South Of Spain Research Articles

Connections between Water, Energy and Landscape: The Social Acceptance in the Monachil River Valley (South of Spain)

The relationship between water and renewable energy, as a vertebrate axis of the territory and landscape and its social acceptance in the Monachil river valley, was analysed. Qualitative interviews and surveys were designed and implemented using quantitative techniques that enabled the measure factors and dimensions of the perception of water, territory, and landscape. The main values and elements of the Monachil inventory, their links with ecosystem services, and traditional activities were identified. In addition, the influence of these premises on the acceptance of renewable energy projects was analysed. Results show that in Monachil, water is part of the territorial identity and landscape of the valley. There is also a strong link between the territory and hydroelectric power, which has generated a new energy landscape. More recently, solar energy has led them to pioneer an energy transition at the local scale. It is demonstrated how renewable energy infrastructures have been integrated into territorial practices.

Use of 3D models as a didactic resource in archaeology. A case study analysis

The generation of 3D models through Terrestrial Laser Scanning has proved to be valuable tools for the study, documentation and recreation of archaeological remains. In this context, it is described how to generate a physical model to provide not only to researchers, but also as teaching material for teachers for university students, facilitating their access and study. As a practical case, this article describes the acquisition, processing and management of archaeological data in the archaeological site of Cástulo, Jaén, in South Spain. We expound how to get the 3D-printed model of the Muslim tower, showing how it is possible to generate a scale and very reliable reproduction of the structure, being also an useful and tangible material in the teaching of cultural heritage.

230Th dating of gypsum from lacustrine, brackish-marine and terrestrial environments

Gypsum is an important environmental archive in hyperarid settings, but its application in earth sciences has been hampered by the limited availability of suitable dating methods. Here we re-evaluate the potential of 230Th/U dating for sedimentary gypsum as well as anhydrite samples in different depositional environments. We provide a robust analytical protocol based on a simple dissolution using nitric acid followed by a two-column separation procedure using anion exchange resin. Isotope analyses were performed using MC-ICPMS and a mixed 229Th-233U-236U tracer. We applied the method to a suite of samples that likely reached secular equilibrium as well as to three suites of younger (<300 ka old) samples, two from the Atacama Desert in Chile and one from a drill core of a saline playa lake in southern Spain. We employed a selective sampling approach targeting the least visually altered and clearest parts of the samples largely devoid of detritus and analysed multiple subsamples.The results demonstrate the general applicability of the 230Th/U method to gypsum as well as anhydrite, and recrystallization of gypsum to anhydrite does not significantly affect the U-series isotope system. However, there is evidence for open-system behaviour, which needs to be carefully assessed. Our results suggest that α-recoil processes as well as uptake or loss of uranium are important processes biasing the results of gypsum dating. Furthermore, we see signs of multiple-phase contamination in our case studies involving detrital components and authigenic phases. Based on these results we propose geochemical criteria in to identify biased 230Th/U gypsum ages.The application of our protocol to a suite of selenite samples deposited by brine outflows on the lowest terrace of Cerro Soledad (Atacama Desert, Chile) provides a mean age of 212 ± 8 ka, indicating a relatively humid climate interval with local rainfall in this area that is coinciding with marine isotope stage 7C. Selenites deposited in the paleo-lake Soledad system (Atacama Desert, Chile) yield 230Th/U ages ranging from 250 to 320 ka, in agreement with previous age estimates for the drainage of this paleo-lake obtained by cosmogenic nuclide dating. Application to a suite of gypsum crystals recovered from a drill core in the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra (South Spain) shows good agreement with their stratigraphic context, however, multiple-phase contamination produces larger age uncertainties for these ages.

Study of the helminth fauna in eagle owl (Bubo bubo) in the south of Spain.

