For millions of years, plants and animals have evolved in step, timing life cycles to the seasons. Flowers bloom as pollinators arrive; migratory birds reach breeding grounds when food is abundant. That synchrony is starting to break down. As the climate warms, plants are adjusting seasonal behaviors faster than animals — creating mismatches that threaten key ecological interactions.

A major study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution reveals that the seasonal timing of life cycle events— known as phenology — is diverging between plants and animals, posing growing risks to ecosystems worldwide.

Led by Dr. Weiguang Lang from Peking University, in collaboration with Professor Josep Peñuelas from CREAF and CSIC (Spain), and Professor Ivan Janssens from the University of Antwerp (Belgium), the study analyzes nearly 500,000 records from around the globe, making it the most comprehensive assessment of phenological shifts to date.

The study finds that climate change does not affect all species equally. Plants are accelerating their seasonal rhythms — leafing, flowering, and fruiting earlier in response to warming — while animals are shifting more slowly and less consistently, increasing temporal mismatch in nature’s calendar.

Using more than 42 years of field data (1980–2022), the team compiled 470,337 phenological time series from over 2,500 plant and animal species across Europe, Asia, and North America. The database includes first flowering dates in temperate forests, insect emergence, bird migration, and amphibian activity.

“We’re seeing an increasing temporal divergence — plants are changing faster than animals. In many ecosystems, these shifts can disrupt ecological interactions like pollination, seed dispersal, and predator-prey dynamics”, explains Dr. Lang.

One key finding is that later-season plant events (for example, fruiting and senescence) are advancing even faster than earlier events (such as budburst and flowering). Researchers attribute this partly to a “carryover effect,” where one seasonal event triggers or alters the timing of the next, producing a cascade of phenological acceleration.

By contrast, animal phenology is more decoupled. Some animals — notably many insects and amphibians — are responding to warming by extending their active seasons. Others, particularly birds and mammals, show weaker or more variable trends, possibly due to behavioral buffering, migratory constraints, or reliance on cues other than temperature.

These timing mismatches have real-world consequences for biodiversity, food webs, and ecosystem functioning. “Imagine a pollinator emerging after a plant has already flowered, or a migratory bird arriving too late to find its usual food,” says Professor Josep Peñuelas, co-author and researcher at CREAF and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). “These mismatches can reduce survival and reproductive success and, over time, destabilize entire ecological communities.”

The study also shows that the rate and direction of phenological change vary by region, with more pronounced shifts in temperate and boreal ecosystems. This divergence could amplify climate impacts on already stressed systems, with consequences ranging from reduced crop pollination and impaired forest regeneration to cascading biodiversity loss.

“We tend to think of climate change in terms of temperature and sea level, but time is just as critical,”. “The fact that species are no longer responding in unison is a red flag. Nature is built on relationships, and those relationships are now at risk”, highlights Prof. Shilong Piao leader of the Peking University and Chinese Academy of Sciences group.

The growing mismatch between plants and animals highlights the urgent need to integrate phenological data into conservation planning, habitat management, and climate models. Accounting for the timing of natural events is essential for monitoring biodiversity and responding to global environmental challenges. Incorporating phenology into these efforts is a crucial step toward safeguarding ecosystems and improving their resilience in a rapidly changing climate.

Reference
Lang, W., Zhang, Y., Li, X., Meng, F., Liu, Q., Wang, K., Xu, H., Chen, A., Peñuelas, J., Janssens, I.A., Piao, S. 2024. Phenological divergence between plants and animals under climate change. Nature Ecology & Evolution. Doi: 10.1038/s41559-024-02597-0.

Cover crops—crops incorporated during the transition period between the growth cycles of two cash crops—have emerged as a promising tool to support more sustainable agriculture. They offer various benefits to agroecosystems through surface coverage and crop diversification, including provision (e.g., food and feed supply), regulation (e.g., carbon (C) storage and climate mitigation), and support (e.g., soil stabilization and erosion control). However, their implementation can sometimes come with trade-offs, such as increased greenhouse gas emissions, particularly if not adapted to local conditions or long-term strategies.

