Showing posts with label Spain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spain. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Maestre Lab: Behind the scenes of the Maestre lab (V): Miguel B...
Maestre Lab: Behind the scenes of the Maestre lab (V): Miguel B...: We continue with the series of posts describing the “behind the scenes” of the research presented in the articles we publish (you can ...
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Direct and indirect impacts of climate change on microbial and biocrust communities alter the resistance of the N cycle in a semiarid grassland DelgadoBaquerizo Journal of Ecology Wiley Online Library
Saturday, January 11, 2014
CEIA3 News: Proven benefits of soil crusts in arid zone conservation
http://www.ceia3.es/en/news/news/134-proven-benefits-of-soil-crusts-in-arid-zone-conservation
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| Canton et al. conduct a rainfall simulation experiment over biocrusts in southern Spain. Source: Agrifood Center of International Excellence, Spain (CEIA3.es) |
Monday, November 4, 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Changes in biocrust cover drive carbon cycle responses to climate change in drylands Maestre Global Change Biology Wiley Online Library
Changes in biocrust cover drive carbon cycle responses to climate change in drylands Maestre Global Change Biology Wiley Online Library
A new one from Fernando Maestre, Cristina Escolar et al....nice work!
A new one from Fernando Maestre, Cristina Escolar et al....nice work!
Monday, June 24, 2013
BIOCRUST 2013, Madrid Day 1 Report
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| Arriving home after an all-nighter. Just joking! Actually, this is just how happy crust enthusiasts are to see others of their kind. We are heading out for dinner near the recently made-over Rio Manzanares. L-R: Chongfeng Bu, Jayne Belnap, Jayne's granddaughter Haylee (I'm guessing on spelling), Sasha Reed, Bettina Weber, Yunge Zhao, Nichole Barger, Sergio Velasco Ayuso, Ana Giraldo, Ferran Garcia-Pichel. |
Many thanks to Leopoldo Sancho & Fernando Maestre and their respective labs for putting on a fantastic workshop on biological soil crusts in Madrid (aka BIOCRUST 2013). There were about 80 speakers and about 30 posters presented, and the organizers are working on compiling pdfs of all of these which will eventually be available here. Obviously Spain was well-represented, but we had a great international mix of researchers from France, Portugal, Germany, Poland, The US, The UK, Israel, Australia, Venezuela, New Zealand, Colombia, and others. An impressive development compared to the last workshop was the representation of our Chinese colleagues. Three different Chinese research groups were represented. Everyone I talked to enjoyed the short talks (10 minute slots). Also I liked that the posters were hung for the duration, so that every coffee break became a poster session. On the final day we had three proposals for the 2016 conference: 1. University of Queensland, Australia with an overnight field visit to Magnetic Island (Wendy Williams) , 2. Moab, Utah, USA (Jayne Belnap), 3. The Negev Desert, Israel (Eli Zaady). I think all of these ideas were winners, but Moab took the votes.
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| Dinner, the night before the conference. |
A few day one highlights -
Sasha Reed talked about effects of warming and increased precipitation frequency primarily on mosses. The mosses nearly completely die-off due to high frequency, short duration hydration events. The use of infrared heating lamps sparked some discussion because they deliver not only a warming treatment but also a drying effect. In my opinion, real global warming will also come with drying...therefore the lamps are a reasonable simulation. Cristina Escolar followed this up perfectly with her results using passive warming chambers. The warming (and probably associated drying) is killing off lichens, and reducing production but increasing soil carbon. The authors think the carbon is from the decomposition of the lichens, and that in the long term sequestration potential will decrease.
There was considerable excitement when Nick Vandehey spoke about the Berkeley lab's capability of making C11, a short-lived radio-isotope, incubating crusts with labeled CO2, then producing an image displaying not only how much C was fixed, but also the spatial pattern of C-fixation.
Enrique Valencia spoke about his recently started project which manipulates crust biodiversity and two global change factors. It's like the Cedar Creek experiment in miniature - both in size and budget, a perfect model system.
