Influence of livestock soil eutrophication on floral composition in the Pyrenees mountains

Livestock behaviour in the Pyrenees includes free grazing and a long resting period that provokes the accumulation of dung and urine in some places,so-called camping areas. The aims of this study were （i） to analyze any change in floral composition,and in nutritional and chemical contents of plants in a livestock camping area; and （ii） to relate the floral composition with soil chemical properties. In a linear transect,five sampling zones were established,from the centre of the camping area to the surrounding Nardus stricta-dominant pasture. The above ground plant biomass and the topsoil were sampled in each zone with 6 replicates per zone. Plant species were classified and weighed to calculate above ground biomass,nutritional and chemical contents,and Shannon diversity and evenness indices. Additionally,soils were sampled in two periods,at the beginning and at the end of grazing period. Soil available nutrients （nitrate,ammonium,phosphorus,potassium,calcium and magnesium）,total nitrogen,organic carbon and pH were measured.
Plant chemical contents （protein,lignin and others） were significantly related to the proportions of grasses,legumes and other plants; so,the protein content is positively correlated with legumes plant biomass while lignin content is negatively correlated with grasses. Both plant and soil nutrients increased linearly towards the centre of the camping area. However,the relationship among plant species richness,diversity and evenness relative to its position along the studied transect was bell-shaped. From the outskirts to the centre of the camping area,plants with low nutrient demand were progressively replaced by those with medium and high nutrients demand and by pioneers.
Nardus stricta-dominant pasture has low plant diversity and plant nutrient content as well as a poor soil nutrient availability. The presence of the camping area introduced patches with more soil nutrients and new species in the large spatial scale. However at a small spatial scale,the strong soil nutrien     

Heterozoan carbonate deposition on a steep basement escarpment (Late Miocene,Almería,south‐east Spain)

Heterozoan temperate‐water carbonates mixed with varying amounts of terrigenous grains and muddy matrix (Azagador limestone) accumulated on and at the toe of an inherited escarpment during the late Tortonian–early Messinian (late Miocene) at the western margin of the Almería–Níjar Basin in south‐east Spain. The escarpment was the eastern end of an uplifting antiform created by compressive folding of Triassic rocks of the Betic basement. Channelized coralline‐algal/bryozoan rudstone to coarse‐grained packstone, together with matrix‐supported conglomerate, are the dominant lithofacies in the higher outcrops, comprising the deposits on the slope. These sediments mainly fill small canyon‐shaped, half‐graben depressions formed by normal faults active before, during and after carbonate sedimentation. Roughly bedded and roughly laminated coralline‐algal/bryozoan rudstone to coarse‐grained packstone are the main lithofacies forming an apron of four small (kilometre‐scale) lobes at the toe of the south‐eastern side of the escarpment (Almería area). Channelized and roughly bedded coralline‐algal/bryozoan rudstone to coarse‐grained packstone, conglomerates, packstone and sandy silt accumulated in a small channel‐lobe system at the toe of the north‐eastern side of the escarpment (Las Balsas area). Carbonate particles and terrigenous grains were sourced from shallow‐water settings and displaced downslope by sediment density flows that preferentially followed the canyon‐shaped depressions. Roughly laminated rudstone to packstone formed by grain flows on the initially very steep slope, whereas the rest of the carbonate lithofacies were deposited by high‐density turbidite currents. The steep escarpment and related break‐in‐slope at the toe favoured hydraulic jumps and the subsequent deposition of coarse‐grained, low‐transport efficiency skeletal‐dominated sediment in the apron lobes. Accelerated uplift of the basement caused a relative sea‐level fall resulting in the formation of outer‐ramp carbonates on the apron lobes, which were in turn overlain by lower Messinian coral reefs. The Almería example is the first known ‘base of slope’ apron within temperate‐water carbonate systems.     

Multi-method assessment of connectivity between surface water and shallow groundwater: the case of Limarí River basin,north-central Chile

A study that tests the applicability and consistency of independent but complementary approaches in the assessment of interactions between surface water and shallow groundwater within a water-stressed basin is described. The mostly agricultural Limarí basin in arid north-central Chile was chosen as a suitable case study. The analyses involved: (1) a connectivity index method, (2) hydrochemistry, and (3) water isotopic geochemistry. Chemical and isotopic data were obtained from two sampling campaigns conducted in April (fall) and December (summer) of 2011 in 22 sampling locations, which included surface water and groundwater. The results obtained by each of the methodologies were mutually consistent and indicate high connectivity conditions. Additionally, the relative contribution by different sources was assessed through end-member mixing analysis, and for reaches of the river that showed gaining conditions, the contribution of groundwater inflow to stream discharge was estimated. It is suggested that this multi-method approach is useful for the characterization of surface-water–groundwater interactions, since it at least represents a suitable starting point for obtaining basic information on these relationships. Thus, it may become the base for further studies in arid and semi-arid basins facing water management challenges.     