In a new study published in Nature Communications, an international team of researchers led by Dr. Tianyi Qiu (China Agricultural University and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences), and including CSIC and CREAF researcher Prof. Josep Peñuelas, analyzed over 2,300 field observations from around the world. Their goal was to evaluate the global effects of cover crop practices on five key agroecosystem services: crop yields, soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, soil structure, and emissions of nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane (CH₄).

Their findings confirm that cover crops, in general, contribute positively to crop productivity, carbon sequestration, and soil stabilization. However, the researchers also observed a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions—by 29.5% for N₂O and 42.3% for CH₄—under certain practices. These trade-offs highlight the need for optimized management strategies.

The study proposes a clear path forward: the greatest benefits occur when cover crops are used for more than five years, include a mix of legume and non-legume species, are terminated about 25 days before the main crop is sown, and are combined with climate-smart practices such as no-tillage and mulching of crop residues. Under this optimized scenario, researchers estimate a potential annual increase of 97.7 million metric tons in crop production, 21.7 billion metric tons in carbon dioxide sequestration, and a reduction of 2.41 billion metric tons in soil erosion.

“Cover crops have a double-edged effect,” explains Dr. Tianyi Qiu, lead author of the study. “While they clearly support multiple ecosystem functions, without careful planning they can also lead to unintended environmental impacts. Our findings show that long-term, well-designed cover crop systems can help balance these effects and contribute meaningfully to food security and climate mitigation.”

The study also highlights that optimized practices can deliver the greatest benefits in areas facing the most challenging environmental and socio-economic conditions—such as degraded soils, low fertility, or limited access to chemical fertilizers. In this context, cover crops may help reduce inequality in agricultural productivity between developed and developing regions.

“Nature-based solutions like cover crops are essential to achieving a more sustainable and resilient food system,” says Prof. Josep Peñuelas of CREAF and CSIC. “By tailoring practices to specific environmental conditions and promoting long-term strategies, we can maximize their benefits and contribute to global sustainability goals, particularly in vulnerable regions.”

The authors call for greater investment in farmer education, local adaptation strategies, and international cooperation to enable the broad adoption of optimized cover cropping. They also advocate for new incentive programs and policy mechanisms that support long-term ecological benefits.

Reference
Qiu, T., Shi, Y., Peñuelas, J., Liu, J., Cui, Q., Sardans, J., Zhou, F., Xia, L., Yan, W., Zhao, S., Peng, S., Jian, J., He, Q., Zhang, W., Huang, M., Tan, W., Fang, L. 2024. Optimizing cover crop practices as a sustainable solution for global agroecosystem services. Nature Communicactions 15, 10617. Doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-54536-z. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54536-z

The international scientific community has made clear that limiting global warming to 1.5 °C is critical to avoiding the most severe impacts of climate change. However, current policy trajectories and national pledges fall short of this target. Without more ambitious action, global temperatures could rise nearly 3 °C by the end of the century. To meet the Paris Agreement objectives, net-zero carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in the energy sector must be achieved by around 2040. Many existing pathways depend on large-scale carbon removal technologies that are still uncertain or costly.

In this context, a new study published in Nature Communications outlines a practical, data-driven alternative: accelerating the global rollout of photovoltaic and wind power based on a spatiotemporal optimization model. The research, led by Fudan University and involving institutions such as CREAF-CSIC, shows how a coordinated global strategy could deploy over 22,000 solar and wind plants across 192 countries to supply up to 75% of global electricity by 2040—while substantially reducing the cost of emissions mitigation.

“Our model identifies how and where to build solar and wind power installations to minimize both costs and carbon emissions,” explains Dr. Yijing Wang, first author of the study. “With smart deployment and international cooperation, it is technically and economically feasible to achieve net-zero energy systems within the next two decades.” Continues Prof. Rong Wang, the leader of the Fudan University group

The researchers combined geospatial data on solar radiation and wind resources with information on land use, energy storage, transmission infrastructure, and material supply chains. The result is an optimized scenario that reduces the average cost of avoiding one tonne of CO₂ from $140 to just $33, compared to a baseline scenario. Importantly, this strategy does not rely on untested technologies, but instead focuses on accelerating the rollout of existing renewable energy sources.

