Articles publicats Institut d'Ecologia Aquàtica (IEA)

Effects of Acid Rock Drainage on Microbial Communities in Alpine Streams of the Pyrenees

2026-03-20T19:11:07Z

Effects of Acid Rock Drainage on Microbial Communities in Alpine Streams of the Pyrenees Guijosa Ortega, José Luis; Romaní i Cornet, Anna M.; Grau, Oriol; Pla Rabés, Sergi; Margalef Marrasé, Olga; Zarroca, Mario; astor Oliveras, Ada Weathering of sulphur-bearing rocks leads to acid rock drainage (ARD), which decreases water pH, mobilizes heavy met als, and forms coloured coatings of metal precipitates on riverbeds. This study assessed the effects of ARD on microbial biofilm biodiversity and community structure in alpine streams across two Pyrenean regions (Núria and Chistau). Biofilms were sampled from acidic (pH < 5.5) and non-acidic (pH > 6.5) streams, and at their confluence, where metal precipitates occur (white-coated streams). We characterised bacterial and eukaryote communities by molecular tools and specifically analysed the diatom communities by morphology approach. Their respective community composition varied with stream category for both bacteria and eukaryotes, but only bacteria exhibited a loss in diversity in acidic and white-coated streams. Diatom communities and diversity differences were driven mainly by region. In acidic and white-coated streams, bacteria which can use metals and sulphurs in their metabolic processes increased, together with fungi and some photosynthetic groups (Chlorophyta, Streptophyta) among eukaryotes. Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) assigned to acidophilic and psychrotolerant bacteria were highly associated with acidic streams, and Cyanophyceae ASVs were highly associated with white-coated ones. As for eukaryotes, ASVs of Chrysophyceae were associated with both acidic and white-coated streams. Nonetheless, the regional factor remained consistently significant across microbial communities. This study indicates that ARD-affected streams can support microbial communities adapted to their extreme conditions, with the communities in white-coated rivers differing markedly from those in acidic rivers.; Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This work was funded by the Fundación Biodiversidad, Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica (Gobierno de España) (grant Climate Change – 2017, PRCV00604). JLG-O is supported by the predoctoral grant program FI SDUR from the Research and Universities Department of the Government of Catalonia and co-financing from the European Social Fund Plus, Grant number: 2024 FISDU 00009. AP is supported by a “Ramón y Cajal” Fellowship (RYC2022-036661-I) of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. AMR acknowledges the funding from the AGAUR-ICREA Academia award. Competing interests.; 6

De los microplásticos a los aditivos: la contaminación invisible de nuestros océanos

2026-02-06T19:01:57Z

De los microplásticos a los aditivos: la contaminación invisible de nuestros océanos Trilla-Prieto, Núria; Garcia Garin, Odei ¿Qué magnitud ha adquirido la contaminación por plásticos en el medio marino? Además de los residuos flotantes y visibles, deben tenerse en cuenta los microplásticos y los aditivos químicos que intervienen en su fabricación. Una amenaza que se extiende ya hasta las regiones marinas más remotas

Assessing the potential impacts of floating Offshore Wind Farms on policy-relevant species: A case study in the Gulf of Roses, NW Mediterranean

2024-12-12T19:01:51Z

Assessing the potential impacts of floating Offshore Wind Farms on policy-relevant species: A case study in the Gulf of Roses, NW Mediterranean Wawrzynkowski, Paul; Molins, Climent; Lloret Romañach, Josep Our study investigates for the first time how floating Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs) technologies could impact policy-relevant Mediterranean species, focusing on planned OWFs in the Cape Creus/Gulf of Roses (Spain, NW Mediterranean). Using the Generalized Impact Assessment framework, we identified pressure on diverse taxonomic groups. Our species selection prioritized species under European policy (Birds and Habitats Directives) and international/local conventions protecting flora and fauna, as they are vital biodiversity indicators. Our analysis identified 135 policy-relevant species susceptible to OWF-induced stressors, notably marine mammals, seabirds, elasmobranchs, and benthic macroinvertebrates at the highest risk. Among the different stressors, noise and vibration, along with habitat loss, pose the greatest potential impacts. While decarbonizing energy production is crucial for addressing climate change, preserving ocean biodiversity is equally vital. Our study pioneers the assessment of emerging OWFs potential impacts on Mediterranean species, offering valuable insights for decision-makers during OWF planning; This research was carried out in the frame of the BIOPAIS project; Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Elsevier; 11

Untangling the roles of centrality and environmental contribution in diversity patterns across spatial scales

2024-12-10T01:50:24Z

Untangling the roles of centrality and environmental contribution in diversity patterns across spatial scales Tornero Pinilla, Irene; Gascón Garcia, Stéphanie; Cunillera-Montcusí, David; Sala Genoher, Jordi; Compte Ciurana, Jordi; Quintana Pou, Xavier; Boix Masafret, Dani The application of graph theory to metacommunity ecology allows a deeper analysis of the effect of network structure on diversity patterns. Here, we set out to test the role of network centrality metrics and environmental characteristics in diversity patterns of pond macroinvertebrate metacommunities. We tested two approaches to construct the networks: one used the percolation distance, whereas the other was based on a community-contingent distance. The role of each patch within the network was then analyzed using its centrality value. Later, we analyzed the relationships between the macroinvertebrate diversity and centrality metrics for four study sites. The calculated diversity metrics cover different facets of biodiversity at two scales: pond and pondscape. Environmental characteristics of the studied ponds were also included. All relationships were tested considering the entire macroinvertebrate dataset, but also differentiated by dispersal mode (i.e., active vs. passive) and considering the two types of network approaches analyzed. The results were mostly consistent when comparing the network approaches used. Centrality metrics tended to be positively related to alpha and negatively to beta diversity. Environmental uniqueness showed a positive effect on beta diversity metrics, regardless of the dispersal mode. We only observed a weak negative relationship between eutrophication and species richness of active dispersers. Pond size showed a positive effect on both alpha and beta diversity, but was detected more frequently on alpha diversity metrics. We could not find evidence for a clear negative effect of habitat degradation on diversity. We found a greater importance of environmental characteristics versus the centrality metrics for both alpha and beta diversity of active dispersers, while a combination of their contributions for passive dispersers. An unexpected importance of centrality was observed for alpha diversity of passive dispersers. Using empirical data, we demonstrate that the centrality of a patch in an undirected network affects diversity regardless of the approach used to construct the networks, with a higher influence at local scale regardless of the dispersal mode. This study broadens knowledge of the relationships between environmental features and network centrality, demonstrating the important role of centrality as a determinant of diversity in metacommunities; Finançament de la recerca: Ministeri d'Universitats. Número de subvenció: C21.I4.P1/AEI/10.13039/501100011033; Programa Marc Horitzó 2020. Número de subvenció: 869296; Agència Executiva Europea de Recerca. Número de subvenció: 101062388; Ministeri de Ciència i Innovació. Número de subvenció: PID2020-114440GB-I00; Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca. Número de subvenció: 2017 SGR 548 i Comissió Europea. Números de subvenció: REQ2021_A_06, REQ2021_A_34; 15