The suevite of drill hole Yucatàn 6 in the Chicxulub impact crater

Abstract— The suevite breccia of the Chicxulub impact crater, Yucatàn, Mexico, is more variable and complex in terms of composition and stratigraphy than suevites observed at other craters. Detailed studies (microscope, electron microprobe, SEM, XRF) have been carried out on a noncontinuous set of samples from the drill hole Yucatàn 6 (Y6) located 50 km SW from the center of the impact structure. Three subunits can be distinguished in the suevite: the upper unit is a fine‐grained carbonate‐rich suevite breccia with few shocked basement clasts, mostly altered melt fragments, and formerly melted carbonate material; the middle suevite is a coarse‐grained suevite with shocked basement clasts and altered silicate melt fragments; the lower suevite unit is composed of shocked basement and melt fragments and large evaporite clasts. The matrix of the suevite is not clastic but recrystallized and composed mainly of feldspar and pyroxene. The composition of the upper members of the suevite is dominated by the sedimentary cover of the Yucatàn target rock. With depth in well Y6, the amount of carbonate decreases and the proportion of evaporite and silicate basement rocks increases significantly. Even at the thin section scale, melt phases of different chemistry can be identified, showing that no widespread homogenization of the melt took place. The melt compositions also reflect the heterogeneity of the deep Yucatàn basement. Calcite with characteristic feathery texture indicates the existence of formerly pure carbonate melt. The proportion of carbonate to evaporite clasts is less than 5:1, except in the lower suevite where large evaporite clasts are present. This proportion constrains the amount of CO₂ and SO_X released by the impact event.     

Landslide databases in the Geological Surveys of Europe

Landslides are one of the most widespread geohazards in Europe, producing significant social and economic impacts. Rapid population growth in urban areas throughout many countries in Europe and extreme climatic scenarios can considerably increase landslide risk in the near future. Variability exists between European countries in both the statutory treatment of landslide risk and the use of official assessment guidelines. This suggests that a European Landslides Directive that provides a common legal framework for dealing with landslides is necessary. With this long-term goal in mind, this work analyzes the landslide databases from the Geological Surveys of Europe focusing on their interoperability and completeness. The same landslide classification could be used for the 849,543 landslide records from the Geological Surveys, from which 36% are slides, 10% are falls, 20% are flows, 11% are complex slides, and 24% either remain unclassified or correspond to another typology. Most of them are mapped with the same symbol at a scale of 1:25,000 or greater, providing the necessary information to elaborate European-scale susceptibility maps for each landslide type. A landslide density map was produced for the available records from the Geological Surveys (LANDEN map) showing, for the first time, 210,544 km² landslide-prone areas and 23,681 administrative areas where the Geological Surveys from Europe have recorded landslides. The comparison of this map with the European landslide susceptibility map (ELSUS 1000 v1) is successful for most of the territory (69.7%) showing certain variability between countries. This comparison also permitted the identification of 0.98 Mkm² (28.9%) of landslide-susceptible areas without records from the Geological Surveys, which have been used to evaluate the landslide database completeness. The estimated completeness of the landslide databases (LDBs) from the Geological Surveys is 17%, varying between 1 and 55%. This variability is due to the different landslide strategies adopted by each country. In some of them, landslide mapping is systematic; others only record damaging landslides, whereas in others, landslide maps are only available for certain regions or local areas. Moreover, in most of the countries, LDBs from the Geological Surveys co-exist with others owned by a variety of public institutions producing LDBs at variable scales and formats. Hence, a greater coordination effort should be made by all the institutions working in landslide mapping to increase data integration and harmonization.     

Phylogeography of the bluespotted cornetfish,Fistularia commersonii: a predictor of bioinvasion success?

Biological invasions result in huge ecological and economic impacts; therefore, a great amount of effort is dedicated to predicting the potential success of newly established or candidate bioinvaders. Thus far, over 90 species of fish have entered the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez canal, the so‐called Lessepsian bioinvaders. The bluespotted cornetfish, Fistularia commersonii, is remarkable in its ability to disperse within the Mediterranean and has been dubbed ‘the Lessepsian sprinter’. In just a few years, starting in 2000, it expanded over the entire area, from the Suez Canal to Gibraltar. Theoretical predictions correlate the dispersal capabilities of an invader in its native range (using the population genetic metrics, F_st, as a proxy) with its dispersal capability in its invading area (continuous extent of spread, CES). Here, we estimated the population genetic characteristics of Indo‐Pacific native populations of F. commersonii in order to determine if this Lessepsian ‘sprinter’ fits the predictive model of dispersal. Indeed, we found that even in the case of such a very rapid range expansion, the predicted relationship between F_st and CES is fulfilled in F. commersonii.