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Prof. Demetrio Antonio Zema
Mediterranea University of Reggio Calabria, Reggio Calabria, Italy

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0 Irrigation
0 Wastewater Treatment
0 Watershed Management
0 hydrological processes
0 Hydrological Modelling

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Journal article
Published: 27 August 2021 in Forests
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The magnitude of drought impact in forest ecosystems depends on which group of trees are more severely affected; greater mortality of smaller trees can modulate the trajectories of succession, while the mortality of larger trees can disproportionately offset the ecosystem’s carbon balance. Several studies have documented a greater vulnerability of large trees to extreme droughts while some other studies reported a greater growth reduction in smaller trees during droughts. We tested these hypotheses by comparing tree basal area increment (BAI), drought resistance (i.e., magnitude of growth decline during drought), and resilience (i.e., magnitude of growth recovery after drought) across five different age-classes in black pine (Pinus nigra Arn. Ssp salzmannii) forests in Spain. Our results showed that the BAI patterns, drought resistance, and resilience were strongly influenced by tree age-classes. In addition, the effect of climatic water balance (precipitation minus potential evapotranspiration) on BAI significantly varied among age-classes. The effect of water balance on BAI was lower for younger age-classes (1–39 years of age) compared to older age-classes. We observed a greater growth reduction (i.e., lower resistance) in older trees (>40 years of age) during droughts compared to younger trees (<40 years of age). However, all trees, irrespective of their ages, were able to recover the growth rates after the drought. In general, younger trees showed a greater capacity in recovering the growth rate (i.e., more resilient) than older trees. We detected no significant effects of stand basal area and stand density on BAI, drought resistance, and resilience. Overall, our results indicated that growth of older trees was more negatively affected during drought. Therefore, these older/larger trees can be selected for commercial thinning, or can be released from competition, which can minimize the potential impacts of future droughts in black pine forests in Spain.

ACS Style

Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja; Arun K. Bose; Enrique Andivia; David Candel-Pérez; Pedro A. Plaza-Álvarez; Juan C. Linares. Assessing Tree Drought Resistance and Climate-Growth Relationships under Different Tree Age Classes in a Pinus nigra Arn. ssp. salzmannii Forest. Forests 2021, 12, 1161 .

AMA Style

Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja, Arun K. Bose, Enrique Andivia, David Candel-Pérez, Pedro A. Plaza-Álvarez, Juan C. Linares. Assessing Tree Drought Resistance and Climate-Growth Relationships under Different Tree Age Classes in a Pinus nigra Arn. ssp. salzmannii Forest. Forests. 2021; 12 (9):1161.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja; Arun K. Bose; Enrique Andivia; David Candel-Pérez; Pedro A. Plaza-Álvarez; Juan C. Linares. 2021. "Assessing Tree Drought Resistance and Climate-Growth Relationships under Different Tree Age Classes in a Pinus nigra Arn. ssp. salzmannii Forest." Forests 12, no. 9: 1161.

Communication
Published: 29 July 2021 in Soil Systems
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Wildfire heavily impacts the quality of forest soils, and the precipitation occurring immediately after fire can determine high runoff and erosion rates, which may lead to noticeable soil degradation. Mulching is commonly used to limit the hydrological impacts of wildfire and climate, but this post-fire management technique may alter the erosion–deposition dynamics at the hillslope scale and, consequently, alter soil quality. In order to explore the magnitude and significance of these changes (little was studied in the literature until now), this communication reports the first results of a field activity that evaluated the changes in soil quality in areas affected by a wildfire and subjected to different post-fire treatments in Mediterranean forests. The main properties of sediments eroded from burned and untreated soils, and mulched soils (using a straw dose of 0.2 kg/m2 of dry weight), were measured after the first rainstorm (height of 37 mm and maximum intensity of 11.6 mm h−1) occurring two months after a wildfire (occurred on 30 June 2016) in a pine forest of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain). This event produced a runoff volume of 0.07 ± 0.02 mm in mulched soils and 0.10 ± 0.10 mm in non-mulched soils; soil loss was 0.20 ± 0.06 g/m2 in the mulched area and 0.60 ± 0.60 g/m2 in the non-mulched area. In comparison to burned and non-treated areas, this study showed: (i) increases in salinity, and reductions in organic matter, nutrients, nitrates, and micro-elements in burned and untreated soils; (ii) reductions in runoff (−20%) and in soil erosion (−60%) as a result of mulch cover; (iii) effectiveness of mulching in limiting the declines in soil quality detected in burned and eroded areas; and (iv) transport of low amounts (less than 10–15%) of some compounds (organic matter and nutrients) downstream of the fire-affected areas (both mulched and untreated). Phosphorous runoff toward valley areas and nitrate incorporation into the soil, detected in both mulched and untreated areas, require attention, since these processes may cause eutrophication of water bodies or nitrate pollution in groundwater.

ACS Style

Manuel Lucas-Borja; Misagh Parhizkar; Demetrio Zema. Short-Term Changes in Erosion Dynamics and Quality of Soils Affected by a Wildfire and Mulched with Straw in a Mediterranean Forest. Soil Systems 2021, 5, 40 .

AMA Style

Manuel Lucas-Borja, Misagh Parhizkar, Demetrio Zema. Short-Term Changes in Erosion Dynamics and Quality of Soils Affected by a Wildfire and Mulched with Straw in a Mediterranean Forest. Soil Systems. 2021; 5 (3):40.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Manuel Lucas-Borja; Misagh Parhizkar; Demetrio Zema. 2021. "Short-Term Changes in Erosion Dynamics and Quality of Soils Affected by a Wildfire and Mulched with Straw in a Mediterranean Forest." Soil Systems 5, no. 3: 40.

