El Biomaratón de Flora Española: un evento de participación ciudadana para reconectar a la ciudadanía con la diversidad vegetal

Póster presentado en el XI Congreso de Biología de la Conservación de Plantas (SEBiCoP) celebrado del 17 al 21 de julio de 202

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018):a position statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles (“MISEV”) guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these “MISEV2014” guidelines based on evolution of the collective knowledge in the last four years. An important point to consider is that ascribing a specific function to EVs in general, or to subtypes of EVs, requires reporting of specific information beyond mere description of function in a crude, potentially contaminated, and heterogeneous preparation. For example, claims that exosomes are endowed with exquisite and specific activities remain difficult to support experimentally, given our still limited knowledge of their specific molecular machineries of biogenesis and release, as compared with other biophysically similar EVs. The MISEV2018 guidelines include tables and outlines of suggested protocols and steps to follow to document specific EV-associated functional activities. Finally, a checklist is provided with summaries of key points

Effects of anthropization on the pollination and fruit dispersal of the gymnesic endemism Arum pictum ssp. sagittifolium Roselló & Sàez

[eng] The loss of natural and semi-natural habitat due to land-use changes (hereafter ‘anthropization’) is the main cause of the current global decline in biodiversity. The Mediterranean region is considered a hotspot of biodiversity, with high levels of endemic plant species. Endemic species or those with narrow distribution are especially vulnerable to anthropization, particularly by the negative effects of anthropization on their pollination and seed dispersal, two crucial phases in the regeneration of the populations. In this study, we selected the species Arum pictum spp. sagittifolium to assess the effects of anthropization on its pollination, fruit dispersal and fitness. For that, we performed surveys of pollinators and dispersers, conducted experiments of pollen limitation and pollinator dependence, and evaluated the fitness in three anthropized areas (<75% of natural area in the surroundings of the population) and three natural ones (>95% of natural area in the surroundings). Pollinator samplings showed that the main pollinators were sphaerocerid flies and staphylinid beetles, especially from the genus Coproica. In this study, we have identified 64 different pollinator species of A. pictum ssp. sagittifolium with new pollinator reports for the species and to the entomofauna of the Balearic Islands. Pollinator richness and abundance were both higher in anthropized areas, but this increase did not translate into a higher fitness in those anthropized localities. Pollination experiments suggested that sexual reproduction in this species was highly limited by pollen (e.g. attracting lured insects) rather than by resources. The infructescence set was not affected by any individual or neighbouring context traits; but berry number increased with the abundance of Coproica insects, while it had contrary effects on seed number in natural areas (positive) and in anthropized ones (negative). Berry number was also negatively affected by the increase of the spathe length, while seed number was negatively affected by the surrounding male-phase individuals. Finally, the dispersers of A. pictum ssp. sagittifolium were birds, being Sylvia atricapilla the most abundant species. Although we did not find significant differences in disperser richness or abundance between anthropized and natural areas, only 2 out of the 5 reported disperser species were recorded in anthropized areas. The feeding behaviour of each species was different with some species, like Columba palumbus, having a long visit time with high ingestion of berries per visit; while others, like S. atricapilla, had a short visit time with low ingestion of berries per visit. Overall, this study improves the knowledge of the reproductive biology of A. pictum ssp. sagittifolium and demonstrates that anthropization influences both pollination and fruit dispersal processes.[spa] La pérdida del hábitat natural y seminatural debido a los cambios en los usos del suelo (de aquí en adelante, "antropización") es la causa principal de la actual disminución global de la biodiversidad. La región mediterránea se considera un punto caliente de biodiversidad, con gran cantidad de especies de plantas endémicas. Las especies endémicas o de distribución estrecha son especialmente vulnerables a la antropización, particularmente por los efectos negativos de la antropización en su polinización y dispersión de semillas, dos fases cruciales en la regeneración de las poblaciones. En este estudio, seleccionamos la especie Arum pictum spp. sagittifolium para evaluar los efectos de la antropización sobre su polinización, dispersión de frutos y éxito reproductivo. Para eso, realizamos censos de polinizadores y dispersores, experimentos de limitación de polen y dependencia de polinizadores, y evaluamos el éxito reproductivo en tres áreas antropizadas ( 95% de área natural en los alrededores). Las muestras de polinizadores mostraron que los principales polinizadores eran moscas esferoceridas y escarabajos estafilínidos, especialmente del género Coproica. En este estudio, hemos identificado 64 especies diferentes de polinizadores de A. pictum ssp. sagittifolium con nuevas citas de polinizadores para la especie y para la entomofauna de las Islas Baleares. La riqueza y abundancia de polinizadores fueron mayores en las áreas antropizadas, pero este aumento no se tradujo en un mayor éxito reproductivo en esas localidades antropizadas. Los experimentos de polinización sugirieron que la reproducción sexual en esta especie estaba muy limitada por el polen (por ejemplo, al atraer insectos) en lugar de por los recursos. El conjunto de infrutescencia no se vio afectado por ningún rasgo individual o del entorno; pero el número de bayas aumentó con la abundancia de insectos Coproica, mientras que tuvo efectos contrarios en el número de semillas en áreas naturales (positivos) y antropizadas (negativos). El número de bayas también se vio afectado negativamente por el aumento de la longitud de la espata, mientras que el número de semillas se vio afectado negativamente por los individuos en fase masculina cercanos. Finalmente, los dispersores de A. pictum ssp. sagittifolium eran aves, siendo Sylvia atricapilla la especie más abundante. Aunque no encontramos diferencias significativas en la riqueza o abundancia de dispersores entre áreas antropizadas y naturales, solo 2 de las 5 especies de dispersores encontradas se registraron en áreas antropizadas. El comportamiento durante la alimentación de cada especie fue diferente, con algunas especies, como Columba palumbus, con largos tiempo de visita y una alta ingesta de bayas por visita, mientras que otras, como S. atricapilla, presentaron tiempos de visita cortos y una baja ingestión de bayas por visita. En general, este estudio mejora el conocimiento de la biología reproductiva de A. pictum ssp. sagittifolium y demuestra que la antropización influye en los procesos de polinización y dispersión de los frutos

