Rapid Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring Method for Highly Diverse Benthic Communities: A Case Study of Mediterranean Coralligenous Outcrops

Increasing anthropogenic pressures urge enhanced knowledge and understanding of the current state of marine biodiversity. This baseline information is pivotal to explore present trends, detect future modifications and propose adequate management actions for marine ecosystems. Coralligenous outcrops are a highly diverse and structurally complex deep-water habitat faced with major threats in the Mediterranean Sea. Despite its ecological, aesthetic and economic value, coralligenous biodiversity patterns are still poorly understood. There is currently no single sampling method that has been demonstrated to be sufficiently representative to ensure adequate community assessment and monitoring in this habitat. Therefore, we propose a rapid non-destructive protocol for biodiversity assessment and monitoring of coralligenous outcrops providing good estimates of its structure and species composition, based on photographic sampling and the determination of presence/absence of macrobenthic species. We used an extensive photographic survey, covering several spatial scales (100s of m to 100s of km) within the NW Mediterranean and including 2 different coralligenous assemblages: Paramuricea clavata (PCA) and Corallium rubrum assemblage (CRA). This approach allowed us to determine the minimal sampling area for each assemblage (5000 cm² for PCA and 2500 cm²for CRA). In addition, we conclude that 3 replicates provide an optimal sampling effort in order to maximize the species number and to assess the main biodiversity patterns of studied assemblages in variability studies requiring replicates. We contend that the proposed sampling approach provides a valuable tool for management and conservation planning, monitoring and research programs focused on coralligenous outcrops, potentially also applicable in other benthic ecosystems

Metal leaching from a limestone quarry minesoil made with thermally-dried sewage sludge

Peer Reviewed

Low Dynamics, High Longevity and Persistence of Sessile Structural Species Dwelling on Mediterranean Coralligenous Outcrops

There is still limited understanding of the processes underlying benthic species dynamics in marine coastal habitats, which are of disproportionate importance in terms of productivity and biodiversity. The life-history traits of long-lived benthic species in these habitats are particularly poorly documented. In this study, we assessed decadal patterns of population dynamics for ten sponge and anthozoan species that play key structural roles in coralligenous outcrops (~25 m depth) in two areas of the NW Mediterranean Sea. This study was based on examination of a unique long-term photographic series, which allowed analysis of population dynamics over extensive spatial and time spans for the very first time. Specifically, 671 individuals were censused annually over periods of 25-, 15-, and 5-years. This long-term study quantitatively revealed a common life-history pattern among the ten studied species, despite the fact they present different growth forms. Low mortality rates (3.4% yr−1 for all species combined) and infrequent recruitment events (mean value of 3.1±0.5 SE recruits yr−1) provided only a very small fraction of the new colonies required to maintain population sizes. Overall, annual mortality and recruitment rates did not differ significantly among years; however, some species displayed important mortality events and recruitment pulses, indicating variability among species. Based on the growth rates of these 10 species, we projected their longevity and, obtained a mean estimated age of 25-200 years. Finally, the low to moderate turnover rates (mean value 0.80% yr−1) observed among the coralligenous species were in agreement with their low dynamics and persistence. These results offer solid baseline data and reveal that these habitats are among the most vulnerable to the current increases of anthropogenic disturbances.

Avaluació de la capacitat de segrest de carboni d'un sòl restaurat amb fangs de depuradora: estabilitat de la matèria orgànica

L’avaluació de la capacitat de segrest de carboni d’un sòl denudat per l’extracció de calcàries i la seva posterior restauració amb fangs de depuradora s’ha realitzat mitjançant l’anàlisi de l’estabilitat de la matèria orgànica del sòl (MOS) en funció de la dosi de fangs aplicada. Els resultats d’aquest treball demostren dos fets fonamentals per a l’estudi de la capacitat de segrest de carboni, els qual són: la conservació del contingut total de MOS i l’augment de la seva estabilitat fins a nivells més alts que els de la MOS de les parcel·les de control. Aquests resultats són explicables per (i) la conservació i augment de la MOS recalcitrant, i (ii) la protecció d’una porció més o menys rellevant de la MO làbil continguda amb els fangs gràcies a l’acció simultània dels mecanismes d’estabilització de la MOS, com són: l’estabilització bioquímica (humificació), química, física, a més de la pròpia hidrofobicitat de la MOS, aquests dos últims potenciats per l’addicció del fangs de depuradora.