Journal article
Published: 23 July 2021 in Environments
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The uncontrolled disposal of olive oil mill wastewater (OMW) is hazardous for the health of water and soil, since this wastewater shows low pH and high contents of organic matter and polyphenols (PP). Lagooning is one of the most common treatment systems for agro-industrial wastewater (such as OMW), due to its low cost and easy management. Aeration allows reducing the low depuration time, which is a constraint for this system. Despite this potential feasibility, literature about OMW lagooning is not abundant. Moreover, the effects of the aeration rates, concentration of polyphenols and nitrogen shortage on depuration performance of lagoons treating OMW have not been properly explored. This study analyzes the removal rates of COD and PP, and variations of pH in OMW treated in aerated tanks at the laboratory scale simulating lagooning systems. Compared to the non-aerated tanks, aeration of OMW increased the removal rates from 61% to 90% (for COD) and from 52% to 64% (for PP). Permanent aeration was more advisable compared to intermittent flow rates. Increasing concentrations of PP noticeably reduced the COD removal rates, which were halved at a 4-fold PP concentration. In contrast, the PP removal rate was constant at every concentration experimented. Compared to the COD:N value suggested by literature for aerobic processes (100:5), a shortage in nitrogen availability reduced both COD (by about 20–25%) and PP removal rates (by 25%), the latter only when COD:N was higher 400:5. The pH was less influenced by the variations in aeration rates, PP concentration and COD:N ratio compared to COD and PP removal. This investigation provides indications about the most suitable operation parameters (airflow rates, inhibiting PP concentration, and optimal COD:N) in aerated lagooning of OMW towards environmentally sound treatments of highly polluting wastewater.

ACS Style

Serafina Andiloro; Giuseppe Bombino; Pietro Denisi; Adele Folino; Demetrio Zema; Santo Zimbone. Depuration Performance of Aerated Tanks Simulating Lagoons to Treat Olive Oil Mill Wastewater under Different Airflow Rates, and Concentrations of Polyphenols and Nitrogen. Environments 2021, 8, 70 .

AMA Style

Serafina Andiloro, Giuseppe Bombino, Pietro Denisi, Adele Folino, Demetrio Zema, Santo Zimbone. Depuration Performance of Aerated Tanks Simulating Lagoons to Treat Olive Oil Mill Wastewater under Different Airflow Rates, and Concentrations of Polyphenols and Nitrogen. Environments. 2021; 8 (8):70.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Serafina Andiloro; Giuseppe Bombino; Pietro Denisi; Adele Folino; Demetrio Zema; Santo Zimbone. 2021. "Depuration Performance of Aerated Tanks Simulating Lagoons to Treat Olive Oil Mill Wastewater under Different Airflow Rates, and Concentrations of Polyphenols and Nitrogen." Environments 8, no. 8: 70.

Research article
Published: 12 July 2021 in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
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Forest fires and post-fire practices influence sediment connectivity (SC). In this study, we use the “aggregated index of connectivity” (AIC) to assess SC in five Mediterranean catchments (198 to 1090 ha) affected by a wildfire in 2012 in SE of Spain. Two temporal scenarios were considered, immediately after the fire and before post-fire management, and two years after the fire including all practices (hillslope barriers, check-dams, afforestation, salvage logging and skid trails). One LiDAR-derived DEM (2x2m resolution) was generated, per scenario. The five catchment outlets were established as the computation target (AICOUT), and structural and functional SC were calculated. Index outputs were normalized to make the results of the non-nested catchments comparable (AICN-OUT). The output analysis includes the SC distribution along the catchments and at local scale (929 sub-catchments, 677 in the burned area), the hillslope and channel measures’ effect on SC, and a sedimentological analysis using observed area-specific sediment yield at 10 new (built after post-fire practices) concrete check-dams located in the catchments (SSY; x ¯ =1.94 Mg/ha y; σ=1.22). The catchments with more circular shapes and steeper slopes were those with higher AICN-OUT. The structural SC maps –removing the rainfall erosivity influence– allowed evaluating the actual role played by the post-fire practices that reduced SC ( x ¯ =-1.19%; σ=0.41); while functional SC was linked to the actual change of SC ( x ¯ =+5.32%; σ=0.62). Hillslope treatments resulted in significant changes on AICN-OUT at sub-catchment scale with certain disconnectivity. A good and positive correlation was found between the SSY and the changes of AICN-OUT. However, the coarse DEM resolution explained the lack of effect of the rock check-dams –located on the secondary channels– on AICN-OUT. AICN-OUT proved to be a useful tool for decision making in post-fire restoration, but an optimal input data is still necessary to refine calculations.

ACS Style

J. González‐Romero; M. López‐Vicente; E. Gómez‐Sánchez; E. Peña‐Molina; P. Galletero; P. Plaza‐Alvarez; D. Moya; J. De Las Heras; M. E. Lucas‐Borja. Post‐fire management effects on sediment (dis)connectivity in Mediterranean forest ecosystems: channel and catchment response. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

J. González‐Romero, M. López‐Vicente, E. Gómez‐Sánchez, E. Peña‐Molina, P. Galletero, P. Plaza‐Alvarez, D. Moya, J. De Las Heras, M. E. Lucas‐Borja. Post‐fire management effects on sediment (dis)connectivity in Mediterranean forest ecosystems: channel and catchment response. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

