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Los hábitats biogénicos son estructuras marinas formadas por diversas especies que sirven de hábitat a otras muchas. Entre ellos se encuentran arrecifes o jardines de corales, agregaciones de esponjas o moluscos, bosques de algas y praderas marinas. La diversidad biológica asociada a estos entornos puede ser enorme. Sin embargo, su contaminación suele pasar desapercibida debido a dos factores: están compuestos por especies que no resultan emblemáticas para la opinión pública, y pueden hallarse a gran profundidad, lejos del impacto visible.[1] Este informe revisa los daños que sufren diversos tipos de hábitats biogénicos, enumera las obligaciones internacionales de proteger aquellos de mayor biodiversidad o fragilidad, y da indicaciones sobre acciones que pueden emprenderse localmente para complementar las políticas con el fin de detener en origen el flujo de residuos. La inmensa mayoría del plástico que hay en el océano se encuentra en el fondo. Debido a ello, los hábitats biogénicos bentónicos pueden quedar sepultados por acumulación de basura. Animales filtradores, como corales y esponjas, ingieren microplásticos que pueden resultar tóxicos. Estas sustancias nocivas pueden también bioacumularse, y especies filtradoras como como los bivalvos (mejillones, almejas, ostras) las transfieren a los niveles superiores de la cadena trófica (peces, cefalópodos, etc.). Las especies estructurantes están expuestas a enganches y enmallamientos por tratarse de tratarse de organismos sésiles, es decir, que viven fijos al sustrato. En arrecifes de coral y de coralígeno, los residuos provocan casos de roturas y de abrasiones del tejido que abren la puerta a infecciones. Se está estudiando también la propagación de organismos como especies invasoras al fijarse a fragmentos de plástico (biofouling) que se desplazan por efectos de las corrientes o el viento. Los daños que sufren todas estas especies estructurantes afectan a los organismos que dependen de ellas. Muchos hábitats biogénicos que constituyen puntos calientes de biodiversidad se encuentran amenazados y, por ello, su conservación resulta prioritaria. Esta circunstancia se refleja en diversos instrumentos bajo convenios internacionales, o en la normativa de la Unión Europea. La ubicuidad de la basura marina exige tomar medidas contundentes. Es necesario desarrollar políticas públicas que fomenten la reducción y la reutilización, para minimizar la llegada de residuos al mar. Las estrategias propuestas por Oceana para abordar la llegada de plásticos a los puntos calientes de biodiversidad incluyen una primera fase de recogida de datos, acompañada por restricciones a las actividades desarrolladas en la zona y, en el caso de que sea viable, retirada de los residuos con la precaución de no dañar el hábitat. [1] El desconocimiento sobre la gravedad de la basura en el fondo del mar ya fue señalado en un informe previo de Oceana,[1] en el que se alertaba de que geohábitats (estructuras geológicas en las que viven determinados organismos) como cañones o montañas submarinas se están convirtiendo en “trampas de plástico”., Funding Acknowledgement: LIFE19 NGO/FPA/ES/000004 – Fundación Oceana

1 p., Introduction:Carbon catabolite repression (CCR) is widespread in bacteria and allows a competitive advantage by establishing priorities in carbon utilization. This enables bacteria to optimize their growth rates in natural environments that provide complex mixtures of nutrients. The regulatory systems that trigger CCR work changing the expression patterns of genes involved in the uptake and/or metabolism of less preferred carbon sources. Such carbon sources often include aromatic compounds, which are widely distributed in nature and are major environmental pollutants. Anaerobic biodegradation of aromatics usually involves the well-known benzoyl-CoA central pathway (bzd genes). The beta-Proteobacterium Azoarcus sp. CIB has been used as model system to study the effector-specific regulation of the bzd genes. We expand previous studies towards the characterization of the first multicomponent regulatory system that controls carbon catabolite repression of the bzd genes in bacteria., Objectives:To unravel the role of AccT protein into the multicomponent regulatory system that mediates bzd carbon catabolite repression by some organic acids, e.g., succinate, in Azoarcus sp. CIB., Methods:Gene expression studies were performed by qRT-PCR and β-galactosidase assays of PN::lacZ fusions, in the wild-type CIB strain and in accS, accR and accT null mutants, as well as in recombinant E. coli cells expressing reporter fusions. Biochemical assays were carried out to characterize the AccT protein, including protein-ligand interaction techniques, such us: differential scanning fluorimetry, isothermal titration calorimetry and circular dichroism., Conclusion:The accSRT cluster is likely to encode a new three-component regulatory system that senses and responds to changes in extracellular (e.g., organic acids) and intracellular (e.g., redox state) signals in different β-Proteobacteria., Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Margarita Salas – CSIC, Madrid, España.Ref. Proyecto: BIO2016- 79736-R

