNA clades were found (A and B). Phylogenetic and nested clade analysis showed that clade A has a strong phylogeographical structure, with a strong similarity of phylogeographical patterns between B. manjavacas clade A and B. plicatilis s.s. These include (i) signatures of allopatric fragmentation between central and southern populations, and (ii) range expansions in the Iberian Peninsula, both likely to have occurred during the Pleistocene. We find evidence for a glacial refugium in the Guadiana basin. Clades A and B co-occurred in several of these lakes because of range expansion and secondary contact between both clades. The co-occurrence between B. plicatilis s.s. and B. manjavacas is not recent, and both species might have experienced similar environmental challenges during the Pleistocene. The strong correlation of genetic and geographical distance found suggests that historical events can lead to such correlation, mirroring the effects of

Air quality over Europe and Iberian Peninsula for 2004 at high horizontal resolution: evaluation of the CALIOPE modelling system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jorba, O.; Piot, M.; Pay, M. T.; Jiménez-Guerrero, P.; López, E.; Pérez, C.; Gassó, S.; Baldasano, J. M.

2009-09-01

In the frame of the CALIOPE project (Baldasano et al., 2008a), a high-resolution air quality forecasting system, WRF-ARW/HERMES/CMAQ/DREAM, is under development and applied to the European domain (12km x 12km, 1hr) as well as to the Iberian Peninsula domain (4km x 4km, 1hr) to provide air quality forecasts for Spain (http://www.bsc.es/caliope/). The simulation of such high-resolution model system is possible by its implementation on the MareNostrum supercomputer. To reassure potential users and reduce uncertainties, the model system must be evaluated to assess its performances in terms of air quality levels and dynamics reproducibility. The present contribution describes a thorough quantitative evaluation study performed for a reference year (2004). CALIOPE is a complex system that integrates a variety of environmental models. WRF-ARW provides high-resolution meteorological fields to the system. It is configured with 38 vertical layers reaching up to 50 hPa. Meteorological initial and boundary conditions are obtained from the NCEP final analysis data. The HERMES emission model (Baldasano et al., 2008b) computes the emissions for the Iberian Peninsula simulation at 4 km horizontal resolution every hour using a bottom-up approach. For the European domain, HERMES disaggregates the EMEP expert emission inventory for 2004. The CMAQ chemical transport model solves the physico-chemical processes in the system. The vertical resolution of CMAQ for gas-phase and aerosols has been increased from 8 to 15 layers in order to simulate vertical exchanges more accurately. Chemical boundary conditions are provided by the LMDz-INCA2 global climate-chemistry model (see Hauglustaine et al., 2004). Finally, the DREAM model simulates long-range transport of mineral dust over the domains under study. In order to evaluate the performances of the CALIOPE system, model simulations were compared with ground-based measurements from the EMEP and Spanish air quality networks. For the European

A comparison of daily evaporation downscaled using WRFDA model and GLEAM dataset over the Iberian Peninsula.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

José González-Rojí, Santos; Sáenz, Jon; Ibarra-Berastegi, Gabriel

2017-04-01

GLEAM dataset was presented a few years ago and since that moment, it has just been used for validation of evaporation in a few places of the world (Australia and Africa). The Iberian Peninsula is composed of different soil types and it is affected by different weather regimes, with different climate regions. It is this feature which makes it a very interesting zone for the study of the meteorological cycle, including evaporation. For that purpose, a numerical downscaling exercise over the Iberian Peninsula was run nesting the WRF model inside ERA Interim. Two model configurations were tested in two experiments spanning the period 2010-2014 after a one-year spin-up (2009). In the first experiment (N), boundary conditions drive the model. The second experiment (D) is configured the same way as the N case, but 3DVAR data assimilation is run every six hours (00Z, 06Z, 12Z and 18Z) using observations obtained from the PREPBUFR dataset. For both N and D runs and ERA Interim, the evaporation of the model runs was compared to GLEAM v3.0b and v3.0c datasets over the Iberian Peninsula, both at the daily and monthly time scales. GLEAM v3.0a was not used for validation as it uses for forcing radiation and air temperature data from ERA Interim. Results show that the experiment with data assimilation (D) improve the results obtained for N experiment. Moreover, correlations values are comparable to the ones obtained with ERA Interim. However, some negative correlation values are observed at Portuguese and Mediterranean coasts for both WRF runs. All of these problematic points are considered as urban sites by the NOAH land surface model. Because of that, the model is not able to simulate a correct evaporation value. Even with these discrepancies, better results than for ERA Interim are observed for seasonal Biases and daily RMSEs over Iberian Peninsula, obtaining the best values inland. Minimal differences are observed for the two GLEAM datasets selected.

Increasing sea surface temperature and range shifts of intertidal gastropods along the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubal, Marcos; Veiga, Puri; Cacabelos, Eva; Moreira, Juan; Sousa-Pinto, Isabel

2013-03-01

There are well-documented changes in abundance and geographical range of intertidal invertebrates related to climate change at north Europe. However, the effect of sea surface warming on intertidal invertebrates has been poorly studied at lower latitudes. Here we analyze potential changes in the abundance patterns and distribution range of rocky intertidal gastropods related to climate change along the Iberian Peninsula. To achieve this aim, the spatial distribution and range of sub-tropical, warm- and cold-water species of intertidal gastropods was explored by a fully hierarchical sampling design considering four different spatial scales, i.e. from region (100 s of km apart) to quadrats (ms apart). Variability on their patterns of abundance was explored by analysis of variance, changes on their distribution ranges were detected by comparing with previous records and their relationship with sea water temperature was explored by rank correlation analyses. Mean values of sea surface temperature along the Iberian coast, between 1949 and 2010, were obtained from in situ data compiled for three different grid squares: south Portugal, north Portugal, and Galicia. Lusitanian species did not show significant correlation with sea water temperature or changes on their distributional range or abundance, along the temperature gradient considered. The sub-tropical species Siphonaria pectinata has, however, increased its distribution range while boreal cold-water species showed the opposite pattern. The latter was more evident for Littorina littorea that was almost absent from the studied rocky shores of the Iberian Peninsula. Sub-tropical and boreal species showed significant but opposite correlation with sea water temperature. We hypothesized that the energetic cost of frequent exposures to sub-lethal temperatures might be responsible for these shifts. Therefore, intertidal gastropods at the Atlantic Iberian Peninsula coast are responding to the effect of global warming as it

North Atlantic Oscillation influence on the stramflows of the Iberian Rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenzo-Lacruz, J.; González-Hidalgo, J. C.; Vicente-Serrano, S. M.; López-Moreno, J. I.

2010-09-01

"NORTH ATLANTIC OSCILLATION INFLUENCE ON THE STREAMFLOWS OF THE IBERIAN RIVERS" LORENZO-LACRUZ, J. ¹, GONZÁLEZ-HIDALGO, J.C.², VICENTE-SERRANO, S.M. ¹, LÓPEZ-MORENO, J.I.¹ ¹Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, CSIC (Spanish Research Council), Campus de Aula Dei, P.O. Box 202, Zaragoza 50080, Spain ²Departamento de Geografía, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. We analyzed the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) influence on the monthly river discharges of Iberian rivers from 1945 to 2005. The study covers most of the Iberian river basins, using 187 monthly discharge series. The aim of this study is to determine the role of the variability of the NAO on the Iberian river discharges. Using the winter NAO we calculated correlations with the monthly river discharge series. We identified the positive and negative phases of the winter NAO for the period 1945-2006, and related to river discharge anomalies. Significant differences in river discharge were found between the positive and negative NAO phases with negative anomalies (dry conditions) during positive NAO periods, and positive anomalies (wet conditions) during negative NAO periods The results show a consistent and strong control of the river discharges by the winter NAO, but some spatial differences are shown, as three different domains were defined: a region under the direct influence of the NAO (central and western part of the Iberian Peninsula), a transition zone (Ebro Valley) and region free from that influence (Eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula). The spatial differences are also identified in the annual pattern of discharge anomalies. The basin characteristics, the location of the gauging stations and the human management are the possible drivers of these differences.

Traditional knowledge of wild edible plants used in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal): a comparative study

PubMed Central

Pardo-de-Santayana, Manuel; Tardío, Javier; Blanco, Emilio; Carvalho, Ana Maria; Lastra, Juan José; San Miguel, Elia; Morales, Ramón

2007-01-01

Background We compare traditional knowledge and use of wild edible plants in six rural regions of the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula as follows: Campoo, Picos de Europa, Piloña, Sanabria and Caurel in Spain and Parque Natural de Montesinho in Portugal. Methods Data on the use of 97 species were collected through informed consent semi-structured interviews with local informants. A semi-quantitative approach was used to document the relative importance of each species and to indicate differences in selection criteria for consuming wild food species in the regions studied. Results and discussion The most significant species include many wild berries and nuts (e.g. Castanea sativa, Rubus ulmifolius, Fragaria vesca) and the most popular species in each food-category (e.g. fruits or herbs used to prepare liqueurs such as Prunus spinosa, vegetables such as Rumex acetosa, condiments such as Origanum vulgare, or plants used to prepare herbal teas such as Chamaemelum nobile). The most important species in the study area as a whole are consumed at five or all six of the survey sites. Conclusion Social, economic and cultural factors, such as poor communications, fads and direct contact with nature in everyday life should be taken into account in determining why some wild foods and traditional vegetables have been consumed, but others not. They may be even more important than biological factors such as richness and abundance of wild edible flora. Although most are no longer consumed, demand is growing for those regarded as local specialties that reflect regional identity. PMID:17555572

Climatic variability effects on summer cropping systems of the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capa-Morocho, M.; Rodríguez-Fonseca, B.; Ruiz-Ramos, M.

2012-04-01

Climate variability and changes in the frequency of extremes events have a direct impact on crop yield and damages. Climate anomalies projections at monthly and yearly timescale allows us for adapting a cropping system (crops, varieties and management) to take advantage of favorable conditions or reduce the effect of adverse conditions. The objective of this work is to develop indices to evaluate the effect of climatic variability in summer cropping systems of Iberian Peninsula, in an attempt of relating yield variability to climate variability, extending the work of Rodríguez-Puebla (2004). This paper analyses the evolution of the yield anomalies of irrigated maize in several representative agricultural locations in Spain with contrasting temperature and precipitation regimes and compare it to the evolution of different patterns of climate variability, extending the methodology of Porter and Semenov (2005). To simulate maize yields observed daily data of radiation, maximum and minimum temperature and precipitation were used. These data were obtained from the State Meteorological Agency of Spain (AEMET). Time series of simulated maize yields were computed with CERES-maize model for periods ranging from 22 to 49 years, depending on the observed climate data available for each location. The computed standardized anomalies yields were projected on different oceanic and atmospheric anomalous fields and the resulting patterns were compared with a set of documented patterns from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The results can be useful also for climate change impact assessment, providing a scientific basis for selection of climate change scenarios where combined natural and forced variability represent a hazard for agricultural production. Interpretation of impact projections would also be enhanced.

Árnica: a multivariate analysis of the botany and ethnopharmacology of a medicinal plant complex in the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands.

PubMed

Obón, Concepción; Rivera, Diego; Verde, Alonso; Fajardo, José; Valdés, Arturo; Alcaraz, Francisco; Carvalho, Ana Maria

2012-10-31

, frictions or direct application of the plant. Medicinal plant complexes are frequent in ethnopharmacological contexts and require being clearly detected, and systematically studied. Plant species within each complex are only partly interchangeable because the sharing of characters, including medicinal uses, is low. "Árnica" medicinal plant complex is extremely dynamic in the Iberian Peninsula. In less than two hundred years up to 32 different plant species belonging to six different plant families became labeled "Árnica". Medical staff was extremely influential in the adoption of "Árnica" as a vernacular name between 1785 and 1864 in Spain and Portugal but not in the repertory of uses adopted for the plants within the complex. In terms of total descriptors shared in the complex, Arnica montana L. is less relevant than other three species, belonging to the Inuleae Cass. tribe, of the Asteraceae (Chiliadenus glutinosus (L.) Fourr., Inula montana L. and Dittrichia viscosa (L.) Greuter). Thus "Árnica" complex is labeled by three different Inuleae Cass. species and receives the name from a fourth Madieae Jeps. species (Arnica montana L.). Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Daily gridded datasets of snow depth and snow water equivalent for the Iberian Peninsula from 1980 to 2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alonso-González, Esteban; López-Moreno, J. Ignacio; Gascoin, Simon; García-Valdecasas Ojeda, Matilde; Sanmiguel-Vallelado, Alba; Navarro-Serrano, Francisco; Revuelto, Jesús; Ceballos, Antonio; Jesús Esteban-Parra, María; Essery, Richard

2018-02-01

We present snow observations and a validated daily gridded snowpack dataset that was simulated from downscaled reanalysis of data for the Iberian Peninsula. The Iberian Peninsula has long-lasting seasonal snowpacks in its different mountain ranges, and winter snowfall occurs in most of its area. However, there are only limited direct observations of snow depth (SD) and snow water equivalent (SWE), making it difficult to analyze snow dynamics and the spatiotemporal patterns of snowfall. We used meteorological data from downscaled reanalyses as input of a physically based snow energy balance model to simulate SWE and SD over the Iberian Peninsula from 1980 to 2014. More specifically, the ERA-Interim reanalysis was downscaled to 10 km × 10 km resolution using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The WRF outputs were used directly, or as input to other submodels, to obtain data needed to drive the Factorial Snow Model (FSM). We used lapse rate coefficients and hygrobarometric adjustments to simulate snow series at 100 m elevations bands for each 10 km × 10 km grid cell in the Iberian Peninsula. The snow series were validated using data from MODIS satellite sensor and ground observations. The overall simulated snow series accurately reproduced the interannual variability of snowpack and the spatial variability of snow accumulation and melting, even in very complex topographic terrains. Thus, the presented dataset may be useful for many applications, including land management, hydrometeorological studies, phenology of flora and fauna, winter tourism, and risk management. The data presented here are freely available for download from Zenodo (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.854618). This paper fully describes the work flow, data validation, uncertainty assessment, and possible applications and limitations of the database.

Molecular analysis of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and Rickettsia in Hyalomma marginatum ticks removed from patients (Spain) and birds (Spain and Morocco), 2009-2015.

PubMed

Palomar, Ana M; Portillo, Aránzazu; Mazuelas, David; Roncero, Lidia; Arizaga, Juan; Crespo, Ariñe; Gutiérrez, Óscar; Márquez, Francisco J; Cuadrado, Juan F; Eiros, José M; Oteo, José A

2016-07-01

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) was detected in Spain in 2010. The presence of CCHFV in Hyalomma marginatum ticks from migratory birds passing through Morocco during the spring migration strengthened the hypothesis of the arrival of infected ticks transported by birds to the Iberian Peninsula. Furthermore, Hyalomma species are vectors of bacterial infections such as spotted fever rickettsioses. CCHFV and Rickettsia were screened in Hyalomma ticks from Spain attached to patients (n=12) and birds (n=149). In addition, Rickettsia was investigated in 52 Hyalomma ticks from Morocco (previously reported as CCHFV-infected). No sample collected in Spain showed an infection with CCHFV. Two ticks removed from patients (16.7%), as well as 47 (31.5%) and 4 (7.7%) from birds, collected in Spain and Morocco respectively, were infected with Rickettsia aeschlimannii. Rickettsia sibirica subsp. mongolitimonae was also found in 2 ticks from birds collected in Spain (1.3%). The risk of CCHFV-infected ticks attached to migratory birds to reach the North of Spain is low. This study corroborates the presence of R. aeschlimannii in Spain and Morocco, and supports that H. marginatum can be a potential vector of R. sibirica subsp. mongolitimonae in the Iberian Peninsula. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Millennial scale impact on the marine biogeochemical cycle of mercury from early mining on the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serrano, O.; Martínez-Cortizas, A.; Mateo, M. A.; Biester, H.; Bindler, R.

2013-01-01

The high-resolution mercury record of a Posidonia oceanica mat in the northwest Mediterranean provides an unprecedented testimony of changes in environmental mercury (Hg) loading to the coastal marine environment over the past 4315 yr BP. The period reconstructed made it possible to establish tentative preanthropogenic background Hg levels for the area (6.8 ± 1.5 ng g-1 in bulk sediments). A small, but significant, anthropogenic Hg increase was identifiable by 2500 yr BP, in agreement with the beginning of intense mining in Spain. Changes in the record suggest four major periods of anthropogenic Hg pollution inputs to the Mediterranean: first, during the Roman Empire (2100-1800 yr BP); second, in the Late Middle Ages (970-650 yr BP); third, in the modern historical era (530-380 yr BP); and fourth, in the industrial period (last 250 years), with Hg concentrations two-, four-, five-, and tenfold higher than background concentrations, respectively. Hg from anthropogenic sources has dominated during the last millennium (increase from 12 to 100 ng g-1), which can be related to the widespread historical exploitation of ore resources on the Iberian Peninsula. The chronology of Hg concentrations in the mat archive, together with other Hg pollution records from the Iberian Peninsula, suggests regional-scale Hg transport and deposition and shows earlier marine Hg pollution than elsewhere in Europe. Moreover, the mat also records a higher number of historic contamination phases, in comparison with other natural archives, probably due to the fact that the bioaccumulating capacity of P. oceanica magnify environmental changes in Hg concentrations. In this study, we demonstrate the uniqueness of P. oceanica meadows as a long-term archive recording trends in Hg abundance in the marine coastal environment, as well as its potential role in the Mediterranean as a long-term Hg sink.

Climatic implications of the Quaternary fluvial tufa record in the NE Iberian Peninsula over the last 500 ka

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sancho, Carlos; Arenas, Concha; Vázquez-Urbez, Marta; Pardo, Gonzalo; Lozano, María Victoria; Peña-Monné, José Luis; Hellstrom, John; Ortiz, José Eugenio; Osácar, María Cinta; Auqué, Luis; Torres, Trinidad

2015-11-01

The drainage area of the Iberian Ranges (NE Spain) houses one of the most extensive Quaternary fluvial tufaceous records in Europe. In this study, tufa deposits in the Añamaza, Mesa, Piedra and Ebrón river valleys were mapped, stratigraphically described and chronologically referenced from U/Th disequilibrium series, amino acid racemization and radiocarbon methods. Tufa deposits accumulated in cascades, barrage-cascades and related damming areas developed in stepped fluvial systems. The maximum frequency of tufa deposition was identified at 120 ka (Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage [MIS] 5e), 102 ka (MIS 5c), 85 ka ( MIS 5a) and 7 ka (MIS 1), probably under warmer and wetter conditions than today. Additional phases of tufa deposition appear at 353 ka ( end of MIS 11), 258-180 ka (MIS 7) and 171-154 ka (MIS 6). Although most tufa deposition episodes are clearly correlated with interstadial periods, the occurrence of tufa deposits during the penultimate glaciation (MIS 6) is remarkable, indicating that the onset of this stage was climatically favourable in the Iberian Peninsula. Biostatic conditions and the dynamics of karstic systems regulating tufa deposition seem to be sensitive to the precipitation regime, controlled by shifts in the position of North Atlantic atmospheric belts, and summer insolation, regulated by orbital forcing.

Mitochondrial haplotype variation and phylogeography of Iberian brown trout populations.

PubMed

MacHordom, A; Suárez, J; Almodóvar, A; Bautista, J M

2000-09-01

The biogeographical distribution of brown trout mitochondrial DNA haplotypes throughout the Iberian Peninsula was established by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment polymorphism analysis. The study of 507 specimens from 58 localities representing eight widely separated Atlantic-slope (north and west Iberian coasts) and six Mediterranean drainage systems served to identify five main groups of mitochondrial haplotypes: (i) haplotypes corresponding to non-native, hatchery-reared brown trout that were widely distributed but also found in wild populations of northern Spain (Cantabrian slope); (ii) a widespread Atlantic haplotype group; (iii) a haplotype restricted to the Duero Basin; (iv) a haplotype shown by southern Iberian populations; and (v) a Mediterranean haplotype. The Iberian distribution of these haplotypes reflects both the current fishery management policy of introducing non-native brown trout, and Messinian palaeobiogeography. Our findings complement and extend previous allozyme studies on Iberian brown trout and improve present knowledge of glacial refugia and postglacial movement of brown trout lineages.

Evolution and genome specialization of Brucella suis biovar 2 Iberian lineages.

PubMed

Ferreira, Ana Cristina; Tenreiro, Rogério; de Sá, Maria Inácia Corrêa; Dias, Ricardo

2017-09-12

Swine brucellosis caused by B. suis biovar 2 is an emergent disease in domestic pigs in Europe. The emergence of this pathogen has been linked to the increase of extensive pig farms and the high density of infected wild boars (Sus scrofa). In Portugal and Spain, the majority of strains share specific molecular characteristics, which allowed establishing an Iberian clonal lineage. However, several strains isolated from wild boars in the North-East region of Spain are similar to strains isolated in different Central European countries. Comparative analysis of five newly fully sequenced B. suis biovar 2 strains belonging to the main circulating clones in Iberian Peninsula, with publicly available Brucella spp. genomes, revealed that strains from Iberian clonal lineage share 74% similarity with those reference genomes. Besides the 210 kb translocation event present in all biovar 2 strains, an inversion with 944 kb was presented in chromosome I of strains from the Iberian clone. At left and right crossover points, the inversion disrupted a TRAP dicarboxylate transporter, DctM subunit, and an integral membrane protein TerC. The gene dctM is well conserved in Brucella spp. except in strains from the Iberian clonal lineage. Intraspecies comparative analysis also exposed a number of biovar-, haplotype- and strain-specific insertion-deletion (INDELs) events and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that could explain differences in virulence and host specificities. Most discriminative mutations were associated to membrane related molecules (29%) and enzymes involved in catabolism processes (20%). Molecular identification of both B. suis biovar 2 clonal lineages could be easily achieved using the target-PCR procedures established in this work for the evaluated INDELs. Whole-genome analyses supports that the B. suis biovar 2 Iberian clonal lineage evolved from the Central-European lineage and suggests that the genomic specialization of this pathogen in the Iberian Peninsula

Stictonectes abellani sp. n. (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae) from the Iberian Peninsula, with notes on the phylogeny, ecology and distribution of the Iberian species of the genus.

PubMed

Millán, Andrés; Picazo, Félix; Fery, Hans; Moreno, José Luis; Sánchez-Fernández, David

2013-12-09

Stictonectes abellani sp. n. is described from the Iberian Peninsula. On average, the new species is larger and the colouration of the upper surface darker than in most other species of the genus. Seemingly the species has been confounded with others in the past, particularly S. optatus (Seidlitz, 1887). Males can be separated from externally similar species by studying the shape of the parameres. Additionally, the anterior margin of the clypeus is provided with a distinct rim in both sexes, which is absent or only weakly present in other species. The habitus and the male genitalia of the new species are illustrated, and compared with those of S. optatus. External morphological differences from other members of the genus are discussed. According to studies of the molecular phylogeny, based on fragments of four mitochondrial genes, S. abellani sp. n. is clearly separated from previously described species of Stictonectes Brinck, 1943, apparently being relatively basal within the genus. The new species is rather widely distributed in the south-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, inhabiting pools in small temporary siliceous streams. We provide distributional maps for all eight Iberian Stictonectes and estimate the potential distributional areas of the new species and the other two endemic Iberian species S. occidentalis Fresneda & Fery, 1990 and S. rebeccae Bilton, 2011, based on environmental niche modelling. 

Identification and characterisation of regional ozone episodes in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domínguez-López, D.; Vaca, F.; Hernández-Ceballos, M. A.; Bolívar, J. P.

2015-02-01

Tropospheric ozone is considered one of the most significant air pollutants due to its negative effects on human health, agricultural crops, ecosystems and climate. The features of the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula (high temperatures and high solar radiation, the presence of the Guadalquivir basin and sources of precursors) favour the occurrence of episodes of high concentrations that cause exceedances of legal thresholds with relative frequency. Despite this, no study examining regional ozone episodes has been carried out in this region until now. In the present work a surface hourly ozone dataset (2003-2006) measured at 11 representative stations located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula (western Andalusia) was analysed in order to identify and characterise, for the first time, the regional ozone episodes that occur in this area. Using a statistical criterion, eight regional episodes were identified and analysed. The analysis of synoptic weather patterns revealed that these episodes occur in conjunction with two different synoptic conditions (high surface pressure either close to the British Isles or over the Atlantic Ocean). Both conditions generate weak isobaric surface pressure over the Iberian Peninsula, favouring the establishment of easterly winds at 500 m and the development of winds with two main prevailing directions (southwest-northwest, following the Guadalquivir basin) in the study area. During episodic days ozone follows a similar daily cycle to that observed on non-episode summer days, although the levels reached during the former are higher. In both cases, a direct relationship between the daily ozone cycle and the local wind regimen was not observed. This therefore seems to indicate that the daily cycle followed by ozone is mainly regulated by the precursor emissions produced in the environment, by the temperature changes taking place during the day and by the influence of the lower troposphere during anticyclonic weather conditions.

High-Resolution Analysis of Human Y-Chromosome Variation Shows a Sharp Discontinuity and Limited Gene Flow between Northwestern Africa and the Iberian Peninsula

PubMed Central

Bosch, Elena; Calafell, Francesc; Comas, David; Oefner, Peter J.; Underhill, Peter A.; Bertranpetit, Jaume

2001-01-01

In the present study we have analyzed 44 Y-chromosome biallelic polymorphisms in population samples from northwestern (NW) Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, which allowed us to place each chromosome unequivocally in a phylogenetic tree based on >150 polymorphisms. The most striking results are that contemporary NW African and Iberian populations were found to have originated from distinctly different patrilineages and that the Strait of Gibraltar seems to have acted as a strong (although not complete) barrier to gene flow. In NW African populations, an Upper Paleolithic colonization that probably had its origin in eastern Africa contributed 75% of the current gene pool. In comparison, ∼78% of contemporary Iberian Y chromosomes originated in an Upper Paleolithic expansion from western Asia, along the northern rim of the Mediterranean basin. Smaller contributions to these gene pools (constituting 13% of Y chromosomes in NW Africa and 10% of Y chromosomes in Iberia) came from the Middle East during the Neolithic and, during subsequent gene flow, from Sub-Saharan to NW Africa. Finally, bidirectional gene flow across the Strait of Gibraltar has been detected: the genetic contribution of European Y chromosomes to the NW African gene pool is estimated at 4%, and NW African populations may have contributed 7% of Iberian Y chromosomes. The Islamic rule of Spain, which began in a.d. 711 and lasted almost 8 centuries, left only a minor contribution to the current Iberian Y-chromosome pool. The high-resolution analysis of the Y chromosome allows us to separate successive migratory components and to precisely quantify each historical layer. PMID:11254456

Ozone attributed to Madrid and Barcelona on-road transport emissions: Characterization of plume dynamics over the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Valverde, Víctor; Pay, María T; Baldasano, José M

2016-02-01

Despite the ~30% emission decrease of the main tropospheric ozone (O3) precursors in Spain in the 2001-2012 period, the O3 concentration in summer still exceeds the target value for the protection of the human health of the Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC). On-road transport is the main anthropogenic contributor to O3 precursor's emissions in Madrid and Barcelona metropolitan areas (65%/59% of NOx, 40%/33% of NMVOC, and 67%/85% of CO emissions) but this contribution to O3 formation is not well understood. The present work aims at increasing the understanding on the role of on-road transport emissions from main Spanish urban areas in O3 dynamics over Spain under typical circulation types. For that purpose, the Integrated Source Apportionment Method is used within the CALIOPE modelling system (WRF/CMAQ/HERMES/BSC-DREAM8b). The results indicate that the daily maximum O3 concentration attributed to the on-road transport emissions from Madrid (O3T-MAD) and Barcelona metropolitan areas (O3T-BCN) contribute up to 24% and 8% to total O3 concentration, respectively, within an area of influence of 200 km. The contribution of O3T-MAD and O3T-BCN is particularly significant (up to 80-100 μg m(-3) in an hour) to the O3 concentration peak during the central hours of the day in the high O3 concentration season (April-September). The maximum O3T-MAD concentration is calculated within the metropolitan area of Madrid but the plume, channelled by the Tajo and the Henares valleys, affects large areas of the Iberian Peninsula. The O3T-BCN plume is more driven by sea-land and mountain-valley breezes than by the synoptic advection and its maximum concentration is usually registered over the Mediterranean Sea. The O3 concentration transported long-range to the Iberian Peninsula is significant in the area of influence of Madrid and Barcelona, being maxima under cold (70-96%) and minima in warm circulation types (35-70%). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

First records of Cotylea (Polycladida, Platyhelminthes) for the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula

PubMed Central

Noreña, Carolina; Marquina, Daniel; Perez, Jacinto; Almon, Bruno

2014-01-01

Abstract A study of polyclad fauna of the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula was carried out from 2010 to 2013. The paper reports nine new records belonging to three Cotylean families: the family Euryleptidae Lang, 1884, Pseudocerotidae Lang, 1884 and the family Prosthiostomidae Lang, 1884, and describes one new species, Euryleptodes galikias sp. n. PMID:24843268

First record of Tettigettalna mariae Quartau & Boulard, 1995 (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadoidea) in Spain

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Abstract Tettigettalna mariae Quartau & Boulard 1995 is recorded for the first time in Spain. Thought to be endemic to Portugal (occurring in the southern province of Algarve), the present paper adds its distribution to southern Spain, being an Iberian endemism. The acoustic signals of the new specimens collected were recorded in different localities of Huelva province, in Andalusia during August 2012. According to their present known distribution, specimens of Tettigettalna mariae tend to be sparsely distributed in small range populations in southern Iberian Peninsula, favouring wooded areas with Pinus pinea. PMID:24723772

Evolutionary history and molecular epidemiology of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus in the Iberian Peninsula and Western Europe

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) is a highly virulent calicivirus, first described in domestic rabbits in China in 1984. RHDV appears to be a mutant form of a benign virus that existed in Europe long before the first outbreak. In the Iberian Peninsula, the first epidemic in 1988 severely reduced the populations of autochthonous European wild rabbit. To examine the evolutionary history of RHDV in the Iberian Peninsula, we collected virus samples from wild rabbits and sequenced a fragment of the capsid protein gene VP60. These data together with available sequences from other Western European countries, were analyzed following Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo methods to infer their phylogenetic relationships, evolutionary rates and demographic history. Results Evolutionary relationships of RHDV revealed three main lineages with significant phylogeographic structure. All lineages seem to have emerged at a common period of time, between ~1875 and ~1976. The Iberian Peninsula showed evidences of genetic isolation, probably due to geographic barriers to gene flow, and was also the region with the youngest MRCA. Overall, demographic analyses showed an initial increase and stabilization of the relative genetic diversity of RHDV, and a subsequent reduction in genetic diversity after the first epidemic breakout in 1984, which is compatible with a decline in effective population size. Conclusions Results were consistent with the hypothesis that the current Iberian RHDV arose from a single infection between 1869 and 1955 (95% HPD), and rendered a temporal pattern of appearance and extinction of lineages. We propose that the rising positive selection pressure observed throughout the history of RHDV is likely mediated by the host immune system as a consequence of the genetic changes that rendered the virus virulent. Consequently, this relationship is suggested to condition RHDV demographic history. PMID:21067589

A study of surface ozone variability over the Iberian Peninsula during the last fifty years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Fernández, M. I.; Gallego, M. C.; García, J. A.; Acero, F. J.

2011-02-01

There is good evidence for an increase in the global surface level of ozone in the past century. In this work we present an analysis of 18 surface ozone series over the Iberian Peninsula, considering the target values of ozone for the protection of human health and for the protection of vegetation, as well as the information and alert thresholds established by the current European Directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe (Directive 2008/50/EC). The results show that the stations located on the Cantabrian coast exceeded neither the target value for the protection of human health nor the target value for the protection of vegetation. The information threshold was exceeded in most of the stations, while the alert threshold was only exceeded in one. The seasonal and daily evolution of ozone concentrations were as expected. A trend analysis of three surface ozone concentration indices (monthly median and 98th percentile, and monthly maximum of the daily maximum 8-h mean) was performed both for the whole period of each station and for the common period from 2001 to 2007 for all the months of the year. It was noted that generally the south of the Iberian Peninsula presented increasing trends for the three indices, especially in the last six months of the year, and the north decreasing trends. Finally, a correlation analysis was performed between the daily maximum 8-h mean and both daily mean temperature and daily mean solar radiation for the whole and the common periods. For all stations, there was a significant positive association at a 5% significance level between the daily maximum 8-h mean and the two meteorological variables of up to approximately 0.5. The spatial distribution of these association values from 2001 to 2007 showed a positive northwest to southeast gradient over the Iberian Peninsula.

Phylogeographic distribution of very virulent infectious bursal disease virus isolates in the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Cortey, Martí; Bertran, Kateri; Toskano, Jennifer; Majó, Natàlia; Dolz, Roser

2012-01-01

Viral population dynamics of very virulent infectious bursal disease virus (vvIBDV) field strains isolated in the Iberian Peninsula since the first outbreak in the 1990s have been analysed. Low levels of genetic variability and a global purification selection pattern were reported in 480 base pairs of the hypervariable region of the VP2 gene, indicating a lack of a selection-driven immune escape in the evolutive pathway of the virus. The viral population structure of vvIBDV strains in the Iberian Peninsula showed a strong relationship between geography and phylogeny, with two main groups observed. A global comparison among vvIBDV strains also showed an association with sequences from the same country. The low variability, the strong purifying selection and the geographical pattern observed point to a picture where the virus evolves slowly, occupying the same geographical niche for a long time. The scenario depicted fits well with the biological features of the virus: being able to remain viable for long periods of time due to a strong environmental resistance, and as an immunosuppressive agent, capable per se of annihilating temporally the immune system of the host.

Widespread Secondary Contact and New Glacial Refugia in the Halophilic Rotifer Brachionus plicatilis in the Iberian Peninsula

PubMed Central

Campillo, Sergi; Serra, Manuel; Carmona, María José; Gómez, Africa

2011-01-01

Small aquatic organisms harbour deep phylogeographic patterns and highly structured populations even at local scales. These patterns indicate restricted gene flow, despite these organisms' high dispersal abilities, and have been explained by a combination of (1) strong founder effects due to rapidly growing populations and very large population sizes, and (2) the development of diapausing egg banks and local adaptation, resulting in low effective gene flow, what is known as the Monopolization hypothesis. In this study, we build up on our understanding of the mitochondrial phylogeography of the halophilic rotifer Brachionus plicatilis in the Iberian Peninsula by both increasing the number of sampled ponds in areas where secondary contact is likely and doubling sample sizes. We analyzed partial mitochondrial sequences of 252 individuals. We found two deep mitochondrial DNA lineages differing in both their genetic diversity and the complexity of their phylogeographic structure. Our analyses suggest that several events of secondary contact between clades occurred after their expansion from glacial refugia. We found a pattern of isolation-by-distance, which we interpret as being the result of historical colonization events. We propose the existence of at least one glacial refugium in the SE of the Iberian Peninsula. Our findings challenge predictions of the Monopolization hypothesis, since coexistence (i.e., secondary contact) of divergent lineages in some ponds in the Iberian Peninsula is common. Our results indicate that phylogeographic structures in small organisms can be very complex and that gene flow between diverse lineages after population establishment can indeed occur. PMID:21698199

Widespread secondary contact and new glacial refugia in the halophilic rotifer Brachionus plicatilis in the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Campillo, Sergi; Serra, Manuel; Carmona, María José; Gómez, Africa

2011-01-01

Small aquatic organisms harbour deep phylogeographic patterns and highly structured populations even at local scales. These patterns indicate restricted gene flow, despite these organisms' high dispersal abilities, and have been explained by a combination of (1) strong founder effects due to rapidly growing populations and very large population sizes, and (2) the development of diapausing egg banks and local adaptation, resulting in low effective gene flow, what is known as the Monopolization hypothesis. In this study, we build up on our understanding of the mitochondrial phylogeography of the halophilic rotifer Brachionus plicatilis in the Iberian Peninsula by both increasing the number of sampled ponds in areas where secondary contact is likely and doubling sample sizes. We analyzed partial mitochondrial sequences of 252 individuals. We found two deep mitochondrial DNA lineages differing in both their genetic diversity and the complexity of their phylogeographic structure. Our analyses suggest that several events of secondary contact between clades occurred after their expansion from glacial refugia. We found a pattern of isolation-by-distance, which we interpret as being the result of historical colonization events. We propose the existence of at least one glacial refugium in the SE of the Iberian Peninsula. Our findings challenge predictions of the Monopolization hypothesis, since coexistence (i.e., secondary contact) of divergent lineages in some ponds in the Iberian Peninsula is common. Our results indicate that phylogeographic structures in small organisms can be very complex and that gene flow between diverse lineages after population establishment can indeed occur.

Surgery in Spain.

PubMed

Trias, M; Targarona, E M; Moral, A; Pera, C

1998-02-01

The Iberian Peninsula-the southwestern point of Europe, between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean-was visited and settled in ancient times by a variety of peoples. Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Celts, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths, and Arabs all left their mark on the peninsula, and their cultures blended together to found, among other things, a rich tradition in medicine and surgery. During the Renaissance, the fluid exchange of technical skills and knowledge with the rest of Europe and the emergence of universities ensured the development of a high level of medical expertise. Today, surgery in Spain is at the forefront of innovations in the field.

The Punta Lucero Quarry site (Zierbena, Bizkaia): a window into the Middle Pleistocene in the Northern Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gómez-Olivencia, Asier; Sala, Nohemi; Arceredillo, Diego; García, Nuria; Martínez-Pillado, Virginia; Rios-Garaizar, Joseba; Garate, Diego; Solar, Gonzalo; Libano, Iñaki

2015-08-01

The period between the end of the Early Pleistocene and the mid-Middle Pleistocene (roughly between 1.0 and 0.4 Ma BP) is of great interest in Western Europe. It witnessed several climatic oscillations and changes in the fauna, the demise of a hominin species and the appearance of another, along with important cultural and technological changes. Thus, the few available sites with these chronologies is vital to the understanding of the tempo and mode of these changes. Middle Pleistocene sites in the Northern Iberian Peninsula are very rare. Here we present the study of the site found at the Punta Lucero Quarry (Biscay province, Northern Iberian Peninsula), which includes for the first time the complete collection from the site. The fossil association from this site includes several ungulates, such as a Megacerine deer, Cervus elaphus, large bovids (likely both Bos primigenius and Bison sp. are present), Stephanorhinus sp., and carnivores, such as Homotherium latidens, Panthera gombaszoegensis, Canis mosbachensis and Vulpes sp. This association is typical of a middle Middle Pleistocene chronology and would be the oldest macro-mammal site in the Eastern Cantabrian region. This site would likely correspond to a chronology after Mode 1 technological complex and before the arrival of Mode 2 technology in this region. Thus, it offers a glimpse into the paleoecological conditions slightly prior to or contemporaneous with the first Acheulian makers in the northern fringe of the Iberian Peninsula.

Prehistoric contacts over the Straits of Gibraltar indicated by genetic analysis of Iberian Bronze Age cattle

PubMed Central

Anderung, Cecilia; Bouwman, Abigail; Persson, Per; Carretero, José Miguel; Ortega, Ana Isabel; Elburg, Rengert; Smith, Colin; Arsuaga, Juan Luis; Ellegren, Hans; Götherström, Anders

2005-01-01

The geographic situation of the Iberian Peninsula makes it a natural link between Europe and North Africa. However, it is a matter of debate to what extent African influences via the Straits Gibraltar have affected Iberia's prehistoric development. Because early African pastoralist communities were dedicated to cattle breeding, a possible means to detect prehistoric African–Iberian contacts might be to analyze the origin of cattle breeds on the Iberian Peninsula. Some contemporary Iberian cattle breeds show a mtDNA haplotype, T1, that is characteristic to African breeds, generally explained as being the result of the Muslim expansion of the 8th century A.D., and of modern imports. To test a possible earlier African influence, we analyzed mtDNA of Bronze Age cattle from the Portalón cave at the Atapuerca site in northern Spain. Although the majority of samples showed the haplotype T3 that dominates among European breeds of today, the T1 haplotype was found in one specimen radiocarbon dated 1800 calibrated years B.C. Accepting T1 as being of African origin, this result indicates prehistoric African–Iberian contacts and lends support to archaeological finds linking early African and Iberian cultures. We also found a wild ox haplotype in the Iberian Bronze Age sample, reflecting local hybridization or backcrossing or that aurochs were hunted by these farming cultures. PMID:15941827

Lithospheric strength across the ocean-continent transition in the NW of the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martín-Velázquez, Silvia; Martín-González, Fidel

2014-05-01

The main objective of this work is to investigate the relation between the strength of the lithosphere and the observed pattern of seismicity across the ocean-continent transition in the NW margin of the Iberian Peninsula. The seismicity is diffuse in this intraplate area, far from the seismically active margin of the plate: the Eurasia-African plate boundary, where convergence occurs at a rate of 4-5mm/year. The earthquake epicentres are mainly limited to an E-W trending zone (onshore seismicity is more abundant than offshore), and most earthquakes occur at depths less than 30 km, however, offshore depths are up to 150 km). Moreover, one of the problems to unravel in this area is that the seismotectonic interpretations of the anomalous seismicity in the NW peninsular are contradictory. The temperature and strength profiles have been modelled in three domains along the non-volcanic rifted West Iberian Margin: 1) the oceanic lithosphere of the Iberian Abyssal Plain, 2) the oceanic lithosphere near the ocean-continent transition of the Galicia Bank, and 3) the continental lithosphere of the NW Iberian Massif. The average bathymetry and topography have been used to fit the thermal structures of the three types of lithospheres, given that the heat flow and heat production values show a varied range. The geotherms, together with the brittle and ductile rheological laws, have been used to calculate the strength envelopes in different stress regimes (compression, shear and tensile). The continental lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary is located at 123 km and several brittle-ductile transitions appear in the crust and the mantle. However, the oceanic lithospheres are thinner (110 km near the Galicia Bank and 87 km in the Iberian Abbysal Plain) and more simple (brittle behaviour in the crust and upper mantle). The earthquake distribution is best explained by lithospheres with dry compositions and shear or tensile stress regimes. These results are similar can be compared to

Drought impact on vegetation in pre and post fire events in Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gouveia, C. M.; Bastos, A.; Trigo, R. M.; DaCamara, C.

2012-04-01

In 2004/2005, the Iberian Peninsula was stricken by an exceptional drought that affected more than one third of Portugal and part of southern Spain during more than 9 months. This severe drought had a strong negative impact on vegetation dynamics, as it coincided with the period of high photosynthetic activity (Gouveia et al., 2009). Since water availability is a crucial factor in post-fire vegetation recovery, it is desirable to assess the impact that such water-stress conditions had on fire sensitivity and post-fire vegetation recovery. Fire events in the European Mediterranean areas have become a serious problem and a major ecosystem disturbance, increasing erosion and soil degradation. In Portugal, the years 2003 and 2005 were particularly devastating. In 2003 it was registered the maximal burnt area since 1980, with more than 425000 ha burned, representing about 5% of Portuguese mainland. The 2005 fire season registered the highest number of fire occurrences in Portugal and the second year with the greatest number of fires in Spain. The high number of fire events observed during the summer 2005 in the Iberian Peninsula is linked, in part, to the extreme drought conditions that prevailed during the preceding winter and spring seasons of 2004/2005. Vegetation recovery after the 2003 and 2005 fire seasons was estimated using the mono-parametric model developed by Gouveia et al. (2010), which relies on monthly values of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), from 1999 to 2009, at 1kmresolution, as obtained from the VEGETATION-SPOT5 instrument.. This model was further used to evaluate the effect of drought in pre and post vegetation activity. Besides the standard NDVI, the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) and the Normalized Difference Drought Index (NDDI) were computed in order to evaluate drought intensity. In the case of the burnt scars of 2003, when data corresponding to the months of drought are removed, recovery times are considerably shorter

Abundance and fragmentation patterns of the ecosystem engineer Lithophyllum byssoides (Lamarck) Foslie along the Iberian Peninsula Atlantic coast. Conservation and management implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veiga, Puri; Rubal, Marcos; Cacabelos, Eva; Moreira, Juan; Sousa-Pinto, Isabel

2013-10-01

The crustose calcareous red macroalgae Lithophyllum byssoides (Lamarck) Foslie is a common ecosystem engineer along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula. This species is threatened by several anthropogenic impacts acting at different spatial scales, such as pollution or global warming. The aim of this study is to identify scales of spatial variation in the abundance and fragmentation patterns of L. byssoides along the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula. For this aim we used a hierarchical sampling design considering four spatial scales (from metres to 100s of kilometres). Results of the present study indicated no significant variability among regions investigated whereas significant variability was found at the scales of shore and site in spatial patterns of abundance and fragmentation of L. byssoides. Variance components were higher at the spatial scale of shore for abundance and fragmentation of L. byssoides with the only exception of percentage cover and thus, processes acting at the scale of 10s of kilometres seem to be more relevant in shaping the spatial variability both in abundance and fragmentation of L. byssoides. These results provided quantitative estimates of abundance and fragmentation of L. byssoides at the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula establishing the observational basis for future assessment, monitoring and experimental investigations to identify the processes and anthropogenic impacts affecting L. byssoides populations. Finally we have also identified percentage cover and patch density as the best variables for long-term monitoring programs aimed to detect future anthropogenic impacts on L. byssoides. Therefore, our results have important implications for conservation and management of this valuable ecosystem engineer along the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula.

Structural and climatic determinants of demographic rates of Scots pine forests across the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Vilà-Cabrera, Albert; Martínez-Vilalta, Jordi; Vayreda, Jordi; Retana, Javier

2011-06-01

The demographic rates of tree species typically show large spatial variation across their range. Understanding the environmental factors underlying this variation is a key topic in forest ecology, with far-reaching management implications. Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) covers large areas of the Northern Hemisphere, the Iberian Peninsula being its southwestern distribution limit. In recent decades, an increase in severe droughts and a densification of forests as a result of changes in forest uses have occurred in this region. Our aim was to use climate and stand structure data to explain mortality and growth patterns of Scots pine forests across the Iberian Peninsula. We used data from 2392 plots dominated by Scots pine, sampled for the National Forest Inventory of Spain. Plots were sampled from 1986 to 1996 (IFN2) and were resampled from 1997 to 2007 (IFN3), allowing for the calculation of growth and mortality rates. We fitted linear models to assess the response of growth and mortality rates to the spatial variability of climate, climatic anomalies, and forest structure. Over the period of approximately 10 years between the IFN2 and IFN3, the amount of standing dead trees increased 11-fold. Higher mortality rates were related to dryness, and growth was reduced with increasing dryness and temperature, but results also suggested that effects of climatic stressors were not restricted to dry sites only. Forest structure was strongly related to demographic rates, suggesting that stand development and competition are the main factors associated with demography. In the case of mortality, forest structure interacted with climate, suggesting that competition for water resources induces tree mortality in dry sites. A slight negative relationship was found between mortality and growth, indicating that both rates are likely to be affected by the same stress factors. Additionally, regeneration tended to be lower in plots with higher mortality. Taken together, our results

Long-term vegetation activity trends in the Iberian Peninsula and The Balearic Islands using high spatial resolution NOAA-AVHRR data (1981 - 2015).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin-Hernandez, Natalia; Vicente-Serrano, Sergio; Azorin-Molina, Cesar; Begueria-Portugues, Santiago; Reig-Gracia, Fergus; Zabalza-Martínez, Javier

2017-04-01

We have analysed trends in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in the Iberian Peninsula and The Balearic Islands over the period 1981 - 2015 using a new high resolution data set from the entire available NOAA - AVHRR images (IBERIAN NDVI dataset). After a complete processing including geocoding, calibration, cloud removal, topographic correction and temporal filtering, we obtained bi-weekly time series. To assess the accuracy of the new IBERIAN NDVI time-series, we have compared temporal variability and trends of NDVI series with those results reported by GIMMS 3g and MODIS (MOD13A3) NDVI datasets. In general, the IBERIAN NDVI showed high reliability with these two products but showing higher spatial resolution than the GIMMS dataset and covering two more decades than the MODIS dataset. Using the IBERIAN NDVI dataset, we analysed NDVI trends by means of the non-parametric Mann-Kendall test and Theil-Sen slope estimator. In average, vegetation trends in the study area show an increase over the last decades. However, there are local spatial differences: the main increase has been recorded in humid regions of the north of the Iberian Peninsula. The statistical techniques allow finding abrupt and gradual changes in different land cover types during the analysed period. These changes are related with human activity due to land transformations (from dry to irrigated land), land abandonment and forest recovery.

Evaluating the CALIOPE air quality modelling system: dynamics and chemistry over Europe and Iberian Peninsula for 2004 at high horizontal resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piot, M.; Pay, M. T.; Jorba, O.; Baldasano, J. M.; Jiménez-Guerrero, P.; López, E.; Pérez, C.; Gassó, S.

2009-04-01

Often in Europe, population exposure to air pollution exceeds standards set by the EU and the World Health Organization (WHO). Urban/suburban areas are predominantly impacted upon, although exceedances of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) and Ozone (O3) also take place in rural areas. In the frame of the CALIOPE project (Baldasano et al., 2008a), a high-resolution air quality forecasting system, WRF-ARW/HERMES/CMAQ/DREAM, has been developed and applied to the European domain (12km x 12km, 1hr) as well as to the Iberian Peninsula domain (4km x 4km, 1hr) to provide air quality forecasts for Spain (http://www.bsc.es/caliope/). The simulation of such high-resolution model system has been made possible by its implementation on the MareNostrum supercomputer. To reassure potential users and reduce uncertainties, the model system must be evaluated to assess its performances in terms of air quality levels and dynamics reproducibility. The present contribution describes a thorough quantitative evaluation study performed for a reference year (2004). The CALIOPE modelling system is configured with 38 vertical layers reaching up to 50 hPa for the meteorological core. Atmospheric initial and boundary conditions are obtained from the NCEP final analysis data. The vertical resolution of the CMAQ chemistry-transport model for gas-phase and aerosols has been increased from 8 to 15 layers in order to simulate vertical exchanges more accurately. Gas phase boundary conditions are provided by the LMDz-INCA2 global climate-chemistry model (see Hauglustaine et al., 2004). The DREAM model simulates long-range transport of mineral dust over the domains under study. For the European simulation, emissions are disaggregated from the EMEP expert emission inventory for 2004 to the utilized resolution using the criteria implemented in the HERMES emission model (Baldasano et al., 2008b). The HERMES model system, using a bottom-up approach, was adopted to estimate emissions for the Iberian

Environmental isolation explains Iberian genetic diversity in the highly homozygous model grass Brachypodium distachyon.

PubMed

Marques, Isabel; Shiposha, Valeriia; López-Alvarez, Diana; Manzaneda, Antonio J; Hernandez, Pilar; Olonova, Marina; Catalán, Pilar

2017-06-15

Brachypodium distachyon (Poaceae), an annual Mediterranean Aluminum (Al)-sensitive grass, is currently being used as a model species to provide new information on cereals and biofuel crops. The plant has a short life cycle and one of the smallest genomes in the grasses being well suited to experimental manipulation. Its genome has been fully sequenced and several genomic resources are being developed to elucidate key traits and gene functions. A reliable germplasm collection that reflects the natural diversity of this species is therefore needed for all these genomic resources. However, despite being a model plant, we still know very little about its genetic diversity. As a first step to overcome this gap, we used nuclear Simple Sequence Repeats (nSSR) to study the patterns of genetic diversity and population structure of B. distachyon in 14 populations sampled across the Iberian Peninsula (Spain), one of its best known areas. We found very low levels of genetic diversity, allelic number and heterozygosity in B. distachyon, congruent with a highly selfing system. Our results indicate the existence of at least three genetic clusters providing additional evidence for the existence of a significant genetic structure in the Iberian Peninsula and supporting this geographical area as an important genetic reservoir. Several hotspots of genetic diversity were detected and populations growing on basic soils were significantly more diverse than those growing in acidic soils. A partial Mantel test confirmed a statistically significant Isolation-By-Distance (IBD) among all studied populations, as well as a statistically significant Isolation-By-Environment (IBE) revealing the presence of environmental-driven isolation as one explanation for the genetic patterns found in the Iberian Peninsula. The finding of higher genetic diversity in eastern Iberian populations occurring in basic soils suggests that these populations can be better adapted than those occurring in western areas

Snakebite poisoning in Spain.

PubMed

Martín-Sierra, Cristina; Nogué-Xarau, Santiago; Pinillos Echeverría, Miguel Ángel; Rey Pecharromán, José Miguel

2018-01-01

Emergencies due to snakebites, although unusual in Spain, are potentially serious. Of the 13 species native to the Iberian peninsula, only 5 are poisonous: 2 belong to the Colubridae family and 3 to the Viperidae family. Bites from these venemous snakes can be life-threatening, but the venomous species can be easily identified by attending to certain physical traits. Signs denoting poisoning from vipers, and the appropriate treatment to follow, have changed in recent years.

Airborne pollen trends in the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Galán, C; Alcázar, P; Oteros, J; García-Mozo, H; Aira, M J; Belmonte, J; Diaz de la Guardia, C; Fernández-González, D; Gutierrez-Bustillo, M; Moreno-Grau, S; Pérez-Badía, R; Rodríguez-Rajo, J; Ruiz-Valenzuela, L; Tormo, R; Trigo, M M; Domínguez-Vilches, E

2016-04-15

Airborne pollen monitoring is an effective tool for studying the reproductive phenology of anemophilous plants, an important bioindicator of plant behavior. Recent decades have revealed a trend towards rising airborne pollen concentrations in Europe, attributing these trends to an increase in anthropogenic CO2 emissions and temperature. However, the lack of water availability in southern Europe may prompt a trend towards lower flowering intensity, especially in herbaceous plants. Here we show variations in flowering intensity by analyzing the Annual Pollen Index (API) of 12 anemophilous taxa across 12 locations in the Iberian Peninsula, over the last two decades, and detecting the influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). Results revealed differences in the distribution and flowering intensity of anemophilous species. A negative correlation was observed between airborne pollen concentrations and winter averages of the NAO index. This study confirms that changes in rainfall in the Mediterranean region, attributed to climate change, have an important impact on the phenology of plants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Theory, Research, and Practice of Communication in Spain.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oseguera, A. Anthony

This paper discusses the theory, research, and practice of communication in Spain, from the perspective of language, political economy, and culture. The peoples of the Iberian Peninsula and surrounding islands communicate in a rich variety of languages. In the electronic age, communication has shifted away from the print media to the spoken media,…

Regional Climate Simulations of the Hydrological Cycle in the Iberian Peninsula with a Coupled WRF-HYDRO Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rios-Entenza, A.; Miguez-Macho, G.

2008-12-01

Land-atmosphere water exchanges and heat fluxes play an important role in climate and particularly in controlling precipitation in water-limited regions. One of such regions is the Iberian Peninsula, and in this study we examine the relevance of water recycling in convective precipitation regimes of the Fall and Spring there, when rainfall is critical for agriculture and many other human activities. We conducted simulations with WRF-ARW model at 5 km horizontal resolution, using a 1500 km x 1500 km nested grid that covers the Iberian Peninsula, with a parent domain that uses spectral nudging in order to avoid the distortion of the large-scale circulation caused by the interaction of the modeled flow with the lateral boundaries of the nested grid. For land-surface interactions we coupled WRF with the LEAF-HYDRO land surface model, which includes water table dynamics. We use therefore a tool that simulates the entire water cycle, including the water table, which has been reported to be critical for soil moisture dynamics in semi-arid regions like the Iberian Peninsula. For each one of the events that we selected, we performed two simulations: a control one, where all land-atmosphere feedbacks are taken into account, and the experiment, where infiltration of the precipitated water into the soil was suppressed. In this manner we explore the role of upward latent and sensible heat fluxes and evapotranspiration in precipitation dynamics. Preliminary results suggest that water recycling is a key factor in extending convective precipitation during several days, and that the total new water added in the area as a whole is only a fraction of the total measured rainfall. An estimation of this fraction is very important to better understanding the water budget and for hydrological planning in this water-stressed region.

Phylogenetic Analysis Shows That Neolithic Slate Plaques from the Southwestern Iberian Peninsula Are Not Genealogical Recording Systems

PubMed Central

García Rivero, Daniel; O'Brien, Michael J.

2014-01-01

Prehistoric material culture proposed to be symbolic in nature has been the object of considerable archaeological work from diverse theoretical perspectives, yet rarely are methodological tools used to test the interpretations. The lack of testing is often justified by invoking the opinion that the slippery nature of past human symbolism cannot easily be tackled by the scientific method. One such case, from the southwestern Iberian Peninsula, involves engraved stone plaques from megalithic funerary monuments dating ca. 3,500–2,750 B.C. (calibrated age). One widely accepted proposal is that the plaques are ancient mnemonic devices that record genealogies. The analysis reported here demonstrates that this is not the case, even when the most supportive data and techniques are used. Rather, we suspect there was a common ideological background to the use of plaques that overlay the southwestern Iberian Peninsula, with little or no geographic patterning. This would entail a cultural system in which plaque design was based on a fundamental core idea, with a number of mutable and variable elements surrounding it. PMID:24558384

The Late Cretaceous Alkaline Igneous Province in the Iberian Peninsula, and its tectonic significance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rock, N. M. S.

1982-04-01

The Iberian Province consists of the following: the three subvolcanic, syenitic, major intrusive complexes of Monchique, Sines and Sintra in W. and SW Portugal, together with their basanitic/lamprophyric minor intrusive suites; basanitic volcanic complexes around Lisbon; at least some of a widespread suite of basanitic to theralitic minor intrusives in west central Portugal; about 80 small basanitic/lamprophyric to nepheline syenitic intrusions scattered through the Pyrenees, NE Spain, the French Corbières, and off the coast of NW Spain; and the Ormonde Seamount of the Gorringe Bank off the SW coast of Portugal. Most of these occurrences have been dated isotopically or from field evidence as Late Cretaceous. Geological and petrological details of the various occurrences are compiled and reviewed. Primary basanitic magmas were probably parental to the entire Province, and generated syenitic magmas by differentiation processes; oversaturated rocks were produced by alkali loss and perhaps also by crustal involvement. The Iberian Province is related to the opening of the N. Atlantic, specifically that of the Bay of Biscay.

Assessing extreme droughts in the Iberian Peninsula during 1750-1850 from rogation ceremonies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domínguez-Castro, F.; Ribera, P.; García-Herrera, R.; Vaquero, J. M.; Barriendos, M.; Cuadrat, J. M.; Moreno, J. M.

2011-11-01

Among the different meteorological risks, droughts are the ones with the highest socio-economical impact in the Iberian Peninsula. Drought events have been largely studied in the instrumental period, but very little is known about the characteristics of droughts in the preinstrumental period. In this work, new series of rogation ceremonies identify severe droughts within the period 1750-1850. The overlapping of the rogation series with some instrumental series served to identify some climatic characteristics of rogation ceremonies: a) during spring, rainfall deficits needed to celebrate rogation ceremonies are smaller than in any other season; b) when the number of location celebrating rogations increases in a region the hydrological deficit on each location increases as well. On the other hand, it was found that the periods 1750-1754 and 1779-1783 are probably the driest periods of the 101 analyzed years. Both show an important number of rogations all over the Iberian Peninsula and during all the seasons. The most extended drought of this period occurred during the spring of 1817, affecting 15 of the 16 locations studied. This drought was influenced by the Tambora eruption (1815). The study of the climate footprint of this eruption and its comparison with similar situations in the series suggest that the spring drought of 1824 may be associated with the eruptions of the Galunggung and Usu volcanoes (1822). Further studies are required to confirm this fact and understand the atmospheric mechanisms involved.

Palaeoenvironments of the last Neanderthals in SW Europe (MIS 3): Cova del Coll Verdaguer (Barcelona, NE of Iberian Peninsula)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daura, J.; Sanz, M.; Allué, E.; Vaquero, M.; López-García, J. M.; Sánchez-Marco, A.; Domènech, R.; Martinell, J.; Carrión, J. S.; Ortiz, J. E.; Torres, T.; Arnold, L. J.; Benson, A.; Hoffmann, D. L.; Skinner, A. R.; Julià, R.

2017-12-01

Marine isotope stage 3 (MIS 3) was characterised by marked oscillations of extreme cold episodes with very short warm events during the stadial, and several regional differences have been recorded in the ice cores and marine deposits. The aim of this study is to reconstruct this period by evaluating both terrestrial and regional responses. Cova del Coll Verdaguer, a site located on the Iberian Peninsula, preserves a sedimentary deposit dated to between 34 and 56 ka BP and provides an opportunity for evaluating the impact of climate changes on the regional landmass during a period that coincided with the last Neanderthal population on the Iberian Peninsula. Several dating methods, including U-series, electron spin resonance, amino acid racemization and radiocarbon (14C), were applied to the site and the ages obtained show good agreement. The biotic evidence obtained is substantial, comprising floristic data from palynology and charcoal analysis, and faunal data from large and small mammals, birds and gastropods. Environmental reconstruction points to an initially open meadow landscape at the base of the sequence (∼56 ka) that progressively changes to a woodland environment dominated by conifers (∼34 ka). The presence of few thermophilous taxa, in contrast with lower latitudes of the Iberian Peninsula, is also detected. The environmental conditions of mid-altitude, Mediterranean, limestone mountains for the last Neanderthal populations appear to have been dominated by a forested landscape comprising boreal or mixed coniferous forest, characterised by a low usable biomass with poor comestible plant resources and dispersed herbivore populations.

Lack of evidence of spill-over of Salmonella enterica between cattle and sympatric Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) from a protected area in Catalonia, NE Spain.

PubMed

Navarro-Gonzalez, N; Velarde, R; Porrero, M C; Mentaberre, G; Serrano, E; Mateos, A; Domínguez, L; Lavín, S

2014-08-01

Salmonella enterica is a zoonotic agent of worldwide importance found in a wide range of wild hosts. However, its prevalence in many popular game species has never been assessed. Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) is the main game caprinae of the Iberian Peninsula and around two thousand individuals are hunted every year for trophy or for home consumption. In this work, 313 Iberian ibexes from the Ports de Tortosa i Beseit National Game Reserve (NE Spain) were tested for Salmonella enterica in faeces, and anti microbial susceptibility was determined. The exact location of shooting or capture was recorded with a GPS device to study the links of Salmonella infection with cattle presence and human proximity. Additionally, samples were taken from cattle grazing inside this reserve (n = 73). Only three Iberian ibexes (0.96%, 95% CI 0.2-2.8) were positive to Salmonella (serotype Enteritidis, Bardo and 35:r:z35), while prevalence was moderate in cattle: 21.92% (95% CI 13.10-33.14, serotype Meleagridis, Anatum, Kedougou and Othmarschen). All isolates were susceptible to the anti microbial agents tested. Moreover, a case of fatal septicaemic salmonellosis in an 11-year-old male Iberian ibex is described where Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis was isolated from the lung, liver and spleen samples. The low prevalence of Salmonella in Iberian ibex and the lack of shared serotypes suggest no association to cattle. Despite this, game meat aimed for human consumption should be examined, and it is strongly recommended that hunters and game keepers manipulate animals and carcasses under maximal hygienic conditions to avoid environmental contamination and human contagion. © 2012 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Spatial Distribution of Dorylaimid and Mononchid Nematodes from Southeast Iberian Peninsula: Chorological Relationships among Species

PubMed Central

Liébanas, G.; Peña-Santiago, R.; Real, R.; Márquez, A. L.

2002-01-01

The spatial distribution of 138 Dorylaimid and Mononchid species collected in a natural area from the Southeast Iberian Peninsula was studied. A chorological classification was used to examine distribution patterns shared by groups of species. Eighty species were classified into 14 collective and 16 individual chorotypes. The geographical projections of several collective chorotypes are illustrated along with their corresponding distribution maps. The importance of this analysis to nematological study is briefly discussed. PMID:19265962

Precipitation extremes in the Iberian Peninsula: an overview of the CLIPE project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, João A.; Gonçalves, Paulo M.; Rodrigues, Tiago; Carvalho, Maria J.; Rocha, Alfredo

2014-05-01

The main aims of the project "Climate change of precipitation extreme episodes in the Iberian Peninsula and its forcing mechanisms - CLIPE" are 1) to diagnose the climate change signal in the precipitation extremes over the Iberian Peninsula (IP) and 2) to identify the underlying physical mechanisms. For the first purpose, a multi-model ensemble of 25 Regional Climate Model (RCM) simulations, from the ENSEMBLES project, is used. These experiments were generated by 15 RCMs, driven by five General Circulation Models (GCMs) under both historic conditions (1951-2000) and SRES A1B scenario (2001-2100). In this project, daily precipitation and mean sea level pressure, for the periods 1961-1990 (recent past) and 2021-2100 (future), are used. Using the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) on a daily basis, a precipitation extreme is defined by the pair of threshold values (Dmin, Imin), where Dmin is the minimum number of consecutive days with daily SPI above the Imin value. For both past and future climates, a precipitation extreme of a specific type is then characterised by two variables: the number of episodes with a specific duration in days and the number of episodes with a specific mean intensity (SPI/duration). Climate change is also assessed by changes in their Probability Density Functions (PDFs), estimated at sectors representative of different precipitation regimes. Lastly, for the second objective of this project, links between precipitation and Circulation Weather Regimes (CWRs) are explored for both past and future climates. Acknowledgments: this work is supported by European Union Funds (FEDER/COMPETE - Operational Competitiveness Programme) and by national funds (FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) under the project CLIPE (PTDC/AAC-CLI/111733/2009).

Aerobiological study in east-central Iberian Peninsula: pollen diversity and dynamics for major taxa.

PubMed

Pérez-Badia, Rosa; Rapp, Ana; Vaquero, Consolación; Fernández-González, Federico

2011-01-01

A study was made of airborne pollen counts in Cuenca (east-central Iberian Peninsula, Spain), using data obtained over a 3-year period (2008-2010). This is the first such study carried out in the World Heritage city of Cuenca, situated in the large region of Castilla-La Mancha. Air monitoring was performed using the sampling and analysis procedures recommended by the Spanish Aerobiology Network. Sampling commenced in mid- 2007, and provided the first recorded pollen-spectrum for the area. The greatest pollen-type diversity was recorded in spring, whilst the highest pollen counts (over 80 percent of the annual total) were observed between February and June. The lowest counts were found in September, November and December. The 10 leading taxa, in order of abundance, were: Cupressaceae, Quercus, Urticaceae, Pinus, Olea, Poaceae, Populus, Platanus, Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae and Plantago. The pollen calendar was thus typically Mediterrean, and comprised the 27 pollen types reaching 10-day mean counts of over 1 grain/m(3) of air. Maximum concentration values during the day were recorded between 12:00-20:00, coinciding with the highest temperatures and lowest humidity levels. The pollen types responsible for most allergies in the city of Cuenca, ordered by the number of days on which risk levels were reached, were: Poaceae, Urticaceae, Cupressaceae, Olea, Platanus and Chenopodiaceae-Amaranthaceae.

Atlas of Iberian water beetles (ESACIB database).

PubMed

Sánchez-Fernández, David; Millán, Andrés; Abellán, Pedro; Picazo, Félix; Carbonell, José A; Ribera, Ignacio

2015-01-01

The ESACIB ('EScarabajos ACuáticos IBéricos') database is provided, including all available distributional data of Iberian and Balearic water beetles from the literature up to 2013, as well as from museum and private collections, PhD theses, and other unpublished sources. The database contains 62,015 records with associated geographic data (10×10 km UTM squares) for 488 species and subspecies of water beetles, 120 of them endemic to the Iberian Peninsula and eight to the Balearic Islands. This database was used for the elaboration of the "Atlas de los Coleópteros Acuáticos de España Peninsular". In this dataset data of 15 additional species has been added: 11 that occur in the Balearic Islands or mainland Portugal but not in peninsular Spain and an other four with mainly terrestrial habits within the genus Helophorus (for taxonomic coherence). The complete dataset is provided in Darwin Core Archive format.

Atlas of Iberian water beetles (ESACIB database)

PubMed Central

Sánchez-Fernández, David; Millán, Andrés; Abellán, Pedro; Picazo, Félix; Carbonell, José A.; Ribera, Ignacio

2015-01-01

Abstract The ESACIB (‘EScarabajos ACuáticos IBéricos’) database is provided, including all available distributional data of Iberian and Balearic water beetles from the literature up to 2013, as well as from museum and private collections, PhD theses, and other unpublished sources. The database contains 62,015 records with associated geographic data (10×10 km UTM squares) for 488 species and subspecies of water beetles, 120 of them endemic to the Iberian Peninsula and eight to the Balearic Islands. This database was used for the elaboration of the “Atlas de los Coleópteros Acuáticos de España Peninsular”. In this dataset data of 15 additional species has been added: 11 that occur in the Balearic Islands or mainland Portugal but not in peninsular Spain and an other four with mainly terrestrial habits within the genus Helophorus (for taxonomic coherence). The complete dataset is provided in Darwin Core Archive format. PMID:26448717

Identification of potential sources of airborne Olea pollen in the Southwest Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Rodríguez, S.; Ambelas Skjøth, C.; Tormo-Molina, R.; Brandao, R.; Caeiro, E.; Silva-Palacios, I.; Gonzalo-Garijo, Á.; Smith, M.

2012-04-01

This study aims to determine the potential origin of Olea pollen recorded in Badajoz in the Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula during 2009-2011. This was achieved using a combination of daily average and diurnal (hourly) airborne Olea pollen counts recorded at Badajoz (southwestern Spain) and Évora (southeastern Portugal), an inventory of olive groves in the studied area and air mass trajectory calculations computed using the HYSPLIT model. Examining olive pollen episodes at Badajoz that had distinctly different diurnal cycles in olive pollen in relation to the mean, allowed us to identify three different scenarios where olive pollen can be transported to the city from either distant or nearby sources. Back trajectory analysis showed that olive pollen can be transported to Badajoz from the West on prevailing winds, either directly or on slow moving air masses, and from high densities of olive groves situated to the Southeast (e.g. Andalucía). Regional scale transport of olive pollen can result in increased nighttime concentrations of this important aeroallergen. This could be particularly important in Mediterranean countries where people can be outdoors during this time due to climate and lifestyle. Such studies are valuable for allergy sufferers and health care professionals because the information can be incorporated into forecasts, the outputs of which are used for avoiding exposure to aeroallergens and planning medication. The results of studies of this nature can also be used for examining gene flow in this important agricultural crop.

North Atlantic Oscillation and moisture transport towards the Iberian Peninsula during winter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ordóñez, Paulina; Liberato, Margarida L. R.; Gouveia, Célia; Trigo, Ricardo M.

2013-04-01

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is the major source of interannual variability in winter precipitation over the Iberian Peninsula (IP). Recent works have identified the most important sources of moisture that supply the IP during different seasons of the year, including the nearby western Mediterranean and the tropical-subtropical North Atlantic corridor that extends from the Gulf of Mexico to the IP, and the IP itself (Gimeno et al., 2010). However, although rainfall is directly related to the moisture supply, the relationship between the water vapor transported towards IP and the NAO phase remains unclear. In this work the moisture transport towards IP was analyzed using a Lagrangian diagnosis method, which relies on the Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART. This methodology computes budgets of evaporation minus precipitation (E-P) by evaluating changes in the specific humidity along back-trajectories. Here we have computed (for each day) the evolution of moisture of the particles bound for Iberia up to 10 days prior to their arrival. The analysis was constrained to the winter (DJF) season, responsible for the largest fraction of precipitation, for the 20 years of ECMWF Reanalyses ERA40 dataset from 1980 to 2000. The contribution of the NAO phase on the water budgets is examined using composites of the obtained (E - P) fields for the 5 most extreme positive and negative NAO years of the study period. Results confirm that the IP is dominated by positive (negative) E-P anomalies during positive (negative) NAO phase. Additionally an anomalous water vapor sink (source) region located approximately over the Gulf Stream is found during positive (negative) NAO phase. Gimeno L., Nieto R., Trigo R.M. , Vicente-Serrano S.M, Lopes-Moreno J.I., (2010) "Where does the Iberian Peninsula moisture come from? An answer based on a Lagrangian approach". J. Hydrometeorology, 11, 421-436 DOI: 10.1175/2009JHM1182.1.

Conservation genetics of the endangered Iberian steppe plant Ferula loscosii (Apiaceae).

PubMed

Pérez-Collazos, E; Catalán, P

2008-07-01

Ferula loscosii (Lange) Willk (Apiaceae) is a threatened endemic species native to the Iberian Peninsula. The plant has a narrow and disjunct distribution in three regions, NE, C and SE Spain. Genetic variability within and among 11 populations from its natural distribution was assessed using allozymes. Intermediate levels of genetic diversity were detected in F. loscosii (P(99%) = 36.83; H(E) = 0.125; H(T) = 0.152). However, the highest genetic diversity (58%) corresponded to the threatened populations from SE and C Spain (H(T) = 0.169) rather than the more abundant and larger populations from NE Spain (Ebro valley) (H(T) = 0.122). Low to moderate levels of genetic structure were found among regional ranges (G(ST) = 0.134), and several statistical spatial correlation analyses corroborated substantial genetic differentiation among the three main regional ranges. However, no significant genetic differentiation was found among the NE Spain populations, except for a northernmost population that is geographically isolated. Outcrossing mating and other biological traits of the species could account for the maintenance of the present values of genetic diversity within populations. The existence of an ancestral late Tertiary wider distribution of the species in SE and C Spain, followed by the maintenance of different Quaternary refugia in these warmer areas, together with a more recent and rapid post-glacial expansion towards NE Spain, are arguments that could explain the low genetic variability and structure found in the Ebro valley and the higher levels of diversity in the southern Iberian populations.

Genetic variation of the endangered Gentiana lutea L. var. aurantiaca (Gentianaceae) in populations from the Northwest Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

González-López, Oscar; Polanco, Carlos; György, Zsuzsanna; Pedryc, Andrzej; Casquero, Pedro A

2014-06-05

Gentiana lutea L. (G. lutea L.) is an endangered plant, patchily distributed along the mountains of Central and Southern Europe. In this study, inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were used to investigate the genetic variation in this species within and among populations of G. lutea L. var. aurantiaca of the Cantabrian Mountains (Northwest Iberian Peninsula). Samples of G. lutea L. collected at different locations of the Pyrenees and samples of G. lutea L. subsp. vardjanii of the Dolomites Alps were also analyzed for comparison. Using nine ISSR primers, 106 bands were generated, and 89.6% of those were polymorphic. The populations from the Northwest Iberian Peninsula were clustered in three different groups, with a significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances. Gentiana lutea L. var. aurantiaca showed 19.8% private loci and demonstrated a remarkable level of genetic variation, both among populations and within populations; those populations with the highest level of isolation show the lowest genetic variation within populations. The low number of individuals, as well as the observed genetic structure of the analyzed populations makes it necessary to protect them to ensure their survival before they are too small to persist naturally.

