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Although seagrass canopies are known to enhance particle sedimentation, there is still limited knowledge about how seagrasses modify the vertical distribution of sediment particles; especially when particles come from allochthonous sources. This study determined the volume of particles trapped by the seagrass leaves, the amount that remains in suspension both within and above the canopy, and the amount deposited onto the seabed. A set of laboratory experiments were conducted in which hydrodynamic conditions and canopy densities were varied to mimic real field conditions. This study demonstrated and quantified previously recorded observations concerning the fate of sediment in seagrass meadows. Seagrass meadows decreased the amount of suspended sediment by capturing the sediment on the blades of the seagrass and by enhancing particle sedimentation on the seabed. However, particles trapped by the blades of seagrass in the whole canopy increased with canopy density and reduced the number of particles in suspension within the canopy. The ecological implications were significant, since a seabed covered by vegetation, when compared to a bare seabed, produced a reduction in the suspended sediment particles within the canopy, improving water clarity. Furthermore, canopies (compared to bare substrates) enhanced seabed sedimentation and the denser the canopy was, the greater the amount of sediment deposited on the seabed.
Aina Barcelona; Carolyn Oldham; Jordi Colomer; Jordi Garcia-Orellana; Teresa Serra. Particle capture by seagrass canopies under an oscillatory flow. Coastal Engineering 2021, 169, 103972 .
AMA StyleAina Barcelona, Carolyn Oldham, Jordi Colomer, Jordi Garcia-Orellana, Teresa Serra. Particle capture by seagrass canopies under an oscillatory flow. Coastal Engineering. 2021; 169 ():103972.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAina Barcelona; Carolyn Oldham; Jordi Colomer; Jordi Garcia-Orellana; Teresa Serra. 2021. "Particle capture by seagrass canopies under an oscillatory flow." Coastal Engineering 169, no. : 103972.
In the face of today’s global challenges, the practice and theory of contemporary education inevitably focuses on developing the competences that help individuals to find meaningfulness in their societal and professional life, to understand the impact of local actions on global processes and to enable them to solve real-life problems
Jordi Colomer; Dolors Cañabate; Brigita Stanikūnienė; Remigijus Bubnys. Formulating Modes of Cooperative Leaning for Education for Sustainable Development. Sustainability 2021, 13, 3465 .
AMA StyleJordi Colomer, Dolors Cañabate, Brigita Stanikūnienė, Remigijus Bubnys. Formulating Modes of Cooperative Leaning for Education for Sustainable Development. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (6):3465.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJordi Colomer; Dolors Cañabate; Brigita Stanikūnienė; Remigijus Bubnys. 2021. "Formulating Modes of Cooperative Leaning for Education for Sustainable Development." Sustainability 13, no. 6: 3465.
This paper describes a quantitative study that explores teaching practices in primary education to sustain the hypothesis that students’ critical thinking may be activated through individual and group reflection. The study examines the quality of the reflections from primary school students during group processing when participating in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) instructional approaches. The project’s core methodology lies in scientific (physics) and artistic (dance) instructional activities which were executed in a continuous reflective and cooperative learning environment. The educational approach was refined by analyzing the reflective discussions from focus groups where descriptive, argumentative, reflective and critical reflective knowledge about acquired knowledge, competences, beliefs, attitudes and emotions were considered. While the educational intervention proved that 1st-year (K-7) students essentially reflected at the level of description, 3rd-year (K-9) and 5th-year (K-11) students, however, attained higher levels of individual critical reflection development than initially anticipated. The STEAM approaches were found to produce significant use and understanding of both science and artistic concepts and to increase a sense of competence readiness and a perception of modes of cooperation such as individual responsibility and promotive interaction.
Marcel Bassachs; Dolors Cañabate; Lluís Nogué; Teresa Serra; Remigijus Bubnys; Jordi Colomer. Fostering Critical Reflection in Primary Education through STEAM Approaches. Education Sciences 2020, 10, 384 .
AMA StyleMarcel Bassachs, Dolors Cañabate, Lluís Nogué, Teresa Serra, Remigijus Bubnys, Jordi Colomer. Fostering Critical Reflection in Primary Education through STEAM Approaches. Education Sciences. 2020; 10 (12):384.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarcel Bassachs; Dolors Cañabate; Lluís Nogué; Teresa Serra; Remigijus Bubnys; Jordi Colomer. 2020. "Fostering Critical Reflection in Primary Education through STEAM Approaches." Education Sciences 10, no. 12: 384.