La contaminación por plásticos en el fondo marino tiene consecuencias irreversibles sobre los ecosistemas marinos y puede afectar gravemente a la salud y el comportamiento de la fauna. Estos residuos transforman hábitats del fondo marino ricos en flora y fauna en vertederos donde el plástico se acumula , aunque pueda pasar desapercibido al no ser visible desde la costa. Este problema puede ser más acusado en aquellos lugares en los que se utilizan y desechan grandes cantidades de plástico de un solo uso cerca del mar, como en las poblaciones costeras turísticas más visitadas. Científicos y submarinistas de Oceana han analizado una docena de distintos tipos de hábitats (desde corales a fondos arenosos y bosques de algas) a lo largo de la costa de Valencia y seis hábitats marinos en la isla de Mallorca, como parte de un proyecto mundial para investigar el alcance de los plásticos en los fondos marinos en lugares ricos en biodiversidad con elevado nivel de actividad turística. Los estudios submarinos se realizaron fuera de la temporada turística y, en el caso de Valencia, durante la pandemia de Covid-19. A pesar de ello, hemos encontrado grandes cantidades de residuos plásticos en cada tipo de hábitat documentado. Los artículos más frecuentemente observados fueron los plásticos de un solo uso como bolsas, envoltorios de comida, embalajes, cubiertos, envases de bebidas, así como equipos de pesca abandonados. También se han observado artículos de atención sanitaria, como mascarillas y guantes desechables, además de otros tipos de basura. Se ha filmado a la fauna, incluidas varias especies amenazadas, en zonas contaminadas por plásticos, con el consiguiente riesgo de ingerir fragmentos plásticos, creciendo en medio de ellos o enredados en estos residuos. En otros casos, las especies se habían instalado en piezas de plástico móvil que podían trasladarlas fuera de sus hábitats. En definitiva, nuestros hallazgos demuestran que el uso excesivo del plástico está impactando directamente en los delicados hábitats submarinos y en las especies que viven en ellos. Nuestros resultados muestran la urgencia de la necesidad de que las regiones costeras, los restaurantes y los complejos turísticos dejen de utilizar plásticos y que se abogue por una importante reducción en la producción de plásticos de un solo uso (SUPs, por sus siglas en inglés)., Funding Acknowledgement: LIFE19 NGO/FPA/ES/000004 – Fundación Oceana

