Etiqueta: Josep Peñuelas

News

Humans use more phosphorus to produce fish than we obtain by harvesting them

17 de February 2020Adriana Clivillé

There is an imbalance between the amount of phosphorus we use in the production of fish and shellfish (which need it for growth, bones and shells) and the amount we obtain by harvesting them. Remedying it will require aquaculture’s mean phosphorus use efficiency to increase from its current level of 20% to 48% by 2050.

News

Greener springs are causing hotter, drier summers

14 de January 2020Adriana Clivillé

For the first time, two phenomena that occur in different seasons are connected: the high temperatures advance and extend springs, so that the vegetation grows more intensely and absorbs more moisture from the soil. The consequence is much drier and warmer summers.

News

Some plants do not reproduce every year because of nutrient scarcity

10 de December 2019Verónica Couto Antelo

A study involving three CREAF researchers has found that plants with low nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in their leaves do not reproduce every year to enable them to reproduce on a huge scale in years in which conditions are right. Oaks, holm oaks and beeches are examples of trees that behave in such a way.

News

Iceland: a natural laboratory for the study of climate change’s effects on soil

10 de December 2019Ángela Justamante

Iceland’s grasslands and living organisms react strongly to warming in an initial period of five to eight years, the ecosystem will have returned to a steady state closer to its original state when more than 50 years have elapsed.

News

Wild plants secrete compounds that would help to avoid using pesticides and fertilizers

5 de December 2019Verónica Couto Antelo

A work by CSIC and CREAF scientists highlights that wild plants are more fertile and more resistant to pests than traditional crop varieties because their roots release substances that help them to capture more nutrients and fight pathogenic bacteria and fungi in the soil. If these natural properties were transferred to conventional cultivated varieties, agricultural yield could be improved and the ecological impacts of pesticides and industrial fertilizers reduced.

News

Forests are retaining carbon for less and less time

19 de November 2019CREAF

Published in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), a study to which the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and CREAF have contributed has revealed that the time for which forests retain carbon has fallen by between 0.2% and 0.3% every year in recent decades. Plant mortality is rising due to higher carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and, in particular, warming and droughts. The time in question, which is termed carbon turnover time, is a relevant factor in climate change projections as it is indicative of carbon sinks’ capacity to retain carbon.

News

The treatment of urban wastewater causes changes in the rivers’ flora and fauna

16 de August 2019Verónica Couto Antelo

Partially managing rivers to make them cleaner only by reducing the amount of phosphorus and phytoplankton, can entail undesirable changes throughout the ecosystem due to a nutrient imbalance. This is the main result of a study by researchers Carles Ibáñez at IRTA and Josep Peñuelas, CSIC researcher at CREAF, which was published by Science.

News

Satellites are overestimating vegetation’s ability to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide

1 de May 2019Anna Ramon Revilla

According to an article by CREAF researchers Benjamin Stocker and Josep Peñuelas published in Nature Geoscience, drought impact studies based on satellite data do not factor in the effects of soil moisture.

News

Tropical forests are the terrestrial plant ecosystems to which climate change poses the greatest risk

20 de March 2019CREAF

A study involving CREAF's Josep Peñuelas has identified the optimal temperatures of terrestrial plant ecosystems throughout the world and indicates the size of their margin for adaptation to warming. Outside that margin, ecosystem growth slows sharply.

News

From the Arctic to the tropics: researchers present a unique database on Earth’s vegetation

19 de November 2018CREAF

Which plant species grow where, alongside which others - and why? In a new study, an international research team presents the world's first global vegetation database which contains over 1.1 million complete lists of plant species for all terrestrial ecosystems.

News

Taller species are taking over in a warming Arctic

27 de September 2018CREAF

Until now, the Arctic tundra has been the domain of low-growing grasses and dwarf shrubs. But new, taller plant species have been slowly taking over this chilly neighborhood, report an international group with the participation of researchers from CSIC-CREAF.

News

Josep Penuelas visited China as grantee of the Distinguished Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Science

15 de June 2018CREAF

Josep Penuelas visited China the first two weeks of May 2018 as grantee of the Distinguished Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Science.

News

Plants are exposed to frost more frequently as a result of climate change

14 de February 2018Albert Naya i Díaz

Plants' annual growing season has lengthened, exposing them to frost more often at a time when they are particularly sensitive. That can be detrimental to their activity and lead to substantial crop yield losses.

News

Thirsty holm oaks lose 21% more carbon through their roots

19 de January 2018Albert Naya i Díaz

Once rehydrated, holm oaks have a large capacity for recovery thanks to their high adaptation to the Mediterranean climate. The release of organic compounds into the soil represents a considerable loss of carbon for the holm oak and also modifies the microbial community, which may lead to additional effects on the tree.