J. González‐Romero; M. López‐Vicente; E. Gómez‐Sánchez; E. Peña‐Molina; P. Galletero; P. Plaza‐Alvarez; D. Moya; J. De Las Heras; M. E. Lucas‐Borja. 2021. "Post‐fire management effects on sediment (dis)connectivity in Mediterranean forest ecosystems: channel and catchment response." Earth Surface Processes and Landforms , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 08 July 2021 in Membranes
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Presently, adsorption/absorption is one of the most efficient and cost-effective methods to clean oil spill up. In this work, self-supporting paper-like fibrous membranes were prepared via electrospinning and carbonisation at different temperatures (500, 650 or 800 °C) by using polyacrylonitrile/polymethylmethacrylate blends with a different mass ratio of the two polymers (1:0, 6:1 or 2:1). After morphological and microstructural characterisation, the as-produced membranes were evaluated as sorbents by immersion in vegetable (sunflower seed or olive) and mineral (motor) oil or in 1:4 (v:v) oil/water mixture. Nitrogen-rich membrane carbonised at the lowest temperature behaves differently from the others, whose sorption capacity by immersion in oil, despite the great number of sorbent and oil properties involved, is mainly controlled by the fraction of micropores. The encapsulation of water nanodroplets by the oil occurring during the immersion in oil/water mixture causes the oil-from-water separation ability to show an opposite behaviour compared to the sorption capacity. Overall, among the investigated membranes, the support produced with 2:1 mass ratio of the polymers and carbonisation at 650 °C exhibits the best performance both in terms of sorption capacity (73.5, 54.8 and 12.5 g g−1 for olive, sunflower seed and motor oil, respectively) and oil-from-water separation ability (74, 69 and 16 for olive, sunflower seed and motor oil, respectively).

ACS Style

Adele Folino; Claudia Triolo; Beatrix Petrovičová; Fabiolo Pantò; Demetrio Zema; Saveria Santangelo. Evaluation of Electrospun Self-Supporting Paper-Like Fibrous Membranes as Oil Sorbents. Membranes 2021, 11, 515 .

AMA Style

Adele Folino, Claudia Triolo, Beatrix Petrovičová, Fabiolo Pantò, Demetrio Zema, Saveria Santangelo. Evaluation of Electrospun Self-Supporting Paper-Like Fibrous Membranes as Oil Sorbents. Membranes. 2021; 11 (7):515.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Adele Folino; Claudia Triolo; Beatrix Petrovičová; Fabiolo Pantò; Demetrio Zema; Saveria Santangelo. 2021. "Evaluation of Electrospun Self-Supporting Paper-Like Fibrous Membranes as Oil Sorbents." Membranes 11, no. 7: 515.

Preprint content
Published: 30 June 2021
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Fire weather indices are used to assess the effect of weather conditions on wildfire behaviour and the high Daily Severity Rating percentile (DSRp) is strongly related to the total burned area (BA) in Portugal. The aims of this study were to: 1) assess if the 90th DSRp (DSR90p) threshold is adequate for Portugal; 2) identify and characterize regional variations of the DSRp threshold that justifies the bulk of BA; and, 3) analyse if vegetation cover can explain the DSRp spatial variability. We used wildfire data, weather reanalysis data from ERA5, for the 2001–2019 period, and the land use map for Portugal. DSRp were computed for an extended summer period and combined with individual large wildfires. Cluster analysis was performed using the relationship between DSRp and BA, in each municipality. Results revealed that the DSR90p is an adequate threshold for Portugal and well related to large BA. However, at the municipality scale, differences appear between the DSRp linked to the majority of accumulated BA. Cluster analysis revealed that municipalities where large wildfires occur in high DSRp present higher BA in forests and are located in coastal areas. In contrast, clusters with lower DSRp present greater BA in shrublands and are situated in eastern regions. These findings can support better prevention and fire suppression planning.

ACS Style

Tomás Calheiros; Akli Benali; João Neves Silva; Mário Pereira; João Pedro Nunes. Spatial variability in the relation between fire weather and burned area: patterns and drivers in Portugal. 2021, 2021, 1 -30.

AMA Style

Tomás Calheiros, Akli Benali, João Neves Silva, Mário Pereira, João Pedro Nunes. Spatial variability in the relation between fire weather and burned area: patterns and drivers in Portugal. . 2021; 2021 ():1-30.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tomás Calheiros; Akli Benali; João Neves Silva; Mário Pereira; João Pedro Nunes. 2021. "Spatial variability in the relation between fire weather and burned area: patterns and drivers in Portugal." 2021, no. : 1-30.

Journal article
Published: 25 June 2021 in Hydrology
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Prescribed fire is commonly used to reduce the wildfire risk in Mediterranean forests, but the soil’s hydrological response after fire is contrasting in literature experiences. The mulch treatment can limit the increases in runoff and erosion in the short term after a fire. The use of fern is preferable to straw, due its large availability in forests. However, no experiences of post-fire treatment with fern mulch have been found in the literature and therefore the mulching effectiveness has not been evaluated. This study has measured water infiltration rate (IR) and water repellency (SWR) using a rainfall simulator in three Mediterranean forest stands (pine, oak and chestnut) of Calabria (Southern Italy) after a prescribed fire and mulching treatment with fern in comparison to unburned soil. Prescribed fire reduced water infiltration in all forests in the short term compared to the unburned conditions, and increased SWR in pine and oak forests. These reductions in IR in the time window of disturbance after fire increased the runoff generation capacity in all soils, but had a lower effect on peak flows. However, soil mulching with fern limited the runoff rates and peak flows compared to the burned soils, but this treatment was less effective in pine forest. One year after fire, IR increased in burned soils (treated or not) over time, and SWR disappeared. The effects of mulching have disappeared after some months from fire. The study confirms the usefulness of mulching in broadleaves forest in the short term, in order to control the hydrological effects of prescribed fire in Mediterranean forests. Both post-fire management techniques should be instead adopted with caution in conifer forests.

ACS Style

Bruno Carrà; Giuseppe Bombino; Pietro Denisi; Pedro Plaza-Àlvarez; Manuel Lucas-Borja; Demetrio Zema. Water Infiltration after Prescribed Fire and Soil Mulching with Fern in Mediterranean Forests. Hydrology 2021, 8, 95 .