A flume experiment was carried out to improve understanding of interactions between turbidity currents and aquatic vegetation canopies and their landscape-scale consequences. It focussed on comparing hydrodynamics and sediment deposition in continuous canopies with those in vegetation patches, and on the effects of varying water depth – both of which are previously unreported. The currents’ particulate load was characterised as a mix of fine and coarse fractions. Varying canopy frontal densities, a, and water depths, H, were used. Fifteen runs were carried out with the flume fully vegetated, and a further ten with shorter vegetation patches. In all runs, the currents evolved as expected through inertial, drag-dominated and viscous regimes. The positions at which transitions between the regimes occurred were measured and analysed. In the fully-vegetated runs, both transition positions varied linearly with aH for aH < 0.8, and were constant when aH > 0.8. We argue that the variation at lower values of aH is caused by non-canopy drag forces becoming non-negligible compared to the canopy drag. An equation is derived that models, as a function of a and H, the size a vegetation patch needs to be for its effect on turbidity currents to be the same as that of a continuous canopy. The sediment depositional flux rate for fine particles from the currents within the vegetation was greater than that for coarse particles, by a factor of 1.57. This suggests that bed sediment deposited within canopy patches by turbidity currents will be on average finer than that in gaps between patches, as has been found previously for currents and waves. Thus, this effect will contribute to the development of inter-tidal and shallow sub-tidal landscapes characterized by patches of dense vegetation and fine sediments, surrounded by bare regions with coarser sediments. Our results imply that the distances over which the phenomena we document occur in typical inter-tidal and shallow sub-tidal contexts are of the same order of magnitude as sizes of patches of saltmarsh plants and seagrasses. This indicates that the reported patch length effects are highly relevant to understanding eco-hydrological interactions in these contexts.
Marianna Soler; Teresa Serra; Andrew Folkard; Jordi Colomer. Hydrodynamics and sediment deposition in turbidity currents: Comparing continuous and patchy vegetation canopies, and the effects of water depth. Journal of Hydrology 2020, 594, 125750 .
AMA StyleMarianna Soler, Teresa Serra, Andrew Folkard, Jordi Colomer. Hydrodynamics and sediment deposition in turbidity currents: Comparing continuous and patchy vegetation canopies, and the effects of water depth. Journal of Hydrology. 2020; 594 ():125750.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarianna Soler; Teresa Serra; Andrew Folkard; Jordi Colomer. 2020. "Hydrodynamics and sediment deposition in turbidity currents: Comparing continuous and patchy vegetation canopies, and the effects of water depth." Journal of Hydrology 594, no. : 125750.
The objective of this manuscript is twofold: to critically analyze the principles of epistemic diversity and democracy and perform an analysis of the social construction of knowledge by university students through cooperative learning. The semi-structured interview methodology employed in the research revealed that the students provided a positive assessment of the possibilities of cooperation in heterogeneous teams: the array of experiences that were emerging in the process helped the students in the tertiary systems transcend the boundaries of their knowledge, share experiences, and construct new knowledge together. The research also highlighted students’ critical attitudes towards previous teamwork experiences, which relied more on an individualist than social approaches to knowledge. It also reflected on the causes and consequences of those experiences. Student interviews revealed a variety of difficulties the students were facing during team cooperation. The unconventional study process, centred on active and independent performance, social construction of knowledge, triggered confusion of the students’ roles, dissatisfaction with the unequal contributions by the team members to the common work, and the lack of teachers’ intervention. The findings established the basis for the design of the educational approaches for university students to socially construct knowledge through cooperation.
Jurgita Lenkauskaitė; Jordi Colomer; Remigijus Bubnys. Students’ Social Construction of Knowledge through Cooperative Learning. Sustainability 2020, 12, 9606 .
AMA StyleJurgita Lenkauskaitė, Jordi Colomer, Remigijus Bubnys. Students’ Social Construction of Knowledge through Cooperative Learning. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (22):9606.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJurgita Lenkauskaitė; Jordi Colomer; Remigijus Bubnys. 2020. "Students’ Social Construction of Knowledge through Cooperative Learning." Sustainability 12, no. 22: 9606.
