Earth and Environmental Sciences

Urban streams are exposed to the combined effects of climate change and persistent anthropogenic pressures, yet predicting ecological responses under future conditions remains challenging. This study evaluated how projected climate scenarios may alter macroinvertebrate communities in urban streams by coupling hydrodynamic simulations with a predictive machine learning model. A regional dataset from central Portugal was used to develop a HYDRA model predicting macroinvertebrate taxon occurrence based on environmental variables. Hydrodynamic models were used to simulate flow variables under four climate change scenarios representing medium-term (2041-2060) and long-term (2081-2100) projections under contrasting emission pathways. The models were then applied to forecast changes in macroinvertebrate assemblages at 14 urban stream sites in Coimbra, Portugal. Climate projections indicated consistent warming and intensification of extreme rainfall events, resulting in higher simulated spring baseflows. Predicted community responses varied among sites and were influenced by baseline urbanisation levels. Less urbanised streams, which supported richer and more sensitive assemblages, experienced greater declines in family richness, IBMWP scores, and the proportion of EPT taxa under higher emission scenarios. In contrast, highly urbanised streams showed weaker or neutral responses, likely constrained by prior biological simplification. Taxonomic changes were characterised by losses of cold-adapted and flow-sensitive taxa and persistence or colonisation of tolerant and generalist taxa. Overall, although less urbanised streams showed stronger ecological declines, they still maintained higher biological quality than more degraded systems, highlighting the importance of conserving and restoring urban streams to enhance their resilience to climate change.

The twin transition requires a profound reconfiguration of human capital, yet substantial misalignments persist between the rapidly evolving skill requirements of industry and the comparatively slower pace of curriculum reform within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Although the need for professionals equipped with complex skill sets to navigate the twin transition is widely acknowledged, empirical evidence on how to practically operationalise the development of professionals with this skill set remains scarce. Moreover, there is a lack of replicable methodologies for fostering academic demand-driven collaboration between universities and industry. This paper addresses this gap using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach, combining a quantitative analysis of online job advertisements data (2018-2024) with qualitative themes from industry stakeholders in Catalonia, Spain. This process first maps skills, then structures a dialogue on translating these needs into educational strategy. Our findings reveal a rising demand for hybrid professionals, where soft skills are the essential enablers of technical expertise. The analysis uncovers a central paradox: while industry is hindered by strategic uncertainty over whether to upskill its current workforce or hire new external talent, HEIs face critical capacity constraints. This study's primary contribution is the analysis of a Higher Education-Industry collaborative framework that directly addresses this impasse. It provides a practical pathway for both companies and HEIs to co-develop agile training solutions, such as micro-credentials. Our framework shows that institutional agility emerges through structured partnerships.

Mining by-products are an underutilized resource with strong potential for soil restoration within a circular economy. However, the combined effects of claying and remineralization on soil health remain unclear. We evaluated sedimentary rock powder (applied for claying at low [LC] and high [HC] rates), mafic rock dust (remineralization, R), and their combination (C + R) in a degraded tropical sandy pasture soil. After 18 months, soil (0-20 cm) was analyzed using the Soil Management Assessment Framework, integrating chemical, physical, and biological indicators into a soil health index (SHI). The LC + R treatment showed the best performance, increasing SHI by 22% and soil organic carbon by 17% compared to the control. Improvements were driven by chemical and biological indicators, while physical attributes showed limited change. Principal component analysis (PCA) confirmed treatment differentiation. Results demonstrate rapid soil response to mineral amendments, highlighting their potential as regenerative inputs for climate-resilient agriculture and circular economy strategies.

Critical ecological areas (CEAs) are essential for maintaining resilient ecosystems by providing vital services and regulatory functions. However, existing approaches for identifying CEAs predominantly rely on historical patterns, often overlooking their dynamic evolution under future climate scenarios, which limits the development of proactive adaptation strategies. To address this gap, this study develops a forward-looking assessment by exploring the future evolution of CEAs in the Yellow River Basin under four representative Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6), within the Ecosystem Integrity-Multifunctionality-Stability framework. Results demonstrate that by 2050, the spatial patterns of ecosystem integrity (EII) and multifunctionality (EMI) are projected to remain relatively stable. In contrast, areas of high ecosystem stability (ESI) expand as emission intensity increases, shifting towards the central basin and extending northward. Consequently, CEAs are also concentrated in the midstream region, exhibiting a northward trend under future climate scenarios. Lower emission scenarios, such as SSP126, are associated with the conversion of other areas into CEAs, while SSP245 plays a more significant role in maintaining and enhancing the quality of existing CEAs. Therefore, balancing ecological protection and economic development is crucial in future climate scenarios. Additionally, high-quality CEAs are most strongly associated with EII, although this relationship weakens as emission intensity increases. In regions showing consistent improvement across multiple scenarios, higher ESI is observed, with EMI being the second strongest association, while EII is generally lower compared to other areas. These findings emphasize that improving CEA quality is not dependent solely on enhancing a single attribute but requires a comprehensive strategy that safeguards landscape integrity while enhancing stability. Improving high-quality CEAs will promote sustainable ecosystem functions and meaningfully contribute to achieving sustainable development goals.

Livestock grazing is the most widespread management tool for sustaining grassland biodiversity worldwide. Studying grazing effects on the vegetation composition is quite frequent, research on its effects onthe biodiversity and density of soil seed banks is scarce. We studied the effects of livestock type (e.g., sheep or cattle) and grazing intensity on the soil seed bank of species-rich sand grasslands. Altogether 25 grazed grasslands classified into four grazing intensity categories were studied; and their soil seed bank was analysed. We tested the following hypotheses: i) Diversity and density of soil seed banks are lower in sheep-grazed sites than in cattle-grazed ones. ii) Species composition, diversity, and density of the soil seed banks are more strongly affected by grazing intensity than by the livestock type. We found that sheep grazing sustained a much lower density of total seed bank regardless to grazing intensity. Livestock type mainly affected the seed bank density, while grazing intensity had a major significant effect on most of the variables. Most of the studied variables were affected by the interaction of grazing intensity and livestock type. We emphasise that i) livestock type must be carefully selected and high-intensity sheep grazing should be avoided in the long-run, and ii) for a sustainable grazing management and to meet nature conservation goals, grazing intensity and livestock type should be considered simultaneously.

Urban parks serve millions of visitors annually, yet antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance programs rarely consider invasive species as environmental reservoirs. Here, we investigated antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and potential zoonotic pathogens in invasive giant African snails (Lissachatina fulica) across 23 urban parks in Xiamen, China, with comparative analysis of dog feces and earthworm casts collected from the same parks. Metagenomic profiling revealed that snails harbored extensive ARG diversity (1222 subtypes) comparable to dogs (1,393) and substantially exceeding earthworms (492), with 936 ARG subtypes shared between invasive snails and dogs. Invasive snails also carried substantial relative abundances of potential zoonotic pathogens (mean 15.7% relative abundance), including clinically relevant taxa such as Escherichia, Pseudomonas, and Enterococcus. Phenotypic testing of representative isolates confirmed the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in snail and dog fecal samples. The convergence of broad ARG diversity, substantial potential zoonotic pathogen burdens, and coprophagous behavior suggests that invasive snails may represent previously unmonitored environmental hosts associated with AMR in urban parks. Field observations of snails consuming dog feces, together with the greater resistome similarity between snails and dogs than between snails and earthworms, are consistent with exposure to animal feces as a potential source of ARGs. This study underscores the need to integrate invasive species into One Health AMR surveillance and urban environmental management strategies.