In this study we show the results of the eagle owls’ (Bubo bubo) helminthfauna found in Andalusia. A total number of 50 specimens have been analysed in a period of 10 years (from 2011 to 2020). Prevalence (), mean intensity (IM) and mean abundance (AM) of parasitation have been obtained. The percentage of parasitation in the total sample was 80% (40 out of 50 eagle owls): 78% nematodes, 8% trematodes, 6% cestodes and 4% acantocephalans. 7 species of helminths were identified: 6 nematodes, and 1 trematode. In the case of cestodes and acantocephalans it was not possible to determine species and only the genus was identified.The intestinal nematode Capillaria tenuissima ( = 58% (44–71.2); IM = 11,52 (5.83–28.9)) was the core species whereas Synhimantus laticeps (P% = 16 (7.5–28.8); IM = 4 (1.75–7.25)) and Hartertia hispanica (P% = 16 (7.5–28.8); IM = 1,5 (1–2)) were the secondary species. The remainder species were considered satellite species, with low prevalence and average abundance. Likewise, descriptive parameters of the helminth community were determined: species richness, 1.56 (1.29–1.94), total abundance, 12 (7.24–26.40), Brillouin's diversity index, 0.18 (0.10–0.29) and Berger-Parker dominance index, 0.88 (0.81–0.93).The data from this study show a non-diverse helminthic community, without species dominance with C. tenuissima as the central species, followed by S. laticeps and H. hispanica as secondary species. Worth mentioning is the presence of H. hispanica, which is considered an endemic species in Spain and specifically in Andalusia.To the authors’ knowledge, this is the largest population sample taken in parasitological studies about helminths of this raptor in Europe and the first one carried out in the south of Spain (Andalusia).

Genome-wide footprints in the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) unveil a new domestication pattern of a fruit tree in the Mediterranean.

Intense research efforts over the last two decades have renewed our understanding of plant phylogeography and domestication in the Mediterranean basin. Here we aim to investigate the evolutionary history and the origin of domestication of the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua), which has been cultivated for millennia for food and fodder. We used >1000 microsatellite genotypes to delimit seven carob evolutionary units (CEUs). We investigated genome‐wide diversity and evolutionary patterns of the CEUs with 3557 single nucleotide polymorphisms generated by restriction‐site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq). To address the complex wild vs. cultivated status of sampled trees, we classified 56 sampled populations across the Mediterranean basin as wild, seminatural or cultivated. Nuclear and cytoplasmic loci were identified from RADseq data and separated for analyses. Phylogenetic analyses of these genomic‐wide data allowed us to resolve west‐to‐east expansions from a single long‐term refugium probably located in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains near the Atlantic coast. Our findings support multiple origins of domestication with a low impact on the genetic diversity at range‐wide level. The carob was mostly domesticated from locally selected wild genotypes and scattered long‐distance westward dispersals of domesticated varieties by humans, concomitant with major historical migrations by Romans, Greeks and Arabs. Ex situ efforts to preserve carob genetic resources should prioritize accessions from both western and eastern populations, with emphasis on the most differentiated CEUs situated in southwest Morocco, south Spain and eastern Mediterranean. Our study highlights the relevance of wild and seminatural habitats in the conservation of genetic resources for cultivated trees.

Top-level institutional policies and their implementation at regional level − A difficult equation. The example of the social acceptability of aquaculture development in Malaga, Spain

Social acceptability has become an important issue, influencing public and private decision making in many different areas of society, including the management of uses of common marine resources and space. As these uses intensify and social interactions become more complex, effective governance is a prerequisite for sustainable decision making. Participatory approaches are broadly recognised as a tool for involving stakeholders in the decision-making process to increase the acceptability of collective choices. However, despite the recommendations of new governance frameworks which promote inclusive and democratic bottom-up approaches, there is an increased complexity to apply such approach at local level. This paper aims to capture this complexity through the analysis of the local agency-led participative process and ad-hoc interviews with coastal users to understand whether and how perception and attitudes towards aquaculture evolve throughout the process. Here we present the result of a 3-year collaborative action science-policy with the agency responsible to manage aquaculture in Andalucía region (South of Spain). Even though the effectiveness of this participatory process in aquaculture planning should be assessed over the long-term, here we have identified a number of social, environmental and economic elements that can generate local opposition, especially by traditional fishers. The paper highlights the fact that the inclusion of stakeholders in the decision-making processes is not sufficient ensure the acceptance of aquaculture development. The effectiveness of the participatory processes is limited by the lack of institutional frameworks to accompany these processes, by the insufficient skills and expertise in engineering participation of the Administration staff and the poor integrated vision in policy making. As a result, the lack of coherence between political objectives constructed on a national or European scale and the complex social reality of the territory scale can lead to social opposition as experimented by the aquaculture sector.

