Response-effect trait overlap and correlation in riparian plant communities suggests sensitivity of ecosystem functioning and services to environmental change.

Environmental changes and biodiversity loss have emphasized the need to understand how communities affect ecosystem functioning and services. In riparian ecosystems, integrative, generalizable, broad-scale models of ecosystem functioning are still required to fulfill this need. However, few studies have explored the links between functional traits, ecosystem functions, and the services of riparian vegetation. Here we adapt the response-effect trait framework to link drivers, traits, ecosystem functions, and services in riparian ecosystems and assess ecosystem functioning sensitivity to environmental changes. The response-effect trait framework distinguishes between traits related to responses to the environment (response traits) and effects on ecosystem functioning (effect traits). The framework predicts that if response and effect traits are tightly linked, shifts in environmental drivers may alter communities' traits and ecosystem functioning. We adapted the response-effect trait framework for riparian plant communities and used it to assess the overlap between response and effect traits. We tested for correlation among traits identified in the framework and for community functional responses to climatic, topographic, soil, and land cover factors using riparian plant communities along a Temperate-Mediterranean climate gradient in North Portugal. We found a high overlap between response and effect traits, with seven out of thirteen traits identified as both response and effect. Additionally, we found trait linkages in four groups of positively correlated community mean traits. Precipitation and aridity were the most predictive drivers of community functional structure, and life form and leaf area were the most responsive traits. Overall, our findings suggest riparian plant communities are likely to propagate the effects of environmental changes to ecosystem functioning and services, affecting several regulation ecosystem services. This work highlights the sensitivity of riparian ecosystems to environmental changes and how it can affect ecosystem services. Similar functional approaches can be useful for adaptive ecosystem management to sustain biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Riparian forest response to extreme drought is influenced by climatic context and canopy structure.

Droughts significantly impact forest ecosystems, reducing forest health and productivity, compromising ecosystem functioning, and nature-based solutions for climate change. The response and resilience of riparian forests to drought are poorly understood despite their key role in the functioning of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Here we investigate riparian forest drought responses and resilience to an extreme drought event at a regional scale. We also examine how drought event characteristics, average climate conditions, topography, soil, vegetation structure, and functional diversity shape the resilience of riparian forests to drought. We used a time series of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) to calculate the resistance to and recovery after an extreme drought (2017-2018) in 49 sites across an Atlantic-Mediterranean climate gradient in North Portugal. We used generalized additive models and multi-model inference to understand which factors best explained drought responses. We found a trade-off between drought resistance and recovery (maximum r = -0.5) and contrasting strategies across the climatic gradient of the study area. Riparian forests in the Atlantic regions showed comparatively higher resistance, while Mediterranean forests recovered more. Canopy structure and climate context were the most relevant predictors of resistance and recovery. However, median NDVI and NDWI had not returned to pre-drought levels (RcNDWI mean = 1.21, RcNDVI mean = 1.01) three years after the event. Our study shows that riparian forests have contrasting drought response strategies and may be susceptible to extended legacy effects associated with extreme and/or recurring droughts, similarly to upland forests. This work highlights the drought vulnerability of riparian ecosystems and emphasises the need for further studies on long-term resilience to droughts.

The interplay between total mercury, methylmercury and dissolved organic matter in fluvial systems: A latitudinal study across Europe.

Large-scale studies are needed to identify the drivers of total mercury (THg) and monomethyl-mercury (MeHg) concentrations in aquatic ecosystems. Studies attempting to link dissolved organic matter (DOM) to levels of THg or MeHg are few and geographically constrained. Additionally, stream and river systems have been understudied as compared to lakes. Hence, the aim of this study was to examine the influence of DOM concentration and composition, morphological descriptors, land uses and water chemistry on THg and MeHg concentrations and the percentage of THg as MeHg (%MeHg) in 29 streams across Europe spanning from 41°N to 64 °N. THg concentrations (0.06-2.78 ng L-1) were highest in streams characterized by DOM with a high terrestrial soil signature and low nutrient content. MeHg concentrations (7.8-159 pg L-1) varied non-systematically across systems. Relationships between DOM bulk characteristics and THg and MeHg suggest that while soil derived DOM inputs control THg concentrations, autochthonous DOM (aquatically produced) and the availability of electron acceptors for Hg methylating microorganisms (e.g. sulfate) drive %MeHg and potentially MeHg concentration. Overall, these results highlight the large spatial variability in THg and MeHg concentrations at the European scale, and underscore the importance of DOM composition on mercury cycling in fluvial systems.