The study emphasizes that such a transition would require a significant increase in investment and international coordination, particularly in terms of electricity grids and critical materials such as copper, silicon, and rare earth elements. However, the authors also estimate that global net costs could be reduced by up to $550 billion per year when countries collaborate on supply chains and power transmission.

According to Prof. Josep Peñuelas, co-author and researcher at CREAF-CSIC-UAB, “This work provides robust scientific evidence that achieving net-zero by 2040 is still possible. The challenge lies in aligning policies, financing, and infrastructure development to make this scenario a reality.”

In addition to environmental benefits, the transition to renewables could bring notable socioeconomic gains. The study estimates that global employment in the clean energy sector could nearly double by 2040, while access to electricity in developing countries would improve substantially. The findings underscore the importance of long-term planning, investment in energy storage, and efficient material use to support this transformation.

The authors conclude that while the barriers are considerable—technological, economic, and political—a globally optimized renewable energy strategy could provide a realistic and cost-effective pathway to meet international climate goals.

Reference
Wang, Y., Wang, R., Tanaka, K., Ciais, P., Peñuelas, J., et al. (2025). Global spatiotemporal optimization of photovoltaic and wind power to achieve the Paris Agreement targets. Nature Communications, 16:2127. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57292-w

Since the Industrial Revolution, climate change and direct human activities have significantly impacted water, carbon, and energy exchanges between the land surface and the atmosphere across large parts of the planet. Excessive or insufficient water availability can disrupt normal vegetation growth, affecting both natural ecosystems and cultivated plants.

Although recent studies have shown that global vegetation is greening—driven by increased atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations, nitrogen deposition, climate warming, and changes in land‐use and land‐management at regional and continental scales—these processes simultaneously increase water demands on ecosystems to varying degrees. Moreover, global ecosystems are projected to become increasingly vulnerable to droughts associated with climate change in the future. Therefore, it is essential to consider water constraints when evaluating the phenomenon of Earth’s greening.

A recent paper published in Earth’s Future examines vegetation growth in China over the past few decades, considering the combined influences of climate change and human activities. The study provides a comprehensive assessment of recent water constraints and their implications for vegetation trends in China from 1982 to 2015, analyzing the spatiotemporal patterns of the relationship between vegetation growth and water availability.

According to this study, water constraints on vegetation growth were concealed within the  overall greening trend in China. More than half of China’s vegetated areas were identified as water deficit regions, and this situation is expected to worsen in the future. “More importantly, our study revealed that climate and atmospheric CO₂ have different weights in regulating vegetation growth across regions with water deficits and regions with water surpluses,” highlights Dr. Yang Song from the Institute of Crop Sciences and the National Nanfan Research Institute (Sanya), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Further analysis shows that climate and atmospheric CO₂ exert varying degrees of influence in governing vegetation growth across different water constraint zones. As water deficits increase, more regions become climate-dominated, while fewer are CO₂-dominated.

“Overall, our findings are crucial for advancing the understanding of China’s land carbon sink in the context of climate change. They highlight the necessity of explicitly accounting for water constraints when assessing the sustainability of vegetation greening trends. As an indirect effect of climate change, water limitations should be incorporated into land surface models to reduce uncertainties in projections of terrestrial water and CO₂ fluxes. This approach will enable decision-makers to better recognize the uncertainties surrounding sustainable vegetation greening and avoid overoptimistic expectations of plant growth’s capacity to sequester CO₂,” concludes Prof. Josep Peñuelas from CREAF-CSIC.

Reference: Song, Y., Penuelas, J., Ciais, P., Wang, S., Zhang, Y., Gentine, P., McCabe, M.F., Wang, L., Li, X., Li, F., Wang, X., Jin, Z., Wu, C., Jin, X. 2024. Recent Water Constraints Mediate the Dominance of Climate and Atmospheric CO2 on Vegetation Growth Across China. Earth’s Future 12(6), e2023EF004395. Doi: 10.1029/2023EF004395.

