69 research outputs found
Biomagnifcation and body distribution of ivermectin in dung beetles
We thank the staf of Doñana Biological Reserve (DBR-ICTS), Doñana National Park, and Los Alcornocales
Natural Park, especially D. Paz, F. Ibáñez, P. Bayón, M. Malla and D. Ruiz for logistic facilities for the field
work and permissions (2019107300000904/IRM/MDCG/mes) to collect cattle dung and dung beetles. We
are grateful to J. Castro and A. Rascón for technical assistance. We also thank A. V. Giménez-Gómez for her
technical assistance in the laboratory work. We thank also F.-T Krell and the two anonymous reviewers for their
constructive comments. Financial support was provided by the project CGL2015-68207-R of the Secretaría de
Estado de Investigación–Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad.A terrestrial test system to investigate the biomagnifcation potential and tissue-specifc distribution
of ivermectin, a widely used parasiticide, in the non-target dung beetle Thorectes lusitanicus (Jekel)
was developed and validated. Biomagnifcation kinetics of ivermectin in T. lusitanicus was investigated
by following uptake, elimination, and distribution of the compound in dung beetles feeding on
contaminated faeces. Results showed that ivermectin was biomagnifed in adults of T. lusitanicus
when exposed to non-lethal doses via food uptake. Ivermectin was quickly transferred from the gut to
the haemolymph, generating a biomagnifcation factor (BMFk) three times higher in the haemolymph
than in the gut after an uptake period of 12 days. The fat body appeared to exert a major role on
the biomagnifcation of ivermectin in the insect body, showing a BMFk 1.6 times higher than in the
haemolymph. The results of this study highlight that the biomagnifcation of ivermectin should be
investigated from a global dung-based food web perspective and that the use of these antiparasitic
substances should be monitored and controlled on a precautionary basis. Thus, we suggest that an
additional efort be made in the development of standardised regulatory recommendations to guide
biomagnifcation studies in terrestrial organisms, but also that it is necessary to adapt existing methods
to assess the efects of such veterinary medical products
Flexible Systems in HR
Editorial special issueThe final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40171-016-0125-5Research on the concept of ‘flexibility’ has produced a substantive scholarly in recent decades and has evolved as a focal area of management research (Mønsted 1991; Sushil 1994; Skipper et al. 2014; Krishna et al. 2015). According to Sushil (2001) ‘Flexibility offers freedom of choice and is highly context specific’. Here, ‘context specific’ refers to the role of contingencies within flexibility which might render it as a form of a firm’s dynamic capability. The dynamic capability scholarship argues that in order to achieve excellence, organizations should develop capabilities complementary to their competencies (Teece et al. 1997; Helfat and Peteraf 2009). Thus, flexible HR practices can help organizations in achieving sustainable competitiveness through creating, integrating, reconfiguring, and building on its human resource base. For example, organizations can achieve competitive edge by customizing training and development programs
Host Responses to Intestinal Microbial Antigens in Gluten-Sensitive Mice
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Excessive uptake of commensal bacterial antigens through a permeable intestinal barrier may influence host responses to specific antigen in a genetically predisposed host. The aim of this study was to investigate whether intestinal barrier dysfunction induced by indomethacin treatment affects the host response to intestinal microbiota in gluten-sensitized HLA-DQ8/HCD4 mice. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: HLA-DQ8/HCD4 mice were sensitized with gluten, and gavaged with indomethacin plus gluten. Intestinal permeability was assessed by Ussing chamber; epithelial cell (EC) ultra-structure by electron microscopy; RNA expression of genes coding for junctional proteins by Q-real-time PCR; immune response by in-vitro antigen-specific T-cell proliferation and cytokine analysis by cytometric bead array; intestinal microbiota by fluorescence in situ hybridization and analysis of systemic antibodies against intestinal microbiota by surface staining of live bacteria with serum followed by FACS analysis. Indomethacin led to a more pronounced increase in intestinal permeability in gluten-sensitized mice. These changes were accompanied by severe EC damage, decreased E-cadherin RNA level, elevated IFN-gamma in splenocyte culture supernatant, and production of significant IgM antibody against intestinal microbiota. CONCLUSION: Indomethacin potentiates barrier dysfunction and EC injury induced by gluten, affects systemic IFN-gamma production and the host response to intestinal microbiota antigens in HLA-DQ8/HCD4 mice. The results suggest that environmental factors that alter the intestinal barrier may predispose individuals to an increased susceptibility to gluten through a bystander immune activation to intestinal microbiota
Negative Impacts of Human Land Use on Dung Beetle Functional Diversity
The loss of biodiversity caused by human activity is assumed to alter ecosystem
functioning. However our understanding of the magnitude of the effect of these
changes on functional diversity and their impact on the dynamics of ecological
processes is still limited. We analyzed the functional diversity of
copro-necrophagous beetles under different conditions of land use in three
Mexican biosphere reserves. In Montes Azules pastures, forest fragments and
continuous rainforest were analyzed, in Los Tuxtlas rainforest fragments of
different sizes were analyzed and in Barranca de Metztitlán two types of
xerophile scrub with different degrees of disturbance from grazing were
analyzed. We assigned dung beetle species to functional groups based on food
relocation, beetle size, daily activity period and food preferences, and as
measures of functional diversity we used estimates based on multivariate
methods. In Montes Azules functional richness was lower in the pastures than in
continuous rainforest and rainforest fragments, but fragments and continuous
forest include functionally redundant species. In small rainforest fragments
(<5 ha) in Los Tuxtlas, dung beetle functional richness was lower than in
large rainforest fragments (>20 ha). Functional evenness and functional
dispersion did not vary among habitat types or fragment size in these reserves.
