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    Revisão taxonómica do género Calendula L. (Asteraceae - Calenduleae) na Península Ibérica e Marrocos

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    The genus Calendula L. (Asteraceae - Calenduleae) includes, depending on the author, 10 to 25 species, distributed mainly in the Mediterranean basin. The taxonomy of this genus is considered to be extremely difficult, due to a great morphological variability, doubtfull relevance of some of the characters used to distinguish its species (e.g. the life form: annual or perennial; the habit: erect or diffuse, shape of the leaves, indumentum, relative size of the capitula and colour of disc or ray florets, achene morphology), but also due to the hybridization and polyploidization. Despite the numerous studies that have been published, no agreement on the classification and characters used to discriminate between taxa has been reached. A taxonomic study of the genus Calendula was conducted for the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco, aiming at (1) access the morphological variability between and within taxa, (2) confirm the chromosome numbers, (3) increase the nuclear DNA content estimations, (4) re-evaluate taxa delimitations and circumscription, and (5) reassess, and redefine, the descriptions and characters useful to distinguish taxa. In order to achieve a satisfying taxonomic core, extensive fieldwork, detailed morphometric analysis, chorological, karyological and genome size studies were conducted. For the Iberian Peninsula, four species were recognized, including nine subspecies (between these two new subspecies were described). For Morocco, including some taxa from Algeria and Tunisia 13 species were recognized (two new species and a nomenclatural change), including 15 subspecies (among these eight new subspecies were described). To corroborate the results obtained and to evaluate the evolutionary relationships among taxa, phylogenetic studies using molecular methods, such as ITS, microsatellites or other molecular markers, should be used.O género Calendula L. (Asteraceae - Calenduleae) inclui, dependendo do autor, 10 a 25 espécies, distribuídas essencialmente na bacia do Mediterrâneo. A taxonomia deste género é considerada extremamente difícil, devido à grande variabilidade morfológica, discutivel relevância de alguns dos caracteres utilizados para distinguir suas espécies (por exemplo, a forma de vida: anual ou perene, o hábito: erecto ou difuso, a forma das folhas, o indumento, o tamanho e a cor dos capítulos e a morfologia dos aquénios), mas também devido à hibridização e poliploidização. Apesar dos inúmeros estudos que foram publicados, não foi alcançado um acordo sobre a classificação e os caracteres utilizados para discriminar as suas espécies. Um estudo taxonómico do género Calendula foi realizado para a Península Ibérica e Marrocos, com o objectivo de (1) verificar a variabilidade morfológica, (2) confirmar o número de cromossomas, (3) aumentar as estimativas de conteúdo em ADN, (4) reavaliar a delimitação e a circunscrição dos taxa, e (5) reavaliar e redefinir as descrições e caracteres úteis para os distinguir. Para alcançar uma robustês taxonómica satisfatória, foram realizados extensos trabalhos de campo, análise morfométrica detalhada, abordagens corológicas, cariológicas e quanto ao conteúdo em ADN. Para a Península Ibérica, quatro espécies foram reconhecidas, incluindo nove subespécies (entre essas duas novas subespécies foram descritas). Para Marrocos, incluindo alguns taxa da Argelia e Tunisia, foram reconhecidas 13 espécies (duas novas e uma mudança nomenclatural), incluindo 15 subespécies (entre essas oito novas subespécies foram descritas). Para corroborar os resultados obtidos e avaliar as relações evolutivas e filogenéticas entre os taxa, estudos que utilizem diferentes métodos moleculares, tais como ITS, microsatélites ou outros marcadores moleculares, devem ser utilizados.Apoio financeiro do Laboratório Associado CESAM - Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar (AMB/50017) financiado por fundos nacionais através da FCT/MCTES e cofinanciado pelo FEDER (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007638), no âmbito do Acordo de Parceria PT2020, e Compete 2020Programa Doutoral em Biologi

    Genome editing of candidate genes related to disease resistance to Piscirickettsia salmonis in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

