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Chapter 4: Impacts of biological invasions on nature, nature’s contributions to people, and good quality of life of the Thematic Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and their Control of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services., Suggested citation: Bacher, S., Galil, B. S., Nuñez, M. A., Ansong, M., Cassey, P., Dehnen-Schmutz, K., Fayvush, G., Hiremath, A. J., Ikegami, M., Martinou, A. F., McDermott, S. M., Preda, C., Vilà, M., Weyl, O. L. F., Fernandez, R. D., and Ryan-Colton, E. (2023). Chapter 4: Impacts of biological invasions on nature, nature's contributions to people, and good quality of life. In: Thematic Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and their Control of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Roy, H. E., Pauchard, A., Stoett, P., and Renard Truong, T. (eds.). IPBES secretariat, Bonn, Germany. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7430731

Flowchart for publication selection process of our literature review.

There is an urgent need to list regional data on alien species diversity in order to explore worldwide patterns of species invasion. In this sense, developing countries have received little attention. We have characterized the alien flora of northern Africa with regard to the taxonomic composition, life history characteristics, geographic origin and habitats invaded. A total of 343 vascular plant species from 69 families non-native to the regions were found in the literature. Alien species richness ranged from 143 (Algeria) to 60 (Tunisia). Most of these were of Mediterranean and North American origin. Over 40% of the alien species were therophytes. Crop fields, dumps and wet areas such as fresh water streams were the habitats with the higest number of aliens. About 10 % of species in the alien flora are considered to be serious plant invaders in other places of the world. Among these species there are many shrubs and trees such as Acacia and Eucalyptus. The impact of these species must be surveyed in the field. Per tal d'establir patrons globals d'espècies invasives és necessari i urgent determinar la diversitat de la flora al·lòctona a escala regional. En aquest sentit els països en vies de desenvolupament han rebut poca atenció. Per aquest motiu, hem caracteritzat la flora natu-ralitzada dels països del nord d'Àfrica per conèixer la seva composició taxonòmica, el tipus de forma de vida, el seu origen geogràfic i els hàbitats que ocupen. Segons la recerca bibliogràfica feta hem trobat 343 plantes superiors repartides en 69 famílies. El nombre d'espècies per país va des de 143 (Algèria) a 60 (Tunícia). La major part d'aquestes espècies té un origen mediterrani o nordamericà. Un 40% de les espècies són teròfits. Els camps de conreu i els ambients humits són els hàbitats amb major nombre d'espècies al·lòctones. Un 10% d'aquestes espècies (ex. Acacia, Eucalyptus) són considerades espècies molt invasives en altres regions del món. L'impacte d'aquestes espècies s'hauria d'estimar directament al camp.

Invasion biology examines species originated elsewhere and moved with the help of humans, and those species¿ impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human well-being. In a globalized world, the emergence and spread of many human infectious pathogens are quintessential biological invasion events. Some macroscopic invasive species themselves contribute to the emergence and transmission of human infectious agents. We review conceptual parallels and differences between human epidemics and biological invasions by animals and plants. Fundamental concepts in invasion biology regarding the interplay of propagule pressure, species traits, biotic interactions, eco-evolutionary experience, and ecosystem disturbances can help to explain transitions between stages of epidemic spread. As a result, many forecasting and management tools used to address epidemics could be applied to biological invasions and vice versa. Therefore, we advocate for increasing cross-fertilization between the two disciplines to improve prediction, prevention, treatment, and mitigation of invasive species and infectious disease outbreaks, including pandemics.

En los últimos siglos, las actividades humanas han causado extinciones e introducciones de especies cuyas consecuencias ecológicas son difíciles de valorar. En este ensayo se mues-tran algunos ejemplos de las implicaciones que este fenómeno ha tenido en los procesos de los ecosistemas. También se discuten estudios referentes al efecto de la riqueza de las espe-cies. El impacto de la extinción e introducción de especies depende de su similitud con las otras especies de la comunidad. Los efectos serán mayores cuando las especies influyan en la disponibilidad y consumo de recursos y en el régimen de perturbación. Un mayor núme-ro de especies aumenta la eficiencia en el uso de recursos y además ofrece seguridad fren-te a cambios ambientales. During the last centuries, human activities have caused extinctions and introductions of spe-cies which ecological impacts are difficult to value. In this essay some examples of the effect of this phenomenon on ecosystem processes are shown. Some studies with regard to the effect of species richness are also discussed. The impact of species extinctions and intro-ductions depends on the similarity of these species with the others from the community. Effects will be greater when species influence resource availability and use, and disturban-ce regime. Species richness enhances resource use efficiency and offers insurance to envi-ronmental changes.

Guía documental y de recursos relativos a la Educación Primaria en el área de Lengua y Lenguaje. Se diferencian textos de fundamentación teórica, de didáctica del área, y de recopilación de actividades y recursos.