P1625: STATE OF CERTIFICATION IN TRANSFUSION SERVICES IN ANDALUSIA. LOW RATE OF CERTIFICATION IN COMMUNITY HOSPITALS

Background: A quality management system certified bya an externel entity allows the development of a safe and efficient transfusion activity, while contributing to the involvement of all hospital staff to improving a continous quality system. In Spain there are two entities accredited by ENAC for certification in transfusion: Transfusion Accreditation Commitee (CAT) and the Agency for Health Quality of Andalusia (ACSA), although the latter with a specific program limited to transfusion centers not available for hospital practice. Aims: Describe the situation related to quality management system in transfusion medicine in Andalusia (a región in the south of Spain) in 2021. Methods: On the basis of data published by the CAT and ACSA we exposed the number of certified centers in Andalusia compared with to national data. Results: .-Although almost half transfusion centers in Andalusia are certified by CAT, 100 % of them are validated by the ACSA specific program. 2.- 29 % of centers accredited in Spain are accredited in Andalusia. 3.-The percentage of accreditation is related to the type of centers: 100 % in cord blood banks and transfusion centers; 75 % in big hospitals and only 12 % in little community hospitals. 4.-The relationship with the referral hospital and transfusion center seems to be the most important predisposing factor to maintain a certification program. Related to the certification program in the form of mangement, it´s not fully adapted to “little” hospitals, because if it´s true that there is a hospital responsable for haemovigilance, hemotherapy isn´t an exclusive dedication for him. Summary/Conclusion: The implementation of a management system certified quality by an external entity is a clear need in all transfusion centers, although the percentage of certified centers is less tahn 40 %, represented a 29 % of the certified centers nationwide. 2. Certification of transfusion services by CAT is the only feasible option, but its adaptation to “little” community hospitals is so difficult which is evident in view of the low number of certified centers. 3.Continuous quality improvement represents an additional workload sometimes unacceptable, it would be required a limited version adapted to general hospitals with low rate of transfusion and no specific staff transfusion related.

Aurochs roamed along the SW coast of Andalusia (Spain) during Late Pleistocene

In the Iberian Peninsula the fossil record of artiodactyls spans over 53 million years. During the Pleistocene, wild cattle species such as Bison and especially Bos became common. In Late Pleistocene, the aurochs (Bos primigenius) was widespread and the only bovine living along the large river valleys of southern Iberia. Although commonly found in fossil sites and especially in cave bone assemblages, the trace fossil record of aurochs was known worldwide only from the Holocene. Large bovine and roe deer/caprine tracks were found in at least five horizons of the early Late Pleistocene (MIS 5) beach and eolian deposits of Cape Trafalgar (Cadiz Province, South of Spain). The large bovine tracks are formally described as Bovinichnus uripeda igen. et isp. nov. and compared with the record of aurochs tracks, large red deer tracks and steppe bison biogeographical distribution in Iberia. Aurochs were the most likely producers of the newly described Trafalgar Trampled Surface (TTS) and some of the large artiodactyl tracks in the Matalascañas Trampled Surface, representing the oldest aurochs track record known. This new evidence, together with comparisons with the record of possible aurochs tracks in the Mid-Late Pleistocene coastal deposits from the Asperillo cliff section in Matalascañas (Huelva Province, SW Spain) and bone assemblages known in Gibraltar, point to a recurrent use of the coastal habitat by these large artiodactyls in SW Iberia.