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    Salmon Rickettsial Syndrome (SRS), caused by the bacterium Piscirickettsia salmonis, is one of the most severe infectious diseases threatening the Chilean Atlantic salmon industry. Among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity, SRS significantly affect the seawater production stage, where biomass losses account for a major economic impact. One potential avenue to tackle SRS is the improvement of host resistance using selective breeding. To accomplish this, insight into the genetic basis of host response, identifying specific genes and pathways involved in this response, and comprehending the potential function these genes have in infection overcome, is valuable. Consequently, this study aims to identify functional genes and pathways that contribute to genetic host resistance to SRS and investigate the effect of CRISPR/Cas9 knockout on these genes during P.salmonis infection. Candidate genes were identified from a previous in vivo large-scale infection study of 2,265 Atlantic salmon smolts injected with P.salmonis and genotyped. These data were used to estimate SRS resistance breeding values. Head-kidney and liver samples for RNA-Seq were obtained from 48 individuals at pre-infection, 3 and 9 days post-infection, and tests of differential expression between pre- and post-infection, and between high and low resistance breeding values were performed. From the thousands of differentially expressed genes, enrichment of several KEGG pathways related to immune response such as bacterial internalisation, intracellular trafficking, apoptosis, and inflammasome was observed in both tissues in fish relatively more resistant to infection. A literature review of the biological function of genes in these pathways highlighted the most suitable candidates for functional studies. Subsequently, five genes related to SRS resistance were successfully edited using a CRISPR/Cas9 Ribonucleoprotein (RNP) transfection to knockout these genes in an Atlantic salmon cell line (SHK-1). An in vitro infection challenge model of the knockout and control cell lines with P.salmonis was performed to elucidate the impact on cytopathic damage, cell viability and bacterial load during infection. These findings suggest a promising avenue of research into the genetic architecture of host resistance to SRS

    The general factor of personality:Its relation to leadership and creativity

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    Development and Application of Techniques for the Control of Captive Breeding in Elasmobranchs