Informe elaborado desde la Plataforma Temática Interdisciplinar Salud Global/Global Health del CSIC.-- Coordinadores: M.Victoria Moreno-Arribas y Jesús Marco de Lucas., La pandemia COVID-19, causada por el coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, se ha convertido durante este último año en una de las peores amenazas para la historia de la humanidad. Su impacto en todo el planeta ha planteado un desafío sin precedentes para la sociedad. El CSIC tomó la iniciativa en marzo de 2020 con el lanzamiento de la Plataforma Salud Global, orientada a buscar soluciones desde la ciencia ante la pandemia, y ha canalizado este esfuerzo contando desde el primer momento con el trabajo coordinado e ininterrumpido de nuestros investigadores y con el apoyo de la sociedad en su conjunto. La plataforma ha movilizado y coordina a más de 300 grupos de investigación de más de 90 centros del CSIC, en seis temáticas de trabajo, que tratan de cubrir con un enfoque interdisciplinar todos los aspectos de la pandemia: Prevención, Enfermedad, Contención y Diagnóstico, Tratamiento y Vacunas, Impacto social, y Comunicación. Gracias al apoyo recibido a través de nuestro ministerio, convocatorias y donaciones directas de entidades públicas y privadas, y de particulares, a quienes queremos agradecer la confianza depositada, el CSIC desarrolla más de 100 proyectos de investigación, que abarcan desde el desarrollo de antivirales, anticuerpos y antiinflamatorios, la monitorización de la transmisión, el estudio del genoma del virus y el impacto de las mutaciones, las características del microbioma intestinal y la genética de los pacientes, su respuesta inmune a la infección y a la vacunación, hasta la fabricación y puesta en el mercado de mascarillas, sistemas de diagnóstico y contención del virus, así como estudios realizados sobre la percepción social de las medidas, especialmente sobre el impacto en residencias de mayores. Los tres proyectos de desarrollo de vacunas que lidera el CSIC arrancaron también al comienzo de la pandemia, como una apuesta estratégica para demostrar la capacidad de desarrollar de principio a fin una vacuna propia en España. Los proyectos de investigación han dado lugar por el momento a más de 800 resultados de investigación, más de 150 artículos en revistas de alto impacto, más de 180 resultados de transferencia protegidos, un máster propio, así como numerosos informes y guías científicas, y múltiples acciones de comunicación, divulgación y educación. Este documento tiene como objetivo difundir desde un enfoque global las principales investigaciones a nivel mundial, y las respuestas y soluciones basadas en proyectos en los dominios en que los grupos de investigación del CSIC son expertos. En estos intensos meses de trabajo, la plataforma Salud Global se ha convertido en una estructura estable de cooperación científica dimensionada a las expectativas cambiantes que ha demandado esta brutal pandemia. Su consolidación, reforzando su estructura y mecanismos de coordinación, en particular el enlace con el sector clínico, nos prepara para hacer frente a los nuevos desafíos y oportunidades, y el desarrollo de iniciativas con empresas en nuestro país, tan necesario para configurar una respuesta ante esta y futuras pandemias., 1. ACTUACIONES EN PREVENCIÓN. 1.1. Modelos de predicción. 1.2. Origen y ecología del virus SARS-CoV-2, emergencia de nuevos virus. 1.3. Apps de seguimiento: Llegar a tiempo para frenar nuevos brotes. 1.4. Movilidad: incidencia y propagación de la enfermedad. 1.5. Proyectos en la temática PREVENCIÓN que se desarrollan en el CSIC.-- 2. ACTUACIONES SOBRE LA ENFERMEDAD Y LA CONEXIÓN CON LA CLÍNICA. 2.1. Entendiendo la enfermedad: dónde, cómo, cuándo y quién transmite el SARS-CoV-2. Presintomáticos, sintomáticos, y asintomáticos. Transmisión en personas asintomáticas. 2.2. Epidemiología genómica para rastrear la transmisión. 2.3. Genética del virus, evolución de la pandemia y respuesta ante la enfermedad. 2.4. Población infantil. COVID-19 y los niños. 2.5. Gravedad de la enfermedad. Factores de riesgo. Nuevos síntomas y secuelas. 2.6. Genética humana y otros factores en fase de estudio y su conexión con la gravedad de la enfermedad. 2.7. Inmunidad y respuesta inflamatoria ante el SARS-CoV-2. 2.8. Proyectos en la temática ENFERMEDAD que se desarrollan en el CSIC.-- 3. ACTUACIONES EN CONTENCIÓN Y DIAGNÓSTICO. 3.1. Conociendo cómo se trasmite el virus y los protocolos de desinfección. 3.2. Protección específica de las mucosas frente a la entrada del SARS-CoV-2. 3.3. Proyectos en la temática TRANSMISIÓN Y CONTENCIÓN que se desarrollan en el CSIC. 3.4. El papel del diagnóstico frente a la pandemia. 3.5. Proyectos en la temática DIAGNÓSTICO que se desarrollan en el CSIC.-- 4. ACTUACIONES EN TRATAMIENTO Y VACUNAS. 4.1. Tratamiento: el esfuerzo desde la investigación para curar la Covid-19. 4.2. Vacunas. 4.3. Proyectos en la temática TRATAMIENTO que se desarrollan en el CSIC.-- 5. IMPACTO GLOBAL DE LA PANDEMIA. 5.1. Residencias de ancianos. 5.2. Covid-19 y efectos en la salud mental. 5.3. Habitabilidad 5.4. El trabajo después de la COVID-19. 5.5. Publicación científica urgente: los cambios en la comunicación científica. 5.6. Proyectos en la temática IMPACTO GLOBAL que se desarrollan en el CSIC.-- 6. TRANSFERENCIA EN TIEMPOS COVID-19.-- 7. DIVULGACIÓN Y COMUNICACIÓN. 7.1. ExpoCovid, Exposición itinerante: ¿Qué sabemos hoy del SARS-CoV-2?

In Mediterranean regions, biological invasions pose a major threat to the conservation of native species and the integrity of ecosystems. In addition, changes in land-cover are a widespread phenomenon in Mediterranean regions, where an increase in urban areas and major changes from agricultural abandonment to shrub encroachment and afforestation are occurring. However, the link between biological invasions and changes in land-cover has scarcely been analyzed. We conducted a regional survey of the distribution of the two alien prickly-pear cacti Opuntia maxima and O. stricta in Cap de Creus (Catalonia, Spain) and related patterns of invasion to spatially explicit data on land-cover/change from 1973 to 1993 to test the hypotheses that the two Opuntia species invade areas that have experienced large land-cover transformations. We found that Opuntia invasion is particularly high in shrublands and woodlands located near urban areas. O. maxima are over-represented in the shrublands and O. stricta in the woodlands that were former crops. Crop coverage has dropped by 71% in this 20-year period. This study highlights the role of past land-cover in understanding the present distribution of plant invasions.

[Aim] Terrestrial invertebrates comprise a large proportion of alien species world-wide, yet a quantitative global synthesis of their effects on native species and ecosystems has not been explored. We conducted a meta-analysis to examine the ecological impacts of terrestrial invertebrate invaders and to test how impacts are modulated by the invader's trophic position, habitat attributes (i.e. insularity and disturbance) and the study methodology (observational versus experimental)., [Location] Global., [Methods] We investigated the effects of terrestrial invertebrate invaders on populations, communities and ecosystems by conducting a random effects meta-analysis using 112 articles reporting data from 710 field and laboratory studies. The analysis included 16 insect, 11 earthworm, 7 slug and 1 nematode invaders., [Results] On average, across invaders, the presence of invaders reduced plant fitness (52%), animal diversity (33%) and animal abundance (29%). Leaf litter decomposition was 41% higher in the presence of invaders, while other ecosystem-level variables such as nutrient cycling were not affected in a consistent direction. Invasive predators and detritivores decreased animal abundance, whereas herbivores and omnivores had limited impacts. Single invaders increased soil nitrogen pools while multiple species did not. Insularity and disturbance did not affect the magnitude of the impacts significantly, mainly because there was a large variation among studies., [Main conclusions] Overall, our study indicates that terrestrial invertebrate invaders have significant consistent effects on populations, communities and ecosystems, with islands and disturbed sites not being more prone to impacts. However, effects vary considerably depending on the type of impact being examined and the trophic position of the invader. There is no evidence that invaders cause larger impacts when multiple species of invaders, rather than single invaders, are involved., E.K.C. acknowledges a Short Term Scientific Mission grant from COST Action TD1209: Alien Challenge and funding from the Academy of Finland (263995, 250444, 285882). M.C. acknowledges an Academy of Finland grant (257686). M.V. thanks the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness projects FLORMAS (CGL 2012‐33801) and the Severo Ochoa Program for Centres of Excellence (SEV‐2012‐0262).

Pauchard et al claim that non-native species should not be granted conservation value, as this could hinder effort to curtail novel introductions. In this response, Schlaepfer counters that the positive contributions of non-native species to biodiversity and conservation must be included to provide a complete and objective snapshot to policy makers.