Genetic Variation of the Endangered Gentiana lutea L. var. aurantiaca (Gentianaceae) in Populations from the Northwest Iberian Peninsula

PubMed Central

González-López, Oscar; Polanco, Carlos; György, Zsuzsanna; Pedryc, Andrzej; Casquero, Pedro A.

2014-01-01

Gentiana lutea L. (G. lutea L.) is an endangered plant, patchily distributed along the mountains of Central and Southern Europe. In this study, inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were used to investigate the genetic variation in this species within and among populations of G. lutea L. var. aurantiaca of the Cantabrian Mountains (Northwest Iberian Peninsula). Samples of G. lutea L. collected at different locations of the Pyrenees and samples of G. lutea L. subsp. vardjanii of the Dolomites Alps were also analyzed for comparison. Using nine ISSR primers, 106 bands were generated, and 89.6% of those were polymorphic. The populations from the Northwest Iberian Peninsula were clustered in three different groups, with a significant correlation between genetic and geographic distances. Gentiana lutea L. var. aurantiaca showed 19.8% private loci and demonstrated a remarkable level of genetic variation, both among populations and within populations; those populations with the highest level of isolation show the lowest genetic variation within populations. The low number of individuals, as well as the observed genetic structure of the analyzed populations makes it necessary to protect them to ensure their survival before they are too small to persist naturally. PMID:24905405

Agerinia smithorum sp. nov., a new early Eocene primate from the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Femenias-Gual, Joan; Minwer-Barakat, Raef; Marigó, Judit; Moyà-Solà, Salvador

2016-09-01

The new species Agerinia smithorum (Adapiformes, Primates) from the early Eocene of the Iberian Peninsula is erected in this work. An emended diagnosis of the genus is provided, together with a broad description of the new species and comparisons with other samples assigned to Agerinia and other similar medium-sized cercamoniines. The new species is based on the most complete specimen of this genus published to date, a mandible preserving the alveoli of the canine and P1 , the roots of the P2 and all teeth from P3 to M3 . It was found in Casa Retjo-1, a new early Eocene locality from Northeastern Spain. The studied specimen is clearly distinguishable from other cercamoniines such as Periconodon, Darwinius, and Donrussellia, but very similar to Agerinia roselli, especially in the similar height of P3 and P4 and the general morphology of the molars, therefore allowing the allocation to the same genus. However, it is undoubtedly distinct from A. roselli, having a less molarized P4 and showing a larger paraconid in the M1 and a tiny one in the M2 , among other differences. The body mass of A. smithorum has also been estimated, ranging from 652 to 724 g, similar to that of A. roselli. The primitive traits shown by A. smithorum (moderately molarized P4 , large paraconid in the M1 and small but distinct in the M2 ) suggest that it could be the ancestor of A. roselli. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Identification of potential sources of airborne Olea pollen in the Southwest Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Rodríguez, Santiago; Skjøth, Carsten Ambelas; Tormo-Molina, Rafael; Brandao, Rui; Caeiro, Elsa; Silva-Palacios, Inmaculada; Gonzalo-Garijo, Ángela; Smith, Matt

2014-04-01

This study aims to determine the potential origin of Olea pollen recorded in Badajoz in the Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula during 2009-2011. This was achieved using a combination of daily average and diurnal (hourly) airborne Olea pollen counts recorded at Badajoz (south-western Spain) and Évora (south-eastern Portugal), an inventory of olive groves in the studied area and air mass trajectory calculations computed using the HYSPLIT model. Examining olive pollen episodes at Badajoz that had distinctly different diurnal cycles in olive pollen in relation to the mean, allowed us to identify three different scenarios where olive pollen can be transported to the city from either distant or nearby sources during conditions with slow air mass movements. Back trajectory analysis showed that olive pollen can be transported to Badajoz from the West on prevailing winds, either directly or on slow moving air masses, and from high densities of olive groves situated to the Southeast (e.g. Andalucía). Regional scale transport of olive pollen can result in increased nighttime concentrations of this important aeroallergen. This could be particularly important in Mediterranean countries where people can be outdoors during this time due to climate and lifestyle. Such studies that examine sources and the atmospheric transport of pollen are valuable for allergy sufferers and health care professionals because the information can be incorporated into forecasts, the outputs of which are used for avoiding exposure to aeroallergens and planning medication. The results of studies of this nature can also be used for examining gene flow in this important agricultural crop.

Identification of potential sources of airborne Olea pollen in the Southwest Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Fernández-Rodríguez, Santiago; Skjøth, Carsten Ambelas; Tormo-Molina, Rafael; Brandao, Rui; Caeiro, Elsa; Silva-Palacios, Inmaculada; Gonzalo-Garijo, Angela; Smith, Matt

2014-04-01

This study aims to determine the potential origin of Olea pollen recorded in Badajoz in the Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula during 2009-2011. This was achieved using a combination of daily average and diurnal (hourly) airborne Olea pollen counts recorded at Badajoz (south-western Spain) and Évora (south-eastern Portugal), an inventory of olive groves in the studied area and air mass trajectory calculations computed using the HYSPLIT model. Examining olive pollen episodes at Badajoz that had distinctly different diurnal cycles in olive pollen in relation to the mean, allowed us to identify three different scenarios where olive pollen can be transported to the city from either distant or nearby sources during conditions with slow air mass movements. Back trajectory analysis showed that olive pollen can be transported to Badajoz from the West on prevailing winds, either directly or on slow moving air masses, and from high densities of olive groves situated to the Southeast (e.g. Andalucía). Regional scale transport of olive pollen can result in increased nighttime concentrations of this important aeroallergen. This could be particularly important in Mediterranean countries where people can be outdoors during this time due to climate and lifestyle. Such studies that examine sources and the atmospheric transport of pollen are valuable for allergy sufferers and health care professionals because the information can be incorporated into forecasts, the outputs of which are used for avoiding exposure to aeroallergens and planning medication. The results of studies of this nature can also be used for examining gene flow in this important agricultural crop.

Moisture balance over the Iberian Peninsula computed using a high resolution regional climate model. The impact of 3DVAR data assimilation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González-Rojí, Santos J.; Sáenz, Jon; Ibarra-Berastegi, Gabriel

2016-04-01

A numerical downscaling exercise over the Iberian Peninsula has been run nesting the WRF model inside ERA Interim. The Iberian Peninsula has been covered by a 15km x 15 km grid with 51 vertical levels. Two model configurations have been tested in two experiments spanning the period 2010-2014 after a one year spin-up (2009). In both cases, the model uses high resolution daily-varying SST fields and the Noah land surface model. In the first experiment (N), after the model is initialised, boundary conditions drive the model, as usual in numerical downscaling experiments. The second experiment (D) is configured the same way as the N case, but 3DVAR data assimilation is run every six hours (00Z, 06Z, 12Z and 18Z) using observations obtained from the PREPBUFR dataset (NCEP ADP Global Upper Air and Surface Weather Observations) using a 120' window around analysis times. For the data assimilation experiment (D), seasonally (monthly) varying background error covariance matrices have been prepared according to the parameterisations used and the mesoscale model domain. For both N and D runs, the moisture balance of the model runs has been evaluated over the Iberian Peninsula, both internally according to the model results (moisture balance in the model) and also in terms of the observed moisture fields from observational datasets (particularly precipitable water and precipitation from observations). Verification has been performed both at the daily and monthly time scales. The verification has also been performed for ERA Interim, the driving coarse-scale dataset used to drive the regional model too. Results show that the leading terms that must be considered over the area are the tendency in the precipitable water column, the divergence of moisture flux, evaporation (computed from latent heat flux at the surface) and precipitation. In the case of ERA Interim, the divergence of Qc is also relevant, although still a minor player in the moisture balance. Both mesoscale model

Bluetongue in Spain: from the first outbreak to 2012.

PubMed

de Diego, A C Pérez; Sánchez-Cordón, P J; Sánchez-Vizcaíno, J M

2014-12-01

Outbreaks of bluetongue disease have occurred in Spain six times and have been caused by the following serotypes of bluetongue virus (BTV), in chronological order: BTV10, BTV2, BTV4, BTV1 and BTV8. Serotypes BTV1, BTV2 and BTV4 may have entered the country in Culicoides transported by wind; BTV8 via infected animal movements; and BTV10 across the Portuguese border. The evolution of each serotype has been different: BTV1, BTV4 and BTV10 spread throughout mainland Spain; BTV2 did not spread from the Balearic Islands to the Iberian Peninsula; and BTV8 has proven very poor at spreading throughout mainland Spain. The significant economic impact of the disease has led authorities to adopt control and eradication measures, which have evolved as new diagnostic tools and vaccines have become available. This review describes BTV infection in Spain, and it focuses on the clinical disease produced by each serotype, the Culicoides species which were present at what time, the origin of the virus and the control measures adopted. In the field, it has proven necessary to vaccinate livestock against each new BTV serotype as it arrived. Therefore, future eradication strategies should focus on developing polyvalent vaccines and vaccines that allow the differentiation of infected and vaccinated animals. As of 1 January 2013, the Iberian Peninsula is considered a restricted area for BTV1, and a small zone in southern Spain is a restricted area for BTV4, which includes the little BTV8 restricted area. Serotypes BTV1 and BTV4 were detected in sentinel animals in January and November and in March 2012, respectively. The last BTV8 positive animal was detected in November 2010, which implies that in the coming months, Spain may be declared free of BTV8. © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Harvestmen of the BOS Arthropod Collection of the University of Oviedo (Spain) (Arachnida, Opiliones).

PubMed

Merino-Sáinz, Izaskun; Anadón, Araceli; Torralba-Burrial, Antonio

2013-01-01

There are significant gaps in accessible knowledge about the distribution and phenology of Iberian harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones). Harvestmen accessible datasets in Iberian Peninsula are unknown, an only two other datasets available in GBIF are composed exclusively of harvestmen records. Moreover, only a few harvestmen data from Iberian Peninsula are available in GBIF network (or in any network that allows public retrieval or use these data). This paper describes the data associated with the Opiliones kept in the BOS Arthropod Collection of the University of Oviedo, Spain (hosted in the Department of Biología de Organismos y Sistemas), filling some of those gaps. The specimens were mainly collected from the northern third of the Iberian Peninsula. The earliest specimen deposited in the collection, dating back to the early 20(th) century, belongs to the P. Franganillo Collection. The dataset documents the collection of 16,455 specimens, preserved in 3,772 vials. Approximately 38% of the specimens belong to the family Sclerosomatidae, and 26% to Phalangidae; six other families with fewer specimens are also included. Data quality control was incorporated at several steps of digitisation process to facilitate reuse and improve accuracy. The complete dataset is also provided in Darwin Core Archive format, allowing public retrieval, use and combination with other biological, biodiversity of geographical variables datasets.

Harvestmen of the BOS Arthropod Collection of the University of Oviedo (Spain) (Arachnida, Opiliones)

PubMed Central

Merino-Sáinz, Izaskun; Anadón, Araceli; Torralba-Burrial, Antonio

2013-01-01

Abstract There are significant gaps in accessible knowledge about the distribution and phenology of Iberian harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones). Harvestmen accessible datasets in Iberian Peninsula are unknown, an only two other datasets available in GBIF are composed exclusively of harvestmen records. Moreover, only a few harvestmen data from Iberian Peninsula are available in GBIF network (or in any network that allows public retrieval or use these data). This paper describes the data associated with the Opiliones kept in the BOS Arthropod Collection of the University of Oviedo, Spain (hosted in the Department of Biología de Organismos y Sistemas), filling some of those gaps. The specimens were mainly collected from the northern third of the Iberian Peninsula. The earliest specimen deposited in the collection, dating back to the early 20th century, belongs to the P. Franganillo Collection. The dataset documents the collection of 16,455 specimens, preserved in 3,772 vials. Approximately 38% of the specimens belong to the family Sclerosomatidae, and 26% to Phalangidae; six other families with fewer specimens are also included. Data quality control was incorporated at several steps of digitisation process to facilitate reuse and improve accuracy. The complete dataset is also provided in Darwin Core Archive format, allowing public retrieval, use and combination with other biological, biodiversity of geographical variables datasets. PMID:24146596

Non-stationary influence of El Niño-Southern Oscillation and winter temperature on oak latewood growth in NW Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Rozas, Vicente; García-González, Ignacio

2012-09-01

The properties of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), such as period, amplitude, and teleconnection strength to extratropical regions, have changed since the mid-1970s. ENSO affects the regional climatic regime in SW Europe, thus tree performance in the Iberian Peninsula could be affected by recent ENSO dynamics. We established four Quercus robur chronologies of earlywood and latewood widths in the NW Iberian Peninsula. The relationship between tree growth and the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), the atmospheric expression of ENSO, showed that only latewood growth was correlated negatively with the SOI of the previous summer-autumn-winter. This relationship was non-stationary, with significant correlations only during the period 1952-1980; and also non-linear, with enhanced latewood growth only in La Niña years, i.e. years with a negative SOI index for the previous autumn. Non-linear relationship between latewood and SOI indicates an asymmetric influence of ENSO on tree performance, biassed towards negative SOI phases. During La Niña years, climate in the study area was warmer and wetter than during positive years, but only for 1952-1980. Winter temperatures became the most limiting factor for latewood growth since 1980, when mean regional temperatures increased by 1°C in comparison to previous periods. As a result, higher winter respiration rates, and the extension of the growing season, would probably cause an additional consumption of stored carbohydrates. The influence of ENSO and winter temperatures proved to be of great importance for tree growth, even at lower altitudes and under mild Atlantic climate in the NW Iberian Peninsula.

Gastrointestinal nematode infections in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) from the NW of the Iberian Peninsula: assessment of some risk factors.

PubMed

Pato, F J; Vázquez, L; Díez-Baños, N; López, C; Sánchez-Andrade, R; Fernández, G; Díez-Baños, P; Panadero, R; Díaz, P; Morrondo, P

2013-09-01

Intestinal contents of 218 roe deer hunted in the northwest (NW) of the Iberian Peninsula during the 2008-2009 hunting seasons were examined in order to provide information on the gastrointestinal (GI) nematode prevalence and intensity of infection and the possible influence of some environmental and intrinsic factors such as climatic conditions, age and sex. All the animals studied harboured GI nematodes, and a total of 20 different species belonging to ten genera were identified. Spiculopteragia spiculoptera/Spiculopteragia mathevossiani, Ostertagia leptospicularis/Ostertagia kolchida and Nematodirus filicollis were the most common. This is the first citation for Chabertia ovina, Cooperia pectinata, Cooperia punctata, Cooperia oncophora, Haemonchus contortus, Nematodirus spathiger, Oesophagostomum venulosum, Teladorsagia trifurcata, Trichostrongylus capricola, Trichostrongylus colubriformis, Trichostrongylus vitrinus and Trichuris capreoli in roe deer from the Iberian Peninsula. Prevalence and intensity were significantly higher in the abomasum, where infections with more than one GI nematode species were the most common; in the other intestinal segments infections with only one GI nematode species were the most prevalent. When considering the influence of the different risk factors on the prevalence of GI nematodes, the highest prevalence for most of the genera were observed in roe deer from coastal areas, where climatic conditions are more favourable for the development and survival of third stage larvae in the environment. Regarding the sex of the animals, the prevalence was, in general, higher in males than in females, probably due to behavioural and physiological sex-related differences. On the contrary, no differences were found in relation to the age of the animals. This study reveals that roe deer from the NW of the Iberian Peninsula are widely and intensely infected with gastrointestinal nematodes, which probably affect the health status of these

Throughfall and bulk deposition of dissolved organic nitrogen to holm oak forests in the Iberian Peninsula: Flux estimation and identification of potential sources.

PubMed

Izquieta-Rojano, S; García-Gomez, H; Aguillaume, L; Santamaría, J M; Tang, Y S; Santamaría, C; Valiño, F; Lasheras, E; Alonso, R; Àvila, A; Cape, J N; Elustondo, D

2016-03-01

Deposition of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) in both bulk precipitation (BD) and canopy throughfall (TF) has been measured for the first time in the western Mediterranean. The study was carried out over a year from 2012 to 2013 at four evergreen holm oak forests located in the Iberian Peninsula: two sites in the Province of Barcelona (Northeastern Spain), one in the Province of Madrid (central Spain) and the fourth in the Province of Navarra (Northern Spain). In BD the annual volume weighted mean (VWM) concentration of DON ranged from 0.25 mg l(-1) in Madrid to 1.14 mg l(-1) in Navarra, whereas in TF it ranged from 0.93 mg l(-1) in Barcelona to 1.98 mg l(-1) in Madrid. The contribution of DON to total nitrogen deposition varied from 34% to 56% in BD in Barcelona and Navarra respectively, and from 38% in Barcelona to 72% in Madrid in TF. Agricultural activities and pollutants generated in metropolitan areas were identified as potential anthropogenic sources of DON at the study sites. Moreover, canopy uptake of DON in Navarra was found in spring and autumn, showing that organic nitrogen may be a supplementary nutrient for Mediterranean forests, assuming that a portion of the nitrogen taken up is assimilated during biologically active periods. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two new species of Tardigrada (Eutardigrada: Ramazzottiidae, Macrobiotidae) from the supralittoral zone of the Atlantic Iberian Peninsula rocky shores.

PubMed

Fontoura, Paulo; Rubal, Marcos; Veiga, Puri

2017-05-10

Two new species of Eutardigrada were found in supralittoral lichens, growing on rocky shores at two localities of the Western Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Ramazzottius littoreus sp. nov., found in San Cibrao (North of Spain), has the dorsal cuticle sculptured with small tubercles and claws with accessory points similar to R. oberhaeuseri. It can be distinguished from all the other known Ramazzottius species with the same type of cuticular sculpture by the dotted egg shell and the peculiar reticulation visible at the bulbous base of egg processes. Macrobiotus halophilus sp. nov., found in Cascais (Centre of Portugal), belongs to the Macrobiotus hufelandi group. The slightly wrinkled egg shell and egg processes in the shape of inverted chalice with dentate distal disc, identifies it as a member of the Macrobiotus persimilis subgroup. The new dioecious species differs from the six other species of the M. persimilis subgroup by a unique combination of some characters (small and very sparse circular cuticular pores, granulation on legs I-III and dentate lunules on legs IV), by measurements of some structures (claws and buccal apparatus), and by the number, dimension and shape of egg processes.

Evolution of extreme temperature events in short term climate projection for Iberian Peninsula.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, Alfredo; Tarquis, Ana M.; Sanchez, Enrique; Dosio, Alessandro; Ruiz-Ramos, Margarita

2014-05-01

Extreme events of maximum and minimum temperatures are a main hazard for agricultural production in Iberian Peninsula. For this purpose, in this study we analyze projections of their evolution that could be valid for the next decade, represented in this study by the 30-year period 2004-2034 (target period). For this purpose two kinds of data were used in this study: 1) observations from the station network of AEMET (Spanish National Meteorological Agency) for five Spanish locations, and 2) simulated data at a resolution of 50 ×50 km horizontal grid derived from the outputs of twelve Regional Climate Models (RCMs) taken from project ENSEMBLES (van der Linden and Mitchell, 2009), with a bias correction (Dosio and Paruolo, 2011; Dosio et al., 2012) regarding the observational dataset Spain02 (Herrera et al., 2012). To validate the simulated climate, the available period of observations was compared to a baseline period (1964-1994) of simulated climate for all locations. Then, to analyze the changes for the present/very next future, probability of extreme temperature events for 2004-2034 were compared to that of the baseline period. Although only minor changes are expected, small variations in variability may have a significant impact in crop performance. The objective of the work is to evaluate the utility of these short term projections for potential users, as for instance insurance companies. References Dosio A. and Paruolo P., 2011. Bias correction of the ENSEMBLES high-resolution climate change projections for use by impact models: Evaluation on the present climate. Journal of Geophysical Research, VOL. 116,D16106, doi:10.1029/2011JD015934 Dosio A., Paruolo P. and Rojas R., 2012. Bias correction of the ENSEMBLES high resolution climate change projections for use by impact models: Analysis of the climate change signal. Journal of Geophysical Research,Volume 117, D17, doi: 0.1029/2012JD017968 Herrera et. al. (2012) Development and Analysis of a 50 year high

Southern dispersal and Palaeoecological implications of woolly rhinoceros ( Coelodonta antiquitatis): review of the Iberian occurrences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Álvarez-Lao, Diego J.; García, Nuria

2011-07-01

Cold-adapted large mammal populations spread southward during the coldest and driest phases of the Late Pleistocene reaching the Iberian Peninsula. Presence of woolly rhinoceros ( Coelodonta antiquitatis) can be identified from 23 Iberian sites, which is compiled and analyzed herein, and the fossil specimens from seven of these sites are described here for first time. Morphological and biometrical analyses demonstrate that the Iberian woolly rhinoceros did not significantly differ from individuals of other European populations, but represent the westernmost part of a continuous Eurasian belt of distribution. The first presence of woolly rhino in the Iberian Peninsula has been identified during the late Middle Pleistocene and early Late Pleistocene. However, the highest abundance of this species is recorded during MIS 3 and 2. The latest Iberian occurrences can be dated around 20 ka BP. The presence of woolly rhinoceros in the Iberian Peninsula correlates with periods of extreme dry and cold climatic conditions documented in Iberian terrestrial and marine sediment sequences. From a palaeobiogeographic point of view, the maximum southern spread of C. antiquitatis on the Iberian Peninsula was registered during the late Middle Pleistocene or early Late Pleistocene, reaching the latitude of Madrid (about 40°N). Subsequently, during MIS 3 and 2, all Iberian finds were restricted to the Northern regions of Iberia (Cantabrian area and Catalonia). The southern expansion of C. antiquitatis during the Late Pleistocene in the Iberian Peninsula reached similar latitudes to other Eurasian regions. The ecological composition of fossil assemblages with presence of woolly rhinoceros was statistically analyzed. Results show that temperate ungulate species are predominant at Iberian assemblages, resulting in a particular mixture of temperate and cold elements different of the typical Eurasian cold-adapted faunal associations. This particular situation suggests two possible

Linking seasonal climate forecasts with crop models in Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capa, Mirian; Ines, Amor; Baethgen, Walter; Rodriguez-Fonseca, Belen; Han, Eunjin; Ruiz-Ramos, Margarita

2015-04-01

Translating seasonal climate forecasts into agricultural production forecasts could help to establish early warning systems and to design crop management adaptation strategies that take advantage of favorable conditions or reduce the effect of adverse conditions. In this study, we use seasonal rainfall forecasts and crop models to improve predictability of wheat yield in the Iberian Peninsula (IP). Additionally, we estimate economic margins and production risks associated with extreme scenarios of seasonal rainfall forecast. This study evaluates two methods for disaggregating seasonal climate forecasts into daily weather data: 1) a stochastic weather generator (CondWG), and 2) a forecast tercile resampler (FResampler). Both methods were used to generate 100 (with FResampler) and 110 (with CondWG) weather series/sequences for three scenarios of seasonal rainfall forecasts. Simulated wheat yield is computed with the crop model CERES-wheat (Ritchie and Otter, 1985), which is included in Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT v.4.5, Hoogenboom et al., 2010). Simulations were run at two locations in northeastern Spain where the crop model was calibrated and validated with independent field data. Once simulated yields were obtained, an assessment of farmer's gross margin for different seasonal climate forecasts was accomplished to estimate production risks under different climate scenarios. This methodology allows farmers to assess the benefits and risks of a seasonal weather forecast in IP prior to the crop growing season. The results of this study may have important implications on both, public (agricultural planning) and private (decision support to farmers, insurance companies) sectors. Acknowledgements Research by M. Capa-Morocho has been partly supported by a PICATA predoctoral fellowship of the Moncloa Campus of International Excellence (UCM-UPM) and MULCLIVAR project (CGL2012-38923-C02-02) References Hoogenboom, G. et al., 2010. The Decision

Geomorphic status of regulated rivers in the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Lobera, G; Besné, P; Vericat, D; López-Tarazón, J A; Tena, A; Aristi, I; Díez, J R; Ibisate, A; Larrañaga, A; Elosegi, A; Batalla, R J

2015-03-01

River regulation by dams modifies flow regimes, interrupts the transfer of sediment through channel networks, and alters downstream bed dynamics, altogether affecting channel form and processes. So far, most studies on the geomorphic impacts of dams are restricted to single rivers, or even single river stretches. In this paper we analyse the geomorphic status of 74 river sites distributed across four large basins in the Iberian Peninsula (i.e. 47 sites located downstream of dams). For this purpose, we combine field data with hydrological data available from water agencies, and analyse historical (1970) and current aerial photographs. In particular, we have developed a Geomorphic Status (GS) index that allows us to assess the physical structure of a given channel reach and its change through time. The GS encompasses a determination of changes in sedimentary units, sediment availability, bar stability and channel flow capacity. Sites are statistically grouped in four clusters based on contrasted physical and climate characteristics. Results emphasise that regulation changes river's flow regime with a generalized reduction of the magnitude and frequency of floods (thus flow competence). This, in addition to the decrease downstream sediment supply, results in the loss of active bars as they are encroached by vegetation, to the point that only reaches with little or no regulation maintain exposed sedimentary deposits. The GS of regulated river reaches is negatively correlated with magnitude of the impoundment (regulation). Heavily impacted reaches present channel stabilization and, in contrast to the hydrological response, the distance and number of tributaries do not reverse the geomorphic impact of the dams. Stabilization limits river dynamics and may contribute to the environmental degradation of the fluvial ecosystem. Overall, results describe the degree of geomorphological alteration experienced by representative Iberian rivers mostly because of regulation

The ichthyoplankton assemblage and the environmental variables off the NW and N Iberian Peninsula coasts, in early spring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, J. M.; Gonzalez-Nuevo, G.; Gonzalez-Pola, C.; Cabal, J.

2009-05-01

Ichthyoplankton and mesozooplankton were sampled and fluorescence and physical environmental variables were measured off the NW and N Iberian Peninsula coasts, during April 2005. A total of 51 species of fish larvae, belonging to 26 families, were recorded. Sardina pilchardus, with 43.8% and 58.7% of the total fish egg and larval catches, respectively, dominated the ichthyoplankton assemblage. The study area was divided by a cross-shelf frontal structure into two hydrographic regions that coincided with the Atlantic and Cantabrian geographic regions. Ichthyoplankton abundance was higher in the Cantabrian region while larval diversity was higher in the Atlantic region. This was the main alongshore variability in the structure of the larval fish assemblage. Nevertheless, the stronger variability, related with the presence of a shelf-slope front, was found in the central-eastern Cantabrian region where two major larval fish assemblages, an "outer" and a "coastal", were distinguished. The Atlantic region, where the shelf-slope front was not found, was inhabited by a single larval fish assemblage. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that, off the NW and N Iberian Peninsula coasts, the horizontal distribution of larval fish species in early spring may be explained by a limited number of environmental variables. Of these, the most important were the physical variables depth and sea surface temperature.

Temporal modelling and forecasting of the airborne pollen of Cupressaceae on the southwestern Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Silva-Palacios, Inmaculada; Fernández-Rodríguez, Santiago; Durán-Barroso, Pablo; Tormo-Molina, Rafael; Maya-Manzano, José María; Gonzalo-Garijo, Ángela

2016-02-01

Cupressaceae includes species cultivated as ornamentals in the urban environment. This study aims to investigate airborne pollen data for Cupressaceae on the southwestern Iberian Peninsula over a 21-year period and to analyse the trends in these data and their relationship with meteorological parameters using time series analysis. Aerobiological sampling was conducted from 1993 to 2013 in Badajoz (SW Spain). The main pollen season for Cupressaceae lasted, on average, 58 days, ranging from 55 to 112 days, from 24 January to 22 March. Furthermore, a short-term forecasting model has been developed for daily pollen concentrations. The model proposed to forecast the airborne pollen concentration is described by one equation. This expression is composed of two terms: the first term represents the pollen concentration trend in the air according to the average concentration of the previous 10 days; the second term is obtained from considering the actual pollen concentration value, which is calculated based on the most representative meteorological parameters multiplied by a fitting coefficient. Temperature was the main meteorological factor by its influence over daily pollen forecast, being the rain the second most important factor. This model represents a good approach to a continuous balance model of Cupressaceae pollen concentration and is supported by a close agreement between the observed and predicted mean concentrations. The novelty of the proposed model is the analysis of meteorological parameters that are not frequently used in Aerobiology.

Groundwater dependant vegetation identified by remote sensing in the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gouveia, Célia; Pascoa, Patrícia; Kurz-Besson, Cathy

2017-04-01

Groundwater Dependant Ecosystems (GDEs) are defined as ecosystems whose composition, structure, and function depend on the water supplies from groundwater aquifers. Within GDEs, phreatophytes are terrestrial plants relying on groundwater through deep rooting. They can be found worldwide but are mostly adapted to environments facing scarce water availability or recurrent drought periods mainly in semi-arid to arid climate geographical areas, such as the Mediterranean basin. We present a map of the potential distribution of GDEs over the Iberian Peninsula (IP) obtained by remote sensing and identifying hotspots corresponding to the most vulnerable areas for rainfed vegetation facing the risk of desertification. The characterization of GDEs was assessed by remote sensing (RS), using CORINE land-cover information and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from VEGETATION recorded between 1998 and 2014 with a resolution of 1km. The methodology based on Gou et al (2015) relied on three approaches to map GDEs over the IP by: i) Detecting vegetation remaining green during the dry periods, since GDEs are more likely to show high NDVI values during summer of dry years; ii) Spotting vegetation with low seasonal changes since GDEs are more prone to have the lowest NDVI standard deviation along an entire year, and iii) Discriminating vegetation with low inter-annual variability since GDEs areas should provide the lowest NDVI changes between extreme wet and dry years. A geospatial analysis was performed to gather the potential area of GDEs (obtained with NDVI), vegetation land cover types (CORINE land cover) and climatic variables (temperature, precipitation and the Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index SPEI). This analysis allowed the identification of hotspots of the most vulnerable areas for rainfed vegetation regarding water scarcity over the Iberian Peninsula, where protection measures should be urgently applied to sustain rainfed ecosystem and agro

Assessment of chlorophyll variability along the northwestern coast of Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Picado, A.; Alvarez, I.; Vaz, N.; Varela, R.; Gomez-Gesteira, M.; Dias, J. M.

2014-10-01

The northwestern coast of the Iberian Peninsula is characterized by a high primary production mainly supported by coastal upwelling, creating an extraordinary commercial interest for fisheries and aquaculture. Considering chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) as an indicator of primary production, its spatio-temporal variability was researched in this study in the surface water of this upwelling region from 1998 to 2007. Satellite derived Chl-a, Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Ekman transport data as well as the inflow of the main rivers discharging into the study area were used to investigate the origin of the Chl-a concentration. Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis of weekly Chl-a images was performed, as well as correlation analysis between Chl-a concentration, Ekman transport and river discharge. EOF results suggest that the highest Chl-a concentration occurs near the coast up to 60 km offshore. The interannual variability of Chl-a, SST and Ekman transport was also studied considering summer and winter months. Generally, 2005, 2006 and 2007 were the most productive years during the summer months with high Chl-a concentrations along the coast associated to the strong upwelling conditions observed. Otherwise, 1998 seemed to be the most productive year during winter. The absence of upwelling favorable conditions together with localized low SST and considerable discharges, suggests that the high Chl-a concentrations observed during this period are mainly due to the entrance of nutrients through river runoff. However, in winter, high concentrations of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), associated with river runoff, are present in the ocean surface, leading to an erroneous strong signal of the satellite. During winter correlations of 0.58 and 0.49 were found between Chl-a concentration and Douro and Minho discharges, respectively, evidencing that high Chl-a concentration was related with river runoff. Otherwise, during summer, Chl-a and Ekman transport exhibited a

Marine research in the Iberian Peninsula: A pledge for better times after an economic crisis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borja, Angel; Marques, Joao-Carlos; Olabarria, Celia; Quintino, Victor

2013-10-01

The “17th Iberian Symposium of Marine Biology Studies” took place in San Sebastian (Spain), in September 2012. This contribution is an introduction to a special issue collating the most challenging papers submitted by Portuguese and Spanish scientists to the symposium. The text was structured as a novel, with the three main parts of a novel: (i) Setup: a historical context, from old times to the 1970's. This part presents the main Iberian scientific contribution to marine science, since the 15th Century, as a precedent to modern scientific research; (ii) Conflict: from the 1970's to the economic crisis. This part presents the evolution of Iberian research production, based upon a bibliometric study, from 1974 to 2012; and (iii) Resolution: what for the future?, which shows the main challenges, proposed by the authors, to the European research initiative 'Horizon 2020', including aspects such as the need of knowledge-base for marine management, the marine research as a potential source of jobs, the ecosystem-based approach, human activities and Marine Spatial Planning, moving from fisheries to aquaculture, or global change issues, among others.

The Genetic Legacy of Religious Diversity and Intolerance: Paternal Lineages of Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula

PubMed Central

Adams, Susan M.; Bosch, Elena; Balaresque, Patricia L.; Ballereau, Stéphane J.; Lee, Andrew C.; Arroyo, Eduardo; López-Parra, Ana M.; Aler, Mercedes; Grifo, Marina S. Gisbert; Brion, Maria; Carracedo, Angel; Lavinha, João; Martínez-Jarreta, Begoña; Quintana-Murci, Lluis; Picornell, Antònia; Ramon, Misericordia; Skorecki, Karl; Behar, Doron M.; Calafell, Francesc; Jobling, Mark A.

2008-01-01

Most studies of European genetic diversity have focused on large-scale variation and interpretations based on events in prehistory, but migrations and invasions in historical times could also have had profound effects on the genetic landscape. The Iberian Peninsula provides a suitable region for examination of the demographic impact of such recent events, because its complex recent history has involved the long-term residence of two very different populations with distinct geographical origins and their own particular cultural and religious characteristics—North African Muslims and Sephardic Jews. To address this issue, we analyzed Y chromosome haplotypes, which provide the necessary phylogeographic resolution, in 1140 males from the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands. Admixture analysis based on binary and Y-STR haplotypes indicates a high mean proportion of ancestry from North African (10.6%) and Sephardic Jewish (19.8%) sources. Despite alternative possible sources for lineages ascribed a Sephardic Jewish origin, these proportions attest to a high level of religious conversion (whether voluntary or enforced), driven by historical episodes of social and religious intolerance, that ultimately led to the integration of descendants. In agreement with the historical record, analysis of haplotype sharing and diversity within specific haplogroups suggests that the Sephardic Jewish component is the more ancient. The geographical distribution of North African ancestry in the peninsula does not reflect the initial colonization and subsequent withdrawal and is likely to result from later enforced population movement—more marked in some regions than in others—plus the effects of genetic drift. PMID:19061982

The MIS 5 palaeoenvironmental record in the SE Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula (Río Antas, Almería, Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres, T.; Ortiz, J. E.; Blázquez, A. M.; Ruiz Zapata, B.; Gil, M. J.; Martín, T.; Sánchez-Palencia, Y.

2015-08-01

Landwards of a MIS5 bar, a borehole core (SRA) was analyzed to establish the relationship between the lagoonal record and the raised beach deposits in the surroundings of the Antas river mouth and to reconstruct the Pleistocene palaeoenvironmental evolution of the southern Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula. 63 samples were recovered for amino acid racemization dating, 86 samples for sedimentological and paleontological determination, 37 samples for pollen identification and 54 for biomarker analysis. AAR revealed that the borehole record contains MIS11, MIS6 and MIS5 deposits, the latter extensively represented. During the end of MIS6 and MIS5, a sand barrier developed and created a shallow lagoon with alternating terrestrial inputs this process being common in other Mediterranean realms. Litho- and biofacies allowed the identification of distinct paleoenvironments through time, with the presence of a lagoonal environment alternating with alluvial fan progradation. Biomarkers indicated constant input from terrestrial plants, together with variable development of aquatic macrophytes. The palynological content allowed the reconstruction of the paleoclimatological conditions during MIS6 and 5, with evidence of seven scenarios characterized by alternating arid and relatively humid conditions.

New species of Dispio Hartman, 1951 and Streblospio Webster, 1879 (Polychaeta, Spionidae) from the coast of the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Delgado-Blas, VÍctor Hugo; DÍaz-dÍaz, Óscar; ViÉitez, JosÉ M

2018-04-18

Re-assessment of spionid specimens from Iberian Peninsula initially assigned to Dispio uncinata Hartman, 1951 and Streblospio benedicti Webster, 1879 led to the recognition of two new species from the spionid genera Dispio and Streblospio from coasts around the Iberian Peninsula. Dispio elegans sp. nov. is characterised by having an oblanceolate-shaped prostomium. In addition, the first two notopodial postchaetal lamellae are serrated with digitiform papillae, the anterior neuropodial lamellae are smooth; all branchiae are almost completely fused to the notopodial lamellae, but with the tips free; the notochaetae on chaetiger 1 are smooth, alimbate capillaries; the ventral chaetae located in the position of the sabre chaetae on chaetigers 1-2 are smooth, alimbate capillaries, but becoming granulated on chaetiger 3; and the middle and posterior chaetigers are granulated and reticulated. Streblospio padventralis sp. nov. is characterized by lacking dorsal papillae between the branchiae of chaetiger 1; the hooks have 4-5 pairs of small teeth; sabre chaetae are present from chaetiger 3; the pygidium has two ventral lappets; and brooding structures are present in the coelomic cavities. We suggest raising the status of Streblospio benedicti japonica Imajima, 1990 to full species level as S. japonica Imajima, 1990. A key for Streblospio species is provided.

Root iron uptake efficiency of Ulmus laevis and U. minor and their distribution in soils of the Iberian Peninsula

PubMed Central

Venturas, Martin; Fernández, Victoria; Nadal, Paloma; Guzmán, Paula; Lucena, Juan J.; Gil, Luis

2014-01-01

The calcifuge and calcicole character of wild plants has been related to nutrient availability shortages, including iron (Fe)-deficiency. Surprisingly, just a few studies examined the relation between root Fe uptake and plant distribution in different soil types. We assessed the root Fe acquisition efficiency of two Ulmus species with calcareous (Ulmus minor) and siliceous (U. laevis) soil distribution patterns in the Iberian Peninsula. Seedlings of both elm species were grown hydroponically with different Fe concentrations during 6 weeks. Plant physiological responses to Fe-limiting conditions were evaluated as were the ferric reductase activity and proton (H+) extrusion capacity of the roots. Iron deprived elm seedlings of both species were stunted and suffered severe Fe-chlorosis symptoms. After Fe re-supply leaf chlorophyll concentrations rose according to species-dependent patterns. While U. minor leaves and seedlings re-greened evenly, U. laevis did so along the nerves of new growing leaves. U. minor had a higher root ferric reductase activity and H+-extrusion capability than U. laevis and maintained a better nutrient balance when grown under Fe-limiting conditions. The two elm species were found to have different Fe acquisition efficiencies which may be related to their natural distribution in calcareous and siliceous soils of the Iberian Peninsula. PMID:24723927

Studies on seasonal arthropod succession on carrion in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Arnaldos, M I; Romera, E; Presa, J J; Luna, A; García, M D

2004-08-01

A global study of the sarcosaprophagous community that occurs in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula during all four seasons is made for the first time, and its diversity is described with reference to biological indices. A total of 18,179 adults and, additionally, a number of preimaginal states were collected. The results for the main arthropod groups, and their diversity are discussed in relation to the season and decompositional stages. The results provide an extensive inventory of carrion-associated arthropods. An association between decomposition stages and more representative arthropod groups is established. With respect to the biological indices applied, Margalef's index shows that the diversity of the community increases as the state of decomposition advances, while Sorenson's quantitative index shows that the greatest similarities are between spring and summer on the one hand, and fall and winter, on the other.

The "Prediflood" database of historical floods in Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula) AD 1035-2013, and its potential applications in flood analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barriendos, M.; Ruiz-Bellet, J. L.; Tuset, J.; Mazón, J.; Balasch, J. C.; Pino, D.; Ayala, J. L.

2014-07-01

"Prediflood" is a database of historical floods occurred in Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula), between 10th Century and 21th Century. More than 2700 flood cases are catalogued, and more than 1100 flood events. This database contains information acquired under modern historiographical criteria and it is, therefore, apt to be used in multidisciplinary flood analysis techniques, as meteorological or hydraullic reconstructions.

Building global and diffuse solar radiation series and assessing decadal trends in Girona (NE Iberian Peninsula)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calbó, Josep; González, Josep-Abel; Sanchez-Lorenzo, Arturo

2017-08-01

Measurement of solar radiation was initiated in Girona, northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, in the late 1980s. Initially, two pyranometers were installed, one of them equipped with a shadowband for measuring the diffuse component. Two other pyranometers currently exist, both ventilated and one of them shadowed, with a sphere, and a pyrheliometer for measuring direct radiation. Additional instruments for other shortwave and longwave components, clouds, and atmospheric aerosols have been installed in recent years. The station is subject to daily inspection, data are saved at high temporal resolution, and instruments are periodically calibrated, all in accordance with the directions of the Baseline Surface Radiation Network. The present paper describes how the entire series of global solar radiation (1987-2014) and diffuse radiation (1994-2014) were built, including the quality control process. Appropriate corrections to the diffuse component were made when a shadowband was employed to make measurements. Analysis of the series reveals that annual mean global irradiance presents a statistically significant increase of 2.5 W m-2 (1.4 %) decade-1 (1988-2014 period), mainly due to what occurs in summer (5.6 W m-2 decade-1). These results constitute the first assessment of solar radiation trends for the northeastern region of the Iberian Peninsula and are consistent with trends observed in the regional surroundings and also by satellite platforms, in agreement with the global brightening phenomenon. Diffuse radiation has decreased at -1.3 W m-2 (-2 %) decade-1 (1994-2014 period), which is a further indication of the reduced cloudiness and/or aerosol load causing the changes.

A comprehensive sensitivity analysis of the WRF model for air quality applications over the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borge, Rafael; Alexandrov, Vassil; José del Vas, Juan; Lumbreras, Julio; Rodríguez, Encarnacion

Meteorological inputs play a vital role on regional air quality modelling. An extensive sensitivity analysis of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was performed, in the framework of the Integrated Assessment Modelling System for the Iberian Peninsula (SIMCA) project. Up to 23 alternative model configurations, including Planetary Boundary Layer schemes, Microphysics, Land-surface models, Radiation schemes, Sea Surface Temperature and Four-Dimensional Data Assimilation were tested in a 3 km spatial resolution domain. Model results for the most significant meteorological variables, were assessed through a series of common statistics. The physics options identified to produce better results (Yonsei University Planetary Boundary Layer, WRF Single-Moment 6-class microphysics, Noah Land-surface model, Eta Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory longwave radiation and MM5 shortwave radiation schemes) along with other relevant user settings (time-varying Sea Surface Temperature and combined grid-observational nudging) where included in a "best case" configuration. This setup was tested and found to produce more accurate estimation of temperature, wind and humidity fields at surface level than any other configuration for the two episodes simulated. Planetary Boundary Layer height predictions showed a reasonable agreement with estimations derived from routine atmospheric soundings. Although some seasonal and geographical differences were observed, the model showed an acceptable behaviour overall. Despite being useful to define the most appropriate setup of the WRF model for air quality modelling over the Iberian Peninsula, this study provides a general overview of WRF sensitivity and can constitute a reference for future mesoscale meteorological modelling exercises.

Circulation patterns and wave climate along the coast of the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasilla Álvarez, D.; García Codrán, J. C.

2010-09-01

Evidences of an active erosion (beach retreat, falling cliffs, damaged infrastructures) are observed in many coastal areas around the Iberian Peninsula. Morphogenetic coastal processes result from individual episodes of storminess that can accelerate or mitigate the expected impacts of the global rising trend of average sea levels. Thus, a good understanding of the local forcing processes is required in order to assess the impacts of future sea levels. The spatial and temporal variability of the wave climate along the cost of the Iberian Peninsula and their relationships with regional scale circulation patterns and local-scale winds are the main objectives of this contribution. The oceanographic data set consists of observed hourly data from 7 buoys disseminated along the Spanish coastline, and hindcasted 3-hourly analogous parameters (SIMAR 44 database), provided by Puertos del Estado. Sea level pressure, surface 10m U and V wind components gridded data were obtained from NCEP Reanalysis, while storm tracks and cyclone statistics were extracted from the CDC Map Room Climate Products Storm Track Data (http://www.cdc.noaa.gov/map/clim/st_data.html). The influence of the local conditions was highlighted comparing meteorological data from the buoys and synop reports from coastal stations. To explore the regional atmospheric mechanisms responsible for the wave variability, a regional Eulerian approach (a synoptic typing) were combined with a larger-scale Lagrangian method, based on the analysis of storm-tracks over the area. The synoptic catalogue was obtained following a well-known procedure that combines Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for reduction purposes and clustering (Ward plus K-means) to define the circulation types. As expected, rougher wave climate are observed along the northern and western coast of the Iberian Peninsula, open to the Atlantic storms. The Mediterranean shorelines experiences calmer conditions, although the Gulf of Lions, Catalonian coast

Long-term patterns in Iberian hare population dynamics in a protected area (Doñana National Park) in the southwestern Iberian Peninsula: Effects of weather conditions and plant cover.

PubMed

Carro, Francisco; Soriguer, Ramón C

2017-01-01

The Iberian hare (Lepus granatensis) is a widely distributed endemic species in the Iberian Peninsula. To improve our knowledge of its population dynamics, the relative abundance and population trends of the Iberian hare were studied in the autumns of 1995-2012 in a protected area (Doñana National Park) by spotlighting in 2 different habitats: marshland and ecotones. The average relative abundance was 0.38 hare/km (SD = 0.63) in the marshland and 3.6 hares/km (SD = 4.09) in ecotones. The Iberian hare population exhibited local interannual fluctuations and a negative population trend during the study period (1995-2012). The results suggest that its populations are in decline. The flooding of parts of the marshland in June, July and October favor hare abundance in the ecotone. Hare abundance in the marshland increases as the flooded surface area increases in October. These effects are more pronounced if the rains are early (October) and partially flood the marsh. By contrast, when marsh grasses and graminoids are very high and thick (as measured using the aerial herbaceous biomass [biomass marshland] as a proxy), the abundance of hares decreases dramatically as does the area of the marsh that is flooded (in November). © 2016 International Society of Zoological Sciences, Institute of Zoology/Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

New insights into the genetic composition and phylogenetic relationship of wolves and dogs in the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Pires, Ana Elisabete; Amorim, Isabel R; Borges, Carla; Simões, Fernanda; Teixeira, Tatiana; Quaresma, Andreia; Petrucci-Fonseca, Francisco; Matos, José

2017-06-01

This study investigates the gene pool of Portuguese autochthonous dog breeds and their wild counterpart, the Iberian wolf subspecies ( Canis lupus signatus ), using standard molecular markers. A combination of paternal and maternal molecular markers was used to investigate the genetic composition, genetic differentiation and genetic relationship of native Portuguese dogs and the Iberian wolf. A total of 196 unrelated dogs, including breed and village dogs from Portugal, and other dogs from Spain and North Africa, and 56 Iberian wolves (wild and captive) were analyzed for nuclear markers, namely Y chromosome SNPs, Y chromosome STR loci, autosomal STR loci, and a mitochondrial fragment of the control region I. Our data reveal new variants for the molecular markers and confirm significant genetic differentiation between Iberian wolf and native domestic dogs from Portugal. Based on our sampling, no signs of recent introgression between the two subspecies were detected. Y chromosome data do not reveal genetic differentiation among the analyzed dog breeds, suggesting they share the same patrilineal origin. Moreover, the genetic distinctiveness of the Iberian wolf from other wolf populations is further confirmed with the description of new mtDNA variants for this endemism. Our research also discloses new molecular markers for wolf and dog subspecies assignment, which might become particularly relevant in the case of forensic or noninvasive genetic studies. The Iberian wolf represents a relic of the once widespread wolf population in Europe and our study reveals that it is a reservoir of unique genetic diversity of the grey wolf, Canis lupus . These results stress the need for conservation plans that will guarantee the sustainability of this threatened top predator in Iberia.

Upper-soil moisture inter-comparison from SMOS's products and land surface models over the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polcher, Jan; Barella-Ortiz, Anaïs; Aires, Filipe; Balsamo, Gianpaolo; Gelati, Emiliano; Rodríguez-Fernández, Nemesio

2015-04-01

Soil moisture is a key state variable of the hydrological cycle. It conditions runoff, infiltration and evaporation over continental surfaces, and is key for forecasting droughts and floods. It plays thus an important role in surface-atmosphere interactions. Surface Soil Moisture (SSM) can be measured by in situ measurements, by satellite observations or modelled using land surface models. As a complementary tool, data assimilation can be used to combine both modelling and satellite observations. The work presented here is an inter-comparison of retrieved and modelled SSM data, for the 2010 - 2012 period, over the Iberian Peninsula. The region has been chosen because its vegetation cover is not very dense and includes strong contrasts in the rainfall regimes and thus a diversity of behaviours for SSM. Furthermore this semi-arid region is strongly dependent on a good management of its water resources. Satellite observations correspond to the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) retrievals: the L2 product from an optimal interpolation retrieval, and 3 other products using Neural Network retrievals with different input information: SMOS time indexes, purely SMOS data, or addition of the European Advanced Scaterometer (ASCAT) backscattering, and the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) surface temperature information. The modelled soil moistures have been taken from the ORCHIDEE (ORganising Carbon and Hydrology In Dynamic EcosystEms) and the HTESSEL (Hydrology-Tiled ECMWF Scheme for Surface Exchanges over Land) land surface models. Both models are forced with the same atmospheric conditions (as part of the Earth2Observe FP7 project) over the period but they represent the surface soil moisture with very different degrees of complexity. ORCHIDEE has 5 levels in the top 5 centimetres of soil while in HTESSEL this variable is part of the top soil moisture level. The two types of SMOS retrievals are compared to the model outputs in their spatial and temporal

Agerinia marandati sp. nov., a new early Eocene primate from the Iberian Peninsula, sheds new light on the evolution of the genus Agerinia

PubMed Central

Minwer-Barakat, Raef; Marigó, Judit; Poyatos-Moré, Miquel; Moyà-Solà, Salvador

2017-01-01

Background The Eocene was the warmest epoch of the Cenozoic and recorded the appearance of several orders of modern mammals, including the first occurrence of Euprimates. During the Eocene, Euprimates were mainly represented by two groups, adapiforms and omomyiforms, which reached great abundance and diversity in the Northern Hemisphere. Despite this relative abundance, the record of early Eocene primates from the European continent is still scarce and poorly known, preventing the observation of clear morphological trends in the evolution of the group and the establishment of phylogenetic relationships among different lineages. However, knowledge about the early Eocene primates from the Iberian Peninsula has been recently increased through the description of new material of the genus Agerinia from several fossil sites from Northeastern Spain. Methods Here we present the first detailed study of the euprimate material from the locality of Masia de l’Hereuet (early Eocene, NE Spain). The described remains consist of one fragment of mandible and 15 isolated teeth. This work provides detailed descriptions, accurate measurements, high-resolution figures and thorough comparisons with other species of Agerinia as well with other Eurasian notharctids. Furthermore, the position of the different species of Agerinia has been tested with two phylogenetic analyses. Results The new material from Masia de l’Hereuet shows several traits that were previously unknown for the genus Agerinia, such as the morphology of the upper and lower fourth deciduous premolars and the P2, and the unfused mandible. Moreover, this material clearly differs from the other described species of Agerinia, A. roselli and A. smithorum, thus allowing the erection of the new species Agerinia marandati. The phylogenetic analyses place the three species of Agerinia in a single clade, in which A. smithorum is the most primitive species of this genus. Discussion The morphology of the upper molars reinforces

Agerinia marandati sp. nov., a new early Eocene primate from the Iberian Peninsula, sheds new light on the evolution of the genus Agerinia.

PubMed

Femenias-Gual, Joan; Minwer-Barakat, Raef; Marigó, Judit; Poyatos-Moré, Miquel; Moyà-Solà, Salvador

2017-01-01

The Eocene was the warmest epoch of the Cenozoic and recorded the appearance of several orders of modern mammals, including the first occurrence of Euprimates. During the Eocene, Euprimates were mainly represented by two groups, adapiforms and omomyiforms, which reached great abundance and diversity in the Northern Hemisphere. Despite this relative abundance, the record of early Eocene primates from the European continent is still scarce and poorly known, preventing the observation of clear morphological trends in the evolution of the group and the establishment of phylogenetic relationships among different lineages. However, knowledge about the early Eocene primates from the Iberian Peninsula has been recently increased through the description of new material of the genus Agerinia from several fossil sites from Northeastern Spain. Here we present the first detailed study of the euprimate material from the locality of Masia de l'Hereuet (early Eocene, NE Spain). The described remains consist of one fragment of mandible and 15 isolated teeth. This work provides detailed descriptions, accurate measurements, high-resolution figures and thorough comparisons with other species of Agerinia as well with other Eurasian notharctids. Furthermore, the position of the different species of Agerinia has been tested with two phylogenetic analyses. The new material from Masia de l'Hereuet shows several traits that were previously unknown for the genus Agerinia, such as the morphology of the upper and lower fourth deciduous premolars and the P 2 , and the unfused mandible. Moreover, this material clearly differs from the other described species of Agerinia , A. roselli and A. smithorum , thus allowing the erection of the new species Agerinia marandati . The phylogenetic analyses place the three species of Agerinia in a single clade, in which A. smithorum is the most primitive species of this genus. The morphology of the upper molars reinforces the distinction of Agerinia from

High resolution reconstruction of monthly precipitation of Iberian Peninsula using circulation weather types

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cortesi, N.; Trigo, R.; Gonzalez-Hidalgo, J. C.; Ramos, A. M.

2012-06-01

Precipitation over the Iberian Peninsula (IP) is highly variable and shows large spatial contrasts between wet mountainous regions, to the north, and dry regions in the inland plains and southern areas. In this work, a high-density monthly precipitation dataset for the IP was coupled with a set of 26 atmospheric circulation weather types (Trigo and DaCamara, 2000) to reconstruct Iberian monthly precipitation from October to May with a very high resolution of 3030 precipitation series (overall mean density one station each 200 km2). A stepwise linear regression model with forward selection was used to develop monthly reconstructed precipitation series calibrated and validated over 1948-2003 period. Validation was conducted by means of a leave-one-out cross-validation over the calibration period. The results show a good model performance for selected months, with a mean coefficient of variation (CV) around 0.6 for validation period, being particularly robust over the western and central sectors of IP, while the predicted values in the Mediterranean and northern coastal areas are less acute. We show for three long stations (Lisbon, Madrid and Valencia) the comparison between model and original data as an example to how these models can be used in order to obtain monthly precipitation fields since the 1850s over most of IP for this very high density network.

The "Prediflood" database of historical floods in Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula) AD 1035-2013, and its potential applications in flood analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barriendos, M.; Ruiz-Bellet, J. L.; Tuset, J.; Mazón, J.; Balasch, J. C.; Pino, D.; Ayala, J. L.

2014-12-01

"Prediflood" is a database of historical floods that occurred in Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula), between the 11th century and the 21st century. More than 2700 flood cases are catalogued, and more than 1100 flood events. This database contains information acquired under modern historiographical criteria and it is, therefore, suitable for use in multidisciplinary flood analysis techniques, such as meteorological or hydraulic reconstructions.

The rise and fall of the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) during Pleistocene glaciations: expansion and retreat with hybridization in the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Melo-Ferreira, J; Boursot, P; Randi, E; Kryukov, A; Suchentrunk, F; Ferrand, N; Alves, P C

2007-02-01

The climatic fluctuations during glaciations have affected differently arctic and temperate species. In the northern hemisphere, cooling periods induced the expansion of many arctic species to the south, while temperate species were forced to retract in southern refugia. Consequently, in some areas the alternation of these species set the conditions for competition and eventually hybridization. Hares in the Iberian Peninsula appear to illustrate this phenomenon. Populations of Iberian hare (Lepus granatensis), brown hare (Lepus europaeus) and broom hare (Lepus castroviejoi) in Northern Iberia harbour mitochondrial haplotypes from the mountain hare (Lepus timidus), a mainly boreal and arctic species presently absent from the peninsula. To understand the history of this past introgression we analysed sequence variation and geographical distribution of mitochondrial control region and cytochrome b haplotypes of L. timidus origin found in 378 specimens of these four species. Among 124 L. timidus from the Northern Palaearctic and the Alps we found substantial nucleotide diversity (2.3%) but little differentiation between populations. Based on the mismatch distribution of the L. timidus sequences, this could result from an expansion at a time of temperature decrease favourable to this arctic species. The nucleotide diversity of L. timidus mtDNA found in Iberian L. granatensis, L. europaeus and L. castroviejoi (183, 70 and 1 specimens, respectively) was of the same order as that in L. timidus over its range (1.9%), suggesting repeated introgression of multiple lineages. The structure of the coalescent of L. granatensis sequences indicates that hybridization with L. timidus was followed by expansion of the introgressed haplotypes, as expected during a replacement with competition, and occurred when temperatures started to rise, favouring the temperate species. Whether a similar scenario explains the introgression into Iberian L. europaeus remains unclear but it is possible

Palaeoenvironmental and coastal changes within the context of early Phoenician colonization in the southern Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

May, Simon Matthias; Marzoli, Dirce; Moret, Pierre; Brill, Dominik; León Martín, César; Brückner, Helmut

2016-04-01

During the last decade, new chronological data resulted in a re-evaluation of the timing of initial Phoenician colonization in the southern Iberian Peninsula. Against this background, follow-up archaeological studies aimed at improving our understanding of the early contact with the local indigenous population, trading patterns, and knowledge exchange during the time of the first Phoenician colonial settlements. Separated by a distance of only 40 km, and situated in the northwest and northeast of the Strait of Gibraltar (Andalusia, Spain) and thus in a strategically important - yet understudied - area, two of the most important Late Bronze/Early Iron Age settlements in the southwestern Iberian Peninsula, La Silla del Papa (Cádiz) and Los Castillejos de Alcorrín (Málaga), have been subject to archaeological investigations during the recent past. Previous geoscientific studies carried out in the lower Río Guadiaro valley and in the direct vicinity of the Phoenician settlement Montilla some 10 km southwest of Alcorrín during the mid-eighties lacked detail, particularly in terms of chronological resolution. Thus, ongoing geoarchaeological research embedded in a German-French DFG-funded interdisciplinary project ("Archeostraits") aims at (i) deciphering palaeoenvironmental and coastal changes in the surroundings of the two mentioned settlements throughout the mid- to late Holocene; (ii) constraining palaeoenvironmental conditions during early Phoenician colonization; and (iii) better understanding human-environment interactions during the Iron Age. This study presents first data collected within the framework of the "Archeostraits" project in the surroundings of both the Atlantic (La Silla del Papa) and Mediterranean (Los Castillejos de Alcorrín) areas of research during two field campaigns in 2015. Research permits were granted by the Consejería de Cultura, Junta de Andalucía. The preliminary interpretation of coring transects along the lower Río Guadiaro (M�

The role of drought on wheat yield interannual variability in the Iberian Peninsula from 1929 to 2012.

PubMed

Páscoa, P; Gouveia, C M; Russo, A; Trigo, R M

2017-03-01

The production of wheat in the Iberian Peninsula is strongly affected by climate conditions being particularly vulnerable to interannual changes in precipitation and long-term trends of both rainfall and evapotranspiration. Recent trends in precipitation and temperature point to an increase in dryness in this territory, thus highlighting the need to understand the dependence of wheat yield on climate conditions. The present work aims at studying the relation between wheat yields and drought events in the Iberian Peninsula, using a multiscalar drought index, the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI), at various timescales. The effects of the occurrence of dry episodes on wheat yields were analyzed, on regional spatial scale for two subperiods (1929-1985 and 1986-2012). The results show that in western areas, wheat yield is positively affected by dryer conditions, whereas the opposite happens in eastern areas. The winter months have a bigger influence in the west while the east is more dependent on the spring and summer months. Moreover, in the period of 1986-2012, the simultaneous occurrence of low-yield anomalies and dry events reaches values close to 100 % over many provinces. Results suggest that May and June have a strong control on wheat yield, namely, for longer timescales (9 to 12 months). A shift in the dependence of wheat yields on climatic droughts is evidenced by the increase in the area with positive correlation and the decrease in area with negative correlation between wheat yields and SPEI, probably due to the increase of dry events.

Spatial Distribution of Dorylaimid and Mononchid Nematodes from the Southeast Iberian Peninsula: Environmental Characterization of Chorotypes

PubMed Central

Liébanas, G.; Guerrero, P.; Martín-García, J.-M.; Peña-Santiago, R.

2004-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of 18 environmental variables in the spatial distribution of 30 chorotypes (species groups with significantly similar distribution patterns) of dorylaimid and mononchid nematodes by means of logistic regression in a natural area in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula. Six variables (elevation, color chroma, clay content, nitrogen content, CaCO₃, and plant community associated) were the most important environmental factors that helped explain the distribution of chorotypes. The distribution of most chorotypes was characterized by some (one to three) environmental variables; only two chorotypes were characterized by five or more variables, and four have not been characterized. PMID:19262795

Fire and bones: Bronze Age III in the North-Eastern Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Subirà, Maria Eulàlia; Ruiz, Jordi; Guardiola-Bufì, Marina

2011-06-01

Between the third millennium BP and the fifth century AD, there are numerous necropolises that house urns in the Iberian Peninsula. One example is the "Pi de la Lliura" (Vidreres, Girona). However, there is a dearth of research concerning these structures. The "Pi de la Lliura" housed 43 structures, which contained a total of 47 vessels with human remains. Of these 43 structures, 22 were totally or partially excavated at the laboratory. The evidence from the fragments indicates cremation at a temperature of 650-700 degrees C. Part of the cremated corpse was then deposited in an urn. One of the most unique characteristics of the necropolis is the high frequency of individuals younger than 20 years old. The mortality of sub-adults is high in any prehistoric necropolis, but it is even higher in a cremation necropolis. "Pi de la Lliura" is a very small necropolis, where corpses were treated similarly over a short period.

Trends of Rural Tropospheric Ozone at the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula

PubMed Central

Saavedra, S.; Rodríguez, A.; Souto, J. A.; Casares, J. J.; Bermúdez, J. L.; Soto, B.

2012-01-01

Tropospheric ozone levels around urban and suburban areas at Europe and North America had increased during 80's–90's, until the application of NOx reduction strategies. However, as it was expected, this ozone depletion was not proportional to the emissions reduction. On the other hand, rural ozone levels show different trends, with peaks reduction and average increments; this different evolution could be explained by either emission changes or climate variability in a region. In this work, trends of tropospheric ozone episodes at rural sites in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula were analyzed and compared to others observed in different regions of the Atlantic European coast. Special interest was focused on the air quality sites characterization, in order to guarantee their rural character in terms of air quality. Both episodic local meteorological and air quality measurements along five years were considered, in order to study possible meteorological influences in ozone levels, different to other European Atlantic regions. PMID:22649298

Trends of rural tropospheric ozone at the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Saavedra, S; Rodríguez, A; Souto, J A; Casares, J J; Bermúdez, J L; Soto, B

2012-01-01

Tropospheric ozone levels around urban and suburban areas at Europe and North America had increased during 80's-90's, until the application of NO(x) reduction strategies. However, as it was expected, this ozone depletion was not proportional to the emissions reduction. On the other hand, rural ozone levels show different trends, with peaks reduction and average increments; this different evolution could be explained by either emission changes or climate variability in a region. In this work, trends of tropospheric ozone episodes at rural sites in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula were analyzed and compared to others observed in different regions of the Atlantic European coast. Special interest was focused on the air quality sites characterization, in order to guarantee their rural character in terms of air quality. Both episodic local meteorological and air quality measurements along five years were considered, in order to study possible meteorological influences in ozone levels, different to other European Atlantic regions.

Study of Desert Dust Events over the Southwestern Iberian Peninsula in Year 2000: Two Case Studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cachorro, V. E.; Vergaz, R.; de Frutos, A. M.

2006-03-07

Strong desert dust events occurring in 2000 over the southwestern Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula are detected and evaluated by means of the TOMS Aerosol Index (A.I.) at three different sites, Funchal (Madeira Island, Portugal), Lisboa (Portugal), and El Arenosillo (Huelva, Spain). At the El Arenosillo station, measurements from an AERONET Cimel sunphotometer allow more retrieval of the spectral AOD and the derived alpha ''angstrom'' coefficient. After using different threshold values of these parameters, we conclude that it is difficult to establish reliable and robust criteria for an automatic estimation of the number of dust episodes and the totalmore » number of dusty days per year. As a result, additional information, such as airmass trajectories, were used to improve the estimation, from which reasonable results were obtained (although some manual editing was still needed). A detailed characterization of two selected desert dust episodes, a strong event in winter and another of less intensity in summer, was carried out using AOD derived from Brewer spectrometer measurements. Size distribution parameters and radiative properties, such as refractive index and the aerosol single scattering albedo derived from Cimel data, were analyzed in detail for one of these two case studies. Although specific to this dust episode, the retrieved range of values of these parameters clearly reflect the characteristics of desert aerosols. Back-trajectory analysis, synoptic weather maps and satellite images were also considered together, as supporting data to assess the aerosol desert characterization in this region of study.« less

An Iberian climatology of solar radiation obtained from WRF regional climate simulations for 1950-2010 period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perdigão, João; Salgado, Rui; Magarreiro, Clarisse; Soares, Pedro M. M.; Costa, Maria João; Dasari, Hari Prasad

2017-12-01

The mesoscale Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model is used over the Iberian Peninsula to generate 60 years (1950-2010) of climate data, at 5 km resolution, in order to evaluate and characterize the incident shortwave downward radiation at the surface (SW ↓), in present climate. The simulated values of SW ↓ in the period 2000-2009 were compared with data measured in Spanish and Portuguese meteorological stations before and a statistical BIAS correction was applied using data from Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES), on board four different satellites. The spatial and temporal comparison between WRF results and observations show a good agreement for the analyzed period, although the model overestimates observations. This overestimation has a mean normalized bias of about 7% after BIAS correction (or 17% for original WRF output). Additionally, the present simulation was confronted against another previously validated WRF simulation performed with different resolution and set of parametrizations, showing comparable results. WRF adequately reproduces the observational features of SW ↓ with correlation coefficients above 0.8 in annual and seasonal basis. 60 years of simulated SW ↓ over the Iberian Peninsula were produced, which showed annual mean values that range from 130 W/m2, in the northern regions, to a maximum of around 230 W/m2 in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula (IP). SW ↓ over IP shows a positive gradient from north to south and from west to east, with local effects influenced by topography and distance to the coast. The analysis of the simulated cloud fraction indicates that clear sky days are found in > 30% of the period at the southern area of IP, particularly in the Algarve (Portugal) and Andalusia (Spain), and this value increases significantly in the summer season for values above 80%.

Saharan dust contributions to PM10 and TSP levels in Southern and Eastern Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez, S.; Querol, X.; Alastuey, A.; Kallos, G.; Kakaliagou, O.

The analysis of PM10 and TSP levels recorded in rural areas from Southern and Eastern Spain (1996-1999) shows that most of the PM10 and TSP peak events are simultaneously recorded at monitoring stations up to 1000 km apart. The study of the atmospheric dynamics by back-trajectory analysis and simulations with the SKIRON Forecast System show that these high PM10 and TSP events occur when high-dust Saharan air masses are transported over the Iberian Peninsula. In the January-June period, this dust transport is mainly caused by cyclonic activity over the West or South of Portugal, whereas in the summer period this is induced by anticyclonic activity over the East or Southeast Iberian Peninsula. Most of the Saharan intrusions which exert a major influence on the particulate levels occur from May to September (63%) and in January and October. In rural areas in Northeast Spain, where the PM10 annual mean is around 18 μg PM10 m -3, the Saharan dust accounts for 4-7 annual daily exceedances of the forthcoming PM10-EU limit value (50 μg PM10 m -3 daily mean). Higher PM10 background levels are recorded in Southern Spain (30 μg PM10 m -3 as annual mean for rural areas) and very similar values are recorded in industrial and urban areas. In rural areas in Southern Spain, the Saharan dust events accounts for 10-23 annual daily exceedances of the PM10 limit value, a high number when compared with the forthcoming EU standard, which states that the limit value cannot be exceeded more than 7 days per year. The proportion of Sahara-induced exceedances with respect to the total annual exceedances is discussed for rural, urban and industrial sites in Southern Spain.

Evolutionary history of Lissotriton helveticus: multilocus assessment of ancestral vs. recent colonization of the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Recuero, Ernesto; García-París, Mario

2011-07-01

The Pleistocene was characterized by climatic changes that greatly altered the distribution of organisms. Population extinctions, bottlenecks, isolation, range expansions and contractions were often associated with glaciations, leaving signatures in the spatial patterns of genetic diversity across species. Lissotriton helveticus belongs to a Pan-European lineage of newts that were strongly affected by glaciations and represent an excellent model to analyse the effect of generalized climatic changes in phylogeographic patterns. We studied the genetic diversity of the species using data from two mitochondrial and three nuclear genes analyzed in a Bayesian phylogenetic framework to investigate the historical processes shaping spatial patterns of genetic diversity. Mitochondrial haplotypes cluster in four different groups present in the Iberian Peninsula and of Pleistocene origin, probably by allopatric fragmentation. Nuclear genes present no obvious geographic structure patterns, suggesting gene flow and generalized incomplete lineage sorting. Populations north of the Pyrenees are closely related to those from northeastern Iberia, suggesting recent range expansion from this region. Historical demographic analyses indicate a demographic expansion starting about 100,000years ago and more recent population declines. Compared to other Lissotriton species, L. helveticus includes only relatively young genetic lineages, suggesting a Central European pre-Pleistocene distribution followed by complete extirpation of the species during glaciations in that area. Historical demographic trends in the Iberian Peninsula are reversed with respect to the more Mediterranean species Lissotriton boscai, indicating different responses of both species to climate changes. Diversity patterns among Lissotriton species seem to be defined by four main factors: ancestral distributions, colonization capabilities, interactions with other species and effective population sizes. Differences in these

Comparison of measured brightness temperatures from SMOS with modelled ones from ORCHIDEE and H-TESSEL over the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barella-Ortiz, Anaïs; Polcher, Jan; de Rosnay, Patricia; Piles, Maria; Gelati, Emiliano

2017-01-01

L-band radiometry is considered to be one of the most suitable techniques to estimate surface soil moisture (SSM) by means of remote sensing. Brightness temperatures are key in this process, as they are the main input in the retrieval algorithm which yields SSM estimates. The work exposed compares brightness temperatures measured by the SMOS mission to two different sets of modelled ones, over the Iberian Peninsula from 2010 to 2012. The two modelled sets were estimated using a radiative transfer model and state variables from two land-surface models: (i) ORCHIDEE and (ii) H-TESSEL. The radiative transfer model used is the CMEM. Measured and modelled brightness temperatures show a good agreement in their temporal evolution, but their spatial structures are not consistent. An empirical orthogonal function analysis of the brightness temperature's error identifies a dominant structure over the south-west of the Iberian Peninsula which evolves during the year and is maximum in autumn and winter. Hypotheses concerning forcing-induced biases and assumptions made in the radiative transfer model are analysed to explain this inconsistency, but no candidate is found to be responsible for the weak spatial correlations at the moment. Further hypotheses are proposed and will be explored in a forthcoming paper. The analysis of spatial inconsistencies between modelled and measured TBs is important, as these can affect the estimation of geophysical variables and TB assimilation in operational models, as well as result in misleading validation studies.

Gordius gonzalezi, a new species of horsehair worms (Nematomorpha) from Spain.

PubMed

Schmidt-Rhaesa, Andreas; Martínez, Jesús

2016-04-11

A new species, Gordius gonzalezi, is described from the Iberian Peninsula, from the Sierra de los Tormantos in Central Spain. Characteristic for the species is the presence of multiple short spines on the cuticle, not present in this form in any other Gordius species. Additionally, two further specimens are reported, which could not be determined to species level. One male of the genus Gordius is close to G. aquaticus and one female with regular areoles could belong either to the genus Gordius or to Gordionus.

Ancient origin of endemic Iberian earth-boring dung beetles (Geotrupidae).

PubMed

Cunha, Regina L; Verdú, José R; Lobo, Jorge M; Zardoya, Rafael

2011-06-01

The earth-boring dung beetles belong to the family Geotrupidae that includes more than 350 species classified into three subfamilies Geotrupinae, Lethrinae, and Taurocerastinae, mainly distributed across temperate regions. Phylogenetic relationships within the family are based exclusively on morphology and remain controversial. In the Iberian Peninsula there are 33 species, 20 of them endemic, which suggests that these lineages might have experienced a radiation event. The evolution of morphological adaptations to the Iberian semi-arid environments such as the loss of wings (apterism) or the ability to exploit alternative food resources is thought to have promoted diversification. Here, we present a phylogenetic analysis of 31 species of Geotrupidae, 17 endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, and the remaining from southeastern Europe, Morocco, and Austral South America based on partial mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequence data. The reconstructed maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference phylogenies recovered Geotrupinae and Lethrinae as sister groups to the exclusion of Taurocerastinae. Monophyly of the analyzed geotrupid genera was supported but phylogenetic relationships among genera were poorly resolved. Ancestral character-state reconstruction of wing loss evolution, dating, and diversification tests altogether showed neither evidence of a burst of cladogenesis of the Iberian Peninsula group nor an association between apterism and higher diversification rates. Loss of flight did not accelerate speciation rates but it was likely responsible for the high levels of endemism of Iberian geotrupids by preventing their expansion to central Europe. These Iberian flightless beetle lineages are probably paleoendemics that have survived since the Tertiary in this refuge area during Plio-Pleistocene climatic fluctuations by evolving adaptations to arid and semi-arid environments. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A comparison of daily precipitation metrics downscaled using SDSM and WRF + WRFDA models over the Iberian Peninsula.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

José González-Rojí, Santos; Wilby, Robert L.; Sáenz, Jon; Ibarra-Berastegi, Gabriel

2017-04-01

Downscaling via the Statistical DownScaling Model (SDSM) version 5.2 and two different configurations of the dynamical WRF model (with and without 3DVAR data assimilation) was evaluated for the estimation of daily precipitation over 21 sites across the Iberian Peninsula during the period 2010-2014. Six different strategies were used to calibrate the SDSM model. These options cover (1) use of NCEP/NCAR R1 Reanalysis and (2) ERA Interim data for downscaling predictor variables calibrated with data from periods (3) 1948-2009 (NCEP/NCAR R1) and (4) 1979-2009 (NCEP/NCAR R1 and ERA Interim). Additionally, for the ERA Interim case, two different grid resolutions have been used, (5) 2.5° and (6) 0.75°. On the other side, for the NCEP/NCAR R1 case, only the 2.5° resolution has been used. Configuring the SDSM model in this way allows testing the sensitivity of the results to different origins of the predictors, fit to different calibration periods and use of different reanalysis resolutions. On the other hand, ERA Interim data at the highest resolution was used as the initial/boundary conditions to run WRF simulations with a 15 km x 15 km horizontal resolution over the Iberian Peninsula, for two different configurations. The first experiment (N) was run using the same configuration typically used for numerical downscaling, with information being fed through the boundaries of the domain. The second experiment (D) was run using 3DVAR data assimilation at 00UTC, 06UTC, 12UTC and 18UTC. In both cases, WRF simulations were run over the period 2009-2014, using the first year (2009) as spin-up for the soil model. Results from the WRF N and D runs and comparable SDSM set up for the period 2010-2014 were evaluated using observations from ECA and E-OBS datasets. In each case, model skill was assessed using seven daily precipitation metrics (absolute mean, wet-day intensity, 90th percentile, maximum 5-day total, maximum number of consecutive dry days, fraction of total from heavy

Extreme precipitation and floods in the Iberian Peninsula and its socio-economic impacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos, A. M.; Pereira, S.; Trigo, R. M.; Zêzere, J. L.