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    Tesis por compendio[ES] Los tiburones y rayas aparecieron hace 420 millones de años, conformando el antiguo y ecológicamente diverso, grupo de vertebrados acuáticos conocido como elasmobranquios. Este variado grupo posee unas estrategias vitales que los hace muy vulnerables a los cambios rápidos del entorno, como los derivados de la acción antrópica. Pese a ser elementos clave en la regulación de los ecosistemas en los que habitan, en la actualidad, se trata de uno de los grupos vertebrados más amenazados del planeta. Paralelamente a la conservación in situ, los programas de conservación ex situ se pueden utilizar para mejorar la situación de algunas especies sensibles. Entre estos programas, los planes de cría en cautividad aumentarían la sostenibilidad de acuarios públicos y centros de investigación, además de permitir el desarrollo de estrategias de conservación en estado salvaje. Sin embargo, para que sean efectivos, estos planes deberían incluir el uso de técnicas de reproducción asistida. Desafortunadamente, estas técnicas apenas se han desarrollado en el pasado, por lo que su utilidad no se ha demostrado adecuadamente. Esta tesis aborda el uso de técnicas de reproducción en elasmobranquios, con énfasis en la obtención y preservación del esperma. Inicialmente, se centró en dos especies modelo, Scyliorhinus canicula y Raja radula, pero luego se incluyeron otras especies. Esto reveló variabilidad en las estructuras reproductivas, lo que puede afectar la eficacia y calidad de las técnicas. Los capítulos 1 y 2 se enfocaron en catalogar y describir estas estructuras en diversas especies, destacando las mejores prácticas de obtención de gametos e inseminación. La conservación a corto, medio y largo plazo del esperma es esencial para planes ex situ, reduciendo el transporte de machos, conflictos durante el cortejo y endogamia. El Capítulo 3 detalla fórmulas para mantener el esperma fresco y un medio para su supervivencia por más de 30 días. Luego, se describe la criopreservación del esperma de varias especies de rayas y tiburones mediante crioprotectores. El Capítulo 4 aborda desafíos en la manipulación de espermatozoides elasmobranquios debido a su morfología helicoidal y la formación de agregaciones llamadas espermatozeugma. Se resalta la importancia de la viscosidad en las técnicas de reproducción asistida. En la Discusión, se compara la eficacia de los métodos y se exploran nuevas oportunidades al tener acceso a diversas especies. Esto incluye descripciones detalladas con análisis de imagen, evaluación de viscosidad y agregados en la preservación, y la consideración de inseminaciones artificiales.[CA] Els taurons i les ratjades van aparèixer fa 420 milions d'anys, formant el grup conegut com a elasmobranquis. Aquest grup divers posseeix estratègies vitals que els fan molt vulnerables als canvis ràpids de l'entorn. Malgrat ser elements clau en la regulació dels ecosistemes on habiten, actualment són un dels grups més amençats del planeta. Els programes de conservació ex situ es poden utilitzar per millorar la situació d'algunes espècies. Entre aquests programes, els plans de cria en captivitat augmentarien la sostenibilitat dels aquaris públics i els centres de recerca, a més de permetre el desenvolupament d'estratègies de conservació a l'estat salvatge. No obstant això, aquests plans haurien d'incloure l'ús de tècniques de reproducció assistida. Desafortunadament, aquestes tècniques gairebé no s'han desenvolupat en el passat. Davant d'aquesta situació, aquesta tesi pretén omplir certes mancances en el coneixement sobre l'ús d'aquestes tècniques en diverses espècies d'elasmobranquis. La nostra investigació va començar centrant-se especialment en dues espècies model, el tauró gat Scyliorhinus canicula i la ratjada peluda Raja radula, però al llarg de l'estudi es va aconseguir tenir accés a altres espècies. Aquest accés ens va permetre ser conscients de la gran variabilitat en la disposició de les estructures del sistema reproductor. Malgrat que en la literatura hi ha descripcions generals i, en ocasions, detallades dels sistemes reproductors de certes espècies, aquestes descripcions mai s'han centrat en l'aplicació pràctica de les tècniques de reproducció assistida. Per aquest motiu, els capítols 1 i 2 es van centrar en la catalogació i descripció de les diferents estructures d'espècies que abasten un ampli espectre taxonòmic. La conservació de l'esperma juga un paper clau per poder desenvolupar plans de conservació en condicions ex situ. Disposar d'esperma de qualitat permet limitar el transport de mascles entre institucions, minimitzar problemes derivats de la manca de sincronia entre adults reproductors, reduir conflictes durant èpoques d'aparellament i reduir l'endogàmia. El tercer capítol es centra en com es van desenvolupar i provar diferents fórmules per aconseguir el manteniment en fresc de l'esperma, fins a aconseguir un medi on diluir l'esperma capaç de mantenir-lo amb vida durant més de 30 dies. Posteriorment, mitjançant l'addició de diversos crioprotectors (ou, DMSO i metanol) en diverses concentracions, s'explica com es va aconseguir la criopreservació de l'esperma de diverses espècies de ralles i, per primer cop, la criopreservació de l'esperma de diverses espècies de taurons. Un dels primers obstacles que es van detectar en treballar amb els espermatozoides es va deure a la morfologia d'aquestes cèl·lules en comparació amb les d'altres espècies. El cap dels espermatozoides presenta una forma helicoidal, amb un nombre variable de voltes en funció de l'espècie. A més, en moltes ocasions les cèl·lules no apareixen lliures en el fluid seminal, sinó que formen agregacions estructurades anomenades espermatotzeugma. Al llarg del capítol 4 s'explora com aquestes dues característiques sorgeixen com a resultat de la fecundació interna i les característiques mecàniques del medi en què han de realitzar la seva funció. Per primer cop, es pot observar com les cèl·lules reaccionen davant mitjans amb diferents propietats, posant de relleu la importància de la viscositat en l'aplicació de tècniques de reproducció assistida. Finalment, a la discussió, es compara l'eficàcia dels mètodes emprats i s'explora nous camins d'acció sorgits de tenir accés a més individus de diferents espècies. Això inclou la possibilitat de fer descripcions detallades mitjançant tècniques d'anàlisi d'imatge, avaluar la importància de la viscositat i els agregats en els processos de preservació i la possibilitat de realitzar inseminacions artificials.[EN] Sharks and rays emerged 420 million years ago, forming the ancient and ecologically diverse group of aquatic vertebrates known as elasmobranchs. This diverse group possesses vital strategies that make them highly vulnerable to rapid environmental changes, such as those resulting from human activities. Despite being key elements in the regulation of the ecosystems they inhabit, they are currently one of the most threatened vertebrate groups on the planet. In parallel with in-situ conservation efforts, ex-situ conservation programs can be used to improve the status of some sensitive species. Among these programs, captive breeding plans would enhance the sustainability of public aquariums and research centers, as well as enable the development of conservation strategies in the wild. However, for these plans to be effective, they should include the use of assisted reproduction techniques. Unfortunately, these techniques have been scarcely developed in the past, and their utility has not been adequately demonstrated. This thesis addresses the use of reproduction techniques in elasmobranchs, with an emphasis on sperm retrieval and preservation. Initially, it focused on two model species, Scyliorhinus canicula and Raja radula, but later, other species were included. This revealed variability in reproductive structures, which can affect the effectiveness and quality of the techniques. Chapters 1 and 2 focused on cataloging and describing these structures in various species, highlighting best practices for gamete retrieval and insemination. The short, medium, and long-term conservation of sperm is essential for ex-situ plans, reducing the need for transporting males, conflicts during courtship, and inbreeding. Chapter 3 details formulas for maintaining sperm freshness and a medium for its survival for over 30 days. Subsequently, sperm cryopreservation in several species of rays and sharks is described using cryoprotectants. Chapter 4 addresses challenges in handling elasmobranch sperm due to its helical morphology and the formation of aggregates called spermatozeugma. The importance of viscosity in assisted reproduction techniques is emphasized. In the Discussion, the effectiveness of the methods is compared, and new opportunities are explored by having access to various species. This includes detailed descriptions with image analysis, viscosity assessment, and aggregate preservation, as well as the consideration of artificial inseminations.This research was partially funded by the Fundación Biodiversidad ( ). PGS has a PhD contract from the European Union through the Operational Program of the European Social Fund (ESF) of the Comunitat Valenciana 2014–2020 ACIF 2018 (ACIF/2018/147). VG has a postdoc contract from the MICIU, Programa Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación (IJCI- 2017-34200).García Salinas, P. (2023). Development and Application of Techniques for the Control of Captive Breeding in Elasmobranchs [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/201494Compendi

