There is an increasing consensus that microbial communities have an important role in mediating ecosystem processes. Trait-based ecology predicts that the impact of the microbial communities on ...ecosystem functions will be mediated by the expression of their traits at community level. The link between the response of microbial community traits to environmental conditions and its effect on plant functioning is a gap in most current microbial ecology studies. In this study, we analyzed functional traits of ectomycorrhizal fungal species in order to understand the importance of their community assembly for the soil-plant relationships in holm oak trees (
subsp.
) growing in a gradient of exposure to anthropogenic trace element (TE) contamination after a metalliferous tailings spill. Particularly, we addressed how the ectomycorrhizal composition and morphological traits at community level mediate plant response to TE contamination and its capacity for phytoremediation. Ectomycorrhizal fungal taxonomy and functional diversity explained a high proportion of variance of tree functional traits, both in roots and leaves. Trees where ectomycorrhizal fungal communities were dominated by the abundant taxa
and
showed a conservative root economics spectrum, while trees colonized by rare taxa presented a resource acquisition strategy. Conservative roots presented ectomycorrhizal functional traits characterized by high rhizomorphs formation and low melanization which may be driven by resource limitation. Soil-to-root transfer of TEs was explained substantially by the ectomycorrhizal fungal species composition, with the highest transfer found in trees whose roots were colonized by
. Leaf phosphorus was related to ectomycorrhizal species composition, specifically higher leaf phosphorus was related to the root colonization by
. These findings support that ectomycorrhizal fungal community composition and their functional traits mediate plant performance in metal-contaminated soils, and have a high influence on plant capacity for phytoremediation of contaminants. The study also corroborates the overall effects of ectomycorrhizal fungi on ecosystem functioning through their mediation over the plant economics spectrum.
Establishing energy crops could be a cost-efficient alternative towards the valorization of the plant biomass produced in contaminated lands, where they would not compete with food production for ...land use. Dittrichia viscosa and Silybum marianum are two native Mediterranean species recently identified as potential energy crops for degraded lands. Here, we present the first characterization of the decomposition of the biomass of these species during thermo-chemical conversion (pyrolysis). Using a greenhouse study we evaluated whether the quality of D. viscosa and S. marianum biomass for energy production through pyrolysis could be substantially influenced by the presence of high concentrations of soluble trace element concentrations in the growing substrate. For each species, biomass produced in two different soil types (with contrasted trace element concentrations and pH) had similar elemental composition. Behavior during thermal decomposition, activation energies and concentrations of pyrolysis gases were also similar between both types of soils. Average activation energy values were 295 and 300 kJ mol−1 (for a conversion value of α = 0.5) for S. marianum and D. viscosa, respectively. Results suggest that there were no major effects of soil growing conditions on the properties of the biomass as raw material for pyrolysis, and confirm the interest of these species as energy crops for Mediterranean contaminated lands.
•Dittrichia viscosa and Silybum marianum are promising energy crops for contaminated lands.•Biomass obtained from two contaminated soils was examined during pyrolysis.•TGA curves were similar across materials obtained from both soils.•Biomass chemical composition and concentrations of pyrolysis gases were also similar.•Results confirm the interest of both species as energy crops for contaminated lands.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Congenital heart disease is the most common congenital condition worldwide, with a prevalence of 80 cases per 10 000 live births. In addition to perinatal morbidity and mortality, it entails ...long-term consequences such as multiple surgeries, prolonged hospitalizations, lifelong cardiac follow-up, reduced quality of life, risk of heart failure, and premature mortality in adulthood. This significant health and economic burden on healthcare systems and families highlights the relevance of evaluating the cost-effectiveness of methods for early detection of this condition.
To conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) to identify and analyze existing economic evaluations on prenatal detection of congenital heart diseases through ultrasound, focusing on the reported cost-effectiveness results and the methodological quality of the evaluated studies according to established criteria.
An SLR of economic evaluations was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. A quantitative synthesis of key methodological components of each economic evaluation was performed. The incremental medical costs, effectiveness measures, and cost-effectiveness ratios reported in each study were compiled and compared. The methodological quality was assessed according to compliance with the 24 CHEERS criteria.
We found 785 articles, of which only 7 met all inclusion criteria. Most were cost-effectiveness analyses, with the most common outcome being number of cases detected. Screening with only 4-chamber views interpreted by general practitioners or cardiologists were dominant strategies compared with screening with 4-chamber plus outflow views interpreted by a general practitioner. Fetal echocardiography was most effective but most expensive. Screening with 4-chamber and outflow view, followed by referral to a specialist, were recommended as the least expensive strategy per defect detected. On average, articles met 17 of the 24 CHEERS criteria.