Possibly the talk that sparked my personal interest the most on day one was Antonio Gallardo's. He looked at the effects of different lichen species on soil C and N species, soil microbiota (including ammonia oxidizers), and polyphenol chemicals. First he found that all lichens regardless of the species were more similar to each other in terms of their effects on the above mentioned variables than to either bare areas, or soil under grasses. When honing in just on the lichens they did have distinct influences on the soil biogeochemical cycling. It was Diploschistes diacapsis that exerted the most unique effects on most variable, and also this lichen that contained the most polyphenols. This suggests that the lichens influence soil microbial communities with their polyphenols, and therefore alter the biogeochemical cycling performed by the soil microbes.
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| Having some tapas in the city center before going to dinner. (L-R: Anita Antoninka, Nichole Barger, Antonio Gallardo, Ferran Garcia-Pichel, Sasha Reed, Santi Soliveres, Manu Delgado, Sergio Velasco). A little explanation: So, a man came in and wouldn't leave us alone until Ferran bought some flashing bows that you wear on your head. They came out for the photos. Another footnote: apparently this restaurant was on Gordon Ramsey's reality TV show Kitchen Disasters. |
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| Conference attendees recreate Da Vinci's last supper. This is made even more perfect by Sasha's glowing and blinking "halo", purchased for only 1 euro. Give her a break, she gave her talk that morning and its the night before her birthday. (L to R): Santi Soliveres, Antonio Gallardo, Ferran Garcia-Pichel, Sergio Velasco, Sasha Reed, Anita Antoninka, Bettina Weber, Manu Delgado. |
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
BIOCRUST 2013 - final schedule, list of speakers, useful inks
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| Aranjuez experimental station, site of the field trip during the BIOCRUST 2013 meeting in Madrid. |
Abstracts: http://sdrv.ms/13Yp6hr
Detailed program of oral communications: http://sdrv.ms/13YpdJX
List of posters: http://sdrv.ms/13YpkoY
Field guide of the Aranjuez Experimental Station (http://maestrelab.blogspot.com.es/2013/05/the-aranjuez-experimental-station.html)
pdf version here (http://sdrv.ms/13YplJF).
Thursday, December 20, 2012
BIOCRUST 2013 (Madrid) Third Circular, get your abstracts in by Dec. 31
Below is the latest on the biocrust meeting in Spain next year. I've been told that over 30 abstracts have been received so far. The deadline was extended to 31 December. Also the plenary talks are now scheduled, and I'm happy to be doing one of them:
Third circular, 12 December 2012
We are pleased to announce the Second International Workshop on Biological Soil Crust, which follows the successful first Workshop celebrated in Germany in 2010. This workshop is devoted to disseminate recent advances in our knowledge of the ecology of biological soil crusts (BSCs) and their importance as a key driver of ecosystem structure and functioning.
The main objective of this Workshop is to trigger an exchange of ideas and results, to discuss possible new theories/approaches, and to provide a forum to facilitate the collaboration among the growing international community of scientists working with BSCs.
This international meeting will take place at the Faculty of Pharmacy, The Complutense University, Madrid, Spain, between 10th and 13rd of June, 2013. The meeting will cover any aspect related to BSCs, including the following topics:
• Diversity, ecology and biogeography of BSCs
• Mapping, monitoring and management of BSCs
• Role of BSCs in ecosystems
• Taxonomy of BSC constituents
• Disturbance and restoration of BSCs
• Interaction between BSCs and vascular plant vegetation
• Effects of global environmental change on BSCs
The meeting will include invited plenary talks, contributed oral sessions, poster sessions, a field trip and some open, informal sessions to facilitate the exchange of ideas and protocols on key issues surrounding BSC ecology.
Venue
The Complutense University (http://portal.ucm.es/en/web/en-ucm) is one of the largest Universities in Spain. Located in the historic Ciudad Universitaria/Moncloa Campus, it is easily accessible from anywhere in Madrid from Metro and Bus. The venue of the meeting (Faculty of Pharmacy) is just 20 m from a metro station.
The Complutense University (http://portal.ucm.es/en/web/en-ucm) is one of the largest Universities in Spain. Located in the historic Ciudad Universitaria/Moncloa Campus, it is easily accessible from anywhere in Madrid from Metro and Bus. The venue of the meeting (Faculty of Pharmacy) is just 20 m from a metro station.