AMA Style

Bruno Carrà, Giuseppe Bombino, Pietro Denisi, Pedro Plaza-Àlvarez, Manuel Lucas-Borja, Demetrio Zema. Water Infiltration after Prescribed Fire and Soil Mulching with Fern in Mediterranean Forests. Hydrology. 2021; 8 (3):95.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Bruno Carrà; Giuseppe Bombino; Pietro Denisi; Pedro Plaza-Àlvarez; Manuel Lucas-Borja; Demetrio Zema. 2021. "Water Infiltration after Prescribed Fire and Soil Mulching with Fern in Mediterranean Forests." Hydrology 8, no. 3: 95.

Journal article
Published: 15 June 2021 in Agricultural Water Management
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In recent decades, due to the water shortage around the world and the importance of groundwater in agriculture, the role of Water User Associations (WUAs) – well-known farmer associations that manage collective irrigation in agricultural districts – in groundwater management has received much attention. To ensure sustainable groundwater management in these organizations, it is imperative to analyze the effects of the driving mechanisms, such as the “legal and institutional”, “socio-cultural”, “social capital”, “economic”, “infrastructure” and “farmers’ participation” factors, on the collective management of agricultural water. This study proposes a theoretical framework to analyze how and to what extent these factors influence agricultural water management in a case study of WUAs of Tafresh County (Iran), where irrigated agriculture strongly relies on groundwater. To validate this framework, questionnaires with 53 questions/indicators related to these factors have been supplied to 264 associated farmers and then statistically processed using Partial Least Squares – Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) methods. The measurement model has confirmed the validity of the questionnaire. The structural model has demonstrated that all the identified factors are significantly effective in driving the WUAs performance. This effectiveness was shown by the high indexes of reliability (over 0.821 against an acceptance limit of 0.7) and convergent validity (over 0.511 against a limit of 0.5). Socio-cultural and social capital factors had a higher impact (confirmed by path coefficients of about 0.80), while the economic factors played a lower effect on groundwater management (path coefficient of 0.534). Moreover, the Pearson matrix showed statistically significant (p < 0.01) and positive (R2 = from 0.238 to 0.804) correlations among all the evaluated factors. Based on this framework, some actions for improving the groundwater management at the collective level are suggested, such as: (i) the implementation of new water management technologies to increase the efficiency in extraction, distribution, and consumption of irrigation water; ii) strengthening the importance of social and cultural participation in the management of WUAs, in order to create formal and informal contexts for enhancing individual participation in the short and long-term; iii) designing appropriate financing factors and diversification of the sources of revenue to execute projects on shared water resources.

ACS Style

Elahe Vafaei; Saeed Shahabi Ahangarkolaee; Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja; Hossein Shabanali Fami; Demetrio Antonio Zema. A framework to evaluate the factors influencing groundwater management in Water User Associations: The case study of Tafresh County (Iran). Agricultural Water Management 2021, 255, 107013 .

AMA Style

Elahe Vafaei, Saeed Shahabi Ahangarkolaee, Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja, Hossein Shabanali Fami, Demetrio Antonio Zema. A framework to evaluate the factors influencing groundwater management in Water User Associations: The case study of Tafresh County (Iran). Agricultural Water Management. 2021; 255 ():107013.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Elahe Vafaei; Saeed Shahabi Ahangarkolaee; Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja; Hossein Shabanali Fami; Demetrio Antonio Zema. 2021. "A framework to evaluate the factors influencing groundwater management in Water User Associations: The case study of Tafresh County (Iran)." Agricultural Water Management 255, no. : 107013.

Journal article
Published: 10 June 2021 in Applied Sciences
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The evaluation of vegetation cover after post-fire treatments of burned lands is important for forest managers to restore soil quality and plant biodiversity in burned ecosystems. Unfortunately, this evaluation may be time consuming and expensive, requiring much fieldwork for surveys. The use of remote sensing, which makes these evaluation activities quicker and easier, have rarely been carried out in the Mediterranean forests, subjected to wildfire and post-fire stabilization techniques. To fill this gap, this study evaluates the feasibility of satellite (using LANDSAT8 images) and drone surveys to evaluate changes in vegetation cover and composition after wildfire and two hillslope stabilization treatments (log erosion barriers, LEBs, and contour-felled log debris, CFDs) in a forest of Central Eastern Spain. Surveys by drone were able to detect the variability of vegetation cover among burned and unburned areas through the Visible Atmospherically Resistant Index (VARI), but gave unrealistic results when the effectiveness of a post-fire treatment must be evaluated. LANDSAT8 images may be instead misleading to evaluate the changes in land cover after wildfire and post-fire treatments, due to the lack of correlation between VARI and vegetation cover. The spatial analysis has shown that: (i) the post-fire restoration strategy of landscape managers that have prioritized steeper slopes for treatments was successful; (ii) vegetation growth, at least in the experimental conditions, played a limited influence on soil surface conditions, since no significant increases in terrain roughness were detected in treated areas.

ACS Style

Jose Martinez; Manuel Lucas-Borja; Pedro Plaza-Alvarez; Pietro Denisi; Miguel Moreno; David Hernández; Javier González-Romero; Demetrio Zema. Comparison of Satellite and Drone-Based Images at Two Spatial Scales to Evaluate Vegetation Regeneration after Post-Fire Treatments in a Mediterranean Forest. Applied Sciences 2021, 11, 5423 .

AMA Style

Jose Martinez, Manuel Lucas-Borja, Pedro Plaza-Alvarez, Pietro Denisi, Miguel Moreno, David Hernández, Javier González-Romero, Demetrio Zema. Comparison of Satellite and Drone-Based Images at Two Spatial Scales to Evaluate Vegetation Regeneration after Post-Fire Treatments in a Mediterranean Forest. Applied Sciences. 2021; 11 (12):5423.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jose Martinez; Manuel Lucas-Borja; Pedro Plaza-Alvarez; Pietro Denisi; Miguel Moreno; David Hernández; Javier González-Romero; Demetrio Zema. 2021. "Comparison of Satellite and Drone-Based Images at Two Spatial Scales to Evaluate Vegetation Regeneration after Post-Fire Treatments in a Mediterranean Forest." Applied Sciences 11, no. 12: 5423.

