Open Access
Metatranscriptomics sheds light on the links between the functional traits of fungal guilds and ecological processes in forest soil ecosystems
(Blackwell Scientific Publications Ltd, 2023) Auer, Lucas; Buée, Marc; Fauchery, Laure; Lombard, Vincent; Barry, Kerrie; Clum, Alicia; Copeland, Alex; Daum, Chris; LaButti, Kurt; Singan, Vasanth; Yoshinaga, Yuko; Martineau, Christine; Castillo Martínez, Federico; Alfaro Sánchez, Manuel; Imbert Rodríguez, Bosco; Ramírez Nasto, Lucía; Castanera Andrés, Raúl; Pisabarro de Lucas, Gerardo; Finlay, Roger; Lindahl, Björn D.; Olson, Ake; Séguin, Armand; Kohler, Annegret; Henrissat, Bernard; Grigoriev, Igor V.; Martin, Francis; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Applied Biology - IMAB
Soil fungi belonging to different functional guilds, such as saprotrophs, pathogens, and mycorrhizal symbionts, play key roles in forest ecosystems. To date, no study has compared the actual gene expression of these guilds in different forest soils. We used metatranscriptomics to study the competition for organic resources by these fungal groups in boreal, temperate, and Mediterranean forest soils. Using a dedicated mRNA annotation pipeline combined with the JGI MycoCosm database, we compared the transcripts of these three fungal guilds, targeting enzymes involved in C- and N mobilization from plant and microbial cell walls. Genes encoding enzymes involved in the degradation of plant cell walls were expressed at a higher level in saprotrophic fungi than in ectomycorrhizal and pathogenic fungi. However, ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi showed similarly high expression levels of genes encoding enzymes involved in fungal cell wall degradation. Transcripts for N-related transporters were more highly expressed in ectomycorrhizal fungi than in other groups. We showed that ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi compete for N in soil organic matter, suggesting that their interactions could decelerate C cycling. Metatranscriptomics provides a unique tool to test controversial ecological hypotheses and to better understand the underlying ecological processes involved in soil functioning and carbon stabilization.
Open Access
Under-vine cover crops: Impact on physical and biological soil proprieties in an irrigated Mediterranean vineyard
(Elsevier, 2023) Abad Zamora, Francisco Javier; Marín Ederra, Diana; Imbert Rodríguez, Bosco; Virto Quecedo, Íñigo; Garbisu Crespo, Carlos; Santesteban García, Gonzaga; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Ciencias; Zientziak; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua, 0011-1383-2022-000000
We present a novel approach to harmonic disturbance removal in single-channel wind turbine acceleration data by means of time-variant signal modeling. Harmonics are conceived as a set of quasi-stationary sinusoids whose instantaneous amplitude and phase vary slowly and continuously in a short-time analysis frame. These non-stationarities in the harmonics are modeled by low-degree time polynomials whose coefficients capture the instantaneous dynamics of the corresponding waveforms. The model is linear-in-parameters and is straightforwardly estimated by the linear least-squares algorithm. Estimates from contiguous analysis frames are further combined in the overlap-add fashion in order to yield overall harmonic disturbance waveform and its removal from the data. The algorithm performance analysis, in terms of input parameter sensitivity and comparison against three state-of-the-art methods, has been carried out with synthetic signals. Further model validation has been accomplished through real-world signals and stabilization diagrams, which are a standard tool for determining modal parameters in many timedomain modal identification algorithms. The results show that the proposed method exhibits a robust performance particularly when only the average rotational speed is known, as is often the case for stand-alone sensors which typically carry out data pre-processing for structural health monitoring. Moreover, for real-world analysis scenarios, we show that the proposed method delivers consistent vibration mode parameter estimates, which can straightforwardly be used for structural health monitoring.