Danskerne har et stort forbrug af engangsemballager til take-away mad og drikke. Det gælder ikke mindst engangskaffekopper. En undersøgelse foretaget for Oceana af KantarGallup estimerer, at danskerne hvert år bruger omkring 130 millioner engangskopper alene til kaffe. Engangskopper er blandt de 10 mest fundne plastiktyper i den danske natur. De er typisk lavet af plastik eller plastik-coated pap og bruges i gennemsnit i blot 15 minutter, hvorefter de bliver til affald. Nogle af dem havner som forurening i naturen, herunder i havmiljøet. Oceana estimerer, at 390.000 engangskaffekopper hvert år udledes til havet fra Danmark. Plastikforurening er en global udfordring, der påvirker havets sundhed og modstandsdygtighed, og har vidtrækkende konsekvenser for marine økosystemer og de arter, der lever i det. Plastik kan være flere hundrede år om at blive nedbrudt i havet og forsvinder aldrig helt. Med tiden nedbrydes plastikstykker til mikroplastik, der kan arbejde sig ind i fødekæden. Mindst halvdelen af al plastik fundet på europæiske strande stammer fra engangsplastik som flasker, kopper, fødevarebeholdere og poser til chips og slik. Den globale plastikproduktion forventes med de nuværende trends at firdobles inden 2050, og plastikfoureningen af verdenshavene forventes tilsvarende at ville øges. Forskere understreger, at udfordringerne ikke kan løses alene gennem øget oprydning og øget genanvendelse. Hvis plastikkrisen skal løses, skal plastikforbruget ned. Fra engangsbrug til flergangsbrug Løsningen findes ved problemets rod: Vi bliver nødt til at ’slukke for plastikhanen’ og markant reducere produktion og forbrug af plastik, særligt engangsplastik. Hvis vi skal bevæge os væk fra produkter, der kun bruges en enkelt gang og i kort tid, må vi fjerne unødig indpakning og emballage, når det er muligt, og samtidig skifte til genbrugelige løsninger, som eksempelvis genpåfyldelige kaffekopper, der har en langt mindre risiko for at ende i naturen. En rundspørge blandt danskerne for Oceana viser, at der blandt den danske befolkning er stor bekymring for de miljømæssige problemer plastik udgør. 9 ud 10 danskere mener, at plastik til engangsbrug bør udfases mest muligt. Undersøgelsen viser samtidig, at danskerne er overvejende positive overfor tiltag, der kan sikre et skift fra engangskaffekopper og andet engangsemballage til genbrugelige alternativer. Europæiske nabolande har taget lovgivningsmæssige tiltag, der kan understøtte udfasningen af engangsbrug og skift til genbrugelige alternativer. Samtidig er forskellige konkrete genbrugsløsninger i udvikling både i Danmark og i udlandet, herunder systemer for genbrugelige kaffekopper. Det indikerer, at et skift til genbrugelige kopper og andet genbrugeligt take-away emballage er realistisk. For at lykkes kræver det dog, at disse løsninger understøttes med den rette regulering og politiske tiltag. Oceana anbefaler, at der sættes et politisk mål om en fuld udfasning af brugen af engangskaffekopper i Danmark med et delmål om, at 50 % af alle take-away kopper er genbrugelige i 2026, stigende til 80 % i 2030. Oceana foreslår samtidig konkret lovgivning, der kan understøtte reduktionen i brugen af engangskopper og skift til flergangsløsninger, herunder lovgivningsmæssige krav om, at alle take-away steder skal tilbyde en genbrugsløsning til take-away kaffe samt et forbud mod at anvende engangsservice, når mad og drikke indtages ’on-site’ på caféer og restauranter., Funding Acknowledgement: LIFE19 NGO/FPA/ES/000004 – Fundación Oceana

Monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) are crucial to ensuring proper fisheries management and rebuilding stocks, particularly in the Mediterranean Sea, where 75% of stocks are considered overfished. The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean and Black Sea (GFCM) has taken significant steps in recent years to improve MCS of the fisheries in its area of competence, through various binding decisions that strengthen the compliance framework of fisheries management. Steps taken include the adoption of a Regional Plan of Action (RPoA) to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, as well as a mid-term strategy (2017–2020) towards the sustainability of Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries, which includes specific actions and targets on IUU fishing. Spatial fisheries closures – also called Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs) – are one of the most effective measures adopted by the GFCM to protect essential habitats for fish stocks in sensitive areas or unique deep-sea ecosystems. Nevertheless, IUU fishing cases have been reported within these areas, and related MCS efforts have been inconsistent and uneven. In 2016, the GFCM adopted three FRAs in the Strait of Sicily, protecting nursery grounds for hake and shrimp for the first time. These three FRAs are the main focus of this report, which presents an analysis by Oceana of potentially illegal fishing by bottom otter trawl vessels inside FRA boundaries, based on publicly available satellite data accessed through the Global Fishing Watch website. Oceana detected over 126 hours of apparent illegal fishing activity that took place between the beginning of July 2019 and the end of December 2020. 2021 is a key year for the GFCM. A new strategy for the coming years is to be adopted in June, including roadmaps for FRA monitoring and the implementation of MCS measures. This study highlights continued apparent illegal fishing inside FRAs, which shows the importance of continuously reinforcing controls, increasing transparency, and deterrent sanctioning by GFCM Members, in order to more effectively deliver on the aim of sustainable fisheries in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. Oceana’s recommendations against continued illegal fishing in the GFCM area: • Improve the public GFCM Authorised Vessel List (AVL) – make it complete, accurate, transparent, and functional, especially for vessels authorised to fish in FRAs. • Strengthen monitoring, control and surveillance – extend AIS requirements to all GFCM vessels over 15 metres in length, and require Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) for all GFCM fishing vessels. For fishing activities within and around FRAs, the GFCM should adopt stricter VMS and AIS reporting requirements to closely monitor vessels that are authorised to fish in those areas, such as an increased ping frequency to improve MCS, with real-time alerts for vessels entering the FRAs (including buffer areas). • Adopt effective sanctions for non-compliance – establish sanctions for non-compliant vessels or Contracting Parties that fail to report the required information., Funding Acknowledgement: LIFE19 NGO/FPA/ES/000004 – Fundación Oceana