In contrast, in Metztitlán, functional richness and functional dispersion
were different among the vegetation types, but differences were not related to
the degree of disturbance by grazing. More redundant species were found in
submontane than in crassicaule scrub. For the first time, a decrease in the
functional diversity in communities of copro-necrophagous beetles resulting from
changes in land use is documented, the potential implications for ecosystem
functioning are discussed and a series of variables that could improve the
evaluation of functional diversity for this biological group is proposed
Negative responses of highland pines to anthropogenic activities in inland Spain: a palaeoecological perspective
Palaeoecological evidence indicates that highland pines were dominant in extensive areas of the mountains of Central and Northern Iberia during the first half of the Holocene. However, following several millennia of anthropogenic pressure, their natural ranges are now severely reduced. Although pines have been frequently viewed as first-stage successional species responding positively to human disturbance, some recent palaeobotanical work has proposed fire disturbance and human deforestation as the main drivers of this vegetation turnover. To assess the strength of the evidence for this hypothesis and to identify other possible explanations for this scenario, we review the available information on past vegetation change in the mountains of northern inland Iberia. We have chosen data from several sites that offer good chronological control, including palynological records with microscopic charcoal data and sites with plant macro- and megafossil occurrence. We conclude that although the available long-term data are still fragmentary and that new methods are needed for a better understanding of the ecological history of Iberia, fire events and human activities (probably modulated by climate) have triggered the pine demise at different locations and different temporal scales. In addition, all palaeoxylological, palynological and charcoal results obtained so far are fully compatible with a rapid human-induced ecological change that could have caused a range contraction of highland pines in western Iberia
The comparative effectiveness of rodents and dung beetles as local seed dispersers in Mediterranean oak forests
The process of seed dispersal of many animal-dispersed plants is frequently mediated by a small set of biotic agents. However, the contribution that each of these dispersers makes to the overall recruitment may differ largely, with important ecological and management implications for the population viability and dynamics of the species implied in these interactions. In this paper, we compared the relative contribution of two local guilds of scatter-hoarding animals with contrasting metabolic requirements and foraging behaviours (rodents and dung beetles) to the overall recruitment of two Quercus species co-occurring in the forests of southern Spain. For this purpose, we considered not only the quantity of dispersed seeds but also the quality of the seed dispersal process. The suitability for recruitment of the microhabitats where the seeds were deposited was evaluated in a multi-stage demographic approach. The highest rates of seed handling and predation occurred in those microhabitats located under shrubs, mostly due to the foraging activity of rodents. However, the probability of a seed being successfully cached was higher in microhabitats located beneath a tree canopy as a result of the feeding behaviour of beetles. Rodents and beetles showed remarkable differences in their effectiveness as local acorn dispersers. Quantitatively, rodents were much more important than beetles because they dispersed the vast majority of acorns. However, they were qualitatively less effective because they consumed a high proportion of them (over 95%), and seeds were mostly dispersed under shrubs, a less suitable microhabitat for short-term recruitment of the two oak species. Our findings demonstrate that certain species of dung beetles (such as Thorectes lusitanicus), despite being quantitatively less important than rodents, can act as effective local seed dispersers of Mediterranean oak species. Changes in the abundance of beetle populations could thus have profound implications for oak recruitment and community dynamics.This study was supported by a postdoctoral contract of the Andalusian Government to IMPR, by the Projects of the Ministry of Education and Science entitled “Thorbellota” (“Análisis ecológico y fisiológico de la interacción entre el coleóptero coprófago Thorectes lusitanicus y las bellotas de Quercus suber y Q. canariensis: implicaciones evolutivas y aplicadas”; CGL2008/03878/BOS) and “InTerDist” (“Influencia del nicho térmico en la distribución geográfica de las especies”; CGL2011-25544), and the Andalusian project “Anasinque” (PE2010-RNM5782)
Acorn consumption improves the immune response of the dung beetle Thorectes lusitanicus
Thorectes lusitanicus, a typically coprophagous species is also actively attracted to oak acorns, consuming, burying them, and conferring ecophysiological and reproductive advantages to both the beetle and the tree. In this study, we explored the possible relation between diet shift and the health status of T. lusitanicus using a generalist entomopathogenic fungus (Metarhizium anisopliae) as a natural pathogen. To measure the health condition and immune response of beetles, we analysed the protein content in the haemolymph, prophenoloxidase (proPO) content, phenoloxidase (PO) activity and mortality of beetles with diets based on either acorns or cow dung. Protein content, proPO levels and PO levels in the haemolymph of T. lusitanicus were found to be dependent on the type of diet. Furthermore, the beetles fed with acorns developed a more effective proPO-PO system than the beetles fed with cow dung. Furthermore, a significant decrease in mortality was observed when infected individuals were submitted to an acorn-based diet. In addition to enhancing an understanding of the relevance of dietary change to the evolutionary biology of dung beetles, these results provide a more general understanding of the ecophysiological implications of differential dietary selection in the context of fitness.Financial support was provided by the Projects CGL2008/03878/BOS and CGL2011-25544 of the Secretaría de Estado de Investigación-Ministerio de Educación, Ciencia e Innovación (http://www.mecd.gob.es/portada-mecd/) and OAPN 762/2012, Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente (http://www.magrama.gob.es/es/)
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