While recent cost-effectiveness analyses demonstrated improved methodological quality, there was a lack of homogeneity due to differences in comparators and population subgroups analyzed. Despite this heterogeneity, fetal ultrasonography screening was consistently identified as a cost-effective strategy, with its cost-effectiveness heavily influenced by the expertise of the interpreting physician.
Most studies recommend implementing obstetric ultrasonography screening, without routine fetal echocardiography, for detecting congenital heart diseases.
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•The composition of soil microbial communities and their functionality were studied.•Tillage and climatic conditions concur to shape the soil PLFA profiles.•PLFA combined to enzyme ...activities are useful proxies to monitor soil quality.•After harvest samplings provide more reliable data, insensitive to crop variability.•Chisel plough is the most sustainable tillage under Mediterranean conditions.
Mediterranean ecosystems are especially sensitive to the effects of intensive agriculture. Therefore, sustainable practices based on the protection of organic matter and water in soil are of great interest in these systems. Among these practices, tillage and crop rotation could induce changes in soil properties and consequently on soil microbial communities, which play a fundamental role in soil fertility. In this work we evaluated the changes in some soil chemical and biochemical properties induced by different tillage types -non-tillage (NT), reduced tillage (RT) and traditional tillage (TT)- in a trial that was established 10 years ago in a typical Mediterranean crop rotation. Phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA) was performed to test the effect of tillage on the structure of the soil microbial community. Two soil samplings were performed, one after tillage operation (fallow period) and the other during the late stage of a legume crop to compare the effects of long-term tillage and crop development in these variables. Results indicated that conservation tillages (NT and RT) had positive effects on soil chemical properties (mainly on soil N) in comparison to TT, especially during the fallow period. Crop production, however, was similar between treatments. Some biochemical (enzyme activities) and biological (PLFA profile) parameters were better indicators of the effect of tillage type on soil than chemical variables. PLFA profiles were more different among tillage types during the fallow period, but when PLFAs were assigned into functional groups the tillage effect was more evident after crop development, when conservation tillage (NT and RT) promoted a higher abundance of soil fungi over bacteria. We strongly recommend that PLFA analysis should be performed on fallow period before tillage operations, and to couple PLFA measurement with at least one method of microbial activity in order to fully assess the impact of different tillage systems on soil functioning. The results have allowed, to 1) quantify the effect of tillage on the distribution of bacterial and fungal communities in the soil (PLFA) and on its functionality (enzyme activities) during the development of a legume crop and 2) establish that the combined use of chemical and biological variables is necessary to set up indicators of soil quality in tillage comparison trials.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Aims
Root functions are multiple and essential for the growth and survival of terrestrial plants. The aim of this work was to analyse the main trends in the variation of root traits, their ...coordination with leaf traits and their relationships with soil conditions.
Methods
We measured the variation of 27 fine root traits (five morphological, 20 chemical and two isotopic signatures) in trees of seven species of a mixed plantation in a metal-contaminated and remediated site of Southern Spain.
Results
We found evidences supporting the existence of a root economics spectrum (RES). However, other dimensions were identified as being independent of the main RES: mainly the variation in the carbon concentration, the accumulation of trace elements associated with tolerance of metal-rich soils, and the fractionation of δ
15
N as a time-integrated trait of mycorrhizal-mediated nutrition. In general, roots and leaves were functionally coordinated, although most of the trace elements showed strong root-leaf discordance. The soil conditions interacted with the fine root traits in feedback processes. The ability of tree roots to accumulate trace elements and to reduce their translocation to leaves is a desirable trait for the phytoremediation of metal-contaminated soils.
Conclusions
Roots are multifunctional. Understanding the variations in the root traits of trees will help us to predict both the responses of forests to global changes, including soil contamination, and the provision of soil-based ecosystem services.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NMLJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Mediterranean savannahs (dehesas) are agro-sylvo-pastoral systems with a marked seasonality, with severe summer drought and favourable rainy spring and autumn. These conditions are forecasted to ...become more extreme due to the ongoing global climate change. Under such conditions, it is key to understand soil organic matter (SOM) dynamics at a molecular level. Here, analytical pyrolysis (Py-GC/MS) combined with chemometric statistical approaches was used for the molecular characterization of SOM in a five-years field manipulative experiment of single and combined rainfall exclusion (drought) and increased temperature (warming). The results indicate that SOM molecular composition in dehesas is mainly determined by the effect of the tree canopy. After only five years of the climatic experiment, the differences caused by the warming, drought and the combination of warming+drought forced climate scenarios became statistically significant with respect to the untreated controls, notably in the open pasture habitat. The climatic treatments mimicking foreseen climate changes affected mainly the lignocellulose dynamics, but also other SOM compounds (alkanes, fatty acids, isoprenoids and nitrogen compounds) pointing to accelerated humification processes and SOM degradation when soils are under warmer and dryer conditions. Therefore, it is expected that, in the short term, the foreseen climate change scenarios will exert changes in the Mediterranean savannah SOM molecular structure and in its dynamic.
