Characterization of Iberian species of the genus Pungentus Thorne & Swanger, 1936 (Nematoda, Dorylaimida, Nordiidae)

Several populations of four known species of the genus Pungentus (P. clavatus, P. engadinensis, P. marietani and P. silvestris), collected in the wild and in cultivated soils from the Iberian Peninsula, are studied. Detailed redescriptions and morphometrics are presented for each species. Illustrations are provided, including line drawings, light microscopy pictures of the four species as well as scanning electron microscopy observations of P. engadinensis. The Iberian populations are compared to type and other known populations, and new data are given that provide a better characterization of these taxa. Pungentus engadinensis is the most widely distributed species in the Iberian Peninsula

Mary’s Dilemma: A Novel Take On Jackson’s Famous Thought Experiment

This paper explores and evaluates the famous Mary case put forward by Frank Jackson in support of what he calls the knowledge argument against physicalism. After laying out Jackson’s position, I set out to determine whether certain previous physicalist attempts at undermining it have been successful. Finding that they have not, I use their shortcomings to inform the construction of a new position, one which I argue renders the Mary case at odds with itself and frees physicalism from the knowledge argument’s grasp

Especies de rhabdítidos (Nematoda, Rhabditida) citadas en España peninsular y las Islas Baleares

Previous records of species belonging to the order Rhabditida in peninsular Spain and Balearic Islands is presented as compilation. Eighty species of forty genera and twelve families are listed. Information concerning each species contains scientific name, synonymy, distribution and remarks. Distributional data include localities and/or geographical areas where the species have been collected and the corresponding references. A short discussion on current knowledge on rhabditid nematodes in the Iberian geography is also made. Majority of species are defficiently known, being necessary additional taxonomic and/or faunistic studies of this taxon.Se presenta una recopilación de citas previas de especies pertenecientes al orden Rhabditida en la España peninsular e Islas Baleares. Se listan ochenta especies de cuarenta géneros y doce familias. La información que concierne a cada especie contiene el nombre científico, sinonimia, distribución y observaciones. Los datos de distribución incluyen las localidades y/o áreas geográficas donde las especies han sido recolectadas, y las referencias correspondientes. También se realiza una breve discusión sobre el conocimiento de los nematodos rhabdítidos en el área ibérica, concluyéndose que la mayor parte de las especies se conocen deficientemente, siendo necesario un estudio taxonómico y/o faunístico adicional del taxon

Bathyodontus mirus (Andrássy, 1956), primera cita de un representante del suborden Bathyodontina (Nematoda, Mononchida) en la fauna ibérica

Bathyodontus mirus (Andrássy, 1956) Hopper & Cairns, 1956, collected in sand dunes of SW Iberian peninsula, is studied. Description, measurements and illustrations (LM pictures) are provided. Iberian specimens are briefly compared to other known populations of the species. And a compendium of Bathyodontus species, including a key to their identification, is also given. This is the first record of a representative of the nematode suborder Bathyodontina in the Iberian-Balearic range and in the Mediterranean region.Se estudia la especie Bathyodontus mirus (Andrássy, 1956) Hopper y Cairns, 1956, recolectada en dunas de arena en el suroeste peninsular. Se presentan una descripción, medidas e ilustraciones (fotografías con microscopía óptica). Los ejemplares ibéricos se comparan brevemente con otras poblaciones conocidas de la misma especie. Y se ofrece un compendio de las especies del género Bathyodontus, incluida una clave para su identification. Se trata de la primera cita de un miembro del suborden Bathyodontina en el ámbito Ibero-balear y en la región Mediterránea

Including Human Activity In Estimates of The Terrestrial Water Cycle Using Models and Remote Sensing

The adequacy of freshwater resources for economic, political and social systems depends upon knowledge of variations in the water cycle. Water availability is increasingly impacted by human activities both directly&mdash;through irrigation and development&mdash;and indirectly through climate change. Thus, understanding human impacts on the water budget is necessary for strategic planning. Specifically, this research addresses the issues of: (i) unquantified irrigation water use, (ii) the need for remote sensing-based ET partitioning, (iii) imbalance of the remotely sensed water budget, and (iv) unknown knowledge of irrigation&rsquo;s contribution to groundwater depletion. These issues are addressed through: (i) a new approach to estimate irrigation water use, designed to assimilate remotely sensed soil moisture within a land surface model, (ii) development of a new continental-scale soil evaporation dataset based on the SMAP satellite, (iii) a novel framework for estimating the terrestrial water balance using an ensemble of remotely-sensed datasets, and (iv) an evaluation of remotely sensed aquifer depletion over California&rsquo;s Central Valley using a land surface model and monitoring wells. These analyses use globally-applicable tools and instruments to quantify components of the hydrologic cycle, with several chapters specifically focusing on the impacts of human activities.</p

Francisco Javier Castillo y Carmen Díaz Alayón: Canarias en la Europa ilustrada: el legado de George Glas, La Laguna: Centro de la Cultura Popular Canaria, 2009, 308 pp. ISBN 978- 84-7926-585-4.

Recensió

Nematodos edáficos y de agua dulce de la fauna ibérica: una síntesis

The first available compilation of Iberian soil and freshwater nematodes is presented in this paper. The inventory is currently made up of 981 species belonging to 236 genera, 77 families and 12 orders. Data of the Iberian nematode fauna are compared with other components of the Iberian biota, as well as the nematode fauna of other geographical regions. Quantitative and qualitative aspects of the nematode inventory are analyzed and discussed, paying special attention to the kind of information available for each species, and concluding that practically one-third of Iberian species are deficiently characterized and need further study. Endemicity of Iberian species is also considered: 143 species, 14.6% of the total, are restricted (in their distribution) to the Iberian geography, most of them being members of the orders Dorylaimida (87) and Tylenchida (29), which are also the most diversified nematode taxa. Practical or applied interest of knowledge of the Iberian nematode fauna is commented and supported with examples and recent contributions. Finally, an alphabetical list of the species, ordered by specific name, is provided.En esta contribución se presenta una recopilación de las especies ibéricas de nematodos de suelo y de agua dulce, la primera de este tipo realizada hasta el momento. El inventario actual lo componen 981 especies de 236 géneros, 77 familias y 12 órdenes. Los datos correspondiente a la fauna ibérica de nematodos se compara con la de otros táxones de la biota ibérica. Se analizan y se discuten distintos aspectos cuantitativos y cualitativos de la fauna nematológica, con especial énfasis en el tipo de información disponible sobre cada especie, y se concluye que casi una tercera parte de las especies ibéricas permanecen insuficientemente caracterizadas, razón por la cual requieren de estudios adicionales. La endemicidad de las especies es así mismo objeto de atención: 143 especies, un 14.6% del total están restringidas en su distribución al ámbito ibérico, en su mayor parte pertenecientes a los órdenes Dorylaimida (87) y Tylenchida (29), por otra parte los más diversificados de entre los pertenecientes al filo. El interés básico y aplicado del conocimiento de la fauna de nematodos es comentado e ilustrado con aportaciones recientes y ejemplos. Por último, se presenta una lista de todas las especies de la fauna ibérica, ordenadas alfabéticamente por su epíteto específico