Discord in the family Sparidae (Teleostei): divergent phylogeographical patterns across the Atlantic-Mediterranean divide

The Strait of Gibraltar has been proposed to be the divide between two marine biogeographical regions, the Mediterranean Sea and the Northeast Atlantic. Intraspecific studies have shown, for several of the examined species, a reduction of gene flow between the two basins. The present study examines genetic variation at nuclear and mitochondrial loci in five marine teleost species belonging to the family Sparidae. Four samples for each species were analysed spanning the Northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean. For all individuals 17 allozyme loci were scored and a combined single strand conformation polymorphism-sequencing approach was used to survey approximately 190 bp of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop region. All five species share similar biological features. For three species, namely Lithognathus mormyrus, Spondyliosoma cantharus, and Dentex dentex, large mtDNA divergence was observed between Atlantic and Mediterranean samples. Little or no mtDNA differentiation was found in the other two species, Pagrus pagrus and Pagellus bogaraveo. Allozyme data revealed strong differentiation when comparing Atlantic and Mediterranean samples of L. mormyrus and D. dentex, moderate for P. pagrus, and no differentiation for P. bogaraveo and S. cantharus. These results provide evidence for a sharp phylogeographical break (sensu Avise) between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean for two (or possibly three) sparid species of the five investigated. At the same time, the obtained results for the other two species raise the question on which ecological/historical factors might have caused the observed discrepancy in the geographical distribution of genetic variation among otherwise biologically similar species.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

International nosocomial infection control consortium (INICC) report, data summary of 36 countries, for 2004-2009

The results of a surveillance study conducted by the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) from January 2004 through December 2009 in 422 intensive care units (ICUs) of 36 countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe are reported. During the 6-year study period, using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN; formerly the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance system [NNIS]) definitions for device-associated health care-associated infections, we gathered prospective data from 313,008 patients hospitalized in the consortium's ICUs for an aggregate of 2,194,897 ICU bed-days. Despite the fact that the use of devices in the developing countries' ICUs was remarkably similar to that reported in US ICUs in the CDC's NHSN, rates of device-associated nosocomial infection were significantly higher in the ICUs of the INICC hospitals; the pooled rate of central line-associated bloodstream infection in the INICC ICUs of 6.8 per 1,000 central line-days was more than 3-fold higher than the 2.0 per 1,000 central line-days reported in comparable US ICUs. The overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia also was far higher (15.8 vs 3.3 per 1,000 ventilator-days), as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (6.3 vs. 3.3 per 1,000 catheter-days). Notably, the frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates to imipenem (47.2% vs 23.0%), Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (76.3% vs 27.1%), Escherichia coli isolates to ceftazidime (66.7% vs 8.1%), Staphylococcus aureus isolates to methicillin (84.4% vs 56.8%), were also higher in the consortium's ICUs, and the crude unadjusted excess mortalities of device-related infections ranged from 7.3% (for catheter-associated urinary tract infection) to 15.2% (for ventilator-associated pneumonia). Copyright © 2012 by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time, and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space. While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes, vast areas of the tropics remain understudied. In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity, but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases. To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge, it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Problèmes liés à la reforestation des pelouses semi-naturelles à forte diversité