Spatial conservation prioritization of biodiversity spanning the evolutionary continuum.

Accounting for evolutionary relationships between and within species is important for biodiversity conservation planning, but is rarely considered in practice. Here we introduce a novel framework to identify priority conservation areas accounting for phylogenetic and intraspecific diversity, integrating concepts from phylogeny, phylogeography, spatial statistics and spatial conservation prioritization. The framework allows planners to incorporate and combine different levels of evolutionary diversity and can be applied to any taxonomic group and to any region in the world. We illustrate our approach using amphibian and reptile species occurring in a biodiversity hotspot region, the Iberian Peninsula. We found that explicitly incorporating phylogenetic and intraspecific diversity in systematic conservation planning provides advantages in terms of maximizing overall biodiversity representation while enhancing its persistence and evolutionary potential. Our results emphasize the need to account for the evolutionary continuum in order to efficiently implement biodiversity conservation planning decisions.

Importância da temática tuberculose na graduação em enfermagem: a discursividade dos docentes / La importancia del tema tuberculosis en la graduación en enfermería: el discurso de los profesores / The importance of tuberculosis as a theme in nursing graduation: the discourse of professors

Objetivo analisar a discursividade dos docentes sobre a importância da temática tuberculose nos cursos de graduação em Enfermagem. Método estudo qualitativo do tipo exploratório, desenvolvido entre janeiro e março de 2015 em duas universidades públicas de Enfermagem do estado do Amazonas, Brasil. Participaram do estudo 15 docentes do curso de Enfermagem, sendo a maioria do sexo feminino, possuía mestrado, com mais de cinco anos na docência, experiência anterior à docência e apenas um vínculo profissional. Utilizou-se a Análise do Discurso de matriz francesa como princípio teórico-metodológico. Resultados emergiram, como resultados, dois blocos discursivos: Importância da temática da tuberculose na estrutura curricular; e Papel do enfermeiro no controle da tuberculose. Conclusão os sentidos produzidos pelo discurso dos docentes permitiram concluir que a tuberculose, por ser uma doença importante do ponto de vista epidemiológico e social, precisa ter maior abrangência na matriz curricular dos cursos de graduação em Enfermagem, tendo vista o protagonismo dessa profissão nas ações de controle da doença.

Objetivo analizar los discursos de profesores sobre la importancia del tema tuberculosis en los cursos de graduación en Enfermería. Método estudio exploratorio, cualitativo, desarrollado de enero a marzo de 2015 en dos universidades de Enfermería en el estado de Amazonas, en Brasil. Quince docentes del corso de Enfermería participaron del estudio. La mayoría eran mujeres, con másteres, profesoras hace más de cinco años, con experiencias de trabajo antes que fueran profesoras, y solamente un trabajo. El estudio utilizó el Análisis de Discurso de base teórica y metodológica francesa. Resultados dos blocos discursivos emergieron como resultados: La importancia del tema tuberculosis en el programa del corso; y El papel de los enfermeros en el control de tuberculosis. Conclusión los significados producidos por los discursos de los profesores posibilitaron concluir que, puesto que la tuberculosis es una enfermedad importante desde un punto de vista epidemiológico, necesita estar más presente en los programas de cursos de graduación en Enfermería, gracias al papel esencial de esos profesionales en las acciones de control de esa enfermedad.

Objective analyze the discourses of professors about the importance of the theme tuberculosis in Nursing graduation courses. Method qualitative, exploratory study, developed from January to March 2015 in two public Nursing universities in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. Fifteen professors from the Nursing course participated in the study. Most were female, had master's degrees, were teachers for more than five years, had working experience prior to being professors, and only one job. The study used Discourse Analysis from a French theoretical-methodological framework. Results two discursive blocks emerged as results: The Importance of the Theme Tuberculosis in the Syllabus; and The Role of the Nurse in Tuberculosis Control. Conclusion the meanings produced by the discourses of the professors made it possible to conclude that, since tuberculosis is an important disease from an epidemiological standpoint, it must be more broadly present in the syllabus of Nursing graduation courses, due to the main role these professionals have in the actions to control this disease.