2017-12-01

Extreme precipitation events in the Iberian Peninsula can induce floods and landslides that have often major socio-economic impacts. The DISASTER database gathered the basic information on past floods and landslides that caused social consequences in Portugal for the period 1865-2015. This database was built under the assumption that social consequences of floods and landslides are sufficient relevant to be reported by newspapers, that provide the data source. Three extreme historical events were analysed in detail taking into account their associated wide socio-economic impacts. The December 1876 record precipitation and flood event leading to an all-time record flow in two large international rivers (Tagus and Guadiana). As a direct consequence, several Portuguese and Spanish towns and villages located in the banks of both rivers suffered serious flood damage on 7 December 1876. The 20-28 December 1909 event recorded the highest number of flood and landslide cases that occurred in Portugal in the period 1865-2015, having triggered the highest floods in 200 years at the Douro river's mouth and causing 89 fatalities in both Portugal and Spain northern regions. More recently the deadliest flash-flooding event affecting Portugal since, at least, the early 19th century, took place on the 25 and 26 November 1967 causing more than 500 fatalities in the Lisbon region. We provide a detailed analysis of each of these events, including their human impacts, precipitation analyses based on historical datasets and the associated atmospheric circulation conditions from reanalysis datasets. Acknowledgements: This work was supported by the project FORLAND - Hydrogeomorphologic risk in Portugal: driving forces and application for land use planning [PTDC / ATPGEO / 1660/2014] funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), Portugal. A. M. Ramos was also supported by a FCT postdoctoral grant (FCT/DFRH/ SFRH/BPD/84328/2012). The financial support for attending

Behavior, distribution and variability of surface ozone at an arid region in the south of Iberian Peninsula (Seville, Spain).

PubMed

Adame, José A; Lozano, Antonio; Bolívar, Juan P; De la Morena, Benito A; Contreras, Juan; Godoy, Francisca

2008-01-01

In order to improve our knowledge of the surface ozone in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, annual, monthly, weekly and daily ozone concentrations have been closely monitored in the Seville metropolitan area highlighting those episodes that exceed the European Ozone Directive. A three-year period (2003-2005) and eight ozone stations were used; five of them located in the city's busiest areas and the rest in adjacent zones ( approximately 25km). In addition, the wind regime was also studied in order to understand the main characteristics of the surface atmospheric dynamics. The lowest ozone concentrations 17-33microgm(-3) took place in January while the highest 57-95microgm(-3) occurred in June. The ozone concentration week-weekend differences from May to September indicate that this phenomenon does not affect the ozone stations analysed. Daily cycles show minimum values between 7:00 and 8:00 UTC and maximum at noon, exceeding 90microgm(-3) during summer months. From March to October the ozone concentrations were above the target value for the protection of human health, especially during the summer months, with values up to 30% over the limit. The information threshold has been exceeded at all ozone stations studied but with greater frequency in the stations far from the city centre. In addition, at these latter stations the alert threshold was also exceeded on six occasions. This study in the city of Seville indicates that the high ozone levels are due to local atmospheric effects, mainly since the ozone air masses may undergo recirculation processes. The ozone is transported to the city from the S-SW, having a major impact in the NE areas.

Changes in present and future circulation types frequency in northwest Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Lorenzo, María N; Ramos, Alexandre M; Taboada, Juan J; Gimeno, Luis

2011-01-21

The aim of the work described herein was to study projection scenarios in order to find changes in the synoptic variability of the northwest Iberian Peninsula in the 21st century. To this end, we investigated the changes in the frequency of the different circulation types computed for the study area using three different models used in the IPCC 4(th) assessment report. The circulation types were computed using the procedure known as Lamb circulation types. The control simulation for the late 20th century was evaluated objectively from the results obtained using data from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, as to evaluate the ability of the model to reproduce the present climate. We have compared not only seasonal mean sea level pressure fields but also the mean seasonal frequency of circulation types. The results for the end of the 21st century show a decrease in the frequency of cyclonic, W, and SW circulation types in the spring and summer months. This trend also appears in the autumn, with a concomitant increase in the anticyclonic types.

Changes in Present and Future Circulation Types Frequency in Northwest Iberian Peninsula

PubMed Central

Lorenzo, María N.; Ramos, Alexandre M.; Taboada, Juan J.; Gimeno, Luis

2011-01-01

The aim of the work described herein was to study projection scenarios in order to find changes in the synoptic variability of the northwest Iberian Peninsula in the 21st century. To this end, we investigated the changes in the frequency of the different circulation types computed for the study area using three different models used in the IPCC 4th assessment report. The circulation types were computed using the procedure known as Lamb circulation types. The control simulation for the late 20th century was evaluated objectively from the results obtained using data from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, as to evaluate the ability of the model to reproduce the present climate. We have compared not only seasonal mean sea level pressure fields but also the mean seasonal frequency of circulation types. The results for the end of the 21st century show a decrease in the frequency of cyclonic, W, and SW circulation types in the spring and summer months. This trend also appears in the autumn, with a concomitant increase in the anticyclonic types. PMID:21283703

Analysis of the convective timescale during the major floods in the NE Iberian Peninsula since 1871

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pino, David; Reynés, Artur; Mazon, Jordi; Carles Balasch, Josep; Lluis Ruiz-Bellet, Josep; Tuset, Jordi; Barriendos, Mariano; Castelltort, Xavier

2016-04-01

Floods are the most severe natural hazard in the western Mediterranean basin. They cause most of the damages and most of the victims. Some of the selected floods caused more than one hundred casualties each and a large quantity of damages in infrastructures. In a previous work (Balasch, et al., 2015), using the PREDIFLOOD database (Barriendos et al., 2014) we studied the atmospheric conditions that occurred during some of the most important floods occurred in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula in the last centuries: 1874, 1875, 1894, 1897, 1898, 1901, 1907, 1913, 1919, 1932, 1937, 1940, 1962, 1963, 1977, 1994, 1996, and 2000. We analyzed the atmospheric synoptic situations at the time of each flood from the data provided by NOAA 20th Century Reanalysis and we compared it to the rainfall spatial distributions obtained with the hydrological modeling. In this work we enlarge the previous investigation by analyzing the evolution of a convective index proposed by Done et al. (2006) and modified by Molini et al. (2011). This index, called convective time scale, is obtained from the evolution of CAPE and is used to separate equilibrium and non-equilibrium convection. In the former, CAPE generated by large-scale processes is balanced by the consumption due to convection. In the second case, CAPE is created by large-scale processes over a long time and is rapidly consumed during outbreaks of convection. Both situations produced a totally different evolution of CAPE with low and approximately constant values in the first case and large and variable values in the second. Additionally, from this index it can be estimated the rainfall rate. We use data provided by NOAA 20th Century Reanalysis, to calculate the convective time scale and to analyze its evolution and horizontal distribution. We study the correspondence between the convective timescale, the season when the flood occurred, duration of the rainfall, and the specific peak flow rate of the flood. Finally, for the

Preventing erosive risks after wildfire in Spain: advances and gaps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández Filgueira, Cristina; Vega Hidalgo, José A.; Fontúrbel Lliteras, Teresa

2017-04-01

Galicia (NW Spain) is one of the most wildfire-affected areas in Western Europe and where the highest soil losses following fire are recorded in the Iberian Peninsula. During the last decade, mitigation of hydrological and erosive risk has been an important objective for researchers and forest managers. For this reason, research carried out has focused on three main issues: i) the development of operational tools to prioritize post-fire soil stabilization actions, based on soil burn severity indicators and remote sensed information, and testing of their ability to reflect degradation risk in relevant soil properties and subsequent soil erosion, ii) the development and testing of different soil stabilization treatments and their effectiveness for reducing erosion, following their application at broad scale, under the specific environmental conditions of Galicia and iii) the assessment of the performance of current erosion models as well as the development of empirical models to predict post-fire soil losses. On the other hand, the use of forest resources is an essential component of the regional incomes in NW Spain and consequently there is a pressing necessity for investigation on techniques suitable for reconciling soil conservation and sustainable use of those resources. In the framework of wildfire impacts this involve many and complex challenges. This scenario contrast with most of the Iberian Peninsula under Mediterranean influence where salvage logging is not a priority. As in other regions, post-fire hydrologic and erosive risk modeling, including threatened resources vulnerability evaluation is also a capital research need, particularly in a climate change context where dramatic changes in drivers such as precipitation, evapotranspiration and fire regime are expected. The study was funded by the National Institute of Agricultural Research of Spain (INIA) through project RTA2014-00011-C06-02, cofunded by FEDER and the Plan de Mejora e Innovación Forestal de

Genetic evidence for multiple events of hybridization between wolves and domestic dogs in the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Godinho, Raquel; Llaneza, Luis; Blanco, Juan C; Lopes, Susana; Álvares, Francisco; García, Emilio J; Palacios, Vicente; Cortés, Yolanda; Talegón, Javier; Ferrand, Nuno

2011-12-01

Hybridization between wild species and their domestic counterparts may represent a major threat to natural populations. However, high genetic similarity between the hybridizing taxa makes the detection of hybrids a difficult task and may hinder attempts to assess the impact of hybridization in conservation biology. In this work, we used a combination of 42 autosomal microsatellites together with Y-chromosome microsatellite-defined haplotypes and mtDNA sequences to investigate the occurrence and dynamics of wolf-dog hybridization in the Iberian Peninsula. To do this, we applied a variety of Bayesian analyses and a parallel set of simulation studies to evaluate (i) the differences between Iberian wolves and dogs, (ii) the frequency and geographical distribution of hybridization and (iii) the directionality of hybridization. First, we show that Iberian wolves and dogs form two well-differentiated genetic entities, suggesting that introgressive hybridization is not a widespread phenomenon shaping both gene pools. Second, we found evidence for the existence of hybridization that is apparently restricted to more peripheral and recently expanded wolf populations. Third, we describe compelling evidence suggesting that the dynamics of hybridization in wolf populations is mediated by crosses between male dogs and female wolves. More importantly, the observation of a population showing the occurrence of a continuum of hybrid classes forming mixed packs may indicate that we have underestimated hybridization. If future studies confirm this pattern, then an intriguing avenue of research is to investigate how introgression from free-ranging domestic dogs is enabling wolf populations to adapt to the highly humanized habitats of southern Europe while still maintaining their genetic differentiation. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

47 annual records of allergenic fungi spore: predictive models from the NW Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Aira, M Jesus; Rodriguez-Rajo, F; Jato, Victoria

2008-01-01

An analysis was carried out of the atmospheric representivity of Cladosporium and Alternaria spores in the north-western Iberian Peninsula, registering mean annual concentrations in excess of 300,000 spores/m(3). During the main sporulation period, the highest average daily concentrations corresponded to Cladosporium herbarum type (1,197 spores/m(3)) while the highest daily value was 7,556 spores/m(3) (Cladosporium cladosporioides type). Alternaria only represents between 0.1-1% of the total spores identified. In these spore types, the intraday variation was more acute inland than along the coastline due to oceanic influence. In the predictive models proposed that use the meteorological parameters with which a higher correlation was obtained (mean and maximum temperature) as predictive variables, it was seen that the predicted values did not reveal any significant differences as compared to those observed in 2006, data that was only used for verification purposes.

Evidence for the persistence of the land planarian species Microplana terrestris (Müller, 1774) (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida) in microrefugia during the Last Glacial Maximum in the northern section of the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Álvarez-Presas, Marta; Mateos, Eduardo; Vila-Farré, Miquel; Sluys, Ronald; Riutort, Marta

2012-09-01

The land planarian species Microplana terrestris (Müller, 1774), shows a wide distribution in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, where mature humid forests can be found. Since most terrestrial planarians require the presence and good condition of wet forests to survive, a parallel evolution of the taxon and its habitat might be expected. Performing molecular analyses (mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I and nuclear ITS-1 genes) we estimated the demography and biogeographic history of the species in that region. Our results show the species to present levels of genetic diversity likely originating before the Pleistocene. However, it presents a genetic structure that presumably resulted from its survival in various refugees during the Pleistocene glacial cycles. The two main genetic groups, present on the Iberian Peninsula, seem to have different origins: the western one being of Iberian origin, while the eastern group may have been the result of a re-colonization from the north. In both cases, their biogeographical history mirrors their habitat range movements, reinforcing the phylogeographical hypothesis put forward for its preferred habitat, i.e. humid forests. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Iberian Peninsula corridor or cul-de-sac? Mammalian faunal change and possible routes of dispersal in the last 2 million years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Regan, Hannah J.

2008-11-01

The Iberian Peninsula is almost surrounded by the sea and is topographically and ecologically variable. These factors will have impacted on both the distribution and dispersal patterns of large mammals (including hominins) within Iberia, and are considered in detail in this paper. There are two routes of mammalian dispersal into Iberia: across the Pyrenees and across the Gibraltar Strait. With an increasing interest in the possible use of coastlines by early hominins the latter route has been the focus of much discussion. However, the arguments are limited by the relative lack of hominin remains and archaeology from the Early Pleistocene. This paper takes a wider perspective to hominin dispersals by examining what is known of the evolution and movements of other taxa in Iberia and how these may inform our understanding of the hominin fossil record. Beginning by briefly reviewing the present day and Pleistocene glacial and interglacial vegetation of Iberia, it then considers the large-mammal fauna. Particular attention is paid to the potential routes of movement for terrestrial animals in and out of the peninsula, and the evidence for each route is assessed. Iberia was a refuge for temperate species during the Quaternary glacial cycles and movements of Quaternary faunas are reviewed in the light of modern phylogeographic analyses and studies of fossil assemblages. Iberian faunas are highly variable, with some absences of otherwise widespread European animals, but cold-phase taxa such as reindeer and woolly rhinoceros did cross the Pyrenees. It seems that the large mountain ranges were less a barrier for the dispersal of these taxa than the line which today forms the limit of the summer drought. Iberia also provided the last refuge for extinct species such as the Neanderthals and endangered extant species such as the Iberian lynx.

Pharmacological properties of blister beetles (Coleoptera: Meloidae) promoted their integration into the cultural heritage of native rural Spain as inferred by vernacular names diversity, traditions, and mitochondrial DNA.

PubMed

Percino-Daniel, Nohemí; Buckley, David; García-París, Mario

2013-06-03

Beetles of the family Meloidae (blister beetles) are often reported in pharmacological literature because of their content of cantharidin. Cantharidin has a long history in human medicine and was commonly applied in the 19th and the early 20th centuries, although its use has been progressively abandoned since then. Contrary to most, even common, large species of Coleoptera, blister beetles of the genera Berberomeloe, Physomeloe and to a lesser extent Meloe, are usually recognized and often incorporated into local folk taxonomy by inhabitants of rural areas in Spain. To demonstrate the role that pharmacological properties of blister beetles must have played in their integration in the culture of early Iberian human societies, but also in the preservation of their identity until today, a rare case for Spanish insects. To achieve this purpose we document the diversity of vernacular names applied in rural areas of Spain, and we determine, using molecular data, the antiquity of the presence of two species of the better-known blister beetle in rural Spain, Berberomeloe majalis and Berberomeloe insignis. We try to document the extent of traditional knowledge of meloid beetles in rural areas by interviewing about 120 people from villages in central and southern Spain. We also use mitochondrial DNA sequences (Cytochrome Oxidase I and 16SrRNA) obtained from several populations of two species of the better known blister beetle in rural Spain, Berberomeloe majalis and Berberomeloe insignis, to determine whether these beetles were already present in the Iberian Peninsula when earlier ancient cultures were developing. Our results show that, based on mitochondrial DNA, blister beetles of the genus Berberomeloe were present in the Iberian Peninsula long before humans arrived, so ancient Iberian cultures were in contact with the same beetle species occurring now in rural areas. On the other hand, people interviewed in rural communities provided us with more than 28 different

Kinematics of an oblique deformation front using paleomagnetic data; the Altomira-Loranca structures (Iberian Chain, Central Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valcarcel, M.

2013-05-01

Manoel Valcárcel1, 5, Ruth Soto2, Elisabet Beamud3, Belén Oliva-Urcia4 and Josep Anton Muñoz5 1 IGME, Departamento de Investigación y Prospección Geocientífica. C/ La Calera, 1, 28760 Tres Cantos; m.valcarcel@igme.es 2 IGME, Unidad de Zaragoza, C/ Manuel Lasala 44, 9 B, 50006 Zaragoza, Spain 3 Lab. Paleomagnetisme (CCiT UB-CSIC). ICT "Jaume Almera", Solé i Sabarís, s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. 4 IPE-CSIC, Avda. Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain 5 Grup Geodinàmica i Anàlisi de Conques, Universitat de Barcelona, Zona Universitària Pedralbes, 08028 Barcelona, Spain The Altomira and Loranca structures consist of a fold-and-thrust system detached on Triassic evaporites. They are oriented N-S to NNE-SSW and NNW-SSE at its northern and southern end, respectively, forming a subtle arc, oblique with respect to the general NW-SE trend of the Iberian Chain. The aim of this work is to characterize with paleomagnetic data the kinematic evolution of the the Altomira Range, located at the southwestern deformation front of the Iberian Chain, and of the structures within its associated piggy-back basin, the Loranca basin. This approach will also give clues regarding the primary and/or secondary origin of these structures to better characterize them in further studies (3D reconstruction and restoration, fault pattern). A total of 180 samples were obtained from 19 sites in Eocene, Oligocene and Miocene rocks (including clays, fine sandstones and limestones). They were analyzed by means of stepwise thermal demagnetization and subsequent measurement of the natural remanent magnetization (NRM). Although fold tests are not statistically significant, a primary origin of the magnetization is deduced by samples showing either normal or reverse polarity after bedding correction of the calculated characteristic components. Declinations of the site mean directions appear scattered after bedding correction suggesting differential vertical-axis rotations. Sites located at the

Landscape and vegetation change on the Iberian Peninsula during the Roman Epoch - A reconstruction based on Geo-Bioarchives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Heike

2010-05-01

Archaeological investigations expect that first strong landscape changes on the Iberian Peninsula based on Roman Occupation (Schattner 1998, Teichner 2007). Actual sedimentological investigations in flood plains, lagoons and estuaries do not reflect this development. They often show a decrease in sedimentation during this period (Thorndycraft & Benito 2006 a/b). In contrast analyses on sediments from roman dams (Hinderer et al. 2004, Solanas 2005) document massive erosion processes. The aim of this presented project is to reconstruct the effects of the roman land use system on vegetation and landscape development. Therefore different Geo-Bioarchives on several sites of Portugal and Spain - estuaries, palaeoriver channels and roman dams - are actually investigated with a high temporal resolution using palynological and sedimentological methods. First results show, that the anthropogenic impact starts clearly before roman time with an peak in human activity during Iron Age (Schneider et al. 2008). During the roman occupation phase different effects are visible. The inland areas document a massive increase in vegetation change, while the coastal areas were stronger developed before and show only slightly and very local changes in land use and vegetation. References Hinderer, M., Silva C. & J. Ries (2004). Erosion in zentralen Ebrobecken und Sedimentakkumulation in Talsperren. GeoLeipzig 2004, Geowissenschaften sichern Zukunft. - Schriftenreihe der Dt. Geol. Gesell. 34. Schattner, T.G. (1998): Archäologischer Wegweiser durch Portugal.- Kulturgeschichte der antiken Welt 74. Mainz. Schneider, H., Höfer, D., Trog, C., Daut, G., Hilbich C. & R. Mäusbacher (2008): Geoarcheological reconstruction of lagoon development in the Algarve Region (South Portugal). Terra Nostra 2008/2, Abstract Volume 12th IPC: 248. Solanas, O.L.-P. (2005): El Aterramiento del embalse romano de Muel: Implicaciones para la evolución de la erosióy el uso de los recursos hidricos en el valle del

Evaluating the consistency of the 1982-1999 NDVI trends in the Iberian Peninsula across four time-series derived from the AVHRR sensor: LTDR, GIMMS, FASIR, and PAL-II.

PubMed

Alcaraz-Segura, Domingo; Liras, Elisa; Tabik, Siham; Paruelo, José; Cabello, Javier

2010-01-01

Successive efforts have processed the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensor archive to produce Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) datasets (i.e., PAL, FASIR, GIMMS, and LTDR) under different corrections and processing schemes. Since NDVI datasets are used to evaluate carbon gains, differences among them may affect nations' carbon budgets in meeting international targets (such as the Kyoto Protocol). This study addresses the consistency across AVHRR NDVI datasets in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) by evaluating whether their 1982-1999 NDVI trends show similar spatial patterns. Significant trends were calculated with the seasonal Mann-Kendall trend test and their spatial consistency with partial Mantel tests. Over 23% of the Peninsula (N, E, and central mountain ranges) showed positive and significant NDVI trends across the four datasets and an additional 18% across three datasets. In 20% of Iberia (SW quadrant), the four datasets exhibited an absence of significant trends and an additional 22% across three datasets. Significant NDVI decreases were scarce (croplands in the Guadalquivir and Segura basins, La Mancha plains, and Valencia). Spatial consistency of significant trends across at least three datasets was observed in 83% of the Peninsula, but it decreased to 47% when comparing across the four datasets. FASIR, PAL, and LTDR were the most spatially similar datasets, while GIMMS was the most different. The different performance of each AVHRR dataset to detect significant NDVI trends (e.g., LTDR detected greater significant trends (both positive and negative) and in 32% more pixels than GIMMS) has great implications to evaluate carbon budgets. The lack of spatial consistency across NDVI datasets derived from the same AVHRR sensor archive, makes it advisable to evaluate carbon gains trends using several satellite datasets and, whether possible, independent/additional data sources to contrast.

Genetic Footprints of Iberian Cattle in America 500 Years after the Arrival of Columbus

PubMed Central

Martínez, Amparo M.; Gama, Luis T.; Cañón, Javier; Ginja, Catarina; Delgado, Juan V.; Dunner, Susana; Landi, Vincenzo; Martín-Burriel, Inmaculada; Penedo, M. Cecilia T.; Rodellar, Clementina; Vega-Pla, Jose Luis; Acosta, Atzel; Álvarez, Luz A.; Camacho, Esperanza; Cortés, Oscar; Marques, Jose R.; Martínez, Roberto; Martínez, Ruben D.; Melucci, Lilia; Martínez-Velázquez, Guillermo; Muñoz, Jaime E.; Postiglioni, Alicia; Quiroz, Jorge; Sponenberg, Philip; Uffo, Odalys; Villalobos, Axel; Zambrano, Delsito; Zaragoza, Pilar

2012-01-01

Background American Creole cattle presumably descend from animals imported from the Iberian Peninsula during the period of colonization and settlement, through different migration routes, and may have also suffered the influence of cattle directly imported from Africa. The introduction of European cattle, which began in the 18th century, and later of Zebu from India, has threatened the survival of Creole populations, some of which have nearly disappeared or were admixed with exotic breeds. Assessment of the genetic status of Creole cattle is essential for the establishment of conservation programs of these historical resources. Methodology/Principal Findings We sampled 27 Creole populations, 39 Iberian, 9 European and 6 Zebu breeds. We used microsatellite markers to assess the origins of Creole cattle, and to investigate the influence of different breeds on their genetic make-up. The major ancestral contributions are from breeds of southern Spain and Portugal, in agreement with the historical ports of departure of ships sailing towards the Western Hemisphere. This Iberian contribution to Creoles may also include some African influence, given the influential role that African cattle have had in the development of Iberian breeds, but the possibility of a direct influence on Creoles of African cattle imported to America can not be discarded. In addition to the Iberian influence, the admixture with other European breeds was minor. The Creoles from tropical areas, especially those from the Caribbean, show clear signs of admixture with Zebu. Conclusions/Significance Nearly five centuries since cattle were first brought to the Americas, Creoles still show a strong and predominant signature of their Iberian ancestors. Creole breeds differ widely from each other, both in genetic structure and influences from other breeds. Efforts are needed to avoid their extinction or further genetic erosion, which would compromise centuries of selective adaptation to a wide range of

Late Quaternary developments of Mediterranean oaks in the Atlantic domain of the Iberian Peninsula: The case of the Cantabrian region (N Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uzquiano, P.; Ruiz-Zapata, MaB.; Gil-Garcia, MaJ.; Fernández, S.; Carrión, J. S.

2016-12-01

A synthesis of the occurrence of the evergreen oak (Quercus ilex-type) in the Cantabrian region (northern Spain) is presented on the basis of integrated charcoal and pollen analyses. Archaeological charcoal comes largely from sites along the littoral and pre-littoral territories of the Basque Country, Cantabria and Asturias dated from 45 to 3.7 Kyr cal BP, and culturally ranging from Mousterian to Iron Age. Pollen information is produced from a few archaeological sites but mainly from peats and lake sediments. Q. ilex-type is observed as early as at 45-30 Kyr cal BP, with sporadic occurrences in vegetation contexts dominated by Pinus sylvestris-type, which was widely exploited by Mousterian and Aurignacian inhabitants. Afterwards, during the Upper Palaeolithic, there is an important decline, and Q. ilex-type is hardly present between 29 and 15 Kyr cal BP, with open environments dominated by heathland shrubs. From Late Magdalenian onwards, Q. ilex-type expanded again, remaining in the landscape of the Cantabrian region throughout the Holocene, although subordinated in deciduous oak forests under the influence of oceanic climate conditions. Q. ilex-type had a more favourable position than deciduous Quercus across the Cantabrian southern slopes and northwest of the adjacent Iberian Cordillera, where oceanic influences have become attenuated by summer drought and continentality.

Evaluating the Consistency of the 1982–1999 NDVI Trends in the Iberian Peninsula across Four Time-series Derived from the AVHRR Sensor: LTDR, GIMMS, FASIR, and PAL-II

PubMed Central

Alcaraz-Segura, Domingo; Liras, Elisa; Tabik, Siham; Paruelo, José; Cabello, Javier

2010-01-01

Successive efforts have processed the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensor archive to produce Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) datasets (i.e., PAL, FASIR, GIMMS, and LTDR) under different corrections and processing schemes. Since NDVI datasets are used to evaluate carbon gains, differences among them may affect nations’ carbon budgets in meeting international targets (such as the Kyoto Protocol). This study addresses the consistency across AVHRR NDVI datasets in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) by evaluating whether their 1982–1999 NDVI trends show similar spatial patterns. Significant trends were calculated with the seasonal Mann-Kendall trend test and their spatial consistency with partial Mantel tests. Over 23% of the Peninsula (N, E, and central mountain ranges) showed positive and significant NDVI trends across the four datasets and an additional 18% across three datasets. In 20% of Iberia (SW quadrant), the four datasets exhibited an absence of significant trends and an additional 22% across three datasets. Significant NDVI decreases were scarce (croplands in the Guadalquivir and Segura basins, La Mancha plains, and Valencia). Spatial consistency of significant trends across at least three datasets was observed in 83% of the Peninsula, but it decreased to 47% when comparing across the four datasets. FASIR, PAL, and LTDR were the most spatially similar datasets, while GIMMS was the most different. The different performance of each AVHRR dataset to detect significant NDVI trends (e.g., LTDR detected greater significant trends (both positive and negative) and in 32% more pixels than GIMMS) has great implications to evaluate carbon budgets. The lack of spatial consistency across NDVI datasets derived from the same AVHRR sensor archive, makes it advisable to evaluate carbon gains trends using several satellite datasets and, whether possible, independent/additional data sources to contrast. PMID:22205868

Phylogeography and demographic history of Lacerta lepida in the Iberian Peninsula: multiple refugia, range expansions and secondary contact zones

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The Iberian Peninsula is recognized as an important refugial area for species survival and diversification during the climatic cycles of the Quaternary. Recent phylogeographic studies have revealed Iberia as a complex of multiple refugia. However, most of these studies have focused either on species with narrow distributions within the region or species groups that, although widely distributed, generally have a genetic structure that relates to pre-Quaternary cladogenetic events. In this study we undertake a detailed phylogeographic analysis of the lizard species, Lacerta lepida, whose distribution encompasses the entire Iberian Peninsula. We attempt to identify refugial areas, recolonization routes, zones of secondary contact and date demographic events within this species. Results Results support the existence of 6 evolutionary lineages (phylogroups) with a strong association between genetic variation and geography, suggesting a history of allopatric divergence in different refugia. Diversification within phylogroups is concordant with the onset of the Pleistocene climatic oscillations. The southern regions of several phylogroups show a high incidence of ancestral alleles in contrast with high incidence of recently derived alleles in northern regions. All phylogroups show signs of recent demographic and spatial expansions. We have further identified several zones of secondary contact, with divergent mitochondrial haplotypes occurring in narrow zones of sympatry. Conclusions The concordant patterns of spatial and demographic expansions detected within phylogroups, together with the high incidence of ancestral haplotypes in southern regions of several phylogroups, suggests a pattern of contraction of populations into southern refugia during adverse climatic conditions from which subsequent northern expansions occurred. This study supports the emergent pattern of multiple refugia within Iberia but adds to it by identifying a pattern of refugia coincident

Phylogeography and demographic history of Lacerta lepida in the Iberian Peninsula: multiple refugia, range expansions and secondary contact zones.

PubMed

Miraldo, Andreia; Hewitt, Godfrey M; Paulo, Octavio S; Emerson, Brent C

2011-06-17

The Iberian Peninsula is recognized as an important refugial area for species survival and diversification during the climatic cycles of the Quaternary. Recent phylogeographic studies have revealed Iberia as a complex of multiple refugia. However, most of these studies have focused either on species with narrow distributions within the region or species groups that, although widely distributed, generally have a genetic structure that relates to pre-Quaternary cladogenetic events. In this study we undertake a detailed phylogeographic analysis of the lizard species, Lacerta lepida, whose distribution encompasses the entire Iberian Peninsula. We attempt to identify refugial areas, recolonization routes, zones of secondary contact and date demographic events within this species. Results support the existence of 6 evolutionary lineages (phylogroups) with a strong association between genetic variation and geography, suggesting a history of allopatric divergence in different refugia. Diversification within phylogroups is concordant with the onset of the Pleistocene climatic oscillations. The southern regions of several phylogroups show a high incidence of ancestral alleles in contrast with high incidence of recently derived alleles in northern regions. All phylogroups show signs of recent demographic and spatial expansions. We have further identified several zones of secondary contact, with divergent mitochondrial haplotypes occurring in narrow zones of sympatry. The concordant patterns of spatial and demographic expansions detected within phylogroups, together with the high incidence of ancestral haplotypes in southern regions of several phylogroups, suggests a pattern of contraction of populations into southern refugia during adverse climatic conditions from which subsequent northern expansions occurred. This study supports the emergent pattern of multiple refugia within Iberia but adds to it by identifying a pattern of refugia coincident with the southern distribution

Genetic signatures of a Mediterranean influence in Iberian Peninsula sheep husbandry.

PubMed

Pereira, Filipe; Davis, Simon J M; Pereira, Luísa; McEvoy, Brian; Bradley, Daniel G; Amorim, António

2006-07-01

Highly adaptable and versatile populations of domestic sheep, the result of millennia of intense husbandry, are found in almost every corner of the world. Here we describe a genetic survey of sheep from the western fringe of its European distribution. We studied the mitochondrial DNA control region sequences from 161 individuals belonging to 7 Portuguese sheep breeds. Our study revealed a high level of genetic diversity, with an average breed haplotype diversity of 0.983, substantially above that observed in central European breeds, as well as the presence of maternal lineages until now only found in the Middle East and Asia. A broad north-south pattern describes the most important trend in the Portuguese sheep population with a southern population clearly distinct from most other breeds. A recurrent influx of new genetic diversity, probably via the Mediterranean Sea, may explain these patterns and appears to corroborate the importance of this maritime route in the history of both mankind and livestock. Zooarchaeological studies of sheep bones from southern Portugal indicate a marked size increase during the Moslem period that may reflect an improvement of this animal--perhaps part of the well known "Arab agricultural revolution" in Andalusia. This could have been a time when the gene pool of Iberian sheep was substantially enriched and may help to explain the history of modern sheep breeds in this peninsula.

Genetic structure and diversity of the selfing model grass Brachypodium stacei (Poaceae) in Western Mediterranean: out of the Iberian Peninsula and into the islands.

PubMed

Shiposha, Valeriia; Catalán, Pilar; Olonova, Marina; Marques, Isabel

2016-01-01

Annual Mediterranean species of the genus Brachypodium are promising model plants for energy crops since their selfing nature and short-life cycles are an advantage in breeding programs. The false brome, B. distachyon, has already been sequenced and new genomic initiatives have triggered the de-novo genome sequencing of its close relatives such as B. stacei, a species that was until recently mistaken for B. distachyon. However, the success of these initiatives hinges on detailed knowledge about the distribution of genetic variation within and among populations for the effective use of germplasm in a breeding program. Understanding population genetic diversity and genetic structure is also an important prerequisite for designing effective experimental populations for genomic wide studies. However, population genetic data are still limited in B. stacei. We therefore selected and amplified 10 nuclear microsatellite markers to depict patterns of population structure and genetic variation among 181 individuals from 19 populations of B. stacei occurring in its predominant range, the western Mediterranean area: mainland Iberian Peninsula, continental Balearic Islands and oceanic Canary Islands. Our genetic results support the occurrence of a predominant selfing system with extremely high levels of homozygosity across the analyzed populations. Despite the low level of genetic variation found, two different genetic clusters were retrieved, one clustering all SE Iberian mainland populations and the island of Minorca and another one grouping all S Iberian mainland populations, the Canary Islands and all Majorcan populations except one that clustered with the former group. These results, together with a high sharing of alleles (89%) suggest different colonization routes from the mainland Iberian Peninsula into the islands. A recent colonization scenario could explain the relatively low levels of genetic diversity and low number of alleles found in the Canary Islands

Genetic structure and diversity of the selfing model grass Brachypodium stacei (Poaceae) in Western Mediterranean: out of the Iberian Peninsula and into the islands

PubMed Central

Shiposha, Valeriia; Catalán, Pilar; Olonova, Marina

2016-01-01

Annual Mediterranean species of the genus Brachypodium are promising model plants for energy crops since their selfing nature and short-life cycles are an advantage in breeding programs. The false brome, B. distachyon, has already been sequenced and new genomic initiatives have triggered the de-novo genome sequencing of its close relatives such as B. stacei, a species that was until recently mistaken for B. distachyon. However, the success of these initiatives hinges on detailed knowledge about the distribution of genetic variation within and among populations for the effective use of germplasm in a breeding program. Understanding population genetic diversity and genetic structure is also an important prerequisite for designing effective experimental populations for genomic wide studies. However, population genetic data are still limited in B. stacei. We therefore selected and amplified 10 nuclear microsatellite markers to depict patterns of population structure and genetic variation among 181 individuals from 19 populations of B. stacei occurring in its predominant range, the western Mediterranean area: mainland Iberian Peninsula, continental Balearic Islands and oceanic Canary Islands. Our genetic results support the occurrence of a predominant selfing system with extremely high levels of homozygosity across the analyzed populations. Despite the low level of genetic variation found, two different genetic clusters were retrieved, one clustering all SE Iberian mainland populations and the island of Minorca and another one grouping all S Iberian mainland populations, the Canary Islands and all Majorcan populations except one that clustered with the former group. These results, together with a high sharing of alleles (89%) suggest different colonization routes from the mainland Iberian Peninsula into the islands. A recent colonization scenario could explain the relatively low levels of genetic diversity and low number of alleles found in the Canary Islands

Influence of wind on daily airborne pollen counts in Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

tareq Majeed, Husam; Periago, Cristina; Alarcón, Marta; De Linares, Concepción; Belmonte, Jordina

2016-04-01

The aim of this study is to analize the influence of wind (speed and direction) on the daily airborne pollen counts recorded in Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula) of 21 pollen taxa recorded at 6 aerobiological stations: Barcelona, Bellaterra, Girona, Lleida Manresa, and Tarragona for the period 2004-2014. The taxa studied are Alnus, Betula, Castanea, Cupressaceae, Fagus, Fraxinus, Olea, Pinus, Platanus, total Quercus, Quercus deciduous type, Quercus evergreen type, Ulmus, Corylus, Pistacia, Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae, Plantago, Poaceae, Polygonaceae, and Urticaceae. The mean daily wind direction was divided into 8 sectors: N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W and NW. For each sector, the correlation between the daily pollen concentrations and wind speed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was computed and compared with the wind rose charts. The results showed that Tarragona was the station with more significant correlations followed by Bellaterra, Lleida and Manresa. On the other hand, Artemisia was the most correlated taxon with mainly negative values, and Fagus was the least. The W wind direction showed the largest number of significant correlations, mostly positive, while the N direction was the least and negatively correlated.

Climate variability during the deglaciation and Holocene in a high-altitude alpine lake deduced from the sedimentary record from Laguna Seca, Sierra Nevada, southern Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camuera, Jon; Jiménez-Moreno, Gonzalo; José Ramos-Román, María; García-Alix, Antonio; Jiménez-Espejo, Francisco; Anderson, R. Scott

2017-04-01

High-resolution X-ray fluorescence (XRF), magnetic susceptibility (MS), color and lithological analyses have been carried out on a 3.6 m-long sediment core from Laguna Seca, a high-elevation dry lake from Sierra Nevada mountain range, southern Spain. This is the longest sedimentary record retrieved from an alpine lake in southern Iberian Peninsula. Besides, alpine lakes are very sensitive environments to climate changes and previous studies showed that Laguna Seca could provide an excellent record to identify millennial-scale climate variations during deglaciation and the whole Holocene. XRF analyses, in particular high calcium and low K/Ca ratios, show aridity phases, very well represented during Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the Younger Dryas (YD). Arid events are also shown at ca. 8.1 ka BP, ca. 4.4 ka BP and the latest Holocene. On the other hand, negative values in calcium and positive values in K/Ca appear in the Bølling-Allerød (BA) and during the early Holocene until ca. 6 ka BP, indicating more humidity and higher run-off. A progressive aridification trend is also observed in the Holocene, changing from more humid conditions during the early Holocene to more aridity during the late Holocene.

Estimation of Future Return Levels for Heavy Rainfall in the Iberian Peninsula: Comparison of Methodologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parey, S.

2014-12-01

F. J. Acero1, S. Parey2, T.T.H. Hoang2, D. Dacunha-Castelle31Dpto. Física, Universidad de Extremadura, Avda. de Elvas s/n, 06006, Badajoz 2EDF/R&D, 6 quai Watier, 78401 Chatou Cedex, France 3Laboratoire de Mathématiques, Université Paris 11, Orsay, France Trends can already be detected in daily rainfall amount in the Iberian Peninsula (IP), and this will have an impact on the extreme levels. In this study, we compare different ways to estimate future return levels for heavy rainfall, based on the statistical extreme value theory. Both Peaks over Threshold (POT) and block maxima with the Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution will be used and their results compared when linear trends are assumed in the parameters: threshold and scale parameter for POT and location and scale parameter for GEV. But rainfall over the IP is a special variable in that a large number of the values are 0. Thus, the impact of taking this into account is discussed too. Another approach is then tested, based on the evolutions of the mean and variance obtained from the time series of rainy days only, and of the number of rainy days. A statistical test, similar to that designed for temperature in Parey et al. 2013, is used to assess if the trends in extremes can be considered as mostly due to these evolutions when considering only rainy days. The results show that it is mainly the case: the extremes of the residuals, after removing the trends in mean and standard deviation, cannot be differentiated from those of a stationary process. Thus, the future return levels can be estimated from the stationary return level of these residuals and an estimation of the future mean and standard deviation. Moreover, an estimation of the future number of rainy days is used to retrieve the return levels for all days. All of these comparisons are made for an ensemble of high quality rainfall time series observed in the Iberian Peninsula over the period 1961-2010, from which we want to estimate a 20-year

Soils Diversity in the Southwest of Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramírez, Beatriz; Fernández-Pozo, Luis; Cabezas, José; Alexandre Castanho, Rui; Loures, Luís

2017-04-01

Back in 1960 the Seventh International Congress of Soil Science has proposed to develop a World Soil Mapping at a scale of 1: 1000000, with a purpose of getting a systematic inventory of soils, and also to allow a transfer of experiences between different countries and institutions. The mapping process has been coordinated by the European Soil Bureau (ESBN) and the European Commission, along with the participation of the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), based on the classification proposed by the "World Reference Base for Soil Resource" (WRB, FAO, 1998). Throughout this mapping and helped by the European Soil Database (v2.0), a mapping of soils and their diversity, in the area under analysis on the present paper - EUROACE (Alentejo-Centro-Extremadura) in the Southwest of Iberian Peninsula - has been developed and assessed using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and algorithms of diversity. The obtained results have shown that in this particularly territory it is possible to identify 12 Reference Soil Groups (RSG) at first level, and 26 at second level, predominating Regosols and Dystrict Regosols respectively, whereas in the Mediterranean Region (Biogeographical Regions of Europe, BGRE) are 22 and 71 correspondingly with predominant for Cambisols and Calcaric Cambisols. By the analysis and assessment of soil diversity, the Shannon Index (H') is lower in EUROACE (1,67 vs 2,42 and 2,52 vs 3,35 to first and second levels); the evenness (E) shows a more equal distribution in RSG at first level in the Mediterranean Region (0,70 vs 0,67) and lower at the second level (0,67 vs 0,77 in EUROACE). These results will enable the development of a more complete pedodiversity inventory in several other regions, and also as tools to the study of soil susceptibility which will allow not only to protect a very important part of European natural heritage, but also to take specific measures to increase a better

Effectiveness of FISK, an invasiveness screening tool for non-native freshwater fishes, to perform risk identification assessments in the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Almeida, David; Ribeiro, Filipe; Leunda, Pedro M; Vilizzi, Lorenzo; Copp, Gordon H

2013-08-01

Risk assessments are crucial for identifying and mitigating impacts from biological invasions. The Fish Invasiveness Scoring Kit (FISK) is a risk identification (screening) tool for freshwater fishes consisting of two subject areas: biogeography/history and biology/ecology. According to the outcomes, species can be classified under particular risk categories. The aim of this study was to apply FISK to the Iberian Peninsula, a Mediterranean climate region highly important for freshwater fish conservation due to a high level of endemism. In total, 89 fish species were assessed by three independent assessors. Results from receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that FISK can discriminate reliably between noninvasive and invasive fishes for Iberia, with a threshold of 20.25, similar to those obtained in several regions around the world. Based on mean scores, no species was categorized as "low risk," 50 species as "medium risk," 17 as "moderately high risk," 11 as "high risk," and 11 as "very high risk." The highest scoring species was goldfish Carassius auratus. Mean certainty in response was above the category "mostly certain," ranging from tinfoil barb Barbonymus schwanenfeldii with the lowest certainty to eastern mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki with the highest level. Pair-wise comparison showed significant differences between one assessor and the other two on mean certainty, with these two assessors showing a high coincidence rate for the species categorization. Overall, the results suggest that FISK is a useful and viable tool for assessing risks posed by non-native fish in the Iberian Peninsula and contributes to a "watch list" in this region. © 2013 Crown copyright This article is published with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland.

Lluciapomaresius nisae, a new species of Ephippigerini (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Bradyporinae) from the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Olmo-Vidal, Josep Maria

2017-01-16

A new species of the genus Lluciapomaresius Barat, 2012 is described from Serra de Llaberia in Catalonia (in the northeast of Iberian Peninsula). Lluciapomaresius nisae n. sp. was collected in a Mediterranean pine forest dominated by European black pine (Pinus nigra) and secondarily by Calcicolous rosemary scrub. L. nisae is compared to L. panteli (Navàs, 1899) from which it can be separated mainly by the shape of the male cerci, the titillators and the male calling song. Also in the females by the protuberances at the base of the ventral valves of the ovipositor.

A new miniaturized lizard from the late Eocene of France and Spain.

PubMed

Bolet, Arnau; Augé, Marc

2014-03-01

We report here a new lizard genus and species shared by two late Eocene localities situated at both versants of the present Pyrenees (South-Western Europe), one located in France (Escamps, MP19), and the other in Catalonia, Spain (Sossís, MP17a). The recovered specimens are remarkable because of their small size and peculiar morphology. Features of the dentary are interpreted as adaptations to a fossorial or semi-fossorial lifestyle, although such modifications obscure the exact phylogenetic relationships of the new taxon. We suggest that it might represent a further example of scincoid lizard that independently achieved adaptations for burrowing or surface-dwelling. This taxon reinforces the hypotheses that link the Southern Pyrenean assemblages to those from France rather than to those of the rest of the Iberian Peninsula, which are supposed to be somehow isolated and endemic to a certain degree during the middle and late Eocene, forming part of the so-called Western Iberian Bioprovince. Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

An illustrated key to the soft-bottom caprellids (Crustacea: Amphipoda) of the Iberian Peninsula and remarks to their ecological distribution along the Andalusian coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guerra-García, José M.; Navarro-Barranco, Carlos; Corzo, Juan; Cobos-Muñoz, Vanessa; García-Adiego, Emilio M.; Giménez, Francisco Sempere; García-Gómez, J. Carlos

2013-06-01

The soft-bottom caprellids of the Iberian Peninsula are revised. Nineteen species have been reported so far, 42 % being endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. The lateral view of all of them is provided, together with an illustrated key for all the species. An ecological study was also conducted during 2007-2010 along the Andalusian coast to explore the relationships of caprellids with abiotic data. A total of 90 stations (0-40 m deep) were sampled and 40 contained caprellids. Along the Atlantic, caprellids were present in only 20 % of the stations, while along the Mediterranean coast, caprellids were present in the 75 % of the sampling sites. Furthermore, the abundance of caprellids was also higher in the Mediterranean coast. The dominant species was Pseudolirius kroyeri (present in 24 stations and showing the highest abundances with 1,780 ind/m2), followed by Phtisica marina (22 stations) and Pariambus typicus (11 stations). According to CCA and BIO-ENV, sediment type, P, pH and oxygen were the parameters that better explained the distribution of caprellids. Although the three dominant species were found in all types of sediment, the univariate approach showed that P. kroyeri was significantly more abundant in fine sediments (silt-clay and very fine sands) than in gross sediments (coarse and very coarse sands). The majority of studies dealing with caprellids from the Iberian Peninsula have been focused on shallow waters and further efforts are needed to explore biodiversity of deeper areas.

The phylogeographical history of the Iberian steppe plant Ferula loscosii (Apiaceae): a test of the abundant-centre hypothesis.

PubMed

Pérez-Collazos, E; Sanchez-Gómez, P; Jiménez, F; Catalán, P

2009-03-01

The geology and climate of the western Mediterranean area were strongly modified during the Late Tertiary and the Quaternary. These geological and climatic events are thought to have induced changes in the population histories of plants in the Iberian Peninsula. However, fine-scale genetic spatial architecture across western Mediterranean steppe plant refugia has rarely been investigated. A population genetic analysis of amplified fragment length polymorphism variation was conducted on present-day, relict populations of Ferula loscosii (Apiaceae). This species exhibits high individual/population numbers in the middle Ebro river valley and, according to the hypothesis of an abundant-centre distribution, these northern populations might represent a long-standing/ancestral distribution centre. However, our results suggest that the decimated southern and central Iberian populations are more variable and structured than the northeastern ones, representing the likely vestiges of an ancestral distribution centre of the species. Phylogeographical analysis suggests that F. loscosii likely originated in southern Spain and then migrated towards the central and northeastern ranges, further supporting a Late Miocene southern-bound Mediterranean migratory way for its oriental steppe ancestors. In addition, different glacial-induced conditions affected the southern and northern steppe Iberian refugia during the Quaternary. The contrasting genetic homogeneity of the Ebro valley range populations compared to the southern Iberian ones possibly reflects more severe bottlenecks and subsequent genetic drift experienced by populations of the northern Iberia refugium during the Pleistocene, followed by successful postglacial expansion from only a few founder plants.

The impact of sea surface temperature on winter wheat in Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capa-Morocho, Mirian; Rodríguez-Fonseca, Belen; Ruiz-Ramos, Margarita

2016-04-01

Climate variability is the main driver of changes in crops yield, especially for rainfed production systems. This is also the case of Iberian Peninsula (IP) (Capa-Morocho et al., 2014), where wheat yields are strongly dependent on seasonal rainfall amount and temporal distribution of rainfall during the growing season. Previous works have shown that large-scale oceanic patterns have a significant impact on precipitation over IP (Rodriguez-Fonseca and de Castro, 2002; Rodríguez-Fonseca et al., 2006). The existence of some predictability of precipitation has encouraged us to analyze the possible predictability of the wheat yield in the IP using sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies as predictor. For this purpose, a crop model site specific calibrated for the Northeast of IP and several reanalysis climate datasets have been used to obtain long time series of attainable wheat yield and relate their variability with SST anomalies. The results show that wheat yield anomalies are associated with changes in the Tropical Pacific (El Niño) and Atlantic (TNA) SST. For these events, the regional associated atmospheric pattern resembles the NAO, which also influences directly on the maximum temperatures and precipitation experienced by the crop during flowering and grain filling. Results from this study could have important implications for predictability issues in agricultural planning and management, such as insurance coverage, changes in sowing dates and choice of species and varieties.

Postglacial dispersal patterns and mitochondrial genetic structure of the Pyrenean desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) in the northwestern region of the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Querejeta, Marina; Fernández-González, Angel; Romero, Rafael; Castresana, Jose

2017-06-01

The genetic structure of small semiaquatic animals may be influenced by dispersal across both rivers and land. The relative importance of these two modes of dispersal may vary across different species and with ecological conditions and evolutionary periods. The Pyrenean desman ( Galemys pyrenaicus ) is an endemic mammal of the Iberian Peninsula with a strong phylogeographic structure and semiaquatic habits, thus making it an ideal model to study the effects of river and overland dispersal on its genetic structure. Thanks to different types of noninvasive samples, we obtained an extensive sampling of the Pyrenean desman from the northwestern region of the Iberian Peninsula and sequenced two mitochondrial DNA fragments. We then analyzed, using an isolation-by-distance approach, the correlation between phylogenetic distances and geographical distances measured along both river networks and land to infer the relative importance of river and overland dispersal. We found that the correlations in the whole area and in a large basin were consistent with an effect of overland dispersal, which may be due to the postglacial colonization of new territories using terrestrial corridors and, possibly, a more extensive fluvial network that may have been present during the Holocene. However, in a small basin, likely to be less influenced by the impact of ancient postglacial dispersal, the correlations suggested significant overall effects of both overland and river dispersal, as expected for a semiaquatic mammal. Therefore, different scales and geographical regions reflect different aspects of the evolutionary history and ecology of this semiaquatic species using this isolation-by-distance method. The results we obtained may have crucial implications for the conservation of the Pyrenean desman because they reinforce the importance of interbasin dispersal for this species in the studied area and the need to protect the whole riverine ecosystem, including rivers, upland streams and

Detailed predictions of climate induced changes in the thermal and flow regimes in mountain streams of the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santiago, José M.; Muñoz-Mas, Rafael; García de Jalón, Diego; Solana, Joaquín; Alonso, Carlos; Martínez-Capel, Francisco; Ribalaygua, Jaime; Pórtoles, Javier; Monjo, Robert

2016-04-01

Streamflow and temperature regimes are well-known to influence on the availability of suitable physical habitat for instream biological communities. General Circulation Models (GCMs) have predicted significant changes in timing and geographic distribution of precipitation and atmospheric temperature for the ongoing century. However, differences in these predictions may arise when focusing on different spatial and temporal scales. Therefore, to perform substantiated mitigation and management actions detailed scales are necessary to adequately forecast the consequent thermal and flow regimes. Regional predictions are relatively abundant but detailed ones, both spatially and temporally, are still scarce. The present study aimed at predicting the effects of climate change on the thermal and flow regime in the Iberian Peninsula, refining the resolution of previous studies. For this purpose, the study encompassed 28 sites at eight different mountain rivers and streams in the central part of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain). The daily flow was modelled using different daily, monthly and quarterly lags of the historical precipitation and temperature time series. These precipitation-runoff models were developed by means of M5 model trees. On the other hand water temperature was modelled at similar time scale by means of nonlinear regression from dedicated site-specific data. The developed models were used to simulate the temperature and flow regime under two Representative Concentration Pathway (RCPs) climate change scenarios (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) until the end of the present century by considering nine different GCMs, which were pertinently downscaled. The precipitation-runoff models achieved high accuracy (NSE>0.7), especially in regards of the low flows of the historical series. Results concomitantly forecasted flow reductions between 7 and 17 % (RCP4.5) and between 8 and 49% (RCP8.5) of the annual average in the most cases, being variable the magnitude and timing at each

Assessment of darkling beetle fauna after implementation of an environmental restoration program in the southern Iberian Peninsula affected by the Aznalcóllar toxic spill.

PubMed

Cárdenas, Ana M; Bujalance, José L; Hidalgo, Juan M

2011-01-01

This study is part of the Follow up Restoration Program of animal communities that colonize the Guadiamar River Basin. In 1998, the area was affected by a release of toxic sludge after the retention walls of the Aznalcóllar Mines (southern Iberian Peninsula) broke. The main objective of this study was to assess the current state of the population of Tenebrionidae, one of the most representative groups of edaphic Coleoptera inhabiting the Guadiamar River Basin. This paper analyses the progress made by the darkling beetle community six years after the disaster occurred and the Restoration Program was implemented. The study is based on faunistic data from systematic sampling carried out for six years to monitor plots distributed across the damaged area. To make an overall assessment of the tenebrionid fauna in relation to adjacent areas qualitative and quantitative ecological indices were applied, and temporal follow up and biogeographical comparisons were also made. The results indicate that, on the whole, tenebrionid fauna was somewhat affected by the Aznalcóllar Mine spill, and that a greater loss of fauna was detected closer to the accident site. The analysis of the temporal population dynamic suggests that the most affected zones are undergoing a process of re-colonization. However, this process varies widely by species and has not yet reached the expected levels of a non-affected river basin in the southern Iberian Peninsula.

A New Sail-Backed Styracosternan (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from the Early Cretaceous of Morella, Spain.

PubMed

Gasulla, José Miguel; Escaso, Fernando; Narváez, Iván; Ortega, Francisco; Sanz, José Luis

2015-01-01

A new styracosternan ornithopod genus and species is here described based on a partial postcranial skeleton and an associated dentary tooth of a single specimen from the Arcillas de Morella Formation (Early Cretaceous, late Barremian) at the Morella locality, (Castellón, Spain). Morelladon beltrani gen. et sp. nov. is diagnosed by eight autapomorphic features. The set of autapomorphies includes: very elongated and vertical neural spines of the dorsal vertebrae, midline keel on ventral surface of the second to fourth sacral vertebrae restricted to the anterior half of the centrum, a posterodorsally inclined medial ridge on the postacetabular process of the ilium that meets its dorsal margin and distal end of the straight ischial shaft laterally expanded, among others. Phylogenetic analyses reveal that the new Iberian form is more closely related to its synchronic and sympatric contemporary European taxa Iguanodon bernissartensis and Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis, known from Western Europe, than to other Early Cretaceous Iberian styracosternans (Delapparentia turolensis and Proa valdearinnoensis). The recognition of Morelladon beltrani gen. et sp. nov. indicates that the Iberian Peninsula was home to a highly diverse medium to large bodied styracosternan assemblage during the Early Cretaceous.

Age and significance of the Quaternary cemented deposits of the Duje Valley (Picos de Europa, Northern Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villa, Elisa; Stoll, Heather; Farias, Pedro; Adrados, Luna; Edwards, R. Lawrence; Cheng, Hai

2013-01-01

Cemented calcareous breccias appear in the Picos de Europa (Cantabrian Mountains, Spain) resting on glacially abraded surfaces and covered by moraines. U/Th dating of the calcite coating the clasts was successful in two samples, the oldest one indicating that the breccias accumulated during or prior to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11, and the youngest indicating later cementation during MIS 8. The former introduces a limit for the age of the glaciation preceding the breccias, which cannot correspond to an event younger than MIS 12. This is the oldest absolute age so far obtained for intercalated glacial/interglacial deposits of the Iberian Peninsula.

Spatial and temporal distribution of Alternaria spores in the Iberian Peninsula atmosphere, and meteorological relationships: 1993-2009

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aira, María-Jesús; Rodríguez-Rajo, Francisco-Javier; Fernández-González, María; Seijo, Carmen; Elvira-Rendueles, Belén; Abreu, Ilda; Gutiérrez-Bustillo, Montserrat; Pérez-Sánchez, Elena; Oliveira, Manuela; Recio, Marta; Tormo, Rafael; Morales, Julia

2013-03-01

This paper provides an updated of airborne Alternaria spore spatial and temporal distribution patterns in the Iberian Peninsula, using a common non-viable volumetric sampling method. The highest mean annual spore counts were recorded in Sevilla (39,418 spores), Mérida (33,744) and Málaga (12,947), while other sampling stations never exceeded 5,000. The same cities also recorded the highest mean daily spore counts (Sevilla 109 spores m-3; Mérida 53 spores m-3 and Málaga 35 spores m-3) and the highest number of days on which counts exceeded the threshold levels required to trigger allergy symptoms (Sevilla 38 % and Mérida 30 % of days). Analysis of annual spore distribution patterns revealed either one or two peaks, depending on the location and prevailing climate of sampling stations. For all stations, average temperature was the weather parameter displaying the strongest positive correlation with airborne spore counts, whilst negative correlations were found for rainfall and relative humidity.

Spatial and temporal distribution of Alternaria spores in the Iberian Peninsula atmosphere, and meteorological relationships: 1993-2009.

PubMed

Aira, María-Jesús; Rodríguez-Rajo, Francisco-Javier; Fernández-González, María; Seijo, Carmen; Elvira-Rendueles, Belén; Abreu, Ilda; Gutiérrez-Bustillo, Montserrat; Pérez-Sánchez, Elena; Oliveira, Manuela; Recio, Marta; Tormo, Rafael; Morales, Julia

2013-03-01

This paper provides an updated of airborne Alternaria spore spatial and temporal distribution patterns in the Iberian Peninsula, using a common non-viable volumetric sampling method. The highest mean annual spore counts were recorded in Sevilla (39,418 spores), Mérida (33,744) and Málaga (12,947), while other sampling stations never exceeded 5,000. The same cities also recorded the highest mean daily spore counts (Sevilla 109 spores m(-3); Mérida 53 spores m(-3) and Málaga 35 spores m(-3)) and the highest number of days on which counts exceeded the threshold levels required to trigger allergy symptoms (Sevilla 38 % and Mérida 30 % of days). Analysis of annual spore distribution patterns revealed either one or two peaks, depending on the location and prevailing climate of sampling stations. For all stations, average temperature was the weather parameter displaying the strongest positive correlation with airborne spore counts, whilst negative correlations were found for rainfall and relative humidity.

Aridification across the Carboniferous-Permian transition in central equatorial Pangea: The Catalan Pyrenean succession (NE Iberian Peninsula)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mujal, Eudald; Fortuny, Josep; Marmi, Josep; Dinarès-Turell, Jaume; Bolet, Arnau; Oms, Oriol

2018-01-01

The Carboniferous-Permian terrestrial successions record a global climatic shift from icehouse to hothouse conditions. Our multidisciplinary study documents an aridification trend throughout the 1000 m thick composite terrestrial succession of the western Catalan Pyrenees (NE Iberian Peninsula), representing this time period. The detailed stratigraphic framework integrates sedimentology, paleopedology, biochronology (plant fossils and tetrapod footprints) and geochronology (paleomagnetism). Additional absolute age correlation is also carried out. The new and reviewed data show that the late Carboniferous wet environments (with short drought periods) progressively changed to a strong seasonal semi-arid and arid climate (with short humid periods) through the early Permian. This paleoclimatic trend supports the previously suggested aridification of the Pangean pan-tropical belt, and supports the hypothesis of the influence of the recurrent climatic fluctuations in Central Pangea, being tentatively correlated to the Southern Gondwanan glaciation-deglaciation periods. Therefore, the Carboniferous-Permian terrestrial succession from the Catalan Pyrenees emerges as a continuous record that can help to constrain late Paleozoic paleoenvironmental events.

Aggressiveness of Cephalosporium maydis causing late wilt of maize in Spain.

PubMed

García-Carneros, A B; Girón, I; Molinero-Ruiz, L

2012-01-01

Late wilt of maize, caused by the vascular and soilborne pathogen Cephalosporium maydis, was identified in the Iberian Peninsula in 2008. During the last years the incidence and economical impact of the disease has importantly increased both in Portugal and Spain. Varieties of maize displaying tolerance to the pathogen are available, but the effectiveness can be dependent on the virulence of the fungus (i.e. ability to cause disease on a specific genotype). On the other hand, strains of crop pathogens from different geographic origins can differ with regard to the degree of disease caused on a specific genotype (i.e. aggressiveness). Our working hypothesis was that isolates of C. maydis from different maize growing areas may differ in aggressiveness towards maize plants. Seven fungal strains were isolated in 2009 from diseased plants collected in the most important maize growing regions of Spain and used to inoculate two susceptible maize varieties grown in shadehouse from March to July 2010. The experimental unit consisted of two 4-day-old seedlings planted in an 8-liter pot filled with sand/silt previously infested with 200 g of wheat grains colonized by the fungi. Non colonized wheat grains were used for the control treatments. Six replications (pots) were established for each variety/isolate combination according to a complete randomized 2 x 8 factorial design. The percentage of necrotic and dry aboveground tissues was recorded 14 weeks after inoculation and thereafter weekly until physiological senescence of the control plants. At the end of the experiment, weights of roots and aboveground parts of the plants were recorded. Initial occurrence of symptoms in the plants was significantly dependent on the isolate of C. maydis and on the maize variety. However, final severity of aboveground symptoms (leaf necroses and drying up) was only dependent on the fungal isolate. All the isolates significantly reduced the root weight of both varieties of maize. The highest

Geomorphology of the Iberian Continental Margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maestro, Adolfo; López-Martínez, Jerónimo; Llave, Estefanía; Bohoyo, Fernando; Acosta, Juan; Hernández-Molina, F. Javier; Muñoz, Araceli; Jané, Gloria

2013-08-01

The submarine features and processes around the Iberian Peninsula are the result of a complex and diverse geological and oceanographical setting. This paper presents an overview of the seafloor geomorphology of the Iberian Continental Margin and the adjacent abyssal plains. The study covers an area of approximately 2.3 million km2, including a 50 to 400 km wide band adjacent to the coastline. The main morphological characteristics of the seafloor features on the Iberian continental shelf, continental slope, continental rise and the surrounding abyssal plains are described. Individual seafloor features existing on the Iberian Margin have been classified into three main groups according to their origin: tectonic and/or volcanic, depositional and erosional. Major depositional and erosional features around the Iberian Margin developed in late Pleistocene-Holocene times and have been controlled by tectonic movements and eustatic fluctuations. The distribution of the geomorphological features is discussed in relation to their genetic processes and the evolution of the margin. The prevalence of one or several specific processes in certain areas reflects the dominant morphotectonic and oceanographic controlling factors. Sedimentary processes and the resulting depositional products are dominant on the Valencia-Catalán Margin and in the northern part of the Balearic Promontory. Strong tectonic control is observed in the geomorphology of the Betic and the Gulf of Cádiz margins. The role of bottom currents is especially evident throughout the Iberian Margin. The Galicia, Portuguese and Cantabrian margins show a predominance of erosional features and tectonically-controlled linear features related to faults.

Latest Early Pleistocene wolf-like canids from the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartolini Lucenti, Saverio; Alba, David M.; Rook, Lorenzo; Moyà-Solà, Salvador; Madurell-Malapeira, Joan

2017-04-01

Several species of the genus Canis (Carnivora: Canidae) have been recorded from the European Early Pleistocene, but the phylogenetic relationships among them and in relation to extant members of this genus are still unclear. This is particularly true for the medium-sized and wolf-like extinct species Canis mosbachensis. It has been considered by many researchers as a descendant of the larger Canis etruscus and as a likely putative ancestor of extant wolves (Canis lupus). Other scholars, in contrast, have advocated instead for a closer relationship between C. mosbachensis and the extinct Canis arnensis, and even a close relationship between C. mosbachensis and C. lupus has been questioned. Here we describe the previously unpublished medium-sized Canis remains from the late Early Pleistocene site of Vallparadís Estació, along with additional new Canis material from the roughly coeval site of Cueva Victoria (both in the Iberian Peninsula), and compare them qualitatively and morphometrically with both extant and extinct species of this genus. The described material most closely resembles in craniodental size and shape the remains from Central and Southern Europe that have been previously assigned to C. mosbachensis, to which they are hence formally attributed. The excellent preservation of the newly described specimens (which include the most complete skull of this taxon) enables the description of features previously unknown for this species, which further support a close phylogenetic link with living wolves. Based on the described material, we review the role played by C. mosbachensis in the evolutionary history of European fossil canids, and conclude that this extinct species is most closely related to C. lupus and other closely-allied species, such as Canis anthus and Canis latrans.

Rayleigh wave ellipticity across the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gómez García, Clara; Villaseñor, Antonio

2015-04-01

Spectral amplitude ratios between horizontal and vertical components (H/V ratios) from seismic records are useful to evaluate site effects, predict ground motion and invert for S velocity in the top several hundred meters. These spectral ratios can be obtained from both ambient noise and earthquakes. H/V ratios from ambient noise depend on the content and predominant wave types: body waves, Rayleigh waves, a mixture of different waves, etc. The H/V ratio computed in this way is assumed to measure Rayleigh wave ellipticity since ambient vibrations are dominated by Rayleigh waves. H/V ratios from earthquakes are able to determine the local crustal structure at the vicinity of the recording station. These ratios obtained from earthquakes are based on surface wave ellipticity measurements. Although long period (>20 seconds) Rayleigh H/V ratio is not currently used because of large scatter has been reported and uncertainly about whether these measurements are compatible with traditional phase and group velocity measurements, we will investigate whether it is possible to obtain stable estimates after collecting statistics for many earthquakes. We will use teleseismic events from shallow earthquakes (depth ≤ 40 km) between 2007 January 1 and 2012 December 31 with M ≥ 6 and we will compute H/V ratios for more than 400 stations from several seismic networks across the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco for periods between 20 and 100 seconds. Also H/V ratios from cross-correlations of ambient noise in different components for each station pair will be computed. Shorter period H/V ratio measurements based on ambient noise cross-correlations are strongly sensitive to near-surface structure, rather than longer period earthquake Rayleigh waves. The combination of ellipticity measurements based on earthquakes and ambient noise will allow us to perform a joint inversion with Rayleigh wave phase velocity. Upper crustal structure is better constrained by the joint inversion compared

Pleistocene and Holocene Iberian flora: a complete picture and review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González Sampériz, Penélope

2010-05-01

A detailed analysis of the location and composition of Iberian vegetation types during the whole Pleistocene and Holocene periods shows a complex patched landscape with persistence of different types of ecosystems, even during glacial times. In addition, recent, high-resolution palaeoecological records are changing the traditional picture of post-glacial vegetation succession in the Iberian Peninsula. The main available charcoal and pollen sequences include, coniferous and deciduous forest, steppes, shrublands, savannahs and glacial refugia during the Pleistocene for Meso-thermophytes (phytodiversity reservoirs), in different proportions. This panorama suggests an environmental complexity that relates biotic responses to climate changes forced by Milankovitch cycles, suborbital forcings and by the latitudinal and physiographic particularities of the Iberian Peninsula. Thus, many factors are critical in the course of vegetational developments and strong regional differences are observed since the Early Pleistocene. Currently, the flora of Iberia is located in two biogeographical/climatic regions: the Eurosiberian and the Mediterranean. The first one includes northern and northwestern areas of the peninsula, where post-glacial responses of vegetation are very similar to Central Europe, although with some particularities due to its proximity to both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean region. The second one comprises the main territory of Iberia and shows more complex patterns and singularities, now and in the past. Steppe landscapes dominated extensive areas over all the territory during the cold spells of the Quaternary, especially during the Late Pleistocene up to the Last Glacial Maximum, but differences in composition of the dominant taxa (Compositae versus Artemisia) are observed since the Early Pleistocene, probably related to moisture regional gradients. Coastal shelves and intramountainous valleys, even in continental areas, are spots of floristic

Long-term changes in composition and distribution patterns in the Iberian herpetofaunal communities since the latest Pleistocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bisbal-Chinesta, Josep Francesc; Blain, Hugues-Alexandre

2018-03-01

The climate has undergone significant changes since the end of the Last Glacial Maximum and in the course of the Holocene, parallel to important cultural transformations and migrations in the human communities. The faunal record has also suffered the effects of climate change. Amphibians and reptiles in particular have been shown to be highly sensitive because they are very susceptible to temperature alterations due to their ectothermy. This research presents the first approach to the Iberian paleobiogeography of the different species of amphibians and reptiles from the Late Pleistocene (MIS3) to present times, based on a comparative synthesis of the latest research published in recent years and the fossil record of the 58 archaeo-paleontological sites with significant assemblages. The paleoherpetofaunal associations make it possible to establish two major biotic regions during the Late Pleistocene. The first biotic region was located in the center and south of the Iberian Peninsula, with thermophilic species as the most representative taxa. The second biotic region was formed by the Atlantic-Cantabrian facade and the northeast Iberian area, dominated by hygrophilous and Euro-Siberian species, with an absence of Mediterranean species. After the Last Glacial Maximum there was an unprecedented concurrence in the northern Iberian Peninsula of autochthonous taxa from that area with thermophilic species. In the early Holocene, new species with no previous record in the Iberian Peninsula entered northern Iberia from eastern Mediterranean refugia. Finally, the introduction of North African species was the last significant biogeographical change during the Middle-Late Holocene.

Tettigettalna josei (Boulard, 1982) (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea): first record in Spain, with notes on the distribution, genetic variation and behaviour of the species

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Abstract The small cicada Tettigettalna josei (Boulard, 1982) was until recently only known from southern Portugal and was considered endemic to this country. Fieldwork in 2013 led to the first record of the species in Spain, expanding its known eastern range to Andalusia. The northern limits remain poorly defined but it appears that the distribution of Tettigettalna josei is restricted to the south Atlantic coastline in the Iberian Peninsula, with the highest densities found in Algarve. Some notes on behaviour and genetic variation of Tettigettalna josei are also given. PMID:24891819

East Atlantic (EA) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) interplay over the Iberian Peninsula for the last two millennia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez, A.; Sánchez-López, G.; Pla-Rabes, S.; Trigo, R.; Toro, M.; Granados, I.; Sáez, A.; Masque, P.; Pueyo, J. J.; Rubio-Inglés, M. J.; Giralt, S.

2016-12-01

The multi-proxy approach from sediments of an Iberian alpine lake allowed us to establish the climatic conditions in the Iberian Central Range (ICR) over the last two millennia. The comparison with other Iberian reconstructions permitted to identify possible forcing climate mechanisms. Climatic conditions would be transmitted to the sediments via the frequency of intense run-off events, derived from rain-on-snow events, and the lake productivity, ruled by ice-cover duration. The early Roman Period (RP; 200 BC - 350 AD) in the ICR was characterized by oscillations of intense run-off events, as a consequence of an alternation between cold and warm periods. From the second half of the RP to the onset of the Early Middle Ages (EMA; 350 - 500 AD) an increase in the intense run-off events suggests warm conditions, although a noticeable decrease during the rest of the EMA (500 - 900 AD) evidences a shift to very cold temperatures in this region. In terms of humidity, both RP and EMA climatic periods displayed a transition from a dry to a wet scenario that led to a decrease in lake productivity. These climatic conditions have been registered by other reconstructions in the Iberian Peninsula (IP), and a North-South humidity gradient could be envisaged, although spatial climatic discrepancies were significant. Precipitation and temperature in the IP present a more homogeneous spatial pattern when the NAO and EA modes have the same sign than when they have the opposite sign. Hence, a predominance of periods with NAO - EA in opposite phases could explain the climatic spatial heterogeneity in the IP during these two periods. The Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA; 900 - 1300 AD) in the ICR was characterized by warm and dry conditions represented by an increase in exceptional run-off episodes and lake productivity whereas the Little Ice Age (LIA; 1300 - 1850 AD) showed the opposite scenario. Similar climatic conditions were registered in all the IP, reflecting a spatial climatic

PYCNOIB: Biodiversity and Biogeography of Iberian Pycnogonids

PubMed Central

Soler-Membrives, Anna; Munilla, Tomás

2015-01-01

Biodiversity and biogeographic studies comparing the distribution patterns of benthic marine organisms across the Iberian Atlantic and Mediterranean waters are scarce. The Pycnogonida (sea spiders) are a clear example of both endemicity and diversity, and are considered a key taxon to study and monitor biogeographic and biodiversity patterns. This is the first review that compiles data about abundance and diversity of Iberian pycnogonids and examines their biogeographic patterns and bathymetric constraints using GIS tools. A total of 17762 pycnogonid records from 343 localities were analyzed and were found to contain 65 species, 21 genera and 12 families. Achelia echinata and Ammothella longipes (family Acheliidae) were the most abundant comprising ~80% of the total records. The Acheliidae is also the most speciose in Iberian waters with 15 species. In contrast, the family Nymphonidae has 7 species but is significantly less abundant (<1% of the total records) than Acheliidae. Species accumulation curves indicate that further sampling would increase the number of Iberian species records. Current sampling effort suggests that the pycnogonid fauna of the Mediterranean region may be richer than that of the Atlantic. The Strait of Gibraltar and the Alboran Sea are recognized as species-rich areas that act as buffer zones between the Atlantic and Mediterranean boundaries. The deep waters surrounding the Iberian Peninsula are poorly surveyed, with only 15% of the sampling sites located below 1000 m. Further deep-water sampling is needed mainly on the Iberian Mediterranean side. PMID:25781483

Biogeographical region and host trophic level determine carnivore endoparasite richness in the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Rosalino, L M; Santos, M J; Fernandes, C; Santos-Reis, M

2011-05-01

We address the question of whether host and/or environmental factors might affect endoparasite richness and distribution, using carnivores as a model. We reviewed studies published in international peer-reviewed journals (34 areas in the Iberian Peninsula), describing parasite prevalence and richness in carnivores, and collected information on site location, host bio-ecology, climate and detected taxa (Helminths, Protozoa and Mycobacterium spp.). Three hypotheses were tested (i) host based, (ii) environmentally based, and (iii) hybrid (combination of environmental and host). Multicollinearity reduced candidate variable number for modelling to 5: host weight, phylogenetic independent contrasts (host weight), mean annual temperature, host trophic level and biogeographical region. General Linear Mixed Modelling was used and the best model was a hybrid model that included biogeographical region and host trophic level. Results revealed that endoparasite richness is higher in Mediterranean areas, especially for the top predators. We suggest that the detected parasites may benefit from mild environmental conditions that occur in southern regions. Top predators have larger home ranges and are likely to be subjected to cascading effects throughout the food web, resulting in more infestation opportunities and potentially higher endoparasite richness. This study suggests that richness may be more affected by historical and regional processes (including climate) than by host ecological processes.

