Characterization of Resistance Mechanisms in Faba Bean (Vicia faba) against Broomrape Species (Orobanche and Phelipanche spp.)

Faba bean (Vicia faba) production in Mediterranean and Near East agriculture is severely constrained by broomrape infection. The most widely distributed broomrape species affecting faba bean is Orobanche crenata, although O. foetida and Phelipanche aegyptiaca are of local importance. Only moderately resistant cultivars are available to farmers. Rizotrons studies allowed the dissection of resistance components in faba bean accessions against the very infective species O. crenata, O. foetida var. broteri and P. aegyptiaca, and to the inappropriate P. ramosa and O. foetida var. foetida. Results confirm that some levels of incomplete resistance are available, resulting in a reduced number of broomrape tubercles successfully formed per faba bean plant. Interestingly, the intermediate levels of resistance of cv. Baraca were operative against all broomrape populations and species studied, confirming previous reports on the stability of resistance of Baraca in field trials in different countries. Low induction of seed germination played a major role in the resistance against the inappropriate O. foetida var. foetida but not against the also inappropriate P. ramosa, neither to the infective species O. crenata, O. foetida var. broteri, or P. aegyptiaca. Negative tropism of germinated seeds with radicles growing away from faba bean roots was marked for both inappropriate species but was not observed in any of the infective species. Also, a proportion of radicles that had successfully contacted faba bean roots became necrotic, failing in starting tubercle development, particularly frequent for the two inappropriate species. Such necrosis was significant also on radicles contacting resistant faba bean accessions, being particularly relevant for Spanish O. crenata population, and lower although still significant in some accessions against Syrian O. crenata and P. aegyptiaca, suggesting that this might also be an operative mechanism to be selected and further exploited in faba bean resistance breeding. Even formed broomrape tubercles might later become necrotic, particularly in the case of some of the resistant faba bean accessions to the Spanish O. crenata and to P. aegyptiaca but not to the very infective Syrian O. crenata or O. foetida var. broteri.Authors are greatly indebted to European Union projects FP7-ARIMNet-Medileg and FP7-LEGATO (grant agreement 613551) for financial support.Peer reviewedPeer Reviewe

Domain wall dynamics in expanding spaces

We study the effects on the dynamics of kinks due to expansions and contractions of the space. We show that the propagation velocity of the kink can be adiabatically tuned through slow expansions/contractions, while its width is given as a function of the velocity. We also analyze the case of fast expansions/contractions, where we are no longer on the adiabatic regime. In this case the kink moves more slowly after an expansion-contraction cycle as a consequence of loss of energy through radiation. All these effects are numerically studied in the nonlinear Klein-Gordon equations (both for the sine-Gordon and for the phi^4 potential), and they are also studied within the framework of the collective coordinate evolution equations for the width and the center of mass of the kink. These collective coordinate evolution equations are obtained with a procedure that allows us to consider even the case of large expansions/contractions.Comment: LaTeX, 18 pages, 2 figures, improved version to appear in Phys Rev

Estimating home-range size: when to include a third dimension?

Most studies dealing with home ranges consider the study areas as if they were totally flat, working only in two dimensions, when in reality they are irregular surfaces displayed in three dimensions. By disregarding the third dimension (i.e., topography), the size of home ranges underestimates the surface actually occupied by the animal, potentially leading to misinterpretations of the animals' ecological needs. We explored the influence of considering the third dimension in the estimation of home-range size by modeling the variation between the planimetric and topographic estimates at several spatial scales. Our results revealed that planimetric approaches underestimate home-range size estimations, which range from nearly zero up to 22%. The difference between planimetric and topographic estimates of home-ranges sizes produced highly robust models using the average slope as the sole independent factor. Moreover, our models suggest that planimetric estimates in areas with an average slope of 16.3° (±0.4) or more will incur in errors ≥5%. Alternatively, the altitudinal range can be used as an indicator of the need to include topography in home-range estimates. Our results confirmed that home-range estimates could be significantly biased when topography is disregarded. We suggest that study areas where home-range studies will be performed should firstly be scoped for its altitudinal range, which can serve as an indicator for the need for posterior use of average slope values to model the surface area used and/or available for the studied animals.This work was partially supported by a research project from the Spanish National Plan (project ref: CGL2009-10741) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and EU-FEDER funds. P. M. was supported by a Ph.D. grant from the Fundaçao para a Ciència e a Tecnologia (FCT) (SFRH/BD/37795/2007). N. S. was partially supported by a postdoctoral grant from FCT (SFRH/BPD/26666/2006). L. M. R. was funded by a Postdoctoral fellowship from the FCT and Fundo Social Europeu (III Quadro Comunitario de Apoio) (SFRH/BPD/35842/2007) and FAPESP (Proc. Ref.: 2011/00408-4).Peer Reviewe