To strengthen students’ professional identity (PI), it is vital to give reflection a central place in higher education. The aim of this study is to determine the extent to which students reflect on five components of PI (self-image, self-esteem, task perception, job motivation and future perspective) and at what reflection level. Twenty-five reflection narratives from Spanish and Dutch students from five different study programmes were qualitatively analysed and quantitatively evaluated to find out about students’ identifying and self-assessing PI components. The results indicate that PI components were clearly recognizable in the reflection reports and could be classified using one of the four levels of reflection with high inter-rater reliability. About 40% of the students achieved the critical reflection level on one or more PI components. Reflecting on the five components of PI, with the aim of achieving the level of critical reflection, can be a useful guide for students.
Monique M.J. Engelbertink; Jordi Colomer; Kariene M. Woudt- Mittendorff; Ángel Alsina; Saskia M. Kelders; Sara Ayllón; Gerben J. Westerhof. The reflection level and the construction of professional identity of university students. Reflective Practice 2020, 22, 73 -85.
AMA StyleMonique M.J. Engelbertink, Jordi Colomer, Kariene M. Woudt- Mittendorff, Ángel Alsina, Saskia M. Kelders, Sara Ayllón, Gerben J. Westerhof. The reflection level and the construction of professional identity of university students. Reflective Practice. 2020; 22 (1):73-85.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMonique M.J. Engelbertink; Jordi Colomer; Kariene M. Woudt- Mittendorff; Ángel Alsina; Saskia M. Kelders; Sara Ayllón; Gerben J. Westerhof. 2020. "The reflection level and the construction of professional identity of university students." Reflective Practice 22, no. 1: 73-85.
The objective of this paper is to prove that interdisciplinary educational approaches foster knowledge and competences for sustainable development in primary education. The intervention methodology employed is an educational and pedagogical approach to teaching science through physical activities and is based on developing dynamic reflective and cooperative learning environments to strengthen teaching–learning relationships. The educational approach included analyzing students’ reflections from their focus groups, in which five categories of cooperative learning: positive interdependence, individual accountability, promotive interaction, the appropriate use of social skills, and group processing, were considered. The results show that, to a significant statistical degree, when the interdisciplinary approaches were adopted the primary school students reached higher levels of understanding, reflective and critical thinking development, and that cooperative learning provided them with a greater perception of sustainable development competences through systems and critical thinking, analysis, interpersonal relationships and collaboration, and strategic action.
Marcel Bassachs; Dolors Cañabate; Teresa Serra; Jordi Colomer. Interdisciplinary Cooperative Educational Approaches to Foster Knowledge and Competences for Sustainable Development. Sustainability 2020, 12, 8624 .
AMA StyleMarcel Bassachs, Dolors Cañabate, Teresa Serra, Jordi Colomer. Interdisciplinary Cooperative Educational Approaches to Foster Knowledge and Competences for Sustainable Development. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (20):8624.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarcel Bassachs; Dolors Cañabate; Teresa Serra; Jordi Colomer. 2020. "Interdisciplinary Cooperative Educational Approaches to Foster Knowledge and Competences for Sustainable Development." Sustainability 12, no. 20: 8624.
This study analyzed emotional self-regulation in relation to K-9 and K-10 school children’s emotional intelligence defined on three dimensions: Emotional attention, clarity of feelings, and emotional repair. The objective was to analyze the students’ perceptions of skills and capacities that promoted the awareness of emotions when performing introjective motor practices, i.e., motor skill exercises in which the inner logic provokes a process of sensorial self-awareness and psychosomatic balance. A total of 90 fourth-year primary school students from four different schools participated in the study and a reduced version of the Trait-Meta Mood Scale (TMMS) questionnaire was used to measure students’ individual self-regulation. First, pre- and post-test results showed significant differences with a 20.1% improvement in the three dimensions of intrapersonal emotional attention (emotional attention, clarity of feeling, and emotional repair) after having performed a set of in-class introjective practices. Second, while there were no significant differences between the boys and girls during the pre-test, significant changes—an 8.1% difference—were found in the post-test results for girls.
Dolors Cañabate; Mónica Santos; David Rodríguez; Teresa Serra; Jordi Colomer. Emotional Self-Regulation through Introjective Practices in Physical Education. Education Sciences 2020, 10, 208 .