Plastic pollution is a global threat that is jeopardising the health of the ocean and its resilience capacity, as well as affecting marine ecosystems and the species that inhabit it. It is estimated that Spain is the EU country that dumps the most plastic waste into the sea, with the figure standing at around 126 tonnes a day. Spanish waters contain a wide variety of geomorphological features including canyons, escarpments, pockmarks, seamounts and reefs, among other things. As well as providing oases for marine life, this wide variety of geohabitats also act as plastic traps or sinks. Deep waters are particularly vulnerable to the impact of marine debris, as the absence of sunlight and erosive agents, in addition to low temperatures, considerably slows down their degradation. In shallow waters, plastics alter the environment and cause irreparable damage for decades or even centuries before becoming micro-plastics, but in deep-sea ecosystems the situation is more serious: the damage lasts considerably longer, as the plastics take much more time to degrade. This data is even more alarming given Spain's inescapable link with its surrounding waters. In fact, the country has twice as much sea area (1,008,400 km2) as it has land, and, according to a European Commission report, activities such as fishing, shipbuilding, and coastal tourism place it among the leading blue economies in the European Union. In other words, it is impossible to understand Spain and its economic and social activity without considering its direct relationship with the sea and its resources. This is why Oceana is emphasising the urgent need to create an ambitious legal framework to apply Directive 2019/904 on Single Use Plastics (SUP) in Spain and go beyond the minimums set by the European Union to drastically reduce the quantity of plastics that reach the sea., Funding Acknowledgement: LIFE19 NGO/FPA/ES/000004 – Fundación Oceana

Most marine debris remains hidden in the depths where, year after year, currents increase the concentration of waste, including macroplastics. Many estimates have been made of how long it takes for different plastic objects to degrade, but these approximations principally relate to surface water. They are not valid for the deep seas, as these environments are characterised by a lack of sunlight, low temperatures, and limited erosion. For this reason, marine debris can disrupt these ecosystems for centuries before it eventually degrades. Much of Europe's waters are deep. Canyons, seamounts, escarpments, and reefs trap plastics, while simultaneously acting as biodiversity hotspots. Observations made during Oceana's expeditions show accumulations of single-use plastics in areas of high biological value, abandoned fishing gear in the middle of the ocean, and half buried sheets of plastic hundreds of metres below the surface. Very often, recovering this debris is technically and economically unfeasible, either because it is located at a great depth or because it is snagged on fragile biological structures. Therefore, to reduce the damage, it is essential to drastically reduce the everyday use of plastic and avoid its uncontrolled dumping. Oceana calls on all social agents to reduce the irrational use of plastic and implement an ambitious regulatory framework that responds decisively to one of the greatest challenges posed by debris and plastic in the marine environment: the pollution of the deep sea., Funding Acknowledgement: LIFE19 NGO/FPA/ES/000004 – Fundación Oceana

Borkum Stones (Borkumse Stenen in Dutch, and Borkum Riffgrund in German) is a shallow, transboundary area shared between the Netherlands and Germany, and is one of the few remaining areas of natural geogenic reef in the southern North Sea. The seabed of Borkum Stones is heterogeneous, comprising a mix of hard substrates (ranging from cobbles and pebbles to large stones) surrounded by sand and gravel. This mosaic of substrates, in turn, supports a diverse benthic community with higher biodiversity levels than in neighbouring areas. Moreover, Borkum Stones is home to biogenic reefs formed by sand mason worm (Lanice conchilega), fragile structures that serve as important habitat for associated marine fauna. In 2007, the German side of the area was designated as a Natura 2000 site (Borkum-Riffgrund), based on the presence of reefs and sandbanks, as well marine mammals, birds, and benthic invertebrates and fishes. Research surveys on the Dutch side of Borkum Stones have also revealed the presence of reefs and sandbanks, thus making the area eligible for similar protection. However, the Dutch side of the area remains unprotected, despite its recognised biodiversity value and ecological similarity to the German side. In 2017, Oceana carried out a research expedition in the Dutch waters of Borkum Stones, to gather further information about the area’s benthic species and communities. This research represented the first time that a remotely operated vehicle was used in the area, with further surveys carried out via filming by SCUBA divers, infaunal grab sampling, and seafloor imaging with a multibeam echosounder. In total, 148 taxa were identified, including 21 species that are priorities for conservation and 20 commercial species, some of which have nursery and/or spawning areas within Borkum Stones. Three habitat types were also documented that are priorities for conservation: sandbanks, and geogenic and biogenic reefs (i.e., stone fields and sand mason worm reefs, respectively). Both sandbanks and reefs are declining in the Netherlands due to human impacts. Oceana recommends that the Dutch waters of Borkum Stones be protected, in order to safeguard their valuable benthic biodiversity. By protecting the area’s sandbanks and reefs, and the species associated with them, the Netherlands would also enhance the ecological coherence of its network of marine protected areas and advance towards the fulfilment of its legal commitments at both the national and EU level. In particular, the protection and restoration of biogenic reefs is a target of the Dutch government under the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive, and the presence of such reefs in Borkum Stones makes the area a strong candidate for protection. To effectively conserve this transboundary area, Germany and the Netherlands must ensure the greatest possible consistency in terms of designated features and the development and implementation of management measures to protect them from human impacts. In parallel with these efforts, Oceana urges the Dutch and German governments to carry out comprehensive benthic habitat mapping of Borkum Stones, particularly to determine the full extent and condition of the fragile reefs formed by sand mason worm (L. conchilega).&nbsp