National audienceLes pelouses naturelles qualifiées de old-growth, sont des écosystèmes caractérisés par une forte diversité en espèces végétales herbacées, un fort taux d’endémisme et une composition spécifique unique. Les pelouses d’origine anthropiques, bien que plus récentes, ne peuvent être réduites aux prairies intensives. En effet, parmi les pelouses d’origines anthropiques se trouvent également des communautés à forte diversité, traditionnellement gérées par la fauche, le pâturage ou le feu. Avec le développement d’un marché du carbone, les biomes herbacés sont ciblés pour les plantations d’arbres. Alors qu’il peut sembler opportun de planter des arbres sur des prairies de faible diversité qui étaient précédemment des forêts (i.e. reforestation ou reboisement : planter des arbres sur des terres récemment déboisées), planter des arbres sur des pelouses naturelles (i.e. boisement) ou des pelouses d’origine anthropique à forte diversité est une action qui se fera à un coût environnemental élevé. L’objectif de la communication est de montrer comment cette problématique est gérée avec les pelouses d’origine anthropique à forte diversité (qualifiée de semi-naturelles en Europe). En Europe, il est reconnu depuis les années 1990 que la plupart de ces pelouses perdront en diversité et en espèces caractéristiques si la gestion s’arrête, laissant ainsi place à une succession secondaire. Bien que la plantation d’arbres sur ces systèmes est voué aux mêmes résultats, le boisement augmente du fait de la demande croissante en bois et de à l’abandon des terres agricoles. A Madagascar, les pelouses naturelles et les pelouses d’origine anthropique de faible diversité sont présentes. La synergie entre (i) l’idée fausse que l’ensemble des pelouses ont un faible intérêt en terme de conservation et (ii) les besoins anthropiques en bois de chauffage, entraîne la plantation sur de larges surfaces d’espèces d’arbres exotiques (e.g. Pinus, Eucalyptus et Acacia) qui colonisent en dehors des espaces plantés et posent des problèmes majeurs de gestion. Pour conclure, il est important de prendre en compte les conséquences des boisements/reboisements sur la biodiversité, qui vont dépendre des usages et des valeurs de conservation antérieurs aux plantations d’arbres et de la façon dont celles-ci ont été réalisées

Problèmes liés au boisement des pelouses anthropogéniques à forte diversité

International audienceOld-growth grasslands are ancient ecosystems characterized by high herbaceous species richness, high endemism, and unique species compositions. On the other hand, anthropogenic grasslands, although more recent, cannot be limited to species poor planted pastures. Among anthropogenic grasslands can be found: (i) recent anthropogenic grasslands, such as planted pastures and (ii) species-rich anthropogenic grasslands, traditionally managed using mowing, grazing and/or fire. With the development of carbon payment scheme, grassy biomes are targeted by tree planting. While it may be appropriate to plant trees on low diversity pasture that were previously forested (reforestation: planting trees on deforested land or agroforestry), planting trees on old-growth grasslands or on species-rich anthropogenic grasslands is done at a high environmental cost. The purpose of this talk is to show how species-rich anthropogenic grasslands are being dealt with. In Europe, it is recognized since the 1990’s that most of these grasslands can lose diversity and characteristic species if management stops and thus if secondary succession occurs. While, tree planting on such systems most likely leads to the same result, afforestation is increasing due to the increasing demand for timber and wood products and the abandonment of agricultural land. In Madagascar, both old-growth and anthropogenic grasslands are currently present: anthropogenic grasslands dominate highland areas and have been maintained by human driven fire regime and grazing. The synergy between (i) the mistaken idea that all these grasslands have low conservation values and (ii) the need to cover the human needs in fuelwood has resulted in extensive areas being planted with exotic trees (e.g. Pinus, Eucalyptus and Acacia species) which colonize outside of planted areas and are a major management problem. Overall, the implications of afforestation for biodiversity depend on the land-use and conservation values prior to tree planting and on the way afforestation is carried out

Achieving sustainable conservation in Madagascar : the case of the newly established Ibity Mountain Protected Area

Globally, the number of protected areas (PAs) has increased exponentially during the last 25 years, particularly in biodiversity-rich developing countries. Many recent initiatives have integrated local-scale socio-economic development into both design and management. Because the rates of deforestation and species extinction are increasing in most parts of the world, substantial efforts have been made to build and strengthen local environmental organizations, to establish new protected areas (NPAs), and to improve natural resource management. An NPA was recently established at Ibity Massif in central Madagascar, where a community-based conservation project is being coordinated by the Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG). In December 2008, a temporary protection order was issued, and definitive establishment of the NPA, which falls under Category V of the IUCN PA system, is expected before the end of 2015. This initiative has involved significant outreach and community education programs to raise awareness of Ibity's conservation and economic importance and the threats to its biodiversity, along with ongoing efforts to reduce fire frequency and implement ecological restoration projects with significant local community participation. In order to ensure the sustainability of this NPA, a co-management plan has been implemented involving MBG, local authorities, and the local population. This study describes the diagnostic process undertaken at Ibity in order to: 1) disseminate the data gathered to inform establishment of the NPA; and 2) summarize the initial state of the environment on the massif prior to the implementation of a management plan, as a baseline for assessing the NPA's effectiveness