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The capercaillie Tetrao urogallus - the world's largest grouse- is a circumboreal forest species, which only two remaining populations in Spain: one in the Cantabrian mountains in the west and the other in the Pyrenees further east. Both have shown severe declines, especially in the Cantabrian population, which has recently been classified as "Critically Endangered". To develop management plans, information on demographic parameters is necessary to understand and forecast population dynamics. We used spatial capture-recapture (SCR) modeling and non-invasive DNA samples to estimate the current population size in the whole Cantabrian mountain range. In addition, for the assessment of population status, we analyzed the population trajectory over the last 42 years (1978-2019) at 196 leks on the Southern slope of the range, using an integrated population model with a Dail-Madsen model at its core, combined with a multistate capture-recapture model for survival and a Poisson regression for productivity. For 2019, we estimate the size of the entire population at 191 individuals (95% BCI 165-222) for an estimated 60 (48-78) females and 131 (109-157) males. Since the 1970s, our study estimates a shrinkage of the population range by 83%. The population at the studied leks in 2019 was at about 10% of the size estimated for 1978. Apparent annual survival was estimated at 0.707 (0.677-0.735), and per-capita recruitment at 0.233 (0.207-0.262), and insufficient to maintain a stable population. We suggest work to improve the recruitment (and survival) and manage these mountain forests for capercaillie conservation. Also, in the future, management should assess the genetic viability of this population., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This paper is based on the fact that some climatic variables show a preferential directionality and grant a markedly anisotropic character to the weathering system acting on rocks. The aim of this work is to quantify the anisotropic degree of the weathering system and its effects on rock erosion. For this purpose, a new methodology based on the vector analysis of directional and time-dependent parameters is proposed to quantify the annual or seasonal anisotropy of the weathering system. Results show that, on the one hand, wind-driven rain and solar radiation are the most anisotropic variables, being north and east the most intense directions for wind-driven rain and southeast for solar radiation, in the case of the San José Tower, the reference monument of this study. On the other hand, the ranking from the most to the least eroded façades of the tower are: east (maximum recession depth of 26.77 mm) > south (15.53 mm) ≈ west (13.56 mm) > north (6.37 mm). Solar radiation and indirect processes arising therefrom are the most important weathering agents in the semiarid Mediterranean climate, whilst wind-driven rain is the main erosion factor especially due to its torrential character. According to our results, weathering and erosion agents are strongly anisotropic, which emphasizes the importance of integrating the anisotropic character of the weathering system in preventive strategies against surface deterioration of monuments. In this sense, this paper advances the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This work aimed to determine the cause of the presence of high concentrations of mercury in several springs that exhibit a low concentration of metals in the bedrocks of their recharge areas in Gijón, NW Spain and the extent of this contamination. On the basis of geological mapping, different lithological substrata were analysed at the regional scale with the objective of establishing the base level of mercury in natural soils. The mercury content was simultaneously analysed in several water samples, and the following parameters were also determined: major anions and cations, As, Pb, δ(34)S, and δ(18)OSO4. The soils of the recharge area of the springs exhibited Hg concentrations that were higher than the base level established for sandstone at the regional level, and four of the total number of springs analysed exhibited Hg concentrations higher than 1 μg/l. In addition, the sulphate concentration exceeded the values that this type of aquifer shows in other parts of the region. A comparison between the regionally geochemical background of soils and mercury concentration in springs and soils of the study area did not exhibit a direct relationship, suggesting an anthropogenic and timely origin (most likely from industrial emissions) for this metal. The δ(34)S and δ(18)OSO4 values of dissolved sulphate from the springs with a higher Hg concentration also indicate an anthropogenic origin., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The effect of lead (Pb) toxicity on bone mineralization was investigated in a wild population of red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) inhabiting a farmland area contaminated with Pb-shot from recreational hunting activities in Albacete, a southeastern province of Spain. Femora from 40 specimens of red-legged partridge were analyzed for Pb by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GF-AAS), and for bone composition by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The FTIR and DRX data of bone were analyzed in detail to determine possible alterations in bone mineral chemistry and crystallinity due to Pb toxicity. Results showed a marked decrease in the degree of mineralization as Pb concentrations in bone tissue increased while XRD analyses showed that the crystallinity of apatite crystals increased with the Pb load in bone. These load-dependent effects are indicative that Pb contamination altered bone remodeling by reducing new bone mineral formation and demonstrate that bone quality is a sensitive indicator of adverse effects on wild bird populations exposed to Pb pollution., (© 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)