Analysing how species niches shift between native and introduced ranges is a powerful tool for understanding the determinants of species distributions and for anticipating range expansions by invasive species. Most studies only consider the climatic niche, by correlating widely available presence-only data with regional climate. However, habitat characteristics and disturbance also shape species niches, thereby potentially confounding shifts attributed only to differences in climate. Here we used presence and abundance data for Oxalis pes-caprae, a species native to South Africa and invading areas globally, to understand how niche shifts may be influenced by disturbance at habitat and landscape scales in addition to climate. Locality Mediterranean climate areas world-wide. Methods We used available presence-only data and also conducted extensive surveys of the abundance of Oxalis (c. 11,000 plots) across different habitats in South Africa and in the introduced range in the Mediterranean Basin. We extended principal component analysis methods for measuring niche shifts by using Bayesian generalized linear models to identify climatic and disturbance niche shifts. Results We found a large climatic niche expansion towards stronger seasonality and lower temperature in the introduced range, but this expansion was greatly reduced when considering only conditions available in both ranges. Oxalis occupied more natural landscapes in the native range that remained unoccupied in the introduced range (‘niche unfilling’). In contrast to the similar abundances in natural and disturbed habitats in its native range, Oxalis was more abundant in disturbed habitats in the introduced range. Conclusions The large climatic niche expansion most likely reflects significant plasticity of Oxalis rather than rapid evolution. Furthermore, the unfilling of its disturbance niche in the introduced range suggests high potential for further invasion of natural areas. Together, these findings suggest that the potential for future spread of invasive species may be underestimated by approaches that characterize species niches based only on climate or partial information about their distributions.

© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Aim: To assess how the magnitude of impacts of non-native plants on species richness of resident plants and animals varies in relation to the traits and phylogenetic position of the non-native as well as characteristics of the invaded site. Location: Global. Methods: Meta-analysis and phylogenetic regressions based on 216 studies were used to examine the effects of 96 non-native plant species on species richness of resident plants and animals while considering differences in non-native species traits (life-form, clonality or vegetative reproduction, and nitrogen-fixing ability) and characteristics of the invaded site (ecosystem type, insularity and climatic region). Results: Plots with non-native plants had lower resident plant (-20.5%) and animal species richness (-26.4%) than paired uninvaded control plots. Nitrogen-fixing ability, followed by phylogeny and clonality were the best predictors of the magnitude of impacts of non-native plants on native plant species richness. Non-nitrogen-fixing and clonal non-native plants reduced species richness more than nitrogen-fixing and non-clonal invaders. However, life-form and characteristics of the invaded sites did not appear to be important. In the case of resident animal species richness, only the phylogenetic position of the non-native and whether invaded sites were islands or not influenced impacts, with a more pronounced decrease found on islands than mainlands. Main conclusions: The presence of a phylogenetic signal on the magnitude of the impacts of non-native plants on resident plant and animal richness indicates that closely related non-native plants tend to have similar impacts. This suggests that the magnitude of the impact might depend on shared plant traits not explored in our study. Our results therefore support the need to include the phylogenetic similarity of non-native plants to known invaders in risk assessment analysis.

Trabajo presentado en IX European Wetland Congress (2014) y 6º European Pond Conservation Network (2014), celebrados en Huesca del 14 al 18 de septiembre de 2014., Aquatic ecosystems are characterized by strong trophic links that can be profoundly disturbed by the loss or the introduction of species, whose impacts propagate up and down the food web. However, because the majority of investigations evaluating the impacts of aquatic invaders have been small-scale studies focused on particular invaders and single functional groups, it is difficult to determine if and to which extent are the cascading impacts of aquatic invasions universal. This study aims to gather all the available scientific evidence about the ecological and environmental cascading impacts triggered by aquatic invasive species with the objective to discriminate the impact of invaders by their trophic position (primary producer, filter-collector, omnivore and predator). To that end, we conducted a meta-analysis based on 152 published studies from which we retrieved 678 records. We covered a total 70 invasive species with broad representation of fish (N=24), plants (N=23), mollusks (N=10) and crustaceans (N=6). Overall, invasive species caused a strong decrease on the richness (estimate=-0.40; Confidence Interval: -0.69,-0.11) and abundance (estimate=-0.34; CI: -0.57,-0.11) of aquatic communities. As expected, the effects of aquatic invasion were dependent on the trophic position of the invader. Primary producers significantly reduced the abundance of fish and produced a notable decrease in benthic inverts, probably because of the lack of appropriate habitat for foraging. Habitat engineers such as filter-collectors produced a very large increase in the abundance and richness of benthic invertebrates and very large increase in the abundance of macrophytes; but their filtering activity largely reduced the abundance of planktonic communities. Omnivores led to very large reduction in the abundance and richness of macrophytes, and a small decrease in the richness of benthic invertebrates. The response of aquatic communities to predation was very variable, although all functional groups showed a tendency to decrease in richness and abundance. By combining multiple trophic and functional levels, this comprehensive study reveals new insights into cascading impacts of invasive species on aquatic ecosystems.

determinados usos del suelo pueden actuar como fuente de propágulos de plantas exóticas o propiciar condiciones favorables para su establecimiento, derivando en procesos de invasión con grandes impactos en la biodiversidad. Nuestro objetivo ha sido entender los efectos de la antropización del paisaje litoral desde 1956 a 2007 en la riqueza de plantas exóticas. Identificamos todas las especies vegetales exóticas a lo largo de transectos recorriendo 381 Km de la costa del Sudoeste español. Estudiamos la asociación de la riqueza de exóticas con el clima, cubiertas de suelo en 1956, 1991 y 2007, intensidad de antropización entre 1956 y 2007 y área protegida. Encontramos una asociación positiva entre la riqueza de exóticas y el área antropizada. En cambio, la intensidad de antropización o área protegida no presentaron asociación. La asociación fue mayor considerando el paisaje de 1956, reflejando un posible crédito de invasión.

Alien plants pose significant threats to protected areas worldwide yet many studies only describe the degree to which these areas have become invaded. Research must move toward a better understanding of alien plant impacts sincemanagers urgently require an appropriate evidence base to prioritize control/eradication targets. We analyze a global database of quantitative studies of alien plant impacts to evaluate existing knowledge of alien plant impacts within and outside protected areas. Although protected areas are a significant focus for quantitative impact studies, the biogeographic emphasis of most research effort does not coincide with the global distribution of protected areas nor the plant species or life-forms recognized to have greatest impacts on ecosystems. While impacts were often as significant within protected areas as outside, only a minority of studies provide any subsequent management recommendations. There is therefore considerable scope to improve the evidence base on alien plant management in protected areas.

Este artículo presenta una secuencia didáctica basada en el enfoque del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de la lengua mediante la investigación y la interacción. El objetivo es proponer una manera de trabajar los contenidos lingüísticos en secundaria a través de un proceso que implique, por una parte, la creación de situaciones de reflexión compartida entre los alumnos, y por otra, un cambio de perspectiva en las tareas que habitualmente realizan los alumnos en el aula. Se trata de pasar de desempeñar un papel básicamente receptivo (de las preguntas y reflexiones del docente) a tener un papel claramente productivo, ya que para hacer una investigación hay que formular hipótesis, analizar resultados y sacar conclusiones. En concreto, a través de la secuencia didáctica que se propone se desarrollan las habilidades lingüísticas del alumnado mediante tres ejes: el concepto de registro lingüístico en relación con el contexto educativo, la reflexión a través de la argumentación y la investigación. This paper presents a teaching sequence that focuses on the process of teachinglearning languages through research and interaction. The objective is to put forward a way of working on language contents at secondary level through a process that involves both creating situations for shared reflection by students and a change of perspective on the tasks usually carried out by students in class. The idea is to move from playing a basically receptive role (from the teachers’ questions and reflections) to a clearly productive role, since carrying out research calls for formulating hypotheses, analysing findings, and drawing conclusions. In short, the teaching sequence set out here aims to develop students’ language skills through three approaches: the concept of language register with regard to the educational context, reflection through arguing, and research.