Journal article
Published: 10 June 2021 in Journal of Environmental Management
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Drylands affected by serious disturbances such as mining activities lose their vegetation cover and organic soil horizons, becoming CO2 emissions sources. Applications of organic amendments could be a good restoration solution that favours vegetation establishment and soil carbon sequestration; however, they are also associated with CO₂ emissions. Experimental plots with different organic amendments (sewage sludge, garden and greenhouse vegetable composts, and mixtures of both) and unamended soils were installed in a quarry in southeast Spain. The aim of this study was: i) to evaluate the magnitude and changes of in situ CO₂ emission from each experimental plot during a year and a half, and ii) to assess the effects of several physical–chemical (total organic carbon, total nitrogen, water retention, pH and electrical conductivity) and environmental parameters (moisture and temperature) in CO2 emissions. The results showed an initial CO2 emission (priming effect), produced from all restored plots just after the application of the organic amendment, which was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in soils with sewage sludge and their mixtures in comparison to vegetable compost. Garden compost had low emission rates, similar to soils without amendment and showed lower CO2 emission rates than the rest of the restoration treatments. Nevertheless, CO2 emissions decreased in each field campaign over time, showing that all restored soils had lower emissions than natural soils at the end of the sampled period. The different composition of organic amendments had a different effect on soil CO2 emissions. DistLM analysis showed that soil properties such as total organic carbon, total nitrogen, pH and soil moisture, associated with rainfall periods, strongly influenced CO₂ emissions, whereas temperature did not affect the CO2 flow. In conclusion, the compost from plant remains could serve better as treatment to restore degraded soils in drylands than sewage sludge because of its lower CO2 emissions and concomitant effect on climate warming and carbon balance.

ACS Style

R. Soria; N. Rodríguez-Berbel; R. Ortega; M.E. Lucas-Borja; I. Miralles. Soil amendments from recycled waste differently affect CO₂ soil emissions in restored mining soils under semiarid conditions. Journal of Environmental Management 2021, 294, 112894 .

AMA Style

R. Soria, N. Rodríguez-Berbel, R. Ortega, M.E. Lucas-Borja, I. Miralles. Soil amendments from recycled waste differently affect CO₂ soil emissions in restored mining soils under semiarid conditions. Journal of Environmental Management. 2021; 294 ():112894.

Chicago/Turabian Style

R. Soria; N. Rodríguez-Berbel; R. Ortega; M.E. Lucas-Borja; I. Miralles. 2021. "Soil amendments from recycled waste differently affect CO₂ soil emissions in restored mining soils under semiarid conditions." Journal of Environmental Management 294, no. : 112894.

Journal article
Published: 20 May 2021 in Forest Ecology and Management
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The oak (Quercus brantii Lindl.) semiarid forests of western Iran are among the oldest and host a remarkable diversity. However, the originally high forests were largely converted to coppices and submitted to a long history of traditional management and human disturbances. We investigated the effect of past management and forest structure on soil properties and vegetation diversity on two forest systems: coppice‐with‐standards stands abandoned after an intense period of exploitation (CWS) and high forest stands (HF) submitted to a low intensity of management. We selected in each system three 1–2 ha stands and sampled 30 plots to measure vegetation diversity, forest structure using structural indices and, main soil factors including bulk density, nutrients, organic carbon and porosity. We found a higher species diversity in HF than in CWS with respectively 7 woody species in the former and only 4 in the latter as well as a higher structural complexity. Plant composition differed also between the two systems and multivariate analyses revealed clear associations between vegetation composition and soil factors in particular soil nutrients, soil porosity for HF and bulk density and texture for CWS. In fact, contents in soil nutrients were higher in HF than in CWS for total nitrogen (0.28 vs 0.15%), available phosphorus (22.82 vs 15.47 ppm), available nitrogen (0.28 vs 0.15 ppm), and organic matter (2.58 vs 1.61%) whereas soils of CWS showed a higher bulk density (1.39 vs 1.29) and a lower porosity (47.66 vs 51.50%). This study thus revealed the legacy of the past forest management actions on the different components of the forest ecosystem. We concluded that the conservative management in high forests was more favourable for the protection of soil and vegetation diversity than in the traditional coppicing system.

ACS Style

Mehdi Heydari; Sina Attar Roshan; Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja; Reza Omidipour; Bernard Prévosto. Diverging consequences of past forest management on plant and soil attributes in ancient oak forests of southwestern Iran. Forest Ecology and Management 2021, 494, 119360 .

AMA Style

Mehdi Heydari, Sina Attar Roshan, Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja, Reza Omidipour, Bernard Prévosto. Diverging consequences of past forest management on plant and soil attributes in ancient oak forests of southwestern Iran. Forest Ecology and Management. 2021; 494 ():119360.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mehdi Heydari; Sina Attar Roshan; Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja; Reza Omidipour; Bernard Prévosto. 2021. "Diverging consequences of past forest management on plant and soil attributes in ancient oak forests of southwestern Iran." Forest Ecology and Management 494, no. : 119360.

Journal article
Published: 13 May 2021 in Journal of Environmental Management
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Soil microbial biomass is key to improving the prediction of soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics by modeling. However, the driving mechanism of microbial biomass of different groups with soil depth is poorly understood across sites. Here, we compiled the biomass of different microbial groups (i.e., fungi, bacteria, gram-positive bacteria G+, and gram-negative bacteria G-) from the surface to a soil depth of 1 m from 71 soil profiles across three continents. We found that the biomass of microbial groups all decreased with soil depth but at different magnitudes, while the relative abundance of microbial groups, except G-, was relatively stable along soil profiles. Soil fungal biomass had a shallower vertical distribution than bacteria, especially G+, with 89% fungi and 76% G+ in the top 10 cm soils. In addition, a greater proportion of microbial biomass (71–89%) compared to SOC (64%) was in the top 10 cm soils, suggesting that microbes and SOC exhibited different vertical distributions. The vertical distributions of microbial biomass of different groups were significantly correlated with SOC and clay content but not with climate, and these distributions were different among land uses, highlighting the great influences of edaphic factors on vertical distributions of microbial biomass. The relationship between microbial biomass and soil depth provides a feasible way to estimate microbial biomass at different soil depths, which can serve as a benchmark to improve the prediction of SOC dynamics of entire soil profile at large scales.