Since the Industrial Revolution, climate change and direct human activities have shown a significant impact on water, carbon, and energy exchanges between the land surface and the atmosphere across a large part of the planet. Too much or too little water availability can disrupt normal vegetation growth, both for natural and cultivated plants.

Although recent studies have shown that global vegetation is greening as a result of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentrations, nitrogen deposition, climate warming, and changes in land‐use and land‐management at regional and continental scales, this is simultaneously exacerbating water demands on ecosystems to some extent. In addition, global ecosystems are projected to become increasingly vulnerable to droughts associated with climate change in the future. Thus, we are obliged to take into account water constraints on vegetation growth when looking at the current phenomenon of the greening of the Earth.

New paper published in Earth’s Future studies vegetation growth that has taken place in China under climate change and human activities over the past few decades. In this study, authors provide a comprehensive assessment of recent water constraints and their implications for vegetation growth in China between 1982 and 2015. Authors analyse the spatiotemporal patterns of the relationship between vegetation growth and water availability.

According to this study, recent water constraints on vegetation growth were hidden in the overall greening of China. More than half of China’s vegetated areas were regarded as vegetation water deficit regions, with this situation being expected to worsen in the future. “More importantly, our study revealed that climate and atmospheric CO₂ had different weights in regulating vegetation growth across water deficit and water surplus regions”, highlights Dr. Yang Song from Institute of Crop Sciences and National Nanfan Research Institute (Sanya), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China.

In Further analysis this study shows that climate and atmospheric CO₂ have exerted varying levels of importance in regulating vegetation growth across different water constraints. With increasing water constraints, more regions become climate‐dominated and fewer become CO₂‐dominated.

“Overall, our findings are important for further understanding land carbon sink under climate change, highlighting the need for explicit consideration of water constraints on sustainable vegetation greening trends. As an indirect climate change impact, water constraints on vegetation growth should be considered by land surface models to reduce uncertainties in terrestrial water and CO₂ flux projections. This will help decision‐makers recognize the uncertainty of sustainable vegetation greening trends” concludes Prof Josep Peñuelas, from CREAF-CSIC.

Reference: Song, Y., Penuelas, J., Ciais, P., Wang, S., Zhang, Y., Gentine, P., McCabe, M.F., Wang, L., Li, X., Li, F., Wang, X., Jin, Z., Wu, C., Jin, X. 2024. Recent Water Constraints Mediate the Dominance of Climate and Atmospheric CO2 on Vegetation Growth Across China. Earth’s Future 12(6), e2023EF004395. Doi: 10.1029/2023EF004395.

Des del món científic portem dècades alertant de la gravetat de la crisi ambiental global i de com es va tancant la finestra d’oportunitat per impedir les pitjors conseqüències de la desestabilització climàtica i ecològica del Planeta. Si no articulem accions polítiques que situïn aquest repte al centre de les prioritats del nou govern, ens movem cap al col•lapse de molts sectors productius i cap a unes condicions de vida molt més adverses que les actuals.

Les manifestacions són cada vegada més alarmants. També a Catalunya, amb una sequera que sembla no tenir fi, temporals que s’enduen passejos i platges, morts prematures per onades de calor o la contaminació de l’aire, la pèrdua massiva i creixent de biodiversitat, o la degradació i minva d’un recurs tan essencial com l’aigua. 

A nivell econòmic els costos ja ascendeixen als milers de milions d’euros anuals, només al Principat, i les conseqüències socials són preocupants, amb alces insostenibles de preus de productes bàsics, ERTOs d’empreses que no poden mantenir la producció, o les tensions entre sectors i territoris pel que fa al repartiment de l’aigua o la transició energètica.

La crisi climàtica i ecològica tindrà uns costos molt majors si es posposa l’acció

La crisi climàtica i ecològica tindrà uns costos molt majors si es posposa l’acció, que si l’afrontem avui. Només integrant de manera immediata i efectiva l’acció climàtica amb la conservació i ús sostenible de la natura correspondrem a la crida dels panells científics de les Nacions Unides (IPCC i IPBES) a mantenir-nos dins els límits ambientals de seguretat del Planeta.