Studying hydrogeochemical processes to understand hydrodiversity and the related natural and cultural heritage. The case of Los Hoyos area (South Spain)

The protection of geodiversity has been gaining interest during the last decades. However, the study of hydrodiversity has been much less developed than other aspects of the geological heritage (lithology, mineralogy, geomorphology, palaeontology). The objective of this work is to help with an inclusive definition of hydrodiversity by assessing its importance as part of geodiversity and how it can condition the natural and cultural heritage of a region. To that end, we have selected as a study area an evaporitic karst enclave of great geomorphological and environmental value located in southern Spain, named Los Hoyos, where diverse water features are found. Based on the hydrochemical and isotopic analysis of the water points, five main processes explain the hydrodiversity of the area: (1) the availability of minerals in the environment, (2) the residence time of groundwater, (3) the evaporation of water in the wetlands, (4) the common-ion effect (5) and the high ionic strength of groundwater. All these processes, directly related to the geology and geomorphology of the area (geodiversity), have given rise to diverse ecosystems (including protected wetlands), which enhance local biodiversity and geological forms (travertines), and are connected to the area's cultural heritage (salt extraction from the Paleolithic). This hydrodiversity is partially or totally responsible for a series of services to society related to its intrinsic, cultural, aesthetic, economic, functional, and scientific values. The case here presented exemplifies the importance of hydrodiversity in the natural and cultural heritage and highlights the need of advancing on the definition, promotion and protection of the hydrological heritage.

The Dynamics of Lepus granatensis and Oryctolagus cuniculus in a Mediterranean Agrarian Area: Are Hares Segregating from Rabbit Habitats after Disease Impact?

Simple SummaryHares (Lepus sp.) and rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are the two genera of lagomorph present in the Iberian Peninsula, and both are an essential element of the trophic chain in this region. The myxomatosis disease has produced mortalities in rabbits for decades, but this disease has recently jumped to the most widely distributed hare species in the Peninsula, the Iberian hare (Lepus granatensis). In this work, we analyzed the effects of this outbreak on the populations of both species in a Mediterranean agricultural landscape, and provide information about spatial and temporal patterns prior to and after the epidemic.The genera Oryctolagus and Lepus (order Lagomorpha) are essential elements in the trophic chain in the Iberian Peninsula, being the main prey of many predators, including some highly endangered predators such as the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). Myxomatosis, a disease producing tumorations in conjunctive tissues, and produced by the Myxoma Virus, has caused mass mortalities in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) for decades. Recently, the virus has jumped interspecifically from rabbits to hares, and this has created a depletion in hare populations, generating great concern. We analyzed the population dynamics and distribution of both lagomorph species in a Mediterranean agricultural area of the south of Spain since the 1990s with a combination of systematic and non-systematic data. The appearance of the outbreak in the Iberian hare (Lepus granatenis) in 2018 enabled us to undertake an opportunistic analysis of its effects on the spatial structure and assemblages, as well as on the niches of both species using PCA analyses and ordination techniques. Analysis of the mortality effect on daily and seasonal cycles was also conducted, and relations with the temporal dimension was tested using generalized lineal models (GLMs). In our results, in addition to population and temporal patterns, we could observe a restructuring in hare distribution after the mortality event, highlighting that prior to the outbreak, rabbit and hare populations were spatially differentiated, although with some overlaps and niche similarities. However, since the outbreak, hare populations have been excluded from rabbit areas, suggesting that in the absence of rabbits, the virus has more difficulties to infect hares. We also provide an overview of the effect of this population depletion on the ecological and socio-economic dimension of this region, pointing out the importance of this situation for the area.

