Disturbance and the (surprising?) role of ecosystem engineering in explaining spatial patterns of non-native plant establishment.

Different conceptions of disturbance differ in the degree to which they appeal to mechanisms that are general and equivalent, or species-, functional group-, or interaction-specific. Some concepts of disturbance, for example, predict that soil disturbances and herbivory have identical impacts on species richness via identical mechanisms (reduction in biomass and in competition). An alternative hypothesis is that the specific traits of disturbance agents (small mammals) and plants differentially affect the richness or abundance of different plant groups.

Crossing a critical threshold: Accelerated and widespread land use changes drive recent carbon and nitrogen dynamics in Vichuquén Lake (35°S) in central Chile.

Global afforestation/deforestation processes (e.g., Amazon deforestation and Europe afforestation) create new anthropogenic controls on carbon cycling and nutrient supply that have not been fully assessed.

Effect of patient and treatment factors on persistence with antihypertensive treatment: A population-based study.

Purpose: To analyze patterns of antihypertensive drug use among new users in a Southern European population, and identify patient- and treatment-related factors that influence persistence.

Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of new antihypertensive drug users aged ≥40 years in Aragón, Spain. Information on antihypertensive drugs (2014-2016) prescribed and dispensed at pharmacies via the public health system were collected from a regional electronic population-based pharmacy database.

COSORE: A community database for continuous soil respiration and other soil-atmosphere greenhouse gas flux data.

Globally, soils store two to three times as much carbon as currently resides in the atmosphere, and it is critical to understand how soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and uptake will respond to ongoing climate change. In particular, the soil-to-atmosphere CO flux, commonly though imprecisely termed soil respiration (R ), is one of the largest carbon fluxes in the Earth system. An increasing number of high-frequency R measurements (typically, from an automated system with hourly sampling) have been made over the last two decades; an increasing number of methane measurements are being made with such systems as well.

Soil invertebrate diversity loss and functional changes in temperate forest soils replaced by exotic pine plantations.

The global expansion of tree plantations is often claimed to have positive effects for mitigating global warming, preventing soil erosion, and reducing biodiversity loss. However, questions remain unanswered about the impacts of plantations on belowground diversity and soil properties. Here, we examine how forestry plantations of exotic trees affect critical soil functions and the composition of invertebrate assemblages, by comparing invertebrate diversity and soil physico-chemical properties between non-native Pinus radiata plantations, and nearby native forests in a region of extensive plantation activity in south-central Chile.

Nutritional characterization of Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata D.): Effect of variety (Ariel vs. Pluto) and farming type (conventional vs. organic).

Farming systems and cultivar types are two of the main factors able to affect the nutritional quality of plant foods for human nutrition. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the impact of two unexplored variety (namely Ariel and Pluto) and farming type (conventional and organic) on physicochemical parameters, chemical and mineral composition, water- and fat-soluble vitamins, amino acid profile and antioxidant bioactive components of butternut squashes (Cucurbita moschata). In order to achieve this purpose, a multivariate statistical discrimination of the different parameters was carried out using the unsupervised principle component analysis (PCA).

Impact of processing and storage on the nutritional and sensory properties and bioactive components of Brassica spp. A review.

Brassica spp. are excellent sources of bioactive compounds. These vegetables are usually processed in the home, or by catering and food service industries, on the basis of convenience and taste preference.

Effects of different cooking methods on the antioxidant capacity and flavonoid, organic acid and mineral contents of Galega Kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala cv. Galega).

Brassica spp. are good sources of bioactive substances, which are known to have beneficial health effects. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different cooking methods (boiling, steaming, microwaving, pressure cooking and vacuum cooking) on the antioxidant capacity and on the flavonoid, organic acid and mineral contents of Galega kale.

Assessing the influence of life form and life cycle on the response of desert plants to past climate change: Genetic diversity patterns of an herbaceous lineage of Nolana along western South America.

Premise Of The Study: Plant responses to past climate change could have been shaped by life-history traits. Here we explore the influence of life form on the response of xerophytic plants to Quaternary climate fluctuations, through a comparison of genetic patterns of codistributed herbaceous and shrubby lineages of the genus Nolana.

Methods: We reconstructed the phylogeographic history of a herbaceous lineage of three species of Nolana distributed from a northern arid zone (30°S) to a southern wet-temperate (42°S) zone, by sequencing two cpDNA regions.

Coupling of microbial nitrogen transformations and climate in sclerophyll forest soils from the Mediterranean Region of central Chile.

The Mediterranean region of central Chile is experiencing extensive "mega-droughts" with detrimental effects for the environment and economy of the region. In the northern hemisphere, nitrogen (N) limitation of Mediterranean ecosystems has been explained by the decoupling between N inputs and plant uptake during the dormant season. In central Chile, soils have often been considered N-rich in comparison to other Mediterranean ecosystems of the world, yet the impacts of expected intensification of seasonal drought remain unknown.

Nano-Inclusions Applied in Cement-Matrix Composites: A Review.

Research on cement-based materials is trying to exploit the synergies that nanomaterials can provide. This paper describes the findings reported in the last decade on the improvement of these materials regarding, on the one hand, their mechanical performance and, on the other hand, the new properties they provide. These features are mainly based on the electrical and chemical characteristics of nanomaterials, thus allowing cement-based elements to acquire "smart" functions.

Admixtures in Cement-Matrix Composites for Mechanical Reinforcement, Sustainability, and Smart Features.