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•Mediterranean savannahs “dehesas” are threatened by climate change.•A five-years field soil warming and drought experiment was evaluated.•Py-GC/MS was used for assessing SOM changes and biomarkers identification.•Specific changes in SOM molecular structure and functioning were detected.•Climate change is expected to affect SOM composition and dynamics in the short term.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
is one of the most prevalent pathogenic
species in dental plaque on tooth surfaces.
biofilms exhibit an enhanced resistance against most antifungal agents. Thus, the development of alternative more ...potent and effective antimicrobials is required to overcome this resistance. In this study, three novel fluorinated derivatives and nine selenoester compounds were screened as novel antifungal and antibiofilm agents against
,
, and
(N = 81 dental isolates).
strains were susceptible only to fluorinated compounds while
,
, and
were susceptible to the action of the selenoesters. The evaluated symmetrical selenoester compounds presented very good antifungal activity against all the tested
dental isolates (1-4 μg/mL of minimum inhibitory concentration-MIC). The most active compound (Se-5) was able to inhibit and disperse
biofilms. These results demonstrated that selenoesters may be novel and promising biocide agents against
clinical dental isolates.
The growing interest in bioenergy crops that do not compete with food production for land use has promoted the implementation of low‐input crops on marginal lands. However, these crops can be highly ...limited by the low soil nutrient and water availability in these lands. In this work, biosolid compost (BC) was applied to improve the quality of a degraded, C‐poor soil under Mediterranean conditions. We evaluated the effects of BC addition on soil physical, chemical and biochemical properties in a field experiment with two native species with potential as bioenergy crops (Cynara cardunculus and Silybum marianum). The addition of BC significantly increased soil C content from <0.9% to >1%, and produced a two‐fold increase in soil P availability. Respiration rates and microbial activity were only slightly improved by BC, while significant increases in the PLFA molar content assigned to general classes of bacteria were recorded. The beneficial effects of BC triggered the percentage of seed germination in S. marianum (from 64% in control plots to 85% in the compost treatment) as well as the production of biomass in both species (two‐fold increase in the second year). Application of BC led to increases in energy yield of 58% for C. cardunculus and of 71% for S. marianum. Considering the low economic cost of BC, its application on marginal soils in combination with C. cardunculus crops, producing much larger biomass than S. marianum, could be considered as an option for degraded Mediterranean soils.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Background and aims Soil factors are driving forces that influence spatial distribution and functional traits of plant species. We test whether two anchor morphological traits—leaf mass per area ...(LMA) and leaf dry matter content (LDMC)—are significantly related to a broad range of leaf nutrient concentrations in Mediterranean woody plant species. We also explore the main environmental filters (light availability, soil moisture and soil nutrients) that determine the patterns of these functional traits in a forest stand. Methods Four morphological and 19 chemical leaf traits (macronutrients and trace elements and δ13C and δ15N signatures) were analysed in 17 woody plant species. Community-weighted leaf traits were calculated for 57 plots within the forest. Links between LMA, LDMC and other leaf traits were analysed at the species and the community level using standardised major axis (SMA) regressions Results LMA and LDMC were significantly related to many leaf nutrient concentrations, but only when using abundance-weighted values at community level. Among-traits links were much weaker for the crossspecies analysis. Nitrogen isotopic signatures were useful to understand different resource-use strategies. Community-weighted LMA and LDMC were negatively related to light availability, contrary to what was expecte. Conclusion Community leaf traits have parallel shifts along the environmental factors that determine the community assembly, even though they are weakly related across individual taxa. Light availability is the main environmental factor determining this convergence of the community leaf traits.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NMLJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Fungi play a key role in the functioning of soil in terrestrial ecosystems, and in particular in the remediation of degraded soils. The contribution of fungi to carbon and nutrient cycles, along with ...their capability to mobilise soil trace elements, is well-known. However, the importance of life history strategy for these functions has not yet been thoroughly studied. This study explored the soil-fungi relationship of two wild edible fungi, the ectomycorrhizal Laccaria laccata and the saprotroph Volvopluteus gloiocephalus. Fruiting bodies and surrounding soils in a mine-spill contaminated area were analysed. Isotope analyses revealed Laccaria laccata fruiting bodies were
N-enriched when compared to Volvopluteus gloiocephalus, likely due to the transfer of
N-depleted compounds to their host plant. Moreover, Laccaria laccata fruiting bodies δ
C values were closer to host plant values than surrounding soil, while Volvopluteus gloiocephalus matched the δ
C composition to that of the soil. Fungal species presented high bioaccumulation and concentrations of Cd and Cu in their fruiting bodies. Human consumption of these fruiting bodies may represent a toxicological risk due to their elevated Cd concentrations.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
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