News

Men from wealthy countries are getting taller because their diet is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus

18 de December 2017Anna Ramon Revilla

Mean male height in countries with a high level of GDP is 23 cm greater than in countries with a low level, a difference that has risen by 1.5 cm over the last 30 years. Thanks to a more varied diet rich in animal products, the annual nitrogen and phosphorus intake of people in wealthy countries is practically twice that of those in poor countries.

News

Four Spanish scientists receive the Nature award

5 de December 2017CREAF

Yesterday, the 4th of December, the Nature Award for Mentoring took place, the awards for four exemplary scientific tutors. It was held for the first time in Spain, under a panel of judges chaired by Josep Peñuelas and met at CREAF months ago. The winners are Lluís Torner, Margarita Salas, Carlos López-Otín and Carlos Belmonte. Congratulations!!

News

Rising temperatures threaten global agricultural production

16 de October 2017Albert Naya i Díaz

The production of essential crops such as wheat, maize, rice, and soybean will be substantially reduced. Effective measures for climate change adaptation will be necessary, as well as  improvements in crop genetics in order to reduce the impacts of climate change. 

News

The greening of the earth is reaching its limit

19 de September 2017Albert Naya i Díaz

A new study led by Josep Peñuelas and published in Nature Ecology and Evolution reveals that CO2 abundance in the atmosphere no longer has a powerful fertilizing effect on vegetation. The greening that has been observed in recent years is slowing and this will cause CO2 levels in the atmosphere to rise, thus increasing temperatures and leading to increasingly severe changes in climate.

News

Humans are causing mass movements of bacteria around the world

15 de September 2017Anna Ramon Revilla

In an article in the journal Science, Josep Peñuelas warns that we must immediately begin studying the changes we are causing in the microbial world, improve water treatment systems, and change crop fertilization practices. 

News

Climate change is already threatening the Mediterranean ecosystems of Catalonia

19 de July 2017Albert Naya i Díaz

An extensive review of studies and databases reveals that drought and an increase in temperature are already causing species substitutions, greater aridity, higher forest fire risk, lower soil fertility, and lower water availability, among other negative impacts.

News

Achieving the COP21 agreements is currently far-fetched

9 de June 2017Albert Naya i Díaz

The COP21 set the maximum temperature increase for 2100 at 1.5° C. The only scenario which would allow achievement of this goal would require vastly reducing human CO2 emissions, significantly increasing the prominence of renewable energies, and the use of some type of artificial carbon sequestration technology.

News

Plants absorb pharmaceuticals and personal-care products carried by irrigation water

18 de May 2017CREAF

Pharmaceutical and personal-care products for human and animal use are increasingly released into the environment. 

News

Plausible rice yield losses under future climate warming

3 de April 2017CREAF

Josep Peñuelas leads a study which suggests that rice yield will be more senstive to climate warming. Adaptatation polices to climate change are urgently needed to reduce its effect on rice yield.

News

Phosphorus, once only a nutrient, has become a contaminant on a global scale

17 de March 2017Albert Naya i Díaz

Freshwater ecosystems near densely populated areas have levels of phosphorus which are very high and out of balance with nitrogen levels. This has resulted in altered ecosystem functioning, lower water quality, and has made water conservation more difficult.

News

Remote sensing of leaf pigments will improve climate change models

7 de February 2017Albert Naya i Díaz

An international team of researchers co-led by Josep Peñuelas (CSIC and CREAF) has developed a new method for monitoring changes in the photosynthetic activity of perennial conifers throughout the year. This new technique, based on the analysis of remote sensing images captured by satellites, will improve global models of atmospheric carbon capture and permit more precise predictions about climate change.

News

The loss of soil carbon can accelerate climate change

1 de December 2016Albert Naya i Díaz

The journal Nature has today published a study which had the participation of CSIC scientists at CREAF, Marc Estiarte and Josep Peñuelas, which demonstrates the relationship between the release of carbon from soils and the acceleration of climate change.

News

Josep Peñuelas receives an Honoris Causa from the University of Estonia

4 de October 2016Verónica Couto Antelo

CSIC and CREAF researcher Josep Peñuelas has received an honorary doctorate degree from the Estonian University of Life Sciences for his studies on global change. The university council considers his studies as excellent, and also values his international collaboration with Estonian researchers. The presentation of the award took place on September 23rd in the city of Tartu.

Knowledge

Peñuelas, awarded with Margalef Prize

21 de July 2016Jaume Terradas

In the prizes to the trajectory of a scientist, people say , the hardest is to begin, because after the first award, the winner can be pretty sure that others will come. Maybe, but there are different categories of prizes. Josep Peñuelas is starting to get the big ones, those that he deserves by his contributions to ecology, his dedication and his ability to empathize in order to establish fruitful relationships with scientists all around the world.