Open Access
Synergies between climate change, biodiversity, ecosystem function and services, indirect drivers of change and human well-being in forests
(Springer, 2021) Imbert Rodríguez, Bosco; Blanco Vaca, Juan Antonio; Candel Pérez, David; Lo, Yueh-Hsin; González de Andrés, Ester; Yeste Yeste, Antonio; Herrera Álvarez, Ximena; Rivadeneira Barba, Gabriela; Liu, Yang; Chang, Shih-Chieh; Ciencias; Zientziak
Climate change is having impacts on the biodiversity and structure of many ecosystems. In this chapter, we focus on its impacts on forests. We will focus on how the potential climate change impacts on forest biodiversity and structure will have a reflection on the ecosystem services provided by forests, and therefore on the capacity of these ecosystems to support the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. The chapter will be organized in three sections, considering boreal, temperate, and tropical forests along each section. The first section will deal with the synergies or interactions between climate change, biodiversity, and ecosystem function with emphasis not only on plants but also on fungi, animals, and prokaryotes. Synergies between climate change and ecosystem services will be described and analyzed in the second section. To better link the first two sections, we will explore the relationships between ecosystem function, species traits, and ecosystem services. Finally, case studies for boreal, Mediterranean, and tropical forests will be presented, emphasizing the synergies between the above factors, the indirect drivers of change (demographic, economic, sociopolitical, science and technology, culture and religion), and human well-being (basic materials for a good life, health, good social relations, freedom of choice and actions) in forests.
Open Access
SilvAdapt.Net: a site-based network of adaptive forest management related to climate change in Spain
(MDPI, 2021) Molina, Antonio J.; Navarro Cerrillo, Rafael M.; Pérez-Romero, Javier; Alejano, Reyes; Bellot, Juan F.; Blanco Vaca, Juan Antonio; Camarero, Jesús Julio; Carrara, Arnaud; Castillo, Víctor M.; Cervera, Teresa; Barberá, Gonzalo G.; González-Sanchis, María; Hernández, Álvaro; Imbert Rodríguez, Bosco; Jiménez, María N.; Llorens, Pilar; Lucas Borja, Manuel Esteban; Moreno, Gerardo; Moreno de las Heras, Mariano; Navarro, Francisco B.; Palacios, Guillermo; Palero, Noemí; Ripoll, María A.; Regüés, D.; Ruiz Gómez, Francisco Javier; Vilagrosa, Alberto; Campo, Antonio D. del; Ciencias; Zientziak
Adaptive forest management (AFM) is an urgent need because of the uncertainty regarding how changes in the climate will affect the structure, composition and function of forests during the next decades. Current research initiatives for the long-term monitoring of impacts of silviculture are scattered and not integrated into research networks, with the consequent losses of opportunities and capacity for action. To increase the scientiﬁc and practical impacts of these experiences, it is necessary to establish logical frameworks that harmonize the information and help us to deﬁne the most appropriate treatments. In this context, a number of research groups in Spain have produced research achievements and know-how during the last decades that can allow for the improvement in AFM. These groups address the issue of AFM from different ﬁelds, such as ecophysiology, ecohydrology and forest ecology, thus resulting in valuable but dispersed expertise. The main objective of this work is to introduce a comprehensive strategy aimed to study the implementation of AFM in Spain. As a ﬁrst step, a network of 34 experimental sites managed by 14 different research groups is proposed and justiﬁed. As a second step, the most important AFM impacts on Mediterranean pines, as one of the most extended natural and planted forest types in Spain, are presented. Finally, open questions dealing with key aspects when attempting to implement an AFM framework are discussed. This study is expected to contribute to better outlining the procedures and steps needed to implement regional frameworks for AFM.
Open Access
8ª Edición de la Escuela de verano de Ecología de Navarra: ecólogas/os por un día
(Asociación Española de Ecología Terrestre, AEET, 2022) Imbert Rodríguez, Bosco; Blanco Vaca, Juan Antonio; Ciencias; Zientziak; Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Applied Biology - IMAB
Durante los pasados 23 y 24 de junio tuvo lugar la 8ª edición de la Escuela de Verano de Ecología de Navarra de la Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA) con el título ‘Ecólogas/os por un día’. En la jornada se impartieron cuatro ponencias por parte de los miembros del grupo de investigación de Ecología y Medio Ambiente de la Universidad Pública de Navarra, pero la mayor parte del tiempo se dedicó al trabajo de campo en el parque. En dicho trabajo de campo los asistentes pudieron trabajar tres temas diferentes: el estudio de las comunidades vegetales en pastos, el estudio de la estructura de una comunidad arbórea y la observación y estimación de censos de aves. Los trabajos incluyeron la demostración y familiarización de los estudiantes con las distintas técnicas y aparatos para medir variables ambientales como luz ambiental, temperatura del suelo, humedad del suelo, diámetro y altura de árboles, así como las técnicas para realizar inventarios florísticos o de fauna.
Open Access
Sensitivity of long-term productivity estimations in mixed forests to uncertain parameters related to fine roots.