La datació de l'Esfinx de Guiza, més enllà del debat científic?

El present treball analitza tant el procés seguit per a determinar qui va modelar l'Esfinx de Guiza a partir de la roca calcària que s'erigeix al centre d'una immensa rasa i en quin moment de la història d'Egipte es va construir com la tipologia de les reaccions que han tingut lloc, en l'àmbit científic, respecte d'un plantejament plenament rupturista que suposa una revisió dràstica de l'edat que se li atribueix.

Elemental analysis of New Zealand Nephrite Jade (pounamu) for forensic purposes

Pounamu (NZ jade), or nephrite, is a protected mineral in its natural form following thetransfer of ownership back to Ngai Tahu under the Ngai Tahu (Pounamu Vesting) Act 1997.Any theft of nephrite is prosecutable under the Crimes Act 1961. Scientific evidence isessential in cases where origin is disputed. A robust method for discrimination of thismaterial through the use of elemental analysis and compositional data analysis is required.Initial studies have characterised the variability within a given nephrite source. This hasincluded investigation of both in situ outcrops and alluvial material. Methods for thediscrimination of two geographically close nephrite sources are being developed.Key Words: forensic, jade, nephrite, laser ablation, inductively coupled plasma massspectrometry, multivariate analysis, elemental analysis, compositional data analysis

Dos nous afloraments volcànics a l'Alt Empordà (Girona)

Two unknown volcanic outcrops in the Alt Emporda (Girona) are described in this paper . We present their exact situation and a description of their occurrence and their mineralogical and petrological characteristics. Bothhave been classified as alkali-olivine basalts and they probably extruded during the Neogen period

Role of fluid mixing in deep dissolution of carbonates

The presence of cavities filled with new minerals in carbonate rocks is a common feature in oil reservoirs and lead-zinc deposits. Since groundwater equilibrates rapidly with carbonates, the presence of dissolution cavities in deep carbonate host rocks is a paradox. Two alternative geochemical processes have been proposed to dissolve carbonates at depth: hydrogen sulfide oxidation to sulfuric acid, and metal sulfide precipitation. With the aid of geochemical modeling we show that mixing two warm solutions saturated with carbonate results in a new solution that dissolves limestone. Variations in the proportion of the end-member fluids can also form a supersaturated mixture and fill the cavity with a new generation of carbonate. Mixing is in general more effective in dissolving carbonates than the aforementioned processes. Moreover, mixing is consistent with the wide set of textures and mineral proportions observed in cavity infillings.

Palaeogene Charophytes of the Balearic Islands (Spain)

Fossil charophytes were recorded in two different stratigraphic units from the non-marine Palaeogene of the Balearic Islands. In the Peguera Limestone Fm. of Mallorca the charophyte flora is characterised by two assemblages. The first contains Raskyella peckii subsp. meridionale, Harrisichara caeciliana and Maedleriella mangenoti, from the Bartonian and Lutetian; whilst the second is characterised by Harrisichara vasiformistuberculata and Nitellopsis (Tectochara) aemula, Middle Priabonian in age. The Cala Blanca Detrital Fm. has yielded Lychnothamnus stockmansii and Sphaerochara inconspicua in Menorca whilst in Mallorca it contains Lychnothamnus praelangeri, L. langeri and Sphaerochara hirmeri. This flora is Late Priabonian and Oligocene in age. These results suggest that the beginning of Paleogene non-marine deposition was diachronic in Mallorca. In terms of biogeography, the Eocene charophytes of Mallorca show affinity with North-African floras. The presence of the Eocene African subspecies Raskyella peckii meridionale in Mallorca enables the biogeographic boundary between this form and the European subspecies R. peckii peckii to be drawn at about 32º N latitude in the Iberian Plate.