    The general factor of personality:Its relation to leadership and creativity

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    The influence of pair duration on reproductive success in the monogamous ‘Alalā (Hawaiian crow, Corvus hawaiiensis)

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    Conservation breeding program practitioners select potential mates in an attempt to maximize pair compatibility and maintain genetic diversity. Therefore, pair duration, or the number of breeding seasons that individuals retain the same mate, is practitioner-determined in these settings. There is a critical need to evaluate whether pair duration influences reproductive success in ex situ assurance populations, particularly for socially monogamous species. The ‘Alalā (Hawaiian crow, Corvus hawaiiensis) is a monogamous forest bird that is currently extinct in the wild. Today, ‘Alalā exist only in human care for intensive conservation breeding. We analyzed breeding program data from 2018-2021 to determine the effects of ‘Alalā pair duration and age on reproduction (nest building, egg laying, hatching, and fledging). We found that pair duration does not influence reproductive outcomes, and thus practitioners can be more proactive when re-pairing birds. Female and male age, on the other hand, influenced the probability of nest building, clutch production, and overall reproductive success. Nest building and clutch production probabilities were high (near 1) and stable as females aged from 2 to ~ 12 years old, declining sharply thereafter. In males, overall reproductive success (from building robust nests to rearing at least one nestling to fledge) increased with age from 2 to ~ 9 years old, peaked and reached an asymptote with males ≳ 9 to ~ 13 years old, and decreased in males ≳ 13 years old. Thus, integrating age into the pair selection process will increase the likelihood of achieving conservation goals. To our knowledge, we are the first to utilize empirical pair duration results to provide specific management recommendations for mate selection in an avian conservation breeding program. Our findings have critical utility for guiding ‘Alalā pairing decisions, and more broadly underscore the importance of evaluating mate retention and selection protocols in other conservation breeding programs