Davant d’una nova contesa electoral a la Generalitat, hem d’instar amb urgència un full de ruta per la sostenibilitat de Catalunya basat en el consens científic. 

És primordial accelerar l’abandonament dels combustibles fòssils; protegir i restaurar la biodiversitat; preservar els recursos hídrics i garantir la qualitat de l’aire; prevenir i reduir els residus de manera creïble i ambiciosa; planificar al màxim nivell i de manera transversal l’adaptació territorial i econòmica al canvi climàtic; garantir la justícia social i intergeneracional en tota aquesta transformació; educar sobre el profund canvi sociocultural que afrontem; i monitoritzar i retre comptes d’aquests punts de manera freqüent.

Està en mans de la societat a través del Govern i el Parlament liderar la inajornable transició ecològica del país

En context d’emergència ambienta la gestió de calamitats serà habitual. Està en mans de la societat a través del Govern i el Parlament liderar la inajornable transició ecològica del país. Però serà imprescindible que els principals sectors econòmics i socials (energia, agroalimentari, turisme, indústria, banca, sindicats…) els facin costat, perquè d’ells en depèn alinear l’economia i l’ocupació amb els diagnòstics de la ciència.

Com a persones dedicades a la ciència, és el nostre deure recalcar que ens apropem perillosament al punt de no retorn i denunciem les onades de desinformació que qüestionen la ciència mateixa com a font d’informació veraç. Per garantir l’estabilitat planetària aquesta és una dècada clau, però comptem amb gran talent humà, capacitat tecnològica, institucions de recerca i innovació, i capital social al servei del país. Aprofitem-ho; mai quatre anys havien estat tan transcendents.

La carta està firmada per Josep Peñuelas (CREAF-CSIC), Pep Canadell (CSIRO), Jaume Terradas (CREAF-UAB), Mar Reguant (ICREA-IAE-CSIC), Lluís Brotons (CREAF-CSIC) i Marta Torres (IDDRI).

Font: La Vanguardia

Terrestrial vegetation emits biogenic volatile organic compounds (bVOCs), particularly vast amounts of monoterpenes (MT; C10H16), into the atmosphere in response to abiotic drivers such as temperature. MT, in turn, influence ecological interactions and atmospheric chemistry. As global temperatures continue to rise and extreme heat events become more frequent, the temperature sensitivity of forests is emerging as a critical issue for understanding the impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems and atmospheric chemistry. One important aspect of this sensitivity is this emission of bVOCs, such as MT, which will increase with rising temperatures.

In a new paper published in One Earth journal, authors study these greater MT emissions resulting from rising temperatures that can have far-reaching and uncertain consequences for the biosphere, potentially disrupting its delicate balance and feedback mechanisms among ecology, atmospheric chemistry and climate.

Global emissions are usually estimated as a function of temperature with a fixed exponential relationship (β coefficient) across forest ecosystems and environmental conditions. The authors of this new study applied meta-analysis algorithms on 40 years of published monoterpene emission data and showed that the relationship between emissions and temperature is more sensitive and intricate than previously thought. “Considering the entire dataset, our analyses indicate that co-occurring environmental factors modify the temperature sensitivity of the emissions that are primarily related to the specific plant functional type (PFT). Implementing a PFT-dependent β in a biogenic emission model, demonstrated that atmospheric processes are exceptionally dependent on monoterpene emissions which are subject to amplified variations under rising temperatures“, explains Prof. Efstradios Bourtsoukidis, from The Cyprus Institute.

The results obtained in this study, however, suggest that the temperature responses of MT emissions may exhibit dynamic variations throughout the tree’s age. According to the authors should be noted that while a clear relationship between PFT and the β coefficient became evident, the role of the other parameters might have been underappreciated due to the frequently unreported values.

