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Abstract. Gypseous substrates are well-recognised as supporting distinctive and unique flora assemblages, including numerous gypsum endemic (gypsophile) species. Along with these, others are also frequent although their presence is not restricted to gypsum; they show a clear preference for them (gypsocline). While this phenomenon (gypsophily) has been studied regionally, and various hypotheses put forward to explain it, there has been little global synthesis. We present a preliminary check-list on the gypsophile and gypsocline flora of the Palaearctic and Australian areas as a part of a project to develop a global checklist of the World's gypsophytes, which can broaden our ecological and biogeographical understanding of these unique environments. The database contains 935 taxa spanning 54 countries. The Irano-Turanian region -and to a lesser extent the Mediterranean region-emerged as the richest territories in terms of gypsophile species; this richness was much reduced in the SaharoArabian and, especially in the Eurosiberian regions. The factors that can modulate the richness of gypsophytes in a region are discussed and have been distributed into four groups: a) geological and edaphic factors; b) factors linked to the insular nature of outcrops; c) climatic variables and their interaction with the soil; d) biogeographical factors. The importance of those factors linked to insularity and, especially, to water availability is emphasized. Because the soil structure of many gypsum outcrops reduces water ability to plants, such outcrops can be regarded as "dry-islands" surrounded by less xeric substrates. The fact that gypsophytes can be grouped within a few major flowering plant clades across continents, confirms their pre-adaptations to these harsh and unique environments. Our work provides a preliminary database for exploring ecological and biogeographic issues relating to gypsophily, and we hope it will stimulate global interest in these valuable ecosystems. Keywords: edaphism; global check-list; gypsicolous; gypsophile; gypsophyte; gypsophily. Un primer inventario de la flora gipsícola del Paleártico y de AustraliaResumen. Los sustratos yesíferos son sobradamente conocidos por presentar cortejos florísticos peculiares y exclusivos, lo que incluye a numerosos endemismos (especies gipsófilas). Junto a estas especies, aparecen otras también muy frecuentes cuya presencia no se restringe al yeso, pero hacia el que muestran una clara preferencia (gipsoclinas). Mientras que este fenómeno (gipsofilia) ha sido estudiado regionalmente, y se han sugerido varias hipótesis para explicarlo, apenas existen síntesis globales sobre el mismo. Aquí se ofrece un inventario preliminar de la flora gipsófila y gipsoclina de los territorios paleártico y australiano como parte de un proyecto que pretende desarrollar una checklist mundial, de manera que se contribuya a ampliar el conocimiento ecológico y biogeográfico de este ambiente único. Este inventario incluye 935 taxa distribuidos por 54 países. La región irano-turaniana -y en meno...

The present paper is an overview of state of the art in plant conservation in Mediterranean-type Ecosystems (MTEs), highlighting current studies and neglected topics. A review of the literature dealing with this issue and a general analysis of the results was performed, delving into relevant plant conservation biology topics. The main topics considered were: 1) reproductive biology and genetic conservation, 2) threat factors and effects of global change, and 3) evaluation of conservation status and protected areas selection. This study illustrates differences in the number of documents published in northern countries of the Mediterranean Basin concerning southern and eastern countries and compared with other MTEs. It also highlights the paramount importance of public organizations as funding entities. Additionally, it points to a decrease in traditional subject categories related to plant conservation and increased multidisciplinary conservation research and novel methodologies (e.g., phylogenomics, SDM). To overcome existing biases among the different MTE regions, integrating actions at a transnational level would be necessary, with standard conservation policies and strategies. Moreover, research should be supported with more important participation and funding from private entities, with a clear focus on specific conservation proposals. In contrast, certain weaknesses were detected, some related to the limited information available about threatened plant species and the scarce use of the available data from genetic conservation research in management plans. Consequently, the authors consider that future conservation efforts should be addressed to improve the knowledge of threatened MTEs’ flora and implement a manual of good practices, which would make use of the available research information to put forward more direct proposals for management and conservation.

Television ads usually use scientific messages to highlight the benefits of the products they advertise. This is the case of a known brand of chewing gum that "helps to increase the oral pH after meals". From this starting point, we have developed a short sequence of activities (sensopills for 1.5h) with a Model-Based Inquiry teaching approach to engage students in scientific practices, and understand disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts in order to promote critical consumers of information about science, as NRC recommend. We use a historical acid/base model (Lemery) to explain and predict oral pH phenomena. The sensopill "chewing gum" has been implemented with hundreds of secondary school students. Learning self-regulation results show that students recognized having learned the difference between dilution and neutralization and the concept of pH and their improvement at some scientific inquiry skills such as hypothesis formulation and data collection.