Etiqueta: biodiversity

News

Farmland with small fields and varied crops is beneficial to biodiversity

29 de July 2019Anna Ramon Revilla

Research led by two French institutions shows that farmland comprising small fields sown with different types of crops is conducive to plant and animal diversity. Promoting such landscapes would help make up for the loss of natural and semi-natural habitats between crops.

News

Drought poses a threat to soil biodiversity and nutrient cycling across Europe

26 de June 2019J.Luis Ordóñez

A CREAF-led European study published in the journal Global Change Biology warns that the drought associated with climate change could reduce soil fauna diversity and slow the decomposition of leaf litter (fallen leaves, twigs, bark, etc.), potentially hindering the recycling of nutrients for plants throughout Europe.

News

Mice have “personality”

9 de May 2019Ángela Justamante

CREAF scientists have found that, contrary to what was previously thought, wood mice make decisions individually.

News

The first citizens’ observatory for monitoring urban butterflies is up and running

22 de February 2019Anna Ramon Revilla

The observatory is the first of its kind in Spain and CREAF is coordinating the team of scientists behind it. They will be working with volunteers to monitor the evolution of butterfly populations in 54 parks and gardens in Barcelona and Madrid.

News

Mountain birds in decline in Europe

28 de January 2019Anna Ramon Revilla

CREAF and ICO (Catalan Ornithological Institute) researchers Sergi Herrando and Lluís Brotons have participated in a study that shows populations of birds described as “mountain specialists” to have fallen by 10% in a decade in Europe. The situation is even more alarming in the Pyrenees and elsewhere in the Iberian Peninsula, where mountain bird populations fell by 21%.

News

The forests that store the most carbon are also the richest in biodiversity

3 de October 2018Anna Ramon Revilla

A study led by CREAF researcher Judit Lecina Díaz has mapped Spain's carbon and biodiversity hotspots, which are located in the Pyrenees and their foothills, Madrid, Cuenca, La Rioja and Andalusia, and along the coast of the Cantabrian Sea.

Knowledge

A tale in Trieste

13 de August 2018Francisco Lloret

At the end of the 19th century, the border region between Italy and Slovenia had mountains with no trees. A massive reforestation ordered by the Austro-Hungarian Empire allowed to recover forests and revitalize the region. Now, however, those pines planted a century ago are in danger.

News

Why do we want so many different beetles?

16 de April 2018Francisco Lloret

Evolution leads to an increasing number of species, and that's why it is so difficult for us to know how many of them inhabit the Earth. Should we spend efforts to conserve all of them or would it be enough with just a few?

Knowledge

Why are there so many plants?

1 de December 2017Jaume Terradas

Which characteristics of the environment and living beings can explain the great diversity of plants and life in general on Earth?

News

Cities threaten millions of years of bird evolution

31 de May 2017Anna Ramon Revilla

A study led by Daniel Sol, CISC researcher based at CREAF, shows that cities preserve 450 million years less evolutionary history compared to natural environments. Birds capable of surviving in highly urbanized environments have undergone recent evolution. The arrival of exotic species does not compensate for poor urban evolutionary diversity.

Knowledge

Woodlands in their labyrinth: forest management and biodiversity conservation

23 de April 2017Francisco Lloret

The forth post of Francisco Lloret's section Festina Lente. In this one he explains different dimensions of combining forest management with biodiversity conservation.

News

Wildfires can favor the diversity of flora and fauna

24 de March 2017Verónica Couto Antelo

In many ecosystems, fire promotes a greater variety of species of plants and animals since it creates a more diverse set of environments. The positive effects of fire cannot be generalized to all aspects of an ecosystem; profound knowledge about the local species and fire regime is crucial. Insights from the study are useful for planning management of forest biomass fuel, controlled burnings, and forest fire suppression.

News

The Catalonian Government and CREAF define the Catalonian program for comprehensive biodiversity monitoring

24 de February 2017Verónica Couto Antelo

This pioneering initiative puts Catalonia at the forefront of biodiversity monitoring, together with countries such as the United Kingdom and The United States of America. 

Knowledge

Do you know ECOPOTENTIAL?

14 de November 2016CREAF

ECOPOTENTIAL publishes a new video to explain what the project is about, wich is framed within the European Union Horizon 2020 program.

Knowledge

“There are unknown species living right next door”

14 de November 2016Albert Naya i Díaz

Raúl Bonal (Madrid, 1974) is a researcher at the University of Extremadura and is associated researcher at CREAF since 2009. In the Western world, what Raúl has achieved has become quite rare: describe a new species. The species discovered by Raúl is known as the “holm oak spider” and was given the Latin name Cheiracanthium ilicis. More such discoveries may be in store in the not-too-distant future.

News

Project shows 10% of exotic species in Catalonia are invasive

7 de September 2016Verónica Couto Antelo

The data base of the research project EXOCAT, commissioned by the Catalonian government and coordinated by CREAF, has more than 1,100 exotic species registered in Catalonia, 111 of which are considered as invasive. This data base is a benchmark tool for improving policy on biological invasions and their control.

News

Meet Natusfera: a new virtual platform which will connect nature lovers from all over Europe

22 de June 2016Anna Ramon Revilla

Created by CREAF and GBIF.ES, Natusfera consists of a web portal and application for mobile devices which will host information about living beings observed in nature including photo sharing and location. The European Citizen Science Association considers Natusfera to be a benchmark model for initiatives of this type, and has proposed that it be translated into as many languages as possible.  

News

The Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas has been published

26 de May 2016Albert Naya i Díaz

Today, May 25, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) publishes the Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas, first-ever of this topic. It’s a European Comission iniciative, available and free for everyone who is interested in. This atlas maps the soil biodiversity of the entire planet by providing an exhaustive analysis of soil organisms and the threats it has to face. Soil management could help the mitigation of the effects of climate change.

Knowledge

Do you know that Earth Observation can be used to monitor ecosytem services?

1 de April 2016CREAF

ECOPOTENTIAL Project is going Online! ECOPOTENTIAL  is a large European-funded H2020 project that focuses its activities on a targeted set of internationally recognised Protected Areas, blending Earth Observations from remote sensing and field measurements, data analysis and modelling of current and future ecosystem conditions and services.

News

Singing in higher pitches is no guarantee of success for city birds

20 de November 2015Laia Núñez Casillas

An international study with participation of CREAF has concluded that singing in higher pitches is no guarantee of success for city birds. This was after observing city-dwelling birds in around 20 cities worldwide, Barcelona being one of them. The researchers compared around 400 species and analyzed whether these were more abundant in their natural habitat or in urban areas. What is certain is that species which sing at higher pitches are heard better against the low tones of the city, but there are other abilities which are more important when adapting to urban life, such as finding food and avoiding urban dangers.

News

A CEED Research Fellow will study fire effects to biodiversity in Catalonia

7 de September 2015CREAF

A CEED (Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions) Research Fellow has been recently awarded one of the five Victorian Postdoctoral Research Fellowships. He will travell to Spain to study the threat of fires to biodiversity at the CTFC (Forest Sciences Centre of Catalonia) and CREAF (Centre of Ecological Research and Forestry Applications).

News

With a few biological traits we can predict if two species interact

10 de July 2013Anna Ramon Revilla

This study, in which the CREAF participated, determined that relationships between species follow a few common patterns, and, therefore, with little data a lot of detail can be understood regarding the ecological networks of ecosystems and predict a species’ evolution in the face of perturbations.

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