“With newly discovered biogenic MT sources and the challenge of modeling co-occurring environmental drivers on the biosphere, our study highlights the need for more process oriented research of biosphere-atmosphere interactions, particularly in tropical, pan-Arctic, grassland, and agricultural ecosystems. As the effects of climate change intensify, biogenic VOC emissions from global vegetation will play a crucial role in evaluating the health of ecosystems and influencing the atmospheric oxidation capacity, with implications for the chemical composition, aerosols, and climate”, concludes Prof. Josep Peñuelas from CREAF-CSIC.

Bourtsoukidis, E., Pozzer, A., Williams, J., Makowski, D., Penuelas, J., Matthaios, V., Lazoglou, G., Yañez-Serrano, A., Ciais, P., Lelieveld, J., Vrekoussis, M., Daskalakis, M., Sciare, J. 2024. High temperature sensitivity of monoterpene emissions from global vegetation. Communications Earth & Environment 5, 23 (2024). doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2024459/v1.

Los ecosistemas fontinales ubicados en regiones con clima mediterráneo albergan una extraordinaria diversidad biológica, que incluyen numerosas especies de invertebrados y plantas exclusivas de algunas fuentes. Sin embargo, los cambios en los patrones de temperatura, precipitación y uso del suelo están afectando seriamente la integridad ecológica de estos ecosistemas acuáticos. Esta es una de las principales conclusiones del estudio liderado por el Centro de Investigación Ecológica y Aplicaciones Forestales (CREAF) de Cataluña y en el que ha participado el investigador del Departamento de Biología Aplicada de la Universidad Miguel Hernández (UMH) de Elche José Manuel Zamora, junto con otras 15 instituciones científicas de España, Portugal, Italia y Suiza.

Pie de foto: representación ilustrativa de los microambientes y la biodiversidad acuática y terrestre asociada a una fuente mediterránea de montaña. Fuente: Jordi Corbera.

Según el equipo investigador, las regiones de clima mediterráneo se encuentran entre los ecosistemas más amenazados del mundo, debido principalmente a la reducción de recursos hídricos y a los intensos impactos derivados de la actividad humana. Estas regiones presentan condiciones áridas o semiáridas y generalmente incluyen la cuenca mediterránea, California (EE.UU.), Chile central, la región del Cabo Occidental (Sudáfrica) y el suroeste de Australia. Dadas sus condiciones de aridez (precipitación anual inferior a los 500 mm), las fuentes -o ecosistemas fontinales- de estas regiones albergan una extraordinaria biodiversidad de animales y plantas, aunque hasta la fecha ningún estudio había resaltado su elevado interés ecológico ni su vulnerabilidad frente al cambio global.

El estudio, publicado en la revista Global Change Biology, evalúa cuáles son los factores de origen hidrogeológico, climático, biológico y humano que determinan el funcionamiento de las fuentes mediterráneas, así como las principales amenazas que se ciernen sobre estos ecosistemas acuáticos. Para ello, un equipo multidisciplinar formado por 17 especialistas en los campos de la ecología, limnología, hidrogeología, botánica, zoología y biología de la conservación compilaron toda la información disponible en la literatura científica publicada para proporcionar una síntesis sobre las principales características de las fuentes. Además, los investigadores utilizaron datos sobre fuentes ubicadas en las montañas litorales de Cataluña como caso de estudio para poner de manifiesto el impacto del cambio global sobre la preservación de estos ecosistemas.

Las fuentes constituyen puntos de descarga de un acuífero en un paisaje eminentemente terrestre y, generalmente, aparecen con mayor frecuencia en zonas montañosas con topografía escarpada. La hidrogeología determina enormemente la composición química de las aguas, cuya carga en cationes y aniones está estrechamente relacionada con el tipo de roca que alberga el acuífero y con el tiempo de residencia y tránsito del agua. Pese a sus reducidas dimensiones, las fuentes presentan multitud de microambientes diferentes que forman un mosaico y permiten la coexistencia de un amplio abanico de formas de vida. Por ejemplo, hay especies de invertebrados que se desarrollan exclusivamente en la surgencia del agua donde ni siquiera llega la luz solar, mientras que otras especies prefieren habitar en la cubeta central, o incluso en el entorno húmedo que marca el límite entre el medio acuático y el terrestre.