Climate-induced changes in river water temperature in North Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soto, Benedicto

2017-06-01

This study evaluates the effects of climate change on the thermal regime of 12 rivers in the Northern Iberian Peninsula by using a non-linear regression model that employs air temperature as the only input variable. Prediction of future air temperature was obtained from five regional climate models (RCMs) under emission scenario Special Report on Emissions Scenarios A1B. Prior to simulation of water temperature, air temperature was bias-corrected (B-C) by means of variance scaling (VS) method. This procedure allows an improvement of fit between observed and estimated air temperature for all climate models. The simulation of water temperature for the period 1990-2100 shows an increasing trend, which is higher for the period of June-August (summer) and September-November (autumn) (0.0275 and 0.0281 °C/year) than that of winter (December-February) and spring (March-May) (0.0181 and 0.0218 °C/year). In the high air temperature range, daily water temperature is projected to increase on average by 2.2-3.1 °C for 2061-2090 relative to 1961-1990. During the coldest days, the increment of water temperature would range between 1.0 and 1.7 °C. In fact, employing the numbers of days that water temperature exceeded the upper incipient lethal temperature (UILT) for brown trout (24.7 °C) has been noted that this threshold is exceeded 14.5 days per year in 2061-2090 while in 1961-1990, this values was exceeded 2.6 days per year of mean and 3.6 days per year in observation period (2000-2014).

Sensitivity of two Iberian lakes to North Atlantic atmospheric circulation modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernández, Armand; Trigo, Ricardo M.; Pla-Rabes, Sergi; Valero-Garcés, Blas L.; Jerez, Sonia; Rico-Herrero, Mayte; Vega, José C.; Jambrina-Enríquez, Margarita; Giralt, Santiago

2015-12-01

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) exerts a major influence on the climate of the North Atlantic region. However, other atmospheric circulation modes (ACMs), such as the East Atlantic (EA) and Scandinavian (SCAND) patterns, also play significant roles. The dynamics of lakes on the Iberian Peninsula are greatly controlled by climatic parameters, but their relationship with these various ACMs has not been investigated in detail. In this paper, we analyze monthly meteorological and limnological long-term datasets (1950-2011 and 1992-2011, respectively) from two lakes on the northern and central Iberian Peninsula (Sanabria and Las Madres) to develop an understanding of the seasonal sensitivity of these freshwater systems to the NAO, EA and SCAND circulation modes. The limnological variability within Lake Sanabria is primarily controlled by fluctuations in the seasonal precipitation and wind, and the primary ACMs associated with the winter limnological processes are the NAO and the SCAND modes, whereas only the EA mode appears to weakly influence processes during the summer. However, Lake Las Madres is affected by precipitation, wind and, to a lesser extent, temperature, whereas the ACMs have less influence. Therefore, we aim to show that the lakes of the Iberian Peninsula are sensitive to these ACMs. The results presented here indicate that the lake dynamics, in some cases, have a higher sensitivity to variations in the ACMs than single local meteorological variables. However, certain local features, such as geography, lake morphology and anthropic influences, are crucial to properly record the signals of these ACMs.

Quercus pollen season dynamics in the Iberian peninsula: response to meteorological parameters and possible consequences of climate change.

PubMed

Garcia-Mozo, Herminia; Galan, Carmen; Jato, Victoria; Belmonte, Jordina; de la Guardia, Consuelo; Fernandez, Delia; Gutierrez, Montserrat; Aira, M; Roure, Joan; Ruiz, Luis; Trigo, Mar; Dominguez-Vilches, Eugenio

2006-01-01

The main characteristics of the Quercus pollination season were studied in 14 different localities of the Iberian Peninsula from 1992-2004. Results show that Quercus flowering season has tended to start earlier in recent years, probably due to the increased temperatures in the pre-flowering period, detected at study sites over the second half of the 20th century. A Growing Degree Days forecasting model was used, together with future meteorological data forecast using the Regional Climate Model developed by the Hadley Meteorological Centre, in order to determine the expected advance in the start of Quercus pollination in future years. At each study site, airborne pollen curves presented a similar pattern in all study years, with different peaks over the season attributable in many cases to the presence of several species. High pollen concentrations were recorded, particularly at Mediterranean sites. This study also proposes forecasting models to predict both daily pollen values and annual pollen emission. All models were externally validated using data for 2001 and 2004, with acceptable results. Finally, the impact of the highly-likely climate change on Iberian Quercus pollen concentration values was studied by applying RCM meteorological data for different future years, 2025, 2050, 2075 and 2099. Results indicate that under a doubled CO(2) scenario at the end of the 21st century Quercus pollination season could start on average one month earlier and airborne pollen concentrations will increase by 50 % with respect to current levels, with higher values in Mediterranean inland areas.

Curie Point Depth of the Iberian Peninsula and Surrounding Margins. A Thermal and Tectonic Perspective of its Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrés, J.; Marzán, I.; Ayarza, P.; Martí, D.; Palomeras, I.; Torné, M.; Campbell, S.; Carbonell, R.

2018-03-01

In this work the thermal structure of the Iberian Peninsula is derived from magnetic data by calculating the bottom of the magnetization, assumed to be the Curie-point depth (CPD) isotherm, which accounts for the depth at which magnetite becomes paramagnetic (580°C). Comparison of the CPD with crustal thickness maps along with a heat flow map derived from the CPD provides new insights on the lithospheric thermal regime. Within Iberia, the CPD isotherm has thickness in the range of 17 to 29 km. This isotherm is shallow (<18 km) offshore, where the lithosphere is thinner. In continental Iberia, the NW Variscan domain presents a magnetic response that is most probably linked to thickening and later extension processes during the late Variscan Orogeny, which resulted in widespread crustal melting and emplacement of granites (in the Central Iberian Arc). The signature of the CPD at the Gibraltar Arc reveals a geometry consistent with the slab roll-back geodynamic model that shaped the western Mediterranean. In offshore areas, a broad extension of magnetized upper mantle is found. Serpentinization of the upper mantle, probably triggered in an extensional context, is proposed to account for the magnetic signal. The Atlantic margin presents up to 8 km of serpentinites, which, according to the identification of exhumed mantle, correlates with a hyperextended margin. The Mediterranean also presents generalized serpentinization up to 6 km in the Algerian Basin. Furthermore, a heat flow map and a Moho temperature map derived from the CPD are presented.

Diversity of introduced terrestrial flatworms in the Iberian Peninsula: a cautionary tale

PubMed Central

Álvarez-Presas, Marta; Tudó, Àngels; Jones, Hugh; Riutort, Marta

2014-01-01

Many tropical terrestrial planarians (Platyhelminthes, Geoplanidae) have been introduced around the globe. One of these species is known to cause significant decline in earthworm populations, resulting in a reduction of ecological functions that earthworms provide. Flatworms, additionally, are a potential risk to other species that have the same dietary needs. Hence, the planarian invasion might cause significant economic losses in agriculture and damage to the ecosystem. In the Iberian Peninsula only Bipalium kewense Moseley, 1878 had been cited till 2007. From that year on, four more species have been cited, and several reports of the presence of these animals in particular gardens have been received. In the present study we have: (1) analyzed the animals sent by non-specialists and also the presence of terrestrial planarians in plant nurseries and garden centers; (2) identified their species through morphological and phylogenetic molecular analyses, including representatives of their areas of origin; (3) revised their dietary sources and (4) used Species Distribution Modeling (SDM) for one species to evaluate the risk of its introduction to natural areas. The results have shown the presence of at least ten species of alien terrestrial planarians, from all its phylogenetic range. International plant trade is the source of these animals, and many garden centers are acting as reservoirs. Also, landscape restoration to reintroduce autochthonous plants has facilitated their introduction close to natural forests and agricultural fields. In conclusion, there is a need to take measures on plant trade and to have special care in the treatment of restored habitats. PMID:24949245

Downscaling of Global Climate Change Estimates to Regional Scales: An Application to Iberian Rainfall in Wintertime.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Storch, Hans; Zorita, Eduardo; Cubasch, Ulrich

1993-06-01

A statistical strategy to deduct regional-scale features from climate general circulation model (GCM) simulations has been designed and tested. The main idea is to interrelate the characteristic patterns of observed simultaneous variations of regional climate parameters and of large-scale atmospheric flow using the canonical correlation technique.The large-scale North Atlantic sea level pressure (SLP) is related to the regional, variable, winter (DJF) mean Iberian Peninsula rainfall. The skill of the resulting statistical model is shown by reproducing, to a good approximation, the winter mean Iberian rainfall from 1900 to present from the observed North Atlantic mean SLP distributions. It is shown that this observed relationship between these two variables is not well reproduced in the output of a general circulation model (GCM).The implications for Iberian rainfall changes as the response to increasing atmospheric greenhouse-gas concentrations simulated by two GCM experiments are examined with the proposed statistical model. In an instantaneous `2 C02' doubling experiment, using the simulated change of the mean North Atlantic SLP field to predict Iberian rainfall yields, there is an insignificant increase of area-averaged rainfall of 1 mm/month, with maximum values of 4 mm/month in the northwest of the peninsula. In contrast, for the four GCM grid points representing the Iberian Peninsula, the change is 10 mm/month, with a minimum of 19 mm/month in the southwest. In the second experiment, with the IPCC scenario A ("business as usual") increase Of C02, the statistical-model results partially differ from the directly simulated rainfall changes: in the experimental range of 100 years, the area-averaged rainfall decreases by 7 mm/month (statistical model), and by 9 mm/month (GCM); at the same time the amplitude of the interdecadal variability is quite different.

Links between teleconnection patterns and mean temperature in Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ríos-Cornejo, David; Penas, Ángel; Álvarez-Esteban, Ramón; del Río, Sara

2015-10-01

This work describes the relationships between Spanish temperature and four teleconnection patterns with influence on the Iberian Peninsula on monthly, seasonal and annual time scales, using data from 144 meteorological stations. Partial correlation analyses were carried out using Spearman test, and spatial distribution maps of the correlation coefficients were produced with geostatistical interpolation techniques. We regionalize the study area based on homogeneous areas containing weather stations with a similar response of temperatures to the same patterns. The links between the temperature and the patterns are mainly positive; only the correlations with Western Mediterranean Oscillation (WeMO) in the north and west are negative, indicating that WeMO plays an opposed role in temperature behaviour in Spain. In general terms, the four modes exert considerable influence on temperature in February, May and September. The East Atlantic (EA) is the pattern with the strongest influence on temperature in Spain—mainly in the north—except in June. Generally, on the seasonal and annual scales, large significant areas were only observed for the EA. EA and WeMO best account for the mean temperature on the Mediterranean fringe and in northern Spain, while EA and North Atlantic Oscillation largely explain the temperature in the rest of Spain.

Near-real-time processing of a ceilometer network assisted with sun-photometer data: monitoring a dust outbreak over the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cazorla, Alberto; Andrés Casquero-Vera, Juan; Román, Roberto; Guerrero-Rascado, Juan Luis; Toledano, Carlos; Cachorro, Victoria E.; Orza, José Antonio G.; Cancillo, María Luisa; Serrano, Antonio; Titos, Gloria; Pandolfi, Marco; Alastuey, Andres; Hanrieder, Natalie; Alados-Arboledas, Lucas

2017-10-01

The interest in the use of ceilometers for optical aerosol characterization has increased in the last few years. They operate continuously almost unattended and are also much less expensive than lidars; hence, they can be distributed in dense networks over large areas. However, due to the low signal-to-noise ratio it is not always possible to obtain particle backscatter coefficient profiles, and the vast number of data generated require an automated and unsupervised method that ensures the quality of the profiles inversions. In this work we describe a method that uses aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements from the AERONET network that it is applied for the calibration and automated quality assurance of inversion of ceilometer profiles. The method is compared with independent inversions obtained by co-located multiwavelength lidar measurements. A difference smaller than 15 % in backscatter is found between both instruments. This method is continuously and automatically applied to the Iberian Ceilometer Network (ICENET) and a case example during an unusually intense dust outbreak affecting the Iberian Peninsula between 20 and 24 February 2016 is shown. Results reveal that it is possible to obtain quantitative optical aerosol properties (particle backscatter coefficient) and discriminate the quality of these retrievals with ceilometers over large areas. This information has a great potential for alert systems and model assimilation and evaluation.

Earthquake prediction in seismogenic areas of the Iberian Peninsula based on computational intelligence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales-Esteban, A.; Martínez-Álvarez, F.; Reyes, J.

2013-05-01

A method to predict earthquakes in two of the seismogenic areas of the Iberian Peninsula, based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), is presented in this paper. ANNs have been widely used in many fields but only very few and very recent studies have been conducted on earthquake prediction. Two kinds of predictions are provided in this study: a) the probability of an earthquake, of magnitude equal or larger than a preset threshold magnitude, within the next 7 days, to happen; b) the probability of an earthquake of a limited magnitude interval to happen, during the next 7 days. First, the physical fundamentals related to earthquake occurrence are explained. Second, the mathematical model underlying ANNs is explained and the configuration chosen is justified. Then, the ANNs have been trained in both areas: The Alborán Sea and the Western Azores-Gibraltar fault. Later, the ANNs have been tested in both areas for a period of time immediately subsequent to the training period. Statistical tests are provided showing meaningful results. Finally, ANNs were compared to other well known classifiers showing quantitatively and qualitatively better results. The authors expect that the results obtained will encourage researchers to conduct further research on this topic. Development of a system capable of predicting earthquakes for the next seven days Application of ANN is particularly reliable to earthquake prediction. Use of geophysical information modeling the soil behavior as ANN's input data Successful analysis of one region with large seismic activity

Marked hybridization and introgression in Ophrys sect. Pseudophrys in the western Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Cotrim, Helena; Monteiro, Filipa; Sousa, Eva; Pinto, Manuel J; Fay, Michael F

2016-04-01

Orchids in the genus Ophrys represent extraordinary cases of tight coevolution between plants and their pollinators, and as a result, they present opportunities for studying hybridization, or a lack thereof, during speciation. However, few studies assess the real effect of hybridization in diversification. The three most representative species of section Pseudophrys in the western Iberian Peninsula-O. dyris, O. fusca, and O. lutea-were chosen to study evolutionary relationships and examine speciation. Using eight specific nuclear microsatellite loci, 357 individuals from 28 locations were studied; 142 of these samples were also studied with four plastid microsatellite loci. Data were analyzed using Bayesian cluster analysis, a median-joint network, and multivariate analysis. Many O. dyris and O. fusca specimens had three or four alleles and were therefore treated as tetraploid. Ophrys dyris is poorly genetically separated from O. fusca, and pure populations are rare. Ophrys fusca and O. lutea are distinct, but hybrids/introgressed individuals were detected in most of the populations and supported by plastid haplotypes. Ophrys fusca is subdivided into three well-delimited genetic lineages with a strict geographic correspondence confirmed by plastid haplotypes. Because postzygotic barriers are weak, leakage in this highly specialized orchid-pollinator system contributes to hybridization and introgression. These leakages may have occurred during periods of past climate change, promoting homogenization and the potential for generations of new biodiversity via production of novel genotypes/phenotypes interacting with pollinators. © 2016 Botanical Society of America.

“Tertius gaudens”: germplasm exchange networks and agroecological knowledge among home gardeners in the Iberian Peninsula

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The idea that knowledge flows through social networks is implicit in research on traditional knowledge, but researchers have paid scant attention to the role of social networks in shaping its distribution. We bridge those two bodies of research and investigate a) the structure of network of exchange of plant propagation material (germplasm) and b) the relation between a person’s centrality in such network and his/her agroecological knowledge. Methods We study 10 networks of germplasm exchange (n = 363) in mountain regions of the Iberian Peninsula. Data were collected through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and a survey. Results The networks display some structural characteristics (i.e., decentralization, presence of external actors) that could enhance the flow of knowledge and germplasm but also some characteristics that do not favor such flow (i.e., low density and fragmentation). We also find that a measure that captures the number of contacts of an individual in the germplasm exchange network is associated with the person’s agroecological knowledge. Conclusion Our findings highlight the importance of social relations in the construction of traditional knowledge. PMID:23883296

Benthic foraminifera as indicators of habitat change in anthropogenically impacted coastal wetlands of the Ebro Delta (NE Iberian Peninsula).

PubMed

Benito, Xavier; Trobajo, Rosa; Ibáñez, Carles; Cearreta, Alejandro; Brunet, Manola

2015-12-15

Present-day habitats of the Ebro Delta, NE Iberian Peninsula, have been ecologically altered as a consequence of intensive human impacts in the last two centuries (especially rice farming). Benthic foraminiferal palaeoassemblages and sediment characteristics of five short cores were used to reconstruct past wetland habitats, through application of multivariate DCA and CONISS techniques, and dissimilarity coefficients (SCD). The timing of environmental changes was compared to known natural and anthropogenic events in order to identify their possible relationships. In deltaic wetlands under altered hydrological conditions, we found a decrease in species diversity and calcareous-dominated assemblages, and a significant positive correlation between microfaunal changes and organic matter content. Modern analogues supported palaeoenvironmental interpretation of the recent evolution of the Delta wetlands. This research provides the first recent reconstruction of change in the Ebro Delta wetlands, and also illustrates the importance of benthic foraminifera for biomonitoring present and future conditions in Mediterranean deltas. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of mercury exposure and maternal-foetal transfer in Miniopterus schreibersii (Chiroptera: Miniopteridae) from southeastern Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Lisón, Fulgencio; Espín, Silvia; Aroca, Bárbara; Calvo, José F; García-Fernández, Antonio J

2017-02-01

Mercury (Hg) is a highly toxic and widely distributed metal that is bioaccumulated in insectivorous mammals and may cause adverse effects on the reproductive system. Bats are considered excellent Hg bioindicators due to their wide distribution, life span, trophic position, metabolic rate and food intake. However, few studies have analysed Hg residues in bats, and to the best of our knowledge, no studies have been made in the Iberian Peninsula. The main aim of this study was to undertake the first ever assessment of Hg exposure in Schreiber's bent-winged bats inhabiting a natural cave in the southeast of Spain. The findings suggest that Schreiber's bent-winged bats in the sampling area are chronically exposed to low levels of Hg. The Hg concentrations found in different tissues (fur, kidney, liver, muscle and brain) were below the threshold levels associated with toxic effects in mammals. Non-gestating females showed Hg concentrations in the brain and muscle that doubled those found in gestating females. This could be due to Hg mobilization from the mother to the foetus in gestating females, although other factors could contribute to explain this result such as variations in hunting areas and the insect-prey consumed and/or different energetic needs and average food consumption during the breeding season. Hg levels were 1.7 times higher, although not significant, in foetus' brains than in the maternal brains, and Hg concentration in foetus' brain was significantly correlated with levels in the corresponding mothers' kidney. These results suggest that there could be an active mother-to-foetus transfer of Hg in bats, which would be of special relevance in a scenario of higher Hg exposure than that found in this study. However, further research is needed to support this view due to the limited number of samples analysed. Given the scarce ecotoxicological data available for bats and their protected status, we encourage further opportunistic studies using carcasses found

Mollusc diversity associated with the non-indigenous macroalga Asparagopsis armata Harvey, 1855 along the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Rubal, Marcos; Costa-Garcia, Ricardo; Besteiro, Celia; Sousa-Pinto, Isabel; Veiga, Puri

2018-05-01

The aims of this study were to explore mollusc assemblages associated with the non-indigenous macroalga Asparagopsis armata, to compare them with those on other macroalgae at the study region and to explore potential differences on mollusc assemblages between two regions in the Atlantic coast of the Iberian Peninsula, where A. armata is present. To achieve this, at each region, four intertidal shores were sampled. Twenty-nine mollusc species were reported and thus, A. armata harboured similar or higher diversity than other annual macroalgae in this area. When compared with perennial macroalgae, results depend on the species and studied area. Moreover, significant differences in structure of mollusc assemblages between the two studied regions were found. However, these were due to differences in the relative abundance of species rather than the presence of exclusive species at each region. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diversity and biogeographical significance of solitary wasps (Chrysididae, Eumeninae, and Spheciformes) at the Arribes del Duero Natural Park, Spain: their importance for insect diversity conservation in the Mediterranean region.

PubMed

González, José A; Gayubo, Severiano F; Asís, Josep D; Tormos, José

2009-06-01

Between 1997 and 2005, a study was made of the Chrysididae, Eumeninae, and Spheciformes wasps in the Arribes del Duero Natural Park (Provinces of Salamanca and Zamora, western Spain), a highly heterogeneous Mediterranean landscape. We collected, respectively, 127, 57, and 230 species of these groups, constituting approximately 50% of the species known for the Iberian Peninsula. The inventory was fairly complete according to the final slope of the species accumulation curves. From a biogeographic point of view, the predominant elements of the Arribes del Duero fauna are Mediterranean in the broad sense, together with a high percentage of species of Euro-Atlantic distribution. The proportion of endemic species obtained is similar to those known for the whole of the Iberian Peninsula. The species endemic to the northern subplateau and to the southwestern quadrant predominate. The Arribes del Duero territory is the northern limit of the distribution of some Iberian-Maghrebine species, although it is also the southern limit of species widely distributed throughout central and northern Europe. The Atlantic influence in the territory has facilitated the persistence of some species, with an Atlantic or sub-Atlantic distribution, related in particular to riparian forests. This space constitutes a large eco-corridor that joins the north of the Peninsula to the south, linking communities corresponding to the Eurosiberian and Mediterranean biogeographic regions and to territories encompassed within the Temperate and Mediterranean macrobioclimates. Thus, because of its geographic situation and extensive latitudinal range, together with the fact that it has a good representation of European biodiversity, the Arribes del Duero Park is proposed as a priority area for insect diversity conservation in the Mediterranean region.

Magnetostratigraphy of Early Middle Toarcian expanded sections from the Iberian Range (central Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osete, María-Luisa; Gialanella, Paola-Romana; Gómez, Juan J.; Villalaín, Juan J.; Goy, Antonio; Heller, Friedrich

2007-07-01

The magnetostratigraphy of the Lower-Middle Toarcian has been established in two well-dated stratigraphically expanded sections: the Sierra Palomera and the Ariño sections, located in the Iberian Range, in central-eastern Spain. Two magnetisation components could be isolated by thermal cleaning: a secondary syntectonic component of always normal polarity unblocking at intermediate temperatures up to 450 °C/475 °C (A component) and a high temperature unblocking component up to 575 °C (B component). The B component passes fold and reversal tests and is considered the characteristic remanent magnetisation of primary origin. The first Toarcian palaeomagnetic pole for Iberia has been obtained: Plat = 77.4°, Plon = 241.3°E (dm = 5.4° dp = 6.0°). Five pairs of normal and reversed polarity zones were calibrated to regional ammonite subzones. The pattern can be calibrated to other Toarcian magnetostratigraphic studies, but provides a more detailed biostratigraphic framework. A refined magnetic polarity time scale is proposed for the Lower-Middle Toarcian.

Making different things, but eating the same food? Correlation between cultural and subsistence changes during the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rufà, Anna; Vaquero, Manuel

2018-03-01

The end of the Pleistocene is characterized by a succession of climatic oscillations from the onset of MIS 2. These oscillations were associated with important environmental transformations that culminated in the Pleistocene to the Holocene transition, with latter climate amelioration. However, the changes during this period are not only restricted to the environment, as important cultural transformations took place. The cultural traditions characteristics from the end of the Upper Paleolithic disappear with the emergence of the traits characteristic of the Mesolithic culture. This is clearly attested in the well-known lithic record, but also in other domains of material culture, like bone industry and art. Nevertheless, the extent to which these cultural and environmental transformations were associated with changes in subsistence strategies remains unclear, at least at the Mediterranean basin of the Iberian Peninsula. Apparently, the exploitation of faunal resources during the Mesolithic does not seem to change so much with respect to the end of the Upper Paleolithic, especially concerning the consumption of small prey. The main goal of this paper is (1) to analyze how environmental transformations could or could not intervene on the modes of life of Prehistoric populations during these transitional periods, and (2) to discuss the apparent dichotomy between cultural changes and subsistence strategies at the end of the Upper Paleolithic and the Mesolithic in northeastern Iberia. In that sense, we will include the case of the Molí del Salt site (Catalonia, Spain) as an example to explain these trends. This site has an archaeological sequence from the Upper Magdalenian to the Mesolithic, which makes it a reference place to comprehend the dynamics of human populations during this period.

Climatic implications of correlated upper Pleistocene glacial and fluvial deposits on the Cinca and Gallego rivers, NE Spain

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lewis, Claudia J; Mcdonald, Eric; Sancho, Carlos

We correlate Upper Pleistocene glacial and fluvial deposits of the Cinca and Gallego River valleys (south central Pyrenees and Ebro basin, Spain) using geomorphic position, luminescence dates, and time-related trends in soil development. The ages obtained from glacial deposits indicate glacial periods at 85 {+-} 5 ka, 64 {+-} 11 ka, and 36 {+-} 3 ka (from glacial till) and 20 {+-} 3 ka (from loess). The fluvial drainage system, fed by glaciers in the headwaters, developed extensive terrace systems in the Cinca River valley at 178 {+-} 21 ka, 97 {+-} 16 ka, 61 {+-} 4 ka, 47 {+-}more » 4 ka, and 11 {+-} 1 ka, and in the Gallego River valley at 151 {+-} 11 ka, 68 {+-} 7 ka, and 45 {+-} 3 ka. The times of maximum geomorphic activity related to cold phases coincide with Late Pleistocene marine isotope stages and heinrich events. The maximum extent of glaciers during the last glacial occurred at 64 {+-} 11 ka, and the terraces correlated with this glacial phase are the most extensive in both the Cinca (61 {+-} 4 ka) and Gallego (68 {+-} 7 ka) valleys, indicating a strong increase in fluvial discharge and availability of sediments related to the transition to deglaciation. The global Last Glacial Maximum is scarcely represented in the south central Pyrenees owing to dominantly dry conditions at that time. Precipitation must be controlled by the position of the Iberian Peninsula with respect to the North Atlantic atmospheric circulation system. The glacial systems and the associated fluvial dynamic seem sensitive to (1) global climate changes controlled by insolation, (2) North Atlantic thermohaline circulation influenced by freshwater pulses into the North Atlantic, and (3) anomalies in atmospheric circulation in the North Atlantic controlling precipitation on the Iberian peninsula. The model of glacial and fluvial evolution during the Late Pleistocene in northern Spain could be extrapolated to other glaciated mountainous areas in southern Europe.« less

Validation of integrated water vapor from OMI satellite instrument against reference GPS data at the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Vaquero-Martínez, Javier; Antón, Manuel; Ortiz de Galisteo, José Pablo; Cachorro, Victoria E; Wang, Huiqun; González Abad, Gonzalo; Román, Roberto; Costa, Maria João

2017-02-15

This paper shows the validation of integrated water vapor (IWV) measurements retrieved from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), using as reference nine ground-based GPS stations in the Iberian Peninsula. The study period covers from 2007 to 2009. The influence of two factors, - solar zenith angle (SZA) and IWV -, on OMI-GPS differences was studied in detail, as well as the seasonal dependence. The pseudomedian of the relative differences is -1 ± 1% and the inter-quartile range (IQR) is 41%. Linear regressions calculated over each station show an acceptable agreement (R 2 up to 0.77). The OMI-GPS differences display a clear dependence on IWV values. Hence, OMI substantially overestimates the lower IWV data recorded by GPS (∼ 40%), while underestimates the higher IWV reference values (∼ 20%). In connection to this IWV dependence, the relative differences also show an evident SZA dependence when the whole range of IWV values are analyzed (OMI overestimates for high SZA values while underestimates for low values). Finally, the seasonal variation of the OMI-GPS differences is also associated with the strong IWV dependence found in this validation exercise. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A shift in the spatial pattern of Iberian droughts during the 17th century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domínguez-Castro, F.; García-Herrera, R.; Ribera, P.; Barriendos, M.

2010-06-01

In this paper, series of drought occurrence and drought extension in the Iberian Peninsula are constructed for the 1600-1750 period from seven rogation series. These rogation ceremony records come from Bilbao, Catalonia, Zamora, Zaragoza, Toledo, Murcia and Seville. They are distributed across the Peninsula and include the areas with the most characteristic Iberian climate types, influenced by the Atlantic and the Mediterranean conditions, described from modern data. A seasonal division of the series shows that spring is a critical season for rogation series in most of Iberia, being Bilbao the only site were the highest number of rogations is detected for a different season. The annual analysis of the series shows a dramatic difference between the period 1600-1652, when droughts are characterized by its local character; and the period 1653-1749, when they affect to broader regions or even to the whole Peninsula. The analysis of spring series confirms the existence of the two periods detected in the annual analysis. Finally, secondary documentary sources are used to further characterise the two most extended droughts in the period, 1664 and 1680, and to verify the extension of the areas affected by droughts recorded through rogation series.

The use of radio-collars for monitoring wildlife diseases: a case study from Iberian ibex affected by Sarcoptes scabiei in Sierra Nevada, Spain

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Wildlife radio tracking has gained popularity during the recent past. Ecologists and conservationists use radio-collars for different purposes: animal movement monitoring, home range, productivity, population estimation, behaviour, habitat use, survival, and predator-prey interaction, among others. The aim of our present study is to highlight the application of radio-collars for wildlife diseases monitoring. The spread of wildlife diseases and the efficacy of management actions for controlling them propose serious challenges for ecologists and conservationists, since it is difficult to re-capture (or simply observe) the same animal in pre-determined temporal interval, but such difficulty is overcome by the use of gps-gsm radio collars. Methods In the present study we report, for the first time to our knowledge, the use of radio-collars in the monitoring of Iberian ibex affected by Sarcoptes scabiei in Sierra Nevada mountain range, Spain. Twenty-five moderate or slightly mangy animals were radio-collared between 2006 and 2013. Results The radio-collars allowed us to confirm the presence of resistance to S. scabiei within Iberian ibex population. Twenty (80%) of the collared animals recovered totally from mange, while the disease progressed in the other five Iberian ibex (20% of the collared animals) and the animals died. The average estimated recovery time of the resistant animals was 245 ± 277 days, and the estimated average survival time of the non-resistant Iberian ibex was 121 ± 71 days. Non-resistant animals survived at least 100 days, while all of them died with less than 200 days. Sixty per cent of the resistant animals were recovered with less than 200 days. Conclusions We report, for the first time, the successful use of radio collars for wildlife diseases monitoring using Iberian ibex/S. scabiei as a model. By using radio collars we documented that most of the Sarcoptes-infected Iberian ibex are resistant to this disease, and we

Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. Chemotypes in Eastern Iberian Peninsula: Essential Oil Variation and Relation with Ecological Factors.

PubMed

Llorens-Molina, Juan Antonio; Rivera Seclén, Cynthia Fiorella; Vacas Gonzalez, Sandra; Boira Tortajada, Herminio

2017-12-01

Essential oil (EO) extracts coming from two representative populations of Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. subesp. suaveolens in Eastern Iberian Peninsula were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry and flame ion detector. Plant sampling was carried out in the morning and evening in order to study diurnal variation in EO profiles. Likewise, leaves and inflorescences were analyzed separately. Two chemotypes corresponding to each one of the populations were identified, with piperitenone oxide (35.2 - 74.3%) and piperitone oxide (83.9 - 91.3%), respectively, as major compounds. Once different chemotypes were identified, canonical correspondence analysis was employed to evaluate the effect of the bioclimatic and edaphic factors recorded in each location on the observed differences. Statistical analysis suggested that these chemotypes were closely related to specific environmental factors, mainly the bioclimatic ones. Concretely, piperitenone oxide chemotype can be associated to supramediterranean bioclimatic conditions and soils with major salinity and water field capacity. On the other hand, the most volatile fraction (hydrocarbon monoterpenes) reached its higher level in the morning; specifically, a noticeable amount of limonene was found in morning samples of flowers (4.8 - 10.6%). This fact can be related to ecological role of volatile compounds in order to attract pollinator insects. © 2017 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.

Eurasian otters, Lutra lutra, have a dominant mtDNA haplotype from the Iberian Peninsula to Scandinavia.

PubMed

Ferrando, Ainhoa; Ponsà, Montserrat; Marmi, Josep; Domingo-Roura, Xavier

2004-01-01

The Eurasian otter, Lutra lutra, has a Palaearctic distribution and has suffered a severe decline throughout Europe during the last century. Previous studies in this and other mustelids have shown reduced levels of variability in mitochondrial DNA, although otter phylogeographic studies were restricted to central-western Europe. In this work we have sequenced 361 bp of the mtDNA control region in 73 individuals from eight countries and added our results to eight sequences available from GenBank and the literature. The range of distribution has been expanded in relation to previous works north towards Scandinavia, east to Russia and Belarus, and south to the Iberian Peninsula. We found a single dominant haplotype in 91.78% of the samples, and six more haplotypes deviating a maximum of two mutations from the dominant haplotype restricted to a single country. Variability was extremely low in western Europe but higher in eastern countries. This, together with the lack of phylogeographical structuring, supports the postglacial recolonization of Europe from a single refugium. The Eurasian otter mtDNA control region has a 220-bp variable minisatellite in Domain III that we sequenced in 29 otters. We found a total of 19 minisatellite haplotypes, but they showed no phylogenetic information.

Snowfall in the Northwest Iberian Peninsula: Synoptic Circulation Patterns and Their Influence on Snow Day Trends

PubMed Central

Merino, Andrés; Fernández, Sergio; Hermida, Lucía; López, Laura; Sánchez, José Luis; García-Ortega, Eduardo; Gascón, Estíbaliz

2014-01-01

In recent decades, a decrease in snowfall attributed to the effects of global warming (among other causes) has become evident. However, it is reasonable to investigate meteorological causes for such decrease, by analyzing changes in synoptic scale patterns. On the Iberian Peninsula, the Castilla y León region in the northwest consists of a central plateau surrounded by mountain ranges. This creates snowfalls that are considered both an important water resource and a transportation risk. In this work, we develop a classification of synoptic situations that produced important snowfalls at observation stations in the major cities of Castilla y León from 1960 to 2011. We used principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster techniques to define four synoptic patterns conducive to snowfall in the region. Once we confirmed homogeneity of the series and serial correlation of the snowfallday records at the stations from 1960 to 2011, we carried out a Mann-Kendall test. The results show a negative trend at most stations, so there are a decreased number of snowfall days. Finally, variations in these meteorological variables were related to changes in the frequencies of snow events belonging to each synoptic pattern favorable for snowfall production at the observatory locations. PMID:25152912

Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Avipoxvirus in House Sparrows in Spain.

PubMed

Ruiz-Martínez, Jorge; Ferraguti, Martina; Figuerola, Jordi; Martínez-de la Puente, Josué; Williams, Richard Alexander John; Herrera-Dueñas, Amparo; Aguirre, José Ignacio; Soriguer, Ramón; Escudero, Clara; Moens, Michaël André Jean; Pérez-Tris, Javier; Benítez, Laura

2016-01-01

Avipoxvirus (APV) is a fairly common virus affecting birds that causes morbidity and mortality in wild and captive birds. We studied the prevalence of pox-like lesions and genetic diversity of APV in house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in natural, agricultural and urban areas in southern Spain in 2013 and 2014 and in central Spain for 8 months (2012-2013). Overall, 3.2% of 2,341 house sparrows visually examined in southern Spain had cutaneous lesions consistent with avian pox. A similar prevalence (3%) was found in 338 birds from central Spain. Prevalence was higher in hatch-year birds than in adults. We did not detect any clear spatial or temporal patterns of APV distribution. Molecular analyses of poxvirus-like lesions revealed that 63% of the samples were positive. Molecular and phylogenetic analyses of 29 DNA sequences from the fpv167 gene, detected two strains belonging to the canarypox clade (subclades B1 and B2) previously found in Spain. One of them appears predominant in Iberia and North Africa and shares 70% similarity to fowlpox and canarypox virus. This APV strain has been identified in a limited number of species in the Iberian Peninsula, Morocco and Hungary. The second one has a global distribution and has been found in numerous wild bird species around the world. To our knowledge, this represents the largest study of avian poxvirus disease in the broadly distributed house sparrow and strongly supports the findings that Avipox prevalence in this species in South and central Spain is moderate and the genetic diversity low.

Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Avipoxvirus in House Sparrows in Spain

PubMed Central

Ruiz-Martínez, Jorge; Ferraguti, Martina; Figuerola, Jordi; Martínez-de la Puente, Josué; Williams, Richard Alexander John; Herrera-Dueñas, Amparo; Aguirre, José Ignacio; Soriguer, Ramón; Escudero, Clara; Moens, Michaël André Jean; Pérez-Tris, Javier; Benítez, Laura

2016-01-01

Avipoxvirus (APV) is a fairly common virus affecting birds that causes morbidity and mortality in wild and captive birds. We studied the prevalence of pox-like lesions and genetic diversity of APV in house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in natural, agricultural and urban areas in southern Spain in 2013 and 2014 and in central Spain for 8 months (2012–2013). Overall, 3.2% of 2,341 house sparrows visually examined in southern Spain had cutaneous lesions consistent with avian pox. A similar prevalence (3%) was found in 338 birds from central Spain. Prevalence was higher in hatch-year birds than in adults. We did not detect any clear spatial or temporal patterns of APV distribution. Molecular analyses of poxvirus-like lesions revealed that 63% of the samples were positive. Molecular and phylogenetic analyses of 29 DNA sequences from the fpv167 gene, detected two strains belonging to the canarypox clade (subclades B1 and B2) previously found in Spain. One of them appears predominant in Iberia and North Africa and shares 70% similarity to fowlpox and canarypox virus. This APV strain has been identified in a limited number of species in the Iberian Peninsula, Morocco and Hungary. The second one has a global distribution and has been found in numerous wild bird species around the world. To our knowledge, this represents the largest study of avian poxvirus disease in the broadly distributed house sparrow and strongly supports the findings that Avipox prevalence in this species in South and central Spain is moderate and the genetic diversity low. PMID:28005936

Adaptive thresholding algorithm based on SAR images and wind data to segment oil spills along the northwest coast of the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Mera, David; Cotos, José M; Varela-Pet, José; Garcia-Pineda, Oscar

2012-10-01

Satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has been established as a useful tool for detecting hydrocarbon spillage on the ocean's surface. Several surveillance applications have been developed based on this technology. Environmental variables such as wind speed should be taken into account for better SAR image segmentation. This paper presents an adaptive thresholding algorithm for detecting oil spills based on SAR data and a wind field estimation as well as its implementation as a part of a functional prototype. The algorithm was adapted to an important shipping route off the Galician coast (northwest Iberian Peninsula) and was developed on the basis of confirmed oil spills. Image testing revealed 99.93% pixel labelling accuracy. By taking advantage of multi-core processor architecture, the prototype was optimized to get a nearly 30% improvement in processing time. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detection of Marteilia refringens infecting the European flat oyster Ostrea edulis and the dwarf oyster Ostrea stentina in southern Portugal and Spain.

PubMed

López-Sanmartín, Monserrat; Batista, Frederico M; del Carmen Marín, María; Garrido, Inmaculada; Quintero, David; Grade, Ana; Ruano, Francisco; de la Herrán, Roberto; Navas, José I

2015-09-01

In the present study, Marteilia sp. was detected by histological examination and in situ hybridisation in Ostrea edulis and Ostrea stentina collected in southern Iberian Peninsula. Marteilia refringens DNA was detected by PCR in O. edulis (collected in southern Portugal) and O. stentina (collected in southern Spain and Portugal). Sequencing analysis revealed the presence of M. refringens type O in O. edulis, and type O and M in O. stentina. This is the first confirmed detection of M. refringens in Portugal and the first report on the occurrence of M. refringens infecting O. stentina in Europe. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Plant-based remedies for wolf bites and rituals against wolves in the Iberian Peninsula: Therapeutic opportunities and cultural values for the conservation of biocultural diversity.

PubMed

González, José A; Carvalho, Ana Maria; Vallejo, José Ramón; Amich, Francisco

2017-09-14

Combined approaches to local knowledge and folk plant use improve awareness and promote effective strategies for the conservation of significant biocultural patrimony. Moreover, the information reported might be the basis for further appropriate phytochemical and pharmacological research. Therefore we provide an insight into traditional herbal remedies and practices for healing bite injuries in humans and domestic animals caused by the Iberian wolf. Wolf bites are associated with inflammatory processes and rabies is a potential complication AIMS: This paper describes and summarises the medicinal-veterinary empirical and ritual uses of the Iberian flora for wolf injuries and reviews the ethnopharmacological data of specific plants that are already published. The Iberian wolf is a critically endangered subspecies of the grey wolf. Livestock attacks attributed to wolves are increasingly frequent in the Iberian Peninsula, resulting in serious social problems. Interesting strategies for Iberian wolf conservation might be related to traditional grazing practices that are deeply linked with empirical knowledge and local practices passed on by oral tradition, which are also vulnerable now. Based on documentary sources from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present, we systematically searched old monographs, regional documents, technical papers, project reports, as well as the international and national databases and the available scientific literature, without restrictions regarding the language of the publications consulted. A total of 39 remedies for healing wolf bite injuries in humans and domestic animals was reported, highlighting the medicinal use of 33 species of vascular plants, mostly wild herbs, belonging to 18 botanical families. The use of wood ashes was also reported. The number of use-reports found represents a very high number considering similar European studies. Leaves were the predominant plant part mentioned. Boiling plant materials in water

The 23 April 1909 Benavente earthquake (Portugal): macroseismic field revision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teves-Costa, Paula; Batlló, Josep

2011-01-01

The 23 April 1909 earthquake, with epicentre near Benavente (Portugal), was the largest crustal earthquake in the Iberian Peninsula during the twentieth century ( M w = 6.0). Due to its importance, several studies were developed soon after its occurrence, in Portugal and in Spain. A perusal of the different studies on the macroseismic field of this earthquake showed some discrepancies, in particular on the abnormal patterns of the isoseismal curves in Spain. Besides, a complete list of intensity data points for the event is unavailable at present. Seismic moment, focal mechanism and other earthquake parameters obtained from the instrumental records have been recently reviewed and recalculated. Revision of the macroseismic field of this earthquake poses a unique opportunity to study macroseismic propagation and local effects in central Iberian Peninsula. For this reasons, a search to collect new macroseismic data for this earthquake has been carried out, and a re-evaluation of the whole set has been performed and it is presented here. Special attention is paid to the observed low attenuation of the macroseismic effects, heterogeneous propagation and the distortion introduced by local amplifications. Results of this study indicate, in general, an overestimation of the intensity degrees previously assigned to this earthquake in Spain; also it illustrates how difficult it is to assign an intensity degree to a large town, where local effects play an important role, and confirms the low attenuation of seismic propagation inside the Iberian Peninsula from west and southwest to east and northeast.

First cases of European bat lyssavirus type 1 in Iberian serotine bats: Implications for the molecular epidemiology of bat rabies in Europe.

PubMed

Mingo-Casas, Patricia; Sandonís, Virginia; Obón, Elena; Berciano, José M; Vázquez-Morón, Sonia; Juste, Javier; Echevarría, Juan E

2018-04-01

Previous studies have shown that EBLV-1 strains exclusively hosted by Eptesicus isabellinus bats in the Iberian Peninsula cluster in a specific monophyletic group that is related to the EBLV-1b lineage found in the rest of Europe. More recently, enhanced passive surveillance has allowed the detection of the first EBLV-1 strains associated to Eptesicus serotinus south of the Pyrenees. The aim of this study is the reconstruction of the EBLV-1 phylogeny and phylodynamics in the Iberian Peninsula in the context of the European continent. We have sequenced 23 EBLV-1 strains detected on nine E. serotinus and 14 E. isabellinus. Phylogenetic analyses were performed on the first 400-bp-5' fragment of the Nucleoprotein (N) gene together with other 162 sequences from Europe. Besides, fragments of the variable region of the phosphoprotein (P) gene and the glycoprotein-polymerase (G-L) intergenic region were studied on Spanish samples. Phylogenies show that two of the new EBLV-1a strains from Iberian E. serotinus clustered together with French strains from the North of the Pyrenees, suggesting a recent expansion southwards of this subtype. The remaining seven Iberian strains from E. serotinus grouped, instead, within the cluster linked, so far, to E. isabellinus, indicating that spatial distribution prevails over species specificity in explaining rabies distribution and supporting interspecific transmission. The structure found within the Iberian Peninsula for EBLV-1b is in concordance with that described previously for E. isabellinus. Finally, we have found that the current EBLV-1 European strains could have emerged only 175 years ago according to our evolutionary dynamics analyses.

A survey of mosquitoes breeding in used tires in Spain for the detection of imported potential vector species.

PubMed

Roiz, D; Eritja, R; Escosa, R; Lucientes, J; Marquès, E; Melero-Alcíbar, R; Ruiz, S; Molina, R

2007-06-01

The used tire trade has facilitated the introduction, spread, and establishment of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, and other mosquito species in several countries of America, Africa, Oceania, and Europe. A strategy for detecting these imported mosquito vectors was developed in Spain during 2003-2004 by EVITAR (multidisciplinary network for the study of viruses transmitted by arthropods and rodents). A survey in 45 locations found no invasive species. Eight autochthonous species of mosquitoes were detected in used tires, including Culex pipiens, Cx. hortensis, Cx. modestus, Anopheles atroparvus, An. claviger, Culiseta longiareolata, Cs. annulata, and Aedes caspius. Dominant species were Cx. pipiens and Cs. longiareolata. Aedes caspius was found in only once, near its natural breeding habitat. Considering the recent discovery of an established population of Ae. albopictus in Catalonia, the increasing commerce of used tires in Spain for recycling, storage, and recapping might greatly contribute to the rapid spread of this species across the Iberian Peninsula.

Spain.

PubMed

1985-03-01

Spain is a constitutional monarchy with a population of 38.3 million growing at .5%/year. The most striking topographical features are the high plateaus and internal compartmentalization by mountain and river barriers. Nearly 3/4 of the country is arid. The Iberian peninsula was the scene of successive invasions and warfare for centuries. Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Moors, Celts, Romans, and Visigoths all invaded at some time. The present language, religion, and laws stem from the Roman Period. The Reconquest from the North African Moors lasted over 700 years until they were driven out in 1492. The unification of present day Spain was complete by 1512. A period of dictatorial rule from 1923-31 ended with establishment of the Second Republic which saw increasing political polarization culminating in the Spanish Civil War. Franco's victory in 1939 was followed by official neutrality but pro-Axis policies during World War II. Spain's economy began to recover during the 1950s, but large scale modernization and development did not occur until the 1960s. Prince Juan Carlos de Borbon y Borbon, Franco's personally designated heir, assumed the title of king and chief of state with Franco's death in 1975. Franco's last prime minister was replaced in July 1976 in order to speed the pace of post-Franco liberalization. Spain's 1st parliamentary elections since 1936 were held in 1977, and a new constitution protecting human and civil rights and granting due process was overwhelmingly approved in 1978. The constitution also authorized creation of regional autonomous governments. By the mid-1970s, Spain had developed a strong and diversified industrial sector and a thriving tourist industry. From 1975-83, there were 8 years of double-digit inflation, an average growth rate of 1.5% in real terms, and an increase in unemployment from about 4.7% to 18.4%. By 1984 there was substantial improvement in inflation and the balance of payments. Goals of current government economic

Comparative cytogenetics of two endangered leuciscine fish, Squalius aradensis and S. torgalensis (Teleostei, Cyprinidae), from the Iberian Peninsula

PubMed Central

Nabais, Catarina; Rampin, Massimiliano; Collares-Pereira, Maria João

2013-01-01

Abstract In this study, the description of the karyotypes of the endangered chubs Squalius aradensis (Coelho, Bogutskaya, Rodrigues and Collares-Pereira, 1998) and Squalius torgalensis (Coelho, Bogutskaya, Rodrigues and Collares-Pereira, 1998) is presented by means of conventional (Giemsa-staining, Chromomycin A3 (CMA3)-fluorescence, Silver-impregnation (Ag-NORs)) and molecular (fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with 18S rDNA probe) protocols. These endemic sister-species have an allopatric but adjacent distribution in the most southwestern part of the Iberian Peninsula. Diploid chromosome number was invariably 2n = 50 and karyotypes of both species were grossly similar, composed of metacentric and submetacentric elements with a reduced number of acrocentric pairs. Sequential staining using FISH with an 18S rDNA probe, CMA3 and Ag-NORs treatments revealed consistent positive signals located at the end of the short arms of a submetacentric chromosome pair, likely homologous in both species. While providing useful cytogenetic comparative data against other members of the genus Squalius Bonaparte, 1837, the work aimed to draw attention towards the conservation of two narrow-range and highly confined fish species. PMID:24260688

Tree-ring-based drought reconstruction in the Iberian Range (east of Spain) since 1694

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tejedor, Ernesto; de Luis, Martín; Cuadrat, José María; Esper, Jan; Saz, Miguel Ángel

2016-03-01

Droughts are a recurrent phenomenon in the Mediterranean basin with negative consequences for society, economic activities, and natural systems. Nevertheless, the study of drought recurrence and severity in Spain has been limited so far due to the relatively short instrumental period. In this work, we present a reconstruction of the standardized precipitation index (SPI) for the Iberian Range. Growth variations and climatic signals within the network are assessed developing a correlation matrix and the data combined to a single chronology integrating 336 samples from 169 trees of five different pine species distributed throughout the province of Teruel. The new chronology, calibrated against regional instrumental climatic data, shows a high and stable correlation with the July SPI integrating moisture conditions over 12 months forming the basis for a 318-year drought reconstruction. The climate signal contained in this reconstruction is highly significant ( p < 0.05) and spatially robust over the interior areas of Spain located above 1000 meters above sea level (masl). According to our SPI reconstruction, seven substantially dry and five wet periods are identified since the late seventeenth century considering ≥±1.76 standard deviations. Besides these, 36 drought and 28 pluvial years were identified. Some of these years, such as 1725, 1741, 1803, and 1879, are also revealed in other drought reconstructions in Romania and Turkey, suggesting that coherent larger-scale synoptic patterns drove these extreme deviations. Since regional drought deviations are also retained in historical documents, the tree-ring-based reconstruction presented here will allow us to cross-validate drought frequency and magnitude in a highly vulnerable region.

Deciphering Fluvial-Capture-Induced Erosional Patterns at the Continental Scale on the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anton, L.; Munoz Martin, A.; De Vicente, G.; Finnegan, N. J.

2017-12-01

The process of river incision into bedrock dictates the landscape response to changes in climate and bedrock uplift in most unglaciated settings. Hence, understanding processes of river incision into bedrock and their topographic signatures are a basic goal of geomorphology. Formerly closed drainage basins provide an exceptional setting for the quantification of long term fluvial dissection and landscape change, making them valuable natural laboratories. Internally drained basins are peculiar because they trap all the sediment eroded within the watershed; as closed systems they do not respond to the base level of the global ocean and deposition is the dominant process. In that context, the opening of an outward drainage involves a sudden lowering of the base level, which is transmitted upstream along fluvial channels in the form of erosional waves, leading to high incision and denudation rates within the intrabasinal areas. Through digital topographic analysis and paleolandscape reconstruction based on relict deposits and landscapes on the Iberian Peninsula, we quantify the volume of sediments eroded from formerly internally drained basins since capture. Mapping of fluvial dissection patterns reveals how, and how far, regional waves of incision have propagated upstream. In our analysis, erosional patterns are consistent with the progressive establishment of an outward drainage system, providing a relative capture chronology for the different studied basins. Divide migration inferred from chi maps supports the interpretations based on fluvial dissection patterns and volumes, providing clues on how landscaped changed and how drainage integration occurred within the studied watersheds. [Funded by S2013/MAE-2739 and CGL2014-59516].

A shift in the spatial pattern of Iberian droughts during the 17th century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domínguez-Castro, F.; García-Herrera, R.; Ribera, P.; Barriendos, M.

2010-09-01

In this paper, series of drought occurrence and drought extension in the Iberian Peninsula are constructed for the 1600-1750 period from seven rogation series. These rogation ceremony records come from Bilbao, Catalonia, Zamora, Zaragoza, Toledo, Murcia and Seville. They are distributed across the Peninsula and include the areas with the most characteristic Iberian climate types, influenced by the Atlantic and the Mediterranean conditions, described from modern data. A seasonal division of the series shows that spring is a critical season for rogation series in most of Iberia, being Bilbao the only site were the highest number of rogations is detected for a different season. The annual analysis of the series shows a dramatic difference between the first half of the 17th century when droughts are characterized by its local character; and the rest of the period, when they affect to broader regions or even to the whole Peninsula. The analysis of spring series confirms the existence of the two periods detected in the annual analysis. Finally, secondary documentary sources are used to further characterise the two most extended droughts in the period, 1664 and 1680, and to verify the extension of the areas affected by droughts recorded through rogation series.

Cirrus clouds properties derived from polarized micro pulse lidar (p-mpl) observations at the atmospheric observatory `el arenosillo' (sw iberian peninsula): a case study for radiative implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Águila, Ana del; Gómez, Laura; Vilaplana, José Manuel; Sorribas, Mar; Córdoba-Jabonero, Carmen

2018-04-01

Cirrus (Ci) clouds are involved in Climate Change concerns since they affect the radiative balance of the atmosphere. Recently, a polarized Micro Pulse Lidar (P-MPL), standard system within NASA/MPLNET has been deployed at the INTA/Atmospheric Observatory `El Arenosillo' (ARN), located in the SW Iberian Peninsula. Hence, the INTA/P-MPL system is used for Ci detection over that station for the first time. Radiative effects of a Ci case observed over ARN are examined, as reference for future long-term Ci observations. Optical and macrophysical properties are retrieved, and used for radiative transfer simulations. Data are compared to the measured surface radiation levels and all-sky images simultaneously performed at the ARN station.

Biogeography of Iberian freshwater fishes revisited: The roles of historical versus contemporary constraints

USGS Publications Warehouse

Filipe, Ana F.; Araújo, Miguel B.; Doadrio, Ignacio; Angermeier, Paul L.; Collares-Pereira, Maria J.

2009-01-01

Main conclusions The results support the hypothesis that historical factors exert greater constraints on native freshwater fish assemblages in the Iberian Peninsula than do current environmental factors. After examining patterns of assemblage variation across space, as evidenced by the biogeographical provinces, we discuss the likely dispersal and speciation events that underlie these patterns. 

Why coastal upwelling is expected to increase along the western Iberian Peninsula over the next century?

PubMed

Sousa, Magda Catarina; deCastro, Maite; Alvarez, Ines; Gomez-Gesteira, Moncho; Dias, João Miguel

2017-08-15

Former studies about coastal upwelling along the Western Iberian Peninsula (WIP) using historical data indicated contradictory results, showing either its strengthening or reduction, while previous studies using Global Climate Models (GCMs) indicated that global warming is likely to intensify this phenomenon although predicting different rates and not justifying the patterns found. Taking advantage of the recent high spatial resolution Regional Climate Models (RCMs) projections from EURO-CORDEX project (Representative Concentration Pathway, RCP 8.5), detailed higher accuracy estimations of the spatio-temporal trends of Upwelling Index (UI) along the WIP coast were performed in this study, integrating the coastal mesoscale effects within the framework of climate change. Additionally, this research brings new insights about the origin of the WIP coastal upwelling intensification over the next century. These new projections clarified the upwelling strengthening rates predicted along the coast of the WIP from 2006 to 2099 revealing more prominent changes in the northern limit of the region (25-30m 3 s -1 km -1 per decade between 41.5 and 42.5°N). Trends observed at high latitudes of the region were found to be induced by the displacement of the Azores High, which will intensify (0.03hPa per decade) and drift northeastward (10km per decade) during the 21st century. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

First Solar and Stellar Paintings in the Epipaleolithic and Neolithic Rock Art of the Iberian Peninsula (II): new Shelters and Ceramic Pieces decorated with Astral Paintings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quintano, J. F.

2009-08-01

This paper is a continuation of the research into the astronomical reasons behind prehistoric rock and mobiliary art in the Iberian Peninsula, the first part of which was presented in the previous SEAC Congress celebrated in 2007 in Klaipeda (Lithuania). It proposes that all heavenly objects painted as rock art and on ceramic pieces be given the name of astraliformes [=solar and stellar paintings]. The six astraliformes from the two shelters visited, and the ceramic pieces on which astraliformes appear in the Prehistoric Museum of Granada are presented. Astraliformes appear in schematic art in a sudden manner and on a large scale, and are included in the panel because of their function as a means of regulating and promoting the agrarian cycle.

Foraging activity and dietary spectrum of the Argentine ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in invaded natural areas of the northeast Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Abril, S; Oliveras, J; Gómez, C

2007-10-01

We analyzed the foraging activity and the dietary spectrum of the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile Mayr) and select native ants on cork oaks from Mediterranean open cork oak (Quercus suber) secondary forests. The study areas included invaded and noninvaded zones in close proximity. The Argentine ant's daily foraging activity was correlated to the abiotic factors studied, whereas the seasonal foraging activity was related not only to the variations in the average air temperature, but also to the trophic needs of the colony. Argentine ant workers focused their attention on protein foods during the queens' oviposition periods and during the larvae development phase, and on carbohydrate foods, such as honeydew, when males and workers were hatching. There were no significant differences over the entire year in the quantity of liquid food collected by the Argentine ant workers in comparison with the native ants studied. The solid diet of the Argentine ant on cork oaks is composed of insects, most of which are aphids. Our results have clear applications for control methods based on toxic baits in the invaded natural ecosystems of the Iberian Peninsula.

Low Clouds and Fog Characterization over Iberian Peninsula using Meteosat Second Generation Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez, Beatriz; Maqueda, Gregorio

2014-05-01

Fog is defined as a collection of suspended water droplets or ice crystals in the air near the Earth's surface that lead to a reduction of horizontal visibility below 1 km (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1995). Fog is a stratiform cloud with similar radiative characteristics, for this reason the difference between fog and low stratus clouds is of little importance for remote sensing applications. Fog and low clouds are important atmospheric phenomena, mainly because of their impact on traffic safety and air quality, acting as an obstruction to traffic at land, sea and in the air. The purpose of this work is to develop the method of fog/low clouds detection and analysis on nighttime using Meteosat Second Generation data. This study is focused on the characterization of these atmospheric phenomena in different study cases over the Iberian Peninsula with distinct orography. Firstly, fog/low clouds detection is implemented as a composition of three infrared channels 12.0, 10.8 and 3.9 µm from SEVIRI radiometer on board European geostationary satellite Meteosat (Meteosat-9). The algorithm of detection makes use of a combination of these channels and their differences by creating RGB composites images. On this way, it displays the spatial coverage and location of fog entities. Secondly, this technique allows separating pixels which are indicated as fog/low clouds from clear pixels, assessing the properties of individual pixels using appropriated thresholds of brightness temperature. Thus, it achieves a full analysis of the extent and distribution of fog and its evolution over time. The results of this study have been checked by using ground-based point measurements available as METAR data. Despite the flaws in this sort of inter-comparison approach, the outcome produces to accurate fog/low clouds detection. This work encompasses the way to obtain spatial information from this atmospheric phenomenon by means of satellite imagery.

Early Holocenic and Historic mtDNA African Signatures in the Iberian Peninsula: The Andalusian Region as a Paradigm

PubMed Central

Hernández, Candela L.; Soares, Pedro; Dugoujon, Jean M.; Novelletto, Andrea; Rodríguez, Juan N.; Rito, Teresa; Oliveira, Marisa; Melhaoui, Mohammed; Baali, Abdellatif; Pereira, Luisa; Calderón, Rosario

2015-01-01

Determining the timing, identity and direction of migrations in the Mediterranean Basin, the role of “migratory routes” in and among regions of Africa, Europe and Asia, and the effects of sex-specific behaviors of population movements have important implications for our understanding of the present human genetic diversity. A crucial component of the Mediterranean world is its westernmost region. Clear features of transcontinental ancient contacts between North African and Iberian populations surrounding the maritime region of Gibraltar Strait have been identified from archeological data. The attempt to discern origin and dates of migration between close geographically related regions has been a challenge in the field of uniparental-based population genetics. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) studies have been focused on surveying the H1, H3 and V lineages when trying to ascertain north-south migrations, and U6 and L in the opposite direction, assuming that those lineages are good proxies for the ancestry of each side of the Mediterranean. To this end, in the present work we have screened entire mtDNA sequences belonging to U6, M1 and L haplogroups in Andalusians—from Huelva and Granada provinces—and Moroccan Berbers. We present here pioneer data and interpretations on the role of NW Africa and the Iberian Peninsula regarding the time of origin, number of founders and expansion directions of these specific markers. The estimated entrance of the North African U6 lineages into Iberia at 10 ky correlates well with other L African clades, indicating that U6 and some L lineages moved together from Africa to Iberia in the Early Holocene. Still, founder analysis highlights that the high sharing of lineages between North Africa and Iberia results from a complex process continued through time, impairing simplistic interpretations. In particular, our work supports the existence of an ancient, frequently denied, bridge connecting the Maghreb and Andalusia. PMID:26509580

Pediatric and neonatal transport in Spain, Portugal and Latin America.

PubMed

de la Mata, S; Escobar, M; Cabrerizo, M; Gómez, M; González, R; López-Herce Cid, J

2017-04-01

To study the organization of inter-hospital transport of pediatric and neonatal patients in Spain, Portugal and Latin America. An observational study was performed. An on-line survey was sent by email including questions about characteristics of national, regional and local health transport systems, vehicles, material, and composition of the transport team and their training. Hospital pediatric healthcare professionals treating children in Spain, Portugal and Latin America RESULTS: A total of 117 surveys from 15 countries were analyzed. Of them, 55 (47%) come from 15 regions of Spain and the rest from Portugal and 13 Latin American countries. The inter-hospital transport of pediatric patients is unified only in the Spanish regions of Baleares and Cataluña and in Portugal. Chile has a mixed unified transport system for pediatric and adult patients. Only 51.4% of responders have an educational program for the transport personnel, and only in 36.4% of them the educational program is specific for pediatric patients. In Spain and Portugal the transport is executed mostly by public entities, while in Latin America public and private systems coexist. Specific pediatric equipment is more frequent in the transport teams in the Iberian Peninsula than in Latin American teams. The specific pediatric transport training is less frequent for teams in Latin America than on Spain and Portugal. There is a great variation in the organization of children transport in each country and region. Most of countries and cities do not have unified and specific teams of pediatric transport, with pediatric qualified personnel and specific material. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Towards a Middle Pleistocene terrestrial climate reconstruction based on herpetofaunal assemblages from the Iberian Peninsula: State of the art and perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blain, Hugues-Alexandre; Cruz Silva, José Alberto; Jiménez Arenas, Juan Manuel; Margari, Vasiliki; Roucoux, Katherine

2018-07-01

The pattern of the varying climatic conditions in southern Europe over the last million years is well known from isotope studies on deep-ocean sediment cores and the long pollen records that have been produced for lacustrine and marine sedimentary sequences from Greece, Italy and the Iberian margin. However, although relative glacial and interglacial intensities are well studied, there are still few proxies that permit quantitative terrestrial temperature and precipitation reconstruction. In this context, fauna-based climate reconstructions based on evidence preserved in archaeological or palaeontological sites are of great interest, even if they only document short windows of that climate variability, because (a) they provide a range of temperature and precipitation estimates that are understandable in comparison with present climate; (b) they may allow the testing of predicted temperature changes under scenarios of future climate change; and (c) quantitative temperature and precipitation estimates for past glacials and interglacials for specific regions/latitudes can help to understand their effects on flora, fauna and hominids, as they are directly associated with those cultural and/or biological events. Moreover such reconstructions can bring further arguments to the discussion about important climatic events like the Mid-Bruhnes Event, a climatic transition between moderate warmths and greater warmths during interglacials. In this paper we review a decade of amphibian- and reptile-based climate reconstructions carried out for the Iberian Peninsula using the Mutual Ecogeographic Range method in order to present a regional synthesis from MIS 22 to MIS 6, discuss the climate pattern in relation to the Mid-Bruhnes Event and the thermal amplitude suggested by these estimates and finally to identify the chronological gaps that have still to be investigated.

New paleoclimatic database for the Iberian Peninsula since AD 1700 inferred from tree-ring records and documentary evidence: advances in temperature and drought variability reconstructions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tejedor, Ernesto; Ángel Saz, Miguel; de Luis, Martín; Esper, Jan; Barriendos, Mariano; Serrano-Notivoli, Roberto; Novak, Klemen; Longares, Luis Alberto; Martínez-del Castillo, Edurne; María Cuadrat, José

2017-04-01

A substantial increase of surface air temperatures in the upcoming decades, particularly significant in the Mediterranean basin, has been reported by the IPCC (IPCC, 2013). It is therefore particularly important to study past climate extremes and variability in this region, which will in turn support the accuracy of future climate scenarios. Yet, our knowledge of past climate variability and trends is limited by the shortage of instrumental data prior to the twentieth century, which prompts to the need of discovering new sources with which to reconstruct past climate. We here present a new paleoclimatic database for the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula based on tree-ring records, documentary evidence and instrumental data. The network includes 774 tree-ring, earlywood and latewood width series from Pinus uncinata, Pinus sylvestris and Pinus nigra trees in the Pyrenees and Iberian Range reaching back to AD 1510. Three reconstructions are developed using these samples; an annual drought reconstruction since AD 1694, a summer drought reconstruction since AD 1734, and a maximum temperature reconstruction since AD 1604. Additionally, the documentary records from 16 locations in the Ebro Valley are examined focusing on climate-related 'rogations'. We differentiated three types of rogations, considering the importance of religious acts, to identify the severity of drought and pluvial events. Finally, an attempt to explore the links between documentary and tree-ring based reconstructions is presented.

Morphogenesis and grain size variation of alluvial gold recovered in auriferous sediments of the Tormes Basin (Iberian Peninsula) using a simple correspondence analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrios, S.; Merinero, R.; Lozano, R.; Orea, I.

2015-12-01

With present techniques it is difficult to determine whether the gold particles present at fluvial placers have come from one or multiple sources. Knowledge of this would be useful in prospecting for larger gold deposits. The aim of the present work was to test the potential of a technique based on modern visual and classic statistical methods to determine the single or multisource origin of gold particles at different sites in the Tormes Basin (Central Iberian Zone of the Iberian Massif, Iberian Peninsula). This basin contains numerous lode and placer gold deposits that have been exploited since ancient times. Today, gold nuggets (usually associated with quartz, 0.2-6 g in weight, 0.53-3.74 cm long and mostly discoidal in shape and of intermediate roundness) can be recovered from the sediments of the upper reaches of the River Tormes. These nuggets, as well as small gold particles collected at three gravel pits from across the basin (all of which showed abrasion marks) were examined by optical and/or environmental scanning electron microscopy, and the differences in their dimensions and morphological features noted. Simple correspondence analysis of the sphericity and roundness of the nuggets and particles was used to morphologically classify the gold samples collected at each location. The gold nuggets were best classified as elongated rods of intermediate roundness. Surprisingly, the gold particles from the most upstream and downstream gravel pits were best described as discs/sub-discs of rounded appearance, while those from the intermediate gravel pit were discs of intermediate roundness. Analysis of the variance followed by the Tukey honest significant differences test revealed the particles from the most upstream gravel pit to be significantly more flattened and smaller. These were therefore transported further from their source than the particles collected at the other two pits. These results suggest that multiple sources of sedimentary gold exist in the

Tree-ring-based drought reconstruction in the Iberian Range (east of Spain) since 1694.

PubMed

Tejedor, Ernesto; de Luis, Martín; Cuadrat, José María; Esper, Jan; Saz, Miguel Ángel

2016-03-01

Droughts are a recurrent phenomenon in the Mediterranean basin with negative consequences for society, economic activities, and natural systems. Nevertheless, the study of drought recurrence and severity in Spain has been limited so far due to the relatively short instrumental period. In this work, we present a reconstruction of the standardized precipitation index (SPI) for the Iberian Range. Growth variations and climatic signals within the network are assessed developing a correlation matrix and the data combined to a single chronology integrating 336 samples from 169 trees of five different pine species distributed throughout the province of Teruel. The new chronology, calibrated against regional instrumental climatic data, shows a high and stable correlation with the July SPI integrating moisture conditions over 12 months forming the basis for a 318-year drought reconstruction. The climate signal contained in this reconstruction is highly significant (p < 0.05) and spatially robust over the interior areas of Spain located above 1000 meters above sea level (masl). According to our SPI reconstruction, seven substantially dry and five wet periods are identified since the late seventeenth century considering ≥±1.76 standard deviations. Besides these, 36 drought and 28 pluvial years were identified. Some of these years, such as 1725, 1741, 1803, and 1879, are also revealed in other drought reconstructions in Romania and Turkey, suggesting that coherent larger-scale synoptic patterns drove these extreme deviations. Since regional drought deviations are also retained in historical documents, the tree-ring-based reconstruction presented here will allow us to cross-validate drought frequency and magnitude in a highly vulnerable region.

Downscaling of global climate change estimates to regional scales: An application to Iberian rainfall in wintertime

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

von Storch, H.; Zorita, E.; Cubasch, U.

A statistical strategy to deduct regional-scale features from climate general circulation model (GCM) simulations has been designed and tested. The main idea is to interrelate the characteristic patterns of observed simultaneous variations of regional climate parameters and of large-scale atmospheric flow using the canonical correlation technique. The large-scale North Atlantic sea level pressure (SLP) is related to the regional, variable, winter (DJF) mean Iberian Peninsula rainfall. The skill of the resulting statistical model is shown by reproducing, to a good approximation, the winter mean Iberian rainfall from 1900 to present from the observed North Atlantic mean SLP distributions. It ismore » shown that this observed relationship between these two variables is not well reproduced in the output of a general circulation model (GCM). The implications for Iberian rainfall changes as the response to increasing atmospheric greenhouse-gas concentrations simulated by two GCM experiments are examined with the proposed statistical model. In an instantaneous [open quotes]2 CO[sub 2][close quotes] doubling experiment, using the simulated change of the mean North Atlantic SLP field to predict Iberian rainfall yields, there is an insignificant increase of area-averaged rainfall of I mm/month, with maximum values of 4 mm/month in the northwest of the peninsula. In contrast, for the four GCM grid points representing the lberian Peninsula, the change is - 10 mm/month, with a minimum of - 19 mm/month in the southwest. In the second experiment, with the IPCC scenario A ([open quotes]business as usual[close quotes]) increase of CO[sub 2], the statistical-model results partially differ from the directly simulated rainfall changes: in the experimental range of 100 years, the area-averaged rainfall decreases by 7 mm/month (statistical model), and by 9 mm/month (GCM); at the same time the amplitude of the interdecadal variability is quite different. 17 refs., 10 figs.« less

Flood risk changes in Northeastern part of Iberian Peninsula: from impact data to flow data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Llasat, Maria-Carmen; Gilabert, Joan; Llasat-Botija, Montserrat; Marcos, Raül; Quintana-Seguí, Pere; Turco, Marco

2014-05-01

The analysis of the temporal evolution of historical floods usually is based on proxy data obtained collecting flooding information from continuous records in municipal, ecclesiastic and private documentary sources. This kind of documentary series usually provide details of the damage caused by the flooding, with the exact date and duration, and in some occasions, some details on the behaviour of the rising water (duration, magnitude, indirect measurements), further details about the precipitation episode that gave rise to it, and the characteristics and dimensions of the riverbeds and the infrastructure associated with the watercourse (dams, bridges, mills, dykes). Based on this information, the first step is to estimate the flood impacts and, usually, in order to build flood data series, the event is classified following some criteria (i.e. catastrophic, extraordinary, ordinary). Exceptionally, some events are reconstructed and the maximum flow or level of the inundation is estimated. However, there are not so many studies that compare flow series and flood series obtained from proxy data. The interest of doing it is, not only to check the quality of the information and to compare the trend of both kind of series, but also to identify the role of other variables and their potential change in the flood risk evolution. Besides this, a potential relationship between the flood classification criteria and the flood frequency distribution obtained from flow data could be done. The contribution departs from the INUNGAMA database that contains 372 flood events recorded in Northeastern of Iberian Peninsula from 1900 to 2010 (Barnolas and Llasat, 2007; Llasat et al, 2013); the PRESSGAMA database that includes more than 15,000 news related to natural hazards and climate change published between 1981 and 2010 and with detailed information for each flood event (Llasat et al, 2009) and the historical flood database with data since the 14th century for the rivers Ter, Llobregat

The Iberian Peninsula in the Atlantic Community: Problems and Prospects.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-05-09

Militares - Terceiro Encontro de Estudos Militares, 1979, pp. 23-24. 9. Horacio Rivero, "Spain: Free World Asset", Strategic Review, Spring 1976, p...34, Instituto de Altos Estudos Militares - Terceiro Encontro de Estudos Militares, 1979, pp. 66-68. 16. Thomas Carothers, "Spain, NATO and Democracy", The

Modelling the distributions and spatial coincidence of bluetongue vectors Culicoides imicola and the Culicoides obsoletus group throughout the Iberian peninsula.