An inventory of the marine and transitional Middle/Upper Eocene deposits of the Southeastern Pyrenean Foreland Basin (NE Spain)

In the southeastern Ebro Foreland Basin, the marine deposits of Lutetian and Bartonian age show excellent outcrop conditions, with a great lateral and horizontal continuity of lithostratigraphic units. In addition, the rich fossil record -mainly larger foraminifers-, provides biostratigraphic data of regional relevance for the whole Paleogene Pyrenean Basin, that can be used for the Middle Eocene biocorrelation of the western Tethys. This contribution is a sedimentary and biostratigraphic synthesis of the basic outcrops and sections of the Lutetian andBartonian marine and transitional deposits in the southeastern sector of the Ebro Foreland Basin.

Side scan sonar image and geologic interpretation of the Ria de Pontevedra seafloor (Galicia, NW Spain).

High-resolution side scan sonar has been used for mapping the seafloor of the Ría de Pontevedra. Four backscatter patterns have been mapped within the Ría: (1) Pattern with isolated reflections, correlated with granite and metamorphic outcrops and located close to the coastal prominence and Ons and Onza Islands. (2) Pattern of strong reflectivity usually located around the basement outcrops and near the coastline and produced by coarse-grained sediment. (3) Pattern of weak backscatter is correlated with fine sand to mud and comprising large areas in the central and deep part of the Ría, where the bottom currents are weak. It is generally featureless, except where pockmarks and anthropogenic features are present. (4) Patches of strong and weak backscatter are located in the boundary between coarse and fine-grained sediments and they are due to the effect of strong bottom currents. The presence of megaripples associated to both patterns of strong reflectivity and sedimentary patches indicate bedload transport of sediment during high energy conditions (storms). Side scan sonar records and supplementary bathymetry, bottom samples and hydrodynamic data reveal that the distribution of seafloor sediment is strongly related to oceanographic processes and the particular morphology and topography of the Ría.

Marine and transitional Middle/Upper Eocenen units of the Southeastern Pyrenean Foreland Basin (NE Spain)

The stratigraphic basis of this work has allowed the use of larger foraminifers in the biostratigraphic characterisation of the new Shallow Benthic Zones (SBZ). This part of the volume presents a description of the sedimentary cycles formed by the transgressive-regressive systems of the Lutetian and Bartonian in the southeastern sector of the Ebro Foreland Basin. Concerning the Lutetian deposits studied in the Amer-Vic and Empordà areas, four sedimentary cycles have been characterised. The first and second are found within the Tavertet/Girona Limestone Formation (Reguant, 1967; Pallí, 1972), while the third and fourth cycles cover the Coll de Malla Marl Formation (Clavell et al., 1970), the Bracons Formation (Gich, 1969, 1972), the Banyoles Marl Formation (Almela and Ríos, 1943), and the Bellmunt Formation (Gich, 1969, 1972). In the Bartonian deposits studied in the Igualada area, two transgressive-regressive sedimentary cycles have been characterised in the Collbàs Formation (Ferrer, 1971), the Igualada Formation (Ferrer, 1971), and the Tossa Formation (Ferrer, 1971). The Shallow Benthic Zones (SBZs) recognised within the Lutetian are the following: SBZ 13, from the Early Lutetian, in the transgressive system of the first cycle; SBZ 14, from the Middle Lutetian, in the second cycle and the lower part of the transgressive system of the third cycle; SBZ 15, from the Middle Lutetian, in the remaining parts of the third system; SBZ 16, from the Late Lutetian, throughout the fourth cycle. The association of larger foraminifers in the first and second cycles of the Bartonian in the Igualada area has been used as the basis for the definition of SBZs 17 and 18 recognised in the Bartonian of the western Tethys.