Las fuentes de regiones mediterráneas aparecen generalmente dispersas en el paisaje y muy aisladas entre sí, propiciando que las especies animales y vegetales estrechamente asociadas a estos ecosistemas tengan pocas opciones de colonizar nuevos ambientes. Este atributo ha motivado que las fuentes mediterráneas presenten un alto número de especies endémicas (exclusivas de una o pocas fuentes). Por ejemplo, se han descrito hasta 18 especies de ácaros de agua (Hydrachnnida) que son endémicos de fuentes italianas, mientras que otras 18 especies de moluscos son endémicas de las fuentes australianas de la cuenca del lago Eyre. Un ejemplo extremo del extraordinario número de endemismos que soportan algunos ecosistemas fontinales se puede encontrar en la Gran Cuenca Artesiana (Australia), donde se han descrito 51 especies de moluscos, 24 de crustáceos y ocho de peces que son endémicas de fuentes ubicadas en esta región. La escasa información disponible sobre flora asociada a fuentes también apunta a que estos ecosistemas mantienen una rica comunidad vegetal, incluyendo numerosas especies de diatomeas (algas microscópicas) y musgos endémicos.

Pese a su elevado valor ecológico, las fuentes del mediterráneo se enfrentan a un amplio abanico de amenazas derivadas de la actividad humana, entre las que se encuentran la reducción en la disponibilidad de recursos hídricos, la sobreexplotación de los acuíferos, la contaminación orgánica e inorgánica (vertidos urbanos y filtraciones agrícolas) y por residuos emergentes (microplásticos y productos sintéticos), la introducción de especies exóticas y el abandono de las prácticas tradicionales. Como caso de estudio, el trabajo cuantifica una reducción del 92% en el caudal de 31 fuentes monitoreadas entre 2013 y 2023 en las montañas litorales de Cataluña, habiéndose secado el 45% de estas fuentes en tan solo una década. Los autores finalizan el trabajo proporcionando una serie de recomendaciones para poner en marcha estrategias coordinadas que garanticen la conservación efectiva de estos ecosistemas amenazados y reclaman la preservación urgente de las fuentes bajo la designación de una figura de protección específica.

Este estudio colaborativo es fruto de unas jornadas de trabajo celebradas en Mataró a mediados de febrero de 2023 y organizadas por el CREAF en el marco del reconocimiento de Excelencia Científica Severo Ochoa. En las jornadas se dieron cita todos los autores del trabajo para poner en común el conocimiento recabado en diferentes campos relacionados con los ecosistemas fontinales y establecer una hoja de ruta para el desarrollo del estudio.

Fuente: Universitas Miguel Hernández. Servicio de Comunicación, Marketing y Atención al Estudiantado

Acceso al artículo: Fernández-Martínez, M., Barquín, J., Bonada, N., Cantonati, M., Churro, C., Corbera, J., Delgado, C., Dulsat-Masvidal, M., García, G., Margalef, O., Pascual, R., Peñuelas, J., Preece, C., Sabater, F., Seiler, H., Zamora-Marín, J.M. & Romero, E. 2024. Mediterranean springs: Keystone ecosystems and biodiversity refugia threatened by global change. Global Change Biology, 30(1):e16997. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16997

Prof. Josep Peñuelas Reixach, has received the ‘Alejandro Malaspina’ National Research Award, in the area of ​​Material Resources Sciences and Technologies. He receives the award for his extensive scientific career as an international reference in global change research, as well as his leadership in technological innovation and outreach work in this area.

The National Research Awards recognize the merit of those researchers of Spanish nationality who are carrying out outstanding work in scientific fields of international relevance and who contribute significantly to the advancement of scientific knowledge and the progress of Humanity. There are 10 modalities that correspond to 10 areas of knowledge.

The National Research Awards 2023 are Spain’s most important recognition in the field of scientific research.

Prof Peñuelas has stated to be “very happy to receive this prize, which is the product of the research of our entire group of research”