For more than a century, several inclusions have been mixed with Portland cement-nowadays the most-consumed construction material worldwide-to improve both the strength and durability required for construction. The present paper describes the different families of inclusions that can be combined with cement matrix and reviews the achievements reported to date regarding mechanical performance, as well as two other innovative functionalities of growing importance: reducing the high carbon footprint of Portland cement, and obtaining new smart features. Nanomaterials stand out in the production of such advanced features, allowing the construction of smart or multi-functional structures by means of thermal- and strain-sensing, and photocatalytic properties.

Different approaches to the assessment of adherence and persistence with cardiovascular-disease preventive medications.

Objective: To assess suitability and comparability of the most common methods of treatment adherence and persistence assessment, as applied to the same pharmacy dataset.

Methods: Data on drugs prescribed for cardiovascular primary prevention to participants in the Aragon Workers' Health Study (AWHS) were collected from a regional electronic drug prescription database. Several different approaches were used to measure treatment adherence (with the medication possession ratio [MPR]) and proportion of days covered [PDC]) and persistence in new users by therapeutic subgroup.

Relationship between soil nutrients and mycorrhizal associations of two Bipinnula species (Orchidaceae) from central Chile.

Background And Aims: Mycorrhizal associations are influenced by abiotic and biotic factors, including climate, soil conditions and the identity of host plants. However, the effect of environmental conditions on orchid mycorrhizal associations remains poorly understood. The present study examined how differences in soil nutrient availability are related to the diversity and composition of mycorrhizal fungi associated with two terrestrial orchid species from central Chile.

Indoor Multi-Sensor Acquisition System for Projects on Energy Renovation of Buildings.

Energy rehabilitation actions in buildings have become a great economic opportunity for the construction sector. They also constitute a strategic goal in the European Union (EU), given the energy dependence and the compromises with climate change of its member states. About 75% of existing buildings in the EU were built when energy efficiency codes had not been developed.

Functional traits variation explains the distribution of Aextoxicon punctatum (Aextoxicaceae) in pronounced moisture gradients within fog-dependent forest fragments.

Climate change and fragmentation are major threats to world forests. Understanding how functional traits related to drought tolerance change across small-scale, pronounced moisture gradients in fragmented forests is important to predict species' responses to these threats. In the case of Aextoxicon punctatum, a dominant canopy tree in fog-dependent rain forest patches in semiarid Chile, we explored how the magnitude, variability and correlation patterns of leaf and xylem vessel traits and hydraulic conductivity varied across soil moisture (SM) gradients established within and among forest patches of different size, which are associated with differences in tree establishment and mortality patterns.

Understanding litter decomposition in semiarid ecosystems: linking leaf traits, UV exposure and rainfall variability.

Differences in litter quality, microbial activity or abiotic conditions cannot fully account for the variability in decomposition rates observed in semiarid ecosystems. Here we tested the role of variation in litter quality, water supply, and UV radiation as drivers of litter decomposition in arid lands. And show that carry-over effects of litter photodegradation during dry periods can regulate decomposition during subsequent wet periods.

Increased drought impacts on temperate rainforests from southern South America: results of a process-based, dynamic forest model.

Increased droughts due to regional shifts in temperature and rainfall regimes are likely to affect forests in temperate regions in the coming decades. To assess their consequences for forest dynamics, we need predictive tools that couple hydrologic processes, soil moisture dynamics and plant productivity. Here, we developed and tested a dynamic forest model that predicts the hydrologic balance of North Patagonian rainforests on Chiloé Island, in temperate South America (42°S).

Decadal trends in the pollinator assemblage of Eucryphia cordifolia in Chilean rainforests.

Long-term studies of plant-pollinator interactions are almost nonexistent in the scientific literature. The objective of the present study was to determine changes and trends in the pollinator assemblage of ulmo (Eucryphia cordifolia; Cunoniaceae), a canopy-emergent tree found in Chilean temperate rainforests. We assessed the temporal variability of the pollinator assemblage and identified possible modulators of the observed temporal shifts.

Ecosystem properties self-organize in response to a directional fog-vegetation interaction.

Feedbacks between vegetation and resource inputs can lead to the local, self-organization of ecosystem properties. In particular, feedbacks in response to directional resources (e.g.

Avian ecosystem functions are influenced by small mammal ecosystem engineering.

Background: Birds are important mobile link species that contribute to landscape-scale patterns by means of pollination, seed dispersal, and predation. Birds are often associated with habitats modified by small mammal ecosystem engineers. We investigated whether birds prefer to forage on degu (Octodon degus) runways by comparing their foraging effort across sites with a range of runway densities, including sites without runways.

Diverging drought-tolerance strategies explain tree species distribution along a fog-dependent moisture gradient in a temperate rain forest.

The study of functional traits and physiological mechanisms determining species' drought tolerance is important for the prediction of their responses to climatic change. Fog-dependent forest patches in semiarid regions are a good study system with which to gain an understanding of species' responses to increasing aridity and patch fragmentation. Here we measured leaf and hydraulic traits for three dominant species with contrasting distributions within patches in relict, fog-dependent forests in semiarid Chile.

Selection and implementation of a flagship fleet in a locally undervalued region of high endemicity.

Flagships are one conservation education tool. We present a proposed flagship species fleet for environmental education in central Chile. Our methods followed recent flagship guidelines.