AMA StyleDolors Cañabate, Mónica Santos, David Rodríguez, Teresa Serra, Jordi Colomer. Emotional Self-Regulation through Introjective Practices in Physical Education. Education Sciences. 2020; 10 (8):208.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDolors Cañabate; Mónica Santos; David Rodríguez; Teresa Serra; Jordi Colomer. 2020. "Emotional Self-Regulation through Introjective Practices in Physical Education." Education Sciences 10, no. 8: 208.
This study analyses the water temperature changes in Lake Banyoles over the past four decades. Lake Banyoles, Spain’s second highest lake, situated in the western Mediterranean (NE Iberian Peninsula). Over the past 44 years, the warming trend of the lake’s surface waters (0.52 °C decade−1) and the cooling trend of its deep waters (−0.66 °C decade−1) during summer (July–September) have resulted in an increased degree of stratification. Furthermore, the stratification period is currently double that of the 1970s. Meanwhile, over the past two decades, lake surface turbidity has remained constant in summer. Although turbidity did decrease during winter, it still remained higher than in the summer months. This reduction in turbidity is likely associated with the decrease in groundwater input into the lake, which has been caused by a significant decrease in rainfall in the aquifer recharge area that feeds the lake through groundwater sources. As a unique freshwater sentinel lake under the influence of the climate change, Lake Banyoles provides evidence that global warming in the western Mediterranean boosts the strength and duration of the lake’s stratification and, in response, the associated decrease in the turbidity of its epilimnion.
Teresa Serra; Josep Pascual; Ramon Brunet; Jordi Colomer. The Mixing Regime and Turbidity of Lake Banyoles (NE Spain): Response to Climate Change. Water 2020, 12, 1621 .
AMA StyleTeresa Serra, Josep Pascual, Ramon Brunet, Jordi Colomer. The Mixing Regime and Turbidity of Lake Banyoles (NE Spain): Response to Climate Change. Water. 2020; 12 (6):1621.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTeresa Serra; Josep Pascual; Ramon Brunet; Jordi Colomer. 2020. "The Mixing Regime and Turbidity of Lake Banyoles (NE Spain): Response to Climate Change." Water 12, no. 6: 1621.
In this Special Issue, Reflective Learning in Higher Education explores on tertiary education and its practices. It looks at in-house and external individuals, and collective initiatives and activities that centre on generating and reflecting on knowledge. It also explores the transformation output of learning communities, the communities themselves and their reflective practices, and discusses how reflective learning and developing one’s professional identity through reflection are linked. The connections between the theoretical and applied research on reflective practices, knowledge generation in all areas, professional practice and identity through theoretical definition, situated and grounded practice and transformative knowledge are also considered. The nine manuscripts in this Special Issue manifest that reflective learning is likely to (i) help forge students’ professional identity and ensure sustainable competences are effectively developed, (ii) transform students’ preconceived perspectives and social preferences to foster new reasoned action plans for decision-making, (iii) promote understanding one’s personal professional strengths and limitations and develop the ability to identify resources and ways to solve existing and/or future professional challenges and (iv) modify the students’ beliefs, attitudes, and daily behaviour to develop competences that will ultimately result in promoting sustainability.
Jordi Colomer; Teresa Serra; Dolors Cañabate; Remigijus Bubnys. Reflective Learning in Higher Education: Active Methodologies for Transformative Practices. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3827 .
AMA StyleJordi Colomer, Teresa Serra, Dolors Cañabate, Remigijus Bubnys. Reflective Learning in Higher Education: Active Methodologies for Transformative Practices. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (9):3827.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJordi Colomer; Teresa Serra; Dolors Cañabate; Remigijus Bubnys. 2020. "Reflective Learning in Higher Education: Active Methodologies for Transformative Practices." Sustainability 12, no. 9: 3827.