3D Modelling of Archaeoseismic Damage in the Roman Site of Baelo Claudia (Gibraltar Arc, South Spain)

This study deals with the morphometric characterization and quantification of earthquake damage in the ancient Roman city of Baelo Claudia in South Spain (Gibraltar Arc) by means of the use of 3D modelling from drone imagery. Baelo Claudia is a world-renowned archaeological site recording recurrent earthquake destruction during the first and third centuries AD. The first earthquake destroyed the lower littoral zone of the city, allowing its reconstruction from the year c. 60–70 CE, but the second earthquake in 365–390 CE led to the complete destruction of the renewed city and its eventual abandonment. This second earthquake imprinted important deformations in the main monumental zone of the city, including the basilica temples, macellum, city walls, aqueducts and funerary monuments, as well as in the main paved zones of the city. This is the case for the Forum, Decumanus and Cardos, which show a variety of folds, pop-up structures, conjugate fractures and impact marks susceptible to be measured in a 3D format. The current study presents detailed (up to 3 mm/pixel) surface models of iconic monuments within the city. The 3D models were obtained by means of serial orthophotos taken with a UAV Mavic Pro 2 (DJI) Drone device equipped with a 20 mpx camera and a 1” CMOS sensor. Each individual image was captured in a geo-referenced jpg format and processed with the Agisoft Metashape Professional software®. Depending on the measured monument, the final images consisted of 250 to 700 photographs clustered by 50,000 to 150,000 tie points. In all studied items (Decumanus, city walls and bath dish), we follow the same workflow of analysis: (1) alignment of photos with support points; (2) building a dense cloud of points; (3) creation of the surface texture; (4) creation of the Digital Elevation Model (DEM); (5) creation of the orthomosaic; and finally, (6) the building of the high-quality 3D tiled surface models. The obtained models allow the geometric quantification of earthquake deformations (displacements, amplitudes, orientation, etc.) in a GIS-based 3D environment suitable to quantify oriented damage of seismic origin. In a complementary way, these 3D models deserve to be considered for their potential role as digital seismoscopes of ancient archaeological sites and/or heritage buildings.

Do the students enjoy when they learn through a L2?: ISC-LE validation and sex and age differences.

Objectives: This article has had two main objectives. The first has been to adapt and validate a questionnaire to measure intrinsic satisfaction when learning through a second language (English). To do so, the items satisfaction/enjoyment and boredom were adapted into this new setting. The second goal has been to analyze, in a CLIL context, the sex and age differences within these two variables (satisfaction/enjoyment and boredom).&#x0D; Methods: In order to fulfill this study, 3355 students were surveyed in the region of Andalucía (South of Spain) with a statistical confidence level of 99%, and a margin of error below 2%. After the analysis performed, the instrument proved to be valid and reliable, which implies that a new tool would be available for future studies, and even for actual teaching in new approaches of the FLL, such as gamification.&#x0D; Discussion: Regarding sex and age differences, the main finding has been the significant higher boredom values in boys, as opposed to enjoyment in girls in CLIL contexts.&#x0D; Conclusion: This might shed light on performance depending sex and age which could be useful in other studies, and CLIL practice adaptation.

One or two faecal immunochemical tests in an organised population-based colorectal cancer screening programme in Murcia (Spain).

Roll-out of population-based colorectal cancer (CRC) screening with faecal immunochemical test (FIT) is limited by availability of further investigations, particularly colonoscopy and examination of excised lesions. Our objective was to assess whether variation in number of faecal samples and threshold adjustment can optimise resource utilisation and CRC detection rate. Three different screening strategies were compared for the same FIT threshold using a quantitative FIT system: one FIT, positive when >20 µg Hb/g faeces; two FIT, positive when either was >20 µg Hb/g faeces; and two FIT, positive when the mean was >20 µg Hb/g faeces. We calculated changes in the size of population the provider could invite to screening for an equal number of screening positive results, and CRC and adenoma detected. In our setting, Region of Murcia, south of Spain (not fully rolled out screening programme), changing the usual strategy of two FIT, positive when either to positive when the mean was >20 µg Hb/g faeces, would increase population invited by 37.81% with the same number of positive results (which would generate a CRC detection rate of 19.2%). In a fully rolled out programme, changing the strategy from one to two FIT (positive when the mean is >20 µg Hb/g faeces), would increase CRC detection rate by 4.64% with an increase of only 13.34% in positive FIT. In a population-based CRC screening programme, smart use of number of FITs and positivity threshold can increase population invited and CRC detection without increasing the number of colonoscopies and pathological examinations needed.