PubMed

Calvete, C; Estrada, R; Miranda, M A; Borrás, D; Calvo, J H; Lucientes, J

2008-06-01

Data obtained by a Spanish national surveillance programme in 2005 were used to develop climatic models for predictions of the distribution of the bluetongue virus (BTV) vectors Culicoides imicola Kieffer (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) and the Culicoides obsoletus group Meigen throughout the Iberian peninsula. Models were generated using logistic regression to predict the probability of species occurrence at an 8-km spatial resolution. Predictor variables included the annual mean values and seasonalities of a remotely sensed normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), a sun index, interpolated precipitation and temperature. Using an information-theoretic paradigm based on Akaike's criterion, a set of best models accounting for 95% of model selection certainty were selected and used to generate an average predictive model for each vector. The predictive performances (i.e. the discrimination capacity and calibration) of the average models were evaluated by both internal and external validation. External validation was achieved by comparing average model predictions with surveillance programme data obtained in 2004 and 2006. The discriminatory capacity of both models was found to be reasonably high. The estimated areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) were 0.78 and 0.70 for the C. imicola and C. obsoletus group models, respectively, in external validation, and 0.81 and 0.75, respectively, in internal validation. The predictions of both models were in close agreement with the observed distribution patterns of both vectors. Both models, however, showed a systematic bias in their predicted probability of occurrence: observed occurrence was systematically overestimated for C. imicola and underestimated for the C. obsoletus group. Average models were used to determine the areas of spatial coincidence of the two vectors. Although their spatial distributions were highly complementary, areas of spatial coincidence were identified, mainly in

[Health implications of the establishment and spread of Aedes albopictus in Spain].

PubMed

Bueno Marí, Rubén; Jiménez Peydró, Ricardo

2012-01-01

The spread of Aedes albopictus by Eastern Spain has been constant since its first finding in 2004. Currently the species has been collected in the coastal provinces of Girona, Barcelona, Tarragona, Castellón, Alicante and Murcia. The high synanthropism of the species, together with its anthropophilic behaviour and vectorial capacity to transmit several arboviruses, have led to the return of active transmission cycles of common diseases in the past such as Dengue virus and even the appearance of new tropical viruses as Chikungunya in southern Europe. This manuscript discusses the public health implications of the expected expansion of Ae. albopictus for much of the Iberian Peninsula, in the context of current climatic and sociodemographic situation. Moreover, several issues related with the control of the species in urban and suburban environments are exposed. Finally the preliminary data about other invasive aedines recently collected in the European continent are presented.

Effects of diurnal temperature range and drought on wheat yield in Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez-Barrera, S.; Rodriguez-Puebla, C.; Challinor, A. J.

2017-07-01

This study aims to provide new insight on the wheat yield historical response to climate processes throughout Spain by using statistical methods. Our data includes observed wheat yield, pseudo-observations E-OBS for the period 1979 to 2014, and outputs of general circulation models in phase 5 of the Coupled Models Inter-comparison Project (CMIP5) for the period 1901 to 2099. In investigating the relationship between climate and wheat variability, we have applied the approach known as the partial least-square regression, which captures the relevant climate drivers accounting for variations in wheat yield. We found that drought occurring in autumn and spring and the diurnal range of temperature experienced during the winter are major processes to characterize the wheat yield variability in Spain. These observable climate processes are used for an empirical model that is utilized in assessing the wheat yield trends in Spain under different climate conditions. To isolate the trend within the wheat time series, we implemented the adaptive approach known as Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition. Wheat yields in the twenty-first century are experiencing a downward trend that we claim is a consequence of widespread drought over the Iberian Peninsula and an increase in the diurnal range of temperature. These results are important to inform about the wheat vulnerability in this region to coming changes and to develop adaptation strategies.

Breeding system and pollen limitation in the masting tree Sorbus aucuparia L. (Rosaceae) in the NW Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pías, Beatriz; Guitián, Pablo

2006-01-01

Mast seeding or masting is the supra-annual periodic production of a large number of seeds by long-lived plants. It has been suggested that this may be a strategy to increase pollination efficiency. Sorbus aucuparia is a masting tree typically showing rather low fruit set, though with some variation among years and populations, together with marked among-year variation in flower and fruit production. Here we report a study of the reproductive biology and insect-visitor spectrum of S. aucuparia in the NW Iberian Peninsula. Results obtained over a 4-year period indicate marked self-incompatibility, so that fruit set is strongly dependent on pollinator service. Nevertheless, fruit and seed set were not limited by pollen supply in any of the years of study, since fruit and seed set after manual cross-pollination were no higher than after natural pollination. Inflorescences were visited by diverse insect species. There was no significant correlation between fruit set and insect visit frequency. Taken together, these findings indicate that the rather low fruit and seed sets observed in this species, and the spatiotemporal variation in these parameters, must be attributed to other factors, such as abiotic resource availability. We conclude that masting in S. aucuparia is probably not a strategy for increasing pollination efficiency.

Timing of last deglaciation in the Cantabrian Mountains (Iberian Peninsula; North Atlantic Region) based on in situ-produced 10Be exposure dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Laura; Jiménez-Sánchez, Montserrat; Domínguez-Cuesta, María José; Rinterknecht, Vincent; Pallàs, Raimon; Aumaître, Georges; Bourlès, Didier L.; Keddadouche, Karim; Aster Team

2017-09-01

The Last Glacial Termination led to major changes in ice sheet coverage that disrupted global patterns of atmosphere and ocean circulation. Paleoclimate records from Iberia suggest that westerly episodes played a key role in driving heterogeneous climate in the North Atlantic Region. We used 10Be Cosmic Ray Exposure (CRE) dating to explore the glacier response of small mountain glaciers (ca. 5 km2) that developed on the northern slope of the Cantabrian Mountains (Iberian Peninsula), an area directly under the influence of the Atlantic westerly winds. We analyzed twenty boulders from three moraines and one rock glacier arranged as a recessional sequence preserved between 1150 and 1540 m above sea level (a.s.l.) in the Monasterio valley (Redes Natural Park). Results complement previous chronologic data based on radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence from the Monasterio valley, which suggest a local Glacial Maximum (local GM) prior to 33 ka BP and a long-standing glacier advance at 24 ka coeval to the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Resultant 10Be CRE ages suggest a progressive retreat and thinning of the Monasterio glacier over the time interval 18.1-16.7 ka. This response is coeval with the Heinrich Stadial 1, an extremely cold and dry climate episode initiated by a weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Glacier recession continued through the Bølling/Allerød period as indicate the minimum exposure ages obtained from a cirque moraine and a rock glacier nested within this moraine, which yielded ages of 14.0 and 13.0 ka, respectively. Together, they suggest that the Monasterio glacier experienced a gradual transition from glacier to rock glacier activity as the AMOC started to strengthen again. Glacial evidence ascribable to the Younger Dryas cooling was not dated in the Monasterio valley, but might have occurred at higher elevations than evidence dated in this work. The evolution of former glaciers documented in the

Millennial-scale climate variations in western Mediterranean during late Pleistocene-early Holocene: multi-proxy analyses from Padul peatbog (southern Iberian Peninsula)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camuera, Jon; Jiménez-Moreno, Gonzalo; José Ramos-Román, María; García-Alix, Antonio; Jiménez-Espejo, Francisco; Toney, Jaime L.; Anderson, R. Scott; Kaufman, Darrell; Bright, Jordon; Sachse, Dirk

2017-04-01

Padul peatbog, located in southern Iberian Peninsula (western Mediterranean region) is a unique area for palaeoenvironmental studies due to its location, between arid and temperate climates. Previous studies showed that the Padul peatbog contains a continuous record of the last ca. 0.8-1 Ma, so it is an extraordinary site to identify glacial-interglacial phases as well as Heinrich and D-O events, linked to orbital- and suborbital-scale variations. In 2015, a new 42 m long core was taken from this area, providing an excellent sediment record probably for the last ca. 300,000 years. This study is focused on the paleoenvironmental and climatic reconstruction of the late Pleistocene and the early Holocene (ca. from 50,000 to 9,500 cal. yrs BP), using AMS 14C and AAR dating, high-resolution pollen analysis, lithology, continuous XRF-scanning, X-ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility and organic geochemistry. These different proxies provide information not only about the regional environment change but also about local changes in the conditions of the Padul lake/peatbog due to variations in water temperature, pH or nutrients.

Life-history variability of non-native centrarchids in regulated river systems of the lower River Guadiana drainage (south-west Iberian Peninsula).

PubMed

Ribeiro, F; Collares-Pereira, M J

2010-02-01

Life-history variability of two non-native centrarchids, pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus and largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, was evaluated in three stream stretches of the lower River Guadiana drainage (south-west Iberian Peninsula) with different degrees of regulated flows. Abundance, condition and population structure differed among populations for both species, but invasion success was lower in the least regulated river. Lepomis gibbosus were abundant and had multiple age classes in the three river sites, whereas M. salmoides were less abundant and mainly represented by young-of-the-year fish. Juvenile growth in L. gibbosus was similar in all three populations, though longevity was slightly greater in the population from the River Guadiana mainstream. Lepomis gibbosus exhibited a long reproductive season, but the duration of season, size at maturity and reproductive effort varied among populations. The life-history differences found demonstrate the importance of species adaptation to local conditions which might favour their invasion success. Lepomis gibbosus were more adaptable and resilient to local conditions, whereas M. salmoides seemed dependent on reservoirs and large rivers for maintenance of riverine populations.

Soil properties linked to Phytophthora cinnamomi presence and oak decline in Iberian dehesas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreno, G.; Vivas, M.; Pérez, A.; Cubera, E.; Madeira, M.; Solla, A.

2009-04-01

Dehesas cover about 3,100,000 ha in the Iberian Peninsula, and support an outstanding diversity of wildlife and flora endemisms. These open woodlands provide Spain and Portugal inhabitants with a high-quality food, derived from animal production, sustain rural population, and act as retardants of soil erosion and desertification, which are considered primary environmental concerns in the Mediterranean basin. Dehesas are considered examples of sustainable use, though in the last few decades intensive land use, imposed by a concomitant change in the technological and socio-economic conditions, and common agricultural policies threat their conservation. Soil compaction and erosion, oak regeneration failure, dieback of old-ageing stands, and loose of biodiversity are some of the most common threats. At the same time, a severe decline of Quercus ilex (Holm oak) has been reported since the 1990s in the southern Iberian Peninsula, and more recently in France, Italy, and Morocco. In the Iberian Peninsula, the decline has been mostly observed in dehesas, where a combination of factors, possibly acting in synergy, have been put forward to explain the disease. Severe drought episodes, flooding, and rapid fluctuations in soil water content have been reported as predisposing factors favoring tree invasion by bark borer insects and/or pathogenic fungi. It is mostly ignored to what extent decline is a natural or a man-induced process, and if it is associated to either basic, management-related soil properties, or both. To bring insight to this problem, extensive and integrative comparisons of some soil properties related to hydromorphism were initiated, comprising pairs of adjacent non-symptomatic and symptomatic Q. ilex trees. In 2008, 48 dehesa stands from western Spain (Cáceres), half of them located along stream banks and the other half located in slopes, were intensively studied. In each stand, soil and root samples were taken under 3 non-symptomatic (healthy) and 3

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 30 crewmember

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-12-04

ISS030-E-010008 (4 Dec. 2011) --- One of the Expedition 30 crew members aboard the Earth-orbiting International Space Station photographed this night time scene of the Iberian Peninsula on Dec. 4, 2011. The city lights of Spain and Portugal define the peninsula. Several large metropolitan areas are visible, marked by their relatively large and brightly lit areas, such as two capital cities -- Madrid, Spain, located near the center of the peninsula?s interior, and Lisbon, Portugal, located along the southwestern coastline. Ancient Seville, visible at image right to the north of the approximately 14 kilometer-wide Strait of Gibraltar, is one of the largest cities in Spain. All together, the Principality of Andorra, the Kingdom of Spain and the Portuguese Republic total approximately 590,000 square kilometers of landmass. The peninsula is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the northwest, west, and southwest and the Mediterranean Sea to the east. Its northeastern boundary with the rest of continental Europe is marked by the Pyrenees mountain range. The view is looking outwards from the orbital outpost toward the east. The network of smaller cities and towns in the interior and along the coastline attest to the large extent of human presence on the Iberian landscape. Blurring of the city lights is caused by thin cloud cover (image left and center), while the cloud tops are dimly illuminated by moonlight. Though obscured, the lights of France are visible near the horizon line at image upper left, while the lights of northern Africa are more clearly discernable at image right. The gold to green line of airglow, caused by excitation of upper atmosphere gas molecules by ultraviolet radiation, parallels the horizon line (or Earth limb).

Sanctuary in the Korean War: A Manifestation of Political Restraint

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-17

Peninsular War in Spain (1808-14) because the French were unable to pursue the Spanish guerrilla’s into the rugged mountains of the Iberian Peninsula ...During World War I, the Ottoman military was unable to deny T.E. Lawrence and his Arab forces sanctuary in the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula . In...Soviet atomic detonation, and Chinese Communist victory) created a climate of tension and fear in the United States. Americans increasingly worried

Climate and environments during Marine Isotope Stage 11 in the central Iberian Peninsula: the herpetofaunal assemblage from the Acheulean site of Áridos-1, Madrid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blain, Hugues-Alexandre; Santonja, Manuel; Pérez-González, Alfredo; Panera, Joaquin; Rubio-Jara, Susana

2014-06-01

The interglacial episodes of the Quaternary Period are currently the focus of a great deal of attention within the scientific community, primarily because they can help us to understand how the climate of the current interglacial may have evolved without human intervention and to assess the impact of these climate changes on ecological systems. In the central Iberian Peninsula, the archaeological site of Áridos-1 (Arganda, Madrid), with numeric dates of 379.7 ± 45 ka obtained by AAR for the upper part of the sedimentological unit of Arganda I, in combination with the evolved state of the small mammals, has been chronologically attributed to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11. Given the diversified faunal assemblages delivered by the 1976 excavations, Áridos-1 is probably one of the best terrestrial candidates for an understanding of the climatic and environmental conditions that prevailed in central Spain during the MIS 11 interglacial. In consequence, the fossil amphibians and squamate reptiles stored in the collections of the Museo Arqueológico Nacional of Madrid have been newly described and quantified in order to apply the mutual climatic range and habitat weighting methods for estimating quantitative data. The Mediterranean climate is shown to have been warmer and wetter than today in central Spain during MIS 11, with the mean annual temperature 1.7 °C higher and mean annual precipitation 223.9 mm higher than at present. The monthly climatic reconstruction shows differences in the distribution of precipitation over the course of the year, with more abundant precipitation during the winter months, at the beginning of spring and at the end of fall (from October to March) and less precipitation than today during the summer months and at the end of spring (from May to August), suggesting stronger rainfall seasonality between winter and summer than currently occurs. Such climate reconstruction is consistent with other European MIS 11 paleoclimatic records. The

Test development and use in five Iberian Latin American countries.

PubMed

Wechsler, Solange M; Oakland, Thomas; León, Carmem; Vivas, Eleonora; de Almeida, Leandro; Franco, Amanda; Pérez-Solís, María; Contini, Norma

2014-08-01

The abundance of scholarship on test development and use generally is higher in English-speaking than in Iberian Latin American countries. The purpose of this article is to help overcome this imbalance by describing and identifying similarities and differences in test development and use in two Iberian (Portugal and Spain) and three of the largest Latin American (Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela) countries. The stages of test development in each country, roles of professional associations, presence of standards for test use, professionals' educational training, commonly used tests, together with prominent challenges to continued progress are discussed. Test development and use in these five countries are transitioning from a dependence on the use of translated tests to greater reliance on adapted and finally nationally constructed tests. Continued growth requires adherence to international standards guiding test development and use. Stronger alliance among professional associations in the Iberian Latin American countries could serve as a catalyst to promote test development in these regions. © 2014 International Union of Psychological Science.

Ascent ability of brown trout, Salmo trutta, and two Iberian cyprinids − Iberian barbel, Luciobarbus bocagei, and northern straight-mouth nase, Pseudochondrostoma duriense − in a vertical slot fishway

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sanz-Ronda, Fco. Javier; Bravo-Cordoba, F.J.; Fuentes-Perez, J.F.; Castro-Santos, Theodore R.

2016-01-01

Passage performance of brown trout (Salmo trutta), Iberian barbel (Luciobarbus bocagei), and northern straight-mouth nase (Pseudochondrostoma duriense) was investigated in a vertical slot fishway in the Porma River (Duero River basin, Spain) using PIT telemetry. We analysed the effects of different fishway discharges on motivation and passage success. Both cyprinid species ascended the fishway easily, performing better than the trout despite their theoretically weaker swimming performance. Fishway discharge affected fish motivation although it did not clearly influence passage success. Observed results can guide design and operation criteria of vertical slot fishways for native Iberian fish.

Validation of MODIS integrated water vapor product against reference GPS data at the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaquero-Martínez, Javier; Antón, Manuel; Ortiz de Galisteo, José Pablo; Cachorro, Victoria E.; Costa, Maria João; Román, Roberto; Bennouna, Yasmine S.

2017-12-01

In this work, the water vapor product from MODIS (MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument, on-board Aqua and Terra satellites, is compared against GPS water vapor data from 21 stations in the Iberian Peninsula as reference. GPS water vapor data is obtained from ground-based receiver stations which measure the delay caused by water vapor in the GPS microwave signals. The study period extends from 2007 until 2012. Regression analysis in every GPS station show that MODIS overestimates low integrated water vapor (IWV) data and tends to underestimate high IWV data. R2 shows a fair agreement, between 0.38 and 0.71. Inter-quartile range (IQR) in every station is around 30-45%. The dependence on several parameters was also analyzed. IWV dependence showed that low IWV are highly overestimated by MODIS, with high IQR (low precision), sharply decreasing as IWV increases. Regarding dependence on solar zenith angle (SZA), performance of MODIS IWV data decreases between 50° and 90°, while night-time MODIS data (infrared) are quite stable. The seasonal cycles of IWV and SZA cause a seasonal dependence on MODIS performance. In summer and winter, MODIS IWV tends to overestimate the reference IWV value, while in spring and autumn the tendency is to underestimate. Low IWV from coastal stations is highly overestimated (∼60%) and quite imprecise (IQR around 60%). On the contrary, high IWV data show very little dependence along seasons. Cloud-fraction (CF) dependence was also studied, showing that clouds display a negligible impact on IWV over/underestimation. However, IQR increases with CF, except in night-time satellite values, which are quite stable.

On the consideration of scaling properties of extreme rainfall in Madrid (Spain) for developing a generalized intensity-duration-frequency equation and assessing probable maximum precipitation estimates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casas-Castillo, M. Carmen; Rodríguez-Solà, Raúl; Navarro, Xavier; Russo, Beniamino; Lastra, Antonio; González, Paula; Redaño, Angel

2018-01-01

The fractal behavior of extreme rainfall intensities registered between 1940 and 2012 by the Retiro Observatory of Madrid (Spain) has been examined, and a simple scaling regime ranging from 25 min to 3 days of duration has been identified. Thus, an intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) master equation of the location has been constructed in terms of the simple scaling formulation. The scaling behavior of probable maximum precipitation (PMP) for durations between 5 min and 24 h has also been verified. For the statistical estimation of the PMP, an envelope curve of the frequency factor ( k m ) based on a total of 10,194 station-years of annual maximum rainfall from 258 stations in Spain has been developed. This curve could be useful to estimate suitable values of PMP at any point of the Iberian Peninsula from basic statistical parameters (mean and standard deviation) of its rainfall series. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Chronology of fluvial terrace sequences for large Atlantic rivers in the Iberian Peninsula (Upper Tagus and Duero drainage basins, Central Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, Pablo G.; Roquero, Elvira; López-Recio, Mario; Huerta, Pedro; Martínez-Graña, Antonio M.

2017-06-01

This work analyses the chronology of fluvial terrace sequences of the two most important fluvial basins from central Spain draining to the Atlantic Ocean (Upper Tagus and Duero drainage basins). Both basins evolved under similar Mediterranean climatic conditions throughout the Pleistocene and present comparable number of fluvial terraces (16-17) after excluding the higher terrace levels of the Tagus (T1-T5) entrenched in the Raña surface. These higher ;rañizo terraces; was formed in response to fan-head trenching in this high alluvial piedmont (+220 m) and therefore not properly controlled by Quaternary fluvial downcutting. The study accomplishes the implementation of multiple regression analyses for terrace height-age relationships. To transform relative terrace heights above the present river thalwegs (i.e. +100 m) in numerical ages a ;height-age transference function; has been developed on the basis of preliminary statistical geochronological approaches proposed for Central Spain. The resultant height-age transference function gather 73 published geochronological data for terrace sequences, featuring a 3rd Order Polynomial Function (R2 0.90). This function describes the overall trend of valley downcutting for the last c. 2.3 Ma in Central Spain and is used to assign numerical ages to terrace levels at different relative elevation.

Changes in tree resistance, recovery and resilience across three successive extreme droughts in the northeast Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Serra-Maluquer, X; Mencuccini, M; Martínez-Vilalta, J

2018-05-01

Understanding which variables affect forest resilience to extreme drought is key to predict future dynamics under ongoing climate change. In this study, we analyzed how tree resistance, recovery and resilience to drought have changed along three consecutive droughts and how they were affected by species, tree size, plot basal area (as a proxy for competition) and climate. We focused on the three most abundant pine species in the northeast Iberian Peninsula: Pinus halepensis, P. nigra and P. sylvestris during the three most extreme droughts recorded in the period 1951-2010 (occurred in 1986, 1994, and 2005-2006). We cored trees from permanent sample plots and used dendrochronological techniques to estimate resistance (ability to maintain growth level during drought), recovery (growth increase after drought) and resilience (capacity to recover pre-drought growth levels) in terms of tree stem basal area increment. Mixed-effects models were used to determine which tree- and plot-level variables were the main determinants of resistance, recovery and resilience, and to test for differences among the studied droughts. Larger trees were significantly less resistant and resilient. Plot basal area effects were only observed for resilience, with a negative impact only during the last drought. Resistance, recovery and resilience differed across the studied drought events, so that the studied populations became less resistant, less resilient and recovered worse during the last two droughts. This pattern suggests an increased vulnerability to drought after successive drought episodes.

Growth, size and age at maturity of the agile frog (Rana dalmatina) in an Iberian Peninsula population.

PubMed

Sarasola-Puente, Vanessa; Gosá, Alberto; Oromí, Neus; Madeira, María José; Lizana, Miguel

2011-06-01

The mean age of a population of agile frogs (Rana dalmatina) from the Iberian Peninsula was estimated using mark and recapture and skeletochronology. Life-history parameters, including growth rate, body length, age and size at maturity, sexual dimorphism and longevity, were studied. The regression between age and snout-vent length (SVL) was highly significant in both sexes. Males reached sexual maturity at two years of age, although sometimes they can reach it at only one year of age. The average SVL at maturity was 51.75 mm (standard error (SE)=0.71; n=45). Females reached sexual maturity at two years of age with an average SVL of 62.14 mm (SE=2.20; n=14). A subset of the female population reached sexual maturity at three years of age. Growth was rapid until sexual maturity was reached. There was an overlap of SVL between different age classes. Growth was continuous, fulfilling the conditions of Von Bertalanffy's model. The growth coefficient (K) was 0.840 in males and 0.625 in females. The maximum SVL was greater in females (73.00 mm) than in males (59.50mm). Sexual dimorphism was significantly biased towards females in all age classes. The maximum longevity observed was 6 years in females and 8 years in males. Management strategies for agile frogs should take into account factors such as these life-history characteristics. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

A nonparametric statistical technique for combining global precipitation datasets: development and hydrological evaluation over the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abul Ehsan Bhuiyan, Md; Nikolopoulos, Efthymios I.; Anagnostou, Emmanouil N.; Quintana-Seguí, Pere; Barella-Ortiz, Anaïs

2018-02-01

This study investigates the use of a nonparametric, tree-based model, quantile regression forests (QRF), for combining multiple global precipitation datasets and characterizing the uncertainty of the combined product. We used the Iberian Peninsula as the study area, with a study period spanning 11 years (2000-2010). Inputs to the QRF model included three satellite precipitation products, CMORPH, PERSIANN, and 3B42 (V7); an atmospheric reanalysis precipitation and air temperature dataset; satellite-derived near-surface daily soil moisture data; and a terrain elevation dataset. We calibrated the QRF model for two seasons and two terrain elevation categories and used it to generate ensemble for these conditions. Evaluation of the combined product was based on a high-resolution, ground-reference precipitation dataset (SAFRAN) available at 5 km 1 h-1 resolution. Furthermore, to evaluate relative improvements and the overall impact of the combined product in hydrological response, we used the generated ensemble to force a distributed hydrological model (the SURFEX land surface model and the RAPID river routing scheme) and compared its streamflow simulation results with the corresponding simulations from the individual global precipitation and reference datasets. We concluded that the proposed technique could generate realizations that successfully encapsulate the reference precipitation and provide significant improvement in streamflow simulations, with reduction in systematic and random error on the order of 20-99 and 44-88 %, respectively, when considering the ensemble mean.

Variant Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus in Young Rabbits, Spain

PubMed Central

Dalton, Kevin P.; Nicieza, Inés; Balseiro, Ana; Muguerza, María A.; Rosell, Joan M.; Casais, Rosa; Álvarez, Ángel L.

2012-01-01

Outbreaks of rabbit hemorrhagic disease have occurred recently in young rabbits on farms on the Iberian Peninsula where rabbits were previously vaccinated. Investigation identified a rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus variant genetically related to apathogenic rabbit caliciviruses. Improved antivirus strategies are needed to slow the spread of this pathogen. PMID:23171812

Quaternary glacial geomorphosites from the Cantabrian Mountains (northern Iberian Peninsula): the Redes Natural Reservation and Picos de Europa Regional Park

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Laura; Jiménez-Sánchez, Montserrat; José Domínguez-Cuesta, María

2013-04-01

The Cantabrian Mountains is a mountain range 480 km-long and up to 2,648 m altitude (Torre Cerredo Peak) trending parallel to the Cantabrian Coastline between Pyrenees and the northwest corner of the Iberian Peninsula (~43oN 5oW). This mountain range is an outstanding area to research the climatic patterns across South Europe during the Quaternary glaciations since well-preserved glacial features evidence the occurrence of past mountain glaciations in a climatic environment marked by the transition from a maritime climate (Atlantic) to Mediterranean one across the mountain range. The available studies in the Cantabrian Mountains stand that the regional glacial maximum recorded here is prior to ca 38, and that glaciers were in some locations remarkably retreated by the time of the global Last Glacial Maximum (Jiménez-Sánchez et al., in press; Serrano et al., in press). This study is focused on an area about 800 km2 that includes 36 peaks over 2,000 m (Pico Mampodre; 2,192 m) and partially covers the Redes Natural Reservation and Picos de Europa Regional Park. A geomorphologic database in ArcGIS was produced for this area as a previous step to reconstruct in detail the extent, flow pattern and chronology of the former glaciers (PhD under progress). Here we present a selection of 18 glacial geomorphosites classified according to genetic criteria in sites that show: (i) a nicely preserved moraine sequence recording the transition from glacial to periglacial conditions; (ii) glacial erosion features; (iii) glacial and ice related deposits (like moraines, ice-dammed deposits, erratic boulders or fluvio-glacial deposits); (iv) slope instability related to glacial debuttressing (complex landslides and rock avalanches); and (v) the interaction between the landscape and human activity. The interest of the geomorphosites is supported by its good quality of preservation, allowing its use as a basis to reconstruct the glacial and paraglacial processes in this region during

Hidden MHC genetic diversity in the Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica).

PubMed

Angelone, Samer; Jowers, Michael J; Molinar Min, Anna Rita; Fandos, Paulino; Prieto, Paloma; Pasquetti, Mario; Cano-Manuel, Francisco Javier; Mentaberre, Gregorio; Olvera, Jorge Ramón López; Ráez-Bravo, Arián; Espinosa, José; Pérez, Jesús M; Soriguer, Ramón C; Rossi, Luca; Granados, José Enrique

2018-05-08

Defining hidden genetic diversity within species is of great significance when attempting to maintain the evolutionary potential of natural populations and conduct appropriate management. Our hypothesis is that isolated (and eventually small) wild animal populations hide unexpected genetic diversity due to their maintenance of ancient polymorphisms or introgressions. We tested this hypothesis using the Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) as an example. Previous studies based on large sample sizes taken from its principal populations have revealed that the Iberian ibex has a remarkably small MHC DRB1 diversity (only six remnant alleles) as a result of recent population bottlenecks and a marked demographic decline that has led to the extinction of two recognized subspecies. Extending on the geographic range to include non-studied isolated Iberian ibex populations, we sequenced a new MHC DRB1 in what seemed three small isolated populations in Southern Spain (n = 132). The findings indicate a higher genetic diversity than previously reported in this important gene. The newly discovered allele, MHC DRB1*7, is identical to one reported in the domestic goat C. aegagrus hircus. Whether or not this is the result of ancient polymorphisms maintained by balancing selection or, alternatively, introgressions from domestic goats through hybridization needs to be clarified in future studies. However, hybridization between Iberian ibex and domestic goats has been reported in Spain and the fact that the newly discovered allele is only present in one of the small isolated populations and not in the others suggests introgression. The new discovered allele is not expected to increase fitness in C. pyrenaica since it generates the same protein as the existing MHC DRB1*6. Analysis of a microsatellite locus (OLADRB1) near the new MHC DRB1*7 gene reveals a linkage disequilibrium between these two loci. The allele OLADRB1, 187 bp in length, was unambiguously linked to the MHC DRB1*7 allele

Variation in style morph frequencies in tristylous Lythrum salicaria in the Iberian Peninsula: the role of geographical and demographic factors

PubMed Central

Costa, Joana; Castro, Sílvia; Loureiro, João; Barrett, Spencer C. H.

2016-01-01

Background and Aims The balance between stochastic forces and negative frequency-dependent selection largely determines style morph frequencies in heterostylous populations. Investigation of morph frequencies at geographical range limits can provide insights into the forces maintaining the floral polymorphism, and the factors causing biased morph ratios. Here, we investigate style morph frequencies in populations at the south-western European range limit of tristylous Lythrum salicaria, to explore the role of demographic and geographical factors influencing morph ratios in its native range. Methods We measured morph composition and evenness, and the size of 96 populations, along a north to south latitudinal transect from Galicia to Andalucia, Iberian Peninsula, traversing a steep climatic gradient. To examine the potential influence of morph-specific fitness components on morph ratios, we examined reproductive traits in 19 populations. Key Results Most populations of L. salicaria were trimorphic (94·79 %), the majority exhibiting 1 : 1 : 1 morph ratios (68·75 %). Populations with biased morph ratios had a deficiency of the short-styled morph. Population size and morph evenness were positively associated with latitude, with smaller populations and those with less even morph ratios occurring towards the south. Greater variance in morph evenness was evident at the southern range margin. There were no consistent differences in components of reproductive fitness among style morphs, but southern populations produced less fruit and seed than more northerly populations. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the influence of finite population size on morph frequencies in L. salicaria. However, they also illustrate the resilience of Iberian populations to the factors causing deviations from isoplethy and morph loss, especially at the southern range limit where populations are smaller. The maintenance of tristyly in small populations of L. salicaria may be aided

New dental and postcranial material of Agerinia smithorum (Primates, Adapiformes) from the type locality Casa Retjo-1 (early Eocene, Iberian Peninsula).

PubMed

Femenias-Gual, Joan; Marigó, Judit; Minwer-Barakat, Raef; Moyà-Solà, Salvador

2017-12-01

New material attributed to Agerinia smithorum from Casa Retjo-1 (early Eocene, NE Iberian Peninsula), consisting of 13 isolated teeth and a fragment of calcaneus, is studied in this work. These fossils allow the first description of the calcaneus and the upper premolars for the genus Agerinia, as well as the first description of the P 2 and M 2 for A. smithorum. The newly recovered lower teeth are virtually identical to the holotype of A. smithorum and are clearly distinguishable from the other species of Agerinia. The upper teeth also show clear differences with Agerinia marandati. The morphology of the calcaneal remains reveals that A. smithorum practiced a moderately active arboreal quadrupedal mode of locomotion, showing less leaping proclivity than notharctines but more than asiadapids. All the morphological features observed in the described material reinforce the hypothesis of a single lineage consisting of the species A. smithorum, A. marandati, and Agerinia roselli. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analysis developed in this work, which incorporates the newly described remains of A. smithorum, maintains the position of Agerinia as closely related to sivaladapids and asiadapids. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strong genetic structure revealed by multilocus patterns of variation in Giardia duodenalis isolates of patients from Galicia (NW-Iberian Peninsula).

PubMed

Gabín-García, Luis B; Bartolomé, Carolina; Abal-Fabeiro, José L; Méndez, Santiago; Llovo, José; Maside, Xulio

2017-03-01

We report a survey of genetic variation at three coding loci in Giardia duodenalis of assemblages A and B obtained from stool samples of patients from Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, NW-Iberian Peninsula). The mean pooled synonymous diversity for assemblage A was nearly five times lower than for assemblage B (0.77%±0.30% and 4.14%±1.65%, respectively). Synonymous variation in both assemblages was in mutation-drift equilibrium and an excess of low-frequency nonsynonymous variants suggested the action of purifying selection at the three loci. Differences between isolates contributed to 40% and 60% of total genetic variance in assemblages A and B, respectively, which revealed a significant genetic structure. These results, together with the lack of evidence for recombination, support that (i) Giardia assemblages A and B are in demographic equilibrium and behave as two genetically isolated populations, (ii) infections are initiated by a reduced number of individuals, which may be genetically diverse and even belong to different assemblages, and (iii) parasites reproduce clonally within the host. However, the observation of invariant loci in some isolates means that mechanisms for the homogenization of the genetic content of the two diploid nuclei in each individual must exist. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

2nd Iberian Nuclear Astrophysics Meeting on Compact Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perez-Garcia, M. Angeles; Pons, Jose; Albertus, C.

2012-02-01

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE Dr M Ángeles Pérez-García (Área Física Teórica-Universidad de Salamanca & IUFFYM) Dr J A Miralles (Universidad de Alicante) Dr J Pons (Universidad de Alicante) Dr C Albertus (Área Física Nuclear-Universidad de Salamanca & IUFFYM) Dr F Atrio (Área Física Teórica-Universidad de Salamanca & IUFFYM) PREFACE The second Iberian Nuclear Astrophysics meeting was held at the University of Salamanca, Spain on 22-23 September 2011. This volume contains most of the presentations delivered at this international workshop. This meeting was the second in the series following the previous I Encuentro Ibérico de Compstar, held at the University of Coimbra, Portugal in 2010. The main purpose of this meeting was to strengthen the scientific collaboration between the participants of the Iberian and the rest of the southern European branches of the European Nuclear Astrophysics network, formerly, COMPSTAR. This ESF (European Science Foundation) supported network has been crucial in helping to make a broader audience for the the most interesting and relevant research lines being developed currently in Nuclear Astrophysics, especially related to the physics of neutron stars. It is indeed important to emphasize the need for a collaborative approach to the rest of the scientific communities so that we can reach possible new members in this interdisciplinary area and as outreach for the general public. The program of the meeting was tailored to theoretical descriptions of the physics of neutron stars although some input from experimental observers and other condensed matter and optics areas of interest was also included. The main scientific topics included: Magnetic fields in compact stars Nuclear structure and in-medium effects in nuclear interaction Equation of state: from nuclear matter to quarks Importance of crust in the evolution of neutron stars Computational simulations of collapsing dense objects Observational phenomenology In particular, leading

Woody debris in north Iberian streams: influence of geomorphology, vegetation, and management.

PubMed

Diez, J R; Elosegi, A; Pozo, J

2001-11-01

The effect of stream geomorphology, maturity, and management of riparian forests on abundance, role, and mobility of wood was evaluated in 20 contrasting reaches in the Agüera stream catchment (northern Iberian Peninsula). During 1 year the volume of woody debris exceeding 1 cm in diameter was measured in all reaches. All large woody debris (phi > 5 cm) pieces were tagged, their positions mapped, and their subsequent changes noted. Volume of woody debris was in general low and ranged from 40 to 22,000 cm3 m-2; the abundance of debris dams ranged from 0 to 5.5 per 100 m of channel. Wood was especially rare and unstable in downstream reaches, or under harvested forests (both natural or plantations). Results stress that woody debris in north Iberian streams has been severely reduced by forestry and log removal. Because of the important influence of woody debris on structure and function of stream systems, this reduction has likely impacted stream communities. Therefore, efforts to restore north Iberian streams should include in-channel and riparian management practices that promote greater abundance and stability of large woody debris whenever possible.

Uncertainty of the peak flow reconstruction of the 1907 flood in the Ebro River in Xerta (NE Iberian Peninsula)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz-Bellet, Josep Lluís; Castelltort, Xavier; Balasch, J. Carles; Tuset, Jordi

2017-02-01

There is no clear, unified and accepted method to estimate the uncertainty of hydraulic modelling results. In historical floods reconstruction, due to the lower precision of input data, the magnitude of this uncertainty could reach a high value. With the objectives of giving an estimate of the peak flow error of a typical historical flood reconstruction with the model HEC-RAS and of providing a quick, simple uncertainty assessment that an end user could easily apply, the uncertainty of the reconstructed peak flow of a major flood in the Ebro River (NE Iberian Peninsula) was calculated with a set of local sensitivity analyses on six input variables. The peak flow total error was estimated at ±31% and water height was found to be the most influential variable on peak flow, followed by Manning's n. However, the latter, due to its large uncertainty, was the greatest contributor to peak flow total error. Besides, the HEC-RAS resulting peak flow was compared to the ones obtained with the 2D model Iber and with Manning's equation; all three methods gave similar peak flows. Manning's equation gave almost the same result than HEC-RAS. The main conclusion is that, to ensure the lowest peak flow error, the reliability and precision of the flood mark should be thoroughly assessed.

Population genetic data of 38 insertion-deletion markers in six populations of the northern fringe of the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Cardoso, Sergio; Sevillano, Rubén; Gamarra, David; Santurtún, Ana; Martínez-Jarreta, Begoña; de Pancorbo, Marian M

2017-03-01

Insertion-deletions have been reported very useful markers for forensic purposes. To further deepen in this matter, 38 non-coding bi-allelic autosomal indels were analyzed in 575 individuals representing six populations from the northern fringe of the Iberian Peninsula. Autochthonous populations from the Basque Country, northern Navarre, the Pas Valley in Cantabria and Aragon were analyzed, together with non-autochthonous populations from the Basque Country and northern Navarre. At the intra-population level, all loci analyzed were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium except for marker rs33917182 in autochthonous Basques. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) test did not reveal statistically significant allelic association between the different loci pairs in all six populations. Forensic parameters proved to be highly informative in the six populations analyzed, even if a scenario with population substructure and local inbreeding was considered for match probability calculations, and the potential of this indels set to be used in combination with other genetic markers is remarkable. As for inter-population analyses, in general terms the six populations showed low but statistically significant genetic distances. However, though this indels set efficiently differentiate between main ancestries, it does not allow an accurate separation at a local level and, for the time being, their combination with other informative markers is needed to maximize the power to accurately differentiate populations with close genetic ancestry. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-range seasonal streamflow forecasting over the Iberian Peninsula using large-scale atmospheric and oceanic information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidalgo-Muñoz, J. M.; Gámiz-Fortis, S. R.; Castro-Díez, Y.; Argüeso, D.; Esteban-Parra, M. J.

2015-05-01

Identifying the relationship between large-scale climate signals and seasonal streamflow may provide a valuable tool for long-range seasonal forecasting in regions under water stress, such as the Iberian Peninsula (IP). The skill of the main teleconnection indices as predictors of seasonal streamflow in the IP was evaluated. The streamflow database used was composed of 382 stations, covering the period 1975-2008. Predictions were made using a leave-one-out cross-validation approach based on multiple linear regression, combining Variance Inflation Factor and Stepwise Backward selection to avoid multicollinearity and select the best subset of predictors. Predictions were made for four forecasting scenarios, from one to four seasons in advance. The correlation coefficient (RHO), Root Mean Square Error Skill Score (RMSESS), and the Gerrity Skill Score (GSS) were used to evaluate the forecasting skill. For autumn streamflow, good forecasting skill (RHO>0.5, RMSESS>20%, GSS>0.4) was found for a third of the stations located in the Mediterranean Andalusian Basin, the North Atlantic Oscillation of the previous winter being the main predictor. Also, fair forecasting skill (RHO>0.44, RMSESS>10%, GSS>0.2) was found in stations in the northwestern IP (16 of these located in the Douro and Tagus Basins) with two seasons in advance. For winter streamflow, fair forecasting skill was found for one season in advance in 168 stations, with the Snow Advance Index as the main predictor. Finally, forecasting was poorer for spring streamflow than for autumn and winter, since only 16 stations showed fair forecasting skill in with one season in advance, particularly in north-western of IP.

Comparative study of deterioration forms on nearby granitic bridges from an urban setting in the NW Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pozo-Antonio, J. S.; Pereira, M. F. C.; Rocha, C. S. A.; Puente, I.; Figueiredo, C.

2016-12-01

Stone coatings, biological colonization, efflorescence and detachments are frequent on granitic surfaces of our cultural heritage infrastructure. In order to find the different origins for each deterioration form, this paper studies and compares several coatings, efflorescence and flakes found on granitic surfaces of bridges from different ages built in the same area (Ourense in NW Iberian Peninsula at 90 km from the sea) under the same environmental and traffic conditions. The most recent bridge was the New Bridge built in the beginning of 20th century and the oldest one was the Roman Bridge with the 1st century AD foundations but its current structure was built in 17th century. The New Bridge has exhibited a greater variety of deterioration forms such as black crusts, carbonate crusts, efflorescence and biological colonization. On the Roman Bridge, black crusts, efflorescence to a greater extent, and flakes associated with salt crystallization processes have been identified. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy studies were carried out in order to establish their composition, and optical and electronic microscopies and X-ray microtomography were used to study their morphologies. As a result, anthropogenic factors (industrial activities, traffic pollution and fertilizers) are considered to be the main contributors to crusts, efflorescence and flake formation on both studied substrates (granite ashlars and mortars). To a lesser extent, natural factors (marine influence and bird droppings) should be taken into account.

Reproductive ecology of Vipera latastei, in the Iberian Peninsula: implications for the conservation of a Mediterranean viper.

PubMed

Pleguezuelos, Juan Manuel; Santos, Xavier; Brito, José Carlos; Parellada, Xavier; Llorente, Gustavo Adolfo; Fahd, Soumia

2007-01-01

Eurosiberian vipers have been considered model organisms, and studies on their reproductive ecology have afforded much of the current knowledge concerning viviparity in snakes. However, such studies are biased towards northern species and there is little information on Mediterranean species and/or populations. The reproductive ecology of Vipera latastei in the Iberian Peninsula was studied by analysing a large sample of specimens from collections, to better understand the conservation status of this Mediterranean viper. Males and females matured at small and similar body sizes (240 and 265 mm snout-vent length, respectively) and reproductive cycles in both sexes were seasonal. Spermatogenesis peaked in August, vitellogenesis developed in spring and the timing of the mating period was puzzling, with populations mating in autumn, spring, or in both seasons. The most striking finding was that adult females reproduced triennially on average. Lataste's viper is currently in continuous decline in the IP, and most of its populations are isolated in Mediterranean mountains. We hypothesize that prey scarcity and the brevity of the activity period in mountain habitats diminishes the ability of vipers to recover over the short term the energy expended in reproduction. The species needs 2 years for the acquisition and storage of energy ("capital breeder"), and a third year for the expenditure of this energy (in vitellogenesis and embryogenesis), a year during which females feed consistently ("income breeder"). Thus, this viper combines both strategies to supply the reproductive energy cost. Current decline in population and distribution, together with a poor capacity to renew populations, renders Lataste's viper vulnerable to environmental stochasticity.

Zooplankton taxonomic and size diversity in Mediterranean coastal lagoons (NE Iberian Peninsula): Influence of hydrology, nutrient composition, food resource availability and predation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badosa, Anna; Boix, Dani; Brucet, Sandra; López-Flores, Rocío; Gascón, Stéphanie; Quintana, Xavier D.

2007-01-01

The influence of hydrology, nutrient composition, food resource availability and predation on zooplankton taxonomic and size diversity was analyzed in several shallow lagoons of a Mediterranean salt marsh (Baix Ter Wetlands, NE Iberian Peninsula). Taxonomic diversity correlated better with variables related to the trophic state, such as nutrient concentrations, whereas size diversity was more sensitive to fish predation. However, the fish predation influence on the size diversity was only significant when fishes reached high densities. Under low fish densities no predation effects were observed and the food resource availability (FR a) appeared to be more important in structuring the zooplankton community. Nevertheless, the two diversity indexes showed opposite responses to this factor. With increasing FR a the taxonomic diversity increased and the size diversity decreased. Neither taxonomic nor size diversity of the zooplankton community correlated with other physical or biotic factors such as hydrological variability or macroinvertebrate predation. The relationships found suggest that the size diversity is mainly related to biotic interactions, such as fish predation or inter/intraspecific competition, while the taxonomic diversity appears to be more sensitive to abiotic factors such as the nutrient composition.

Endosymbiotic bacteria nodulating a new endemic lupine Lupinus mariae-josephi from alkaline soils in Eastern Spain represent a new lineage within the Bradyrhizobium genus.

PubMed

Sánchez-Cañizares, Carmen; Rey, Luis; Durán, David; Temprano, Francisco; Sánchez-Jiménez, Paloma; Navarro, Albert; Polajnar, Mira; Imperial, Juan; Ruiz-Argüeso, Tomás

2011-05-01

Lupinus mariae-josephi is a recently described endemic Lupinus species from a small area in Eastern Spain where it thrives in soils with active lime and high pH. The L. mariae-josephi root symbionts were shown to be very slow-growing bacteria with different phenotypic and symbiotic characteristics from those of Bradyrhizobium strains nodulating other Lupinus. Their phylogenetic status was examined by multilocus sequence analyses of four housekeeping genes (16S rRNA, glnII, recA, and atpD) and showed the existence of a distinct evolutionary lineage for L. mariae-josephi that also included Bradyrhizobium jicamae. Within this lineage, the tested isolates clustered in three different sub-groups that might correspond to novel sister Bradyrhizobium species. These core gene analyses consistently showed that all the endosymbiotic bacteria isolated from other Lupinus species of the Iberian Peninsula were related to strains of the B. canariense or B. japonicum lineages and were separate from the L. mariae-josephi isolates. Phylogenetic analysis based on nodC symbiotic gene sequences showed that L. mariae-josephi bacteria also constituted a new symbiotic lineage distant from those previously defined in the genus Bradyrhizobium. In contrast, the nodC genes of isolates from other Lupinus spp. from the Iberian Peninsula were again clearly related to the B. canariense and B. japonicum bv. genistearum lineages. Speciation of L. mariae-josephi bradyrhizobia may result from the colonization of a singular habitat by their unique legume host. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Genetic Signatures of Demographic Changes in an Avian Top Predator during the Last Century: Bottlenecks and Expansions of the Eurasian Eagle Owl in the Iberian Peninsula

PubMed Central

Graciá, Eva; Ortego, Joaquín; Godoy, José Antonio; Pérez-García, Juan Manuel; Blanco, Guillermo; del Mar Delgado, María; Penteriani, Vincenzo; Almodóvar, Irene; Botella, Francisco; Sánchez-Zapata, José Antonio

2015-01-01

The study of the demographic history of species can help to understand the negative impact of recent population declines in organisms of conservation concern. Here, we use neutral molecular markers to explore the genetic consequences of the recent population decline and posterior recovery of the Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo) in the Iberian Peninsula. During the last century, the species was the object of extermination programs, suffering direct persecution by hunters until the 70’s. Moreover, during the last decades the eagle owl was severely impacted by increased mortality due to electrocution and the decline of its main prey species, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). In recent times, the decrease of direct persecution and the implementation of some conservation schemes have allowed the species’ demographic recovery. Yet, it remains unknown to which extent the past population decline and the later expansion have influenced the current species’ pattern of genetic diversity. We used eight microsatellite markers to genotype 235 eagle owls from ten Spanish subpopulations and analyse the presence of genetic signatures attributable to the recent population fluctuations experienced by the species. We found moderate levels of differentiation among the studied subpopulations and Bayesian analyses revealed the existence of three genetic clusters that grouped subpopulations from central, south-western and south-eastern Spain. The observed genetic structure could have resulted from recent human-induced population fragmentation, a patchy distribution of prey populations and/or the philopatric behaviour and habitat selection of the species. We detected an old population bottleneck, which occurred approximately 10,000 years ago, and significant signatures of recent demographic expansions. However, we did not find genetic signatures for a recent bottleneck, which may indicate that population declines were not severe enough to leave detectable signals on the

The Eclipse, the Astronomer and His Audience: Frederico Oom and the Total Solar Eclipse of 28 May 1900 in Portugal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carolino, Luis Miguel; Simoes, Ana

2012-01-01

This study offers a detailed analysis of an episode of the popularization of astronomy which took place in Portugal, a peripheral country of Europe, and occurring in the early twentieth century. The episode was driven by the 28 May 1900 total solar eclipse which was seen on the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain). Instead of focusing on one of…

3D lithospheric mapping of the Iberian Peninsula and surrounding Atlantic and Mediterranean margins from 3D joint inversion of potential field and elevation data.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torne, Montserrat; Zeyen, Hermann; Jimenez-Munt, Ivone; Fernandez, Manel; Vergés, Jaume

2017-04-01

We investigate the lithospheric density structure of the Iberian Peninsula and the surrounding Atlantic and Mediterranean margins from a 3D joint inversion of free-air, geoid and elevation data, based on a Bayesian approach. In addition, the crustal structure has been further constrained by incorporating about 750 Moho values from DSS investigations and RF analysis covering the entire region. Our preliminary results shows a significant lithospheric deformation along the plate boundaries, the Bay of Biscay-Pyrenees to the North and the Azores-Gibraltar to the south, where the CMB and LAB are located at depths more than 45 and 150 km, respectively. Noteworthy is the arcuate lithospheric thickening located at the westernmost end of the Gibraltar Arc system showing the presence of the NW-to-Westward retreated Gibraltar Arc slab that has given rise to the formation of the Betics-Rif Alpine belt system and the back arc Alboran basin. To the west, the stable-slightly deformed Iberian massif shows a quasi-flat CMB and LAB topography (30 to 32 km and about 110 km, respectively). The crust and mantle lithosphere thin towards the Mediterranean and Atlantic margins, with the exception of its northern margin where lithospheric thickening extends offshore to the Gulf of Biscay. In the western Mediterranean the SE-Neogene slab retreat has resulted in a significant thinning of the crust and mantle lithosphere. Thin lithosphere is also observed in the Tagus-Horseshoe abyssal plain region where the LAB shallows to less than 90 km. This work has been funded by the Spanish projects MITE (CGL2014-59516-P) and WEME-CSIC project 201330E11.

Projected climatic changes on drought conditions over Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Valdecasas Ojeda, Matilde; Quishpe-Vásquez, César; Raquel Gámiz-Fortis, Sonia; Castro-Díez, Yolanda; Jesús Esteban-Parra, María

2017-04-01

In a context of global warming, the evapotranspiration processes will have a strong influence on drought severity. For this reason, the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) was computed at different timescales in order to explore the projected drought changes for the main watersheds in Spain. For that, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model has been used in order to obtain current (1980-2010) and future (2021-2050 and 2071-2100) climate output fields. WRF model was used over a domain that spans the Iberian Peninsula with a spatial resolution of 0.088°, and nested in the coarser 0.44° EURO-CORDEX domain, and driving by the global bias-corrected climate model output data from version 1 of NCAR's Community Earth System Model (CESM1), using two different Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios: RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5. Besides, to examine the behavior of this drought index, a comparison with the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), which does not consider the evapotranspiration effects, was also performed. Additionally the relationship between the SPEI index and the soil moisture has also been analyzed. The results of this study suggest an increase in the severity and duration of drought, being larger when the SPEI index is used to define drought events. This fact confirms the relevance of taking into account the evapotranspiration processes to detect future drought events. The results also show a noticeable relationship between the SPEI and the simulated soil moisture content, which is more significant at higher timescales. Keywords: Drought, SPEI, SPI, Climatic change, Projections, WRF. Acknowledgements: This work has been financed by the projects P11-RNM-7941 (Junta de Andalucía-Spain) and CGL2013-48539-R (MINECO-Spain, FEDER).

Project WILAS: Seismic imaging of crustal and upper mantle structures beneath the western Iberian Peninsula by means of the receiver-function technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dündar, Süleyman; Dias, Nuno A.; Silveira, Graça; Vinnik, Lev; Haberland, Christian

2013-04-01

An accurate knowledge of the structure of the earth's interior is of great importance to our understanding of tectonic processes. The WILAS-project (REF: PTDC/CTE-GIX/097946/2008) is a three-year collaborative project developed to study the subsurface structure of the western Iberian Peninsula, putting the main emphases on the lithosphere-asthenosphere system beneath the mainland of Portugal. The tectonic evolution of the target area has been driven by major plate-tectonic processes such as the historical opening of the Central Atlantic and the subsequent African-Eurasian convergence. Still, very little is known about the spatial structure of the continental collision. Within the framework of this research, a temporary network of 30 broadband three-component digital stations was operated between 2010 and 2012 in the target area. To carry out a large-scale structural analysis and facilitate a dense station-coverage for the area under investigation, the permanent Global Seismic Network stations, and temporary broadband stations deployed within the scope of the several seismic experiments (e.g. Doctar Network, Portuguese National Seismic Network), were included in the research analysis. In doing so, an unprecedented volume of high-quality data of a ca. 60X60 km density along with a combined network of 65 temporary and permanent broadband seismic stations are currently available for research purposes. One of the tasks of the WILAS research project has been a study of seismic velocity discontinuities beneath the western Iberian Peninsula region, up to a depth range of 700 km, utilizing the P- and S-receiver function techniques (PRF, SRF). Both techniques are based mainly on mode conversion of the elastic body-waves at an interface dividing the layers with different elastic properties. In the first phase of the project, PRF analysis was conducted in order to image the crust-mantle interface (Moho) and the mantle-transition-zone discontinuities at a depth of 410 km and

Assessment of lead exposure in Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti) from spent ammunition in central Spain

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fernandez, Julia Rodriguez-Ramos; Hofle, Ursula; Mateo, Rafael; de Francisco, Olga Nicolas; Abbott, Rachel; Acevedo, Pelayo; Blanco, Juan-Manuel

2011-01-01

The Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti) is found only in the Iberian Peninsula and is considered one of the most threatened birds of prey in Europe. Here we analyze lead concentrations in bones (n = 84), livers (n = 15), primary feathers (n = 69), secondary feathers (n = 71) and blood feathers (n = 14) of 85 individuals collected between 1997 and 2008 in central Spain. Three birds (3.6%) had bone lead concentration > 20 (mu or u)g/g and all livers were within background lead concentration. Bone lead concentrations increased with the age of the birds and were correlated with lead concentration in rachis of secondary feathers. Spatial aggregation of elevated bone lead concentration was found in some areas of Montes de Toledo. Lead concentrations in feathers were positively associated with the density of large game animals in the area where birds were found dead or injured. Discontinuous lead exposure in eagles was evidenced by differences in lead concentration in longitudinal portions of the rachis of feathers.

Sediment Transport at River Lima Estuary: Developing a Sound Methodology to Assess Sediment River Basin Input to an Erosion Prone Coast (NW Iberian Peninsula)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinho, J.; Costa, N.; Venâncio, S.; Martins, M.; Vieira, J.; Granja, H.

2016-12-01

The NW coast of Iberian Peninsula is mainly formed by rocky cliffs northern of the river Minho mouth and by narrow sandy beaches south of this river. These beaches are mainly in a sedimentary deficit status resulting from the north-south longitudinal drift driven by the dominant wave climate that acts from the NW direction. In this scenario understand and quantify river sediment inputs to the coast is crucial in order to follow a sustainable management policy to mitigate erosion impacts both in the natural and social environments. This work will present results from research conducted at rive Lima Estuary, one of the rivers flowing to the NW Iberian coast, based on both numerical modeling and field data acquisition. A hydrological model of the river basin and a detailed morphodynamic model of the estuary were implemented. Instrumentation of the estuary that is being conducted comprises traditional sensor pressures and new ones that are being designed and assembled to be installed at different measurement stations within the estuary. Modelling results for flood events showed that the river is capable of remove all the sediments that are deposited in the narrow estuarine canal located near the river mouth. Some of these sediments are immediately deposited downstream, within the interior of the harbor. Here, there is a strong possibility of silting of the river mouth and the central area of the harbor. Since the river flows during extreme events are controlled by an upstream reservoir, the capacity of the river to transport sediments to the coast was lowered during the last decades, which, moreover, requires dredging works over the years to maintain navigation depth requirements. Dredging sediments should be correctly deposited at the coast in order to properly feed the longitudinal drift, otherwise they will be out of the system, which aggravate the installed erosion tendency.

Outbreak of ringworm in a traditional Iberian pig farm in Spain.

PubMed

García-Sánchez, Alfredo; Bazán, Javier; de Mendoza, Javier Hermoso; Martínez, Remigio; Sánchez, Sergio; de Mendoza, Miguel Hermoso

2011-03-01

An outbreak of dermatophytosis caused by Microsporum nanum in a traditional Iberian extensive farm is described. The morbidity was 100% among lactating sows; however, suckling and weaning pigs, as well as boars never developed the lesions seen in the sows. The clinical aspects of porcine ringworm caused by this fungus are discussed and the ecology of the organism is reviewed. © 2009 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

The First Metriorhynchid Crocodylomorph from the Middle Jurassic of Spain, with Implications for Evolution of the Subclade Rhacheosaurini

PubMed Central

Parrilla-Bel, Jara; Young, Mark T.; Moreno-Azanza, Miguel; Canudo, José Ignacio

2013-01-01

Background Marine deposits from the Callovian of Europe have yielded numerous species of metriorhynchid crocodylomorphs. While common in English and French Formations, metriorhynchids are poorly known from the Iberian Peninsula. Twenty years ago an incomplete, but beautifully preserved, skull was discovered from the Middle Callovian of Spain. It is currently the oldest and best preserved metriorhynchid specimen from the Iberian Peninsula. Until now it has never been properly described and its taxonomic affinities remained obscure. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we present a comprehensive description for this specimen and in doing so we refer it to a new genus and species: Maledictosuchus riclaensis. This species is diagnosed by numerous autapomorphies, including: heterodont dentition; tightly interlocking occlusion; lachrymal anterior process excludes the jugal from the preorbital fenestra; orbits longer than supratemporal fenestrae; palatine has two non-midline and one midline anterior processes. Our phylogenetic analysis finds Maledictosuchus riclaensis to be the basal-most known member of Rhacheosaurini (the subclade of increasingly mesopelagic piscivores that includes Cricosaurus and Rhacheosaurus). Conclusions/Significance Our description of Maledictosuchus riclaensis shows that the craniodental morphologies that underpinned the success of Rhacheosaurini in the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, as a result of increasing marine specialization to adaptations for feeding on fast small-bodied prey (i.e. divided and retracted external nares; reorientation of the lateral processes of the frontal; elongate, tubular rostrum; procumbent and non-carinated dentition; high overall tooth count; and dorsolaterally inclined paroccipital processes), first appeared during the Middle Jurassic. Rhacheosaurins were curiously rare in the Middle Jurassic, as only one specimen of Maledictosuchus riclaensis is known (with no representatives discovered from the well

The unusual suspect: Land use is a key predictor of biodiversity patterns in the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martins, Inês Santos; Proença, Vânia; Pereira, Henrique Miguel

2014-11-01

Although land use change is a key driver of biodiversity change, related variables such as habitat area and habitat heterogeneity are seldom considered in modeling approaches at larger extents. To address this knowledge gap we tested the contribution of land use related variables to models describing richness patterns of amphibians, reptiles and passerines in the Iberian Peninsula. We analyzed the relationship between species richness and habitat heterogeneity at two spatial resolutions (i.e., 10 km × 10 km and 50 km × 50 km). Using both ordinary least square and simultaneous autoregressive models, we assessed the relative importance of land use variables, climate variables and topographic variables. We also compare the species-area relationship with a multi-habitat model, the countryside species-area relationship, to assess the role of the area of different types of habitats on species diversity across scales. The association between habitat heterogeneity and species richness varied with the taxa and spatial resolution. A positive relationship was detected for all taxa at a grain size of 10 km × 10 km, but only passerines responded at a grain size of 50 km × 50 km. Species richness patterns were well described by abiotic predictors, but habitat predictors also explained a considerable portion of the variation. Moreover, species richness patterns were better described by a multi-habitat species-area model, incorporating land use variables, than by the classic power model, which only includes area as the single explanatory variable. Our results suggest that the role of land use in shaping species richness patterns goes beyond the local scale and persists at larger spatial scales. These findings call for the need of integrating land use variables in models designed to assess species richness response to large scale environmental changes.

The use of circulation weather types to predict upwelling activity along the Western Iberian Peninsula coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos, Alexandre M.; Cordeiro Pires, Ana; Sousa, Pedro M.; Trigo, Ricardo M.

2013-04-01

Coastal upwelling is a phenomenon that occurs in most western oceanic coasts due to the presence of mid-latitude high-pressure systems that generate equatorward winds along the coast and consequent offshore displacement of surface waters that in turn cause deeper, colder, nutrient-rich waters to arise. In western Iberian Peninsula (IP) the high-pressure system associated to northerly winds occurs mainly during spring and summer. Upwelling systems are economically relevant, being the most productive regions of the world ocean and crucial for fisheries. In this work, we evaluate the intra- and inter-annual variability of the Upwelling Index (UI) off the western coast of the IP considering four locations at various latitudes: Rias Baixas, Aveiro, Figueira da Foz and Cabo da Roca. In addition, the relationship between the variability of the occurrence of several circulation weather types (Ramos et al., 2011) and the UI variability along this coast was assessed in detail, allowing to discriminate which types are frequently associated with strong and weak upwelling activity. It is shown that upwelling activity is mostly driven by wind flow from the northern quadrant, for which the obtained correlation coefficients (for the N and NE types) are higher than 0.5 for the four considered test locations. Taking into account these significant relationships, we then developed statistical multi-linear regression models to hindcast upwelling series (April to September) at the four referred locations, using monthly frequencies of circulation weather types as predictors. Modelled monthly series reproduce quite accurately observational data, with correlation coefficients above 0.7 for all locations, and relatively small absolute errors. Ramos AM, Ramos R, Sousa P, Trigo RM, Janeira M, Prior V (2011) Cloud to ground lightning activity over Portugal and its association with Circulation Weather Types. Atmospheric Research 101:84-101. doi: 10.1016/j.atmosres.2011.01

Thromboprophylaxis in critically ill children in Spain and Portugal

PubMed Central

Nñnez, A. Rodríguez; Fonte, M.; Faustino, E.V.S.

2015-01-01

Introduction Although critically ill children may be at risk from developing deep venous thrombosis (DVT), data on its incidence and effectiveness of thromboprophylaxis are lacking. Objective To describe the use of thromboprophylaxis in critically ill children in Spain and Portugal, and to compare the results with international data. Material and methods Secondary analysis of the multinational study PROTRACT, carried out in 59 PICUs from 7 developed countries (4 from Portugal and 6 in Spain). Data were collected from patients less than 18 years old, who did not receive therapeutic thromboprophylaxis. Results A total of 308 patients in Spanish and Portuguese (Iberian) PICUS were compared with 2176 admitted to international PICUs. Risk factors such as femoral vein (P = .01), jugular vein central catheter (P < .001), cancer (P = .03), and sepsis (P < .001), were more frequent in Iberian PICUs. The percentage of patients with pharmacological thromboprophylaxis was similar in both groups (15.3% vs. 12.0%). Low molecular weight heparin was used more frequently in Iberian patients (P < .001). In treated children, prior history of thrombosis (P = .02), femoral vein catheter (P < .001), cancer (P = .02) and cranial trauma or craniectomy (P = .006), were more frequent in Iberian PICUs. Mechanical thromboprophylaxis was used in only 6.8% of candidates in Iberian PICUs, compared with 23.8% in the international PICUs (P < .001). Conclusions Despite the presence of risk factors for DVT in many patients, thromboprophylaxis is rarely prescribed, with low molecular weight heparin being the most used drug. Passive thromboprophylaxis use is anecdotal. There should be a consensus on guidelines of thromboprophylaxis in critically ill children. PMID:24907863

Moisture Balance Over the Iberian Peninsula According to a Regional Climate Model: The Impact of 3DVAR Data Assimilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González-Rojí, Santos J.; Sáenz, Jon; Ibarra-Berastegi, Gabriel; Díaz de Argandoña, Javier

2018-01-01

An analysis of the atmospheric branch of the hydrological cycle by means of a 15 km resolution numerical integration performed using Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) nested in ERA Interim is presented. Two WRF experiments covering the period 2010-2014 were prepared. The first one (N) was configured as in standard numerical downscaling experiments. The second one (D), with the same parameterizations, included a step of 3DVAR data assimilation every 6 h. Apart from comparing our results with ERA Interim data, several observational data sets were used to validate the precipitable water (radiosondes and MODIS data), precipitation (EOBS, ECA&D, TRMM, and GPCP), or evaporation (GLEAM). The verification results showed that the D experiment systematically performs better than N and in many instances, too, better than the forcing reanalysis. According to the results, the leading terms of the water balance are the tendency of the precipitable water, the divergence of moisture flux, evaporation, and precipitation. No spatial patterns were recognizable for the annual accumulated evaporation, but the effect of the Atlantic fronts was detected in the precipitation patterns. The transboundary moisture fluxes through the contour of the Iberian Peninsula behave differently depending on the season during 2010-2014. During winter, they show a net moisture import through the boundaries. During spring, summer, or autumn moisture is exported specially through the Mediterranean coast, and only during midday, this feature is reversed due to sea breezes.

Surveillance of Viruses in Wild Fish Populations in Areas around the Gulf of Cadiz (South Atlantic Iberian Peninsula)

PubMed Central

Moreno, Patricia; Olveira, José G.; Labella, Alejandro; Cutrín, Juan Manuel; Baro, Jorge C.; Borrego, Juan Jose

2014-01-01

This report describes a viral epidemiological study of wild fish around the Gulf of Cadiz (southwestern Iberian Peninsula) and is focused on infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV), viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV), and viral nervous necrosis virus (VNNV). One fish species (Chelon labrosus) was sampled inside the gulf, at the mouth of the San Pedro River. Another 29 were sampled, in three oceanographic campaigns, at sites around the Bay of Cadiz. The fish were processed individually and subjected to isolation in cell culture and molecular diagnosis. VHSV was not isolated from any species. Thirteen IPNV-type isolates were obtained from barracuda (Sphyraena sphyraena), axillary seabream (Pagellus acarne), common two-banded seabream (Diplodus vulgaris), common pandora (P. erythrinus), Senegal seabream (D. bellottii), and surmullet (Mullus surmuletus). Six VNNV isolates were obtained from axillary seabream, common pandora, black seabream (Spondyliosoma cantharus), red mullet (Mullet barbatus), Lusitanian toadfish (Halobatrachus didactylus), and tub gurnard (Chelidonichtys lucerna). In the river mouth, viruses were detected only after reamplification, obtaining prevalence percentages of IPNV and VNNV (44.4 and 63.0%, respectively) much higher than those observed in the oceanographic campaigns (25.7 and 19.6%, respectively). The opposite results were obtained in the case of VHSV after reamplification: 11.1% in the river mouth and 43.6% in the oceanic locations. Analyzing the results with respect to the proximity of the sampling sites to the coast, an anthropogenic influence on wild fish is suggested and discussed. The type of viruses and the presence of natural reassortants are also discussed. PMID:25128341

Taeniid species of the Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) in Portugal with special focus on Echinococcus spp.☆

PubMed Central

Guerra, Diogo; Armua-Fernandez, Maria Teresa; Silva, Marta; Bravo, Inês; Santos, Nuno; Deplazes, Peter; Carvalho, Luís Manuel Madeira de

2012-01-01

Taeniid species represent relevant pathogens in human and animals, circulating between carnivorous definitive hosts and a variety of mammalian intermediate hosts. In Portugal, however, little is known about their occurrence and life cycles, especially in wild hosts. An epidemiological survey was conducted to clarify the role of the Iberian wolf as a definitive host for taeniid species, including Echinococcus spp. Wolf fecal samples (n = 68) were collected from two regions in Northern Portugal. Taeniid eggs were isolated through a sieving-flotation technique, and species identification was performed using multiplex-PCR followed by sequencing of the amplicons. Taenia hydatigena (in 11.8% of the samples), Taenia serialis (5.9%), Taenia pisiformis (2.9%), Taenia polyacantha (1.5%) and Echinococcus intermedius (Echinococcus granulosus ‘pig strain’, G7) (1.5%) were detected. This is the first study to characterize the taeniid species infecting the Portuguese Iberian wolf, with the first records of T. polyacantha and E. intermedius in this species in the Iberian Peninsula. Iberian wolves can be regarded as relevant hosts for the maintenance of the wild and synanthropic cycles of taeniids in Portugal. PMID:24533315

Paleoecological and paleoenvironmental changes during the continental Middle-Late Permian transition at the SE Iberian Ranges, Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De la Horra, R.; Galán-Abellán, A. B.; López-Gómez, J.; Sheldon, N. D.; Barrenechea, J. F.; Luque, F. J.; Arche, A.; Benito, M. I.

2012-08-01

The Middle and Late Permian are characterized by a pair of mass-extinction events that are recorded in both marine and continental environments. Here, we present the first continental western peri-Tethyan record of an extinction event located in the Middle-Late interval. In the SE Iberian Ranges, Central Spain, the transition between the Lower and Middle subunits of the Middle Permian Alcotas Formation indicates a significant paleoclimatic change from arid and semiarid conditions towards more humid conditions. Coincident with the onset of humid conditions there were changes in the sedimentology, mineralogy, and geochemistry that indicate significant environmental changes including a shift in weathering intensity and a change of fluvial style from braided to meandering systems. Near the top of the Middle Subunit, a local biotic crisis is recorded by palynomorph assemblages. Following this crisis, there is a total absence of coal beds, plant remains, and microflora that defines a barren zone in the uppermost part of the Alcotas Formation which is recorded throughout the basin. The barren zone is accompanied by a shift back to braided stream systems, but not by a return to carbonate-bearing paleosols indicative of arid or semi-arid conditions. This combination of features is consistent with other Middle-Late continental basins related with mass extinctions, so the barren zone is interpreted as the extinction interval. The regional character of the extinction interval and its proximity with the Middle-Late Permian transition could be related with the global mid-Capitanian biotic turnover described in this period of time in other marine basins. However, the common difficulties of dating with precision non-marine rocks make this relationship difficult to probe in the Iberian Basin and in other Middle-Late Permian basins. Further work, including high resolution carbon-isotope analyses and complete studies of the magnetostratigraphy, should be desirable in order to obtain

Harsh Climates, Poor Transportation, And Irregular Warfare: Logistical Difficulties From Napoleon To The Soviet - Afghan War That Affect Operational Campaigns

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

confident about having two operational campaigns in the Iberian Peninsula and Russia where the climate , transportation infrastructure, and threats...campaigns in the Iberian Peninsula and Russia exhibited effects of the harsh climates on logistical effectiveness. The climates in the Iberian Peninsula ...decreasing). The Iberian Peninsula climate consists of vast infertile areas with mountains, hills, and dry regions ill-suited for logistically

Early Holocene humidity patterns in the Iberian Peninsula reconstructed from lake, pollen and speleothem records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morellón, Mario; Aranbarri, Josu; Moreno, Ana; González-Sampériz, Penélope; Valero-Garcés, Blas L.