    Linguistic distance to English impedes research performance

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    This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordData availability: Data will be made available on request.oday, scientific knowledge is predominantly disseminated in English. We show that global universities’ research performance, as measured by publications in top journals, declines as the differences between their local language and English increase. This effect is robust to controls for university factors like proportion of international staff and faculty-to-student ratio, as well as country-level factors like economic development, youth academic achievement, university degree rate, politics, culture, trade with and geographic distance to English-speaking countries, among others. This quantification of the research performance penalties induced by linguistic distance from the lingua franca may inform policy makers who must balance trade-offs between embracing English against cultural and local labor market pressures to orient around the local language

    Advancing fish breeding in aquaculture through genome functional annotation

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    Genomics is increasingly applied in breeding programmes for farmed fish and shellfish species around the world. However, current applications do not include information on genome functional activity, which can enhance opportunities to predict relationships between genotypes and phenotypes and hence increase the accuracy of selection. Here, we review prospects for improving aquaculture breeding practises through the uptake of functional genomics data in light of the EU Horizon 2020 project AQUA-FAANG: ‘Advancing European Aquaculture by Genome Functional Annotation’. This consortium targeted the six major farmed fish species in European aquaculture, producing thousands of functional genomic datasets from samples representing embryos to mature adults of both sexes, and following immunological stimulation. This data was used to catalogue functional activity across the genome of each species, revealing transcribed regions, distinct chromatin states and regulatory elements impacting gene expression. These functional annotations were shared as open data through the Ensembl genome browser using the latest reference genomes for each species. AQUA-FAANG data offers novel opportunities to identify and prioritize causative genetic variants responsible for diverse traits including disease resistance, which can be exploited to enhance selective breeding. Such knowledge and associated resources have the potential to improve sustainability and boost production in aquaculture by accelerating genetic gain for health and robustness to infection, whilst reducing the requirement for animal testing. We further outline directions to advance and leverage genome functional annotation beyond the AQUA-FAANG project. Given the diversity of aquaculture sectors and businesses, the incorporation of functional genomic information into breeding decisions will depend on technological readiness level and scale of operation, with cost-benefit analysis necessary to determine the most profitable approach for each species and production system

    Integrating evolutionary theory and social-ecological systems research to address the sustainability challenges of the Anthropocene

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    The rapid, human-induced changes in the Earth system during the Anthropocene present humanity with critical sustainability challenges. Social-ecological systems (SES) research provides multiple approaches for understanding the complex interactions between humans, social systems, and environments and how we might direct them towards healthier and more resilient futures. However, general theories of SES change have yet to be fully developed. Formal evolutionary theory has been applied as a dynamic theory of change of complex phenomena in biology and the social sciences, but rarely in SES research. In this paper, we explore the connections between both fields, hoping to foster collaboration. After sketching out the distinct intellectual traditions of SES research and evolutionary theory, we map some of their terminological and theoretical connections. We then provide examples of how evolutionary theory might be incorporated into SES research through the use of systems mapping to identify evolutionary processes in SES, the application of concepts from evolutionary developmental biology to understand the connections between systems changes and evolutionary changes, and how evolutionary thinking may help design interventions for beneficial change. Integrating evolutionary theory and SES research can lead to a better understanding of SES changes and positive interventions for a more sustainable Anthropocene. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis'
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