Cleaver Bank represents the largest area of hard substrate in the Dutch North Sea, and its biodiversity importance has been repeatedly recognised. The combination of oceanographic and geological patterns found in the area (e.g., depth, low currents and light penetration) makes Cleaver Bank a unique enclave of marine life in the Dutch EEZ. Thus, it has already been designated under various figures of protection (see Box 4). However, current management measures for these areas fail to secure the preservation of the area’s fragile combination of features. Bearing in mind that the disappearance of the former rocky banks in Dutch waters was caused by their direct removal in bottom trawls, and the threat that fishing activities pose to the fragile and varied seabed of Cleaver Bank, Oceana proposes that the entire area of Klaverbank SAC should be closed to all type of bottom-contacting gears. Continued bottom-contact fishing in Klaverbankrepresents a clear threat to the fragile benthic ecosystems found in the area. On the UK side, Oceana’s findings have further confirmed that Cleaver Bank as a whole (both the Dutch and UK sides) is characterised by very similar habitats and communities. Oceana urges the UK government to carry out more detailed habitat mapping, in order to better identify the range of features present, and determine which conservation and management measures are needed to preserve and restore the ecological integrity of Cleaver Bank.

The waters off Holderness, north of the Humber Estuary on the Yorkshire coast, represent a very rich area in terms of marine biodiversity. This is partly due to the mosaic of substrate types found in the area, which range from rocky bottoms and coarse sediment through to mixed sediment, sand, and mud. This array of substrates supports, in turn, a wide range of benthic species, both sessile and mobile, including those that live on the surface of coarse sediments and infauna that live within softer sediments. To help advance marine conservation and management in the area of Holderness, Oceana carried out research surveys in 2016, which focused mainly on animal life on the seabed (Box 1). Surveys were conducted both inside protected areas (Flamborough Headand Holderness Inshore) and outside protected areas: in the waters of Holderness Offshore (which at the time had been recommended but not proposed for protection) and in the still-unprotected corridor between Holderness Inshore and Holderness Offshore. The main objective of this research was to gather additional data to support the designation of Holderness Offshore, given what was already known about the ecological importance of the Holderness area.

To help fill gaps in knowledge about marine biodiversity in the North Sea, Oceana carried out two eight week research expeditions, in 2016 and 2017. Oceana’s surveys documented a wide range of habitats and species that are considered priorities for conservation, under national, EU, and international frameworks that recognise them as threatened and/or establish legal requirements for their protection.Oceana’s research has underscored the fact that much remains to be discovered about marine life on the seabed of the North Sea. Continued research is critical for informing efforts to recover biodiversity, an urgent priority in the face of the multiple, intense pressures facing the North Sea’s marine habitats and species.