Aquest article presenta l’anàlisi d’una seqüència didàctica experimentada a l’aula amb escolars de sisè de primària. L’activitat es va dur a terme amb dos objectius principals. El primer era fer que l’alumnat reflexionés sobre aspectes sociolingüístics relacionats amb la seva quotidianitat, i el segon, ensenyar a elaborar arguments al voltant de les situacions sociolingüístiques. Proposem aquesta seqüència com a exemple del tipus d’activitats didàctiques que es poden realitzar a primària (també a secundària obligatòria i batxillerat o, fins i tot, a la universitat), per tal d’integrar continguts de sociolingüística als continguts curriculars, ja sigui dins de la dimensió comunicativa, de la plurilingüe i intercultural (primària i secundària) o dins dels continguts d’altres assignatures. This paper presents an analysis of a teaching sequence carried out in class with sixth-year primary students with two main goals in mind. The first was to get students to think about sociolinguistic aspects linked to their everyday life, and the second was to teach them to prepare argumentations about sociolinguistic situations. We offer this sequence as an example of the kind of teaching activities that can be carried out at primary level (and secondary and baccalaureate and even university level) in order to include sociolinguistic contents in syllabuses, either as part of a communicative dimension, a plural and intercultural approach (primary and secondary) or as part of subject matter in other subjects.

Aquest article presenta l’ús de la llibreta de ciències com a eina per desenvolupar el pensament científic en els infants. A partir d’una experiència col·laborativa entre universitat i escola relacionada amb l’ensenyament de ciències a sisè de primària, s’hi analitzen els raonaments que fa l’alumnat des del punt de vista de la construcció del pensament científic i des d’una perspectiva científica. Els resultats de l’anàlisi de les anotacions a la llibreta de ciències mostren que els nens i nenes expliquen els fenòmens més que no pas els argumenten i que tenen dificultats lingüístiques a l’hora de fer les anotacions científiques. Al llarg de l’article, s’esmenten els avantatges i els inconvenients de l’ús de la llibreta de ciències per aprendre ciències. This paper looks at the use of the science notebook as a tool for developing scientific thought in children. Based on a collaborative initiative between university and school linked to teaching sciences at sixth-year primary level, it analyses pupils’ reasoning from the point of view of building scientific thought and from a scientific perspective. The findings of this analysis of notebook notes show that pupils explain phenomena rather than set out arguments for them and have language difficulties when it comes to making scientific notes. The paper sets out the advantages and disadvantages of using science notebooks to learn science.

Este artículo presenta una secuencia didáctica basada en el enfoque del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje de la lengua mediante la investigación y la interacción. El objetivo es proponer una manera de trabajar los contenidos lingüísticos en secundaria a través de un proceso que implique, por un lado, la creación de situaciones de reflexión compartida entre los alumnos y, por otro, un cambio de perspectiva en las tareas que habitualmente realizan los alumnos en el aula. Se trata de que los estudiantes pasen de desempeñar un papel básicamente receptivo (de las preguntas y las reflexiones del docente) a tener un papel claramente productivo, ya que para hacer una investigación se tienen que formular hipótesis, analizar resultados y extraer conclusiones. En concreto, a través de la secuencia didáctica que se propone se desarrollan las habilidades lingüísticas del alumnado mediante tres ejes: el concepto de registro lingüístico en relación con el contexto educativo, la reflexión a través de la argumentación y la investigación.

1. The natural enemy hypothesis (NEH) predicts that alien plant species might receive less pres- sure from natural enemies than do related coexisting native plants. However, most studies to date are based on pairs of native and alien species, and the results remain inconclusive. The level of attack by native generalist herbivores can vary considerably between plant species, depending on defensive traits and strategies. Plant defences include preformed constitutive and induced defences that are activated as plastic responses to herbivore attack. However, the efficacy of induced defences could be altered when alien species entering an area are exposed to native enemies. 2. We tested the NEH for several closely related alien and native pines to Europe by examining early anti-herbivore resistance to damage by two generalist native insect herbivores (Hylobius abietis and Thaumetopoea pityocampa); the differences in constitutive and inducible chemical defences (i.e. non-volatile resin and total phenolics in the stem and needles); and whether con- sumption preferences shift after induced defences have been triggered by real herbivory. 3. We did not find alien pines to be less damaged by two generalist herbivores than native pines were. The constitutive concentration of chemical defences significantly differed among pine spe- cies. The concentration of constitutive total phenolics in the stem was greater in native than in alien pines. The opposite trend was found for constitutive total phenolics in the needles. The con- centration of chemical defences (non-volatile resin and total phenolics) in the stem significantly increased after herbivory by H. abietis. Moreover, the induction of total phenolics by H. abietis damage was significantly greater in native pine species than in alien pines. On the other hand, only concentrations of non-volatile resin in needles significantly increased after herbivory by T. pityocampa, but without significant differences in inducibility between alien and native pines. In cafeteria bioassays, H. abietis consumed the twigs from alien more than those from native species irrespective of prior exposure to the insect. Meanwhile, no differences among range ori- gin were found in the T. pityocampa cafeteria bioassays. 4. Overall, we found no support for the NEH in alien pines to Europe. This suggests that alien pines, in regions where they coexist with native congeners, may be controlled by native generalist herbivores, this being one reason that invasion by alien pines is not frequent in Europe.

Se analizan tipos de lectores que leen poco y que presentan carencias de lectura. La idea es conocer qué características presentan y cuál es la evolución que siguen ante la actividad lectora. A este tipo de lector se les denomina ‘débiles’ y es de interés de diversas disciplinas dar respuesta a esta problemática. Se presentan diversas investigaciones sobre el lector débil, específicamente sobre algunas estrategias para entender y proponer mejoras. Universitat de Barcelona. Biblioteca del Campus de Mundet ; Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron 171; 08035 Barcelona; Tel. +34934021035; Fax +34934021034 ESP

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Aim To provide the first comparative overview on the current numbers of alien species that invade representative European terrestrial and freshwater habitats for a range of taxonomic groups. Location Europe. Methods Numbers of naturalized alien species of plants, insects, herptiles, birds and mammals occurring in 10 habitats defined according to the European Nature Information System (EUNIS) were obtained from 115 regional data sets. Only species introduced after ad 1500 were considered. Data were analysed by ANCOVA and regression trees to assess whether differences exist among taxonomic groups in terms of their habitat affinity, and whether the pattern of occurrence of alien species in European habitats interacts with macroecological factors such as insu- larity, latitude or area. Results The highest numbers of alien plant and insect species were found in human-made, urban or cultivated habitats; if controlled for habitat area in the region, wetland and riparian habitats appeared to support relatively high numbers of alien plant species too. Invasions by vertebrates were more evenly distributed among habitats, with aquatic and riparian, woodland and cultivated land most invaded. Mires, bogs and fens, grassland, heathland and scrub were generally less invaded. Habitat and taxonomic group explained most variation in the proportions of alien species occurring in individual habitats related to the total number of alien species in a region, and the basic pattern determined by these factors was fine-tuned by geographical variables, namely by the mainland–island contrast and latitude, and differed among taxonomic groups. Main conclusions There are two ecologically distinct groups of alien species (plants and insects versus vertebrates) with strikingly different habitat affinities. Invasions by these two contrasting groups are complementary in terms of habitat use, which makes an overall assessment of habitat invasions in Europe possible. Since numbers of naturalized species in habitats are correlated among taxa within these two groups, the data collected for one group of vertebrates, for example, could be used to estimate the habitat-specific numbers of alien species for other vertebrate groups with reasonable precision, and the same holds true for insects and plants.