2018-02-01

Comparison of selected, well-dated, lacustrine, speleothem and terrestrial pollen records spanning the Holocene onset and the Early Holocene (ca. 11.7-8 cal kyrs BP) in the Iberian Peninsula shows large hydrological fluctuations and landscape changes with a complex regional pattern in timing and intensity. Marine pollen records from Alboran, the Mediterranean and off shore Atlantic sites show a step-wise increase in moisture and forest during this transition. However, available continental records point to two main patterns of spatial and temporal hydrological variability: i) Atlantic-influenced sites located at the northwestern areas (Enol, Sanabria, Lucenza, PRD-4), characterized by a gradual increase in humidity from the end of the Younger Dryas to the Mid Holocene, similarly to most North Atlantic records; and ii) continental and Mediterranean-influenced sites (Laguna Grande, Villarquemado, Fuentillejo, Padul, Estanya, Banyoles, Salines), with prolonged arid conditions of variable temporal extension after the Younger Dryas, followed by an abrupt increase in moisture at 10-9 cal kyrs BP. Different local climate conditions influenced by topography or the variable sensitivity (gradual versus threshold values) of the proxies analyzed in each case are evaluated. Vegetation composition (conifers versus mesothermophilous taxa) and resilience would explain a subdued response of vegetation in central continental areas while in Mediterranean sites, insufficient summer moisture availability could not maintain high lake levels and promote mesophyte forest, in contrast to Atlantic-influenced areas. Comparison with available climate models, Greenland ice cores, North Atlantic marine sequences and continental records from Central and Northern Europe and the whole Mediterranean region underlines the distinctive character of the hydrological changes occurred in inner Iberia throughout the Early Holocene. The persistent arid conditions might be explained by the intensification

Atmospheric pollutants in fog and rain events at the northwestern mountains of the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Fernández-González, Ricardo; Yebra-Pimentel, Iria; Martínez-Carballo, Elena; Simal-Gándara, Jesús; Pontevedra-Pombal, Xabier

2014-11-01

Atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and exist in gas and particle phases, as well as dissolved or suspended in precipitation (fog or rain). While the hydrosphere is the main reservoir for PAHs, the atmosphere serves as the primary route for global transport of PCBs. In this study, fog and rain samples were collected during fourteen events from September 2011 to April 2012 in the Xistral Mountains, a remote range in the NW Iberian Peninsula. PAH compounds [especially of low molecular weight (LMW)] were universally found, but mainly in the fog-water samples. The total PAH concentration in fog-water ranged from non-detected to 216 ng·L(-1) (mean of 45 ng·L(-1)), and was much higher in fall than in winter. Total PAH levels in the rain and fog events varied from non-detected to 1272 and 33 ng·L(-1) for, respectively, LMW and high molecular weight (HMW) PAHs. Diagnostic ratio analysis (LMW PAHs/HMW PAHs) suggested that petroleum combustion was the dominant contributor to PAHs in the area. Total PCB levels in the rain and fog events varied from non-detected to 305 and 91 ng·L(-1) for, respectively, PCBs with 2-3 Cl atoms and 5-10 Cl atoms. PCBs, especially those with 5-10 Cl atoms, were found linked to rain events. The occurrence of the most volatile PCBs, PCBs with 2-3 Cl atoms, is related to wind transport from far away sources, whereas the occurrence of PCBs with 5-10 Cl atoms seems to be related with the increase of its deposition during rainfall at the end of summer and fall. The movement of this fraction of PCBs is facilitated by its binding to air-suspended particles, whose concentrations usually show an increase as the result of a prolonged period of drought in summer. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The 1748 Montesa (south-east Spain) earthquake, a singular event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buforn, Elisa; Udías, Agustín; Sanz de Galdeano, Carlos

2015-04-01

The Montesa earthquakes of 1748 took place in the south-east region of the Iberian Peninsula. Its location falls somewhat outside the seismic active region of southern Spain. The main shock took place on the 23 of March and was followed by a series of aftershocks, the largest on the 2 of April. Despite of the large number of documents with descriptions of the damage produced by this earthquake it has not been the object of a detailed seismological study. Documents described the damage in about 100 towns and villages over a wide area and it was felt in Valencia, Alcoy and Cartagena. The castle of Montesa was totally destroyed and the town of Xàtiva suffered heavy damage. The source region with seismic intensity IX extends about 15 km from Sellent to Enguera, along a possible fault of NE-SW direction. This is a singular event because it occurred in an area with an assigned low seismic risk where in the past very few large earthquakes have happened. This earthquake shows that a destructive earthquake may happen in the future in this region. The area affected by the earthquake has today a high industrial and tourist development.

Comparability of fish-based ecological quality assessments for geographically distinct Iberian regions.

PubMed

Segurado, P; Caiola, N; Pont, D; Oliveira, J M; Delaigue, O; Ferreira, M T

2014-04-01

In this work we compare two Iberian and a pan-European fish-based methods to assess ecological quality in rivers: the Fish-based Index of Biotic Integrity for Portuguese Wadeable Streams (F-IBIP), the Mediterranean Index of Biotic Integrity (IBIMED) and the pan-European Fish Index (EFI+). The results presented herein were developed in the context of the 2nd phase of the Intercalibration Exercise (IC), as required by the Water Frame Directive (WFD). The IC is aimed at ensuring comparability of the quality boundaries among the different WFD assessment methods developed by the Member States for each biological quality element. Although the two national assessment methods were developed for very distinct regions of Iberia (Western and Eastern Iberian Peninsula) they share the same methodological background: both are type-specific and guild-based multimetric indices. EFI+ is a multimetric guild-based model, but it is site-specific and uses a predictive modelling approach. The three indices were computed for all sites included in the Iberian Intercalibration database to allow the direct comparison, by means of linear regressions, of the resulting three quality values per site. The quality boundary harmonization between the two Iberian methods was only possible through an indirect comparison between the two indices, using EFI+ as a common metric. The three indices were also shown to be responsive to a common set of human induced pressures. This study highlights the need to develop general assessment methods adapted to wide geographical ranges with high species turnover to help intercalibrating assessment methods tailored for geographically more restricted regions. © 2013.

700 years reconstruction of mercury and lead atmospheric deposition in the Pyrenees (NE Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corella, J. P.; Valero-Garcés, B. L.; Wang, F.; Martínez-Cortizas, A.; Cuevas, C. A.; Saiz-Lopez, A.

2017-04-01

Geochemical analyses in varved lake sediment cores (Lake Montcortès, Pre-Pyrenees) allowed reconstruction of mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) atmospheric deposition over the past seven centuries in the Pyrenees (NE Spain). Accumulation Rates (AR) from the Middle Ages to the Industrial Period ranged from 2500 to 26130 μg m2.y-1 and 15-152 μg m2.y-1 for Pb and Hg respectively. Significant metal pollution started ca CE 1550 during a period of increased exploitation of ore resources in Spain. Colder and humid conditions in the Pyrenees during the Little Ice Age may have also favoured Hg and Pb atmospheric deposition in the lake. Therefore, the interplay between increased rainfall (wet deposition) and mining activities in the Iberian Peninsula has driven Hg and Pb AR during the Pre-industrial Period. More recently, the use of leaded gasoline in Europe in the mid-20th century may explain the highest Pb AR between CE 1953 and 1971. The highest Hg AR occurred in CE 1940 synchronous with the highest Hg production peak in Almadén mining district (southern Spain) and the Second World War. The record of Hg enrichment in Lake Montcortès shows a decrease during the last decades in Western Europe similar to other regional records and global emission models. This study highlights the exceptional quality of varved sequences to tease apart pollutants depositional mechanisms, identify historical periods of increased atmospheric pollution and provide a historical context for pollutant baseline values to make correct assessments of recent (atmospheric) pollution in lake ecosystems.

[Thromboprophylaxis in critically ill children in Spain and Portugal].

PubMed

Rodríguez Núñez, A; Fonte, M; Faustino, E V S

2015-03-01

Although critically ill children may be at risk from developing deep venous thrombosis (DVT), data on its incidence and effectiveness of thromboprophylaxis are lacking. To describe the use of thromboprophylaxis in critically ill children in Spain and Portugal, and to compare the results with international data. Secondary analysis of the multinational study PROTRACT, carried out in 59 PICUs from 7 developed countries (4 from Portugal and 6 in Spain). Data were collected from patients less than 18 years old, who did not receive therapeutic thromboprophylaxis. A total of 308 patients in Spanish and Portuguese (Iberian) PICUS were compared with 2176 admitted to international PICUs. Risk factors such as femoral vein (P=.01), jugular vein central catheter (P<.001), cancer (P=.03), and sepsis (P<.001), were more frequent in Iberian PICUs. The percentage of patients with pharmacological thromboprophylaxis was similar in both groups (15.3% vs. 12.0%). Low molecular weight heparin was used more frequently in Iberian patients (P<.001). In treated children, prior history of thrombosis (P=.02), femoral vein catheter (P<.001), cancer (P=.02) and cranial trauma or craniectomy (P=.006), were more frequent in Iberian PICUs. Mechanical thromboprophylaxis was used in only 6.8% of candidates in Iberian PICUs, compared with 23.8% in the international PICUs (P<.001). Despite the presence of risk factors for DVT in many patients, thromboprophylaxis is rarely prescribed, with low molecular weight heparin being the most used drug. Passive thromboprophylaxis use is anecdotal. There should be a consensus on guidelines of thromboprophylaxis in critically ill children. Copyright © 2014 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Tsunami hazard at the Western Mediterranean Spanish coast from seismic sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Álvarez-Gómez, J. A.; Aniel-Quiroga, Í.; González, M.; Otero, L.

2011-01-01

Spain represents an important part of the tourism sector in the Western Mediterranean, which has been affected in the past by tsunamis. Although the tsunami risk at the Spanish coasts is not the highest of the Mediterranean, the necessity of tsunami risk mitigation measures should not be neglected. In the Mediterranean area, Spain is exposed to two different tectonic environments with contrasting characteristics. On one hand, the Alboran Basin characterised by transcurrent and transpressive tectonics and, on the other hand, the North Algerian fold and thrust belt, characterised by compressive tectonics. A set of 22 seismic tsunamigenic sources has been used to estimate the tsunami threat over the Spanish Mediterranean coast of the Iberian peninsula and the Balearic Islands. Maximum wave elevation maps and tsunami travel times have been computed by means of numerical modelling and we have obtained estimations of threat levels for each source over the Spanish coast. The sources on the Western edge of North Algeria are the most dangerous, due to their threat to the South-Eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula and to the Western Balearic Islands. In general, the Northern Algerian sources pose a greater risk to the Spanish coast than the Alboran Sea sources, which only threaten the peninsular coast. In the Iberian Peninsula, the Spanish provinces of Almeria and Murcia are the most exposed, while all the Balearic Islands can be affected by the North Algerian sources with probable severe damage, specially the islands of Ibiza and Minorca. The results obtained in this work are useful to plan future regional and local warning systems, as well as to set the priority areas to conduct research on detailed tsunami risk.

Is the current increase in fire recurrence causing a shift in the soil fertility of Iberian ecosystems?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayor, Ángeles G.; Keizer, Jan Jacob; González-Pelayo, Óscar; Valdecantos, Alejandro; Vallejo, Ramón; de Ruiter, Peter

2015-04-01

Since the mid of the last century fire recurrence has increased in the Iberian peninsula and the overall Mediterranean basin due to changes in land use and climate. The warmer and drier climate projected for this region will further increase the risk of wildfire occurrence and of increasing fire recurrence. Although the impact of wildfires on soil nutrient content in this region has been extensively studied, still few works have assessed this impact on the basis of fire recurrence. This study assesses the changes in soil nutrient status of two Iberian ecosystems, Várzea (N Portugal) and Valencia (E Spain), affected by different levels of fire recurrence and where short inter-fire periods have promoted a transition from pine woodlands to shrublands. Trends towards soil fertility loss with increasing fire recurrence (one, two, three or four fires in 37 years) were observed in the two study sites. The sites differed when soil fertility of areas burned several times were compared with long unburned references. In Valencia, overall soil fertility of the surface mineral soil was lower in areas burned two or three times than in long unburned areas, twenty and eight years after the last fire, respectively. On the contrary, total organic matter in Várzea was higher in burned than in unburned soils one year after the occurrence of one or four fires. However, a negative impact of fire was observed for integrated indicators of soil quality, such as hot-water carbon and potentially mineralizable nitrogen, suggesting that fire also had an adverse effect on substrate quality in Várzea. Our results suggest that the current trend of increasing fire recurrence in Southern Europe may result in losses or alterations of soil organic matter, particularly when fire promotes a transition from pine woodland to shrubland.

Cortlandtitic enclaves associated with calc-alkaline granites from Tapia-Asturias (Hercynian Belt, northwestern Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galán, G.; Suárez, O.

1989-10-01

Petrographic and mineralogical characteristics of amphibole-olivine- and pyroxene-bearing ultramafic rocks from Asturias (NW Spain) are dealt with in this paper. These rocks are of cortlandtitic type and occur as small rare enclaves in basic rocks related to Hercynian calc-alkaline, post-tectonic epizonal granites, in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. These particular ultramafic enclaves are characterized by poikilitic cumulate microtexture. Olivine (Fo 77-81), spinel, from chromite to pleonaste composition, enstatite, subordinated diopside and sulphides are included in large brown calcic amphibole crystals displaying an irregular zonation. Phlogopite and plagioclase are also found, in a much lower proportion, between the large amphibole crystals. Mineral assemblage and chemical composition of minerals indicate formation conditions of 1150°C, 7-8 kbar of Ptotal and PH 2O < Ptotal. These rocks could represent the earlier products of fractional crystallization from a hydrated high-alumina basalt involved in the genesis of the calc-alkaline granites. This basic magma would start crystallizing at a relatively deep level, carrying up the first products of its crystallization during its ascent.

New palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic reconstructions for the Middle Palaeolithic site of Cuesta de la Bajada (Teruel, eastern Spain) inferred from the amphibian and squamate reptile assemblages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blain, Hugues-Alexandre; Ruiz Zapata, Maria Blanca; Gil García, Maria José; Sesé, Carmen; Santonja, Manuel; Pérez-González, Alfredo

2017-10-01

In the eastern Iberian Peninsula, the archaeological site of Cuesta de la Bajada (Teruel, Spain) has produced some of the earliest evidence of Middle Paleolithic stone tool traditions together with evidence of equid and cervid carcasses defleshed by hominins. Based on the numerical age of 317-240 ka derived from OSL, ESR and AAR dating methods for the lower part of the Cuesta de la Bajada sedimentological sequence (level CB3), as well as the biochronological inferences for the small and large mammal associations, the site can be attributed to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 8 or the end of MIS 9. As amphibians and reptiles have precise environmental and climatic requirements and do not differ at species level from the extant herpetofauna of the Iberian Peninsula, they can contribute to the reconstruction of the landscape and climate. In this paper, the fossil amphibians and squamate reptiles from Cuesta de la Bajada are studied for the first time. The mutual ecogeographic range and habitat weighting methods were applied to the herpetofaunal assemblages to estimate quantitative data for the landscape and climate reconstructions. The climate is shown to have been colder and wetter than today in the interior of eastern Spain, with mean annual temperature up to 2.5 °C lower and mean annual precipitation slightly higher than at present. The monthly climatic reconstruction shows differences in the distribution of precipitation over the course of the year, with more abundant precipitation from late autumn to spring (i.e. from October to May), and more or less similar precipitation to today during the summer months (July and August). This suggests there was stronger rainfall seasonality between winter and summer than currently occurs. The paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on the herpetofaunal assemblage depicts a poorly forested (15-20%) patchy landscape with a large representation of dry meadows and scrubland habitats together with well-evidenced aquatic habitats. These

Fog water collection under sea breeze conditions in the Western Mediterranean basin (Valencia region, Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azorin-Molina, C.; Corell, D.; Estrela, M. J.; Valiente, J. A.

2010-07-01

Orographic fog occurrences associated with sea breezes determine water collection potential over the mountain ranges near the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Previous works have confirmed that the effect of sea breezes on cloud genera is to increase the frequency of low (Stratus) and convective (Cumulus) clouds. The primary impact of sea breeze flows corresponds to low stratiform clouds (Stratus, St, and Stratocumulus, Sc) formed in the convective internal boundary layer due to the inflow of moist sea air at lower levels. The formation of Sc clouds is caused by the rising and cooling of turbulent moist sea air over the highest slopes of the mountains at the end of the day. In the most Sc formation, we also observed dense fog banks of Stratus nebulosus (St neb) and dew during the early next morning, covering the inland topographical depressions. The aim of this study is to statistically analyze the impact of sea breezes on fog water collection in the convective internal boundary layer. The study area is located in the eastern of the Iberian Peninsula (Valencia region, Spain) and the survey corresponds to a 7-yr study period (2003-2009). This research is based upon a small network of eight passive fog water collectors distributed over 6 coastal- and 2 inland-mountain areas. A cylindrical fog water instrument (i.e. omnidirectional collection efficiency) based on the ASRC (Atmospheric Science Research Centre, State University of New York) string collector is used to sample fog water volumes on a daily basis. These stations also sampled temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction and precipitation measurements. The current study used these meteorological measurements to apply an automated and manual selection methodologies for identifying past sea breeze episodes. The dataset created by means of these selection techniques allows for the study of fog water volumes associated with sea breeze situations. A detailed statistical characterization of the

Summer drought reconstruction in northeastern Spain inferred from a tree ring latewood network since 1734

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tejedor, E.; Saz, M. A.; Esper, J.; Cuadrat, J. M.; de Luis, M.

2017-08-01

Drought recurrence in the Mediterranean is regarded as a fundamental factor for socioeconomic development and the resilience of natural systems in context of global change. However, knowledge of past droughts has been hampered by the absence of high-resolution proxies. We present a drought reconstruction for the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula based on a new dendrochronology network considering the Standardized Evapotranspiration Precipitation Index (SPEI). A total of 774 latewood width series from 387 trees of P. sylvestris and P. uncinata was combined in an interregional chronology. The new chronology, calibrated against gridded climate data, reveals a robust relationship with the SPEI representing drought conditions of July and August. We developed a summer drought reconstruction for the period 1734-2013 representative for the northeastern and central Iberian Peninsula. We identified 16 extremely dry and 17 extremely wet summers and four decadal scale dry and wet periods, including 2003-2013 as the driest episode of the reconstruction.

Loss of largest and oldest individuals of the Montpellier snake correlates with recent warming in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula

PubMed Central

Feriche, Mónica; Alaminos, Esmeralda; Pleguezuelos, Juan M

2017-01-01

Abstract The effects of climate change on organisms are now being extensively studied in many different taxa. However, the variation in body size, usually shrinkage in response to increasing temperature, has received little attention regarding to reptiles. During past periods of global warming, many organisms shrank in size, and current evidence and experiments manipulating temperature have shown a biomass decrease in some organisms with increasing temperatures. Here we test whether the body size of the Montpellier snake Malpolon monspessulanus from the southeastern Iberian Peninsula is changing and correlated with the increasing temperature in this region during a 39-year period (1976–2014). We measured the snout–vent length (SVL) of vouchers in scientific collections to check for trends in adult body size at the population level in relation with temperature, while controlling for the age of the individuals (estimated by skeletochronology, n =141). Given the great ontogenetic variation in body size of the study species, we categorized age in 3 classes: “young adults” (under 5 years old), “intermediate adults” (from 5 to 7 years old), and “old adults” (from 8 to 14 years old). By means of linear mixed models, we found a negative relationship between SVL of “old adults” and average annual temperature in the region during the lifetime of each individual. Our results indicate that largest and oldest individuals of the Montpellier Snake, that is, males because of strong sexual size dimorphism in this species, disappeared from the study population, and suggest that it occurred in response to rising environmental temperature. PMID:29492021

Loss of largest and oldest individuals of the Montpellier snake correlates with recent warming in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

López-Calderón, Cosme; Feriche, Mónica; Alaminos, Esmeralda; Pleguezuelos, Juan M

2017-12-01

The effects of climate change on organisms are now being extensively studied in many different taxa. However, the variation in body size, usually shrinkage in response to increasing temperature, has received little attention regarding to reptiles. During past periods of global warming, many organisms shrank in size, and current evidence and experiments manipulating temperature have shown a biomass decrease in some organisms with increasing temperatures. Here we test whether the body size of the Montpellier snake Malpolon monspessulanus from the southeastern Iberian Peninsula is changing and correlated with the increasing temperature in this region during a 39-year period (1976-2014). We measured the snout-vent length (SVL) of vouchers in scientific collections to check for trends in adult body size at the population level in relation with temperature, while controlling for the age of the individuals (estimated by skeletochronology, n  =141). Given the great ontogenetic variation in body size of the study species, we categorized age in 3 classes: "young adults" (under 5 years old), "intermediate adults" (from 5 to 7 years old), and "old adults" (from 8 to 14 years old). By means of linear mixed models, we found a negative relationship between SVL of "old adults" and average annual temperature in the region during the lifetime of each individual. Our results indicate that largest and oldest individuals of the Montpellier Snake, that is, males because of strong sexual size dimorphism in this species, disappeared from the study population, and suggest that it occurred in response to rising environmental temperature.

Paraglacial dynamics in Little Ice Age glaciated environments in the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliva, Marc; Serrano, Enrique; Ruiz-Fernández, Jesús; Gómez-Ortiz, Antonio; Palacios, David

2017-04-01

Three Iberian mountain ranges encompassed glaciers during the Little Ice Age (LIA): the Pyrenees, Cantabrian Mountains and Sierra Nevada. The gradual warming trend initiated during the second half of the XIX century promoted the progressive shrinking of these glaciers, which completely melted during the first half of the 20th century in the Cantabrian Mountains and Sierra Nevada and reduced by 80% of their LIA extent in the Pyrenees. Currently, the formerly glaciated environments are located within the periglacial belt and still present to a major or lesser degree signs of paraglacial activity. LIA moraines are devoid of vegetation and composed of highly unstable sediments that are being intensely mobilized by slope processes. Inside the moraines, different landforms and processes generated following LIA glacial retreat have generated: (i) buried ice trapped within rock debris supplied from the cirque walls, which has also generated rock glaciers and protalus lobes; (ii) semi-permanent snow fields distributed above the ice-patches remnants of the LIA glaciers, and (iii) small periglacial features such as frost mounds, sorted circles and solifluction landforms generated by processes such as solifluction and cryoturbation. Present-day morphodynamics is mostly related to seasonal frost conditions, though patches of permafrost have formed in some areas in contact with the buried ice. This 'geomorphic permafrost' is undergoing a process of degradation since it is not balanced with present-day climate conditions. This is reflected in the occurrence of multiple collapses and subsidences of the debris cover where the frozen bodies sit. In the highest areas of the Pyrenees there is a permafrost belt next to the small glaciated environments in the highest massifs. Finally, we propose a model for paraglacial activity in Iberian mountain ranges and compare it to other mid-latitude mountain environments as well as to other past deglaciation stages.

New early instrumental series since the beginning of the 19th century in eastern Iberia (Valencia, Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanchez-Lorenzo, Arturo; Barriendos, Mariano; Guinaldo, Elena; Lopez-Bustins, Joan A.

2010-05-01

Early instrumental series are the main source for climate information in the 18th and the first part of the 19th century, which is when systematic meteorological observations started in most national meteorological services. The first continuous series in Spain starts in 1780 in Barcelona due to meteorological observations made by the medical doctor Francisco Salvá Campillo. Moreover, only two other series have been recovered at the present in Spain: Madrid and Cádiz/San Fernando. Until present, in Spain the major part of the meteorological observations detected in early instrumental periods were made by medical doctors, who started to pay attention to the environmental factors influencing population health under the Hippocrates oath, although also there are military institutions and academic university staff (e.g. physicists, mathematicians, etc.). Due to the high spatial and temporal climate variability in the Iberian Peninsula, it is important to recover and digitize more climatic series, and this is one of the main goals of the Salvá-Sinobas project (http://salva-sinobas.uvigo.es/) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Environment, and Rural and Marine Affairs for the 2009-2011 period. The first new series with systematic observations was detected in the city of Valencia, in the eastern façade of the Iberian Peninsula. The meteorological observations were daily published in the newspapers Diario de Valencia (1804-1834) and Diario Mercantil de Valencia (1837-1863) until official meteorological observations started in 1858 at the University of Valencia. Each day 3-daily observations (morning, midday, afternoon) were published with five climatic variables: temperature, air pressure, humidity, wind direction and the sky state. Only during the 1804-1808 period daily rainfall data is available. We checked the observer comments published in the newspapers to obtain metadata about the instruments and meteorological station information. Unfortunately, temperature data

Acid mine drainage in the Iberian Pyrite Belt: 1. Hydrochemical characteristics and pollutant load of the Tinto and Odiel rivers.

PubMed

Nieto, Jose M; Sarmiento, Aguasanta M; Canovas, Carlos R; Olias, Manuel; Ayora, Carlos

2013-11-01

Acid mine drainage in the Iberian Pyrite Belt is probably the worst case in the world of surface water pollution associated with mining of sulphide mineral deposits. The Iberian Pyrite Belt is located in SW Iberian Peninsula, and it has been mined during the last 4,500 years. The central and eastern part of the Iberian Pyrite Belt is drained by the Tinto and Odiel rivers, which receive most of the acidic leachates from the mining areas. As a result, the main channels of the Tinto and Odiel rivers are very rich in metals and highly acidic until reaching the Atlantic Ocean. A significant amount of the pollutant load transported by these two rivers is delivered during the rainy season, as is usual in rivers of Mediterranean climate regions. Therefore, in order to have an accurate estimation of the pollutant loads transported by the Tinto and Odiel rivers, a systematic sampling on a weekly basis and a high temporal resolution sampling of floods events were both performed. Results obtained show that metal fluxes are strongly dependent on the study period, highlighting the importance of inter-annual studies involving dry and wet years.

Not so deserted…paleoecology and human subsistence in Central Iberia (Guadalajara, Spain) around the Last Glacial Maximum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yravedra, José; Julien, Marie-Anne; Alcaraz-Castaño, Manuel; Estaca-Gómez, Verónica; Alcolea-González, Javier; de Balbín-Behrmann, Rodrigo; Lécuyer, Christophe; Marcel, Claude Hillaire; Burke, Ariane

2016-05-01

In contrast to the coastal areas of the Iberian Peninsula, the Upper Palaeolithic settlement of central Iberia, dominated by the Spanish plateau, is poorly known. Traditional models assume a total or virtual depopulation of the interior of the Iberian Peninsula during the Last Glacial. In this paper we present a detailed investigation of human-environment interactions through the first zooarchaeological, taphonomic and isotopic study of the key site of Peña Capón, a rock shelter located in the south-eastern foothills of the Central System range that contains a multi-layered deposit dated to marine isotope stage 2 (MIS 2). Analyses of the faunal assemblages of the Proto-Solutrean (3) and Middle Solutrean (2) layers show that human preferentially hunted horse, deer and iberian ibex living in the vicinity of the rock shelter. Isotope geochemistry of the animal remains of Peña Capón provides us with the first detailed intra-tooth multi-proxy analysis for this time period in south-western Europe, providing estimates of climatic conditions, seasonal flucturation of diet, as well as patterns of seasonal mobility. Our results indicate that human presence at Peña Capón was apparently restricted to relatively warm intervals around the LGM or reflects the presence of an ecological refuge, and provide us with evidence of recurrent human presence in the Iberian interior during the Upper Paleolithic prior to the Magdalenian.

EUNIS habitat's thresholds for the Western coast of the Iberian Peninsula - A Portuguese case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monteiro, Pedro; Bentes, Luis; Oliveira, Frederico; Afonso, Carlos M. L.; Rangel, Mafalda O.; Gonçalves, Jorge M. S.

2015-06-01

The European Nature Information System (EUNIS) has been implemented for the establishment of a marine European habitats inventory. Its hierarchical classification is defined and relies on environmental variables which primarily constrain biological communities (e.g. substrate types, sea energy level, depth and light penetration). The EUNIS habitat classification scheme relies on thresholds (e.g. fraction of light and energy) which are based on expert judgment or on the empirical analysis of the above environmental data. The present paper proposes to establish and validate an appropriate threshold for energy classes (high, moderate and low) and for subtidal biological zonation (infralittoral and circalittoral) suitable for EUNIS habitat classification of the Western Iberian coast. Kinetic wave-induced energy and the fraction of photosynthetically available light exerted on the marine bottom were respectively assigned to the presence of kelp (Saccorhiza polyschides, Laminaria hyperborea and Laminaria ochroleuca) and seaweed species in general. Both data were statistically described, ordered from the largest to the smallest and percentile analyses were independently performed. The threshold between infralittoral and circalittoral was based on the first quartile while the 'moderate energy' class was established between the 12.5 and 87.5 percentiles. To avoid data dependence on sampling locations and assess the confidence interval a bootstrap technique was applied. According to this analysis, more than 75% of seaweeds are present at locations where more than 3.65% of the surface light reaches the sea bottom. The range of energy levels estimated using S. polyschides data, indicate that on the Iberian West coast the 'moderate energy' areas are between 0.00303 and 0.04385 N/m2 of wave-induced energy. The lack of agreement between different studies in different regions of Europe suggests the need for more standardization in the future. However, the obtained thresholds in

Climate variability during the Holocene inferred from northeastern Iberian speleothems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreno, A.; Bartolomé, M.; Sancho, C.; Belmonte, Á.; Stoll, H.; Cacho, I.; Edwards, R. L.; Hellstrom, J.

2012-04-01

Although the general climate trends during the Holocene in the Iberian Peninsula have been well described after the study of marine and lacustrine records, many questions regarding the timing of some of the events together with the characterization of the higher-frequency climate variability are still poorly understood. New speleothem records from several caves in northeastern Iberia provide data to explore Holocene climate changes. The selected caves are located in a latitudinal transect from the Pyrenees to the Iberian Range and placed at different altitude. Two of them, 5 de Agosto and Pot au Feu, belong to the same karstic complex in Cotiella massif (Central Pyrenees, 1600 m asl). Seso Cave, also in the Central Pyrenees but at 781 m of altitude, and Molinos cave, a cavity very rich in speleothems located at 1040 m in the Iberian Range, complete the transect. Although in all the caves precipitation coming from Atlantic fronts dominates over the year, a significant Mediterranean influence, specially in summer months, is identified after rainfall monitoring. Speleothem formation during the Holocene occurred at a very low pace in 5 de Agosto cave (80yrs/mm) and increased dramatically at low-altitude caves and during particular periods proved to be wetter (eg. Early Holocene in Molinos cave, less than 10yr/mm). In Seso and Pot au Feu caves, up to seven studied speleothems only grew during short climatic events such as the Iron Cold Period (3000-2500 cal yr BP) or the Little Ice Age (1300-1850 yr AD) that, although cold, were particularly humid periods in northeastern Spain. First stable isotope results highlight the importance of comparing speleothems with similar growing rates and from the same cave to extract climate information and discard other influences. From the integration of four stalagmites from Molinos cave covering since the Holocene onset to 2000 cal yrs BP, the Early Holocene (11.7-8.5 ka BP) with d13C values between -11 and - 9‰ appears as the

Distribution patterns of the peracarid crustaceans associated with the alga Corallina elongata along the intertidal rocky shores of the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izquierdo, D.; Guerra-García, J. M.

2011-06-01

Spatial patterns of intertidal peracarids, associated with the alga Corallina elongata, were studied along the whole Iberian Peninsula. A total of 28,215 specimens were collected, comprising 78 different species (57 amphipods, 16 isopods, 4 tanaids and 1 cumacean), most of them with Atlantic-Mediterranean distribution (60%) and only 9% of Mediterranean endemics. Gammarids were dominant in abundance and number of species, representing more than 70% of the total peracarids. The most common species collected during the present study were the caprellid Caprella penantis, the gammarids Hyale schmidti, Hyale stebbingi, Jassa cf. falcata and Stenothoe monoculoides, the isopod Ischyromene lacazei and the tanaid Tanais dulongii. Caprellids and tanaidaceans presented their highest populations in the stations of the Strait of Gibraltar, whereas isopods were more abundant in Atlantic stations. Univariate analyses did not reflected differences in number of species, abundance and Shannon-Weaver diversity between Mediterranean and Atlantic. However, cluster analyses and Whittaker index, as measure of ß-diversity, showed a different species composition between Mediterranean and Atlantic and a replacement of species along the coast, especially at the Strait of Gibraltar. The turnover mainly affected species of the same genera, probably related with sympatric speciation. CCA and BIO-ENV analyses showed high correlations between environmental measures (especially conductivity) and peracarid distribution. Mediterranean species tolerated higher values of conductivity and temperature, while Atlantic species were associated with stations characterized by higher oxygen concentrations.

Sensitivity analysis of a FMC model for improving forecasting forest fires: Comparison with real fires in Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

San Jose, Roberto; Perez, Juan Luis; Gonzalez-Barras, Rosa M.; Pecci, Julia; Palacios, Marino

2014-05-01

Forest fires continue to be a very dangerous and extreme violent episode jeopardizing the human lives and owns. Spain is plagued by forest and brush fires every summer, when extremely dry weather sets in along with high temperatures. The use of fire behavior models requires the availability of high resolution environmental and fuel data; in absence of realistic data, errors on the simulated fire spread con be compounded to produce o decrease of the spatial and temporal accuracy of predicted data. In this work we have carried out a sensitivity analysis of different components of the fire model and particularly the fuel moisture content (FMC) such as microphysics and solar radiation model. Three different real fire models have been used: Murcia (September, 7, 2010 19h09 and 9 hours duration), Gabiel (March, 7, 2007, 22h15 and 38 hours duration) and Culla (Marzo, 7, 2007, 23h36 and 37 hours duration). We use the 100 m European Corine Land Cover map. We use the WRF-Fire model developed by NCAR (USA). The WRF mode is run using the GFS global data and over the Iberian Peninsula with 15 km spatial resolution. We apply the nesting approach over the fires areas (located in the South East of the Iberian Peninsula) with 3 km, 1 km and 200 m spatial resolution. The Fire module included into WRF is run with 20 m spatial resolution and the landuse is interpolated from the Corine 100 m land use map. The results show that the Thompson et al. microphysics scheme and the RRTM solar radiation scheme are those with the best combination using a specific counting score to classify the goodness of the results compare with the real burned area. Those pixels not burned by the simulations but burned by the observational data sets are penalized double compare with the vice versa process. The NDVI obtained by satellite on the day of starting the fire is included in the simulations and a substantial improving in the final score is obtained.

Whole-genome mapping reveals a large chromosomal inversion on Iberian Brucella suis biovar 2 strains.

PubMed

Ferreira, Ana Cristina; Dias, Ricardo; de Sá, Maria Inácia Corrêa; Tenreiro, Rogério

2016-08-30

Optical mapping is a technology able to quickly generate high resolution ordered whole-genome restriction maps of bacteria, being a proven approach to search for diversity among bacterial isolates. In this work, optical whole-genome maps were used to compare closely-related Brucella suis biovar 2 strains. This biovar is the unique isolated in domestic pigs and wild boars in Portugal and Spain and most of the strains share specific molecular characteristics establishing an Iberian clonal lineage that can be differentiated from another lineage mainly isolated in several Central European countries. We performed the BamHI whole-genome optical maps of five B. suis biovar 2 field strains, isolated from wild boars in Portugal and Spain (three from the Iberian lineage and two from the Central European one) as well as of the reference strain B. suis biovar 2 ATCC 23445 (Central European lineage, Denmark). Each strain showed a distinct, highly individual configuration of 228-231 BamHI fragments. Nevertheless, a low divergence was globally observed in chromosome II (1.6%) relatively to chromosome I (2.4%). Optical mapping also disclosed genomic events associated with B. suis strains in chromosome I, namely one indel (3.5kb) and one large inversion (944kb). By using targeted-PCR in a set of 176 B. suis strains, including all biovars and haplotypes, the indel was found to be specific of the reference strain ATCC 23445 and the large inversion was shown to be an exclusive genomic marker of the Iberian clonal lineage of biovar 2. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reinterpretation of the Quaternary sedimentary infill of the Ría de Vigo, NW Iberian Peninsula, as a compound incised valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez-Carreño, N.; García-Gil, S.

2017-10-01

Seismic data have been used to investigate the stratigraphy of the Galician rias for more than two decades. Here, we present a new interpretation of the sedimentary infill of an incised valley (Ría de Vigo, NW Iberian Peninsula), based on high-resolution seismic profiles, core sediment analysis, and radiocarbon 14C data. The new data indicate that the stratigraphic architecture of the Galician rias result from multiple incision/infill phases and, therefore, they are reclassified as compound rather than simple incised valleys. Seven seismic units were identified: one of Tertiary age (U1), four of Pleistocene age (U2-U5) which are interpreted as 4th-order sequences deposited between MIS 11 and MIS 2, and Late Pleistocene (U6) and Holocene (U7) units corresponding with post-glacial sedimentation. The sedimentary infill overlies a highly faulted irregular granitic and metamorphic basement; the inherited morphology is shown to be important for controlling the pathway and evolution of the fluvial network as well as preservation of the sedimentary deposits during several glacial/interglacial cycles. The presence of a rocky barrier at the mouth of the ria is a distinctive feature that conditions sedimentation and exchange of sediment between the ria and the adjacent shelf. For the first time, faults and tilted blocks affecting Late Pleistocene (MIS 3) deposits have been identified. The new data presented here provide the opportunity to reconstruct the evolution of the sedimentary infill of a ria, with especially high-resolution during the last post-glacial transgression.

Influence of water availability in the distributions of branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether in soils of the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menges, J.; Huguet, C.; Alcañiz, J. M.; Fietz, S.; Sachse, D.; Rosell-Melé, A.

2014-05-01

The combined application of the MBT (degree of methylation) and CBT (degree of cyclization) indices, based on the distribution of branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) in soils, has been proposed as a paleoproxy to estimate mean annual temperature (MAT). CBT quantifies the degree of cyclization of brGDGTs and relates to soil pH. MBT and the simplified version MBT' quantify the degree of methylation of brGDGTs and relate to MAT and soil pH. However, other factors such as soil water availability have also been suggested to influence MBT' and possibly restrict the combined application of the MBT' and CBT indices as a paleotemperature proxy. To assess the effect of hydrological conditions on MBT' and CBT, a set of 23 Iberian Peninsula soil samples, covering a MAT range from 10 to 18 °C and a mean annual precipitation (MAP) range of 405 mm to 1455 mm, was analyzed. We found that the CBT was indeed significantly correlated with soil pH in our sample set. In contrast, MBT' was not correlated with MAT but had a significant correlation with the aridity index (AI), a parameter related to water availability in soils. The AI can explain 50% of the variation of the MBT', and 70% of the residuals of MAT estimated with the MBT/CBT proxy as compared to instrumentally measured MAT. We propose that, in arid settings, where water may be an ecologically limiting factor, MBT' is influenced by hydrological conditions rather than temperature. Thus, our results suggest that the combination of MBT' and CBT indices should be applied with caution in paleotemperature reconstructions in soils from dry subhumid to hyperarid environments.

Sensitivity of WRF precipitation field to assimilation sources in northeastern Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenzana, Jesús; Merino, Andrés; García-Ortega, Eduardo; Fernández-González, Sergio; Gascón, Estíbaliz; Hermida, Lucía; Sánchez, José Luis; López, Laura; Marcos, José Luis

2015-04-01

Numerical weather prediction (NWP) of precipitation is a challenge. Models predict precipitation after solving many physical processes. In particular, mesoscale NWP models have different parameterizations, such as microphysics, cumulus or radiation schemes. These facilitate, according to required spatial and temporal resolutions, precipitation fields with increasing reliability. Nevertheless, large uncertainties are inherent to precipitation forecasting. Consequently, assimilation methods are very important. The Atmospheric Physics Group at the University of León in Spain and the Castile and León Supercomputing Center carry out daily weather prediction based on the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, covering the entire Iberian Peninsula. Forecasts of severe precipitation affecting the Ebro Valley, in the southern Pyrenees range of northeastern Spain, are crucial in the decision-making process for managing reservoirs or initializing runoff models. These actions can avert floods and ensure uninterrupted economic activity in the area. We investigated a set of cases corresponding to intense or severe precipitation patterns, using a rain gauge network. Simulations were performed with a dual objective, i.e., to analyze forecast improvement using a specific assimilation method, and to study the sensitivity of model outputs to different types of assimilation data. A WRF forecast model initialized by an NCEP SST analysis was used as the control run. The assimilation was based on the Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System (MADIS) developed by NOAA. The MADIS data used were METAR, maritime, ACARS, radiosonde, and satellite products. The results show forecast improvement using the suggested assimilation method, and differences in the accuracy of forecast precipitation patterns varied with the assimilation data source.

Palaeoenvironmental and geochemical approach of Archaeocyath-rich facies from Lower Cambrian of Western Gondwana margin at Central Iberian Zone (Urda, Toledo Mountains, Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menéndez, Silvia; Rodríguez-Martínez, Marta; Moreno-Eris, Elena; Perejón, Antonio; Reitner, Joachim

2010-05-01

Archaeocyath-rich facies are located in a quarry close to Urda village, at Toledo Mountains, Spain. The outcrops belong to the Caliza de los Navalucillos Formation and they record a considerably high diverse archaeocyath assemblage in the Lower Cambrian successions from the Central Iberian Zone (Julivert et al. 1972 [1974]). In fact, it is first time recorded the presence of Agyrekocyathus, Dokidocyathus, and Plicocyathus in the Central Iberian Zone. Therefore Plicocyathus is no longer exclusive to biozone VI in Spain. The presence of Anthomorpha is characteristic for the early Botomian, presently early Stage 4 (ICS, 2009), and the assemblage corresponds to the biozone VII (late Ovetian, following the biozonation of Perejón & Moreno-Eiris, 2006). The fossiliferous part of the succession is formed by seven lithofacies, all of them tectonically folded and with a low grade metamorphic overprint. They are comprised by two main groups of facies: (a) mound-shaped to massive lithofacies (A1, A2, A3, A4) and (b) massive to bedded and nodular lithofacies (B1, B2, B3). Archaeocyaths occur in several facies: (A1) mound-shaped white marble with irregular to stromatactoid cavities; (A2) massive mottled white to grey limestone; (A3) massive grey limestone with slumps levels; (A4) massive archaeocyath-rich orange limestone; as well as in carbonate nodules embedded in siltstones and cherts (B1, B2 and B3). The best preserved assemblage comes from the nodule record, where fossils are partially pyritized. This type of preservation is exceptional and has never been described before. XRD and wavelength-dispersive electron microprobe analyses reveal the presence of pyrite and pyrrotine partially altered to iron oxides and hydroxides (hematite and goethite) surrounding the archaeocyath cups. In Central Iberian Zone, the development of mounds and nodular facies like those described here is unusual, although the Botomian marks the peak for Early Cambrian archaeocyathan-microbial mounds

Termination of the Last Glaciation in the Iberian Peninsula Inferred from the Pollen Sequence of Quintanar de la Sierra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peñalba, M. Cristina; Arnold, Maurice; Guiot, Joël; Duplessy, Jean-Claude; de Beaulieu, Jacques-Louis

1997-09-01

A 4.5-m-thick late-glacial pollen sequence, supported by 17 AMS 14C dates, has been investigated at the Quintanar de la Sierra marshland (Iberian cordillera, north-central Spain). Pollen zones were defined that correspond to successive phases in vegetation history during the end of the Late Würm, late-glacial interstade, and Younger Dryas periods. A transfer function approach has been adopted to derive quantitative climate estimates from the pollen assemblage data. A first expansion of Juniperusand Hippophae,about 13,500 14C yr B.P., indicates the beginning of the late-glacial interstade which is characterized by a Juniperus-Betula-Pinussuccession that suggests higher temperatures and moisture than during full-glacial time. The Younger Dryas interval is recorded by a 120-cm-thick sediment unit that is dominated by herbaceous pollen. Transfer function estimates suggest that the climate during this period was cold, with low precipitation during most of the year, although not in summer. The Holocene arboreal recolonization in the area started about 10,000 14C yr B.P., with a renewed Juniperus-Betula-Pinussuccession related to a strong increase in annual temperature and precipitation. The start of this process was synchronous with mean sea-surface temperature changes, as recorded from the nearby SU 81-18 marine core. The strong affinity with other European late-glacial pollen sequences demonstrates that the pattern of climatic changes during the last glacial-interglacial transition was similar in both northwestern and southwestern Europe.

Holocene climate aridification trend and human impact interrupted by millennial- and centennial-scale climate fluctuations from a new sedimentary record from Padul (Sierra Nevada, southern Iberian Peninsula)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos-Román, María J.; Jiménez-Moreno, Gonzalo; Camuera, Jon; García-Alix, Antonio; Anderson, R. Scott; Jiménez-Espejo, Francisco J.; Carrión, José S.

2018-01-01

Holocene centennial-scale paleoenvironmental variability has been described in a multiproxy analysis (i.e., lithology, geochemistry, macrofossil, and microfossil analyses) of a paleoecological record from the Padul Basin in Sierra Nevada, southern Iberian Peninsula. This sequence covers a relevant time interval hitherto unreported in the studies of the Padul sedimentary sequence. The ˜ 4700-year record has preserved proxies of climate variability, with vegetation, lake levels, and sedimentological change during the Holocene in one of the most unique and southernmost wetlands in Europe. The progressive middle and late Holocene trend toward arid conditions identified by numerous authors in the western Mediterranean region, mostly related to a decrease in summer insolation, is also documented in this record; here it is also superimposed by centennial-scale variability in humidity. In turn, this record shows centennial-scale climate oscillations in temperature that correlate with well-known climatic events during the late Holocene in the western Mediterranean region, synchronous with variability in solar and atmospheric dynamics. The multiproxy Padul record first shows a transition from a relatively humid middle Holocene in the western Mediterranean region to more aridity from ˜ 4700 to ˜ 2800 cal yr BP. A relatively warm and humid period occurred between ˜ 2600 and ˜ 1600 cal yr BP, coinciding with persistent negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) conditions and the historic Iberian-Roman Humid Period. Enhanced arid conditions, co-occurring with overall positive NAO conditions and increasing solar activity, are observed between ˜ 1550 and ˜ 450 cal yr BP (˜ 400 to ˜ 1400 CE) and colder and warmer conditions occurred during the Dark Ages and Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), respectively. Slightly wetter conditions took place during the end of the MCA and the first part of the Little Ice Age, which could be related to a change towards negative NAO conditions

Age and growth of the sword razor clam Ensis arcuatus in the Ría de Pontevedra (NW Spain): Influence of environmental parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernández-Otero, A.; Gaspar, M. B.; Macho, G.; Vázquez, E.

2014-01-01

The sword razor clam Ensis arcuatus is the most important commercial species of razor clam in Spain, and its fishery in the Ría de Pontevedra (Galicia, NW Spain) is the most productive. Despite the economic importance of this species, information on its biology is scarce. This study reports shell morphometric relationships, age, and growth rates of E. arcuatus in three fishing beds in the Ría de Pontevedra (Brensa, Bueu and Ons, located in respectively the inner, middle and outer zones of the ria), providing the first estimates of growth parameters for the species in the Iberian Peninsula. Growth was estimated by examination of surface growth rings and internal shell microgrowth patterns (acetate peel technique) that proved to be the most suitable method for growth estimate. Growth of E. arcuatus was slower in Bueu (L∞ = 140.4, k = 0.40) followed by Brensa (L∞ = 151.91, k = 0.40) and Ons (L∞ = 172.7, k = 0.33), and the clams reached commercial size in 1.7, 2.3 and 2.8 years in Ons, Brensa and Bueu, respectively. The differences in growth between sites in relation to environmental parameters are evaluated and the implications for the razor clam fishery are discussed.

Direct-normal solar irradiance measurements and turbidity coefficient evaluation in central Spain.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bllbao, Julia; Román, Roberto; Miguel, Argimiro

2013-04-01

Portuguese coast and high pressure in the North of Spain induced the movement of dust from Sahara desert into the Iberian Peninsula.

New material of Pseudoloris parvulus (Microchoerinae, Omomyidae, Primates) from the Late Eocene of Sossís (northeastern Spain) and its implications for the evolution of Pseudoloris.

PubMed

Minwer-Barakat, Raef; Marigó, Judit; Femenias-Gual, Joan; Moyà-Solà, Salvador

2015-06-01

The species Pseudoloris parvulus, identified in several Middle and Late Eocene European sites, was previously known in the Iberian Peninsula by a single mandible preserving P4-M3 from Sossís (Southern Pyrenean Basins, northeastern Spain), described in the 1960s. Further field work at this Late Eocene site has led to the recovery of a large number of mammal remains, including the additional material of P. parvulus described in this paper. Some specimens of P. parvulus from this locality have also been recently found in the collections of the Naturhistorisches Museum Basel, Switzerland. The whole sample consists of 11 mandible fragments including several teeth, three upper dental series and nearly 80 isolated teeth including all of the dental elements, and represents the most complete sample of the genus described from the Iberian Peninsula. This abundant material allows us to provide an emended diagnosis for the species and to observe several directional changes in the dental morphology of the lineage including the species Pseudoloris saalae, Pseudoloris isabenae, Pseudoloris pyrenaicus and P. parvulus. These directional changes include the progressive reduction of the paraconid in the lower molars and the increase in size of the hypocone, metaconule and paraconule in the upper molars. Moreover, despite the overall resemblance among all of the samples ascribed to P. parvulus, we also recognize some differences, particularly an increase in size and better development of the hypocone from the oldest populations of the species, such as Le Bretou, to the most recent ones, like Sossís and Perrière. Therefore, this study sheds new light on the evolution of this genus, which inhabited Europe from the Middle Eocene to the Early Oligocene. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of GOME-2/MetOp total ozone data with Brewer spectroradiometer data over the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antón, M.; Loyola, D.; López, M.; Vilaplana, J. M.; Bañón, M.; Zimmer, W.; Serrano, A.

2009-04-01

The main objective of this article is to compare the total ozone data from the new Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment instrument (GOME-2/MetOp) with reliable ground-based measurement recorded by five Brewer spectroradiometers in the Iberian Peninsula. In addition, a similar comparison for the predecessor instrument GOME/ERS-2 is described. The period of study is a whole year from May 2007 to April 2008. The results show that GOME-2/MetOp ozone data already has a very good quality, total ozone columns are on average 3.05% lower than Brewer measurements. This underestimation is higher than that obtained for GOME/ERS-2 (1.46%). However, the relative differences between GOME-2/MetOp and Brewer measurements show significantly lower variability than the differences between GOME/ERS-2 and Brewer data. Dependencies of these relative differences with respect to the satellite solar zenith angle (SZA), the satellite scan angle, the satellite cloud cover fraction (CF), and the ground-based total ozone measurements are analyzed. For both GOME instruments, differences show no significant dependence on SZA. However, GOME-2/MetOp data show a significant dependence on the satellite scan angle (+1.5%). In addition, GOME/ERS-2 differences present a clear dependence with respect to the CF and ground-based total ozone; such differences are minimized for GOME-2/MetOp. The comparison between the daily total ozone values provided by both GOME instruments shows that GOME-2/MetOp ozone data are on average 1.46% lower than GOME/ERS-2 data without any seasonal dependence. Finally, deviations of a priori climatological ozone profile used by the satellite retrieval algorithm from the true ozone profile are analyzed. Although excellent agreement between a priori climatological and measured partial ozone values is found for the middle and high stratosphere, relative differences greater than 15% are common for the troposphere and lower stratosphere.

New archaeomagnetic data from three roman kilns in northeast Spain: a contribution to the Iberian palaeosecular variation curve

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beamud, E.; Gómez-Paccard, M.; McIntosh, G.; Larrasoaña, J. C.

2012-04-01

that of BC1. This is in agreement with archaeological evidence that proposed the same age interval for the abandonment of kilns BC1 and BC2. On the contrary, there is only a small overlapping between the circles of confidence of BC1-BC2 and the BC3 circle of confidence. Moreover, the inclination obtained for the mean BC3 direction is lower than those obtained for kilns BC1-BC2, suggesting that kiln BC3 was abandoned latter than kilns BC1 and BC2. This is in agreement with archaeological evidence that proposed that kiln BC3 was abandoned about 60 years later than kilns BC1 and BC2. The new data are also consistent with previous archaeomagnetic data for the Iberian Peninsula. They add to and improve the description of palaeosecular variation during Roman times in Iberia.

Characterization of a rapid climate shift at the MIS 8/7 transition in central Spain (Valdocarros II, Autonomous Region of Madrid) by means of the herpetological assemblages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blain, Hugues-Alexandre; Panera, Joaquin; Uribelarrea, David; Rubio-Jara, Susana; Pérez-González, Alfredo

2012-07-01

Climate instability with high-amplitude and rapid shifts during the Middle Pleistocene is well known from pollen records and deep-ocean sediment cores. Although poorly correlatable with such long climate/environment records, the successive fossil amphibian and reptile assemblages from the Middle Pleistocene site of Valdocarros II (Autonomous Region of Madrid, central Spain) provide a unique opportunity to characterize the climatic and environmental features of such rapid (certainly less than 1000 years) shifts from cold to warm conditions in a terrestrial sequence. As the amphibians and reptiles do not differ at species level from the extant herpetofauna of the Iberian Peninsula, they can contribute to the reconstruction of the landscape and climate. In this paper, the mutual climatic range and habitat weighting methods are applied to the herpetofaunistic assemblages in order to estimate quantitative data. The difference in mean annual temperature between "cold" and "warm" periods is estimated at 3.2 °C, with a greater increase in temperature during winter (+3 °C) than during summer (+1 °C). During "cold" periods the climate was more Oceanic (although preserving some dryness during the summers), whereas during "warm" periods the climate became Mediterranean (with mild winters and a long period of dryness in the summer and early autumn). Though higher during cold periods, the continentality (or atmospheric temperature range) remained roughly similar, in accordance with the geographical location of the site in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. A greater amount of open landscape occurred during "cold" periods, whereas during "warm" periods the wooded areas expanded from 20% to 40% of the landscape surface. Such climatic/environmental changes, together with the numeric datings of the site, suggest that this shift may correspond to the transition from MIS 8 to MIS 7, also called Termination III.

Integrated Analysis of Climate, Soil, Topography and Vegetative Growth in Iberian Viticultural Regions

PubMed Central

Fraga, Helder; Malheiro, Aureliano C.; Moutinho-Pereira, José; Cardoso, Rita M.; Soares, Pedro M. M.; Cancela, Javier J.; Pinto, Joaquim G.; Santos, João A.

2014-01-01

The Iberian viticultural regions are convened according to the Denomination of Origin (DO) and present different climates, soils, topography and management practices. All these elements influence the vegetative growth of different varieties throughout the peninsula, and are tied to grape quality and wine type. In the current study, an integrated analysis of climate, soil, topography and vegetative growth was performed for the Iberian DO regions, using state-of-the-art datasets. For climatic assessment, a categorized index, accounting for phenological/thermal development, water availability and grape ripening conditions was computed. Soil textural classes were established to distinguish soil types. Elevation and aspect (orientation) were also taken into account, as the leading topographic elements. A spectral vegetation index was used to assess grapevine vegetative growth and an integrated analysis of all variables was performed. The results showed that the integrated climate-soil-topography influence on vine performance is evident. Most Iberian vineyards are grown in temperate dry climates with loamy soils, presenting low vegetative growth. Vineyards in temperate humid conditions tend to show higher vegetative growth. Conversely, in cooler/warmer climates, lower vigour vineyards prevail and other factors, such as soil type and precipitation acquire more important roles in driving vigour. Vines in prevailing loamy soils are grown over a wide climatic diversity, suggesting that precipitation is the primary factor influencing vigour. The present assessment of terroir characteristics allows direct comparison among wine regions and may have great value to viticulturists, particularly under a changing climate. PMID:25251495

Integrated analysis of climate, soil, topography and vegetative growth in Iberian viticultural regions.

PubMed

Fraga, Helder; Malheiro, Aureliano C; Moutinho-Pereira, José; Cardoso, Rita M; Soares, Pedro M M; Cancela, Javier J; Pinto, Joaquim G; Santos, João A

2014-01-01

The Iberian viticultural regions are convened according to the Denomination of Origin (DO) and present different climates, soils, topography and management practices. All these elements influence the vegetative growth of different varieties throughout the peninsula, and are tied to grape quality and wine type. In the current study, an integrated analysis of climate, soil, topography and vegetative growth was performed for the Iberian DO regions, using state-of-the-art datasets. For climatic assessment, a categorized index, accounting for phenological/thermal development, water availability and grape ripening conditions was computed. Soil textural classes were established to distinguish soil types. Elevation and aspect (orientation) were also taken into account, as the leading topographic elements. A spectral vegetation index was used to assess grapevine vegetative growth and an integrated analysis of all variables was performed. The results showed that the integrated climate-soil-topography influence on vine performance is evident. Most Iberian vineyards are grown in temperate dry climates with loamy soils, presenting low vegetative growth. Vineyards in temperate humid conditions tend to show higher vegetative growth. Conversely, in cooler/warmer climates, lower vigour vineyards prevail and other factors, such as soil type and precipitation acquire more important roles in driving vigour. Vines in prevailing loamy soils are grown over a wide climatic diversity, suggesting that precipitation is the primary factor influencing vigour. The present assessment of terroir characteristics allows direct comparison among wine regions and may have great value to viticulturists, particularly under a changing climate.

Variability of Coastal and Ocean Water Temperature in the Upper 700 m along the Western Iberian Peninsula from 1975 to 2006

PubMed Central

Santos, Fran; Gómez-Gesteira, Moncho; deCastro, Maite; Álvarez, Inés

2012-01-01

Temperature is observed to have different trends at coastal and ocean locations along the western Iberian Peninsula from 1975 to 2006, which corresponds to the last warming period in the area under study. The analysis was carried out by means of the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA). Reanalysis data are available at monthly scale with a horizontal resolution of 0.5°×0.5° and a vertical resolution of 40 levels, which allows obtaining information beneath the sea surface. Only the first 21 vertical levels (from 5.0 m to 729.35 m) were considered here, since the most important changes in heat content observed for the world ocean during the last decades, correspond to the upper 700 m. Warming was observed to be considerably higher at ocean locations than at coastal ones. Ocean warming ranged from values on the order of 0.3°C dec−1 near surface to less than 0.1°C dec−1 at 500 m, while coastal warming showed values close to 0.2°C dec−1 near surface, decreasing rapidly below 0.1°C dec−1 for depths on the order of 50 m. The heat content anomaly for the upper 700 m, showed a sharp increase from coast (0.46 Wm−2) to ocean (1.59 Wm−2). The difference between coastal and ocean values was related to the presence of coastal upwelling, which partially inhibits the warming from surface of near shore water. PMID:23226533

Total ozone column derived from GOME and SCIAMACHY using KNMI retrieval algorithms: Validation against Brewer measurements at the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antón, M.; Kroon, M.; López, M.; Vilaplana, J. M.; Bañón, M.; van der A, R.; Veefkind, J. P.; Stammes, P.; Alados-Arboledas, L.

2011-11-01

This article focuses on the validation of the total ozone column (TOC) data set acquired by the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) and the Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography (SCIAMACHY) satellite remote sensing instruments using the Total Ozone Retrieval Scheme for the GOME Instrument Based on the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (TOGOMI) and Total Ozone Retrieval Scheme for the SCIAMACHY Instrument Based on the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (TOSOMI) retrieval algorithms developed by the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. In this analysis, spatially colocated, daily averaged ground-based observations performed by five well-calibrated Brewer spectrophotometers at the Iberian Peninsula are used. The period of study runs from January 2004 to December 2009. The agreement between satellite and ground-based TOC data is excellent (R2 higher than 0.94). Nevertheless, the TOC data derived from both satellite instruments underestimate the ground-based data. On average, this underestimation is 1.1% for GOME and 1.3% for SCIAMACHY. The SCIAMACHY-Brewer TOC differences show a significant solar zenith angle (SZA) dependence which causes a systematic seasonal dependence. By contrast, GOME-Brewer TOC differences show no significant SZA dependence and hence no seasonality although processed with exactly the same algorithm. The satellite-Brewer TOC differences for the two satellite instruments show a clear and similar dependence on the viewing zenith angle under cloudy conditions. In addition, both the GOME-Brewer and SCIAMACHY-Brewer TOC differences reveal a very similar behavior with respect to the satellite cloud properties, being cloud fraction and cloud top pressure, which originate from the same cloud algorithm (Fast Retrieval Scheme for Clouds from the Oxygen A-Band (FRESCO+)) in both the TOSOMI and TOGOMI retrieval algorithms.

Influence of air parcel trajectories on CO2 and CH4 concentrations in the northern plateau of the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez, Isidro A.; Sánchez, M. Luisa; García, M. Ángeles; Pardo, Nuria

2018-01-01

This study presents a simpler procedure for grouping air parcel back trajectories than others previously applied. Two-day air parcel back trajectories reaching an unpolluted site in the centre of the northern plateau of the Iberian Peninsula were calculated over a three-year period using the METEX model. A procedure based on the kernel density calculation was applied to the direction of each trajectory centroid to determine groups of trajectories. This method is much faster than the cluster procedure when it comes to retaining the directional details of groups. Seasonal analysis of six groups of trajectories revealed that the Atlantic origin prevailed against displacement from northern Europe. Moreover, Mediterranean and particularly African trajectories were infrequent, probably due to the rough peninsular orography in these directions. The location of air trajectories reaching the study site was described using a surface classification below the air parcels with improved spatial resolution compared to previous analyses. Local contribution was very marked, particularly in summer. Mean trajectories were calculated for each group together with meteorological features and CO2 and CH4 concentrations. Groups may be identified by their mean temperature, wind speed, elevation and distance values. However, only two groups should be considered when analysing the two trace gases, one for trajectories from the Atlantic Ocean and the second for trajectories from the continent. Contrasts of about 4 ppm for CO2 in summer and 0.023 ppm for CH4 in winter were observed, revealing that air trajectories from the Atlantic Ocean were cleaner than those arriving from the continent. These differences were attributed to higher air stagnation over land.

Evolution of potentially eroding events along the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasilla Álvarez, D.; García Codrón, J. C.

2009-09-01

The anthropogenic global warming is expected to result in a rise in sea-level, accompanied by changes in extreme climate events, such as the frequency and intensity of storms. Such scenario would result in an acceleration of coastal erosion. The aim of the present study is to assess the temporal evolution of potentially eroding events along the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula during the second half of the 20th century, and to investigate changes in forcing processes such as the frequency and magnitude of storm surges and high wave events. To characterize the potentially eroding events, the total elevation of the water level was selected, being calculated as the sum of the contributions of the average water level, wave run up and the storm surges. Potentially eroding events were identified and quantified following a two-step procedure. Through the first step the potential flood induced by a given storm was estimated by simulating its effects on a theoretical beach profile (intermediate) using an empirical parameterization for extreme run-up approach. The second step consisted on characterizing the maximum storm surge registered during a storm. Those parameters were calculated from hindcasted data (storm surge, wave heights and period, wind speed and direction), retrieved from the SIMAR-44 database (Puertos del Estado), and validated against actual tide gauge measurements and buoy data (RedMar and RedExt networks). Analyses of total water levels showed a long term increase since 1958, resulting from the increase of mean sea level; conversely, a reduction of the frequency and the intensity of the storm events were deduced from the analysis of meteorological records. Since the impact of the storms on macro- and meso- tidal coast closely depend on the tides, a storm impact index was computed taking into account the storm surge magnitude, the wave heights and time duration during which a predefined threshold was exceeded by the sea level. The results are

Iberian fish records in the vertebrate collection of the Museum of Zoology of the University of Navarra

PubMed Central

Rodeles, Amaia A.; Galicia, David; Miranda, Rafael

2016-01-01

The study of freshwater fish species biodiversity and community composition is essential for understanding river systems, the effects of human activities on rivers, and the changes these animals face. Conducting this type of research requires quantitative information on fish abundance, ideally with long-term series and fish body measurements. This Data Descriptor presents a collection of 12 datasets containing a total of 146,342 occurrence records of 41 freshwater fish species sampled in 233 localities of various Iberian river basins. The datasets also contain 148,749 measurement records (length and weight) for these fish. Data were collected in different sampling campaigns (from 1992 to 2015). Eleven datasets represent large projects conducted over several years, and another combines small sampling campaigns. The Iberian Peninsula contains high fish biodiversity, with numerous endemic species threatened by various menaces, such as water extraction and invasive species. These data may support the development of large biodiversity conservation studies. PMID:27727236

Iberian fish records in the vertebrate collection of the Museum of Zoology of the University of Navarra.

PubMed

Rodeles, Amaia A; Galicia, David; Miranda, Rafael

2016-10-11

The study of freshwater fish species biodiversity and community composition is essential for understanding river systems, the effects of human activities on rivers, and the changes these animals face. Conducting this type of research requires quantitative information on fish abundance, ideally with long-term series and fish body measurements. This Data Descriptor presents a collection of 12 datasets containing a total of 146,342 occurrence records of 41 freshwater fish species sampled in 233 localities of various Iberian river basins. The datasets also contain 148,749 measurement records (length and weight) for these fish. Data were collected in different sampling campaigns (from 1992 to 2015). Eleven datasets represent large projects conducted over several years, and another combines small sampling campaigns. The Iberian Peninsula contains high fish biodiversity, with numerous endemic species threatened by various menaces, such as water extraction and invasive species. These data may support the development of large biodiversity conservation studies.

Early Mesozoic cooling from low temperature thermochronology in N Spain and N Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grobe, R.; Alvarez-Marrón, J.; Glasmacher, U. A.; Menéndez-Duarte, R.

2009-04-01

In the western prolongation of the Pyrenees, the substratum of the Cantabrian Mountains consists of an E-W crustal section of the Gondwana continental margin involved in the Variscan collision. In Mesozoic times, the region was modified by rifting and the opening of the Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay, while in Paleogene-Neogene times it was affected by the convergence of the Iberian Plate with the Eurasian Plate resulting in the present mountains. Our thermochronological data and modelled time-temperature histories suggest an earlier, relative fast cooling period during Early Triassic to Early Jurassic. This cooling event coincides temporally with the process of rifting that caused Pangaea continental break-up and the opening of the North Atlantic. Other authors report similar cooling histories from Early Triassic to Middle Jurassic from other parts of the Iberian Peninsula (Juez-Larré, 2003; Barbero et al., 2005) as well as from the Moroccan Meseta, in N Africa (Ghorbal et al., 2008). Furthermore, the time span of this cooling event includes the period of main activity of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) magmatism at around 200 Ma (Marzoli et al., 1999). Wilson (1997) postulates a relationship between this magmatic activity and upwelling of a large-scale mantle plume (super-plume) beneath the West African craton. Correlatives of this province have been identified as far as the southern Iberian Peninsula, Newfoundland, and possibly in Brittany, among other European areas (Pe-Piper et al., 1992; Jourdan et al., 2003). The current presentation aims to discuss possible African far-field effects on thermochronological data in the Cantabrian Mountains of NW Spain. References: Barbero, L.; Glasmacher, U. A.; Villaseca, C.; López García, J. A.; Martín-Romera, C. (2005). Long-term thermo-tectonic evolution of the Montes de Toledo area (Central Hercynian Belt, Spain): constraints from apatite fission-track analysis. International Journal of Earth Sciences

The new MOPREDAS database and the monthly precipitation trends in Spain (December 1945- November 2005)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez-Hidalgo, Jose Carlos; Brunetti, Michele; Martin, De Luis

2010-05-01

suggest that both global and local factors affect the spatial distribution of trends in the Iberian Peninsula, being mountain chains the most significant geographical factor in determining the spatial distribution of monthly trends on a detailed, sub-regional spatial scale.

Covariability of seasonal temperature and precipitation over the Iberian Peninsula in high-resolution regional climate simulations (1001-2099)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Montes, S.; Gómez-Navarro, J. J.; Rodrigo, F. S.; García-Valero, J. A.; Montávez, J. P.

2017-04-01

Precipitation and surface temperature are interdependent variables, both as a response to atmospheric dynamics and due to intrinsic thermodynamic relationships and feedbacks between them. This study analyzes the covariability of seasonal temperature (T) and precipitation (P) across the Iberian Peninsula (IP) using regional climate paleosimulations for the period 1001-1990, driven by reconstructions of external forcings. Future climate (1990-2099) was simulated according to SRES scenarios A2 and B2. These simulations enable exploring, at high spatial resolution, robust and physically consistent relationships. In winter, positive P-T correlations dominate west-central IP (Pearson correlation coefficient ρ = + 0.43, for 1001-1990), due to prevalent cold-dry and warm-wet conditions, while this relationship weakens and become negative towards mountainous, northern and eastern regions. In autumn, negative correlations appear in similar regions as in winter, whereas for summer they extend also to the N/NW of the IP. In spring, the whole IP depicts significant negative correlations, strongest for eastern regions (ρ = - 0.51). This is due to prevalent frequency of warm-dry and cold-wet modes in these regions and seasons. At the temporal scale, regional correlation series between seasonal anomalies of temperature and precipitation (assessed in 31 years running windows in 1001-1990) show very large multidecadal variability. For winter and spring, periodicities of about 50-60 years arise. The frequency of warm-dry and cold-wet modes appears correlated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), explaining mainly co-variability changes in spring. For winter and some regions in autumn, maximum and minimum P-T correlations appear in periods with enhanced meridional or easterly circulation (low or high pressure anomalies in the Mediterranean and Europe). In spring and summer, the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation shows some fingerprint on the frequency of warm/cold modes. For

What drives LGM precipitation over the western Mediterranean? A study focused on the Iberian Peninsula and northern Morocco

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beghin, P.; Charbit, S.; Kageyama, M.; Combourieu-Nebout, N.; Hatté, C.; Dumas, C.; Peterschmitt, J.-Y.

2016-04-01

The evolution of precipitation is a key question concerning future climatic changes, especially in regions like the Mediterranean area which are currently prone to droughts. The influence of atmospheric circulation changes (in the mid-latitude westerlies or in the strength of the subtropical subsidence), along with changes in local mechanisms generating precipitation (such as convection) make it difficult to predict precipitation changes confidently over this area. Understanding its governing mechanisms is crucial. A possible approach is to test our understanding on different documented past climatic contexts. This paper focuses on the Last Glacial Maximum period (LGM) over the western Mediterranean region and puts in perspective the available information inferred from paleo-climatic records and the outputs of nine global climate models. We first review the available information on LGM precipitation in this region and find that the environmental conditions prevailing at this period range from humid to semi-arid, depending on the proxies. Model outputs from the PMIP3-CMIP5 database also yield a wide range of mean annual responses in this area, from wetter to drier conditions with respect to the pre-industrial period. This variety of responses allows to investigate the mechanisms governing LGM precipitation in the western Mediterranean area. Over the Iberian Peninsula and northern Morocco, most models simulate a larger amount of LGM precipitation in winter w.r.t. the pre-industrial period. This feature is mainly due to the large-scale effect of the southward shift of the North Atlantic jet stream, which is closely associated with the surface air temperature changes over the northwestern North Atlantic. In summer, precipitation changes mainly result from convection and are correlated to local surface air temperature anomalies, highlighting the key role of local processes. These contrasted changes in winter and summer, linked to different mechanisms, could explain the

Heritage Survey and Scientific Analysis of the Watchtowers that Defended the Last Islamic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula (thirteen to Fifeteenth Century)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Pulido, L. J.; Ruiz Jaramillo, J.; Alba Dorado, M. I.

2017-08-01

The Islamic Nasrid kingdom of Granada occupied the mountainous areas of the southeastern area of the Iberian Peninsula. There, a natural border was established between the Nasrid kingdom and the Christian kingdom of Castile from 1232 to 1492. To control this frontier and establish visual communication between it and the Nasrid center at the Alhambra citadel, an extensive network of watchtowers and defensive towers was constructed. Studies have been done of individual towers, but no comparative study has been undertaken of all of them. Graphic, homogenous, and exhaustively planimetric documentation would bring together existing information on the majority of them and enable comparative analysis. For this reason, this work conducts systematic architectural surveys of all these military structures, using photogrammetry. In addition to studying the construction typology and techniques, the structural capacity of these towers has been analyzed. It examines how they have been affected by human and natural destructive forces, especially earthquakes, which are common in eastern Andalusia. Although all the historical military architecture is protected by the Spanish and Andalusian Heritage laws, many of these medieval towers and their cultural landscapes are in severe risk. The towers are being studied as individual specimens (emphasizing their differences) and as a unit in a typological group (looking for similarities and unifying characteristics). New technologies for Information and Communication are being used in order to disseminate the results among specialists and to make them available to the general public. Guidelines for restoration projects are also being formulated from the cases analyzed.

Capability of MODIS radiance to analyze Iberian turbid plumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandez-Novoa, Diego; deCastro, Maite; Des, Marisela; Costoya, Xurxo; Mendes, Renato; Gomez-Gesteira, Moncho

2017-04-01

River plumes are formed near river mouths by freshwater and riverine materials. Therefore, the area influenced by freshwater (salinity plume) is usually negatively correlated with the area occupied by suspension and dissolved material (turbid plume). Suspended material results in a strong signal detected by satellite sensors whereas ocean clear waters have negligible contributions. Thus, remote sensing data, such as radiance obtained from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), are a very useful tool to analyze turbid plumes due to the high spatial and time resolution provided. Here, MODIS capability for characterizing similarities and differences among the most important Iberian plumes was assessed under the influence of their main forcing. Daily radiance data from MODIS-Aqua and MODIS-Terra satellite sensors were processed obtaining a resolution of 500 m. Two approaches are usually used for atmospheric correction treatments: Near-Infrared (NIR) bands and a combined algorithm using NIR and Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) bands. In the particular case of Iberian Peninsula plumes both methods offered similar results, although NIR bands present a lower associated error. MODIS allows working with several bands of normalized water-leaving radiances (nLw). Focusing in the resolution provided, nLw555 and 645 were the most appropriate because both provide the best coverage and correlation with river discharge. The nLw645 band was chosen because has a lower water penetration avoiding overestimations of turbidity caused by shallow seafloor areas and/or upwelling blooms. Daily data from both satellites were merged to enhance the robustness and precision of the study by increasing the number of available pixels. Results indicate that differences between radiance data from both satellites are negligible for Iberian plumes, justifying the merging. By last, each turbid limit, to delimit the respective plume from adjacent seawater, was obtained using two alternative

Error of the modelled peak flow of the hydraulically reconstructed 1907 flood of the Ebro River in Xerta (NE Iberian Peninsula)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lluís Ruiz-Bellet, Josep; Castelltort, Xavier; Carles Balasch, J.; Tuset, Jordi

2016-04-01

The estimation of the uncertainty of the results of the hydraulic modelling has been deeply analysed, but no clear methodological procedures as to its determination have been formulated when applied to historical hydrology. The main objective of this study was to calculate the uncertainty of the resulting peak flow of a typical historical flood reconstruction. The secondary objective was to identify the input variables that influenced the result the most and their contribution to peak flow total error. The uncertainty of 21-23 October 1907 flood of the Ebro River (NE Iberian Peninsula) in the town of Xerta (83,000 km2) was calculated with a series of local sensitivity analyses of the main variables affecting the resulting peak flow. Besides, in order to see to what degree the result depended on the chosen model, the HEC-RAS resulting peak flow was compared to the ones obtained with the 2D model Iber and with Manning's equation. The peak flow of 1907 flood in the Ebro River in Xerta, reconstructed with HEC-RAS, was 11500 m3·s-1 and its total error was ±31%. The most influential input variable over HEC-RAS peak flow results was water height; however, the one that contributed the most to peak flow error was Manning's n, because its uncertainty was far greater than water height's. The main conclusion is that, to ensure the lowest peak flow error, the reliability and precision of the flood mark should be thoroughly assessed. The peak flow was 12000 m3·s-1 when calculated with the 2D model Iber and 11500 m3·s-1 when calculated with the Manning equation.