Analysis of the degradation of amorphous silicon‐based modules after 11 years of exposure by means of IEC60891:2021 procedure 3

AbstractThe degradation of two amorphous silicon‐based photovoltaic (PV) modules, namely, of single junction amorphous silicon (a‐Si) and of micromorph tandem (a‐Si/ ‐Si), after 11 years of exposure in the south of Spain is analyzed. Their I‐V curves were measured outdoors to study the changes of the electrical parameters in the course of three different periods: during the initial days of exposure, during the first year, and in the subsequent 10‐year period. The translation of the curves to an identical set of operating conditions, which enables a meaningful comparison, was done by the different correction procedures described in the standard IEC60891:2021, including the procedure 3, which does not require the knowledge of module parameters, whose values are typically not available. The annual power degradation rates over the entire 11‐year period are 1.12% for the a‐Si module, which is 3.02% for the first year, and 0.98% for the a‐Si/ ‐Si, which is 2.29% for the initial year.

Women entrepreneurs and family networks in Andalusia (Spain) during the second industrial revolution

This article studies the relationship between gender and entrepreneurship in Andalusia, a region in the south of Spain, between 1886 and 1959. The aim of the text is to answer the question: Were women active in entrepreneurship, or merely pieces in the economic strategies of the males who governed their families? To do this, a database built from the commercial registers containing more than 8,000 companies is used. The results obtained, by way of a combination of quantitative and qualitative research, as well as the application of the Social Network Analysis, indicate that the women who participated in the forming of multi-owner firms were subject to the decisions of their male partners, and hardly had any opportunities to develop an active business role. Female subordination is explained by the sociocultural characteristics of the institutional framework as well as the late economic development of the region.

Description of the world’s first troglobitic Pselaphini: Geopselaphus bullonorum sp. nov. from southern Spain (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae)

A new Pselaphinae rove beetle species belonging to the genus Geopselaphus Jeannel, 1956, G. bullonorumsp. nov., from a cave in south Spain is described and diagnosed. Important morphological features of the new species are listed and photographed. The new species shows a significant troglomorphy, such as the reduction of the eyes (only three unpigmented ommatidia) and an extraordinary general elongation of the body (especially the head) and appendages (antennae, maxillary palps and legs). Being the first troglomorphic Pselaphini known worldwide.

Assessing Ecosystem Services Provision as a Support for Metropolitan Green Infrastructure Planning: the Case of Three Spanish Metropolitan Areas

The main purpose of this paper is to develop a systematic, spatially explicit approach to the analysis of the ecosystem services provided by the metropolitan landscape that can act as a support for green infrastructure planning. To achieve this, we have proposed a set of indicators to assess and map nine ecosystem services—including regulating, provisioning, habitat and cultural services. This methodology has been applied to three case studies in the south of Spain: the metropolitan areas of Seville, Malaga-Marbella and Cordoba. Despite the geographical proximity of these areas to one another, the indicators show that there are significant differences in their potentialities and available resources to form a multipurpose green space system. The results suggest that further reflection is needed on how the concept of green infrastructure can be applied to metropolitan areas, especially in the Mediterranean region and other similar geographical contexts. Instead of understanding green infrastructure strictly in terms of a network of interconnected green spaces and natural areas, planning initiatives should assign a more important role to the landscape matrix and, in particular, to the multifunctional cultivated space on the urban fringe. In addition, more thought needs to be given to how to create functional green corridors in the metropolitan landscape for public use and habitat conservation. From the perspective of spatial planning, the methodology proposed has been demonstrated to be a useful tool to identify key spaces for the provision of ecosystem services.