Artículo publicado en revista de divulgación dedicada a: Conservación de la biodiversidad., Gracias al proyecto DAISIE, se han cuantificado unas 10.000 especies exóticas en Europa (el único continente que cuenta con una base de datos completa y pública), de las cuales, más de un 10 por ciento ocasionan impactos ecológicos o económicos.

The structure of plant – pollinator networks has been claimed to be resilient to changes in species composition due to the weak degree of dependence among mutualistic partners. However, detailed empirical investigations of the consequences of introducing an alien plant species into mutualistic networks are lacking. We present the first cross-European analysis by using a standardized protocol to assess the degree to which a particular alien plant species (i.e. Carpobrotus affine acinaciformis, Impatiens glandulifera, Opuntia stricta, Rhododendron ponticum and Solanum elaeagnifolium) becomes integrated into existing native plant – pollinator networks, and how this translates to changes in network structure. Alien species were visited by almost half of the pollinator species present, accounting on average for 42 per cent of the visits and 24 per cent of the network interactions. Furthermore, in general, pollina- tors depended upon alien plants more than on native plants. However, despite the fact that invaded communities received more visits than uninvaded communities, the dominant role of alien species over natives did not translate into overall changes in network connectance, plant linkage level and nested- ness. Our results imply that although supergeneralist alien plants can play a central role in the networks, the structure of the networks appears to be very permeable and robust to the introduction of invasive alien species into the network

Questions: 1. Which habitats have the highest degree of inva- sion? 2. Do native species-rich communities have also a high degree of invasion? 3. Do the patterns of association between native and alien species richness vary between habitats. Location: Catalonia region (NE Spain). Methods: We conducted a large regional analysis of 15 655 phytosociological relevés to detect differences in the degree of invasion between European Nature Information System (EUNIS) habitats representative of temperate and Mediter- ranean European areas. Results: Alien species were present in less than 17 % of the relevés and represented less than 2% of the total number of species per habitat. The EUNIS habitats with the highest alien species richness were arable land and gardens followed by anthropogenic forb-rich habitats, riverine and lakeshore scrubs, southern riparian galleries and thickets and trampled areas. In contrast, the following habitats had never any alien species: surface running waters, raised and blanket bogs, valley mires, poor fens and transition mires, base-rich fens, alpine and sub-alpine grasslands, sub-alpine moist or wet tall-herb and fern habitats, alpine and sub-alpine scrub habitats and spiny Mediterranean heaths. There was a unimodal relationship between the mean native and mean alien species richness per EUNIS habitat with a high number of aliens in habitats with intermediate number of native species and a low number of aliens at both extremes of the native species gradient. Within EUNIS habitats, the relationship was positive, negative or non-significant depending on the habitat type without any clear pattern related to the number of native species. Alien species richness was not related to plot size, neither between habitats nor within habitats. Conclusions: The analysis emphasised that the habitats with a higher degree of invasion were the most disturbed ones and that in general habitats rich in native species did not harbour less invaders than habitats poor in native species.

La publicación de materiales curriculares por parte de los editoriales es una ayuda para las escuelas parece qye algunas veces los materiales ofrecwen visiones renovadoras de los contenidos de lengua y literatura. Pero desde el punto de vista de la enseñanza activa basada en los usos de la lengua sólo se tendrian que utilizar como herramientas auxiliares.El monográfico de este número sirve para que el profesorado reflexione sobre los libros de texto. Cataluña ESP

La finalidad de este artículo es plantear algunas consideraciones generales sobre la forma de tratar estas habilidades en las clases a partir del discurso del profesor como modelo expresivo y de la organización de actividades comunicativas que tengan en cuenta el proceso bilateral intrínseco en la comunicación: la intención del emisor al hablar y la intención de los receptores para escuchar. La importancia del discurso del profesor como modelo expresivo y receptivo que facilita la actitud de escucha activa y comprensiva de los alumnos En la tarea docente, los profesores actúan, de manera consciente o inconsciente, como un referente lingüístico, comunicativo y actitudinal para sus alumnos, los cuales son permeables a las formas discursivas y comunicativas que usa el profesor. En este sentido, consideramos que es necesario que el profesorado tenga en cuenta las diversas variables que intervienen en la comunicación. En primer lugar, el factor tiempo. Escuchar de un modo selectivo requiere un desgaste mental y fisico notable. Por eso es necesario que se tenga un control sobre el tiempo dedicado a las intervenciones orales monologadas en relación con el nivel educativo y la capacidad de atención de los alumnos.

Competition plays an important role in structuring plant communities. A manipulation experiment was done eliminating neighbourhood vegetation in order to study the effect of competition on the resprouting vigour of the Mediterranean shrub Erica multiflora. The elimination of neighbours increased the number of resprouts and biomass of target plants. The differences between the competition and non competition treatments increased with time. These results suggest that during the early stages of regeneration after a disturbance, plants are less dependent on environmental resources, but later they compete with its closer neighbours. La competència juga un paper molt important en l'estructura de les comunitats vegetals. Es va portar a terme un experiment d'eliminació de la vegetació velna per tal d'estudiar l'efecte de la competència en el vigor de la rebrotada de l'arbust Erica multiflora. L'eliminació dels veïns va fer incrementar el nombre de rebrots i la biomassa de les plantes d'estudi. Les diferències entre els tractaments deno competència i de competència augmentaren amb el temps. Aquests resultats suggereixen que durant les primeres etapes de regeneració després d'una pertorbació, les plantes són menys depenents dels recursos del medi, però, més tard, competeixen amb els veïns més propers.

Agricultural intensification and associated loss of high-quality habitats are key drivers of insect pollinator declines. With the aim of decreasing the environmental impact of agriculture, the 2014 EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) defined a set of habitat and landscape features (Ecological Focus Areas: EFAs) farmers could select from as a requirement to receive basic farm payments. To inform the post-2020 CAP, we performed a European-scale evaluation to determine how different EFA options vary in their potential to support insect pollinators under standard and pollinator-friendly management, as well as the extent of farmer uptake.A structured Delphi elicitation process engaged 22 experts from 18 European countries to evaluate EFAs options. By considering life cycle requirements of key pollinating taxa (i.e. bumble bees, solitary bees and hoverflies), each option was evaluated for its potential to provide forage, bee nesting sites and hoverfly larval resources.EFA options varied substantially in the resources they were perceived to provide and their effectiveness varied geographically and temporally. For example, field margins provide relatively good forage throughout the season in Southern and Eastern Europe but lacked early-season forage in Northern and Western Europe. Under standard management, no single EFA option achieved high scores across resource categories and a scarcity of late season forage was perceived.Experts identified substantial opportunities to improve habitat quality by adopting pollinator-friendly management. Improving management alone was, however, unlikely to ensure that all pollinator resource requirements were met. Our analyses suggest that a combination of poor management, differences in the inherent pollinator habitat quality and uptake bias towards catch crops and nitrogen-fixing crops severely limit the potential of EFAs to support pollinators in European agricultural landscapes. Policy Implications. To conserve pollinators and help protect pollination services, our expert elicitation highlights the need to create a variety of interconnected, well-managed habitats that complement each other in the resources they offer. To achieve this the Common Agricultural Policy post-2020 should take a holistic view to implementation that integrates the different delivery vehicles aimed at protecting biodiversity (e.g. enhanced conditionality, eco-schemes and agri-environment and climate measures). To improve habitat quality we recommend an effective monitoring framework with target-orientated indicators and to facilitate the spatial targeting of options collaboration between land managers should be incentivised.

