Browsing by Author "Blanco, A."
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- Effectiveness of two western Iberian Peninsula marine protected areas in reducing the risk of macroalgae invasionPublication . Blanco, A.; Neto, J.M.; Trancoso, J.; Lemos, M.F.L.; Olabarria, C.Marine ecosystems are facing major anthropogenic disturbances, including loss of biodiversity, eutrophication, and biological invasions. Thus, attention has raised on marine conservation actions to preserve habitat resilience and biodiversity. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) play an essential role in marine conservation as they are usually designated to provide marine ecosystem resilience of native communities to human-induced impacts (including non-native introductions) while contributing with positive effects on other ecosystem services. The introduction of a new species in novel marine habitats has been attributed to biotic, abiotic, and anthropogenic factors. In the present study, the effects of native functional diversity, wave exposure were studied, and for the first time, marine protection was addressed concerning the invasion success of six macroalgae in two MPAs in the NW Iberian Peninsula. The correlation between the presence/absence of some native functional groups and the invasion success of some invasive species highlighted the importance of conserving native canopy-formers. Despite local differences, wave exposure did not affect invasion success. The protection provided by both MPAs was very limited to prevent the establishment and spread of the most abundant invasive macroalgae. Therefore, stricter management plans should be implemented to ensure native ecosystem resilience within the MPAs.
- The HADES RPC inner TOF wallPublication . Belver, D.; Blanco, A.; Cabanelas, P.; Carolino, N.; Castro, E.; Diaz, J.; Fonte, P.; Garzón, J.A.; Gonzalez-Diaz, D.; Gil, A.; Koenig, W.; Lopes, L.; Mangiarotti, A.; Oliveira, O.; Pereira, A.; Silva, C.; Sousa, C.C.; Zapata, M.The upgraded HADES inner TOF Wall will cover a total area of 8 m2 with 1116 variable-geometry 4-gap, symmetric, timing RPCs, readout by 2232 time and charge channels. Each RPC is individually shielded for robust multi-hit performance and optimum use of the readout channels (crosstalk minimization). The double layer configuration provides a useful degree of redundancy for very accurate timing of a large fraction of all particles crossing the detector. In this paper we describe the concept of the detector, its inner structure and the multi-hit performance.
- Mapping invasive macroalgae in the Western Iberian Peninsula: a methodological guidePublication . Blanco, A.; Lemos, Marco F.L.; Pereira, Leonel; Gaspar, Rui; Mouga, Teresa; Neto, João M.; Troncoso, J. S.; Olabarria, Celia
- Spotting intruders: Species distribution models for managing invasive intertidal macroalgaePublication . Blanco, A.; Larrinaga, A.R.; Neto, J.M.; Troncoso, J.; Méndez, G.; Domínguez-Lapido, P.; Ovejero, A.; Pereira, L.; Mouga, T.; Gaspar, R.; Martínez, B.; Lemos, M.F.L.; Olabarria, C.Invasive macroalgae represent one of the major threats to marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and structure, as well as being important drivers of ecosystem services depletion. Many such species have become well established along the west coast of the Iberian Peninsula. However, the lack of information about the distribution of the invaders and the factors determining their occurrence make bioinvasions a difficult issue to manage. Such information is key to enabling the design and implementation of effective management plans. The present study aimed to map the current probability of presence of six invasive macroalgae: Grateloupia turuturu, Asparagopsis armata, Colpomenia peregrina, Sargassum muticum, Undaria pinnatifida, and Codium fragile ssp. fragile. For this purpose, an extensive field survey was carried out along the coast of the north-western Iberian Peninsula. Species distribution models (SDMs) were then used to map the presence probability of these invasive species throughout the study region on the basis of environmental and anthropogenic predictor variables. The southern Galician rias were identified as the main hotspots of macroalgal invasion, with a high probability of occurrence for most of the species considered. Conversely, the probability of presence on the Portuguese coast was generally low. Physico-chemical variables were the most important factors for predicting the distribution of invasive macroalgae contributing between 57.27 and 85.24% to the ensemble models. However, anthropogenic factors (including size of vessels, number of shipping lines, distance from ports, population density, etc.) considerably improved the estimates of the probability of occurrence for most of the target species. This study is one of the few to include anthropogenic factors in SDMs for invasive macroalgae. The findings suggest that management actions aimed at controlling these species should strengthen control and surveillance at ports, particularly in southern Galician rias. Early detection should be of main concern for risk assessment plans on the Portuguese coast.