ACS Style

Tingting Sun; Yugang Wang; Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja; Xin Jing; Wenting Feng. Divergent vertical distributions of microbial biomass with soil depth among groups and land uses. Journal of Environmental Management 2021, 292, 112755 .

AMA Style

Tingting Sun, Yugang Wang, Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja, Xin Jing, Wenting Feng. Divergent vertical distributions of microbial biomass with soil depth among groups and land uses. Journal of Environmental Management. 2021; 292 ():112755.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tingting Sun; Yugang Wang; Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja; Xin Jing; Wenting Feng. 2021. "Divergent vertical distributions of microbial biomass with soil depth among groups and land uses." Journal of Environmental Management 292, no. : 112755.

Communication
Published: 12 May 2021 in Environments
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Orange peel (OP), the main residue of the citrus industry, is usually used for animal feeding and soil fertilisation if more advanced options are lacking. In areas with warm and dry climatic conditions, OP is land-spread for solar-drying on the fields, the leachate produced is a potential pollution factor for soil especially due to the release of organic matter; heavy rainfalls could even aggravate the hazard. Since literature does not report any quantitative evaluation of this risk, this study presents three OP drainage tests in lysimeters, where OP was left releasing leachate on a soil layer. A first test was carried out on raw OP naturally draining, while, in a second and a third test, a rainfall of 100 mm was applied on already drained and solar-dried OP, respectively. After drainage, raw OP reduced its initial volume by about 90% and the leachate production accounted only for about 20% of the initial volume. The simulated rainfall produced even lower volumes of leachate (2–3% of the initial biomass volume), in spite of the high rainfall volume and long drainage time after its application. The COD concentration in the leachate from the raw OP was significantly higher than those produced after simulated rainfall. However, the COD amount released to the soil was negligible. The lysimetric tests showed that the release of leachate occurs mainly during the first phase of drainage and that rainfall is absorbed and does not produce significant leaching. Overall, the risk of soil pollution due to the natural drainage of OP is negligible, due to both limited amounts of leachate and organic loading.

ACS Style

Serafina Andiloro; Paolo Calabrò; Adele Folino; Demetrio Zema; Santo Zimbone. Evaluating the Pollution Risk of Soil Due to Natural Drainage of Orange Peel: First Results. Environments 2021, 8, 43 .

AMA Style

Serafina Andiloro, Paolo Calabrò, Adele Folino, Demetrio Zema, Santo Zimbone. Evaluating the Pollution Risk of Soil Due to Natural Drainage of Orange Peel: First Results. Environments. 2021; 8 (5):43.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Serafina Andiloro; Paolo Calabrò; Adele Folino; Demetrio Zema; Santo Zimbone. 2021. "Evaluating the Pollution Risk of Soil Due to Natural Drainage of Orange Peel: First Results." Environments 8, no. 5: 43.

Original article
Published: 10 May 2021 in Trees
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Spanish black pine showed greater resilience and resistance, but generally lower recovery to drought events in managed than in unmanaged forest stands under Mediterranean humid climate. Drought negative effects on forest ecosystems are projected to increase under global warming all over the world. In this context, forest management can be an effective option for reducing drought impacts and increasing tree growth stability to extreme drought events. Here, we aim to evaluate black pine (Pinus nigra subsp. salzmannii) growth response to climatic variability and drought events in managed and unmanaged stands under similar Mediterranean climatic conditions. Drought events were identified using long-term climatic data, and basal area increments were calculated for 100–120-year old trees cored in managed and unmanaged plots. Results showed that tree size, temperature, and the interaction between management treatment and water availability significantly influenced tree growth. Basal area increment was reduced in response to the 1983, 1991, 1994‒1995, 1999–2000 and 2005 drought events. Trees in managed plots showed lower growth reductions in response to drought than those located in unmanaged plots, probably experiencing higher competition for soil water, whereas the reverse happened under wet climate conditions. Black pines showed greater resilience and resistance, but generally lower recovery to drought events in managed than in unmanaged stands. Our results suggest that forest management enhances drought tolerance in black pine stands, which may help to ameliorate the negative impacts of global warming across Mediterranean forest ecosystems.

ACS Style

M. E. Lucas-Borja; E. Andivia; D. Candel-Pérez; J. C. Linares; J. J. Camarero. Long term forest management drives drought resilience in Mediterranean black pine forest. Trees 2021, 1 -12.

AMA Style

M. E. Lucas-Borja, E. Andivia, D. Candel-Pérez, J. C. Linares, J. J. Camarero. Long term forest management drives drought resilience in Mediterranean black pine forest. Trees. 2021; ():1-12.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. E. Lucas-Borja; E. Andivia; D. Candel-Pérez; J. C. Linares; J. J. Camarero. 2021. "Long term forest management drives drought resilience in Mediterranean black pine forest." Trees , no. : 1-12.

