Ecological impacts of atmospheric pollution and interactions with climate change in terrestrial ecosystems of the Mediterranean Basin: Current research and future directions

The Uncertain Role of Biogenic VOC for Boundary-Layer Ozone Concentration: Example Investigation of Emissions from Two Forest Types with a Box Model

“…To conclude, the type of forest and the contribution of individual tree species are important factors that influence the forests' survival in future climate conditions and the corresponding feedback processes that affect not only vegetation but also human health via e.g., ozone and ultrafine particulates [60,73]. So far, the Alsace and thus the corresponding Vosges forests benefit from the missing substantial traffic NO x resources, which are elevated in the Upper Rhine valley at the Eastern part.…”

“…Several studies have indicated that moderately reduced soil water availability does not affect or rather slightly stimulates isoprenoid emissions [65][66][67]. In contrast, strongly reduced water availability affects the biosynthesis of isoprenoids, thereby decreasing their emissions [66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73]. This effect is most likely due to the reduced availability of the substrate of the relevant biosynthetic pathways due to strongly impaired photosynthesis.…”

Impacts of Global Change on Mediterranean Forests and Their Services

“…For example, changes in foliar N and sulfur (S) concentrations in some dominant tree species in northeastern Iberian Peninsula significantly depended on gradients of N and S deposition, mainly as a function of the distance from the Barcelona metropolitan area [40]. How pollution, particularly from N deposition, O 3 formation and new pollutants (such as medicines), can interact with climate change to affect Mediterranean ecosystems is poorly understood [53].…”

(E)merging directions on air pollution and climate change research in Mediterranean Basin ecosystems

“…As a result of the first meeting, we gathered all the available information and wrote a synthesis article where we reviewed the ecological impacts of air pollution and its interactions with climate change in the Mediterranean region (Ochoa-Hueso et al 2017a). The second CAPERmed meeting, celebrated in 2016 in Brescia, Italy, also had a double aim.…”

“…On the other hand, biocrusts themselves are very sensitive to global change drivers, which threatens their contribution to ecosystem health. In another study from this issue, Ochoa-Hueso et al (2017a) investigated the impacts of 5 years of simulated N deposition on biocrust community composition, abundance, and soil photosynthetic and photoprotective pigment content in a semi-arid Mediterranean shrubland in Spain. They found that lichen cover decreased up to 50% compared to control conditions while moss cover did not change in response to N (10, 20, and 50 kg N ha…”