Arañas y carábidos como potenciales bioindicadores en ambientes con distinto grado de intervención antrópica en el este uruguayo: un estudio preliminar = Spiders and carabids as potential bioindicators in Eastern Uruguayan environments with different degree of anthropic intervention: a preliminary study

Algunos grupos de artrópodos son considerados buenos indicadores de calidad ambiental. Para ello deben cumplir con algunas condiciones, como poseer características biológicas y morfológicas que faciliten su hallazgo e identificación. Las trampas de caída (pitfall) son ampliamente utilizadas para recolectar artrópodos predadores potencialmente bioindicadores de las características del ambiente que ocupan. Se realizaron recolecciones quincenales, durante nueve meses, en tres sistemas productivos con diferente grado de intervención antrópica en la cuenca de la Laguna Negra, Rocha: área con baja intensidad de pastoreo de vacunos; área con bajo pastoreo de ganado vacuno y ovino, y área con altas cargas de ganado vacuno y agricultura inverno-estival. En cada área se instalaron dos series de 10 trampas pitfall separadas a una distancia mínima de 100 m y a una distancia de 10 m entre trampas. Dos morfoespecies de arañas, Mesabolivar sp (Pholcidae) y Steatoda sp (Theridiidae), fueron determinadas como indicadoras de los ambientes con menor y mayor intensidad de disturbio, respectivamente. Otras cuatro morfoespecies, pertenecientes a las familias Nemesiidae, Oxyopidae, Lycosidae y Palpimanidae, fueron caracterizadas como detectoras de los diferentes ambientes. Cuatro morfoespecies de coleópteros de la familia Carabidae (Calosoma retusum, Galerita collaris, Brachinus sp y Pelecium sp) resultaron indicadoras del ambiente de mayor intensidad productiva, con agricultura

MWP phase shifters integrated in PbS-SU8 waveguides

We present new kind of microwave phase shifters (MPS) based on dispersion of PbS colloidal quantum dots (QDs) in commercially available photoresist SU8 after a ligand exchange process. Ridge PbS-SU8 waveguides are implemented by integration of the nanocomposite in a silicon platform. When these waveguides are pumped at wavelengths below the band-gap of the PbS QDs, a phase shift in an optically conveyed (at 1550 nm) microwave signal is produced. The strong light confinement produced in the ridge waveguides allows an improvement of the phase shift as compared to the case of planar structures. Moreover, a novel ridge bilayer waveguide composed by a PbS-SU8 nanocomposite and a SU8 passive layer is proposed to decrease the propagation losses of the pump beam and in consequence to improve the microwave phase shift up to 36.5° at 25 GHz. Experimental results are reproduced by a theoretical model based on the slow light effect produced in a semiconductor waveguide due to the coherent population oscillations. The resulting device shows potential benefits respect to the current MPS technologies since it allows a fast tunability of the phase shift and a high level of integration due to its small size

Citizen Science Reveals Unexpected Continental-Scale Evolutionary Change in a Model Organism

Organisms provide some of the most sensitive indicators of climate change and evolutionary responses are becoming apparent in species with short generation times. Large datasets on genetic polymorphism that can provide an historical benchmark against which to test for recent evolutionary responses are very rare, but an exception is found in the brown-lipped banded snail (Cepaea nemoralis). This species is sensitive to its thermal environment and exhibits several polymorphisms of shell colour and banding pattern affecting shell albedo in the majority of populations within its native range in Europe. We tested for evolutionary changes in shell albedo that might have been driven by the warming of the climate in Europe over the last half century by compiling an historical dataset for 6,515 native populations of C. nemoralis and comparing this with new data on nearly 3,000 populations. The new data were sampled mainly in 2009 through the Evolution MegaLab, a citizen science project that engaged thousands of volunteers in 15 countries throughout Europe in the biggest such exercise ever undertaken. A known geographic cline in the frequency of the colour phenotype with the highest albedo (yellow) was shown to have persisted and a difference in colour frequency between woodland and more open habitats was confirmed, but there was no general increase in the frequency of yellow shells. This may have been because snails adapted to a warming climate through behavioural thermoregulation. By contrast, we detected an unexpected decrease in the frequency of Unbanded shells and an increase in the Mid-banded morph. Neither of these evolutionary changes appears to be a direct response to climate change, indicating that the influence of other selective agents, possibly related to changing predation pressure and habitat change with effects on micro-climate

Arañas y carábidos como potenciales bioindicadores en ambientes con distinto grado de intervención antrópica en el este uruguayo: un estudio preliminar