Supplements of carbohydrates long during exercise: Effects on the electrolytes and glucose

Objetivo: Identificar si la forma de presentación de los suplementos de carbohidratos (SC) influye en la respuesta de la concentración plasmática de electrólitos y glucosa durante un ejercicio de larga duración. Doce hombres realizaron cuatro pruebas de 90 min en cicloergometro (55-60%VO2máx), seguidas por 6 km a máxima velocidad, consumiendo SC en diferentes presentaciones (líquido, gel o sólido) y un día únicamente consumían agua. Se analizaron las concentraciones de sodio, potasio y glucosa en sangre antes del ejercicio, cada 30 minutos de prueba, y tras los 6 km. No hubo diferencia significativa en la respuesta de los electrolitos durante todo estudio. Hubo diferencias significativas (p<0,05) en la glucosa cuando se consumieron SC independientemente de su presentación frente al consumo exclusivo de agua. Se concluye que la forma de presentación de los SC no influye en la concentración de glucosa en sangre durante el ejercicio de larga duraciónObjective: To identify if the format of carbohydrate supplements (CS) influence the response of the plasmatic concentration of electrolytes and glucose during long duration exercise. Twelve men performed four tests of 90 min on a cycle ergometer (55-60% VO2max), followed by 6 km at maximum speed, consuming CS in different forms (liquid, gel or solid) and one day just consuming water. It was analyzed the concentrations of sodium, potassium and blood glucose before exercise, every 30 minutes of test, and after 6 km. There was no significant difference in the response of electrolytes during the study. However, the glucose showed significant differences (p <0.05) when it was consumed CS regardless of their form, whenever just water was consumed. In this way is possible to conclude, that the format of the SC does not affect the blood glucose concentration during long duration exercis

Influence of body mass and skinfolds on skin temperature through infrared thermography

Thermal response of skin temperature (Tsk) has been studied during exercise and immediately after (Merla, 2010). However, more studies about the influence of exercise on Tsk through the time are required to understand the impact of physical activity on thermoregulatory system and metabolis

Ethiopian wolves conflict with pastoralists in small Afroalpine relicts

Conservation Biolog

Applications of infrared thermography in sports. A review

La termografía infrarroja (TI) registra el calor irradiado de un cuerpo, que es emitido en un rango del espectro electromagnético que la visión humana no es capaz de identificar. La respuesta térmica depende de una serie de ajustes fisiológicos específicos como la homeostasis corporal y salud del deportista, lo cual permite establecer interesantes aplicaciones en el deporte. El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido revisar la literatura en torno a las aplicaciones de la TI en el ámbito del deporte, y proponer las características óptimas del registro en relación al evaluado, las condiciones ambientales y la cámara utilizada. Concluimos que la principal contribución de la TI en el ámbito del deporte es ayudar a identificar signos de lesión antes de que la lesión se produzca, permitiéndonos actuar de manera preventiva durante el proceso de entrenamientoInfrared thermography (IRT) records the radiant heat of a body, which is emitted in the range of the electromagnetic spectrum that human vision is not able to identify. The thermal response depends on a number of specific physiological adjustments as body homeostasis and athlete’s health, which allow us to establishing interesting applications in sport. The aim of this study was to review the literature on IRT applications in sports, and to propose the optimal characteristics of the register in terms of the subject, the environmental conditions and the camera used. We conclude that the main contribution of IRT in the field of sport is to help identify signs of injury before it occurs, allowing us to act proactively along the training proces

The Cryptic African Wolf: Canis aureus lupaster Is Not a Golden Jackal and Is Not Endemic to Egypt

