Belén Estébanez

Universidad Autónoma de Madrid | UAM · Department of Biology

Spores are the dispersal and reproductive units in Myxomycetes, and their ornamentation, usually at the light microscopy resolution limit, is taxonomically meaningful. Here, we analyze with scanning and transmission electron microscopy the spore ultrastructural features in Trichiales, one of the most morphologically diverse orders. In Trichiales, t...

Myxomycetes constitute one of the major lineages within the supergroup Amoebozoa. At the end of their life cycles, most myxomycetes produce spore-bearing fruiting bodies, in which additional structures develop, like the capillitium, a system of sterile filaments intermingled with the spores. The capillitium is a relevant structure in the taxonomy o...

We present a case study on the tissue absorption of copper of a widely distributed moss species, Ptychostomum capillare in the polluted soil of an abandoned copper mine in central Spain. We studied the soil properties in a copper soil pollution gradient and sampled the moss tufts growing on them in four plots with contrasted soil copper levels. We...

Lichens are the key to nutrient cycling and trophic networks in many terrestrial ecosystems and are good bioindicators of air pollution, including nitrogen (N) deposition. Experimental studies have shown that N deposition can reduce the abundance of lichens and alter their thallus chemistry and metabolism, but we currently lack information about ho...

Struthiopteris (Blechnaceae) has recently been classified on the basis of molecular and morphological evidence, and some of its species are now included in the sister genus Spicantopsis. However, the lack of studies on several important morphological features impedes a sound assessment of their congruence with this new systematic arrangement, as we...

Premise of the Study Ultraviolet (UV) radiation influences the viability of algal spores and seed‐plant pollen depending on the species, the dose, and the wavelength. In bryophytes, one of the dominant groups of plants in many habitats, UV radiation could determine their spore dispersal strategy, and such data are critical for reconstructing the an...

We assess here, through an experimental simulation using lead nitrate, the response to lead deposition of three common Mediterranean bryophyte species in the family Pottiaceae. Five concentrations of lead nitrate (from 0 to 10(-3) M) were sprayed for 4 months on plants belonging to Tortula muralis (reported as toxitolerant), Syntrichia ruralis (med...

Biocrusts are key drivers of the structure and functioning of drylands and are very sensitive to disturbance, including atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. We studied the impacts of simulated N deposition on biocrust community composition and soil photosynthetic and photoprotective pigment content after five years of N application in a European se...

Mediterranean Basin ecosystems, their unique biodiversity, and the key services they provide are currently at risk due to air pollution and climate change, yet only a limited number of isolated and geographically-restricted studies have addressed this topic, often with contrasting results. Particularities of air pollution in this region include hig...

More than 15 years after the start, the Euro+Med PlantBase project (E+M), which aimed at providing a comprehensive, dynamic and permanently updated online checklist of all vascular plants for Europe and the Mediterranean countries, is now very close to full coverage. E+M is the most detailed resource on plant biodiversity in the Euro-Mediterranean...

We determined the lipid distributions (n-alkanes, n-alkan-2-ones, n-alkanoic acids), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), Ca/Mg and ash content in Las Conchas mire, a 3.2 m deep bryophyte-dominated mire in Northern Spain covering 8,000 cal yr BP. Bog conditions developed in the bottom 20 cm of the profile, and good preservation of organ...

The principal goal of astrobiology is the search for extraterrestrial life forms. A key aspect is the study of the ability of different kinds of terrestrial organisms to support simulated extraterrestrial environmental conditions. Mosses are multicellular green plants, poorly studied from an astrobiological perspective. In this paper, we report exp...

Most mosses have xerochastic dispersal (i.e., they open their capsules when conditions are dry), which is thought to favor long-distance dispersal. However, there are several species that use a hygrochastic strategy: spores are dispersed when conditions are wet. The significance of this strategy in the Mediterranean region is unknown. In this study...

We describe the morphology and ultrastructure of mature spores of four epiphytic pleurocarpous mosses from the Canary Islands laurel forest: Leucodon canariensis (Brid.) Schwagr., Cryptoleptodon longisetus (Mont.) Enroth., Neckera cephalonica Jur. & Unger., and N. intermedia Brid. The two Neckera species are strictly isosporic, while the capsules o...

We determined the distribution of lipids (n-alkanes and n-alkan-2-ones) in present-day peat-formingplants in the RoñanzasBog in northern Spain. Consistent with the observation of others, most Sphagnum (moss) species alkanes maximized at C23, whereas the other plants maximized at higher molecular weight (C27 to C31). We show for the first time that...

Orthotrichum consobrinum Cardot, a moss that was earlier considered an endemic to the Sino-Japanese Region, has been found in the north of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain) and in north-eastern Anatolia (Turkey). Comparison of Spanish and Turkish material with eastern Asiatic specimens revealed no relevant morphological differences, and the specimens f...

Presentamos una experiencia exitosa de aprendizaje que partió de Criptogamia (asignatura optativa de segundo ciclo de Biología), que dio lugar a un proyecto de investigación gestionado por los propios alumnos. La iniciativa se consolidó estableciendo una Asociación de Estudiantes centrada en investigación y divulgación. En poco tiempo, los particip...

We have studied the sporophyte-gametophyte junction at the post-meiotic stage in five pleurocarpous mosses: Isothecium myosuroides Brid., Leucodon canariensis (Brid.) Schwaegr., Leptodon longisetus Mont., Neckera cephalonica Jur. & Unger, and Neckera intermedia Brid. In all five species the foot does not penetrates the leafy caulidium. The junction...