(Elsevier, 2024) Yeste Yeste, Antonio; Seely, Brad; Imbert Rodríguez, Bosco; Blanco Vaca, Juan Antonio; Ciencias; Zientziak; Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Applied Biology - IMAB
Forest growth models are increasingly being used in forestry and ecology research as predictive tools to help developing practical guidelines and to improve understanding of the drivers of forest ecosystem functioning. Models are usually calibrated using parameters directly obtained or estimated from empirical field observation, and hence are subject to uncertainty. Thus, output accuracy depends on input parameters precision and on how influential is each parameter on model behaviour. Hence, it is important to analyse parameter-related uncertainty and its effects on model outputs. This can be done by performing sensitivity analyses, which allow to explore the influence of one or several calibration parameters on model outputs. As studies on tree root parameters are particularly scarce, the aim of the present work was to evaluate the influence of parameters related to fine roots on estimations of long-term forest growth patterns in pure and mixed forests, using FORECAST (a hybrid forest growth model) as a virtual lab. The fine root parameters assessed were biomass, turnover rate, and nitrogen content. The analysis was performed by simulating monospecific stands of two contrasting species (Pinus sylvestris L. and Fagus sylvatica L.), and mixed stands formed by both species. In all cases, FORECAST showed good capability to contain uncertainty propagation during the first and middle stages of stand development (<40 years). After that moment, model output uncertainty steadily increased, but it reached different maximum uncertainty levels depending on stand type. Simulations of the less nutrient demanding P. sylvestris manifested very little sensitivity when growing in monospecific stands. However, F. sylvatica monospecific stands showed intermediate sensitivity, but significant species interactions occurred in mixed stands that determined the biggest impact detected of uncertainty related to fine root parameters over model outputs. All things considered, FORECAST displayed an interesting capability to capture some of the interspecific interactions that are key in mixed forests functioning. Our results suggest an acceptable model performance under uncertain parameterization but also caution against expecting accurate quantitative estimations of forest growth, especially when considering long-term scenarios in complex mixed stands.
Open Access
Changes in long-term light properties of a mixed conifer–broadleaf forest in Southwestern Europe
(MDPI, 2021) Ruiz de la Cuesta Vela, Ignacio; Blanco Vaca, Juan Antonio; Imbert Rodríguez, Bosco; Peralta de Andrés, Francisco Javier; Rodríguez Pérez, Javier; Ciencias; Zientziak; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Natural and anthropogenic factors affect forest structure worldwide, primarily affecting forest canopy and its light properties. However, not only stand-replacing events modify canopy structure, but disturbances of lower intensity can also have important ecological implications. To study such effects, we analyzed long-term changes in light properties of a conifer–broadleaf mixed forest in the Southwestern Pyrenees, placed in the fringe between the Mediterranean and Eurosi- berian biogeographical regions. At this site, a thinning trial with different intensities (0%, 20%, and 30–40% basal area removed) took place in 1999 and 2009, windstorms affected some plots in 2009 and droughts were recurrent during the sampling period (2003, 2005, 2011). We monitored light properties during 14 years (2005–2019) with hemispherical photographs. We applied partial autocorrelation functions to determine if changes between years could be attributed to internal canopy changes or to external disturbances. In addition, we mapped the broadleaf canopy in 2003, 2008, and 2016 to calculate broadleaf canopy cover and richness at the sampling points with different buffer areas of in- creasing surface. We applied generalized linear mixed models to evaluate the effects of light variables on canopy richness and cover. We found that light variables had the most important changes during the period 2008 to 2010, reacting to the changes caused that year by the combined effects of wind and forest management. In addition, we found that an area of 4.0 m radius around the sampling points was the best to explain the relationship between light properties and species richness, whereas a radius of 1.0 m was enough to estimate the relationship between light and canopy cover. In addition, light-related variables such as diffuse light and leaf area index were related to species richness, whereas structural variables such as canopy openness were related to canopy cover. In summary, our study demonstrates that non stand-replacing disturbances such as windstorms, thinning, or droughts can have an important role in modifying structural and light-related canopy properties, which in turn may inﬂuence natural processes of stand development and ecological succession.