Invasive Alien Species (IAS) are amongst the most significant drivers of species extinction and ecosystem degradation, causing negative impacts on ecosystem services and human well-being. InvasiBES, a project funded by BiodivERsA-Belmont Forum for 2019–2021, will use data and models across scales, habitats and species to understand and anticipate the multi-faceted impacts of IAS and to provide tools for their management. Using Alien Species Narratives as reference, we will design future intervention scenarios focused on prevention, control and eradication of IAS in Europe and the United States, through a participatory process bringing together the expertise of scientists and stakeholders. We will also adapt current impact assessment protocols to assess both the detrimental and beneficial impacts of IAS on biodiversity and ecosystem services. This information will then be combined with maps of the potential distribution of Invasive Species of Interest in Europe under current and future climate-change scenarios. Likewise, we will anticipate areas under risk of invasion by range-shifting plants of concern in the US. Finally, focusing on three local-scale studies that cover a range of habitats (freshwater, terrestrial and marine), invasive species (plants and animals) and ecosystem services (supporting, provisioning, regulating and cultural), we will use empirical field data to quantify the real-world impacts of IAS on biodiversity and ecosystem services and calculate indicators of ecosystem recovery after the invader is removed. Spatial planning tools (InVEST) will be used to evaluate the costs and benefits of species-specific intervention scenarios at the regional scale. Data, models and maps, developed throughout the project, will serve to build scenarios and models of biodiversity and ecosystem services that are relevant to underpin management of IAS at multiple scales.

The European Union (EU) has recently published its first list of invasive alien species (IAS) of EU concern to which current legislation must apply. The list comprises species known to pose great threats to biodiversity and needs to be maintained and updated. Horizon scanning is seen as critical to identify the most threatening potential IAS that do not yet occur in Europe to be subsequently risk assessed for future listing. Accordingly, we present a systematic consensus horizon scanning procedure to derive a ranked list of potential IAS likely to arrive, establish, spread and have an impact on biodiversity in the region over the next decade. The approach is unique in the continental scale examined, the breadth of taxonomic groups and environments considered, and the methods and data sources used. International experts were brought together to address five broad thematic groups of potential IAS. For each thematic group the experts first independently assembled lists of potential IAS not yet established in the EU but potentially threatening biodiversity if introduced. Experts were asked to score the species within their thematic group for their separate likelihoods of i) arrival, ii) establishment, iii) spread, and iv) magnitude of the potential negative impact on biodiversity within the EU. Experts then convened for a 2-day workshop applying consensus methods to compile a ranked list of potential IAS. From an initial working list of 329 species, a list of 66 species not yet established in the EU that were considered to be very high (8 species), high (40 species) or medium (18 species) risk species was derived. Here, we present these species highlighting the potential negative impacts and the most likely biogeographic regions to be affected by these potential IAS.

