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The identification of species-rich areas and their prognosticated turnover under climate change are crucial for the conservation of endemic taxa. This study aims to identify areas of reptile endemicity richness in a global biodiversity hot spot (Morocco) under current and future climatic conditions and to investigate the role of protected areas in biodiversity conservation under climate change. Species distribution models (SDM) were performed over the distribution of 21 endemic reptiles, combined to estimate current species richness at 1 × 1 km resolution and projected to years 2050 and 2080 according to distinct story lines and ensemble global circulation models, assuming unlimited and null dispersion ability. Generalized additive models were performed between species richness and geographic characteristics of 43 protected areas. SDM found precipitation as the most important factor related to current species distributions. Important reductions in future suitable areas were predicted for 50 % of species, and four species were identified as highly vulnerable to extinction. Drastic reductions in species-rich areas were predicted for the future, with considerable variability between years and dispersal scenarios. High turnover rates of species composition were predicted for eastern Morocco, whereas low values were forecasted for the Northern Atlantic coast and mountains. Species richness for current and future conditions was significantly related to the altitude and latitude of protected areas. Protected areas located in mountains and/or in the Northern Atlantic coast were identified as refugia, where population monitoring and conservation management is needed.

Third-generation biofuels are currently a promising alternative for energy production, since electricity prices have risen sharply and the search for alternative energy sources to fossil fuels has become a necessity. The use of the anaerobic digestion process for the production of biomethane from microalgae has been studied over the years and has reached a certain degree of maturity, becoming the most straightforward way to obtain energy from microalgae without the need for a previous drying or extraction phase, thus eliminating the costs associated with these operations. Microalgae also show a high potential to grow in different media, including wastewater, as well as a high capacity for nutrient absorption and carbon dioxide fixation, which aid in decarbonization. These characteristics, combined with biomethane production, can contribute to achieving a satisfactory bioenergy production in a circular economy model. Peer reviewed 2 Tablas

A series of 33 different polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were studied by far infrared spectroscopy (terahertz spectroscopy) in the spectral range comprised between 600 and 50 cm(-1). In addition to common PAHs like naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, picene, pyrene, benzo[α]pyrene, and perylene, also quite unusual PAHs were studied like tetracene, pentacene, acenaphtene, acenaphtylene, triphenylene, and decacyclene. A series of alkylated naphthalenes and anthracenes were studied as well as methypyrene. Partially or totally hydrogenated PAHs were also object of the present investigation, ranging from tetrahydronaphthalene (tetralin) to decahydronaphthalene (decalin), 9,10-dihydroanthracene, 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene, hexahydropyrene, and dodecahydrotriphenylene. Finally, the large and quite rare PAHs coronene, quaterrylene, hexabenzocoronene, and dicoronylene were studied by far infrared spectroscopy. The resulting reference spectra were used in the interpretation of the chemical structure of asphaltenes (as extracted from a heavy petroleum fraction and from bitumen), the chemical structures of other petroleum fractions known as DAE (distillate aromatic extract) and RAE (residual aromatic extract), and a possible interpretation of components of the chemical structure of anthracite coal. Asphaltenes, heavy petroleum fractions, and coal were proposed as model compounds for the interpretation of the emission spectra of certain proto-planetary nebulae (PPNe) with a good matching in the mid infrared between the band pattern of the PPNe emission spectra and the spectra of these oil fractions or coal. Although this study was finalized in an astrochemical context, it may find application also in the petroleum and coal chemistry.

AbstractClimate change globally affects soil microbial community assembly across ecosystems. However, little is known about the impact of warming on the structure of soil microbial communities or underlying mechanisms that shape microbial community composition in subtropical forest ecosystems. To address this gap, we utilized natural variation in temperature via an altitudinal gradient to simulate ecosystem warming. After 6 years, microbial co‐occurrence network complexity increased with warming, and changes in their taxonomic composition were asynchronous, likely due to contrasting community assembly processes. We found that while stochastic processes were drivers of bacterial community composition, warming led to a shift from stochastic to deterministic drivers in dry season. Structural equation modelling highlighted that soil temperature and water content positively influenced soil microbial communities during dry season and negatively during wet season. These results facilitate our understanding of the response of soil microbial communities to climate warming and may improve predictions of ecosystem function of soil microbes in subtropical forests.