Sustainable development is promoted when the system of education provides the learners with an opportunity to equip themselves with moral values, skills, and competences that assist them in effecting personal and community positive changes. For this purpose, teachers play an important role as moral agents, and students consider the teacher a role model. Therefore, the understanding and beliefs of teachers regarding moral education play a pivotal role in grooming the personality of the learners. This comparative study aimed to assess the practices and beliefs of university teachers regarding moral education in China and Pakistan. A mixed-method approach was used and data analysis was performed by using an interactive model and ANOVA. Responses of twelve tertiary teachers were collected from Pakistan and China for qualitative analysis. Seven themes were constructed that categorized teachers’ practice in the classroom and their beliefs regarding moral education. For quantitative analysis, 300 teachers’ responses were collected using a validated questionnaire. The results showed that the majority of Pakistani teachers hold a conservative mindset. According to the Pakistani teachers’ perspective, sovereignty of divine laws, loyalty to the constitution of the state, and a sense of serving society were the ultimate aims of moral education. Chinese teachers were promoting a political ideology that stressed collectivism in a socialist approach, with family and social values being most relevant. Not a single teacher reported using a theoretical or research-based approach while teaching in the class. In the light of the dearth of literature, this study has implications for future research in the field of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and Islamic Studies in higher education, as it is a longitudinal study that provided insight into how teachers’ beliefs and attitudes are shaped over time and from moral educational experiences.
Tahseen Asif; Ouyang Guangming; Muhammad Asif Haider; Jordi Colomer; Sumaira Kayani; Noor Ul Amin. Moral Education for Sustainable Development: Comparison of University Teachers’ Perceptions in China and Pakistan. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3014 .
AMA StyleTahseen Asif, Ouyang Guangming, Muhammad Asif Haider, Jordi Colomer, Sumaira Kayani, Noor Ul Amin. Moral Education for Sustainable Development: Comparison of University Teachers’ Perceptions in China and Pakistan. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (7):3014.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTahseen Asif; Ouyang Guangming; Muhammad Asif Haider; Jordi Colomer; Sumaira Kayani; Noor Ul Amin. 2020. "Moral Education for Sustainable Development: Comparison of University Teachers’ Perceptions in China and Pakistan." Sustainability 12, no. 7: 3014.
To acquire knowledge about student-mediated peer-to-peer collaborative activities, pre-service teachers’ perceptions of peer feedback are analyzed and categorized as receiver, provider, or cognitive feedback. A questionnaire of 15 survey questions concerning supportive feedback from peers was designed and validated using assessments from more than 200 pre-service teachers. The questionnaire was aligned with the activities promoting supportive feedback between pre-service teachers from three bachelor’s degrees at a tertiary education institution. Their perceptions were then quantified in terms of the peer feedback categories. While there were significant correlations between the scores for all 15 questions, real insights were produced when the highest correlations were analyzed. As such, being involved as both feedback providers and receivers was highly rated. The self-efficacy of pre-service teachers receiving feedback, (i.e., the extent to which peer instructional strategies and the selected learning tasks were cognitively challenging so as to improve receiver feedback), proved to be correlated with their perceptions of involvement, autonomy, and structure. Likewise, motivation for providing or receiving feedback was also closely correlated with the self-efficacy of pre-service teachers providing feedback. Finally, all three questions in the cognitive feedback category were highly correlated. The pre-service teachers were, thus, motivated to improve their learning and considered feedback as a useful task and as a way to strengthen their relationships with their peers.
Dolors Cañabate; Lluís Nogué; Teresa Serra; Jordi Colomer. Supportive Peer Feedback in Tertiary Education: Analysis of Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions. Education Sciences 2019, 9, 280 .
AMA StyleDolors Cañabate, Lluís Nogué, Teresa Serra, Jordi Colomer. Supportive Peer Feedback in Tertiary Education: Analysis of Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions. Education Sciences. 2019; 9 (4):280.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDolors Cañabate; Lluís Nogué; Teresa Serra; Jordi Colomer. 2019. "Supportive Peer Feedback in Tertiary Education: Analysis of Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions." Education Sciences 9, no. 4: 280.
Interactions between ecology, hydrodynamics and sediments play central roles in the evolution of coastal and freshwater ecosystems. We set out to characterise interactions of a specific hydrodynamic phenomenon – turbidity currents – with vegetation and sediment dynamics. We measured hydrodynamics and sediment deposition rates when turbidity currents flowed into plant canopies in a lock-exchange flume experiment, using simulated vegetation and three real plant species, and varying the turbidity current’s initial sediment concentration. The natural sediment used had an essentially bimodal size distribution, with coarse (6.2–104 μm) and fine (2.2–6.2 μm) fractions. In all cases, on entering the vegetation canopy, the turbidity current was initially inertially-dominated, but subsequently became drag-dominated. In the inertial regime, there was no size segregation in the deposited material. In the drag-dominated regime, the deposited material became increasingly dominated by fine sediment, at a rate dependent on the vegetation type. The transition between these two regimes occurred at a distance equivalent to 5.1–7.6 times the total water depth downstream of the lock gate. The size segregation of deposited sediment is posited to have consequences for substrate evolution, which in turn may affect vegetation growth. Thus, our findings point to a non-linear feedback mechanism between the spatial heterogeneity of vegetation canopies and that of the substrate they help to engineer.