Some arthropod groups are considered to be good bioindicators of environmental quality. For that, they must fill some conditions, such as biological and morphological characteristics that lead to their easy find and identification. The pit-fall traps are widely used as an efficient method to collect predator arthropods that may have a good potential as bioindicators of the characteristics of their environment. During a nine months period, fortnightly collects were made in three production systems with different intensity of anthropic intervention, in the Laguna Negra basin, Rocha, Uruguay: natural grassland with low intensity of bovine cattle grazing; bovine and sheep grazed area, and an area under high bovine grazing intensity with winter-summer agriculture. In each of the three areas two series of 10 pitfall traps were installed with a distance 100 m minimum between series and 10 m between traps. Two spider morphospecies,  Mesabolivar sp (Pholcidae) y Steatoda sp (Theridiidae) appeared to be good indicators for the less and most intensified environments, respectively. Other four morphospecies of the families Nemesiidae, Oxyopidae, Lycosidae y Palpimanidae were characterized as detectors to different environments. Four morphospecies of the coleopteran family Carabidae (Calosoma retusum, Galerita collaris, Brachinus sp and Pelecium sp) were defined as indicators of the more intensified system, with agriculture.Algunos grupos de artrópodos son considerados buenos indicadores de calidad ambiental. Para ello deben cumplir con algunas condiciones, como poseer características biológicas y morfológicas que faciliten su hallazgo e identificación. Las trampas de caída (pitfall) son ampliamente utilizadas para recolectar artrópodos predadores potencialmente bioindicadores de las características del ambiente que ocupan. Se realizaron recolecciones quincenales, durante nueve meses, en tres sistemas productivos con diferente grado de intervención antrópica en la cuenca de la Laguna Negra, Rocha: área con baja intensidad de pastoreo de vacunos; área con bajo pastoreo de ganado vacuno y ovino, y área con altas cargas de ganado vacuno y agricultura inverno-estival. En cada área se instalaron dos series de 10 trampas pitfall separadas a una distancia mínima de 100 m y a una distancia de 10 m entre trampas. Dos morfoespecies de arañas, Mesabolivar sp (Pholcidae) y Steatoda sp (Theridiidae), fueron determinadas como indicadoras de los ambientes con menor y mayor intensidad de disturbio, respectivamente. Otras cuatro morfoespecies, pertenecientes a las familias Nemesiidae, Oxyopidae, Lycosidae y Palpimanidae, fueron caracterizadas como detectoras de los diferentes ambientes. Cuatro morfoespecies de coleópteros de la familia Carabidae (Calosoma retusum, Galerita collaris, Brachinus sp y Pelecium sp) resultaron indicadoras del ambiente de mayor intensidad productiva, con agricultura

Análisis de esfuerzo de muestreo de himenópteros parasitoides en tres ambientes del Este uruguayo

Hymenopteran parasitoids offer an ecosystem service as biological control of agricultural pests. Many of these parasitoids are tiny insects and, therefore, their screening and identification are highly complex. Fortnightly sampling, between December 2014 and December 2015, was conducted with two Malaise traps in three areas: natural area, cattle grazing pastures and cattle grazing with winter-summer agriculture, near Castillos, Rocha, Uruguay. Taxa were screened at the Centro Universitario Regional del Este (CURE) – Rocha and parasitoids identification, at family level of the order Hymenoptera, was made in Ribeirão Preto, Brasil. In total, 36.718 parasitoid individuals from 31 Hymenoptera families were collected. Data sets were created with information transformed to proportional abundance in the sample: considering one (N = 72) or two (N = 144) fortnights, and a family accumulation multivariate analysis was applied (perMANOVA). Considering half (one fortnight) or total (two fortnights) number of sampling dates, indistinctly, it is possible to adjust sampling effort in order to decrease the sampling frequency or dates, without a significant reduction on the recovering of new families. Thus, this is a contribution to maintain the recovery efficiency and the value of the study, while helping to reduce costs in material and human resources.Los himenópteros parasitoides brindan el servicio ecosistémico de control biológico de numerosas plagas agrícolas. Muchos de ellos son minúsculos y su separación e identificación son altamente trabajosas. Entre diciembre de 2014 y diciembre de 2015 se condujeron colectas quincenales con dos trampas Malaise en un área natural, una de pastoreo con ganado vacuno y una con ganadería vacuna con agricultura inverno-estival, en las cercanías de la ciudad de Castillos, Rocha, Uruguay. La separación de taxones colectados se realizó en el Centro Universitario Regional del Este (CURE) – Rocha y se identificaron las familias de los himenópteros parasitoides en Ribeirão Preto, Brasil. Se colectaron 36.718 parasitoides de 31 familias de Hymenoptera parasitoides. Con datos transformados a abundancia proporcional en la muestra se construyeron sets considerando una (N = 72) o dos quincenas (N = 144) y se realizó un análisis multivariado de acumulación de familias (perMANOVA). Considerando la mitad (una quincena) o la totalidad (dos quincenas) de las fechas, indistintamente, es posible ajustar el esfuerzo de muestreo para disminuir la frecuencia y/o los meses de muestreo, sin pérdida significativa en el hallazgo de nuevas familias. Este estudio contribuye a mantener la eficiencia y validez del trabajo y a reducir costos en recursos humanos y materiales

Nickel and Palladium Complexes with New Phosphinito-Imine Ligands and Their Application as Ethylene Oligomerization Catalysts

Phosphinito-imines, a new class of P,N donors, are readily generated by reaction of bulky arylamide anions [R2CONAr]− (R2 = Me or t-Bu; Ar = 2,6-i-Pr2C6H4) with chlorophosphines ClP(R1)2. In solution, free phosphinito-imines exist in equilibrium with the corresponding amidophosphine tautomers, containing a nitrogen-bound P(R1)2 group. However, reacting the tautomer mixtures with metal precursor complexes, such as NiBr2(dme) or PdCl2(cod), selectively affords stable phosphinito-imine complexes MX2(P-N) (M = Ni, Pd) in excellent yields. These complexes are diamagnetic and exhibit square-planar structures in the solid state, but in solution, the Ni derivatives exchange with a small amount of the corresponding high-spin tetrahedral isomers. On treatment with MMAO or DEAC, NiX2(P-N) complexes become active ethylene oligomerization catalysts, affording mainly butenes along with smaller amounts of hexenes and octenes. The activity and the selectivity of these catalysts depend on the structure of the phosphinito-imine ligand and the cocatalyst used. When activated with DEAC, complexes containing the P(i-Pr)2 moiety are extremely active, achieving TOFs over 106 mol C2H4/mol Ni·h and high selectivity for butenesPeer reviewe