We conducted a field drought manipulation experiment in an evergreen oak Mediterranean forest from 1999 to 2005 to investigate the effects of the increased drought predicted for the next decades on the accumulation of trace elements that can be toxic for animals, in stand biomass, litter and soil. Drought increased concentrations of As, Cd, Ni, Pb and Cr in roots of the dominant tree species, Quercus ilex, and leaf Cd concentrations in Arbutus unedo and of Phillyrea latifolia codominant shrubs. The increased concentration of As and Cd can aggravate the toxic capacity of those two elements, which are already next or within the levels that have been shown to be toxic for herbivores. The study also showed a great reduction in Pb biomass content (100-135 gha(-1)) during the studied period (1999-2005) showing the effectiveness of the law that prohibited leaded fuel after 2001. The results also indicate that drought increases the exportation of some trace elements to continental waters.

Abstract Ammonia is a possible candidate as the fuel for SOFCs. In this work, the influence on the performance of a tubular SOFC running on ammonia is studied. Analysis of open circuit voltages (OCVs) on the cell indicated the oxidation of ammonia within a SOFC is a two-stage process: decomposition of the inlet ammonia into nitrogen and hydrogen, followed by oxidation of hydrogen to water. For comparison, cell was also tested with hydrogen as the fuel and air as oxidant at different temperatures showing a similar behaviour. The performance of the cell tested under various conditions shows the high potential of ammonia as fuel for SOFCs.

The thermochemical degradation of waste tires in a CO(2) atmosphere without previous treatment of devolatilization (pyrolysis) in order to obtain activated carbons with good textural properties such as surface area and porosity was studied. The operating variables studied were CO(2) flow rate (50 and 150 mL/min), temperature (800 and 900 degrees C) and reaction time (1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3h). Results show a considerable effect of the temperature and the reaction time in the porosity development. Kinetic measurements showed that the reactions involved in the thermochemical degradation of waste tire with CO(2), are similar to those developed in the pyrolysis process carried out under N(2) atmosphere and temperatures below 760 degrees C, for particles sizes of 500 microm and heating rate of 5 degrees C/min. For temperatures higher than 760 degrees C the CO(2) starts to oxidize the remaining carbon black. Activated carbon with a 414-m(2)/g surface area at 900 degrees C of temperature, 150 mL/min of CO(2) volumetric flow and 180 min of reaction time was obtained. In this work it is considering the no reactivity of CO(2) for devolatilization of the tires (up to 760 degrees C), and also the partial oxidation of residual char at high temperature for activation (>760 degrees C). It is confirmed that there are two consecutive stages (devolatilization and activation) developed from the same process.

The species of the genus Trichoderma are used successfully as biocontrol agents against a wide range of phytopathogenic fungi. Among them, Trichoderma harzianum is especially effective. However, to develop more effective fungal biocontrol strategies in organic substrates and soil, tools for monitoring the control agents are required. Real-time PCR is potentially an effective tool for the quantification of fungi in environmental samples. The aim of this study consisted of the development and application of a real-time PCR-based method to the quantification of T. harzianum, and the extrapolation of these data to fungal biomass values. A set of primers and a TaqMan probe for the ITS region of the fungal genome were designed and tested, and amplification was correlated to biomass measurements obtained with optical microscopy and image analysis, of the hyphal length of the mycelium of the colony. A correlation of 0.76 between ITS copies and biomass was obtained. The extrapolation of the quantity of ITS copies, calculated based on real-time PCR data, into quantities of fungal biomass provides potentially a more accurate value of the quantity of soil fungi.

In this paper, a clear day is defined as one generating a thermal load, and its daily level of solar energy, HgIT, is higher than the daily threshold energy imposed by the process, Hmin. In Madrid, for the air-conditioning of indoor spaces, Hmin varies from about 24 MJ m−2 day−1 in June to about 18 MJ m−2 day−1 in September. Using the representative input data of a clear day in Madrid and applying the Hottel-Willier, Duffie, Beckman and Klein model, taking into account the heat capacity effects and the variable regime, a theoretical simulation of a lithium bromide absorption cooling system was performed to obtain a daily collector efficiency of about 22%, a daily COP of the cooling machine of about 55% and a daily efficiency of the solar energy-cooling conversion of about 12%.