Marianna Soler; Jordi Colomer; Andrew Folkard; Teresa Serra. Particle size segregation of turbidity current deposits in vegetated canopies. Science of The Total Environment 2019, 703, 134784 .
AMA StyleMarianna Soler, Jordi Colomer, Andrew Folkard, Teresa Serra. Particle size segregation of turbidity current deposits in vegetated canopies. Science of The Total Environment. 2019; 703 ():134784.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarianna Soler; Jordi Colomer; Andrew Folkard; Teresa Serra. 2019. "Particle size segregation of turbidity current deposits in vegetated canopies." Science of The Total Environment 703, no. : 134784.
This paper focusses on university pre-service teachers developing cooperative physical challenges within reflective and cooperative learning frameworks. The pre-service teachers were involved in reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action and contemplated their professional identity in both reflective narratives and focus group discussions. The students’ reflections were scored using two rubrics. The first elements scored from the pre-service teacher’s reflective narratives included the focus of the reflection, awareness of previous beliefs, knowledge, and experiences, inquiring and focusing on possible actions through questions and hypotheses, and arguing for concrete learning objectives. The second rubric scored elements of the pre-service teachers’ professional identity, including self-esteem, task perception, job motivation, and expectations about future jobs. The results from the instructional cooperative approaches based on the reflections on the in-practice at a primary school disclosed the differences between them, with the non-structured approach scoring higher than the structured one. The cooperative challenges, when embedded in the reflection process, profoundly helped pre-service teachers to identify aspects of their professional identity that would ensure an effective intake of sustainable competences.
Dolors Cañabate; Teresa Serra; Remigijus Bubnys; Jordi Colomer. Pre-Service Teachers’ Reflections on Cooperative Learning: Instructional Approaches and Identity Construction. Sustainability 2019, 11, 5970 .
AMA StyleDolors Cañabate, Teresa Serra, Remigijus Bubnys, Jordi Colomer. Pre-Service Teachers’ Reflections on Cooperative Learning: Instructional Approaches and Identity Construction. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (21):5970.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDolors Cañabate; Teresa Serra; Remigijus Bubnys; Jordi Colomer. 2019. "Pre-Service Teachers’ Reflections on Cooperative Learning: Instructional Approaches and Identity Construction." Sustainability 11, no. 21: 5970.
Daphnia populations are present in lakes and ponds. They are known to experience diurnal vertical migrations according to their feeding needs. During the day they migrate downwards to avoid predation in light-receiving layers and at night they migrate upwards, searching for food in the shallow productive layers. The light photoperiod and light intensity vary depending on the latitude and, therefore, the precise location of lakes and ponds will be an additional and crucial parameter in determining the development of Daphnia. Here we will focus on a population of Daphnia magna (a genus of the Cladocera order). The effect of both light intensity and photoperiod on Daphnia filtration was studied in laboratory experiments. An increase in the light intensity resulted in two D. magna responses depending on the exposure time of individuals to light. Short time exposures to a decrease in the light intensity of less than one day produced an increase in the D. magna filtration. However, exposures of longer than one day resulted in a decrease in the D. magna filtration along with a decrease in the light intensity. Photoperiod exposures of 8, 12 and 16 h produced greater D. magna filtrations than photoperiods of 0, 4 and 24 h. In this study, regulation of the light intensity and the period of exposure were used in laboratory experiments to establish D. magna development thresholds by latitudinal variation in the photoperiod.
Teresa Serra; Mara F. Müller; Aina Barcelona; Victoria Salvado; Narcís Pous; Jordi Colomer. Optimal light conditions for Daphnia filtration. Science of The Total Environment 2019, 686, 151 -157.
AMA StyleTeresa Serra, Mara F. Müller, Aina Barcelona, Victoria Salvado, Narcís Pous, Jordi Colomer. Optimal light conditions for Daphnia filtration. Science of The Total Environment. 2019; 686 ():151-157.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTeresa Serra; Mara F. Müller; Aina Barcelona; Victoria Salvado; Narcís Pous; Jordi Colomer. 2019. "Optimal light conditions for Daphnia filtration." Science of The Total Environment 686, no. : 151-157.