[cat] Durant els últims anys, l’estudi dels fons profunds de Cabrera i de l’entorn circumdant ha aportat nova informació sobre les comunitats més característiques d’aquests fons marins. L’ús de ROVs ha permès explorar fondàries majors que les accessibles amb el busseig autònom i aportar dades noves sobre la distribució “in situ” d’aquests hàbitats i espècies, així com compaginar aquesta informació amb l’existent, procedent d’altres mètodes de mostratge. Els fons aquí descrits corresponen als dominats per espècies i sediments característics de la zona de transició entre la franja circalitoral profunda i la batial superior, que van des dels -80 fins els -200 m, una zona intermèdia entre els fons escassament il·luminats i la foscor total. D’entre ells, destaquen els camps de crinoïdeus i braquiòpodes, tant per la seva abundància i extensió com por la seva vulnerabilitat i importància per a la biodiversitat. També es descriuen fons sedimentaris més profunds, per davall de la zona fòtica, i comunitats característiques dels fangs batials. Aquests fons detrítics alberguen algunes comunitats sensibles, com les formades per plomes de mar, crinoïdeus i braquiòpodes, moltes d’elles configurades per espècies protegides pel Protocol ZEPIM de la Convenció de Barcelona i incloses en el llibre vermell de la UICN. Alguns dels hàbitats destacats de la franja circalitoral són la continuació de fons sedimentaris més superficials. A majors fondàries, els fons blans són fonamentalment de fangs amb una important bioturbació provocada per una abundant infauna composta majoritàriament per crustacis., [eng] During recent years, the study of the deep seabed in Cabrera and surrounding areas has provided new information about the most characteristic communities of these bottoms. The use of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) has allowed to explore greater depths than with basic SCUBA diving methods, and to collect new data about the in situ distribution of habitats and species thriving in these bottoms, as well as the combination of these data with existing information obtained through other sampling methods. The bottoms described here are those dominated by species and sediments characteristic of the transition zone between the deep circalittoral and upper bathyal, extending from 80 m to 200 m depth, where there is an intermediate zone between barely lit bottoms and complete darkness. There, fields of crinoids and brachiopods are particularly noteworthy, because of their abundance and extent, as well as their vulnerability and importance for biodiversity. Shallower sedimentary bottoms from below the photic zone and communities that are characteristics of bathyal muds are also described. These detrital bottoms host some sensitive communities, such as those formed by sea pens, crinoids, and brachiopods. Many of these communities comprise species that are protected under the SPA/BD Protocol of the Barcelona Convention and included on the IUCN Red List. Some of the key habitats highlighted from the circalittoral zone represent extensions of shallower sedimentary bottoms. At greater depths, soft bottoms are essentially muddy, with significant bioturbation due to abundant infauna composed of numerous crustaceans.

Located at the centre of the southern North Sea, Brown Bankridge formed by a series of large-scale sandbanks in Dutch and UK waters. It is a recognised area of ecological interest, due mainly to the high abundance of cetaceans and seabirds in the area. To date, however, Brown Bank has been granted very limited protection. The UK side is protected for a single species (harbour porpoise), within the Southern North Sea MPA. No protection is in place for the Dutch side, although it qualifies for inclusion in the Natura 2000 network due to the high numbers of seabirds that it supports, particularly common guillemot and razorbill. Oceana carried out two research surveys in 2016 and 2017, to gather information about benthic species and communities.In total, 204 taxa were identified. These taxa included nine priority species for conservation, and a range of commercially fished species, including fishes for which Brown Bank provides spawning or nursery habitat. The most noteworthy discovery was the presence of biogenic reefs formed by ross worm (Sabellaria spinulosa), a sedimentary polychaete. These reefs covered a total area of 1023 m2 on the Dutch side of Brown Bank, and hosted a variety of associated species, including various crabs, common dragonet, and lesser spotted dogfish. Such biogenic reefs have nearly disappeared from Dutch waters, and ross worm reefs were previously thought to have been long-extinct in the area.

The Aeolian archipelago, off the northern coast of Sicily, has long been recognised as a major area of importance for marine biodiversity. The waters surrounding these volcanic islands are characterised by steeply sloped bottoms that host a wide array of habitats – including seagrass meadows, seamounts, and hydrothermal vents – over a large depth range, and are home to iconic species such as loggerhead sea turtle, sperm whale, swordfish, and bluefin tuna. In 1982, the Aeolian Islands were formally identified under Italian law as the site of a potential marine protected area (MPA). Years later, in 2016, the Italian government committed to establishing an Aeolian MPA and began the official process to create it. Critically, this process depends on in‑depth knowledge about marine life in Aeolian waters. However, only limited research had been carried out on deep‑sea ecosystems in the archipelago. While earlier studies by Oceana and others had suggested the presence of important deep‑sea ecosystems in Aeolian waters, detailed information was lacking. To address this data gap, Oceana carried out a one‑month research expedition in 2018. Surveys were conducted across the Aeolian archipelago, using a combination of methods to study seabed habitats and species down to a depth of 989 m. The expedition documented a wide variety of ecosystems, ranging from meadows of seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) in the shallowest areas, to gardens of gorgonians (such as Bebryce mollis, Swiftia dubia, and Villogorgia bebrycoides) and forests and aggregations of black corals (such as Antipathes dichotoma, Antipathella subpinnata and Leiopathes glaberrima) at intermediate depths, and glass sponge aggregations (Farrea bowerbanki) on the deepest rocky bottoms surveyed.