Resumen: Se presenta un catálogo de 91 briófitos (74 musgos, 16 hepáticas y 1 antocerota) como resultado de la prospección briológica en el área de Cadalso de los Vidrios, en el extremo suroeste de la provincia de Madrid. Once briófitos representan novedades provinciales y de entre ellos destaca la hepática Exormotheca welwitschii, sobre la que se...

We present a work proposal now in course that is based on the study of the fluorescence in cyanobacteria and toxicity, and the possibility of detecting their presence in freshwater environment, with a direct application in water assessment. The proposal is a consequence of a previous study about the fluorescence generated by hydrocarbon residue on...

It is widely acknowledged that students' associations play a major role in fostering motivation bringing together people with similar intellectual interests. Nevertheless, the possibilities opened by the contact of these associations with diverse social and educational contexts remain largely unexplored. Using as a starting point the successful exp...

Resumen: Se presenta la lista de especies de briófitos recolectados en La Gomera (Islas Canarias) en tres áreas montañosas: los domos volcánicos de Agando, Carmona y Zarcita, en el Parque Nacional de Garajonay, La Fortaleza de Chipude y Enchereda. Las recolecciones incluyen 93 musgos, 49 hepáticas y 2 antocerotas. Se aportan dos nuevas citas para l...

The Pozo Azul Project is an initiative arisen in the Faculty of Sciences of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM). It started as an extension of a subject in the Biology degree, Cryptogamy, which deals with the biodiversity of non-flowering plants. As a result of a field activity (year 2005-2006), some students suggested to carry out a systemati...

129 musgos y 28 hepáticas integran el catálogo resultante de las recolecciones de los miembros de la Sociedad Española de Briología participantes en la XVIII Reunión de Briología efectuada en la Sierra de Gredos. Abstract: 129 mosses and 28 liverworts were collected in the Sierra de Gredos by members of the Sociedad Española de Briología during the...

The peristome characters in Glyphomitrium humillimum and their development are presented. The mature peristome conforms to the Seligeria-type, except for the extreme irregularity of inner peristome layer (IPL) and the frequent occurrence of misplaced cells in the primary peristome layer (PPL) column. The tooth structure depends almost entirely on P...

The ultrastructure of the mature spore in four Japanese species of the acrocarpous moss genus Ptychomitrium is presented. In all species the spores have a similar pattern: there is no recognisable aperture nor sporoderm polarity, exine and perine are poorly developed, cytoplasm only occasionally shows polarity, and plastids have a well developed in...

Bryophyte flora of studied area includes 158 taxa, 142 mosses and 16 liverworts; 21 taxa are new to Guadalajara, 21 to Cuenca and 3 to Teruel. La brioflora del territorio estudiado incluye 158 taxones, 142 musgos y 16 hepáticas, de los cuales 21 son novedades regionales para Guadalajara, 21 para Cuenca y 3 para Teruel.

Using transmission electron microscopy, histochemistry, and analytical techniques, lipids are shown to constitute the most important cytoplasmic fraction in ten species of Grimmia. Major compounds common to these species are identified as β-sitosterol, linoleic acid, and α-amyrin acetate. The triterpenoid, α-amyrin, has rarely been reported in moss...

We report the occurrence of sporophytes in samples of Pleurochaete squarrosa (Brid.) Lindb. from several localities of Zamora province (NW Spain). The frequence and abundance of fructifications in this area are remarkable for a moss species which sexual reproduction is very rarely observed in Europe. The peristome, observed with scanning electron m...

Internal mineral deposits in stem and seta were found in living, healthy-looking specimens of the moss Homalothecium sericeum from a Spanish locality. The deposits consisted of an amorphous crust of smooth texture. After examination with EDS probes coupled to a transmission and a scanning electron microscope, and X-ray diffraction analysis, the min...

La tesis que se presenta consiste en un estudio de una serie de caracteres, considerados como biológicamente importantes en el conjunto citado de especies de musgos: - estudio, a microscopia óptica y electrónica, de su estructura e histoquimica, en el gametofito y en el esporofito, con el fin de caracterizar los tejidos presentes en ambas fases. -...

The sporophyte-gametophyte junction in G. orbicularis is examined by means of LM and TEM, focusing especially on the characteristics considered to be of evolutionary and biological significance in mosses. The placenta of this species, although in general terms corresponding to a bryalean model, also exhibits some differences, in particular the pres...

The stomatal complex in Bryophyta is morphologically more uniform than in vascular plants. Nevertheless there are many species without data about the morphology, physiology and ontogeny of their stomata. We present here a morphological and histochemical study of the stomatal complex in ten species of Crossidium, Didymodon, Pottia and Tortula (Potti...

Mineral deposits are frequent in vascular plants, but only calcite, whewellite, and ferrihydrite have been described previously in bryophytes. Hookeria lucens is a terricolous and pleurocarpous moss with reddish-brown deposits of mineral substances present inside gametophyte cells. Observations with a light microscope, SEM and TEM Edax analysis, an...

The spores of six species, namely Grimmia decipiens, G. elatior, G. funalis, G. orbicularis, G. pulvinata and G. trichophylla were studied by means of TEM, SEM and LM. TEM is here used for the first time on spores of this genus. Ultrastructural spore features allowed a clear characterisation of all six species. In addition, we observed the ultrastr...

Fourteen protonemata growth patterns in mosses were described by Nishida (1978) and Nehira (1983) based on their experimental work and previously published reports and it had been generally accepted that these patterns were constant for each taxon and unrelated to the culture conditions. We report here the growth behaviour of four species of the ge...