La introducción de especies no nativas invasoras es de gran preocupación en el contexto del cambio global debido a los impactos ambientales y socioeconómicos (por ejemplo, sobre la salud humana, sobre infraestructuras, sobre agricultura y silvicultura) que pueden causar. Para las especies de plantas no nativas, la introducción deliberada de ornamentales es una de las vías de entrada más importantes. En el proceso de intoducción de plantas ornamentales, los valores estéticos y de utilidad son muy relevantes para seleccionar ciertos rasgos, pero también hay características que pueden ser seleccionadas para hacer frente a las condiciones climáticas del área de plantación. Por lo tanto, para evitar la introducción y propagación de las especies ornamentales más dañinas es importante identificar las especies que pueden causar mayores impactos, así como sus rasgos biológicos en relación con las características geográficas y socioeconómicas de las ciudades en que están plantadas. En esta tesis, analizamos los rasgos morfológicos y funcionales asociados con el uso de plantas ornamentales no nativas. También hemos evaluado el potencial invasor de estas especies y los impactos que pueden causar. Con esta información presente, hemos establecido listas para la priorización de especies para el manejo, que tienen como objetivo establecer protocolos para prevenir invasiones biológicas. Las especies del estudio fueron 914 especies de plantas comerciales de 21 grandes viveros, y 474 especies de plantas leñosas de 46 parques y jardines urbanos de España. Como resultado principal de nuestra evaluación, hemos agrupado las especies en seis listas, de la siguiente manera: Listas de Prioridad. Compuestas por ocho especies invasoras reguladas, que no deberían venderse en viveros, cuatro de ellas plantadas de manera irregular en parques urbanos. Destacamos una especie, Ailanthus altissima, debido a que aparece en casi la mitad de los parques y está disponible en el comercio, pero también está regulada como especie invasora tanto por la legislación española como europea. La presencia de estas especies a la venta en viveros o plantadas en parques urbanos indica que la regulación no se está aplicando con la suficiente eficiencia. Listas de Atención. Compuestas por especies invasoras y potencialmente invasoras con alto nivel de causar impactos potenciales, tanto ambientales como socioeconómicos. La lista de atención está compuesta por 68 especies vendidas en viveros y 47 especoes presentes en parques y jardines. Ambas listas de atención —la de los viveros y la de los parques— tienen especies en común, como Robinia pseudoacacia y Eucalyptus globulus, ambas especies con un elevado potencial de invasión. Listas de Vigilancia. Estas listas contienen especies invasoras y potencialmente invasoras con pocos o ningun impacto potencial. Las listas de vigilancia tienen 27 especies en viveros y 12 especies en parques. Ambas tienen especies en común. Listas Verdes. Formadas por especies que no tienen potencial invasor. Solo seis especies han sido identificadas, y solo una especie leñosa, Ficus benjamina, está en la lista verde de parques. El resto de las especies fueron incluidas, ya fuera en Listas de Incertidumbre (es decir, especies cuyo potencial de invasión no pudimos analizar, y que requieren de una revisión adicional una vez que se disponga de mejores datos) o en Listas de Datos Deficientes (es decir, especies para las que no había suficiente información que analizar). Además, para clasificar las especies de las listas de atención y vigilancia, proporcionamos un sistema novedo semicuantitativos denominado “Índice de Prioridad”, basado en cuatro factores: los impactos ambientales y socioeconomicos que la especie puede causar, su potencialidad de invasion cuantificada por una evaluación de riesgos de malezas (WRA, por sus siglas en inglés ‘Weed Risk Assessment’) establecido por primera vez en Australia, y un indicador del interés de la especie para las personas, el valor de tendencia estándar (STV, por sus siglas en inglés ‘Standard Trending Value’) cuantificado mediante Google Trends. Hemos comprobado que para las especies de viveros, no existe relación entre su estado de invasion (es decir, invasora, naturalizada, subespontánea o aún ausente en la naturaleza) en España y su STV, ni con su puntuación de WRA, ni con la puntuación del Índice de Prioridad. Esto implica que el estado de una especie potencialmente invasora no influye en ninguno de los factores del Índice de Prioridad. Sin embargo, para las especies en los parques, encontramos que las especies con mayor STV tienen una mayor ocurrencia. Este resultado sugiere que la población puede realizar más búsquedas en línea de aquellas plantas que ven con mayor frecuencia en su entorno urbano. Las especies no nativas plantadas en parques urbanos pueden causar gran número de impactos en los ecosistemas naturales. Hemos documentado que la competencia y la modificación de los habitats pueden ser los impactos más comunes, seguido del daño a la salud humana. Cada especie con potencial de causar estos impactos están presentes, de media, en más de siete parques, y desafortunadamente, muchas especies pueden causar varios impactos a la vez. El grupo de impactos más relevante que puede causar una especie no nativa es la competencia, la toxicidad, la alteración de la sucesión natural y los daños en las estructuras del hábitat. También puede haber una alta correlación entre la toxicidad y la alelopatía, la agricultura y los daños a la salud humana. Hemos hallado que los parques con mayores temperaturas en el mes más frío tienen más plantas no nativas con flores conspicuas, lo que está relacionado con la polinización entomófila. Además, los parques con mayor rango de temperaturas anuales tienen menor tolerancia a la sombra y mayores valores de perfil de rusticidad. La rusticidad es un valor que cuantifica la habilidad para sobrevivir a la adversidad climática; menores valores de rusticidad implica supervivencia a menores temperaturas; el perfil de rusticidad de un parque es el valor mediano de la rusticidad de todas las especies de ese parque. Esas correlaciones muestran un posible sesgo de selección en la introducción de especies no nativas basada en sus rasgos, dependiendo de las condiciones climáticas de la ciudad en que han sido introducidas. Es probable que los rasgos de las plantas y los factores climáticos y socioeconómicos asociados con la introducción de las especies de plantas sean diferentes a los que se relacionan con el proceso de invasión. Por tanto, en esta tesis analizamos cómo la proporción de especies no nativas respecto al total de especies, y la proporción de especies establecidas (naturalizadas e invasoras) respecto al total de especies no nativas, se relacionan con las variables climáticas y socioeconómicas, y con los perfiles de rasgos de plantas de los parques. Hemos encontrado una menor proporción de especies no nativas en parques donde el rango mediano de rusticidad de las especies que los componen es mayor. Esto es probablemente debido a un sesgo en la introducción de especies, en el que la estética y otras características son más relevantes que la tolerancia climática. Además, hemos encontrado mayor proporción de especies no nativas en ciudades donde los hogares son mayores —relacionado con grupos familiares— y donde los habitantes sobre el medio ambiente. Sin embargo, el efecto de los grupos familiares es inverso, probablemente debido a la limitada cantidad de información, a una posible percepción positiva de la presencia de especies no nativas, o al hecho de que estas personas carezcan de voz directa en la toma de decisiones. Respecto a la proporción de especies establecidas, encontramos una correlación negativa con el rango de temperatura anual. Esto indica que las especies no nativas plantadas en ambientes poco continentales tienen una mayor propensión a establecerse, y por lo tanto, a invadir. Por lo tanto, se debe tener mucha precaución en los parques ubicados en áreas costeras y valles fluviales. En general, esta tesis destaca las dimensiones multivariantes que actúan cuando la sociedad selecciona especies ornamentales no nativas. Muchas de esas introducciones pueden terminar en invasiones y causar impactos. Esta tesis ha desarrollado una herramienta de base científica para evaluar estos riesgos. Esta herramienta puede ser utilizada por los administradores ambientales para priorizar y seleccionar qué especies de plantas no nativas se pueden plantar como ornamentales sin causar efectos nocivos a la sociedad y a los sistemas naturales The introduction of non-native invasive species is of great concern in the context of global change because the environmental and socioeconomic impacts (e.g. on human health, on infrastructures, on agriculture and forestry) they can cause. For non-native plant species, the deliberate introduction of ornamentals is one of the most important pathways of entry. In the process of introduction ornamental plants, aesthetic and utility values are very relevant to select for certain traits, but there are also traits that might be selected to cope with the climatic conditions of the planting area. Therefore, to prevent the introduction and spread of the most harming ornamental species it is important to identify the species that might cause the greatest impacts as well as their biological traits in relation to geographical and socioeconomic characteristics of the towns where they are planted. In this thesis, we have analyzed the morphological and functional traits associated with the use of ornamental non-native plants. We have also assessed the invasive potential of these species and the impacts they might cause. With this information in hand, we have established lists for prioritizate of species for management which aim to establish protocols to prevent biological invasions. The species of study were 914 commercial plant species from 21 large nurseries, and 474 woody plant species from 46 urban parks and gardens in Spain. As the main result of our assessment, we have grouped the species in six lists as follow: Priority lists. Composed by eight invasive regulated species, that should not be sold by nurseries, four of them undudly planted in urban parks. We highlight one species, Ailanthus altissima, because it appears in almost half of the parks and is available in commerce, but is also regulated as invasive species by both the Spanish and European legislation. The presence of these species sold in nurseries or planted in urban parks indicates that the regulation is not being applied efficiently enough. Attention lists. Composed by invasive and potential invasive species with high level of causing potential impacts, both environmental and socioeconomic. The attention list is composed by 68 species sold in nurseries and 47 species present in parks and gardens. Both attention lists —the one of nurseries and the one of parks— have species in common, such as Robinia pseudoacacia and Eucalyptus globulus, both species showing a high potential of invasion. Watch lists. This lists contains invasive and potential invasive species with few or no potential impacts. The watch lists have 27 species in nurseries and 12 species in parks. Both lists have species in common. Green lists. Formed by species with no invasion potential. Only six species in nurseries were identified, and only one woody species, Ficus benjamina, is in the green list of parks. The rest of species where included, either in uncertainty lists (i.e. species whose potential of invasion we were unable to analyze, and which require further review once better data becomes available) or in data deficient lists (i.e. species for which there was not enough information to analyze). Furthermore, to rank species from the attention and watch lists we provide a novel semi-quantitative system named Priority Index, based on four factors: the environmental and socioeconomic impacts the species can cause, their invasive potential quantified by a weed risk assessment (WRA) first stablished in Australia and an indicator of the interest of the species to people, the standard trending value (STV) quantified by Google Trends. We have shown that for nursery species, there is no relation between their invasion status (i.e. invasive, naturalized, casual or are yet not present in the wild) in Spain and STV, nor with the WRA score or the Priority Index score. This implies that the status of a potential invasive species does not influence on any of the factors of the priority index. However, for species in parks we found that species with higher STV have a higher occurrence. This result suggests that population can perform more online searches for those plants that they see most frequently in its urban environment. Non-native species planted in urban parks could cause many impacts in natural ecosystems. We documented that competition and modification of habitats could be the most common potential impacts, followed by harm to human health. Each species with potential to cause these impacts are present on average in more than seven parks and unfortunately many species could cause several impacts at a time. The most relevant cluster of impacts a non-native species can cause is competition, toxicity, alteration of natural succession, and damages on habitat structures. There can also be a high correlation between toxicity and allelopathy with agriculture, and with damages to human health. We found that parks with highest temperatures in the coldest month have more non-native plants with conspicuous flowers, which is related to entomophilic pollination. Moreover, parks with the highest range of annual temperatures have lower tolerance to shadow and higher values of hardiness profile. The hardiness is a value that quantifies the ability to survive to climatic adversity; lower values of hardiness implies survival at lower temperatures; the hardiness profile of a park is the median value of the hardiness of all the plant species of this park. These correlations show possible selection biases in the introduction of non-native species based on their traits depending on the climatic conditions of the town where they have been introduced. The plant traits and the climatic and socioeconomic factors associated with the introduction of plant species are likely to be different to those related to the invasion process. Therefore, in this thesis, we analyzed how the proportion of non-native species respect to the total of species, and the proportion of established (naturalized and invasive) species respect to the total of non-native species, is related to climatic and socioeconomic variables, and to the plant trait profile of the parks. We found lower proportion of non-native species in parks where the median hardiness range of the species that compose them is higher. It is probably due to a bias in the introduction of species, in which aesthetics and other characteristics are more relevant than climatic tolerance. Furthermore, we found higher proportion of non-native species in cities where households are larger —related to family groups— and where inhabitants are older, probably due to the fact that younger people have higher awareness about environment. However, the effect on family groups is the reverse, probably due to the limited amount of information, a positive view of the presence of non-native species, or the fact that these people lack a direct voice in decision-making. Regarding the proportion of established species, we found a negative correlation with the annual temperature range. This indicates that non-native species planted in low continental environments have higher propensity to establish and, therefore, to invade. Therefore, high caution should be taken in parks located in coastal areas and river valleys. Overall, this thesis highlights the multivariate dimensions acting when society select ornamental non-native species. Many of these introduced species could become invasive and cause impacts. The thesis has developed a scientific based tool to assess these risks. This tool can be used by environmental managers to prioritize and select which species on non-native plants can be planted as ornamental without causing harming effects to the society and to natural systems