Journal article
Published: 30 April 2021 in Water
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This study has evaluated the runoff and erosion rates in torrents of Southern Italy, two forested headwaters with very similar climatic, hydrological and geomorphological characteristics; in one headwater, 15 check dams were installed in the mid-1950s, while the other is not regulated with engineering works. To this aim, the hydrological variables have been modeled over 15 years after check dam installation using the HEC-HMS (Hydrologic Engineering Center-Hydrologic Modeling System) model coupled to the MUSLE (Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation) equation. The model simulations have shown that check dams have not played a significant role in reducing the surface runoff compared to the unregulated torrent; in both catchments, the well-developed forest cover determined very low runoff coefficients (lower than 0.3%) with a scarce runoff generation capacity. Additionally, the reduction in peak flow due to the check dams was not significant, on average −7.4% compared to the unregulated headwater. Check dams have retained sediments for about 8–10 years after their installation, reducing erosion by about 35%, although soil loss was much lower than the tolerance limit in both catchments. After the sediment retention capacity of the dam sediment wedge was depleted, the sediment yield in the regulated torrent was even higher (by about 20%) compared to the unregulated catchment. Overall, the study has shown that the use of check dams as a catchment management strategy of forested headwaters under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions should be considered with caution, since the structures could be ineffective to reduce water and sediment flows during floods or, in some cases, check dams may increase erosion rates.

ACS Style

Giuseppe Bombino; Pedro Pérez-Cutillas; Daniela D’Agostino; Pietro Denisi; Antonino Labate; Alberto Martínez-Salvador; Demetrio Zema; Santo Zimbone; Carmelo Conesa-García. Comparing the Hydrological Response of Forested Headwaters (Unregulated and Regulated with Check Dams) under Mediterranean Semi-Arid Conditions. Water 2021, 13, 1275 .

AMA Style

Giuseppe Bombino, Pedro Pérez-Cutillas, Daniela D’Agostino, Pietro Denisi, Antonino Labate, Alberto Martínez-Salvador, Demetrio Zema, Santo Zimbone, Carmelo Conesa-García. Comparing the Hydrological Response of Forested Headwaters (Unregulated and Regulated with Check Dams) under Mediterranean Semi-Arid Conditions. Water. 2021; 13 (9):1275.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giuseppe Bombino; Pedro Pérez-Cutillas; Daniela D’Agostino; Pietro Denisi; Antonino Labate; Alberto Martínez-Salvador; Demetrio Zema; Santo Zimbone; Carmelo Conesa-García. 2021. "Comparing the Hydrological Response of Forested Headwaters (Unregulated and Regulated with Check Dams) under Mediterranean Semi-Arid Conditions." Water 13, no. 9: 1275.

Review article
Published: 29 April 2021 in CATENA
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Check dams have been used throughout the world for a variety of purposes including torrent control, water supply enhancement, agricultural land development, and watershed restoration. National, regional and local governments have invested, and continue to invest, in basin scale erosion-control projects that may include both maintenance of existing and construction of new check dams. The functions of these structures are diverse and vary depending on the geomorphic context where the structures are built. However, although the number of check dams constructed to control floods, regulate sediment transport, reduce upstream reach slopes and stabilize torrent beds continues to increase, some projects have experienced disappointing results, and thus project objectives are not achieved. Causes of failure include poor construction quality, inadequate check dam location and lack of adequate design criteria. These failures lead to reduced confidence in using check dams as restoration tools. Moreover, both construction of dense networks of check dams and construction of a few large open structures require major economic investments, however a comprehensive evaluation of their long-term effectiveness is still lacking. This review aims to achieve a detailed synthesis of the effects of check dams based on a review of the literature that includes conceptual thinking, field observations and numerical approaches. Using the knowledge gaps identified in this work as a starting point, the review is an effort to join and share scientific and technical information from a variety of sites throughout the world based on the legacy effects of check dams. The role of complex interactions between ecological impacts, geomorphic processes and engineering activities is also highlighted. Overall, this review identifies the self-similar character of check dams and the process feedback loops they initiate across a range of spatial scales and geographic settings.

ACS Style

Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja; Guillaume Piton; Yang Yu; Carlos Castillo; Demetrio Antonio Zema. Check dams worldwide: Objectives, functions, effectiveness and undesired effects. CATENA 2021, 204, 105390 .

AMA Style

Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja, Guillaume Piton, Yang Yu, Carlos Castillo, Demetrio Antonio Zema. Check dams worldwide: Objectives, functions, effectiveness and undesired effects. CATENA. 2021; 204 ():105390.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja; Guillaume Piton; Yang Yu; Carlos Castillo; Demetrio Antonio Zema. 2021. "Check dams worldwide: Objectives, functions, effectiveness and undesired effects." CATENA 204, no. : 105390.

Journal article
Published: 31 March 2021 in Journal of Hydrology
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Deforestation, which removes soil protection by plant leafs and roots, causes severe soil erosion, since the beneficial effects of plant cover and root actions on soil erodibility are lost. Hydromulching has been found to be a suitable technique for erosion control, but little research has been carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of hydromulch roots in controlling rill erosion in deforested areas due to overland flow. This study has evaluated rill detachment capacity (Dc) and erodibility (Kr, which is the slope of the equation regressing Dc and critical shear stress) in hydromulched and bare plots (1.3-m long and 0.5-m wide) on soils sampled in deforested hillslopes of Northern Iran; the most important root parameters of the grass used for hydromulching were also measured, such as root density and diameter. Dc has been measured in a laboratory flume under four bed slopes (10, 15, 20, and 25%) and five water discharges (0.26, 0.35, 0.45, 0.56, and 0.67 L m−1 s−1) with five replications per experiment. Dc was lower (on average − 44%, with a minimum reduction of −40% at a slope of 25% and a maximum −50% at a slope of 15%) in the hydromulched soils compared to the untreated plot. Dc was positively and negatively correlated, with diameter and density of hydromulch roots, respectively. Rill erodibility was noticeably lower (−81%) in the hydromulched soil compared to the bare plot. By regressing Dc on shear stress, rill erodibility and critical shear stress for deforested hillslopes (treated with hydromulching or left bare) were given. These parameters are useful to hydrologists in applications of physically-based erosion models.