Análisis de los parámetros que afectan al éxito reproductivo de Ophrys balearica P. Delforge

[spa] La familia Orchidaceae presenta uno de los mecanismos de polinización más extravagantes: el engaño. Mientras numerosos estudios sobre éxito reproductivo se han realizado en orquídeas de engaño alimentario, pocos se han realizado en orquídeas de engaño sexual. Por ello, se escogió a Ophrys balearica P. Delforge, la única orquídea endémica de las Islas Baleares, para la realización de este estudio. Se trata de una especie con un único polinizador, Megachile siliqua (Rossi, 1792), y presenta tamaños poblacionales muy distintos. Se ha probado que no se trata de una especie autógama ni agamospérmica. Presenta, como muchas otras especies de orquídea, una gran variación espacio-temporal del éxito reproductivo. La implementación de herramientas procedentes de Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) para el análisis de los factores de distribución geoespacial para el éxito reproductivo debe ser una técnica a tener en cuenta en la elaboración podría de acciones de conservación in situ.[eng] The Orchidaceae family presents one of the most extravagant pollination mechanisms: deception. Meanwhile, studies on reproductive success have been made in food-deception orchids, few have been made on sexual-deceptive orchids. For this reason, Ophrys balearica P. Delforge, the only endemic orchid of the Balearic Islands, was chosen to carry out this study. It is a species with a single species pollinator, Megachile siliqua (Rossi, 1792), and has a wide range of population sizes. It has been proven that it is a non-autogamous and non-agamous species. It presents, like many other species of orchid, a large spatio-temporal variation of reproductive success. The implementation of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools for the analysis of geospatial distribution factors for reproductive success should be a technique to be considered in the preparation of in situ conservation actions

Effects of habitat disturbance on the reproductive ecology of Arum pictum ssp. sagittifolium: from pollination to seedling recruitment

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The loss of natural habitats may strongly affect the fitness of plants that depend on animals for reproduction. However, very little is known regarding the differential effects of habitat disturbance on the distinct phases of the reproductive cycle of plants, especially in non-rewarding species.METHODS: We assessed the effects of habitat disturbance on the entire reproductive cycle of Arum pictum ssp. sagittifolium, a species with deceptive pollination that is endemic to the western Mediterranean Basin. For this, we performed hand-pollination and bagging experiments, evaluated the role of pollinators and dispersers on reproduction, and estimated seedling recruitment in three natural and three disturbed populations (according to their surrounding natural habitat) in Mallorca Island.KEY RESULTS: Pollinators were sphaerocerid flies (mainly Coproica, with ~50 % of visits) and staphylinid beetles, and were required for sexual reproduction. Habitat disturbance differently affected the reproductive phases of A. pictum ssp. sagittifolium. Habitat disturbance had a positive effect on Shannon pollinator diversity (but not on pollinator richness), and total pollinator and Coproica abundance were three times higher in disturbed habitats, where overall seed production was also ~30 % higher in natural habitats. Seed production increased with Coproica abundance, but only in natural habitats. Seed dispersers of A. pictum ssp. sagittifolium were birds, mainly Sylvia atricapilla. Although habitat disturbance did not influence disperser diversity or abundance, the majority of seedlings appeared under adult plants and in natural habitats.CONCLUSIONS: Overall recruitment was higher in natural habitats, but this effect could have been masked by only assessing pollinator and disperser numbers, as processes related to the quality of these interactions might be influencing fitness. Our study highlights the need to study different reproductive phases and their multiple components and processes to properly understand the effects of habitat disturbance on the regeneration of plant populations.This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Feder founds, and the Spanish Research Agency, through the project CGL2017-89254-R. A.L. was supported by a Ramón y Cajal contract (RYC-2015-19034) financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, the Spanish State Research Agency, European Social Funds (ESF invests in your future), and the University of the Balearic Islands

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles 2018 (MISEV2018): a position statement of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles and update of the MISEV2014 guidelines

The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of scientific publications describing physiological and pathological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a collective term covering various subtypes of cell-released, membranous structures, called exosomes, microvesicles, microparticles, ectosomes, oncosomes, apoptotic bodies, and many other names. However, specific issues arise when working with these entities, whose size and amount often make them difficult to obtain as relatively pure preparations, and to characterize properly. The International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) proposed Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles ("MISEV") guidelines for the field in 2014. We now update these "MISEV2014" guidelines based on evolution of the collective knowledge in the last four years. An important point to consider is that ascribing a specific function to EVs in general, or to subtypes of EVs, requires reporting of specific information beyond mere description of function in a crude, potentially contaminated, and heterogeneous preparation. For example, claims that exosomes are endowed with exquisite and specific activities remain difficult to support experimentally, given our still limited knowledge of their specific molecular machineries of biogenesis and release, as compared with other biophysically similar EVs. The MISEV2018 guidelines include tables and outlines of suggested protocols and steps to follow to document specific EV-associated functional activities. Finally, a checklist is provided with summaries of key points