The data obtained from the 2016 Deep-Sea Lebanon Expedition provided a wealth of information about deep-sea benthic communities along the Lebanese coast. This information provides a scientific foundation for the development of a plan to manage and protect vulnerable ecosystems, habitats, and species in Lebanese waters, in the face of current and future threats. This plan should be developed in line with the relevant Action Plans developed by UNEP-MAP RAC/SPA, with measures being developed to protect VMEs within GFCM fisheries, and with Lebanon’s legal obligations to protect species listed on Annex II of the SPA/BD Protocol of the Barcelona Convention. One critical element of this plan will be the declaration of new MPAs under the framework of a Lebanese network of MPAs. These areas may be designated to protect important geological features (e.g., submarine canyons), habitats, or community types, in order to ensure the coherence and connectivity of marine protection in Lebanese waters, and to help safeguard the natural corridor of the Eastern Mediterranean basin.

60 p.-11 fig., Removal of aromatic compounds, which mostly derive from the polymer lignin, fossil fuel reservoirs, and industrial activities, is very important both for a balanced global carbon budget and to protect natural ecosystems and human health from the toxic effect of some of these environmental pollutants. Whereas the aerobic catabolism of aromatic compounds has been extensively studied for many decades, the anaerobic catabolism is a more recently discovered and so far poorly characterized microbial capacity despite the fact that anoxic conditions dominate in many natural habitats and contaminated sites. The anaerobic catabolism of aromatic compounds by some specialized bacteria becomes, thus, crucial for the biogeochemical cycles and for the sustainable development of the biosphere. Moreover, anaerobic degradation of aromatic compounds involves various intriguing biochemically unprecedented reactions that are also of great biotechnological potential as alternatives to the current synthesis processes and for the anaerobic valorization of aromatic compounds to produce biofuels, biopolymers, and commodity chemicals. In this chapter we summarize the major degradation pathways and the associated cellular responses when bacteria grow anaerobically in the presence of aromatic compounds. The unexplored potential and some biotechnological applications of the anaerobic catabolism of aromatic compounds are also discussed., Work in E. Díaz laboratory was supported by Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain Grant BIO 2012-39501, BIO 2016-79736-R, and PCIN 2014-113, European Union FP7 Grant 311815,and Fundación Ramón-Areces XVIICN.

The present master’s dissertation presents a didactic proposal which seeks to develop the language skills, with emphasis on the oral skills, of German students of B1-B2 level who are preparing for their Erasmus stay at Spanish universities. To that purpose, we start with a conceptual framework in which we analyse three aspects: first, plurilinguistic and communicative competence and its linguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic subcompetences; second, linguistic skills are defined and a close look is taken at their characteristics, functioning and strategies; third, the method used in the proposal, the task-based approach, is expanded alongside its role in the skill’s development, in relation to the role-play and simulation activities. Finally, the didactic proposal is presented. It’s set up in seven sessions organised around scenarios typical of student life. By doing so, we aim to recreate usual scenarios in order to facilitate the later use of language skills in a real immersion context. In all sessions there is at least one role-play, simulation or interactive task that prepares the student to carry out the final task: a play in which all contents are amassed. Este trabajo de fin de máster presenta una propuesta didáctica cuya finalidad es desarrollar las destrezas lingüísticas, incidiendo especialmente en las orales, en estudiantes alemanes de nivel B1-B2 que se preparan para realizar una estancia Erasmus en universidades españolas. Para ello, se parte de un marco conceptual en el que analizamos tres aspectos: en primer lugar, la competencia plurilingüe y la competencia comunicativa y sus subcompetencias lingüística, sociolingüística y pragmática; en segundo lugar, se definen las destrezas lingüísticas y se examinan sus características, funcionamiento y estrategias; en tercer lugar, se profundiza en el método empleado en la propuesta, el enfoque por tareas, así como en el papel que desempeña en la mejora de las destrezas lingüísticas, y se relaciona con los juegos de rol y de simulación. Finalmente, se presenta la propuesta didáctica que se desarrolla en siete sesiones articuladas en torno a escenarios propios de la vida estudiantil. Se persigue, así, recrear escenarios frecuentes para facilitar posteriormente el empleo de las destrezas lingüísticas en un contexto real de inmersión. En todas las sesiones hay al menos un juego de rol o de simulación o una tarea interactiva que preparan al alumno para realizar la tarea final: un juego teatral en el que se recojan los contenidos tratados.