Psychometric Validation of a Teamwork Skills Scale in a Vocational Training Context

The ability to work in a team is currently one of the most demanded competencies of professionals and, therefore, constitutes one of the key transversal aspects to be targeted by educational systems. This is especially important at stages prior to job insertion. The aim of the present study was to validate a scale measuring perceptions of teamwork skills within a sample of students undertaking vocational training in the south of Spain. For this, both exploratory ( n = 879) and confirmatory ( n = 1,843) factor analyses were performed using the IBM SPSS® 26 and IBM Amos Graphics® 23.0 software packages. This permitted a scale to be developed which was formed of ten indicators of teamwork skills. These indicators were grouped into three dimensions, namely, teamwork behaviors, ratings the importance of teamwork and self-perceptions of teamwork capabilities. Adequate fit indices were obtained (KMO = 0.845; CFI = 0.984; NFI = 0.978; IFI = 0.984; RMSEA = 0.037; and SRMR = 0.044). Thus, a robust and reliable scale is presented that rates student perspectives of essential aspects of Vocational Training, such as teamwork skills.

A novel evapotranspiration based irrigation quantification method using the hydrological similar pixels algorithm

Globally, the agricultural sector is the largest consumer of fresh water, despite the increased efficiency in irrigation. Remote sensing is a valuable tool to monitor agricultural water use. In this study, we demonstrate a novel algorithm that computes high-resolution (10 m) remote sensing-based evapotranspiration (ET) data linked exclusively to irrigation, i.e. the incremental evapotranspiration (ETincr). The methodology compares the ET of irrigated agricultural pixels to the weighted average ET of a subset of natural Hydrological Similar Pixels (HSP). The hydrological similarity is based upon a set of features derived from DEM, soil texture, reference evapotranspiration, and precipitation datasets. The difference in ET between the subset of hydrological similar natural pixels and the corresponding irrigated agricultural pixel is explanatory for the amount of ET related to irrigation (ETincr). These results are then converted to the water use (m3) per agricultural field. The method is validated for three study areas in South Africa, Spain, and Australia. Comparing the monthly and seasonal water use estimates to water meter observations in the Hex Valley (South Africa), yielded an R2 of 0.751 and 0.780, respectively. For the Ebro (Spain) and Namoi (Australia) study areas, the accuracy of the monthly estimates decreased. In Australia, this was a result of the water meters being linked to local reservoirs, instead of the direct use of the irrigation systems. In total, 8 out of the 27 validation fields with monthly data showed a Kling-Gupta Efficiency (KGE) larger than 0.5, which highlights that the temporal variability can be captured well by the model. Generally, seasonal estimates showed to be most accurate, which makes the product suitable for comparison with seasonal water allocations and could help to monitor overconsumption in water-scarce environments.

Characterization of the Phenolic Profile and Antioxidant Activity of Cathissa reverchonii (Lange) Speta.

Cathissa reverchonii (formerly Ornithogalum reverchonii) is a threatened species, constituting an endemism present in the south of Spain and northern Morocco. In Spain, it is only found in two disjoint populations in the region of Andalusia. The determination of its chemical composition and the influence that environmental factors have on it can contribute significantly to the development of appropriate protection and conservation plans. However, there are no previous reports about this species to date. Consequently, this research aimed to study the phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of C. reverchonii and to assess the influence of environmental factors on the phenolic profile and bioactivity. The vegetal material was collected in seven places inhabited by the two separate populations in Spain. The phenolic composition of methanolic extracts of the species was determined by HPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS, and the antioxidant activity was assessed by DPPH and ABTS assays. Fifteen compounds were characterized in the extracts of the aerial parts of C. reverchonii, revealing differences in the phytochemical profile between both populations analyzed, mainly in the saponin fraction. The main phenolics were flavone di-C-glucoside (lucenin-2), followed by a quercetin-di-C-glucoside. The composition of the extracts of C. reverchonii and their radical scavenging power were compared with those of other species of the genus Ornithogalum L., revealing significant differences between the latter and the genus Cathissa.