The Upper Oligocene of Montgat (Catalan Coastal Ranges, Spain): new age constraints to the western Mediterranean Basin opening

The Oligocene deposits of Montgat are integrated in a small outcrop made up of Cenozoic and Mesozoic rocks located in the Garraf-Montnegre horst, close to the major Barcelona fault. The Oligocene of Montgat consists of detrital sediments of continental origin mainly deposited in alluvial fan environments; these deposits are folded and affected by thrusts and strike-slip faults. They can be divided in two lithostratigraphic units separated by a minor southwest-directed thrust: (i) the Turó de Montgat Unit composed of litharenites and lithorudites with high contents of quartz, feldspar, plutonic and limestone rock fragments; and (ii) the Pla de la Concòrdia Unit composed of calcilitharenites and calcilithorudites with high contents of dolosparite and dolomicrite rock fragments. The petrological composition of both units indicates that sediments were derived from the erosion of Triassic (Buntsandstein, Muschelkalk and Keuper facies), Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous rocks (Barremian to Aptian in age). Stratigraphic and petrological data suggest that these units correspond to two coalescent alluvial fans with a source area located northwestwards in the adjoining Collserola and Montnegre inner areas. Micromammal fossils (Archaeomys sp.) found in a mudstone layer of the Pla de la Concòrdia Unit assign a Chattian age (Late Oligocene) to the studied materials. Thus, the Montgat deposits are the youngest dated deposits affected by the contractional deformation that led to the development of the Catalan Intraplate Chain. Taking into account that the oldest syn-rift deposits in the Catalan Coastal Ranges are Aquitanian in age, this allows to precise that the change from a compressive to an extensional regime in this area took place during latest Oligocene-earliest Aquitanian times. This age indicates that the onset of crustal extension related to the opening of the western Mediterranean Basin started in southern France during latest Eocene-early Oligocene and propagated southwestward, affecting the Catalan Coastal Ranges and the northeastern part of the Valencia trough during the latest Chattian-earliest Aquitanian times.

Cianofícies i algues aerofítiques de substrats carbonatats.

Atmophytic Cyanophyta and Algae from limestone substrata. The walls of caves and tombs support an abundant colonization of light-dependent organisms. A total of 4 liverworts, 3 mosses, 7 lichens and 28 cyanophyta and algae are reported from 3 collecting sites. The development and specific composition of these organisms is related to microclimatic parameters. Opportunistic species present in soils are found on the mouth of hypogeal niches. Light attenuation allows the development of calcifying cyanophyta following a succesional pattern, each level having a different dominant species. Communities dominated by Scytonema julianum are replaced by Herpyzonema pulverulentum and, towards the less iluminated area, by Geitleria calcarea and Loriella sp. Key words: Caves, Light attenuation, Non vascular plants, Colonization, Calcifying cyanophyta, Scytonema julianum, Herpyzonema pulverulentum, Geitleria calcarea, Chlorophyta, Diatoms, Microclimatic gradient.

La vegetació de la serra de Moixeró i el massís de la Tosa d'Alp (Pirineus orientals).

This work offers an approach to the vegetation of the Pyrenean area mentioned above according to three successive and related levels -vascularflora, plant communities and plant landscape. The study area stretches over 147.5 square km (projected surface), nearly 70% belonging to Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park. Altitudes rise from 720 m a.s.l. (Southern part) and 1100 m a.s.l. (Northern part) to 2536 m a.s.l. at the top ofla Tosa d'Alp. Limestone, the most common substrate, constitutes the highest mountain ranges in the area and also the roughest relief. Slate, carbonated slate, marl, sandstone and different kinds of conglomerate are also present. The bioclimate of lower parts is axeromeric sub-mediterranean type in the Gaussen scale, with a marked continental factor in the Northern sector (Cerdanya district). High parts have high mountain climates -cold axeric, subalpine and alpine types.