Scientific committee
Jayne Belnap, United States Geological Service (USA)
Matthew A. Bowker, Northern Arizona University (USA)
Burkhard Büdel, University of Kaiserslautern (Germany)
David Eldridge, University of New South Wales (Australia)
Ferran García-Pichel, Arizona State University (USA)
Fernando T. Maestre, Rey Juan Carlos University (Spain)
Leopoldo G. Sancho, Complutense University (Spain)
Eli Zaady, Ministry of Agriculture (Israel)
Local organizing committee
Beatriz Gozalo, Rey Juan Carlos University
Allan Green, Complutense University
Fernando T. Maestre, Rey Juan Carlos University
José Raggio, Complutense University
Victoria Ochoa, Rey Juan Carlos University
Ana Pintado, Complutense University
Mª Dolores Puche, Rey Juan Carlos University
Leopoldo G. Sancho, Complutense University
Jayne Belnap, United States Geological Service (USA)
Matthew A. Bowker, Northern Arizona University (USA)
Burkhard Büdel, University of Kaiserslautern (Germany)
David Eldridge, University of New South Wales (Australia)
Ferran García-Pichel, Arizona State University (USA)
Fernando T. Maestre, Rey Juan Carlos University (Spain)
Leopoldo G. Sancho, Complutense University (Spain)
Eli Zaady, Ministry of Agriculture (Israel)
Local organizing committee
Beatriz Gozalo, Rey Juan Carlos University
Allan Green, Complutense University
Fernando T. Maestre, Rey Juan Carlos University
José Raggio, Complutense University
Victoria Ochoa, Rey Juan Carlos University
Ana Pintado, Complutense University
Mª Dolores Puche, Rey Juan Carlos University
Leopoldo G. Sancho, Complutense University
Program
10.6. Arrival, registration, workshop sessions (morning and afternoon).
10.6. Arrival, registration, workshop sessions (morning and afternoon).
11.6. Workshop sessions (morning and afternoon).
12.6. Field trip to the Guadarrama Mountain Range (8:00 – 16:00 h). Informal discussion
session in a field station in the mountains (16:00 – 18:00 h). Conference dinner in the Botanical Gardens of the University.
13.6. Workshop sessions (morning), departure after lunch.
Plenary speakers are now confirmed (the title of the talks is tentative):
Dr. Matthew A. Bowker, Assistant Professor, Northern Arizona University. Topic of his talk: “Biological soil crusts as a model system on community and ecosystem ecology”.
Dr. Matthew A. Bowker, Assistant Professor, Northern Arizona University. Topic of his talk: “Biological soil crusts as a model system on community and ecosystem ecology”.
Dr. Burkhard Büdel, Professor, University of Kaiserslautern. Topic of his talk: “Soil Crust InterNational (SCIN) – Understanding and valuing biological soil protection of disturbed and open land surfaces”.
Dr. Steve Pointing, Professor, Auckland University of Technology. Topic of his talk: “Understanding microbial contributions to ecosystem-wide patterns and processes in extreme environments”.
Abstract submission
Abstract submission will be open from 20 September 2012 to 31 December 2012.
Authors are invited to present regular talks, short ideas and/or posters at the meeting. Regular contributions will be talks of 15 minutes + 5 minutes discussion each. Short notes/ideas can be presented in 5 minute talks (+ 3 minutes discussion). Poster sessions will also take place the first two days of the meeting.
For all the contribution types, please submit abstracts by e-mail (to iibscworkshop@gmail.com) using this template and indicate, if you wish to present a regular contribution, a short note or a poster. Please note that the number of slots available for regular and short talks is limited, and we may not be able to accommodate all the requests for talks we may have.
The template for the abstract can be found available in the webpage of the meeting.
Registration and fees
The registration will be open from 1 January 2013 to 30 April 2013.
Conference fees:
240 € regular participants
120 € students
The fees include the documentation, the lunches of three days, the field trip and the conference dinner. Payment of the fees will be done by either credit card or bank transfer, using the registration form available here and in the webpage of the meeting. Once filled in you must submit the form directly by fax or e-mail to the General Foundation UCM (e-mail address and fax number are in the template). Please do not send it to us.
Travel Information
Madrid, the Spanish capital, is a vibrant city with world class museums, monuments, and restaurants, and with a famous night and cultural life. Madrid can be easily reached by plane from anywhere in the world. Flights arrive to Barajas airport, from where the city centre can be reached by metro, train ("Cercanías"), bus or taxi. The best way to arrive to the meeting from the city center is by Metro or bus. A metro map and travel itinerary planner can be found here.