Open Access
Cubierta vegetal bajo las cepas: una alternativa al control de las malas hierbas en los viñedos
(INTIA (Tecnologías e Infraestructuras Agroalimentarias), 2023) Abad Zamora, Francisco Javier; Cibriain Sabalza, Félix; Sagüés Sarasa, Ana; Santesteban García, Gonzaga; Lezáun San Martín, Juan Antonio; Fabo Boneta, Jesús María; Virto Quecedo, Íñigo; Imbert Rodríguez, Bosco; Marín Arroyo, Remedios; Garbisu Crespo, Carlos; Ciencias; Zientziak; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Applied Biology - IMAB; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD
En este artículo se presentan los resultados obtenidos con una cubierta vegetal de trébol sembrada bajo las cepas para competir con las malas hierbas, de manera que no sea necesario recurrir al empleo de herbicidas o laboreos intercepas.
Open Access
Pinus sylvestris L. and Fagus sylvatica L. effects on soil and root properties and their interactions in a mixed forest on the Southwestern Pyrenees
(Elsevier, 2021) Yeste Yeste, Antonio; Blanco Vaca, Juan Antonio; Imbert Rodríguez, Bosco; Zozaya Vela, Helena; Elizalde Arbilla, Martín; Zientziak; Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Applied Biology - IMAB; Ciencias
Tree species alter soil properties, potentially modifying forest nutrients cycling. In the current management context in which mixed species forests are favoured over monocultures due to their biodiversity and productivity-related advantages, the assessment of species effects on soils, as well as their interactions with other species, gains increasing relevance. In this study, the effects of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) on soil properties were evaluated. Fine roots were paid special attention, measuring their biomass, functional traits (specific root length, root tissue density) and vertical distribution in order to discern the direction of these species interaction, either complementary or competitive. The research was carried out in the Southwestern Pyrenees (northern Spain), in an originally Scots pine stand transformed nowadays into a mixed forest by European beech natural regeneration. Soil and root samples were taken close to pine trees surrounded by other pines in areas that remain similar to pine monospecific stands, and close to pine and beech trees surrounded by both species in mixed areas. A lower C/N ratio was found in the soil close to beech stems. This suggests better quality in mixed litter in comparison to pine litter, leading to higher decomposition rates. Higher fine root biomass was found in the mixed areas mainly due to beech fine roots great abundance, which correlated positively with microbial biomass. Fine roots functional traits such as specific root length and diameter did not vary depending on their proximity to different tree species, though Scots pine fine root biomass decreased sharply when close to beech trees. This reduction, together with the already more abundant fine root biomass of beech, with higher specific root length and root tissue density than pine, lead to a competitive interaction in which European beech tends to dominate the soil at all depths. In this case, no complementarity effect at belowground level, strong enough to allow Scots pines to cope with beech soil colonization, was found under natural conditions.
Open Access
Constrained trait variation by water availability modulates radial growth in evergreen and deciduous mediterranean oaks
(Elsevier, 2024) González de Andrés, Ester; Serra-Maluquer, Xavier; Gazol, Antonio; Olano, José Miguel; García Plazaola, José Ignacio; Fernández Marín, Beatriz; Imbert Rodríguez, Bosco; Coll, Lluís; Ameztegui, Aitor; Espelta, Josep Maria; Alla, Arben Q.; Camarero, Jesús Julio; Ciencias; Zientziak; Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Applied Biology - IMAB
Spatial and temporal variation in functional traits allows trees to adjust to shifting environmental conditions such as water stress. However, the change of traits, both mean and variances, along water availability gradients and across growing seasons, as well as their covariation with tree performance, have been rarely assessed. We examined intraspecific trait variation in coexisting evergreen (Quercus ilex ssp. ilex and Q. ilex ssp. ballota) and deciduous (Quercus faginea and Quercus humilis) Mediterranean oaks along a wide water availability gradient in northeastern Spain during six years. We measured leaf area (LA), shoot twig mass (Sm), leaf mass per area (LMA) and the ratio of shoot twig to leaf biomass (Sm:Lm). We characterized tree performance through basal area increment (BAI) and drought resilience indices. Higher variation was found within individuals than between individuals across populations and years. Within species, we found trait adjustments toward more conservative water-use (low LA and Sm and high LMA) with increasing drier conditions. Intraspecific trait variation was constrained by water availability, particularly on the deciduous species. In Q. ilex, trait variance of LMA positively covaried with annual BAI, whereas variance of LA, Sm and Sm:Lm was positively related to resistance and resilience against the severe 2012 drought in deciduous oaks. Our results support a tradeoff between the ability to tolerate drought and the capacity to cope with unpredictable changes in the environment through increased intraspecific trait variation, which may have implications on tree performance in the face of increased extreme events.