Abundance and Co-Distribution of Widespread Marine Archaeal Lineages in Surface Sediments of Freshwater Water Bodies across the Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Compte-Port, Sergi; Subirats, Jèssica; Fillol, Mireia; Sànchez-Melsió, Alexandre; Marcé, Rafael; Rivas-Ruiz, Pedro; Rosell-Melé, Antoni; Borrego, Carles M

2017-11-01

Archaea inhabiting marine and freshwater sediments have a relevant role in organic carbon mineralization, affecting carbon fluxes at a global scale. Despite current evidences suggesting that freshwater sediments largely contribute to this process, few large-scale surveys have been addressed to uncover archaeal diversity and abundance in freshwater sedimentary habitats. In this work, we quantified and high-throughput sequenced the archaeal 16S rRNA gene from surficial sediments collected in 21 inland waterbodies across the Iberian Peninsula differing in typology and trophic status. Whereas methanogenic groups were dominant in most of the studied systems, especially in organic-rich sediments, archaea affiliated to widespread marine lineages (the Bathyarchaeota and the Thermoplasmata) were also ubiquitous and particularly abundant in euxinic sediments. In these systems, Bathyarchaeota communities were dominated by subgroups Bathyarchaeota-6 (87.95 ± 12.71%) and Bathyarchaeota-15 (8.17 ± 9.2%) whereas communities of Thermoplasmata were mainly composed of members of the order Thermoplasmatales. Our results also indicate that Archaea accounted for a minor fraction of sedimentary prokaryotes despite remarkable exceptions in reservoirs and some stratified lakes. Copy numbers of archaeal and bathyarchaeotal 16S rRNA genes were significantly different when compared according to system type (i.e., lakes, ponds, and reservoirs), but no differences were obtained when compared according to their trophic status (from oligotrophy to eutrophy). Interestingly, we obtained significant correlations between the abundance of reads (Spearman r = 0.5, p = 0.021) and OTU richness (Spearman r = 0.677, p < 0.001) of Bathyarchaeota and Thermoplasmata across systems, reinforcing the hypothesis of a potential syntrophic interaction between members of both lineages.

Dynamics of Eastern Boundary Currents and Their Effects on Sound Speed Structure

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-01

Canary Current System (NCCS) off Morocco and the Iberian Peninsula , and the Leeuwin Current System (LCS) off Western Australia. These systems...Africa and the Iberian Peninsula . This system is considered a classical EBC and marks the closing eastern boundary of the North Atlantic Gyre...with several narrow filaments of cooler water extending off the coast of the Iberian Peninsula (Fiuza and Sousa, 1989) and Cape Ghir in northwest Africa

Spatio-temporal variation in fitness responses to contrasting environments in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Exposito-Alonso, Moises; Brennan, Adrian C; Alonso-Blanco, Carlos; Picó, F Xavier

2018-06-27

The evolutionary response of organisms to global climate change is expected to be strongly conditioned by preexisting standing genetic variation. In addition, natural selection imposed by global climate change on fitness-related traits can be heterogeneous over time. We estimated selection of life-history traits of an entire genetic lineage of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana occurring in north-western Iberian Peninsula that were transplanted over multiple years into two environmentally contrasting field sites in southern Spain, as southern environments are expected to move progressively northwards with climate change in the Iberian Peninsula. The results indicated that natural selection on flowering time prevailed over that on recruitment. Selection favored early flowering in six of eight experiments and late flowering in the other two. Such heterogeneity of selection for flowering time might be a powerful mechanism for maintaining genetic diversity in the long run. We also found that north-western A. thaliana accessions from warmer environments exhibited higher fitness and higher phenotypic plasticity for flowering time in southern experimental facilities. Overall, our transplant experiments suggested that north-western Iberian A. thaliana has the means to cope with increasingly warmer environments in the region as predicted by trends in global climate change models. © 2018 The Author(s). Evolution © 2018 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Sardine (sardina Pilchardus) Larval Dispersal in Northern Canary Current Upwelling System (iberian Peninsula), Using Coupled Biophysical Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, A. M. P. A.; Nieblas, A. E.; Verley, P.; Teles-Machado, A.; Bonhommeau, S.; Lett, C.; Garrido, S.; Peliz, A.

2017-12-01

The European sardine (Sardina pilchardus) is the most important small pelagic fishery of the Western Iberia Upwelling Ecosystem (WIUE). Recently, recruitment of this species has declined due to changing environmental conditions. Furthermore, controversies exist regarding its population structure with barriers thought to exist between the Atlantic-Iberian Peninsula, Northern Africa, and the Mediterranean. Few studies have investigated the transport and dispersal of sardine eggs and larvae off Iberia and the subsequent impact on larval recruitment variability. Here, we examine these issues using a Regional Ocean Modeling System climatology (1989-2008) coupled to the Lagrangian transport model, Ichthyop. Using biological parameters from the literature, we conduct simulations that investigate the effects of spawning patchiness, diel vertical migration behaviors, and egg buoyancy on the transport and recruitment of virtual sardine ichthyoplankton on the continental shelf. We find that release area, release depth, and month of release all significantly affect recruitment. Patchiness has no effect and diel vertical migration causes slightly lower recruitment. Egg buoyancy effects are significant and act similarly to depth of release. As with other studies, we find that recruitment peaks vary by latitude, explained here by the seasonal variability of offshore transport. We find weak, continuous alongshore transport between release areas, though a large proportion of simulated ichthyoplankton transport north to the Cantabrian coast (up to 27%). We also show low level transport into Morocco (up to 1%) and the Mediterranean (up to 8%). The high proportion of local retention and low but consistent alongshore transport supports the idea of a series of metapopulations along this coast. This study was supported by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) through the research project MODELA (PTDC/MAR/098643/2008) and MedEx (MARIN-ERA/MAR/0002/2008). MedEx is also a

Plant Ethnoveterinary Practices in Two Pyrenean Territories of Catalonia (Iberian Peninsula) and in Two Areas of the Balearic Islands and Comparison with Ethnobotanical Uses in Human Medicine

PubMed Central

Carrió, Esperança; Rigat, Montse; Garnatje, Teresa; Mayans, Marina; Parada, Montse; Vallès, Joan

2012-01-01

This paper presents the results of an ethnobotanical study centred in veterinarian uses in two Catalan Pyrenean regions (Alt Empordà -AE- and High River Ter Valley -AT-, Iberian peninsula) and two Balearic Islands areas (Formentera -FO- and northeastern Mallorca -MA-). In the areas studied, 97 plant species have been claimed to be useful for veterinary purposes. A total of 306 veterinary use reports have been gathered and analysed. The ten most reported plants are Tanacetum parthenium (24 use reports), Parietaria officinalis (15), Ranunculus parnassifolius (14), Meum athamanticum (13), Olea europaea (13), Quercus ilex (12), Ruta chalepensis (12), Sambucus nigra (10) and Thymus vulgaris (10). According to comprehensive reviews, a high number of novelties for plant ethnoveterinary are contributed: 34 species and one subspecies, 11 genera, and three families have not been reported in previous works in this field, and 21 species had only been mentioned once. Several ethnoveterinary uses are coincidental with those in human medicine. Although ethnoveterinary practices are less relevant than in the past in the territories considered, as in all industrialised countries, the knowledge on plant properties and applications is still rich and constitutes a large pool of evidence for phytotherapy, both in domestic animals and humans. PMID:22829861

New archaeomagnetic data recovered from the study of celtiberic remains from central Spain (Numantia and Ciadueña, 3rd-1st centuries BC). Implications on the fidelity of the Iberian paleointensity database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osete, M. L.; Chauvin, A.; Catanzariti, G.; Jimeno, A.; Campuzano, S. A.; Benito-Batanero, J. P.; Tabernero-Galán, C.; Roperch, P.

2016-11-01

Variations of geomagnetic field in the Iberian Peninsula prior to roman times are poorly constrained. Here we report new archaeomagnetic results from four ceramic collections and two combustion structures recovered in two pre-roman (celtiberic) archaeological sites in central Spain. The studied materials have been dated by archaeological evidences and supported by five radiocarbon dates. Rock magnetic experiments indicate that the characteristic remanent manetization (ChRM) is carried by a low coercivity magnetic phase with Curie temperatures of 530-575 °C, most likely Ti-poor titanomagnetite/titanomaghemite. Archaeointensity determinations were carried out by using the classical Thellier-Thellier protocol including tests and corrections for magnetic anisotropy and cooling rate dependency. Two magnetic behaviours were depicted during the laboratory treatment. Black potsherds and poor heated samples from the kilns, presented two magnetization components, alterations or curved Arai plots and were therefore rejected. In contrast, well heated specimens (red ceramic fragments and well heated samples from the kilns) show one single well defined component of magnetization going through the origin and linear Arai plots providing successful archaeointensity determinations. The effect of anisotropy of the thermoremanent magnetization (ATRM) on paleointensity analysis was systematically investigated obtaining very high ATRM corrections on fine pottery specimens. In some cases, differences between the uncorrected and ATRM corrected paleointensity values reached up to 86 %. The mean intensity values obtained from three selected set of samples were 64.3 ± 5.8 μT; 56.8 ± 3.8 and 56.7 ± 4.6 μT (NUS2, CI2 and CIA, respectively), which contribute to better understand the evolution of the palaeofield intensity in central Iberia during the 3rd-1st centuries BC. The direction of the field at first century BC has also been determined from oriented samples from CIA kilns (D = 357

Ecophysiology Tracks Phylogeny and Meets Ecological Models in an Iberian Gecko.

PubMed

Rato, C; Carretero, M A

2015-01-01

Because fitness of ectotherms, including reptiles, is highly dependent on temperature and water availability, the study of ecophysiological traits, such as preferred temperature (T p) and water loss rates (WLRs), may provide mechanistic evidence on the restricting factors to the species ranges. The Moorish gecko, Tarentola mauritanica, is a species complex with a circum-Mediterranean distribution. In the Iberian Peninsula, two sister parapatric forms of the complex, known as the Iberian and the European clades, are found. Ecological models previously performed using presence records and bioclimatic variables suggest niche divergence between both lineages correlated with precipitation rather than with temperature. In this study, we test this correlative hypothesis using ecophysiological evidence. In the laboratory, we analyzed the T p and WLRs for 84 adult males from seven distinct populations ascribed to one of the two lineages present in Iberia. Specifically, we evaluated the existence of trait conservatism versus adaptation among populations, lineages, or both. In addition, we tested for a trade-off between water and thermal traits and assessed whether climate regime of sampling localities had any influence on the ecophysiological patterns found. We found that T p is quite conserved at both the population and lineage levels and independent from body size. In contrast, water loss experiments revealed some variation among populations, but the regression analysis failed to detect correlation between T p and WLR at any level. Overall, the European lineage displayed a trend for higher water loss and was more diverse among populations when compared with the Iberian lineage. The lack of correspondence between ecophysiological traits and local climatic conditions favors phylogenetic signal versus adaptation. This suggests divergent evolutionary responses to the environment, mainly acting on water ecology, in both lineages, which may account for the differences in their

Sediment delivery and lake dynamics in a Mediterranean mountain watershed: Human-climate interactions during the last millennium (El Tobar Lake record, Iberian Range, Spain).

PubMed

Barreiro-Lostres, Fernando; Brown, Erik; Moreno, Ana; Morellón, Mario; Abbott, Mark; Hillman, Aubrey; Giralt, Santiago; Valero-Garcés, Blas

2015-11-15

Land degradation and soil erosion are key environmental problems in Mediterranean mountains characterized by a long history of human occupation and a strong variability of hydrological regimes. To assess recent trends and evaluate climatic and anthropogenic impacts in these highly human modified watersheds we apply an historical approach combining lake sediment core multi-proxy analyses and reconstructions of past land uses to El Tobar Lake watershed, located in the Iberian Range (Central Spain). Four main periods of increased sediment delivery have been identified in the 8m long sediment sequence by their depositional and geochemical signatures. They took place around 16th, late 18th, mid 19th and early 20th centuries as a result of large land uses changes such as forest clearing, farming and grazing during periods of increasing population. In this highly human-modified watershed, positive synergies between human impact and humid periods led to increased sediment delivery periods. During the last millennium, the lake depositional and geochemical cycles recovered quickly after each sediment delivery event, showing strong resilience of the lacustrine system to watershed disturbance. Recent changes are characterized by large hydrological affections since 1967 with the construction of a canal from a nearby reservoir and a decreased in anthropic pressure in the watershed as rural areas were abandoned. The increased fresh water influx to the lake has caused large biological changes, leading to stronger meromictic conditions and higher organic matter accumulation while terrigenous inputs have decreased. Degradation processes in Iberian Range watersheds are strongly controlled by anthropic activities (land use changes, soil erosion) but modulated by climate-related hydrological changes (water availability, flood and runoff frequency). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Numerical Study of Time-Dependent Wind Forcing Off the West Coast of Portugal, 1987 - 1988

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-06-01

Canary Current off the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula . A short review of the general circulation of the atmosphere and ocean in the vicinity of...the Iberian Peninsula is presented here as an aid to understanding the motivation for this investigation. The atmospheric circulation over the Eastern...the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula (Figures 2 and 3). The seasonal 4 variation in the location, intensity and areal coverage of the Azores High

Impact of extreme precipitation events in the Miño-Sil river basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-González, Manuel; Añel, Juan Antonio; de la Torre, Laura

2015-04-01

We herein research the impact of extreme rainfall events in the Miño-Sil basin, a heavily dammed basin located in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula. Extreme rainfall events are very important in this basin because with 106 dams it is the most dammed in Spain. These dams are almost exclusively used for hydropower generation, the installed generating capacity reaches more than 2700 MW and represents almost 9% of the total installed electrical generation capacity of the Iberian Peninsula, therefore with a potential impact on the energy market. We research the extreme events of rainfall an their return periods trying to reproduce the past extreme events of rainfall and their time periods to prove the proper functioning of the adapted model, so we can forecast future extreme events of rainfall in the basin. This research tries to optimize the storage of dams and adapt the management to problems as climate change. The results obtained are very relevant for hydroelectric generation because the operation of hydropower system depends primarily on the availability of storaged water.

Paleobiology and comparative morphology of a late Neandertal sample from El Sidron, Asturias, Spain.

PubMed

Rosas, Antonio; Martínez-Maza, Cayetana; Bastir, Markus; García-Tabernero, Antonio; Lalueza-Fox, Carles; Huguet, Rosa; Ortiz, José Eugenio; Julià, Ramón; Soler, Vicente; de Torres, Trinidad; Martínez, Enrique; Cañaveras, Juan Carlos; Sánchez-Moral, Sergio; Cuezva, Soledad; Lario, Javier; Santamaría, David; de la Rasilla, Marco; Fortea, Javier

2006-12-19

Fossil evidence from the Iberian Peninsula is essential for understanding Neandertal evolution and history. Since 2000, a new sample approximately 43,000 years old has been systematically recovered at the El Sidrón cave site (Asturias, Spain). Human remains almost exclusively compose the bone assemblage. All of the skeletal parts are preserved, and there is a moderate occurrence of Middle Paleolithic stone tools. A minimum number of eight individuals are represented, and ancient mtDNA has been extracted from dental and osteological remains. Paleobiology of the El Sidrón archaic humans fits the pattern found in other Neandertal samples: a high incidence of dental hypoplasia and interproximal grooves, yet no traumatic lesions are present. Moreover, unambiguous evidence of human-induced modifications has been found on the human remains. Morphologically, the El Sidrón humans show a large number of Neandertal lineage-derived features even though certain traits place the sample at the limits of Neandertal variation. Integrating the El Sidrón human mandibles into the larger Neandertal sample reveals a north-south geographic patterning, with southern Neandertals showing broader faces with increased lower facial heights. The large El Sidrón sample therefore augments the European evolutionary lineage fossil record and supports ecogeographical variability across Neandertal populations.

Mapping of tecto-lineaments and their influence on sedimentological processes in a GIS environment: a case study of the Iberian trough, Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herrero-Hernández, Antonio; López-Moro, Francisco Javier; Valle-Feijóo, María Elena; Gómez-Fernández, Fernando; Rodríguez-Pérez, José Ramón

2017-04-01

The subsurface sedimentary succession of the Iberian Trough, Spain was examined using geophysical techniques (analogue seismic profiles) and inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation algorithm implemented in a gvGIS open source software. The results showed that the Late Cretaceous succession is divided into two depositional sequences: DS-1 (Late Albian-Middle Turonian) and DS-2 (Late Turonian-Campanian). From the analogical seismic sections, digital data and quantitative isopach maps for DS-1 and DS-2 were obtained. The new isopach maps obtained for the DS-1 sequence showed that the deeper sectors of the basin were located to the northeast and the proximal ones to the southwest. The palaeoshoreline was inferred to be situated in the N 150 direction. Across and parallel to this direction several blocks were delimited by faults, with a direction between 30 N and N 65. The thickness of the sediments in these blocks varied in direction NW-SE, with subsidence and depocentres in hangingwall and uplift in the footwall. These variations may have been related to active synsedimentary faults (e.g., Boñar and Yugueros Faults). In the DS-2 sequence, a lineament separated the smaller thicknesses to the southwest from the larger thicknesses (up to 1400 m) to the northeast. This lineament had an N170 orientation and it indicated the position of the palaeoshoreline. In the isopach map for DS-2 there were two groups of lineaments. The first showed a block structure that was limited by N100-120, they were foundering toward the S and had large thicknesses (depocentres), and rose towards the N, where there were smaller thicknesses. The second group of lineaments had a N 50-65 direction and, in this case, they had a similar interpretation as the one in DS-1. The maps obtained are of great help for geologists and permit better understanding of the geological setting and stratigraphic succession of the Late Cretaceous of the Iberian Trough.

Lessons learned from the ATLAS performance studies of the Iberian Cloud for the first LHC running period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sánchez-Martínez, V.; Borges, G.; Borrego, C.; del Peso, J.; Delfino, M.; Gomes, J.; González de la Hoz, S.; Pacheco Pages, A.; Salt, J.; Sedov, A.; Villaplana, M.; Wolters, H.

2014-06-01

In this contribution we describe the performance of the Iberian (Spain and Portugal) ATLAS cloud during the first LHC running period (March 2010-January 2013) in the context of the GRID Computing and Data Distribution Model. The evolution of the resources for CPU, disk and tape in the Iberian Tier-1 and Tier-2s is summarized. The data distribution over all ATLAS destinations is shown, focusing on the number of files transferred and the size of the data. The status and distribution of simulation and analysis jobs within the cloud are discussed. The Distributed Analysis tools used to perform physics analysis are explained as well. Cloud performance in terms of the availability and reliability of its sites is discussed. The effect of the changes in the ATLAS Computing Model on the cloud is analyzed. Finally, the readiness of the Iberian Cloud towards the first Long Shutdown (LS1) is evaluated and an outline of the foreseen actions to take in the coming years is given. The shutdown will be a good opportunity to improve and evolve the ATLAS Distributed Computing system to prepare for the future challenges of the LHC operation.

Mass movements and infiltration on abandoned terraces in the Iberian Range, Northern Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnáez, José; Lana-Renault, Noemí; Ruiz-Flaño, Purificación; Pascual, Nuria; Lasanta, Teodoro

2017-04-01

Terraced slopes were one of the most common agricultural landscapes in mountain areas of the Mediterranean region. Built to ensure agricultural production, terraces have acted as an effective soil conservation system at both slope and catchment scale. Demographic and socioeconomic changes in the last 60 years in the Mediterranean mountains have led to the abandonment of terraces. The consequent lack of maintenance of such agricultural structures has triggered diverse erosion processes. At the beginning of the 20th century, the upper valleys of the Leza, Jubera and Cidacos rivers, in the Iberian range (northern Spain), held more than 10,000 inhabitants and a cultivated area of 21,021 ha, of which 13,274 ha were farming terraces (63% of the agricultural space). At present, these terraces are abandoned. The most common erosion processes on the walls of abandoned terraces are stone collapses, which leave the riser completely unprotected, and small mass movements. A total amount of 240 terrace failures with mass movement were identified in the 53 studied plots, which means an average number of 4.5 per plot and 10.6 per 100 m of wall. At plot scale, the average volume of debris was 15.1 m3 (33.1 m3 for every 100 m of wall). Soil infiltration capacity and the way the water flows downslope may be the main triggers for mass movements. Rainfall simulations carried out in the study area showed an average infiltration coefficient above 75%. Infiltration coefficients were higher on concave hillslopes (above 85%), probably because the plots in these sectors were intensively tilled in the past, with plowed and permeable anthropogenic soils. The infiltrated water becomes a destabilizing factor for the terrace wall. The lack of deep percolation due to a more impermeable substrate (e.g., the original soil of the slope) favours the accumulation of water within the artificial soil, behind the stone wall. The increasing weight of the material can cause the activation of mass movements

Temperature fine-tunes Mediterranean Arabidopsis thaliana life-cycle phenology geographically.

PubMed

Marcer, A; Vidigal, D S; James, P M A; Fortin, M-J; Méndez-Vigo, B; Hilhorst, H W M; Bentsink, L; Alonso-Blanco, C; Picó, F X

2018-01-01

To understand how adaptive evolution in life-cycle phenology operates in plants, we need to unravel the effects of geographic variation in putative agents of natural selection on life-cycle phenology by considering all key developmental transitions and their co-variation patterns. We address this goal by quantifying the temperature-driven and geographically varying relationship between seed dormancy and flowering time in the annual Arabidopsis thaliana across the Iberian Peninsula. We used data on genetic variation in two major life-cycle traits, seed dormancy (DSDS50) and flowering time (FT), in a collection of 300 A. thaliana accessions from the Iberian Peninsula. The geographically varying relationship between life-cycle traits and minimum temperature, a major driver of variation in DSDS50 and FT, was explored with geographically weighted regressions (GWR). The environmentally varying correlation between DSDS50 and FT was analysed by means of sliding window analysis across a minimum temperature gradient. Maximum local adjustments between minimum temperature and life-cycle traits were obtained in the southwest Iberian Peninsula, an area with the highest minimum temperatures. In contrast, in off-southwest locations, the effects of minimum temperature on DSDS50 were rather constant across the region, whereas those of minimum temperature on FT were more variable, with peaks of strong local adjustments of GWR models in central and northwest Spain. Sliding window analysis identified a minimum temperature turning point in the relationship between DSDS50 and FT around a minimum temperature of 7.2 °C. Above this minimum temperature turning point, the variation in the FT/DSDS50 ratio became rapidly constrained and the negative correlation between FT and DSDS50 did not increase any further with increasing minimum temperatures. The southwest Iberian Peninsula emerges as an area where variation in life-cycle phenology appears to be restricted by the duration and severity

Spatial impact and triggering conditions of the exceptional hydro-geomorphological event of December 1909 in Iberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, S.; Ramos, A. M.; Zêzere, J. L.; Trigo, R. M.; Vaquero, J. M.

2016-02-01

According to the DISASTER database the 20-28 December 1909 event was the hydro-geomorphologic event with the highest number of flood and landslide cases that occurred in Portugal in the period 1865-2010 (Zêzere et al., 2014). This event also caused important social impacts over the Spanish territory, especially in the Douro Basin, having triggered the highest floods in more than 100 years at the river's mouth in the city of Oporto. This work has a dual purpose: (i) to characterize the spatial distribution and social impacts of the December 1909 hydro-geomorphologic DISASTER event over Portugal and Spain; (ii) to analyse the meteorological conditions that triggered the event and the spatial distribution of the precipitation anomalies. Social impacts that occurred in Portugal were obtained from the Disaster database (Zêzere et al., 2014) whereas the data collection for Spain was supported by the systematic analysis of Spanish daily newspapers. In addition, the meteorological conditions that triggered the event are analysed using the 20th Century Reanalysis data set from NOAA and precipitation data from Iberian meteorological stations. The Iberian Peninsula was spatially affected during this event along the SW-NE direction spanning from Lisbon, Santarém, Oporto, and Guarda (in Portugal), to Salamanca, Valladolid, Zamora, Orense, León, and Palencia (in Spain). In Iberia, 134 DISASTER cases were recorded (130 flood cases; 4 landslides cases) having caused 89 casualties (57 due to floods and 32 due to landslides) and a further total of 3876 affected people, including fatalities, injured, missing, evacuated, and homeless people. This event was associated with outstanding precipitation registered at Guarda (Portugal) on 22 December 1909 and unusual meteorological conditions characterized by the presence of a deep low-pressure system located over the NW Iberian Peninsula with a stationary frontal system striking the western Iberian Peninsula. The presence of an upper

Tracking climate change in oligotrophic mountain lakes: Recent hydrology and productivity synergies in Lago de Sanabria (NW Iberian Peninsula).

PubMed

Jambrina-Enríquez, Margarita; Recio, Clemente; Vega, José Carlos; Valero-Garcés, Blas

2017-07-15

Mountain lakes are particularly sensitive to global change as their oligotrophic conditions may be rapidly altered after reaching an ecological threshold, due to increasing human impact and climate change. Sanabria Lake, the largest mountain lake in the Iberian Peninsula and with a recent history of increased human impact in its watershed, provides an opportunity to investigate recent trends in an oligotrophic, hydrologically-open mountain lake, and their relationship with climate, hydrological variability and human pressure. We conducted the first systematic and detailed survey of stable isotope compositions of Sanabria Lake and Tera River together with limnological analyses during 2009-2011. δ 18 O lakewater and δD lakewater seasonal fluctuations are strongly linked to river discharges, and follow the monthly mean isotopic composition of precipitation, which is controlled by NAO dynamics. δ 13 C POM and δ 13 C DIC revealed higher contribution of allochthonous organic matter in winter and spring due to higher river inflow and lower primary productivity. Increased phytoplankton biomass in late summer correlated significantly with higher pH and Chl-a, and higher nutrient input and lower river inflow. However, the small δ 13 C POM seasonal amplitude underlines the stability of the oligotrophic conditions and the isotopic variation in POM and DIC reflect small seasonal fluctuations mostly as a consequence of strong throughflow. The stability of hydrology and productivity patterns is consistent with Holocene and last millennium reconstructions of past limnological changes in Sanabria Lake. The results of this study indicate that trophic state in this hydrologically-open mountain lake is strongly controlled by climate variability, but recent changes in human-land uses have increased sediment delivery and nutrients supply to the lake and have to be considered for management policies. Monitoring surveys including isotope techniques provide snapshots of modern isotope

Heavy metal fluxes at the sediment-water interface of three coastal ecosystems from south-west of the Iberian Peninsula

PubMed

Blasco; Saenz; Gomez-Parra

2000-03-20

Concentrations of the heavy metals Cr, Cu, Fe and Mn were measured in sediments and porewater samples collected in three coastal ecosystems southwest of the Iberian Peninsula: the Odiel and Barbate River Salt Marshes and the Bay of Cadiz. Both the sediment and the porewater metal concentrations in the Odiel River Salt Marshes are higher than the values found in the Bay of Cadiz and Barbate River Salt Marsh, particularly for copper, a metal associated with mining activity. In porewater, the profiles were not the same as those in the solid phase and reflect the different behaviours of the elements in relation to the redox conditions. The heavy metals Cr and Cu show a typical enrichment in the porewater of the oxic zone. The heavy metals Mn and Fe show an increase in the porewater at the depths where the maximum nitrate and phosphate concentrations occur, respectively. Significant differences between background levels for each heavy metal in the various studied zones exist. Iron and Cu showed larger background levels in the Odiel River Salt Marshes than those in the Cadiz Bay and the Barbate River Salt Marshes. In the Bay of Cadiz the background levels are also high, particularly for Cr. At the Odiel River Salt Marshes the diffusive flux of Cu is high (1.3-230.1 microg cm(-2) year(-1)), which suggests that the Odiel River Salt Marshes are subject to strong contamination by Cu, which is presumably introduced to the sediment in particulate form. In the Bay of Cadiz, Cr is the only metal with positive diffusive flux (2.15 microg cm(-2) year(-1)). It is higher than those obtained in other coastal ecosystems including the Odiel River Salt Marshes. The positive diffusive flux of Cr has been associated with the input of this metal by the naval industry and the manufacturing of car and aircraft components.

The construction of fertility in al-Andalus. Geoarchaeology in Ricote (Murcia, Spain, 8th century AD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Puy, Arnald

2013-04-01

Traditional irrigated terraces of Spain (known as 'huertas') are among the most emblematic and productive agricultural fields of the Mediterranean. Several of these huertas were first built by Arab and Berber tribes and clans that entered the Iberian Peninsula (al-Andalus) after 711 AD, coinciding with the spread of Islam during Middle Ages (>632 AD). One thousand and three hundred years after their construction they are still operative, presenting a topic case of sustainable and resilient agricultural areas. However, up until recently no data was available regarding the pre-existing features of the terrains where they were built, the timing of their construction nor their construction process. In this communication I will present the results of the study of a palaeosoil buried under an Andalusi irrigated terrace in the huerta of Ricote (Murcia, Spain). Soil micromorphology, physico-chemical analysis (Loss On Ignition, Magnetic Susceptibility, Particle Size Distribution, pH/Electrical Conductivity) and AMS dating allowed to determine that 1) Andalusi peasants selected a highly saline Hypercalcic Calcisol to build up the first irrigated terraces; 2) They clear the slope of bushes by fire; 3) They used the slope soil to build the terrace fill, possibly by inverting the original soil horizonation, and 4) According to the date obtained from the organic matter embedded in the topmost horizon of the palaeosoil (647-778 AD), the original Andalusi irrigated fields of Ricote were possibly built shortly after 711 AD. The communication, in sum, will show through a case study how past peasant societies transformed semi-arid environments to create highly productive agrarian areas.

Hotspots of species richness, threat and endemism for terrestrial vertebrates in SW Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pascual, López-López; Luigi, Maiorano; Alessandra, Falcucci; Emilio, Barba; Luigi, Boitani

2011-09-01

The Mediterranean basin, and the Iberian Peninsula in particular, represent an outstanding "hotspot" of biological diversity with a long history of integration between natural ecosystems and human activities. Using deductive distribution models, and considering both Spain and Portugal, we downscaled traditional range maps for terrestrial vertebrates (amphibians, breeding birds, mammals and reptiles) to the finest possible resolution with the data at hand, and we identified hotspots based on three criteria: i) species richness; ii) vulnerability, and iii) endemism. We also provided a first evaluation of the conservation status of biodiversity hotspots based on these three criteria considering both existing and proposed protected areas (i.e., Natura 2000). For the identification of hotspots, we used a method based on the cumulative distribution functions of species richness values. We found no clear surrogacy among the different types of hotspots in the Iberian Peninsula. The most important hotspots (considering all criteria) are located in the western and southwestern portions of the study area, in the Mediterranean biogeographical region. Existing protected areas are not specifically concentrated in areas of high species richness, with only 5.2% of the hotspots of total richness being currently protected. The Natura 2000 network can potentially constitute an important baseline for protecting vertebrate diversity in the Iberian Peninsula although further improvements are needed. We suggest taking a step forward in conservation planning in the Mediterranean basin, explicitly considering the history of the region as well as its present environmental context. This would allow moving from traditional reserve networks (conservation focused on "patterns") to considerations about the "processes" that generated present biodiversity.

Climate threats on growth of rear-edge European beech peripheral populations in Spain.

PubMed

Dorado-Liñán, I; Akhmetzyanov, L; Menzel, A

2017-12-01

European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests in the Iberian Peninsula are a clear example of a temperate forest tree species at the rear edge of its large distribution area in Europe. The expected drier and warmer climate may alter tree growth and species distribution. Consequently, the peripheral populations will most likely be the most threatened ones. Four peripheral beech forests in the Iberian Peninsula were studied in order to assess the climate factors influencing tree growth for the last six decades. The analyses included an individual tree approach in order to detect not only the changes in the sensitivity to climate but also the potential size-mediated sensitivity to climate. Our results revealed a dominant influence of previous and current year summer on tree growth during the last six decades, although the analysis in two equally long periods unveiled changes and shifts in tree sensitivity to climate. The individual tree approach showed that those changes in tree response to climate are not size dependent in most of the cases. We observed a reduced negative effect of warmer winter temperatures at some sites and a generalized increased influence of previous year climatic conditions on current year tree growth. These results highlight the crucial role played by carryover effects and stored carbohydrates for future tree growth and species persistence.

Climate threats on growth of rear-edge European beech peripheral populations in Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorado-Liñán, I.; Akhmetzyanov, L.; Menzel, A.

2017-12-01

European beech ( Fagus sylvatica L.) forests in the Iberian Peninsula are a clear example of a temperate forest tree species at the rear edge of its large distribution area in Europe. The expected drier and warmer climate may alter tree growth and species distribution. Consequently, the peripheral populations will most likely be the most threatened ones. Four peripheral beech forests in the Iberian Peninsula were studied in order to assess the climate factors influencing tree growth for the last six decades. The analyses included an individual tree approach in order to detect not only the changes in the sensitivity to climate but also the potential size-mediated sensitivity to climate. Our results revealed a dominant influence of previous and current year summer on tree growth during the last six decades, although the analysis in two equally long periods unveiled changes and shifts in tree sensitivity to climate. The individual tree approach showed that those changes in tree response to climate are not size dependent in most of the cases. We observed a reduced negative effect of warmer winter temperatures at some sites and a generalized increased influence of previous year climatic conditions on current year tree growth. These results highlight the crucial role played by carryover effects and stored carbohydrates for future tree growth and species persistence.

Crustal structure of an intraplate thrust belt: The Iberian Chain revealed by wide-angle seismic, magnetotelluric soundings and gravity data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seillé, Hoël; Salas, Ramon; Pous, Jaume; Guimerà, Joan; Gallart, Josep; Torne, Montserrat; Romero-Ruiz, Ivan; Diaz, Jordi; Ruiz, Mario; Carbonell, Ramon; Mas, Ramón

2015-11-01

The Iberian Chain is a Cenozoic intraplate thrust belt located within the Iberian plate. Unlike other belts in the Iberia Peninsula, the scarcity of geophysical studies in this area results in a number of unknowns about its crustal structure. The Iberian Chain crust was investigated by means of a NE-SW refraction/wide-angle reflection seismic transect and two magnetotelluric profiles across the chain, oriented along the same direction. The seismic profile was designed to sample the crust by means of three shots designed to obtain a reversed profile. The resulting velocity-depth model shows a moderate thickening of the crust toward the central part of the profile, where crustal thickness reaches values above 40 km, thinning toward de SW Tajo and NE Ebro foreland basins. The crustal thickening is concentrated in the upper crust. The seismic results are in overall agreement with regional trends of Bouguer gravity anomaly and the main features of the seismic model were reproduced by gravity modeling. The magnetotelluric data consist of 39 sites grouped into two profiles, with periods ranging from 0.01 s to 1000 s. Dimensionality analyses show significant 3D effects in the resistivity structure and therefore we carried out a joint 3D inversion of the full impedance tensor and magnetic transfer functions. The Mesozoic and Cenozoic basins along the Chain are well characterized by shallow high conductive zones and low velocities. Elongated conductors reaching mid-crustal depths evidence the presence of major faults dominating the crustal structure. The results from the interpretation of these complementary geophysical data sets provided the first images of the crustal structure of the Iberian Chain. They are consistent with a Cenozoic shortening responsible of the upper crust thickening as well as of the uplift of the Iberian Chain and the generation of its present day topography.

To Eat or Not To Eat? The Diet of the Endangered Iberian Wolf (Canis lupus signatus) in a Human-Dominated Landscape in Central Portugal

PubMed Central

Torres, Rita Tinoco; Silva, Nicole; Brotas, Gonçalo; Fonseca, Carlos

2015-01-01

Livestock predation by large carnivores and their persecution by local communities are major conservation concerns. In order to prevent speculations and reduce conflicts, it is crucial to get detailed and accurate data on predators’ dietary ecology, which is particularly important in human dominated landscapes where livestock densities are high. This is the case of the endangered Iberian wolf in Portugal, an endemic subspecies of the Iberian Peninsula, which has seen its population distribution and abundance decline throughout the 20th century. Accordingly, the diet of the Iberian wolf was analyzed, using scat analysis, in a humanized landscape in central Portugal. From 2011 to 2014, a total of 295 wolf scats were collected from transects distributed throughout the study area, prospected on a monthly basis. Scat analysis indicated a high dependence of Iberian wolf on livestock. Domestic goat predominated the diet (62% of the scats), followed by cow (20%) and sheep (13%); the only wild ungulate present in the scat analysis was the wild boar (4% of the scats). Our results show that even though livestock constitute most part of wolves diet, different livestock species may represent different predation opportunities. We conclude that the high levels of livestock consumption may be a result of low diversity and density of wild ungulates that settles livestock as the only abundant prey for wolves. Our findings help on the understanding of the Iberian wolf feeding ecology and have implications for conflict management strategies. Finally, management implications are discussed and solutions are recommended. PMID:26030294

CHALLENGES OF PASSIVE TREATMENT OF METAL MINE DRAINAGE IN THE IBERIAN PYRITE BELT (SOUTHERN SPAIN): PRELIMINARY STUDIES

EPA Science Inventory

AMD in the Iberian Pyrite Belt is a problem of global scale. Successful implementation of passive treatment systems could remediate at least part of this problem at reasonable costs. However, initial trials with ALD and RAPS based on gravel size limestone failed due to rapid loss...

Recent decadal trends in Iberian water vapour: GPS analysis and WRF process study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miranda, Pedro M. A.; Nogueira, Miguel; Semedo, Alvaro; Benevides, Pedro; Catalao, Joao; Costa, Vera

2016-04-01

://dx.doi.org/10.3402/tellusa.v65i0.19245. Bakun et al (2010) Greenhouse gas, upwelling-favorable winds, and the future of coastal ocean upwelling ecosystems, Global Change Biology, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.02094.x Hoinka KP, Castro M (2003) The Iberian Peninsula thermal low. QJRMS, 129, 1491- 1511, doi: 10.1256/qj.01.189. Miranda et al (2013) Climate change and upwelling: response of Iberian upwelling to atmospheric forcing in a regional climate scenario. Climate Dynamics, doi: 10.1007/s00382-012-1442-9.

First record of the adventive oriental aphid Schizaphis piricola (Matsumura, 1917) (Hemiptera, Aphididae) in Europe

PubMed Central

Nicolás, Pérez Hidalgo; Ángel, Umaran; M. Pilar, Mier Durante

2011-01-01

Abstract The oriental aphid Schizaphis piricola (Matsumura) is recorded for the first time in Europe, on the ornamental pear tree Pyrus calleryana in landscaped areas in Madrid (Spain). Data on the morphology of the forms on primary host (apterous and alate fundatrigeniae and fundatrices), and their biology and distribution are given. The keys for identifying species of Schizaphis (Schizaphis) in the Iberian Peninsula are updated. Two species of aphids are also recorded for the first time on Pyrus calleryana: Schizaphis piricola and Aphis pomi. PMID:21594084

The volcanic-sedimentary sequence of the Lousal deposit, Iberian Pyrite Belt (Portugal)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosa, Carlos; Rosa, Diogo; Matos, Joao; Relvas, Jorge

2010-05-01

The Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) is a massive sulfide province that is located in the south of Portugal and Spain, and hosts more than 90 massive sulfide deposits that amount to more than 1850 million metric tonnes of sulfide ore (Tornos, 2006). The ore deposits size, vary from ~1Mt to >100Mt (e.g. Neves Corvo and Aljustrel in Portugal, and Rio Tinto and Tharsis in Spain). The ore deposits are hosted by a submarine sedimentary and volcanic, felsic dominated, succession that constitutes the Upper Devonian to Lower Carboniferous Volcanic and Sedimentary Complex (VSC). The VSC ranges in thickness from approximately 600 to 1300 m (Tornos 2006). The VSC overlies the Phyllite-Quartzite Group (PQ) (Upper Devonian, base unknown) and is overlain by the Baixo Alentejo Flysch Group (Lower to Upper Carboniferous). The Lousal massive sulfide deposit is located in the western part of the IPB and occurs mostly interbedded with black mudstone. The VSC sequence at Lousal mine consists of a mudstone and quartzite sequence (PQ Group) in the lower part of the succession, over which a thick sequence of rhyolitic lavas (>300 m) occurs. Above the rhyolitic lavas there is a thick sequence of black and grey mudstone that hosts the massive sulfide ore bodies, and a rhyolitic sill. The upper part of the VSC sequence consists of a thick mudstone interval that hosts two thick basaltic units, locally with pillows. The rhyolites have small coherent cores, locally with flow bands, that grade to surrounding massive clastic intervals, with large lateral extent. The clasts show jigsaw-fit arrangement in many places and have planar or curviplanar margins and locally are perlitic at the margin. The top contact of these units is in most locations not exposed, which makes difficult to interpret the mode of emplacement. However, the thick clastic intervals, above described, are in accordance with quenching of volcanic glass with abundant water and therefore indicate that quenching of the rhyolites was the

Identification of an HIV-1 BG Intersubtype Recombinant Form (CRF73_BG), Partially Related to CRF14_BG, Which Is Circulating in Portugal and Spain

PubMed Central

Fernández-García, Aurora; Delgado, Elena; Cuevas, María Teresa; Vega, Yolanda; Montero, Vanessa; Sánchez, Mónica; Carrera, Cristina; López-Álvarez, María José; Miralles, Celia; Pérez-Castro, Sonia; Cilla, Gustavo; Hinojosa, Carmen; Pérez-Álvarez, Lucía; Thomson, Michael M.

2016-01-01

HIV-1 exhibits a characteristically high genetic diversity, with the M group, responsible for the pandemic, being classified into nine subtypes, 72 circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) and numerous unique recombinant forms (URFs). Here we characterize the near full-length genome sequence of an HIV-1 BG intersubtype recombinant virus (X3208) collected in Galicia (Northwest Spain) which exhibits a mosaic structure coincident with that of a previously characterized BG recombinant virus (9601_01), collected in Germany and epidemiologically linked to Portugal, and different from currently defined CRFs. Similar recombination patterns were found in partial genome sequences from three other BG recombinant viruses, one newly derived, from a virus collected in Spain, and two retrieved from databases, collected in France and Portugal, respectively. Breakpoint coincidence and clustering in phylogenetic trees of these epidemiologically-unlinked viruses allow to define a new HIV-1 CRF (CRF73_BG). CRF73_BG shares one breakpoint in the envelope with CRF14_BG, which circulates in Portugal and Spain, and groups with it in a subtype B envelope fragment, but the greatest part of its genome does not appear to derive from CRF14_BG, although both CRFs share as parental strain the subtype G variant circulating in the Iberian Peninsula. Phylogenetic clustering of partial pol and env segments from viruses collected in Portugal and Spain with X3208 and 9691_01 indicates that CRF73_BG is circulating in both countries, with proportions of around 2–3% Portuguese database HIV-1 isolates clustering with CRF73_BG. The fact that an HIV-1 recombinant virus characterized ten years ago as a URF has been shown to represent a CRF suggests that the number of HIV-1 CRFs may be much greater than currently known. PMID:26900693

Aerosol optical, microphysical and radiative forcing properties during variable intensity African dust events in the Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández, A. J.; Molero, F.; Salvador, P.; Revuelta, A.; Becerril-Valle, M.; Gómez-Moreno, F. J.; Artíñano, B.; Pujadas, M.

2017-11-01

Aerosol measurements at two AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) sites of the Iberian Peninsula: Madrid (40°.45N, 3.72W) and La Coruña (43°.36N, 8°.42W) have been analyzed for the period 2012-2015 to assess aerosol optical properties (intensive and extensive) throughout the atmospheric column and their radiative forcing (RF) and radiative forcing efficiency (RFeff) estimates at the Bottom and Top Of Atmosphere (BOA and TOA respectively). Specific conditions as dust-free and African dust have been considered for the study. Unprecedented, this work uses the quantification of the African dust aerosol at ground level which allows us to study such AERONET products at different intensity levels of African events: Low (L), High (H) and very high (VH). The statistical difference between dust-free and African dust conditions on the aforementioned parameters, quantified by means of the non-parametric Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, is quite clear in Madrid, however it is not in La Coruña. Scattering Angstrom Exponent (SAE) and Absorption Angstrom Exponent (AAE) were found to be 1.64 ± 0.29 and 1.14 ± 0.23 respectively in Madrid for dust-free conditions because typical aerosol sources are traffic emissions and residential heating, and black carbon is an important compound in this aerosol kind. On the other hand, SAE and AAE were 0.96 ± 0.60 and 1.44 ± 0.51 for African dust conditions in this location. RF (at shortwave radiation) seems to decrease as the African dust contribution at ground level is larger which indicates the cooling effect of African dust aerosol in Madrid. We have also proved the potential of a 2D-cluster analysis based on AAE and SAE to differentiate both situations in Madrid. Conversely, it is suggested that aerosols observed in La Coruña under dust-free conditions might come from different sources. Then, SAE and AAE are not good enough indicators to distinguish between dust-free and African dust conditions. Besides, as La Coruña is at a further distance

Superposed buckle folding in the eastern Iberian Chain, Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simón, José L.

2004-08-01

The Aliaga area (eastern Iberian Chain) shows large-scale examples of buckle superposition developed during Tertiary folding. In most cases, ENE-trending folds overprint earlier NNW-SSE-trending ones. The resulting structures are mapped, analysed, and genetically classified by comparison with analogue models described by several authors. The following types are found: standard Type 1 (1a: dome-and-basin structure, 1b: unequal-wavelength overprinted folds); modified Type 1 (1c: T-shaped 'joined' folds; 1d: T-shaped 'abutting' folds; 1e: L-shaped folds; 1f: 'snake-like' folds); standard Type 2 (2a: non-cylindrical buckling of earlier axial surfaces involving hinge replacement). Different superposed sets of flexural-slip striations record successive folding episodes in snake-like folds, and hinge replacement in the case of Type 2a superpositions. Types 1 and 2 apparently develop where the earlier folds have interlimb angles over and below 90°, respectively, which fits the results of analogue modelling and theoretical analysis by previous authors. Types 1b and 1d are associated with higher W1/W2 wavelength ratios than Types 1a and 1c. Other controlling factors are viscosity contrast and erosion processes. Specifically, erosion of competent limestone beds in the hinge zone of a NNW-SSE-trending anticline allowed the near-vertical eastern limb to be refolded into snake-like folds.

Glass import and production in Hispania during the early medieval period: The glass from Ciudad de Vascos (Toledo)

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

One hundred and forty-one glass fragments from medieval Ciudad de Vascos (Toledo, Spain) were analysed by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The glasses fall into three types according to the fluxing agents used: mineral natron, soda-rich plant ash, and a combination of soda ash and lead. The natron glasses can be assigned to various established primary production groups of eastern Mediterranean provenance. Different types of plant ash glasses indicate differences in the silica source as well as the plant ash component, reflecting changing supply mechanisms. While the earlier plant ash groups can be related to Islamic glasses from the Near East, both in terms of typology and composition, the chemical signature of the later samples appear to be specific to glass from the Iberian Peninsula. This has important implications for our understanding of the emerging glass industry in Spain and the distribution patterns of glass groups and raw materials. The plant ash that was used for the Vascos glasses is rich in soda with low levels of potash, similar to ash produced in the eastern Mediterranean. It could therefore be possible that Levantine plant ash was imported and used in Islamic period glass workshops in Spain. Unlike central and northern Europe where an independent glass industry based on potassium-rich wood ash developed during the Carolingian period, the prevalence of soda ash and soda ash lead glass on the Iberian Peninsula indicates its commercial and technological interconnection with the Islamic east. Our study thus traces several stages leading to the development of a specifically Spanish primary glassmaking industry. PMID:28746419

Reconstruction of past climate variability in SE Spain between 14 and 8 ka

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budsky, Alexander; Scholz, Denis; Mertz-Kraus, Regina; Christoph, Spötl; Gibert, Luis; Jochum, Klaus Peter; Andreae, Meinrat O.

2016-04-01

In comparison to the large climatic oscillations during the Pleistocene, Holocene climate only underwent minor changes. Nevertheless, cyclic climate changes also occurred during the Holocene. The Bond events, represented by the presence of cold, ice-bearing waters from the north of Iceland as far south as the latitude of Britain, occurred at a cyclicity of about 1500 a and were particularly pronounced during the Early Holocene. However, their climatic impact on the terrestrial realm was not consistent over Europe, in particular with respect to changes in precipitation. Here we present a precisely dated high-resolution flowstone record from Cueva Victoria, SE Spain, a site well suited to study the competing influence of the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea on the southern Iberian Peninsula. We sampled several flowstones with a thickness of up to 60 cm. 230Th/U-dating has shown that these deposits mainly formed during relatively warm climate intervals of the Middle and Late Pleistocene, i.e. interglacials and interstadials (Budsky et al., 2015; Gibert et al., 2016). Here we focus on a short (11 cm) flowstone sequence from the Holocene with a high temporal resolution (centennial for stable isotopes and annual for trace elements). The flowstone grew between 14 and ca. 8 ka b2k. The decreasing trend of the δ18O and δ13C values as well as of several trace elements between 12 and 11 ka b2k reflects an increase in temperature and precipitation at the beginning of the Holocene. In particular, Sr and Mg show a trend towards low and stable values. Subsequently, from 10.5 to 8 ka b2k, the δ13C values show a high variability (-11 to -4), whereas the δ18O values are rather stable (between -6 and -7). Maxima in δ13C are interpreted as drier conditions in response to Bond events. These events possibly led to a change of the atmospheric circulation, affecting the vegetation in SE Spain, which evolved towards an open C3 vegetation at ca. 8 ka b2k concomitant with drier conditions

Recent advances on the knowledge of the Eocene primates from the Pyrenean Basins (NE Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minwer-Barakat, Raef; Marigó, Judit; Femenias-Gual, Joan; Moyà-Solà, Salvador

2017-04-01

The Eocene was one of the warmest epochs of the Cenozoic and documented the first occurrence of several orders of modern mammals. Among them, Euprimates underwent a very important radiation favored by the development of dense forests throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Two main groups reached a great abundance and diversity during the Eocene, Adapiformes and Omomyiformes, which are related to the main clades of living primates (strepsirrhines and haplorhines, respectively). In the Iberian Peninsula, Eocene primates have been known since the 1960s, when several fossil sites containing prosimian remains were discovered. Nevertheless, it was not until 2010 that the research on Eocene primates from Spain has increased strikingly, and the results achieved in this last stage have surpassed those of the whole past century in terms of number of publications. Besides some interesting findings in the Ebro, Almazán and Miranda-Trebiño basins, the Pyrenees have yielded the most abundant record of Eocene primates from the Iberian Peninsula, constituting therefore an excellent region for evaluating the evolution of primates through this epoch. In the early Eocene continental deposits of the Àger area, adapiforms are well represented, with three species of the genus Agerinia. Besides, the only record of Plesiadapiformes (archaic primates) from Spain has been documented in this zone. The middle Eocene is particularly well represented in the Eastern Pyrenees. In the section of Sant Jaume de Frontanyà, three primate species have been described in the last years. The adapiform Anchomomys frontanyensis and the omomyiform Pseudoloris pyrenaicus, found in the oldest levels of the section, and the omomyiform Necrolemur anadoni, identified in the youngest levels, have allowed reconstructing the relationships of these taxa with their correlatives found in other parts of Europe. Late Eocene deposits with mammal remains crop out in the area of La Pobla de Segur. The most relevant fossil

Early metal pollution in southwestern Europe: the former littoral lagoon of El Almarjal (Cartagena mining district, S.E. Spain).A sedimentary archive more than 8000 years old.

PubMed

Manteca, José-Ignacio; Ros-Sala, Milagros; Ramallo-Asensio, Sebastián; Navarro-Hervás, Francisca; Rodríguez-Estrella, Tomás; Cerezo-Andreo, Felipe; Ortiz-Menéndez, José-Eugenio; de-Torres, Trinidad; Martínez-Andreu, Miguel

2017-04-01

A borehole drilling campaign has allowed the study of a former littoral lagoon located next to the harbour city of Cartagena in South-East Spain (close to the Sierra de Cartagena polymetallic ore deposits). This lagoon, which developed during the Holocene, was first a shallow sedimentary marine environment and later evolved into a swampy semi-endorheic basin named "Almarjal" (after the Arab term from the fourteenth century). The lagoon eventually dried out and at present forms part of the substratum of the modern sector of the city urban area. The basin representative sediments are sapropelic black silty facies forming a continuous sedimentary archive, accounting for more than 8000 years of depositional phenomena. The geochemical study of these sediments, together with their absolute calibrated dating by 14 C, allows definition of successive stages of mining and metallurgical activities in the area. In turn, this information provides a more comprehensive perspective regarding metal pollution, particularly lead contamination during different periods of the Recent Prehistory and the Classical Age. The results indicate that the beginning of contamination by lead and other heavy metals occurred as early as 4500 years ago, when the Final Chalcolithic period was taking place in the South-East of the Iberian Peninsula. This finding provides further insights regarding the debate on the origins of lead mining and metallurgy in SE Spain.

Elder Abuse in the Iberian Peninsula and Bolivia: A Multicountry Comparative Study.

PubMed

Carmona-Torres, Juan Manuel; Carvalhal, Rosa; Gálvez-Rioja, Ruth Mary; Ruiz-Gandara, África; Goergen, Thomas; Rodríguez-Borrego, Mª Aurora

2017-06-01

The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of abuse of vulnerable older persons in the family and community environment in the following regions-Spain (Andalusia-Córdoba), Portugal (Azores), and Bolivia (Santa Cruz de la Sierra)-and to identify risk factors and delineate a profile of abused older persons. For this, a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. The sample consisted of people in the age group 65 years plus living in the catchment areas of health centers. The following were used as instruments to collect data: the medical record of the patients of relevant health centers, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), daily activities autonomy test, adaptability, partnership, growth, affection, and resolve (APGAR) familiar test, The Elder Abuse Suspicion Index (EASI) and the Social Work Evaluation Form. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with abuse. Suspected abuse was identified in 6.9% of the elderly who participated in the study in Spain, 39% in Bolivia, and 24.5% in Azores. In all areas, studied psychological abuse was the most common type of abuse. In conclusion, although the prevalence of abuse to older people in the family and community environment differs in the areas studied, it is present in all countries and the data are comparable with other developing and European countries. The profile of the abused older persons appears to be similar in all countries.

Changes in the intensity of Mediterranean precipitation: a comparison of east/west trends and their causes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodess, C. M.; Jones, P. D.

2003-04-01

Changes in the frequency and intensity of precipitation over the last 40 years have been investigated for the Iberian Peninsula and Greece. Over much of the Mediterranean the general tendency is towards decreasing precipitation, but the pattern of change is complex, particularly with respect to extremes. Over most of the Iberian Peninsula, the last 40 years has seen a trend towards more, but less wet rain days. However, in southeast Spain, the reverse has occurred, with more wet days with high precipitation amounts. Over Greece, the main tendency is towards fewer rain days, with little change in rain day amount, which is strongest over the Ionian and Aegean Seas and in winter. A few places, such as Rhodes, do however, show a weak trend towards more intense precipitation events in autumn. The precipitation changes observed over the Iberian Peninsula can, in part, be explained by changes in atmospheric circulation. They are associated with a decrease in the frequency of cyclonic circulation types and increases in the frequency of anticyclonic, easterly and south-easterly types (which can in turn be linked with changes in the intensity of the North Atlantic Oscillation and the frequency and intensity of Mediterranean and Atlantic cyclones). However, precipitation trends simulated by regression models with circulation-type frequency as the predictor variables are weaker than observed. The observed changes in circulation-type frequency over Greece (such as the increase in the frequency of the 'high-precipitation' cyclonic types and decrease in the 'low-precipitation' anticyclonic types) indicate an increase in precipitation. This is in contrast to the observed precipitation decreases. All the regression models underestimate year-to-year variability, and have problems in reproducing the observed trends. The common problems in both regions indicate that different forms of model may be required. The finding that the selected predictor variables are more successful at

URJC GB dataset: Community-based seed bank of Mediterranean high-mountain and semi-arid plant species at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Spain).

PubMed

Alonso, Patricia; Iriondo, José María

2014-01-01

The Germplasm Bank of Universidad Rey Juan Carlos was created in 2008 and currently holds 235 accessions and 96 species. This bank focuses on the conservation of wild-plant communities and aims to conserve ex situ a representative sample of the plant biodiversity present in a habitat, emphasizing priority ecosystems identified by the Habitats Directive. It is also used to store plant material for research and teaching purposes. The collection consists of three subcollections, two representative of typical habitats in the center of the Iberian Peninsula: high-mountain pastures (psicroxerophylous pastures) and semi-arid habitats (gypsophylic steppes), and a third representative of the genus Lupinus. The high-mountain subcollection currently holds 153 accessions (63 species), the semi-arid subcollection has 76 accessions (29 species,) and the Lupinus subcollection has 6 accessions (4 species). All accessions are stored in a freezer at -18 °C in Kilner jars with silica gel. The Germplasm Bank of Universidad Rey Juan Carlos follows a quality control protocol which describes the workflow performed with seeds from seed collection to storage. All collectors are members of research groups with great experience in species identification. Herbarium specimens associated with seed accessions are preserved and 63% of the records have been georreferenced with GPS and radio points. The dataset provides unique information concerning the location of populations of plant species that form part of the psicroxerophylous pastures and gypsophylic steppes of Central Spain as well as populations of genus Lupinus in the Iberian Peninsula. It also provides relevant information concerning mean seed weight and seed germination values under specific incubation conditions. This dataset has already been used by researchers of the Area of Biodiversity and Conservation of URJC as a source of information for the design and implementation of experimental designs in these plant communities. Since

Socio-cultural factors in dental diseases in the Medieval and early Modern Age of northern Spain.

PubMed

Lopez, Belen; Pardiñas, Antonio F; Garcia-Vazquez, Eva; Dopico, Eduardo

2012-02-01

The aim of this study is to present, discuss and compare the results of pathological conditions in teeth from skeletal remains found in the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain) in four Medieval cemeteries (late 15th century) and three cemeteries from the Modern Age (late 18th century). The final objective was to evaluate the impact of socioeconomic and cultural changes that took place during the early Modern Age in Spain, on oral health. Dental caries and antemortem tooth loss were considered as indicators of dental disease. A significant increase of both dental caries and antemortem tooth loss occurred in Modern Age individuals when compared to Medieval values, as reported for other regions. Increased trade with other continents may explain this deterioration of dental health, as food exchanges (mainly with America) contributed to diet changes for the overall population, including higher carbohydrate consumption (introduction of potatoes) at the expense of other vegetables. A sex-specific increase of dental disease with age, and a significantly higher prevalence of carious lesions in Modern Age females than in males, were also found. These changes can be explained by women having had limited access to dental care after the Middle-Modern Age transition, as a consequence of socio-cultural and political changes. In these changes, an increasing influence of the Catholic Church in Spanish society has to be noted, as it can contribute to the explanation of the unequal dental health of men and women. Women were socially excluded from dental care by regulations inspired by religious precepts. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Groundwater intensive use and mining in south-eastern peninsular Spain: Hydrogeological, economic and social aspects.

PubMed

Custodio, Emilio; Andreu-Rodes, José Miguel; Aragón, Ramón; Estrela, Teodoro; Ferrer, Javier; García-Aróstegui, José Luis; Manzano, Marisol; Rodríguez-Hernández, Luis; Sahuquillo, Andrés; Del Villar, Alberto

2016-07-15

Intensive groundwater development is a common circumstance in semiarid and arid areas. Often abstraction exceeds recharge, thus continuously depleting reserves. There is groundwater mining when the recovery of aquifer reserves needs more than 50years. The MASE project has been carried out to compile what is known about Spain and specifically about the south-eastern Iberian Peninsula and the Canary Islands. The objective was the synthetic analysis of available data on the hydrological, economic, managerial, social, and ethical aspects of groundwater mining. Since the mid-20th century, intensive use of groundwater in south-eastern Spain allowed extending and securing the areas with traditional surface water irrigation of cash crops and their extension to former dry lands, taking advantage of good soils and climate. This fostered a huge economic and social development. Intensive agriculture is a main activity, although tourism plays currently an increasing economic role in the coasts. Many aquifers are relatively high yielding small carbonate units where the total groundwater level drawdown may currently exceed 300m. Groundwater storage depletion is estimated about 15km(3). This volume is close to the total contribution of the Tagus-Segura water transfer, but without large investments paid for with public funds. Seawater desalination complements urban supply and part of cash crop cultivation. Reclaimed urban waste water is used for irrigation. Groundwater mining produces benefits but associated to sometimes serious economic, administrative, legal and environmental problems. The use of an exhaustible vital resource raises ethical concerns. It cannot continue under the current legal conditions. A progressive change of water use paradigm is the way out, but this is not in the mind of most water managers and politicians. The positive and negative results observed in south-eastern Spain may help to analyse other areas under similar hydrogeological conditions in a less

Body-size structure of Central Iberian mammal fauna reveals semidesertic conditions during the middle Miocene Global Cooling Event.

PubMed

Menéndez, Iris; Gómez Cano, Ana R; García Yelo, Blanca A; Domingo, Laura; Domingo, M Soledad; Cantalapiedra, Juan L; Blanco, Fernando; Hernández Fernández, Manuel

2017-01-01

We developed new quantitative palaeoclimatic inference models based on the body-size structure of mammal faunas from the Old World tropics and applied them to the Somosaguas fossil site (middle Miocene, central Iberian Peninsula). Twenty-six mammal species have been described at this site, including proboscideans, ungulates, carnivores, insectivores, lagomorphs and rodents. Our analyses were based on multivariate and bivariate regression models correlating climatic data and body-size structure of 63 modern mammal assemblages from Sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent. The results showed an average temperature of the coldest month higher than 26°C for the Somosaguas fossil site, a mean annual thermal amplitude around 10°C, a drought length of 10 months, and an annual total precipitation greater than 200 mm per year, which are climate conditions typical of an ecotonal zone between the savanna and desert biomes. These results are congruent with the aridity peaks described over the middle Aragonian of Spain and particularly in the local biozone E, which includes Somosaguas. The aridity increase detected in this biozone is associated with the Middle Miocene Global Cooling Event. The environment of Somosaguas around 14 Ma was similar to the current environment in the Sahel region of North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the boundary area between the Kalahari and the Namib in Southern Africa, south-central Arabia, or eastern Pakistan and northwestern India. The distribution of modern vegetation in these regions follows a complex mosaic of plant communities, dominated by scattered xerophilous shrublands, semidesert grasslands, and vegetation linked to seasonal watercourses and ponds.

Body-size structure of Central Iberian mammal fauna reveals semidesertic conditions during the middle Miocene Global Cooling Event

PubMed Central

Gómez Cano, Ana R.; García Yelo, Blanca A.; Domingo, Laura; Domingo, M. Soledad; Cantalapiedra, Juan L.; Blanco, Fernando; Hernández Fernández, Manuel

2017-01-01

We developed new quantitative palaeoclimatic inference models based on the body-size structure of mammal faunas from the Old World tropics and applied them to the Somosaguas fossil site (middle Miocene, central Iberian Peninsula). Twenty-six mammal species have been described at this site, including proboscideans, ungulates, carnivores, insectivores, lagomorphs and rodents. Our analyses were based on multivariate and bivariate regression models correlating climatic data and body-size structure of 63 modern mammal assemblages from Sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent. The results showed an average temperature of the coldest month higher than 26°C for the Somosaguas fossil site, a mean annual thermal amplitude around 10°C, a drought length of 10 months, and an annual total precipitation greater than 200 mm per year, which are climate conditions typical of an ecotonal zone between the savanna and desert biomes. These results are congruent with the aridity peaks described over the middle Aragonian of Spain and particularly in the local biozone E, which includes Somosaguas. The aridity increase detected in this biozone is associated with the Middle Miocene Global Cooling Event. The environment of Somosaguas around 14 Ma was similar to the current environment in the Sahel region of North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the boundary area between the Kalahari and the Namib in Southern Africa, south-central Arabia, or eastern Pakistan and northwestern India. The distribution of modern vegetation in these regions follows a complex mosaic of plant communities, dominated by scattered xerophilous shrublands, semidesert grasslands, and vegetation linked to seasonal watercourses and ponds. PMID:29073193

Out of Africa: demographic and colonization history of the Algerian mouse (Mus spretus Lataste).

PubMed

Lalis, Aude; Mona, Stefano; Stoetzel, Emmanuelle; Bonhomme, François; Souttou, Karim; Ouarour, Ali; Aulagnier, Stéphane; Denys, Christiane; Nicolas, Violaine

2018-05-23

North Africa is now recognized as a major area for the emergence and dispersal of anatomically modern humans from at least 315 kya. The Mediterranean Basin is thus particularly suited to study the role of climate versus human-mediated changes on the evolutionary history of species. The Algerian mouse (Mus spretus Lataste) is an endemic species from this basin, with its distribution restricted to North Africa (from Libya to Morocco), Iberian Peninsula and South of France. A rich paleontological record of M. spretus exists in North Africa, suggesting hypotheses concerning colonization pathways, and the demographic and morphologic history of this species. Here we combined genetic (3 mitochondrial DNA loci and 18 microsatellites) and climatic niche modeling data to infer the evolutionary history of the Algerian mouse. We collected 646 new individuals in 51 localities. Our results are consistent with an anthropogenic translocation of the Algerian mouse from North Africa to the Iberian Peninsula via Neolithic navigators, probably from the Tingitane Peninsula. Once arrived in Spain, suitable climatic conditions would then have favored the dispersion of the Algerian mice to France. The morphological differentiation observed between Spanish, French and North African populations could be explained by a founder effect and possibly local adaptation. This article helps to better understand the role of climate versus human-mediated changes on the evolutionary history of mammal species in the Mediterranean Basin.

Bluetongue Virus Serotype 1 Outbreak in the Basque Country (Northern Spain) 2007–2008. Data Support a Primary Vector Windborne Transport

PubMed Central

García-Lastra, Rodrigo; Leginagoikoa, Iratxe; Plazaola, Jose M.; Ocabo, Blanca; Aduriz, Gorka; Nunes, Telmo; Juste, Ramón A.

2012-01-01

Background Bluetongue (BT) is a vector-borne disease of ruminants that has expanded its traditional global distribution in the last decade. Recently, BTV-1 emerged in Southern Spain and caused several outbreaks in livestock reaching the north of the country. The aim of this paper was to review the emergence of BTV-1 in the Basque Country (Northern Spain) during 2007 and 2008 analyzing the possibility that infected Culicoides were introduced into Basque Country by winds from the infected areas of Southern Spain. Methodology/Principal Findings We use a complex HYSPLIT (Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory) model to draw wind roses and backward wind trajectories. The analysis of winds showed September 28 to October 2 as the only period for the introduction of infected midges in the Basque Country. These wind trajectories crossed through the areas affected by serotype 1 on those dates in the South of the Iberian Peninsula. Additionally meteorological data, including wind speed and humidity, and altitude along the trajectories showed suitable conditions for Culicoides survival and dispersion. Conclusions/Significance An active infection in medium-long distance regions, wind with suitable speed, altitude and trajectory, and appropriate weather can lead to outbreaks of BTV-1 by transport of Culicoides imicola, not only over the sea (as reported previously) but also over the land. This shows that an additional factor has to be taken into account for the control of the disease which is currently essentially based on the assumption that midges will only spread the virus in a series of short hops. Moreover, the epidemiological and serological data cannot rule out the involvement of other Culicoides species in the spread of the infection, especially at a local level. PMID:22479628

Reliability of an ELISA test for diagnosing oestrosis in Iberian ibex.

PubMed

Arias, María Sol; Moreno, Virginia; Sarasa, Mathieu; Paz-Silva, Adolfo; Sánchez-Andrade, Rita; Morrondo, Patrocinio; Díez-Baños, Pablo; Granados, José E; Sánchez, Antonio; Pérez, Jesús M

2014-04-01

Oestrosis is one of the most prevalent parasitosis affecting the Iberian ibex, Capra pyrenaica . To date, both the diagnosis of oestrosis and the determination of the intensity of parasitism require the use of invasive methods (necropsy), which necessarily limit research possibilities. We analyzed the immune humoral response (IgM and IgG) against Oestrus ovis L. excretory/secretory larval antigens in 32 sera taken from Iberian ibex from the Sierra Nevada Natural Space (southern Spain). Three antigens were collected: L1OES (from L1 larvae), L2OES (L2), and L3OES (L3). Necropsy was considered as the gold standard. The percentage of ibexes harboring Oestrus spp. larvae was 88%, the mean intensity of parasitism being 16.96 ± 14.96 larvae per parasitized host (range: 2-52). In our sample, first-instar larvae (L1) were found in 9% of ibexes, while 69% of hosts carried L2 larvae and 88% L3 larvae. Positive correlations between L1 and L2 numbers, and between L2 and L3 numbers were detected. The best results with the immunoenzymatic assay were obtained using IgG antibodies against the L1OES antigens (specificity = 89%; sensitivity = 100%; positive predictive value = 100%; negative predictive value = 57%). The IgG seroprevalence against L1OES was 78%. Thus, the analysis of IgG antibodies against antigens collected from L1 O. ovis larvae would seem to be a noninvasive method for reliably diagnosing oestrosis in naturally infested Iberian ibex. Nevertheless, additional immunological and methodological advances are still required because false positive and false negative results still represent a non-negligible part of the results of the ELISA tests.

Disentangling migratory routes and wintering grounds of Iberian near-threatened European Rollers Coracias garrulus.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Ruiz, Juan; de la Puente, Javier; Parejo, Deseada; Valera, Francisco; Calero-Torralbo, Miguel A; Reyes-González, José M; Zajková, Zuzana; Bermejo, Ana; Avilés, Jesús M

2014-01-01

Long-distance migrants are suffering drastic declines in the last decades. Causes beneath this problem are complex due to the wide spatial and temporal scale involved. We aim to reveal migratory routes, stopover areas, wintering grounds, and migratory strategies for the most southwestern populations of the near-threatened European Roller Coracias garrulus in order to identify conservation key areas for the non-breeding stage of this species. To this end, we used tracking data from seven satellite transmitters fitted to birds breeding in different populations throughout the Iberian Peninsula and four geolocators fitted to individuals in a southeastern Iberian population. Precise satellite data were used to describe daily activity patterns and speed in relation to the main regions crossed during the migration. Individuals from the most southwestern Iberian populations made a detour towards the Atlantic African coast whereas those from northeastern populations followed a straight north-to-south route. We identified important stopover areas in the Sahel belt, mainly in the surroundings of the Lake Chad, and wintering grounds on southwestern Africa farther west than previously reported for the species. Concerning the migratory strategy, satellite data revealed: 1) a mainly nocturnal flying activity, 2) that migration speed depended on the type of crossed habitat, with higher average speed while crossing the desert; and 3) that the migration was slower and lasted longer in autumn than in spring. The studied populations showed weak migratory connectivity, suggesting the confluence of birds from a wide range of breeding grounds in a restricted wintering area. Therefore, we suggest to target on defining precisely key areas for this species and identifying specific threats in them in order to develop an appropriate global conservation programme for the European Roller.

Environmental behaviour of airborne Amaranthaceae pollen in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula, and its role in future climate scenarios.

PubMed

Cariñanos, Paloma; Alcázar, Purificación; Galán, Carmen; Domínguez, Eugenio

2014-02-01

The Amaranthaceae family includes a number of species which, through a series of specific adaptations, thrive in salty soils, arid environments and altered human settlements. Their ability to tolerate high temperatures favours summer flowering, giving rise to the widespread involvement of Amaranthaceae pollen grains in summer allergies, both in Mediterranean Europe and in areas with arid climates. This study analysed a 21-year set of historical airborne Amaranthaceae pollen records for an area located in the southern part of the Iberian Peninsula, in order to chart species' environmental reaction to changing climate conditions which occurred in the last decades. Airborne pollen data were collected from January 1991 to December 2011 using a Hirst-type volumetric impact sampler. Results showed that Amaranthaceae pollen remained in the atmosphere for over 6 months along the year, from early spring until early autumn. The annual Pollen Index ranged from barely 200 grains to almost 2000 grains, and was strongly influenced by rainfall during the flowering period, which prompted the development of new individuals and thus an increase in pollen production. A trend was noted towards increasingly early pollen peak dates; peaks were recorded in August-September in years with summer rainfall, but as early as May-June in years when over 50% of annual rainfall was recorded in the months prior to flowering. The gradual decline in the annual Pollen Index over later years is attributable not only to growing urbanisation of the area but also to a change in rainfall distribution pattern. High maximum temperatures in spring were also directly related to the peak date and the Pollen Index. This ability to adapt to changeable and occasionally stressful and restrictive, environmental conditions places Amaranthaceae at a competitive advantage with respect to other species sharing the same ecological niche. An increased presence of Amaranthaceae is likely to have a greater impact on future

Recent and historical range shifts of two canopy-forming seaweeds in North Spain and the link with trends in sea surface temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duarte, Linney; Viejo, Rosa M.; Martínez, Brezo; deCastro, Maite; Gómez-Gesteira, Moncho; Gallardo, Tomás

2013-08-01

Geographical range shifts of two canopy-forming seaweeds, Himanthalia elongata (L.) S.F. Gray and Fucus serratus L. were investigated at their southern range boundary in Northern Spain from the end of nineteenth century to 2009. Given the good dispersal abilities of H. elongata and its short life-span, we hypothesize that this species will track environmental changes at a faster rate than the perennial and short-distance disperser F. serratus. Our results show a continuous and drastic westward retraction of H. elongata, which has nowadays virtually vanished in Northern Spain, whereas F. serratus is still found in the westernmost area. Despite this, the first species is still relatively abundant in the Iberian Peninsula, whereas the presence of the latter is scattered and reduced. Overall, range shifts fit with the warming trend in sea surface temperature (SST), whereas it is unlikely that increases in grazing pressure or coastal pollution have driven the observed changes, particularly the rapid trend in recent years. Differences in species traits are linked to range dynamics. The higher persistence of F. serratus at eastern shores may thus be related to its longer life span and its greater thermal tolerance. The presence of sporadic populations of H. elongata outside the zone of continuous distribution can be attributed to long-distance dispersal events during cold pulses. Relict populations in isolated and estuarine locations were left behind in the contracting range margins, particularly for F. serratus. In Northern Spain, the westward retreat of large canopy-forming algae seems to be a general phenomenon, involving other species such as kelps. Therefore, an evident reorganization of coastal assemblages is expected, though the temporal extent of changes and the consequences for ecosystem services need to be evaluated.

Definition of redox and pH influence in the AMD mine system using a fuzzy qualitative tool (Iberian Pyrite Belt, SW Spain).

PubMed

de la Torre, M L; Grande, J A; Valente, T; Perez-Ostalé, E; Santisteban, M; Aroba, J; Ramos, I

2016-03-01

Poderosa Mine is an abandoned pyrite mine, located in the Iberian Pyrite Belt which pours its acid mine drainage (AMD) waters into the Odiel river (South-West Spain). This work focuses on establishing possible reasons for interdependence between the potential redox and pH, with the load of metals and sulfates, as well as a set of variables that define the physical chemistry of the water-conductivity, temperature, TDS, and dissolved oxygen-transported by a channel from Poderosa mine affected by acid mine drainage, through the use of techniques of artificial intelligence: fuzzy logic and data mining. The sampling campaign was carried out in May of 2012. There were a total of 16 sites, the first inside the tunnel and the last at the mouth of the river Odiel, with a distance of approximately 10 m between each pair of measuring stations. While the tools of classical statistics, which are widely used in this context, prove useful for defining proximity ratios between variables based on Pearson's correlations, in addition to making it easier to handle large volumes of data and producing easier-to-understand graphs, the use of fuzzy logic tools and data mining results in better definition of the variations produced by external stimuli on the set of variables. This tool is adaptable and can be extrapolated to any system polluted by acid mine drainage using simple, intuitive reasoning.