En el presente documento se realiza un trabajo de investigación sobre la dramatización en la etapa de Educación Infantil. Para ello existe una investigación teórica basada en diversos autores para, a partir de sus ideas, diseñar y llevar a cabo una propuesta didáctica. El diseño de dicha propuesta va dirigido a alumnos y alumnas de 1º curso del Segundo Ciclo de Educación Infantil de un centro de Segovia. Tras la puesta en práctica de esta propuesta, se establecen unas conclusiones finales sobre la viabilidad de la dramatización en Educación Infantil y sobre la eficacia o no de dicha programación., Grado en Educación Infantil

Programa Oficial de Postgrado en Biotecnología, El proyecto de tesis denominado ¿Represión catabólica de la ruta de degradación de tetralina en Sphyngopyxis macrogolitabida TFA¿ presentado por la doctoranda Dña. Helena Gómez Álvarez ha sido realizado en el área de Microbiología perteneciente al Departamento de Biología Molecular e Ingeniería Bioquímica de la Universidad Pablo de Olavide. El objetivo de esta Tesis ha sido el estudio del fenómeno de represión catabólica en Sphingopyxis macrogolitabida TFA. Este tipo de regulación global está bien caracterizado en las principales bacterias modelo, pero su base molecular es totalmente desconocida dentro del orden Sphingomonadales, a pesar de que este grupo alberga varios géneros de bacterias con un relevante potencial en biorremediación. Dado que en TFA el metabolismo del compuesto aromático tetralina (1,2,3,4-tetrahidronaftaleno) está completamente caracterizado, se ha empleado esta ruta de degradación como referencia para el estudio de la base molecular que dirige el proceso de represión catabólica en presencia de otra fuente de carbono preferencial (ß-hidroxibutirato) en el medio. Durante el desarrollo de esta Tesis se ha realizado un análisis de la fisiología de la bacteria durante el crecimiento en condiciones de represión catabólica. Para ello, se ha estudiado la inducción de los genes de degradación de tetralina (sujetos a represión catabólica) in vivo y a lo largo del tiempo en distintas condiciones de disponibilidad de carbono. También se han identificado y analizado los cambios ocurridos en el proteoma de la bacteria como consecuencia del estímulo de represión catabólica. Con este fin, se han desarrollado experimentos de resolución del proteoma en geles bidimensionales y se han analizado las diferencias globales gracias al marcaje de las proteínas con fluoróforos (técnica 2D-DIGE) o con metionina radiactiva. El último tipo de estudio se desarrolló gracias a una estancia de investigación en el laboratorio del Prof. Michael Hecker (Greifswald, Alemania). Aparte del estudio fisiológico, se ha analizado la implicación de varios elementos específicos en el mecanismo de represión catabólica, elegidos bien por su expresión diferencial en condiciones de represión catabólica en los experimentos de proteómica o por su implicación en el mismo proceso de regulación global en otras bacterias. Así, se han construido mutantes de deleción o mutantes condicionales en los genes de TFA codificantes para: el regulador transcripcional CdnL, una proteína transductora de señales con dominios CBS, el sistema de dos componentes FixL-FixJ y las proteínas HPr y HPrK del sistema fosfotransferasa tipo Ntr (PTSNtr). Para la caracterización del fenotipo de estas estirpes mutantes se han realizado análisis del crecimiento, ensayos de expresión de los genes thn (mediante qRT-PCR o ensayo ß-galactosidasa) y medida de la acumulación del polímero de reserva polihidroxibutirato (PHB). Únicamente se ha podido confirmar la participación de la proteína HPr en el proceso de represión catabólica, cuya deleción altera también la acumulación de gránulos de PHB en las células., Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Departamento de Biología Molecular e Ingeniería Bioquímica