The combination of the filtration capacity of zooplankton (e.g. Daphnia) with the nutrient removal capacity of bacterial/algal biofilm in a zooplankton-containing reactor could provide a natural-based alternative for wastewater treatment. A laboratory-scale zooplankton-based reactor was tested at different HRTs resulting in a significant reduction in nutrient concentrations in wastewater when the system was operated at HRTs longer than 1.1 days (preferably of between 2 and 4 days). However, the presence of high concentrations of organic matter (>250 mg COD L−1) in the wastewater inhibited zooplankton activity, limiting its use to tertiary treatment. Therefore, in combination with other natural treatments that can perform primary and secondary treatments, zooplankton may provide a solution for wastewater clarification and nutrient polishing. The effect of a common metal such as copper on the filtration capacity of Daphnia was also evaluated. Daphnia, as well as the whole zooplankton-based reactor, adapted to copper concentrations of up to 70 μg Cu L−1 but an overload of 380 μg Cu L−1 for two-weeks severely affected the biological system.
Narcís Pous; Manuela Hidalgo; Teresa Serra; Jordi Colomer; Jesús Colprim; Victòria Salvadó. Assessment of zooplankton-based eco-sustainable wastewater treatment at laboratory scale. Chemosphere 2019, 238, 124683 .
AMA StyleNarcís Pous, Manuela Hidalgo, Teresa Serra, Jordi Colomer, Jesús Colprim, Victòria Salvadó. Assessment of zooplankton-based eco-sustainable wastewater treatment at laboratory scale. Chemosphere. 2019; 238 ():124683.
Chicago/Turabian StyleNarcís Pous; Manuela Hidalgo; Teresa Serra; Jordi Colomer; Jesús Colprim; Victòria Salvadó. 2019. "Assessment of zooplankton-based eco-sustainable wastewater treatment at laboratory scale." Chemosphere 238, no. : 124683.
We study the relative importance of the three dimensions of need-supportive teaching (NST) and students’ self-efficacy to gain new knowledge about students’ achievement in higher education. NST assumes that teachers are key to the motivation of students, providing autonomy support, structure (support of competence), and involvement (support of relatedness). In turn, self-efficacy raises students’ confidence in their ability to succeed in academic tasks. Drawing on 86,000 records of teaching evaluations by students at the University of Girona (Spain), we present evidence that teachers’ involvement and students’ self-efficacy are the two elements most strongly and positively related to achievement. Students obtain higher marks when they believe that their teachers are dependable and available to offer resources, and when they feel capable of organizing and implementing the courses of action necessary to acquire knowledge. We also find that students’ experience of autonomy support and structure are negatively (or not) correlated with achievement. Subgroup analyses also indicate that students have different needs in different knowledge areas.
Sara Ayllón; Angel Alsina; Jordi Colomer. Teachers’ involvement and students’ self-efficacy: Keys to achievement in higher education. PLoS ONE 2019, 14, e0216865 .
AMA StyleSara Ayllón, Angel Alsina, Jordi Colomer. Teachers’ involvement and students’ self-efficacy: Keys to achievement in higher education. PLoS ONE. 2019; 14 (5):e0216865.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSara Ayllón; Angel Alsina; Jordi Colomer. 2019. "Teachers’ involvement and students’ self-efficacy: Keys to achievement in higher education." PLoS ONE 14, no. 5: e0216865.
There is consensus on the need to study the potential impact microplastics (MP) have on freshwater planktonic organisms. It is not yet fully understood how MP enter the aquatic food web or the effect they have on all the trophic levels. As a result of the potential for MP to accumulate throughout food webs, there is increasing interest in evaluating their fate in a variety of environmental conditions. This study investigated the variability in the ingestion of MP to food ratios and the exposed time of MP to Daphnia magna in non-sheared and sheared conditions. The sheared environment provided Daphnia magna with the conditions for optimal filtering capacity. Regardless of the ratios of MP concentration to food concentration (MP:Food), the filtration capacity of the Daphnia magna was enhanced in the sheared experiments. In both the sheared and non-sheared experiments, filtration capacity decreased when the ratios of MP to food concentration and the exposure times to MP were increased. Mortality was mainly enhanced in the non-sheared conditions at higher MP concentrations and exposure times to MP. No mortality was found in the sheared conditions for the exposure times studied. Therefore, in aquatic systems that undergo constant low sheared conditions, Daphnia magna can survive longer when exposed to MP than in calm conditions, provided food concentrations do not limit their capacity to filter.