400 Years of summer hydroclimate from stable isotopes in Iberian trees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreu-Hayles, Laia; Ummenhofer, Caroline C.; Barriendos, Mariano; Schleser, Gerhard H.; Helle, Gerhard; Leuenberger, Markus; Gutiérrez, Emilia; Cook, Edward R.

2017-07-01

Tree rings are natural archives that annually record distinct types of past climate variability depending on the parameters measured. Here, we use ring-width and stable isotopes in cellulose of trees from the northwestern Iberian Peninsula (IP) to understand regional summer hydroclimate over the last 400 years and the associated atmospheric patterns. Correlations between tree rings and climate data demonstrate that isotope signatures in the targeted Iberian pine forests are very sensitive to water availability during the summer period, and are mainly controlled by stomatal conductance. Non-linear methods based on extreme events analysis allow for capturing distinct seasonal climatic variability recorded by tree-ring parameters and asymmetric signals of the associated atmospheric features. Moreover, years with extreme high (low) values in the tree-ring records were characterised by coherent large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns with reduced (enhanced) moisture transport onto the northwestern IP. These analyses of extremes revealed that high/low proxy values do not necessarily correspond to mirror images in the atmospheric anomaly patterns, suggesting different drivers of these patterns and the corresponding signature recorded in the proxies. Regional hydroclimate features across the broader IP and western Europe during extreme wet/dry summers detected by the northwestern IP trees compare favourably to independent multicentury sea level pressure and drought reconstructions for Europe. Historical records also validate our findings that attribute non-linear moisture signals recorded by extreme tree-ring values to distinct large-scale atmospheric patterns and allow for 400-year reconstructions of the frequency of occurrence of extreme conditions in late spring and summer hydroclimate.

Regional forecast model for the Olea pollen season in Extremadura (SW Spain).

PubMed

Fernández-Rodríguez, Santiago; Durán-Barroso, Pablo; Silva-Palacios, Inmaculada; Tormo-Molina, Rafael; Maya-Manzano, José María; Gonzalo-Garijo, Ángela

2016-10-01

The olive tree (Olea europaea) is a predominantly Mediterranean anemophilous species. The pollen allergens from this tree are an important cause of allergic problems. Olea pollen may be relevant in relation to climate change, due to the fact that its flowering phenology is related to meteorological parameters. This study aims to investigate airborne Olea pollen data from a city on the SW Iberian Peninsula, to analyse the trends in these data and their relationships with meteorological parameters using time series analysis. Aerobiological sampling was conducted from 1994 to 2013 in Badajoz (SW Spain) using a 7-day Hirst-type volumetric sampler. The main Olea pollen season lasted an average of 34 days, from May 4th to June 7th. The model proposed to forecast airborne pollen concentrations, described by one equation. This expression is composed of two terms: the first term represents the resilience of the pollen concentration trend in the air according to the average concentration of the previous 10 days; the second term was obtained from considering the actual pollen concentration value, which is calculated based on the most representative meteorological variables multiplied by a fitting coefficient. Due to the allergenic characteristics of this pollen type, it should be necessary to forecast its short-term prevalence using a long record of data in a city with a Mediterranean climate. The model obtained provides a suitable level of confidence to forecast Olea airborne pollen concentration.

Regional forecast model for the Olea pollen season in Extremadura (SW Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Rodríguez, Santiago; Durán-Barroso, Pablo; Silva-Palacios, Inmaculada; Tormo-Molina, Rafael; Maya-Manzano, José María; Gonzalo-Garijo, Ángela

2016-10-01

The olive tree ( Olea europaea) is a predominantly Mediterranean anemophilous species. The pollen allergens from this tree are an important cause of allergic problems. Olea pollen may be relevant in relation to climate change, due to the fact that its flowering phenology is related to meteorological parameters. This study aims to investigate airborne Olea pollen data from a city on the SW Iberian Peninsula, to analyse the trends in these data and their relationships with meteorological parameters using time series analysis. Aerobiological sampling was conducted from 1994 to 2013 in Badajoz (SW Spain) using a 7-day Hirst-type volumetric sampler. The main Olea pollen season lasted an average of 34 days, from May 4th to June 7th. The model proposed to forecast airborne pollen concentrations, described by one equation. This expression is composed of two terms: the first term represents the resilience of the pollen concentration trend in the air according to the average concentration of the previous 10 days; the second term was obtained from considering the actual pollen concentration value, which is calculated based on the most representative meteorological variables multiplied by a fitting coefficient. Due to the allergenic characteristics of this pollen type, it should be necessary to forecast its short-term prevalence using a long record of data in a city with a Mediterranean climate. The model obtained provides a suitable level of confidence to forecast Olea airborne pollen concentration.

Late Quaternary stratigraphy of the La Janda Basin (SW Spain) - first results and palaeoenvironmental significance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Höbig, Nicole; Santisteban, Juan; Mediavilla, Rosa; May, Simon Matthias; Klasen, Nicole; Brückner, Helmut; van't Hoff, Jasmijn; Reicherter, Klaus

2017-04-01

The La Janda basin in southern Spain is a near-shore geo-bio-archive comprising a variable Quaternary depositional history, with shallow marine, lacustrine, palustrine, and terrestrial strata. In the 1930s the lake was drained and is serving now as a huge agricultural area. The 33 m-core recovered in fall 2016 along with several shallower drill cores up to c. 15 m, reveals insights into a unique mixed terrestrial palaeo-environmental archive in Andalucia influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and hence the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) within the Gulf of Cádiz. The basin's evolution was influenced both by the postglacial marine transgression and by an active tectonic fault controlling most of the accommodation space by causing subsidence. Our long core was accompanied by further corings along an E-W striking transect in order to reveal also the relation of the influence of tectonic activity with sedimentary sequences. Multi-Sensor Core Logging has been completed. Results of sedimentological, geochemical and micropalaeontological analyses will be presented in the frame of the climate variations during the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene, along with a preliminary age-depth model based on radiocarbon (AMS-14C) and optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating techniques. Our investigations ultimately aim at providing valuable information on major Late Pleistocene to Holocene climatic and palaeo-environmental fluctuations in the southernmost part of the Iberian Peninsula.

Dating the last Neanderthals in Central Iberia - New evidence from Abrigo del Molino, Segovia, Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kehl, Martin; Álvarez-Alonso, David; de Andrés-Herrero, María; Díez-Herrero, Andrés; Klasen, Nicole; Rojo-Hernández, Julio; Weniger, Gerd-Christian

2017-04-01

The timing of Neanderthal disappearance in the Iberian Peninsula is a hotly debated subject in Palaeolithic archaeology. Several studies suggested a late survival in South and Central Iberia until about 32,000 year ago (ka), but were probably subject to significant age underestimation due to contamination of dating samples and/or lack of stratigraphic integrity. More recently, Late Neanderthal presence was dated to no later than 38 ka. In Central Iberia, few archaeological sites contain Mousterian levels attesting occupation by Neanderthals. The newly discovered rock shelter of Abrigo del Molino contains chronologically well-constraint Mousterian levels, which, according to radiocarbon dating on bone, place the latest Neanderthal occupation to around 42-44 ka and within Greenland interstadial 11. Accumulation of these levels took place after deposition of fluvial and slope sediments, dated to around 46 ± 3.5 ka using luminescence techniques, and probably correlating with Greenland stadial 13 including Heinrich event 5. Micromorphological evidence of banded sediment fabrics suggests frost dynamics pointing to cold climate conditions during that time in Central Spain. Abrigo del Molino thus provides a detailed and chronologically well-constrained record on Late Neanderthal presence and morphodynamic change in Central Iberia during times of millennial-scale climate changes. The site gives further evidence for an early rather than late disappearance of Neanderthals in Iberia.

Spatial and temporal variability of PM levels and composition in a complex summer atmospheric scenario in Barcelona (NE Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viana, M.; Pérez, C.; Querol, X.; Alastuey, A.; Nickovic, S.; Baldasano, J. M.

Summer atmospheric coastal dynamics exert a significant influence on the levels and composition of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) in the North-Eastern Iberian Peninsula. Summer atmospheric scenarios in this region present a high degree of complexity as they are characterised by the absence of synoptic-scale air mass advections, the development of breeze circulations, enhanced photochemistry, local mineral dust re-suspension and the occurrence of African dust outbreaks. Three sampling sites were selected in Barcelona (NE Spain), an urban coastal site surrounded by complex topography. Regional dust modelling (DREAM) and high resolution meteorological modelling (MM5) were used to interpret PM levels and composition at the three sites. The results outline the effect of breeze dynamics and thermal internal boundary layer formation as the main meteorological drivers of the hourly evolution of PM levels. Levels of crustal components, secondary inorganic and carbon species are higher during the night, and only the marine aerosol content is higher during the day. Nitrate levels are higher during the night due to the thermal stability on NH 4NO 3. Sulphate levels are higher during the night as a consequence of the drainage flows. Lidar measurements and model results signalled the occurrence of two African dust episodes during the study period which mainly affected the free troposphere over Barcelona.

A review of the arcuate structures in the Iberian Variscides; constraints and genetic models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dias, R.; Ribeiro, A.; Romão, J.; Coke, C.; Moreira, N.

2016-06-01

The main Ibero-Armorican Arc (IAA) is essentially defined by a predominant NW-SE trend in the Iberian branch and an E-W trend in the Brittany one. However, in northern Spain it presents a 180° rotation, sometimes known as the Cantabrian Arc (CA). The relation between both arcs is controversial, being considered either as a single arc due to one tectonic event, or as the result of a polyphasic process. According to the last assumption, there is a later arcuate structure (CA), overlapping a previous major one (IAA). Whatever the models, they must be able to explain the presence of a Variscan sinistral transpression in Iberia and a dextral one in Armorica, and a deformation spanning from the Devonian to the Upper Carboniferous. Another arcuate structure, in continuity with the CA, the Central-Iberian Arc (CIA) was recently proposed mainly based upon on magnetic anomalies, geometry of major folds and Ordovician paleocurrents. The critical review of the structural, stratigraphic and geophysical data supports both the IAA and the CA, but as independent structures. However, the presence of a CIA is highly questionable and could not be supported. The complex strain pattern of the IAA and the CA could be explained by a Devonian - Carboniferous polyphasic indentation of a Gondwana promontory. In this model the CA is essentially a thin-skinned arc, while the IAA has a more complex and longer evolution that has led to a thick-skinned first order structure. Nevertheless, both arcs are essentially the result of a lithospheric bending process during the Iberian Variscides.

Mid-late Holocene climatic changes in the Southwestern Iberian shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomes, S.; Naughton, F.; Rodrigues, T.; Drago, T.; Sanchez-Goñi, M.; Freitas, C.

2012-04-01

Vegetation (pollen analysis) and alkenone-derived Sea Surface Temperature (SST) reconstructions from a south western Iberian shelf core (POPEI VC2B) (36°53'12,99'' N, 8°03'57,98'' W) show orbital and suborbital climate variability at extremely high resolution for the last 6000 years in this region. In particular, the mid-late Holocene is marked by a long-term cooling revealed by the gradual decrease of arboreal pollen (AP) percentages and SST which parallels the general decreasing trend of the δ18-O isotope composition recorded in Greenland ice records and the decrease of the mid-latitudes summer insolation. The short-term vegetation changes, reflecting millennial scale climatic variability, are clearly identified in the POPEI VC2B over the last 6000 years. In particular, the basement of this record is marked by the presence of semi-desert plants (Chenopodiaceae, Artemisia and Ephedra) reflecting dry conditions. These particular dry conditions have been detected elsewhere in the southern Iberian Peninsula and in North African records. Following the particularly dry period, there is a decline of semi-desert plants and an increase of Ericaceae and Pinus associated with establishment of an incipient forest of Quercus deciduous type reflecting temperate and humid conditions. This period was followed by a decrease of arboreal pollen percentages, suggesting a relative climate cooling. Finally, the last 2500/2000 years, are marked by the presence of anthropogenic associations (including Cerealia-type, Plantago lanceolata-coronopus type, and Olea) and are characterized by several vegetation and climate oscillations associated with the Roman Period (RP), the Dark Ages (DA), the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA), and the Little Ice Age (LIA).

Ancient mitochondrial lineages support the prehistoric maternal root of Basques in Northern Iberian Peninsula.

PubMed

Palencia-Madrid, Leire; Cardoso, Sergio; Keyser, Christine; López-Quintana, Juan Carlos; Guenaga-Lizasu, Amagoia; de Pancorbo, Marian M

2017-05-01

The Basque population inhabits the Franco-Cantabrian region in southwest Europe where Palaeolithic human groups took refuge during the Last Glacial Maximum. Basques have been an isolated population, largely considered as one of the most ancient European populations and it is possible that they maintained some pre-Neolithic genetic characteristics. This work shows the results of mitochondrial DNA analysis of seven ancient human remains from the Cave of Santimamiñe in the Basque Country dated from Mesolithic to the Late Roman period. In addition, we compared these data with those obtained from a modern sample of Basque population, 158 individuals that nowadays inhabits next to the cave. The results support the hypothesis that Iberians might have been less affected by the Neolithic mitochondrial lineages carried from the Near East than populations of Central Europe and revealed the unexpected presence of prehistoric maternal lineages such as U5a2a and U3a in the Basque region. Comparison between ancient and current population samples upholds the hypothesis of continuity of the maternal lineages in the area of the Franco-Cantabrian region.

Fossil debris-covered glaciers in Demanda Sierra (Northern Spain): geomorphological research and 10Be cosmogenic exposure dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-Fernández, José M.; Palacios, David; Andrés, Nuria; Schimmelpfennig, Irene; Gómez-Villar, Amelia; Santos-González, Javier; Álvarez-Martínez, Javier; Arnáez, José; Úbeda, José; García-Ruiz, José M.

2017-04-01

The Demanda Sierra, at altitudes above 2000 m.a.s.l., is located in the Iberian Range (Northern Iberian Peninsula, 42°15' N). The main divide extends from west to east between 3°25' W and 2°52' W. The most relevant evidences of Pleistocene glaciation are found in small cirques above 1800 m a.s.l., most of them in the northern face. These cirques hosted small-size glaciers with ice tongues <1 km in length that deposited moraines composed of angular blocks with scarce fine matrix. Several rock glaciers were identified in previous papers. Nevertheless, recent fieldwork suggests the reinterpretation of the large chaotic angular block accumulations without fine matrix as fossil debris-covered glaciers. To elucidate such a complex issue, two north-facing cirques in the Mencilla Peak (42°11'11" N, 3°18'45" W; 1932 m a.s.l.) and a southeast-facing cirque in the San Lorenzo Peak (42°14'28" N, 2°58'31" W; 2261 m a.s.l.) have been selected as they host similar block accumulations. The aim of this paper is: 1) to identify the debris-covered glacier features in such block accumulations; 2) to present the chronology obtained for the first time from debris-covered glaciers and to put them in the context of deglaciation in the Iberian Range and in the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean mountains; 3) to analyze the glacier evolution during the deglaciation. To carry out these objectives, different methodological approaches and techniques have been applied: 1) detailed geomorphological mapping at 1:1000 scale over stereoscopic pairs, high-resolution LIDAR Digital Elevation Models and fieldwork to identify glacial and debris-covered glacier features (e.g. moraines, ridges, furrows, etc.); 2) Cosmogenic Exposure Dating (CED), 10Be, applied to 18 quartzite samples taken from stable boulders over moraine ridges or fossil debris-covered glaciers; 3) glacier reconstruction for modelling the glacier evolution at different stages; 4) Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) calculation

Ocurrence and genesis of kaolinite in sedimentary deposits from the Southern Iberian Range (Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauluz, B.; Mayayo, M. J.; Yuste, A.; Fernández-Nieto, C.; González López, J. M.

2003-04-01

The kaolinite-rich clay deposits from the Southern Iberian Range (Spain) correspond to continental clay-sandy series developed during Lower Cretaceous times. The clay deposits are mined by ceramic industry nowadays, and are intercalated with coal levels (lignites) that are also mined for energetic purposes. We have characterized by XRD, optical, and electronic microscopy (SEM, TEM) the mineralogical composition of a set of 55 samples, emphasizing in the kaolinite features: texture, morphology, crystallinity, and composition. Studied rocks (lutites, limolites, and sandstones) are composed by different proportions of quartz, kaolinite, muscovite, and illite, with minor K-feldspar, pyrite and siderite. The XRD study shows that, in comparison to micaceous phases, kaolinite particles are preferentially concentrated in the finest fractions of the rocks, indicating a lower crystal size. In addition, electron microscopy observations show that kaolinite occurs in four distinct modes: (a) as subhedral-anhedral flakes (<20 μm) that are the major component of the lutites. This kaolinite shows a disordered type (XRD). Chemical composition of kaolinite and illite particles (TEM/AEM) show a broad compositional variation. Some of the particles correspond to kaolinite and illite compositions, but most of the analyses indicate intermediate compositions, suggesting the occurrence of submicroscopic intergrowths of kaolinite and illite. The detection of low Ca contents in some analyses indicate the presence of smectite phases in these intergrowths. Probably, this kaolinite was formed by alteration of aluminosilicates (micas and K-feldspars) in the source area of the sediments. (b) as flakes filling pyritized plants in some dark lutites. (c) as subhedral and hexagonal plates, up to 5 μm in size, in sandstones. They are replacing K-feldspar fragments with clear evidence of alteration under SEM. The kaolinites display a high degree of order. (d) as booklets of pseudo-hexagonal plates of

New archaeomagnetic data recovered from the study of celtiberic remains from central Spain (Numancia and Ciadueña, III-I BC).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osete, María Luisa; Chauvin, Annick; Catanzariti, Gianluca; Jimeno, Alfredo; Campuzano, Saioa A.; Benito-Batanero, Juan Pedro; Roperch, Pierrick

2016-04-01

Variation of geomagnetic field changes in the Iberian Peninsula between prior to roman times remain very poorly constrained. Here we report results from the archeomagnetic study carried out on four set of ceramics and one combustion structure recovered in two pre-roman (celtiberic) archeological sites in central Spain. Rock magnetic experiments indicate the ChRM is carried by magnetite. Archaeointensity determinations were carried out by using the classical Thellier-Thellier experiment including tests and corrections for magnetic anisotropy and magnetic cooling rate dependency. Well heated specimens (red ceramic fragments and well heated samples from the kiln) show one single well defined component of magnetisation going through the origin and a linear arai plot providing successful archaeointensity determinations. The effect of anisotropy of the termoremanent magnetization (ATRM) on paleointensity analysis was specially investigated obtaining very high ATRM corrections on fine pottery specimens. With differences between the uncorrected and ATRM corrected paleointensity values that reached up to 80-100%. Mean intensity values obtained from three selected groups were 61.1 ±5.9μT; 57.6±3.3 and 56.4± 4.7μT which allows delineate the evolution of the paleofield intensity in central Iberia during the III-I centuries BC. The new archaeointensity data disagrees with previous results from Iberian ceramics which were not corrected by the ATRM effect. But they are in agreement with the most recent French paleointensity curve and latest European intensity model. Both based on a selection of high quality paleointensity data. This result reinforces the idea that the puzzling scatter often observed in the global paleointensity database is likely due to differences in the laboratory protocol. Further data from well contrasted laboratory protocols are still necessary to delineate confidently the evolution of the geomagnetic paleofield during the first millennium BC.

Twentieth century overview of heavy metals in the Galician Rias (NW Iberian Peninsula).

PubMed

Prego, R; Cobelo-García, A

2003-01-01

The 18 Galician Rias, comprising 25% of the Iberian Peninsula coastline, form a unique system within the European continental Atlantic coast and provide a useful reference area for studies of metals. These rias are sensitive to anthropogenic influence due to the socioeconomic importance generated in these areas by industry, aquaculture, port activities, fishing, tourism and, accordingly, several islands lying within close proximity to the rias have recently been declared natural parks. Aquaculture in the Galician Rias is a growth industry and in 2000 the rias supported 3386 mussel rafts producing 2.5 x 10(8) kg year(-1), i.e. 40% of European Union total seafood production. The Galician Rias are partially stratified estuaries with positive residual circulation with fresh (runoff lower than 100 m3 s(-1) and salt water mixing inside the basins. This behaviour has direct consequences on metal fluxes whereby the rias behave as a barrier and accumulate metals in the sediments. Metals tend to deposit close to point sources and remobilization occurs inside the ria, leading to a seaward decrease in metal concentration. With the exception of the Ulla (Arosa Ria) and Eume (Ares-Betanzos Ria) head rivers and the Lagares river (Vigo Ria) the available data suggest that riverine freshwater inputs are not the main source of contamination. Metal studies reported in the literature mainly relate to Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, and to a lesser extent Hg and Sn. Studies of other harmful metals such as Ag, Se and As are notably lacking. In addition, the studies have been localized and mainly restricted to the surface sediment. Data of heavy metals in the dissolved phase, suspended particulate matter and biota is scarce in the mainstream literature and should be considered in the future research. From the entire Galician coast, data from seven rias of socio-economic importance form the bulk of the published work. There is an urgent need to standardize procedures, employ 'clean

Radical Islamist Ideologies and the Long War: Implications for U.S. Strategic Planning and U.S. Central Command’s Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

conquered a swath of territory from Central Asia to Persia, across North Africa and then on to nearly all of the Iberian Peninsula and Southern Italy...the Iberian Peninsula in 1492, what Princeton Professor Bernard Lewis has termed “the House of Islam” (dar al-Islam)14 continued to expand its...Muslim community, with particular focus on the Arabian peninsula and Middle East region where the caliphate was seated. The anti-Western thrust of

Black carbon radiative forcing derived from AERONET measurements and models over an urban location in the southeastern Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valenzuela, A.; Arola, A.; Antón, M.; Quirantes, A.; Alados-Arboledas, L.

2017-07-01

This paper provides an account of observed variations in Black carbon (BC) aerosol concentrations and their induced radiative forcing for the first time over Granada a measurement site in Southeastern Iberian Peninsula. Column-integrated BC concentrations were retrieved for the period 2005-2012. Monthly averages of BC concentrations (± one standard deviation) ranged from higher values in January and December with 4.0 ± 2.5 and 4 ± 3 mg/m2, respectively, to lower values in July and August with 1.6 ± 1.2 and 2.0 ± 0.5 mg/m2, respectively. This reduction is not only observed in the average values, but also in the median, third and first quartiles. The average BC concentration in winter (3.8 ± 0.6 mg/m2) was substantially higher than in summer (1.9 ± 0.3 mg/m2), being the eight-year average of 2.9 ± 0.9 mg/m2. The reduction in the use of fossil fuels during the economic crisis contributed significantly to reduced atmospheric loadings of BC. According to our analysis this situation persisted until 2010. BC concentration values were analyzed in terms of air mass influence using cluster analysis. BC concentrations for cluster 1 (local and regional areas) showed high correlations with air masses frequency in winter and autumn. In these seasons BC sources were related to the intense road traffic and increased BC emissions from domestic heating. High BC concentrations were found in autumn just when air mass frequencies for cluster 3 (Mediterranean region) were more elevated, suggesting that air masses coming from that area transport biomass burning particles towards Granada. BC aerosol optical properties were retrieved from BC fraction using aerosol AERONET size volume distribution and Mie theory. A radiative transfer model (SBDART) was used to estimate the aerosol radiative forcing separately for composite aerosol (total aerosols) and exclusively for BC aerosols. The mean radiative forcing for composite aerosol was + 23 ± 6 W/m2 (heating rate of + 0.21 ± 0.06 K

Cryptic Species Due to Hybridization: A Combined Approach to Describe a New Species (Carex: Cyperaceae)

PubMed Central

Escudero, Marcial

2016-01-01

Disappearance of diagnostic morphological characters due to hybridization is considered to be one of the causes of the complex taxonomy of the species-rich (ca. 2000 described species) genus Carex (Cyperaceae). Carex furva s.l. belongs to section Glareosae. It is an endemic species from the high mountains of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). Previous studies suggested the existence of two different, cryptic taxa within C. furva s.l. Intermediate morphologies found in the southern Iberian Peninsula precluded the description of a new taxa. We aimed to determine whether C. furva s.l. should be split into two different species based on the combination of morphological and molecular data. We sampled ten populations across its full range and performed a morphological study based on measurements on herbarium specimens and silica-dried inflorescences. Both morphological and phylogenetic data support the existence of two different species within C. furva s.l. Nevertheless, intermediate morphologies and sterile specimens were found in one of the southern populations (Sierra Nevada) of C. furva s.l., suggesting the presence of hybrid populations in areas where both supposed species coexist. Hybridization between these two putative species has blurred morphological and genetic limits among them in this hybrid zone. We have proved the utility of combining molecular and morphological data to discover a new cryptic species in a scenario of hybridization. We now recognize a new species, C. lucennoiberica, endemic to the Iberian Peninsula (Sierra Nevada, Central system and Cantabrian Mountains). On the other hand, C. furva s.s. is distributed only in Sierra Nevada, where it may be threatened by hybridization with C. lucennoiberica. The restricted distribution of both species and their specific habitat requirements are the main limiting factors for their conservation. PMID:27973589

Cryptic Species Due to Hybridization: A Combined Approach to Describe a New Species (Carex: Cyperaceae).

PubMed

Maguilla, Enrique; Escudero, Marcial

2016-01-01

Disappearance of diagnostic morphological characters due to hybridization is considered to be one of the causes of the complex taxonomy of the species-rich (ca. 2000 described species) genus Carex (Cyperaceae). Carex furva s.l. belongs to section Glareosae. It is an endemic species from the high mountains of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal). Previous studies suggested the existence of two different, cryptic taxa within C. furva s.l. Intermediate morphologies found in the southern Iberian Peninsula precluded the description of a new taxa. We aimed to determine whether C. furva s.l. should be split into two different species based on the combination of morphological and molecular data. We sampled ten populations across its full range and performed a morphological study based on measurements on herbarium specimens and silica-dried inflorescences. Both morphological and phylogenetic data support the existence of two different species within C. furva s.l. Nevertheless, intermediate morphologies and sterile specimens were found in one of the southern populations (Sierra Nevada) of C. furva s.l., suggesting the presence of hybrid populations in areas where both supposed species coexist. Hybridization between these two putative species has blurred morphological and genetic limits among them in this hybrid zone. We have proved the utility of combining molecular and morphological data to discover a new cryptic species in a scenario of hybridization. We now recognize a new species, C. lucennoiberica, endemic to the Iberian Peninsula (Sierra Nevada, Central system and Cantabrian Mountains). On the other hand, C. furva s.s. is distributed only in Sierra Nevada, where it may be threatened by hybridization with C. lucennoiberica. The restricted distribution of both species and their specific habitat requirements are the main limiting factors for their conservation.

Earth Observations taken by Expedition 30 crewmember

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-01-30

ISS030-E-060478 (30 Jan. 2012) --- The city lights of Madrid (just right of center) stand out in this photograph from the International Space Station. Recorded by one of the Expedition 30 crew members, the view shows almost the entire Iberian Peninsula (both Spain and Portugal) with the Strait of Gibraltar and Morocco appearing at lower left. What is thought to be a blur of the moon appears in upper left corner. The faint gold or brownish line of airglow?caused by ultraviolet radiation exciting the gas molecules in the upper atmosphere?parallels the horizon or Earth limb.

Archaeological Palimpsest Dissection at Cova del Parco (Lleida, Spain) through Microstratigraphic Investigation of Combustion Structures. Preliminary Results.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Égüez, Natalia; Mallol, Carolina; Mangado, Xavier; Tejero, José Miguel; Fullola, Josep Maria

2014-05-01

We present preliminary data from ongoing microstratigraphic investigations of Cova del Parco (Lleida, Spain), a Magdalenian karstic cave site in North western Catalonia. Excavations of the Upper Magdalenian levels are currently underway, with radiometric dates between 15,690 and 16,390 cal BP. This period has yielded a complex anthropogenic sedimentary deposit including combustion features and local accumulations of anthropogenic debris near the cave walls. On of the working hypothesis is that the Magdalenian hunter-gatherers who occupied the site did so for short periods, possibly seasonally. Support of this hypothesis comes the presence of overlapping, very thin flat combustion structures, which appear to have been short-lived and close to each other in time. In order to investigate this issue, we carried out micromorphological analysis of some of the mentioned combustion features. Preliminary results show significant microstratification and presence of unburned spherulites mixed in with reprecipitated calcitic wood ash, both of which point towards the existence of hiatuses between combustion events. This is supported by the observation of scattered, lightly burned microscopic flint and bone fragments in the sediment between ash layers, which could represent renewed occupation floor debris. Our case study adds to the growing number of combustion feature microstratigraphic investigations contributing to a correct characterization of anthropogenic palimpsest deposits. Key words: Microstratigraphy; Micromorphology; Magdalenian; Combustion features; Wood ash; Palimpsest; Iberian Peninsula.

400 years of summer hydroclimate from stable isotopes in Iberian trees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreu-Hayles, Laia; Ummenhofer, Caroline C.; Barriendos, Mariano; Schleser, Gerhard H.; Helle, Gerhard; Leuenberger, Markus; Gutierrez, Emilia; Cook, Edward R.

2017-04-01

Tree rings are natural archives that annually record distinct types of past climate variability depending on the parameters measured. Here, we use ring-width and stable isotopes in cellulose of trees from the northwestern Iberian Peninsula (IP) to understand regional summer hydroclimate over the last 400 years and the associated atmospheric patterns. Correlations between tree rings and climate data demonstrate that isotope signatures in the targeted Iberian pine forests are very sensitive to water availability during the summer period, and are mainly controlled by stomatal conductance. Non-linear methods based on extreme events analysis allow for capturing distinct seasonal climatic variability recorded by tree-ring parameters and asymmetric signals of the associated atmospheric features. Moreover, years with extreme high (low) values in the tree-ring records were characterised by coherent large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns with reduced (enhanced) moisture transport onto the northwestern IP. These analyses of extremes revealed that high/low proxy values do not necessarily correspond to mirror images in the atmospheric anomaly patterns, suggesting different drivers of these patterns and the corresponding signature recorded in the proxies. Regional hydroclimate features across the broader IP and western Europe during extreme wet/dry summers detected by the northwestern IP trees compare favourably to an independent multicentury sea level pressure and drought reconstruction for Europe. Historical records also validate our findings that attribute non-linear moisture signals recorded by extreme tree-ring values to distinct large-scale atmospheric patterns and allow for 400-yr reconstructions of the frequency of occurrence of extreme conditions in summer hydroclimate. We will discuss how the results for Lillo compare with other records.

Energy-environmental benefits and economic feasibility of anaerobic codigestion of Iberian pig slaughterhouse and tomato industry wastes in Extremadura (Spain).

PubMed

González-González, A; Cuadros, F; Ruiz-Celma, A; López-Rodríguez, F

2013-05-01

Anaerobic digestion of Iberian pig slaughterhouse and tomato industry wastes, as well as codigestion operations from such residues, are reported to achieve 54-80% reduction in Chemical Oxygen Demand and 6-19 N m(3)/m(3) substrate methane production. Furthermore, 0.79-0.88 m(3)water/m(3) substrate is seen to be recovered after the above mentioned operations, which might be used as irrigation water, and 0.12-0.21 m(3)agricultural amendment/m(3) substrate with 91-98% moisture content. The present paper also reports on the economic feasibility of both an anaerobic codigestion plant operating with 60% slaughterhouse wastes/40% tomato industry wastes (optimal ratio obtained in previous laboratory-scaled experiments), and an anaerobic digestion plant for Iberian pig slaughterhouse waste. Payback times are reported as 14.86 and 3.73 years, respectively. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding the NAO from Iberian and UK paleoclimate records. The NAOSIPUK project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Alix, Antonio; Toney, Jaime L.; Jiménez-Moreno, Gonzalo; Slaymark, Charlotte; José Ramos-Román, Maria; Camuera, Jon; Jiménez-Espejo, Francisco J.; Anderson, R. Scott

2017-04-01

The main goal of the NAOSIPUK project was to understand the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) during the Holocene, because the NAO is one major climate mode influencing climate patterns across Europe, and therefore, economy and society (Hurrell, 1995). We analysed several sedimentary records in two regions with opposing NAO responses. Our sedimentary surface survey from numerous lakes and bogs, led to further investigation of four records in the southern Iberian Peninsula and three in the central/northern UK. Past environments of the different sites were analysed using pollen and charcoal analysis, organic and inorganic geochemistry analyses, and sedimentary and geophysical surveys were performed. This work compares general environmental trends in both regions as deduced from the organic matter from bulk sediment to get an idea of the organic matter source, as well as specific organic compounds extracted from the sediment, such as leaf waxes (n-alkanes), algae-related compounds (diols and alkenones), and bacteria-related compounds (hopanes), to specify the sources of the organic matter, environmental temperature ranges, as well as hydrological changes. Our preliminary results show that the palaeoenvironmental indices developed from n-alkanes agree with the variations deduced from the carbon and nitrogen atomic ratios, as well as the carbon isotopic composition from bulk sediments in southern Iberia records. Interestingly, these indices show that some locations display opposite trends from one another, and are used to distinguish regional versus local effects of climate change, human impacts, and aeolian dust inputs. During the late Holocene solar forcing and NAO fluctuations are the main drivers of the environmental evolution in most of the Iberian and UK sites. However, we do detect the influence of the NAO in the temperatures oscillations of the studied sites in southern Iberia. This influence is much more important in the north/central UK sites. The regional

Variation in sclerophylly among Iberian populations of Quercus coccifera L. is associated with genetic differentiation across contrasting environments.

PubMed

Rubio de Casas, R; Vargas, P; Pérez-Corona, E; Cano, E; Manrique, E; García-Verdugo, C; Balaguer, L

2009-05-01

Evergreen oaks are an emblematic element of the Mediterranean vegetation and have a leaf phenotype that seems to have remained unchanged since the Miocene. We hypothesise that variation of the sclerophyll phenotype among Iberian populations of Quercus coccifera is partly due to an ulterior process of ecotypic differentiation. We analysed the genetic structure of nine Iberian populations using ISSR fingerprints, and their leaf phenotypes using mean and intracanopy plasticity values of eight morphological (leaf angle, area, spinescence, lobation and specific area) and biochemical traits (VAZ pool, chlorophyll and beta-carotene content). Climate and soil were also characterised at the population sites. Significant genetic and phenotypic differences were found among populations and between NE Iberia and the rest of the populations of the peninsula. Mean phenotypes showed a strong and independent correlation with both genetic and geographic distances. Northeastern plants were smaller, less plastic, with smaller, spinier and thicker leaves, a phenotype consistent with the stressful conditions that prevailed in the steppe environments of the refugia within this geographic area during glaciations. These genetic, phenotypic, geographic and environmental patterns are consistent with previously reported palaeoecological and common evidence. Such consistency leads us to conclude that there has been a Quaternary divergence within the sclerophyllous syndrome that was at least partially driven by ecological factors.

Correlation between airborne Olea europaea pollen concentrations and levels of the major allergen Ole e 1 in Córdoba, Spain, 2012-2014.

PubMed

Plaza, M P; Alcázar, P; Galán, C

2016-12-01

Olea europaea L. pollen is the second-largest cause of pollinosis in the southern Iberian Peninsula. Airborne-pollen monitoring networks provide essential data on pollen dynamics over a given study area. Recent research, however, has shown that airborne pollen levels alone do not always provide a clear indicator of actual exposure to aeroallergens. This study sought to evaluate correlations between airborne concentrations of olive pollen and Ole e 1 allergen levels in Córdoba (southern Spain), in order to determine whether atmospheric pollen concentrations alone are sufficient to chart changes in hay fever symptoms. The influence of major weather-related variables on local airborne pollen and allergen levels was also examined. Monitoring was carried out from 2012 to 2014. Pollen sampling was performed using a Hirst-type sampler, following the protocol recommended by the Spanish Aerobiology Network. A multi-vial cyclone sampler was used to collect aeroallergens, and allergenic particles were quantified by ELISA assay. Significant positive correlations were found between daily airborne allergen levels and atmospheric pollen concentrations, although there were occasions when allergen was detected before and after the pollen season and in the absence of airborne pollen. The correlation between the two was irregular, and pollen potency displayed year-on-year variations and did not necessarily match pollen-season-intensity.

Correlation between airborne Olea europaea pollen concentrations and levels of the major allergen Ole e 1 in Córdoba, Spain, 2012-2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plaza, M. P.; Alcázar, P.; Galán, C.

2016-12-01

Olea europaea L. pollen is the second-largest cause of pollinosis in the southern Iberian Peninsula. Airborne-pollen monitoring networks provide essential data on pollen dynamics over a given study area. Recent research, however, has shown that airborne pollen levels alone do not always provide a clear indicator of actual exposure to aeroallergens. This study sought to evaluate correlations between airborne concentrations of olive pollen and Ole e 1 allergen levels in Córdoba (southern Spain), in order to determine whether atmospheric pollen concentrations alone are sufficient to chart changes in hay fever symptoms. The influence of major weather-related variables on local airborne pollen and allergen levels was also examined. Monitoring was carried out from 2012 to 2014. Pollen sampling was performed using a Hirst-type sampler, following the protocol recommended by the Spanish Aerobiology Network. A multi-vial cyclone sampler was used to collect aeroallergens, and allergenic particles were quantified by ELISA assay. Significant positive correlations were found between daily airborne allergen levels and atmospheric pollen concentrations, although there were occasions when allergen was detected before and after the pollen season and in the absence of airborne pollen. The correlation between the two was irregular, and pollen potency displayed year-on-year variations and did not necessarily match pollen-season-intensity.

A new genus of nesticid spiders from western European Peninsulas (Araneae, Nesticidae).

PubMed

Ribera, Carles

2018-04-10

This paper describes a new genus of Nesticidae based on morphology of the genital characters and supported by molecular data. The new genus, Domitius n. gen., includes a group of seven cave-dweller species spread along western European peninsulas (Iberian and Italian). Molecular phylogenetic analysis shows that these species constitute an independent and highly supported evolutionary lineage being the sister group to Kryptonesticus Pavlek Ribera, 2017, Nesticus Thorell, 1869 and Carpathonesticus Lehtinen Saaristo, 1980 genera. As a result, seven new combinations are here proposed: Domitius baeticus (López-Pancorbo Ribera, 2011) n. comb., Domitius murgis (Ribera De Mas, 2003) n. comb., Domitius lusitanicus (Fage, 1931) n. comb., Domitius luquei (Ribera Guerao, 1995) n. comb., Domitius sbordonii (Brignoli, 1979) n. comb., Domitius menozzii (Caporiacco, 1934) n. comb., Domitius speluncarum (Pavesi, 1873) n. comb.

Ultrasonic monitoring of Iberian fat crystallization during cold storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corona, E.; García-Pérez, J. V.; Santacatalina, J. V.; Peña, R.; Benedito, J.

2012-12-01

The aim of this work was to evaluate the use of ultrasonic measurements to characterize the crystallization process and to assess the textural changes of Iberian fat and Iberian ham during cold storage. The ultrasonic velocity was measured in two types of Iberian fats (Montanera and Cebo) during cold storage (0, 2, 5, 7 and 10 °C) and in vacuum packaged Iberian ham stored at 6°C for 120 days. The fatty acid profile, thermal behaviour and textural properties of fat were determined. The ultrasonic velocity and textural measurements showed a two step increase during cold storage, which was related with the separate crystallization of two fractions of triglycerides. It was observed that the harder the fat, the higher the ultrasonic velocity. Likewise, Cebo fat resulted harder than Montanera due to a higher content of saturated triglycerides. The ultrasonic velocity in Iberian ham showed an average increase of 55 m/s after 120 days of cold storage due to fat crystallization. Thus, non-destructive ultrasonic technique could be a reliable method to follow the crystallization of fats and to monitor the changes in the textural properties of Iberian ham during cold storage.

A new Sparassis species from Spain described using morphological and molecular data.

PubMed

Blanco-Dios, Jaime B; Wang, Zheng; Binder, Manfred; Hibbett, David S

2006-10-01

Sparassis miniensis, collected in Pinus pinaster forests in Galicia (northwest Iberian Peninsula) is described as a new species, based on morphological and molecular data. Sparassis miniensis is morphologically distinct from all other species in the genus Sparassis based on scattered flabellae, which are strongly laciniated, azonate, and arise from an orange to rose-purplish base. The sporadic presence of clamp connections is restricted to subhymenial hyphae. Molecular data from LSU-rDNA, ITS and partial gene coding RNA polymerase subunit II (rpb2) suggest a close relationship between the new species S. miniensis and S. brevipes, another European species producing large fruiting bodies but with entire flabellae and no clamp connections.

Extreme pointer years in tree-ring records of Central Spain as evidence of climatic events and the eruption of the Huaynaputina Volcano (Peru, 1600 AD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Génova, M.

2012-04-01

The study of pointer years of numerous tree-ring chronologies of the central Iberian Peninsula (Sierra de Guadarrama) could provide complementary information about climate variability over the last 405 yr. In total, 64 pointer years have been identified: 30 negative (representing minimum growths) and 34 positive (representing maximum growths), the most significant of these being 1601, 1963 and 1996 for the negative ones, and 1734 and 1737 for the positive ones. Given that summer precipitation was found to be the most limiting factor for the growth of Pinus in the Sierra de Guadarrama in the second half of the 20th century, it is also an explanatory factor in almost 50% of the extreme growths. Furthermore, these pointer years and intervals are not evenly distributed throughout time. Both in the first half of the 17th and in the second half of 20th, they were more frequent and more extreme and these periods are the most notable for the frequency of negative pointer years in Central Spain. The interval 1600-1602 is of special significance, being one of the most unfavourable for tree growth in the centre of Spain, with 1601 representing the minimum index in the regional chronology. We infer that this special minimum annual increase was the effect of the eruption of Huaynaputina, which occurred in Peru at the beginning of 1600 AD. This is the first time that the effects of this eruption in the tree-ring records of Southern Europe have been demonstrated.

Strain indicators and magnetic fabric in intraplate fault zones: Case study of Daroca thrust, Iberian Chain, Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casas-Sainz, A. M.; Gil-Imaz, A.; Simón, J. L.; Izquierdo-Llavall, E.; Aldega, L.; Román-Berdiel, T.; Osácar, M. C.; Pueyo-Anchuela, Ó.; Ansón, M.; García-Lasanta, C.; Corrado, S.; Invernizzi, C.; Caricchi, C.

2018-04-01

Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) has been applied to the study of shallow fault zones, although interpretation of the results requires establishing clear relationships between petrofabric and magnetic features, magnetic behaviour of fault rocks, and an extensive knowledge of P-T conditions. In this work, we demonstrate that magnetic methods can be applied to the study of heterogeneous fault zones, provided that a series of requisites are met. A major fault zone within the Iberian plate (Daroca thrust), showing transpressional movements during Cenozoic time was chosen for this purpose, because of the exceptional outcrops of fault gouge and microbreccia and its relevance within the context of the northeastern Iberian Plate. Magnetic fabrics were analysed and the results were compared with foliation and S-C structures measured within the fault zone. Clay mineral assemblages suggest maximum burial depths shallower than 2 km (<60-70 °C) for fault rocks in the footwall of the Daroca thrust. The orientation of the AMS axes is consistent with mesostructural strain indicators: kmin parallels the mean pole to S, or it is intermediate between S and C poles; kmax is oriented at a high angle (nearly orthogonal in overall) to the transport direction, which can be explained from both deformational and mineralogical controls. Both magnetic fabrics and kinematic indicators are consistent with a reverse movement for most of the fault zone.

Evaluation of three enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for sarcoptic mange diagnosis and assessment in the Iberian ibex, Capra pyrenaica.

PubMed

Ráez-Bravo, Arián; Granados, José Enrique; Serrano, Emmanuel; Dellamaria, Debora; Casais, Rosa; Rossi, Luca; Puigdemont, Anna; Cano-Manuel, Francisco Javier; Fandos, Paulino; Pérez, Jesús María; Espinosa, José; Soriguer, Ramón Casimiro; Citterio, Carlo; López-Olvera, Jorge Ramón

2016-10-21

Sarcoptic mange is a contagious skin disease caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, affecting different mammalian species worldwide including the Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica), in which mortalities over 90 % of the population have been reported. No efficient diagnostic methods are available for this disease, particularly when there are low mite numbers and mild or no clinical signs. In this study, three enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) developed for dog (ELISA A), Cantabrian chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica parva) (ELISA B) and Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) (ELISA C), were evaluated to detect specific antibodies (IgG) to sarcoptic mange in Iberian ibex sera. Serum samples from 131 Iberian ibexes (86 healthy and 45 scabietic) were collected from 2005 to 2012 in the Sierra Nevada Natural and National Parks (southern Spain). Based on visual inspection, ibexes were classified into one of three categories, namely healthy (without scabietic compatible lesions), mildly affected (skin lesions over less than 50 % of the body surface) and severely affected (skin lesions over more than 50 % of the body surface). The optimal cut-off point, specificity, sensitivity and the area under the curve (AUC) were calculated, and the agreement between tests was determined. Moreover, differences in the optical density (OD) related to scabies severity have been evaluated for the best test. ELISA C showed better performance than the two other tests, reaching higher values of sensitivity (93.0 %) and specificity (93.5 %) against the visual estimation of the percentage of affected skin, chosen as the gold standard. Significantly higher concentrations of specific antibodies were observed with this test in the mildly and severely infested ibexes than in healthy ones. Our results revealed that ELISA C was an optimal test to diagnose sarcoptic mange in the Iberian ibex. Further studies characterizing immune response during the course of the disease, including spontaneous or drug

Linking evolutionary lineage with parasite and pathogen prevalence in the Iberian honey bee.

PubMed

Jara, Laura; Cepero, Almudena; Garrido-Bailón, Encarna; Martín-Hernández, Raquel; Higes, Mariano; De la Rúa, Pilar

2012-05-01

The recent decline in honey bee colonies observed in both European countries and worldwide is of great interest and concern, although the underlying causes remain poorly understood. In recent years, growing evidence has implicated parasites and pathogens in this decline of both the vitality and number of honey bee colonies. The Iberian Peninsula provides an interesting environment in which to study the occurrence of pathogens and parasites in the host honey bee populations due to the presence of two evolutionary lineages in A. m. iberiensis (Western European [M] or African [A]). Here, we provide the first evidence linking the population structure of the Iberian honey bee with the prevalence of some of its most important parasites and pathogens: the Varroa destructor mite and the microsporidia Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae. Using data collected in two surveys conducted in 2006 and 2010 in 41 Spanish provinces, the evolutionary lineage and the presence of the three parasitic organisms cited above were analyzed in a total of 228 colonies. In 2006 N. apis was found in a significantly higher proportion of M lineage honey bees than in the A lineage. However, in 2010 this situation had changed significantly due to a higher prevalence of N. ceranae. We observed no significant relationships in either year between the distributions of V. destructor or N. ceranae and the evolutionary lineage present in A. m. iberiensis colonies, but the effects of these organisms on the genetic diversity of the honey bee populations need further research. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Model quantification of the CO2 storage in the Los Páramos site (Duero basin, NE Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nardi, Albert; Grandia, Fidel; Abarca, Elena; Motis, Kilian; Molinero, Jorge

2013-04-01

The Duero basin in NW Spain is one the most promising basin for CO2 storage in the Iberian Peninsula due to the existence of favourable deep aquifers close to large CO2 emission point sources. A number of projects are presently active either for scientific research (e.g., the Hontomín site, OXI-CFB300 EPRR project) or commercial purposes (e.g., Sahagún and Los Páramos projects). The project called Los Páramos intends to assess the injection of CO2 in a group of dome-shaped structures with an estimated total capacity of 200 Mt (ranked 2nd in the Iberian Peninsula, IGME 2010). These domes were studied in the past for hydrocarbon exploration and a large body of information is available from seismic profiles (over 170 km) and 3 deep wells. The Los Páramos site is emplaced in the San Pedro Folded Band (SPFB) that consists mainly of thick-skinned thrusts of Mesozoic rocks (Triassic and Upper Cretaceous) sealed by a thick (1200-1500 m), undeformed cover of Tertiary claystones. Dome-like structures are related to thrusts leading to favourable reservoirs. The target horizon for CO2 storage is the Utrillas Fm sandstone with high porosity (13-20%) and thickness (225-250 m). In three of the domes, the Utrillas Fm is below -800m, allowing thus the storage of CO2(sc). This sandstone hosts an aquifer containing saline water, up to 50 g·L-1, according to the data from drill wells. The presence of saline groundwater is explained by water interaction with Triassic evaporite layers just underlying the Utrillas Fm sandstones. The CO2 storage at Los Paramos site is planned via injection of supercritical CO2 (CO2(sc)) in the Utrillas Fm. In general, the next four trapping mechanisms are expected, which are of increasing importance through time (1) structural, (2) residual saturation, (3) dissolution, and (4) mineral. The prediction of the mass of CO2 stored through time in any storage systems is an essential parameter in the pre-injection assessment of a geological storage. For

Actual and future trends of extreme values of temperature for the NW Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taboada, J.; Brands, S.; Lorenzo, N.

2009-09-01

It is now very well established that yearly averaged temperatures are increasing due to anthropogenic climate change. In the area of Galicia (NW Spain) this trend has also been determined. The main objective of this work is to assess actual and future trends of different extreme indices of temperature, which are of curcial importance for many impact studies. Station data for the study was provided by the CLIMA database of the regional government of Galicia (NW Spain). As direct GCM-output significantly underestimates the variance of daily surface temperature variables in NW Spain, these variables are obtained by applying a statistical downscaling technique (analog method), using 850hPa temperature and mean sea level pressure as combined predictors. The predictor fields have been extracted from three GCMs participating in the IPCC AR4 under A1, A1B and A2 scenarios. The definitions of the extreme indices have been taken from the joint CCl/CLIVAR/JCOMM Expert Team (ET) on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI) This group has defined a set of standard extreme values to simplify intercomparisons of data from different regions of the world. For the temperatures in the period 1960-2006, results show a significant increase of the number of days with maximum temperatures above the 90th percentile. Furthermore, a significant decrease of the days with maximum temperatures below the 10th percentile has been found. The tendencies of minimum temperatures are reverse: less nights with minimum temperatures below 10th percentile, and more with minimum temperatures above 90th percentile. Those tendencies can be observed all over the year, but are more pronounced in summer. We have also calculated the relationship between the above mentioned extreme values and different teleconnection patterns appearing in the North Atlantic area. Results show that local tendencies are associated with trends of EA (Eastern Atlantic) and SCA (Scandinavian) patterns. NAO (North Atlantic

Wear Fast, Die Young: More Worn Teeth and Shorter Lives in Iberian Compared to Scottish Red Deer

PubMed Central

Pérez-Barbería, F. J.; Carranza, J.; Sánchez-Prieto, C.

2015-01-01

Teeth in Cervidae are permanent structures that are not replaceable or repairable; consequently their rate of wear, due to the grinding effect of food and dental attrition, affects their duration and can determine an animal's lifespan. Tooth wear is also a useful indicator of accumulative life energy investment in intake and mastication and their interactions with diet. Little is known regarding how natural and sexual selection operate on dental structures within a species in contrasting environments and how these relate to life history traits to explain differences in population rates of tooth wear and longevity. We hypothesised that populations under harsh environmental conditions should be selected for more hypsodont teeth while sexual selection may maintain similar sex differences within different populations. We investigated the patterns of tooth wear in males and females of Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) in Southern Spain and Scottish red deer (C. e. scoticus) across Scotland, that occur in very different environments, using 10343 samples from legal hunting activities. We found higher rates of both incisor and molar wear in the Spanish compared to Scottish populations. However, Scottish red deer had larger incisors at emergence than Iberian red deer, whilst molars emerged at a similar size in both populations and sexes. Iberian and Scottish males had earlier tooth depletion than females, in support of a similar sexual selection process in both populations. However, whilst average lifespan for Iberian males was 4 years shorter than that for Iberian females and Scottish males, Scottish males only showed a reduction of 1 year in average lifespan with respect to Scottish females. More worn molars were associated with larger mandibles in both populations, suggesting that higher intake and/or greater investment in food comminution may have favoured increased body growth, before later loss of tooth efficiency due to severe wear. These results

Wear Fast, Die Young: More Worn Teeth and Shorter Lives in Iberian Compared to Scottish Red Deer.

PubMed

Pérez-Barbería, F J; Carranza, J; Sánchez-Prieto, C

2015-01-01

Teeth in Cervidae are permanent structures that are not replaceable or repairable; consequently their rate of wear, due to the grinding effect of food and dental attrition, affects their duration and can determine an animal's lifespan. Tooth wear is also a useful indicator of accumulative life energy investment in intake and mastication and their interactions with diet. Little is known regarding how natural and sexual selection operate on dental structures within a species in contrasting environments and how these relate to life history traits to explain differences in population rates of tooth wear and longevity. We hypothesised that populations under harsh environmental conditions should be selected for more hypsodont teeth while sexual selection may maintain similar sex differences within different populations. We investigated the patterns of tooth wear in males and females of Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) in Southern Spain and Scottish red deer (C. e. scoticus) across Scotland, that occur in very different environments, using 10343 samples from legal hunting activities. We found higher rates of both incisor and molar wear in the Spanish compared to Scottish populations. However, Scottish red deer had larger incisors at emergence than Iberian red deer, whilst molars emerged at a similar size in both populations and sexes. Iberian and Scottish males had earlier tooth depletion than females, in support of a similar sexual selection process in both populations. However, whilst average lifespan for Iberian males was 4 years shorter than that for Iberian females and Scottish males, Scottish males only showed a reduction of 1 year in average lifespan with respect to Scottish females. More worn molars were associated with larger mandibles in both populations, suggesting that higher intake and/or greater investment in food comminution may have favoured increased body growth, before later loss of tooth efficiency due to severe wear. These results

Coherent variability between seasonal temperatures and rainfalls in the Iberian Peninsula, 1951-2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigo, F. S.

2018-02-01

In this work trends of seasonal mean of daily minimum (TN), maximum (TX), mean (TM) temperatures, daily range of temperature (DTR), and total seasonal rainfall (R) in 35 Iberian stations since mid-twentieth century are studied. The interest is focused on the relationships between temperature variables and rainfall, taking into account the correlation coefficients between R and the temperature variables. The negative link between rainfall and temperatures is detected in the four seasons of the year, except in western stations in winter for TN and TM, and in autumn for TN (for this variable a certain annual cycle is detected, with predominance of positive correlation in winter, negative in spring and summer, and the autumn as transition season). The role of cloud cover is confirmed in those stations with total cloud cover data. Using an average peninsular series, the relationship between nighttime temperature and rainfall related to long wave radiation is confirmed for the four seasons of the year, although in spring and summer has minor importance than in the cold half year. The relationships between R, TN, and TX are in general terms stable after a moving correlation analysis, although the negative correlation between TX and R seems be weakened in spring and autumn and reinforced in summer. The role of convective precipitation in autumn is discussed. The analysis of combined extreme indices in four representative stations shows an increase of warm and dry days, and a decrease of cold and wet days.

Constant Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) Circulation in Wild Boar and Red Deer in Spain: An Increasing Concern Source of HEV Zoonotic Transmission.

PubMed

Kukielka, D; Rodriguez-Prieto, V; Vicente, J; Sánchez-Vizcaíno, J M

2016-10-01

Hepatitis E is a viral zoonosis that affects multiple hosts. The complete dynamics of infection in wildlife are still unknown, but the previous fact facilitates the maintenance and circulation of the virus, posing a risk to human health in the case of meat consumption from susceptible animals. In Spain, it has been shown how domestic pigs, cattle and wildlife (i.e. wild boar and red deer) clearly interact in hunting farms, generating a complex epidemiological situation in terms of interspecies pathogen transmission. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to (i) evaluate the circulation of the virus in geographically close domestic (Iberian pigs) and wild animals (wild boar and deer) living in hunting areas from central Spain over an 8-year period (2003-2010) and (ii) to determine whether HEV could be used as a marker of domestic-wildlife contact. For these purposes, a longitudinal analysis of Iberian pig, wild boar and red deer samples (n = 287) through virological and serological tests was conducted to shed light upon the circulation events of HEV. Regarding HEV RNA detection by real-time RT-PCR, 10.12% samples (95% CI: 5.44-14.8) from wild boar and 16.05% samples (95% CI: 8.06-24.04) from red deer were positive. As for the Iberian pigs, none of the 48 samples was positive for HEV RNA detection. In the serological analysis, 43.75% (95% CI: 29.75-57.75) from Iberian pig, 57.40% (95% CI: 48.10-66.70) from wild boar and 12.85% (95% CI: 5.01-20.69) samples from red deer presented anti-HEV antibodies. Positive samples were distributed among all study years (2003-2010). These results depict the urgent need to improve the inspection and surveillance of these species and their products. In the case of HEV, it is clear that the stable and constant presence of the virus in wildlife and its contact with Iberian pigs pose a risk for human health as they are all destined for human consumption. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Climatic niche and neutral genetic diversity of the six Iberian pine species: a retrospective and prospective view.

PubMed

Soto, A; Robledo-Arnuncio, J J; González-Martínez, S C; Smouse, P E; Alía, R

2010-04-01

Quaternary climatic fluctuations have left contrasting historical footprints on the neutral genetic diversity patterns of existing populations of different tree species. We should expect the demography, and consequently the neutral genetic structure, of taxa less tolerant to particular climatic extremes to be more sensitive to long-term climate fluctuations. We explore this hypothesis here by sampling all six pine species found in the Iberian Peninsula (2464 individuals, 105 populations), using a common set of chloroplast microsatellite markers, and by looking at the association between neutral genetic diversity and species-specific climatic requirements. We found large variation in neutral genetic diversity and structure among Iberian pines, with cold-enduring mountain species (Pinus uncinata, P. sylvestris and P. nigra) showing substantially greater diversity than thermophilous taxa (P. pinea and P. halepensis). Within species, we observed a significant positive correlation between population genetic diversity and summer precipitation for some of the mountain pines. The observed pattern is consistent with the hypotheses that: (i) more thermophilous species have been subjected to stronger demographic fluctuations in the past, as a consequence of their maladaptation to recurrent glacial cold stages; and (ii) altitudinal migrations have allowed the maintenance of large effective population sizes and genetic variation in cold-tolerant species, especially in more humid regions. In the light of these results and hypotheses, we discuss some potential genetic consequences of impending climate change.

Antimicrobial Resistance in Indicator Escherichia coli Isolates from Free-Ranging Livestock and Sympatric Wild Ungulates in a Natural Environment (Northeastern Spain)

PubMed Central

Porrero, M. C.; Mentaberre, G.; Serrano, E.; Mateos, A.; Domínguez, L.; Lavín, S.

2013-01-01

Antimicrobial resistance was assessed in indicator Escherichia coli isolates from free-ranging livestock and sympatric wild boar (Sus scrofa) and Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) in a National Game Reserve in northeastern Spain. The frequency of antimicrobial resistance was low (0% to 7.9%). However, resistance to an extended-spectrum cephalosporin and fluoroquinolones was detected. PMID:23892753

Islamic Civilization in Spain - a Magnificient Example of Interaction and Unity of Religion and Science.

PubMed

Halilović, Safvet

2017-04-01

Islam and its followers had created a civilization that played very important role on the world stage for more than a thousand years. One of the most important specific qualities of the Islamic civilization is that it is a well-balanced civilization that brought together science and faith, struck a balance between spirit and matter and did not separate this world from the Hereafter. This is what distinguishes the Islamic civilization from other civilizations which attach primary importance to the material aspect of life, physical needs and human instincts, and attach greater attention to this world by striving to instantly satisfy desires of the flesh, without finding a proper place for God and the Hereafter in their philosophies and education systems. The Islamic civilization drew humankind closer to God, connected the earth and heavens, subordinated this world to the Hereafter, connected spirit and matter, struck a balance between mind and heart, and created a link between science and faith by elevating the importance of moral development to the level of importance of material progress. It is owing to this that the Islamic civilization gave an immense contribution to the development of global civilization. Another specific characteristic of the Islamic civilization is that it spread the spirit of justice, impartiality and tolerance among people. The result was that people of different beliefs and views lived together in safety, peace and mutual respect, and that mosques stood next to churches, monasteries and synagogues in the lands that were governed by Muslims. This stems primarily from the commandments of the noble Islam according to which nobody must be forced to convert from their religion and beliefs since freedom of religion is guaranteed within the Islamic order. The Islamic civilization in Spain encompasses many fields that left a profound imprint in the Iberian Peninsula and Europe. The cultural climate of Spain in the era of Muslim rule (711

An annual assessment of air quality with the CALIOPE modeling system over Spain.

PubMed

Baldasano, J M; Pay, M T; Jorba, O; Gassó, S; Jiménez-Guerrero, P

2011-05-01

the BSC-DREAM8b model helps to satisfactorily reproduce episodic high PM10 concentration peaks at background stations. The model assessment indicates that one of the main air quality-related problems in Spain is the high level of O(3). A quarter of the Iberian Peninsula shows more than 30days exceeding the value 120μgm(-3) for the maximum 8-h O(3) concentration as a consequence of the transport of O(3) precursors downwind to/from the Madrid and Barcelona metropolitan areas, and industrial areas and cities in the Mediterranean coast. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ten years in the dump: An updated review of the Miocene primate-bearing localities from Abocador de Can Mata (NE Iberian Peninsula).

PubMed

Alba, David M; Casanovas-Vilar, Isaac; Garcés, Miguel; Robles, Josep M

2017-01-01

More than ten years of paleontological fieldwork during the enlargement of the Can Mata Landfill (Abocador de Can Mata [ACM]), in els Hostalets de Pierola (Vallès-Penedès Basin, NE Iberian Peninsula) led to the recovery of >60,000 Miocene vertebrate remains. The huge sampling effort (due to continuous surveillance of heavy machinery digging activity, coupled with manual excavation and screen-washing of sediments) enabled generally rare faunal elements such as pliopithecoid and hominoid primates to be found. Thanks to detailed litho-, bio- and magnetostratigraphic controls, accurate dating is possible for all the recovered primate remains from 19 of the 235 localities defined along the 234 m-thick composite stratigraphic sequence of the ACM. Here we report updated estimated (interpolated) ages for these paleontological localities and review the timing of the primate succession in this area. Our results indicate that the whole ACM sequence is late Aragonian in age (MN6 and MN7+8) and includes seven magnetozones that are correlated to subchrons C5Ar.1r to C5r.2r (ca. 12.6 to 11.4 Ma). Great apes (dryopithecines) are first recorded at 12.4-12.3 Ma, but most of the finds (Anoiapithecus, Pierolapithecus and Dryopithecus) cluster between 12.0 and 11.9 Ma, followed by some indeterminate dryopithecine remains between 11.7 and 11.6 Ma. Pliopithecoids first appear at 12.1 Ma, being subsequently represented by Pliopithecus between 11.9 and 11.7 Ma. The small-bodied hominoid Pliobates is the youngest ACM primate, with an estimated age of 11.6 Ma. Although these primates probably overlapped in time, their co-occurrence is recorded only twice, at 11.9 Ma (a dryopithecine with Pliopithecus) and at 11.6 Ma (a dryopithecine with Pliobates). The rare co-occurrence between great apes and small-bodied catarrhines might be attributable to sampling biases and/or to presumed diverging ecological preferences of these groups. In the future, more detailed analyses of the fauna

Temporal dynamics of plant succession in abandoned field in Mediterranean mountain areas: farming terraces and sloping fields (Iberian System, Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nadal-Romero, Estela; Errea, Paz; Lasanta, Teodoro

2017-04-01

Cropland abandonment is an important problem in mountain areas worldwide. This process represents the change from an agricultural management to an abandoned land in which a complex plant succession process occurs, with important hydromorphological effects, and consequences in water resources availability and soil erosion. Literature indicates that plant succession depends on multiple natural factors (soil properties, topography, climate, lithology, and distance to natural covers…) and anthropogenic factors (age of abandonment, management of each field during the cultivation period and after the abandonment…). Despite the advances, much is unknown about the vegetation succession, due to the complexity of ecological and social conditions in which land abandonment occurs. Recently, it is shown that only local factors can explain the heterogeneity of the process (Burel and Baudry, 2002; Jouba and Alados, 2012). In this work, we analyze the diversity of vegetation cover in abandonment fields in Cameros Viejo (Iberian System, Spain), related to the different field patterns (terraces and sloping fields) and the age of abandonment. Agricultural lands were delimited using aerial photographs from 1956 and 1978. The current land cover was obtained from SIOSE (Information System of Land Occupation in Spain). According to our cartography, cultivated land occupied as much as 15,491 ha (39% of the area), remaining abandoned 14,505 ha by 1978. Farming terraces occupied 55.9% of the abandoned area, and 44.1% as sloping fields. On the other hand, our cartography highlights the complexity of current land cover of abandoned fields in a landscape matrix of scrubland. Our results suggest that ecological succession is faster in farming terraces than in sloping fields, mostly until scrubland phase is attained. They also suggest that current land cover is better explained by the physical conditions of each field than by the abandonment age. Acknowledgement This research was supported

Holocene climate variability in the western Mediterranean through a multiproxy analysis from Padul peat bog (Sierra Nevada, Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos-Román, María J.; Jiménez-Moreno, Gonzalo; Camuera, Jon; García-Alix, Antonio; Anderson, R. Scott; Jiménez-Espejo, Francisco J.; Sachse, Dirk

2017-04-01

The Iberian Peninsula, located in the Mediterranean area, is an interesting location for paleoclimate studies due to its geographic situation between arid and humid climates. Sediments from peat bogs and lakes from Sierra Nevada, in southeastern Iberian Peninsula, have been very informative in terms of how vegetation and wetland environments were impacted by Holocene climate change. These studies are essential if we want to understand the past climate change in the area, which is the key to identify the possible environmental response of the Sierra Nevada ecosystems to future climate scenarios. Padul basin, located in the southwest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, contains a ca. 100 m-thick peat bog sedimentary sequence that was deposited during the past 1 Ma making this area interesting for paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic reconstructions. A new 43 m-long sedimentary record has recently been retrieved from the Padul peat bog. In this study we have developed a multiproxy analysis of the Holocene part of the Padul-15-05 core including pollen analysis, XRF-core scanner, magnetic susceptibility and organic geochemistry, supported by an age control based on AMS radiocarbon dates, providing with information about vegetation and climate variability during the past 9.9 cal ka BP. This multiproxy reconstruction of the Padul-15-05 evidences the Mediterranean as a sensitive area with respect to global-scale climate system, showing relevant climate episodes such as the ca. 8, 7.5, 6.5 and 5.5 cal ka BP events during the early and middle Holocene. The trend to aridification to the late Holocene is interrupted by more arid and humid periods as the Iberian Roman Humid Period (from ca. 3 to 1.6 cal ka BP), the Dark Ages (from ca. 1.5 to 1.1 cal ka BP), the Medieval Climate Anomaly (from ca. 1.1 to 1.3 cal ka BP) and the Little Ice Age period (from ca. 500 to 100 cal yr BP).

Undrowning a lost world — The Marine Isotope Stage 3 landscape of Gibraltar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez-Vidal, Joaquín; Finlayson, Geraldine; Finlayson, Clive; Negro, Juan J.; Cáceres, Luis M.; Fa, Darren A.; Carrión, José S.

2013-12-01

The Rock of Gibraltar, at the south-western extreme of the Iberian Peninsula and 21 km from the North African coast, is a 6-km long limestone peninsula which was inhabited by Neanderthals from MIS 5e until the end of MIS 3. A total of 8 sites, either with Neanderthal fossils or their Mousterian lithic technology, have been discovered on the Rock. Two, Gorham's and Vanguard Caves, are the subject of ongoing research. These caves are currently at sea level, but during MIS 3 faced an emerged coastal shelf with the shoreline as far as 5 km away at times. They hold a unique archive of fauna and flora, in the form of fossils, charcoal and pollen, helping environmental reconstruction of now-submerged shelf landscapes. In addition, geological and geomorphological features - a 300-metre dune complex, elevated aeolian deposits, raised beaches, scree, speleothems - complement the biotic picture. The work is further complemented by a study of the ecology of the species recorded at the site, using present-day observations. The species composition in this fossil record closely matches the present day fauna and vegetation of the Doñana National Park, SW Spain: a mosaic of pine groves, coastal dunes, shrubland and seasonal wetlands and currently the richest reserve in terms of biodiversity in the Iberian Peninsula, located only 100 km to the northwest from Gibraltar. All this information permits, for the first time, the quantification of the vegetation structure of the ancient coastal plain and the modelling of the spatio-temporal dynamics of the MIS 3 coastal shelf off Gibraltar.

Spatial impact and triggering conditions of the exceptional hydro-geomorphological event of December 1909 in Iberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, S.; Ramos, A. M.; Zêzere, J. L.; Trigo, R. M.; Vaquero, J. M.

2015-09-01

According to the DISASTER database the 20-28 December 1909 was the hydro-geomorphologic event with the highest number of flood and landslide cases occurred in Portugal in the period 1865-2010 (Zêzere et al., 2014). This event also caused important social impacts over the Spanish territory, especially in the Douro basin, having triggered the highest floods in more than 100 years at the river's mouth in the city of Oporto. This work aims to characterize the spatial distribution and social impacts of the December 1909 hydro-geomorphologic event over Iberia. In addition, the meteorological conditions that triggered the event are analysed using the 20 Century Reanalysis dataset from NOAA and precipitation data from Iberian meteorological stations. The Iberian Peninsula was spatially affected during this event along the SW-NE direction spanning from Lisbon, Santarém, Oporto and Guarda (in Portugal), until Salamanca, Valladolid, Zamora, Orense, León and Palencia (in Spain). In Iberia, 134 DISASTER cases were recorded (130 flood cases; 4 landslides cases) having caused a total of 89 casualties (57 in floods and 32 in landslides) and a total of 3876 people were affected, including fatalities, injured, missing, evacuated and homeless people. This event was associated with some outstanding precipitation values at Guarda station (Portugal) in 22 December 1909 and unusual meteorological conditions characterized by the presence of a deep low pressure system located over NW Iberian Peninsula with a stationary frontal system striking the Western Iberian Peninsula. The presence of an upper-level jet (250 hPa) and low-level jet (900 hPa) located on SW-NE oriented towards the Iberia along with upper-level divergence and lower-level convergence favoured large-scale precipitation. Finally, associated with these features it is possible to state that this extreme event was clearly associated to the presence of an elongated Atmospheric River, crossing the entire northern Atlantic basin

Theorizing Iberian Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newcomb, Robert Patrick

2015-01-01

A growing number of scholars invested in Iberian Studies are asking how peninsular literary and cultural studies might be reimagined, and reinvigorated, by placing the Spanish and Portuguese canons into critical dialogue with each other, and with Galician, Catalan, Basque/Euskadi, and Latin American and North African immigrant writers, cultural…

The Cadiz margin study off Spain: An introduction

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nelson, C.H.; Maldonado, A.

1999-01-01

The Cadiz continental margin of the northeastern Gulf of Cadiz off Spain was selected for a multidisciplinary project because of the interplay of complex tectonic history between the Iberian and African plates, sediment supply from multiple sources, and unique Mediterranean Gateway inflow and outflow currents. The nature of this complex margin, particularly during the last 5 million years, was investigated with emphasis on tectonic history, stratigraphic sequences, marine circulation, contourite depositional facies, geotechnical properties, geologic hazards, and human influences such as dispersal of river contaminants. This study provides an integrated view of the tectonic, sediment supply and oceanographic factors that control depositional processes and growth patterns of the Cadiz and similar modem and ancient continental margins.

Operational air quality forecasting system for Spain: CALIOPE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baldasano, J. M.; Piot, M.; Jorba, O.; Goncalves, M.; Pay, M.; Pirez, C.; Lopez, E.; Gasso, S.; Martin, F.; García-Vivanco, M.; Palomino, I.; Querol, X.; Pandolfi, M.; Dieguez, J. J.; Padilla, L.

2009-12-01

The European Commission (EC) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) have shown great concerns to understand the transport and dynamics of pollutants in the atmosphere. According to the European directives (1996/62/EC, 2002/3/EC, 2008/50/EC), air quality modeling, if accurately applied, is a useful tool to understand the dynamics of air pollutants, to analyze and forecast the air quality, and to develop programs reducing emissions and alert the population when health-related issues occur. The CALIOPE project, funded by the Spanish Ministry of the Environment, has the main objective to establish an air quality forecasting system for Spain. A partnership of four research institutions composes the CALIOPE project: the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), the center of investigation CIEMAT, the Earth Sciences Institute ‘Jaume Almera’ (IJA-CSIC) and the CEAM Foundation. CALIOPE will become the official Spanish air quality operational system. This contribution focuses on the recent developments and implementation of the integrated modelling system for the Iberian Peninsula (IP) and Canary Islands (CI) with a high spatial and temporal resolution (4x4 sq. km for IP and 2x2 sq. km for CI, 1 hour), namely WRF-ARW/HERMES04/CMAQ/BSC-DREAM. The HERMES04 emission model has been specifically developed as a high-resolution (1x1 sq. km, 1 hour) emission model for Spain. It includes biogenic and anthropogenic emissions such as on-road and paved-road resuspension production, power plant generation, ship and plane traffic, airports and ports activities, industrial and agricultural sectors as well as domestic and commercial emissions. The qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the model was performed for a reference year (2004) using data from ground-based measurement networks. The products of the CALIOPE system will provide 24h and 48h forecasts for O3, NO2, SO2, CO, PM10 and PM2.5 at surface level. An operational evaluation system has been developed

Neogene-Quaternary slow coastal uplift of Western Europe through the perspective of sequences of strandlines from the Cotentin Peninsula (Normandy, France)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pedoja, K.; Jara-Muñoz, J.; De Gelder, G.; Robertson, J.; Meschis, M.; Fernandez-Blanco, D.; Nexer, M.; Poprawski, Y.; Dugué, O.; Delcaillau, B.; Bessin, P.; Benabdelouahed, M.; Authemayou, C.; Husson, L.; Regard, V.; Menier, D.; Pinel, B.

2018-02-01