ACS Style

Misagh Parhizkar; Mahmood Shabanpour; Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja; Demetrio Antonio Zema. Hydromulch roots reduce rill detachment capacity by overland flow in deforested hillslopes. Journal of Hydrology 2021, 598, 126272 .

AMA Style

Misagh Parhizkar, Mahmood Shabanpour, Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja, Demetrio Antonio Zema. Hydromulch roots reduce rill detachment capacity by overland flow in deforested hillslopes. Journal of Hydrology. 2021; 598 ():126272.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Misagh Parhizkar; Mahmood Shabanpour; Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja; Demetrio Antonio Zema. 2021. "Hydromulch roots reduce rill detachment capacity by overland flow in deforested hillslopes." Journal of Hydrology 598, no. : 126272.

Review article
Published: 24 March 2021 in Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health
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Fire regimes have changed due to environmental and socioeconomic factors which have led to an increase in the number, frequency, intensity, extension, and severity of fire events. On this context, postfire management is crucial for preserving forest ecosystems’ functions and biodiversity, and returning them to prefire levels (both in the short- and long-term) after wildfires. Currently, there is a lack of available research evaluating the impacts of plant and soil hillslope restoration strategies on the ecosystem properties of burned forests, leading to much uncertainty among land managers. The lack of availability information may be explained by undue weight given to the influence of microclimatic conditions in each burned area, insufficient monitoring activities and ineffective technical design related to postfire management strategies. Hence, the continuing need for more studies evaluating the relative importance of these strategies on returning the structure and functions of forest ecosystems after fire.

ACS Style

Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja. Efficiency of postfire hillslope management strategies: Gaps of knowledge. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health 2021, 21, 100247 .

AMA Style

Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja. Efficiency of postfire hillslope management strategies: Gaps of knowledge. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health. 2021; 21 ():100247.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja. 2021. "Efficiency of postfire hillslope management strategies: Gaps of knowledge." Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health 21, no. : 100247.

Review article
Published: 22 March 2021 in Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health
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Research about soil hydrology after a wildfire has widely investigated the impacts of many postfire management strategies on ecosystems with different characteristics. However, despite this ample literature, clear guidelines about the effectiveness and feasibility of the different restoration techniques in environmental contexts showing variable responses still lack. Furthermore, postfire hydrological modeling is based on mere adaptations of existing models, which often fail to simulate with accuracy the changes in soil hydrology after a fire. After a short review about the effects of wildfire on hydrological processes, this study aims to propose an updated overview of the existing postfire management techniques at both hillslope (afforestation and seeding, mulching, salvage logging, erosion barriers, soil preparation, and other novel techniques) and channel (check dams) scales. Moreover, the results of the most recent studies analyzing the feasibility of common hydrological models in predicting runoff and soil erosion are analyzed. Most studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of postfire management techniques, but some uncertainty remains regarding the opportunity of natural recovering or implementation of soil and vegetation restoration. The optimal solution in fire-affected areas may be a combination of actions (at hillslope and channel scales), whose effectiveness should be evaluated on the watershed scale. The existing hydrological models should be specifically adapted to burned conditions with a reliable simulation of soil changes due to fire. Modeling experiences with a focus on the effects of postfire management actions are needed.

ACS Style

Demetrio Antonio Zema. Postfire management impacts on soil hydrology. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health 2021, 21, 100252 .

AMA Style

Demetrio Antonio Zema. Postfire management impacts on soil hydrology. Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health. 2021; 21 ():100252.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Demetrio Antonio Zema. 2021. "Postfire management impacts on soil hydrology." Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health 21, no. : 100252.

Journal article
Published: 08 March 2021 in Science of The Total Environment
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Reforestation may help protect the health of endangered forest ecosystems. To implement this action, it is important to evaluate the effects of the planted species on soil quality. Previous studies have demonstrated that soil properties are closely driven by the effects of plant roots and plant remains (quantity and quality) reaching the soil surface. However, little research is available about the effects of plant species on soil quality of reforested sites compared to natural forest ecosystems. This study evaluates the changes in the main soil properties between two 30–40 year-old stand types in forest areas of northern Iran: i) two stands, each one comprising a natural species (Parrotia persica or Pinus taeda); and ii) two stands, each one with planted trees (Quercus castaneifolia or Alnus glutinosa). Compared to reforested sites, the soils with natural trees showed higher root weight density (+43%), pH (+17%), and organic carbon (+64%). These differences led to higher nutrient contents, microbial respiration, aggregate stability, and water retention in soils with natural trees, as confirmed by the correlation analysis. A principal component analysis provided a meaningful combined factor (the first principal component) that showed a clear discrimination in soil quality and fertility among natural and reforested species. The calculation of a soil quality index confirms that planted species may lead to an overall lower quality of soils with planted species compared to natural forest. Since the lower soil quality of planted forests can be also the result of unsuitable management practices, this study suggest that forest operations in reforested areas should be avoided, since this could lead to negative effects on soil quality and contribute to an increase in the risk of soil degradation.

ACS Style

Misagh Parhizkar; Mahmood Shabanpour; Isabel Miralles; Demetrio Antonio Zema; Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja. Effects of plant species on soil quality in natural and planted areas of a forest park in northern Iran. Science of The Total Environment 2021, 778, 146310 .

AMA Style

Misagh Parhizkar, Mahmood Shabanpour, Isabel Miralles, Demetrio Antonio Zema, Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja. Effects of plant species on soil quality in natural and planted areas of a forest park in northern Iran. Science of The Total Environment. 2021; 778 ():146310.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Misagh Parhizkar; Mahmood Shabanpour; Isabel Miralles; Demetrio Antonio Zema; Manuel Esteban Lucas-Borja. 2021. "Effects of plant species on soil quality in natural and planted areas of a forest park in northern Iran." Science of The Total Environment 778, no. : 146310.