News

The treeline in Tibet increases slower than temperatures

27 de April 2016Albert Naya i Díaz

The forest treeline shifts upward slower than temperature increase, and it can be hindered by densification of shrubs. A number of factors influence upward forest expansion, including the particular plant species growing near trees, climate change, human activity, and terrain morphology. The Tibetan Plateau, practically devoid of human pressures, offers a pristine area for study 

News

The world has become greener over the past 33 years

26 de April 2016CREAF

Since 1982, Earth has become greener in an area covering 36 million km2, close to two times the size of the United States. Above all, this seems to be the result of a fertilizing effect of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) on plants. The study was carried out with satellite images which can capture this increase in terrestrial leaf area.

News

CO2 absorption in European ecosystems depends on two major climatic phenomena

18 de January 2016Albert Naya i Díaz

The worst scenario occurs when NAO and EA are in opposite phases. This ocurred in the first few years of the previous decade and during this period, the CO2 uptake was below average. Recently, NAO and EA were in the same phase and ecosystems have been able to remove more carbon from the atmosphere.

News

Wood and leaf densities explain how forests function across the globe

24 de December 2015Albert Naya i Díaz

Understanding ecosystem dynamics can lead to greater benefits in forest management, species conservation, and carbon sequestration. A new study puts forward results which can be generalized for the whole globe and to 53,000 tree species thanks to the large quantity of data gathered and analyzed.

News

Agriculture and forestry increase the production world ecosystem biomass by 15%

6 de October 2015Marina Torres Gibert

CREAF has participated in an international study which has estimated the total biomass production of all planetary ecosystems. These data can be used to improve accounting of the global supply of natural resources and plan strategies for boosting the sequestration of atmospheric carbon.

News

The response of leaf unfolding phenology to climate warming has significantly reduced in Central Europe

23 de September 2015CREAF

Leaf unfolding occurred on average about 4 days earlier every one degree increase in spring temperature between 1980 and 1994, whereas this value dropped to -2.3 days C-1 between 1999 and 2013, a decrease of over 40%. According to this study recently published in the jorunal Nature with the participaction of Josep Peñuelas, researcher from CSIC at CREAF, warmer winters and photoperiod are forcing plants to control their phenology calendars.

News

Flowers pollinized by insects are more fragrant than those pollinized by the wind

1 de July 2015Marina Torres Gibert

A study published in the journal Biochemical Systematics and Ecologyand carried out by a team of CREAF researchers has shown that pollination by insects increases emissions of the molecules that give flowers their odors. Flower fragrances are needed to attract insects and guarantee the exchange of pollen with other flowers.  

News

Increased daytime temperatures is causing earlier leaf emergence

29 de April 2015Marina Torres Gibert

A study led by a CREAF-CSIC researcher has outlined a new methodology for describing changes in the life cycle of plants caused by planetary warmingwith higher precision. Daytime, rather than nocturnal temperatures determine phenological changes. The increase in temperatures, leading to an earlier spring, alters the global functioning of ecosystems.

News

The youngest ecosystems are those most sensitive to climate change

24 de March 2015Marina Torres Gibert

CREAF participated in a study which proposes that in order to understand the full impact of climate change, it is not enough to study just protected natural areas, which are mature and able to handle change; instead, it is important to focus on the study of those ecosystems which have been altered and are still recovering.

News

Scientists identify the 13 most important research challenges to face global change in the Mediterranean region

3 de February 2015J.Luis Ordóñez

Scientists consider it key to understand why droughts kill so many trees and the influence of local forest histories on tree mortality. They also warn that we know very little about the joined effects of different disturbances on each ecosystem, and highlight the necessity to plan research projects covering more time and space. 

News

Close to 50% of phosphorus emitted to the atmosphere is a result of human activities

15 de December 2014Anna Ramon Revilla

According to the study in which CREAF participated, China contributes 43% of this amount. For decades it had been thought that human activities were responsible for only around 5% of atmospherically-circulating phosphorus. More phosphorus in the air means more phosphors deposited on the ground. This can boost plant growth and the capacity to sequester atmospheric CO2; for that reason human activities may be altering the phosphorus and carbon cycles to a degree which was previously unknown

News

What will the future smell like?

22 de July 2014Anna Ramon Revilla

Researchers from CREAF, CSIC, and the Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences of Estonia have found that flowers are becoming more fragrant as the global mean temperature rises. In addition, intense heat provokes changes in the composition of floral aromas, transforming the odors of natural areas. This could lead to pollinizers mistaking the identity of flowers, especially specialist species whose flower visits are guided by their own innate olfactory preferences.

News

Nutrient-rich forests absorb more carbon

7 de April 2014Anna Ramon Revilla

Thee ability of forests to sequester carbon from the atmosphere depends on nutrients available in the forest soils, shows new research from an international team of researchers,

News

Nightime global warming limites CO2 uptake by boreal flora

5 de September 2013Anna Ramon Revilla

Nightime temperatures on the planet have increased 1.4 times faster than daytime temperatures. This asymmetry alters carbon fluxes and plant growth in the northern hemisphere, according to a study in which the CREAF is participating.

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