Jordi Colomer; Mara F. Müller; Aina Barcelona; Teresa Serra. Mediated food and hydrodynamics on the ingestion of microplastics by Daphnia magna. Environmental Pollution 2019, 251, 434 -441.
AMA StyleJordi Colomer, Mara F. Müller, Aina Barcelona, Teresa Serra. Mediated food and hydrodynamics on the ingestion of microplastics by Daphnia magna. Environmental Pollution. 2019; 251 ():434-441.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJordi Colomer; Mara F. Müller; Aina Barcelona; Teresa Serra. 2019. "Mediated food and hydrodynamics on the ingestion of microplastics by Daphnia magna." Environmental Pollution 251, no. : 434-441.
Daphnia are important to understanding the biogeochemistry of aquatic ecosystems, mainly because of their ability to filter bacteria, algae and inorganic particles as well. Although there are many studies on the general effects that biotic and abiotic stressors, increased temperature and hypoxia, salinity, metals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, etc., have on Daphnia populations, little is known about the impact elevated turbulence has. Here, we show that turbulence affects Daphnia magna survival, swimming behaviour and filtering capacity. Our data demonstrate that altering their habitat by induced mixing from turbulence, induces an increased filtering capacity of the Daphnia magna individuals, provided the level of background turbulence (defined by the dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy) is lower than ε = 0.04 cm2 s-3. The filtering capacity reduced exponentially with increasing ε, and at ε > 1 cm2 s-3 both mobility and filtration were suppressed and eventually led to the death of all the Daphnia magna individuals.
Teresa Serra; Mara F. Müller; Jordi Colomer. Functional responses of Daphnia magna to zero-mean flow turbulence. Scientific Reports 2019, 9, 3844 .
AMA StyleTeresa Serra, Mara F. Müller, Jordi Colomer. Functional responses of Daphnia magna to zero-mean flow turbulence. Scientific Reports. 2019; 9 (1):3844.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTeresa Serra; Mara F. Müller; Jordi Colomer. 2019. "Functional responses of Daphnia magna to zero-mean flow turbulence." Scientific Reports 9, no. 1: 3844.
Analysing the effect water temperature has on Daphnia magna is essential in anticipating the impact climate change will have on this freshwater zooplanktonic keystone species. While many authors have followed this line of research, few have covered an extensive temperature range or complex temperature change scenarios. Global warming is mostly associated with increased extreme temperature events, such as heat waves, as well as earlier and more intense thermal stratification. Both of these events may directly influence D. magna fitness, especially in those populations performing diel vertical migration (DVM). We analysed the effect water temperatures, ranging from 11 to 29°C, have on the filtration capacity (FC) of D. magna, to anticipate the effects of acclimation, temperature change rate (TCR) and potential reversibility of responses to such conditions. Results show that sudden temperature changes have an immediate negative impact on the FC of D. magna and is more severe at higher temperatures and higher TCRs. However, D. magna individuals have shown themselves to be capable of quasi-acclimating to temperatures ranging from 11 to 25°C in around a week and achieving much higher FCs; albeit never reaching the optimal FC achieved at 20°C. That said, 29°C is lethal for D. magna individuals within approximately five days. Finally, non-optimal temperature acclimated individuals can recover maximal FC within 2–4 days of the optimal long-term acclimation temperature (20°C) being re-established, thus proving temperature responses to be reversible.
Mara F. Müller; Jordi Colomer; Teresa Serra. Temperature-driven response reversibility and short-term quasi-acclimation of Daphnia magna. PLoS ONE 2018, 13, e0209705 .
AMA StyleMara F. Müller, Jordi Colomer, Teresa Serra. Temperature-driven response reversibility and short-term quasi-acclimation of Daphnia magna. PLoS ONE. 2018; 13 (12):e0209705.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMara F. Müller; Jordi Colomer; Teresa Serra. 2018. "Temperature-driven response reversibility and short-term quasi-acclimation of Daphnia magna." PLoS ONE 13, no. 12: e0209705.