Participants are free to book the accommodation of their choice, as there are plenty of options within Madrid, from cheap hostels to luxury hotels. We are making arrangements with a travel agency, which will offer some hotels at a discounted price for participants. We will update details on how to book through them in the next circular.
For general travelling and tourism information please visit:
http://www.esmadrid.com/en/portal.do (Touristic information on Madrid and schedule of cultural events going out in the city)
http://www.spain.info/en_US/ (General touristic information)
http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite/Home/en/Page/1166792871783/ (Information on flights going to the Barajas airport, the main airport in Madrid)
Important dates
Abstract submission: Abstract submission will be from 20 September 2012 to 31 December 2012.
Notification of abstract acceptance: 30 January 2013
Registration: 1 January 2013 – 30 April 2013
Workshop: 10 – 13 June 2013
We hope to see you all at Madrid in 2013!
Fernando T. Maestre (fernando.maestre@urjc.es) and Leopoldo G. Sancho (sancholg@farm.ucm.es)
Monday, October 8, 2012
Theme Issue 'Impacts of global environmental change on drylands: from ecosystem structure and functioning to poverty alleviation'
Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are an important source of organic carbon, and affect a range of ecosystem functions in arid and semiarid environments. Yet the impact of grazing disturbance on crust properties and soil CO2 efflux remain poorly studied, particularly in African ecosystems. The effects of burial under wind-blown sand, disaggregation and removal of BSCs on seasonal variations in soil CO2 efflux, soil organic carbon, chlorophyll a and scytonemin were investigated at two sites in the Kalahari of southern Botswana. Field experiments were employed to isolate CO2 efflux originating from BSCs in order to estimate the C exchange within the crust. Organic carbon was not evenly distributed through the soil profile but concentrated in the BSC. Soil CO2 efflux was higher in Kalahari Sand than in calcrete soils, but rates varied significantly with seasonal changes in moisture and temperature. BSCs at both sites were a small net sink of C to the soil. Soil CO2 efflux was significantly higher in sand soils where the BSC was removed, and on calcrete where the BSC was buried under sand. The BSC removal and burial under sand also significantly reduced chlorophyll a, organic carbon and scytonemin. Disaggregation of the soil crust, however, led to increases in chlorophyll a and organic carbon. The data confirm the importance of BSCs for C cycling in drylands and indicate intensive grazing, which destroys BSCs through trampling and burial, will adversely affect C sequestration and storage. Managed grazing, where soil surfaces are only lightly disturbed, would help maintain a positive carbon balance in African drylands.
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Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are key biotic components of dryland ecosystems worldwide that control many functional processes, including carbon and nitrogen cycling, soil stabilization and infiltration. Regardless of their ecological importance and prevalence in drylands, very few studies have explicitly evaluated how climate change will affect the structure and composition of BSCs, and the functioning of their constituents. Using a manipulative experiment conducted over 3 years in a semi-arid site from central Spain, we evaluated how the composition, structure and performance of lichen-dominated BSCs respond to a 2.4°C increase in temperature, and to an approximately 30 per cent reduction of total annual rainfall. In areas with well-developed BSCs, warming promoted a significant decrease in the richness and diversity of the whole BSC community. This was accompanied by important compositional changes, as the cover of lichens suffered a substantial decrease with warming (from 70 to 40% on average), while that of mosses increased slightly (from 0.3 to 7% on average). The physiological performance of the BSC community, evaluated using chlorophyll fluorescence, increased with warming during the first year of the experiment, but did not respond to rainfall reduction. Our results indicate that ongoing climate change will strongly affect the diversity and composition of BSC communities, as well as their recovery after disturbances. The expected changes in richness and composition under warming could reduce or even reverse the positive effects of BSCs on important soil processes. Thus, these changes are likely to promote an overall reduction in ecosystem processes that sustain and control nutrient cycling, soil stabilization and water dynamics.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Friday, September 14, 2012
Second circular: Second International Workshop on Biological Soil C...
Some updated information on next summer's crust conference in Madrid, including format, schedule, and fees.
Maestre Lab: Second International Workshop on Biological Soil C...: We are pleased to announce the Second International Workshop on Biological Soil Cruts, which follows the successful first Workshop c...
Maestre Lab: Second International Workshop on Biological Soil C...: We are pleased to announce the Second International Workshop on Biological Soil Cruts, which follows the successful first Workshop c...
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