Memoria presentada por el graduado en Biología Javier Galán Díaz para optar al título de Doctor por la Universidad de Sevilla, Invasions by plant species are an increasing threat which is reducing species diversity across regions, changing community composition and altering ecosystems functioning. While most investigations on impacts of exotic plants are conducted in their areas of introduction, the study of the assembly of exotic species in their native areas is emerging as a framework to better understand their roles in the invaded communities. In this regard, functional traits reflect the ecological strategy of plants and their interactions with coexistent species and the environment, therefore plant traits are a key tool to understand the role of exotic plant species in the structure of their communities. One of the main objectives of this thesis is to identify the functional strategies of exotic species in invaded Mediterranean ecosystems and disentangle the rules that govern the assembly of invaded communities. For this, we analysed traits from several plant organs (i.e. leafs, seeds, roots) of 285 species from two vegetation types (woodlands and grasslands) at different spatial scales of resolution (i.e. Biome, environmental gradients, communities, plants). We used the Mediterranean biome as a study system because of the mostly unidirectional invasion of plants from the Mediterranean Basin to California, Chile, Australia and South Africa. Many exotic species were introduced with the arrival of the European settlers and their naturalisation was facilitated by the simultaneous intensification of agriculture and farming. Currently, these exotic species are locally very abundant and cause great impacts on the diversity and functioning of the invaded communities. We first investigated the assembly of exotic herbaceous species in their donor and recipient grassland communities in Spain and California, respectively. We found that exotic species were more abundant than other coexisting species in communities of both the donor and recipient regions of invaded Mediterranean communities and advances our understanding on the biogeography of plant invasions.

This study analyzes the scaffolding of a set of six innovative compulsory education schools through the analysis of its structure, organization and educational projects in order to capture the uniqueness of the teaching work and culture, identify those factors that act as a lever for change and favor the promotion and application of methodologies, experiences and innovative educational measures for their transformation, as well as the resistance that hinders or prevents their development in a satisfactory way. In turn, it investigates how such different initiatives or innovations, beyond or below their different orientation, can be successful Este estudio analiza el andamiaje de un conjunto de seis centros educativos innovadores de educación obligatoria a través del análisis de su estructura, organización y proyectos educativos. Tiene como objetivo captar la singularidad del trabajo y cultura docentes, identificar aquellos factores que actúan como palanca de cambio y favorecen el impulso y aplicación de metodologías, experiencias y medidas educativas innovadoras para su transformación, de igual modo que las resistencias que dificultan o impiden su desarrollo de forma satisfactoria. Se indaga a su vez en cómo iniciativas o innovaciones tan distintas, más allá o por debajo de su diferente orientación, pueden ser exitosas Programa de Doctorat en Educació

Left-behind Children in rural areas is a phenomenon in China that dates back to the 1980s. The rural population migrates rapidly to urban areas to obtain better wages and employment rates, the increasing migration of the population from rural to urban areas causes precarious living conditions for migrant workers. The purpose of this research is to know the difficulties LBC children have in school and in their daily lives, and to propose educational proposals to improve the educational and social inclusion of LBC. The results of this thesis have allowed to find out what are the causes of the educational problems of the LBC. The learning process is not only a cognitive process that students develop under the supervision of teachers, but it is also a trajectory in which they are trained in communication and interaction skills. Los Left-behind Children en las zonas rurales es un fenómeno en China que se remonta a la década de 1980. La población rural migra rápidamente a las zonas urbanas para obtener mejores salarios y tasas de empleo, la creciente migración de la población de las zonas rurales a las urbanas provoca condiciones de vida precarias para los trabajadores migrantes. El objeto de esta investigación es conocer las dificultades que los niños LBC tienen en la escuela y en su vida diaria, y proponer propuestas educativas para mejorar la inclusión educativa y social de LBC. Los resultados de esta tesis han permitido descubrir cuáles son las causas de los problemas educativos de los LBC. El proceso de aprendizaje no es solo un proceso cognitivo que los estudiantes desarrollan bajo la supervisión de los maestros, sino que también es una trayectoria en la que están capacitados en habilidades de comunicación e interacción.

A number of studies show that the prevalence of ASD is rising in alarming numbers, currently reaching 1 in every 68 people. The most effective approach 2/2 to improve the lives of these children is to support, train and empower their families from the very first moment that they find out their child’s condition. The researcher has gathered and compared the few models of postdiagnosis for families with young children with autism. The author has created a post-diagnosis support programme merging the analysis of the programmes already in place in other countries with the specific needs of families in Catalonia that aims tackling the challenge of autism more efficiently Diversos estudis demostren que la prevalença dels Trastorns de l’Espectre Autista (TEA) augmenta en xifres preocupants, arribant actualment a 1 de cada 68 persones. L’enfocament més eficaç per millorar la vida d'aquests és el suport i l’apoderament de la família des del primer moment en què es descobreix el trastorn. L’investigador ha reunit i comparat els pocs models de suport postdiagnòstic públics que s’han trobat arreu del món i ha entrevistat a 30 famílies amb nens amb TEA per tal d'entendre les seves necessitats, tant durant com després del diagnòstic a Catalunya. Com a resultat de l’anàlisi dels programes ja existents en altres països i coneixent les necessitats específiques de les famílies a Catalunya, l’autor ha creat un programa d’acollida i intervenció per afrontar el repte de l'autisme amb més eficàcia