The Egyptian jackal (Canis aureus lupaster) has hitherto been considered a large, rare subspecies of the golden jackal (C. aureus). It has maintained its taxonomical status to date, despite studies demonstrating morphological similarities to the grey wolf (C. lupus). We have analyzed 2055 bp of mitochondrial DNA from C. a. lupaster and investigated the similarity to C. aureus and C. lupus. Through phylogenetic comparison with all wild wolf-like canids (based on 726 bp of the Cytochrome b gene) we conclusively (100% bootstrap support) place the Egyptian jackal within the grey wolf species complex, together with the Holarctic wolf, the Indian wolf and the Himalayan wolf. Like the two latter taxa, C. a. lupaster seems to represent an ancient wolf lineage which most likely colonized Africa prior to the northern hemisphere radiation. We thus refer to C. a. lupaster as the African wolf. Furthermore, we have detected C. a. lupaster individuals at two localities in the Ethiopian highlands, extending the distribution by at least 2,500 km southeast. The only grey wolf species to inhabit the African continent is a cryptic species for which the conservation status urgently needs assessment

Spectral Library of Plant Species from Montesinho Natural Park in Portugal

In this work, we present and describe a spectral library (SL) with 15 vascular plant species from Montesinho Natural Park (MNP), a protected area in Northeast Portugal. We selected species from the vascular plants that are characteristic of the habitats in the MNP, based on their prevalence, and also included one invasive species: Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn, Castanea sativa Mill., Cistus ladanifer L., Crataegus monogyna Jacq., Frangula alnus Mill., Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl, Quercus pyrenaica Willd., Quercus rotundifolia Lam., Trifolium repens L., Arbutus unedo L., Dactylis glomerata L., Genista falcata Brot., Cytisus multiflorus (L'H & eacute;r.) Sweet, Erica arborea L., and Acacia dealbata Link. We collected spectra (300-2500 nm) from five records per leaf and leaf side, which resulted in 538 spectra compiled in the SL. Additionally, we computed five vegetation indices from spectral data and analysed them to highlight specific characteristics and differences among the sampled species. We detail the data repository information and its organisation for a better understanding of the data and to facilitate its use. The SL structure can add valuable information about the selected plant species in MNP, contributing to conservation purposes. This plant species SL is publicly available in Zenodo platform.This research was supported by Portuguese national funds through FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology I.P., under MontObEO—Montesinho biodiversity observatory: an Earth Observation tool for biodiversity conservation (FCT: MTS/BRB/0091/2020). Cátia Rodrigues de Almeida was financially supported by Portuguese national funds through FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology I.P. (Grant: PRT/BD/153518/2021). Neftalí Sillero is supported by a CEEC2017 contract (CEECIND/02213/2017) from FCT. João C. Campos and Nuno Garcia are supported respectively by a research contract and grants from MontObEO project (MTS/BRB/0091/2020). Salvador Arenas-Castro is supported by a María Zambrano fellowship funded by the Spanish Ministry of Universities and the European Union-Next Generation Plan.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Genome-Wide Association Analysis for Stem Cross Section Properties, Height and Heading Date in a Collection of Spanish Durum Wheat Landraces

Durum wheat landraces have a high potential for breeding but they remain underexploited due to several factors, including the insufficient evaluation of these plant materials and the lack of efficient selection tools for transferring target traits into elite backgrounds. In this work, we characterized 150 accessions of the Spanish durum wheat collection for stem cross section, height and heading date. Continuous variation and high heritabilities were recorded for the stem area, pith area, pith diameter, culm wall thickness, height and heading date. The accessions were genotyped with DArTSeq markers, which were aligned to the durum wheat ‘Svevo’ genome. The markers corresponding to genes, with a minor allele frequency above 5% and less than 10% of missing data, were used for genome-wide association scan analysis. Twenty-nine marker-trait associations (MTAs) were identified and compared with the positions of previously known QTLs. MTAs for height and heading date co-localized with the QTLs for these traits. In addition, all the MTAs for stem traits in chromosome 2B were located in the corresponding synteny regions of the markers associated with lodging in bread wheat. Finally, several MTAs for stem traits co-located with the QTL for wheat stem sawfly (WSS) resistance. The results presented herein reveal the same genomic regions in chromosome 2B are involved in the genetic control of stem traits and lodging tolerance in both durum and bread wheat. In addition, these results suggest the importance of stem traits for WSS resistance and the potential of these landraces as donors for lodging tolerance and WSS resistance enhancement. In this context, the MTAs for stem-related traits identified in this work can serve as a reference for further development of markers for the introgression of target traits into elite materialThis research was funded by the Instituto de Investigación y Formación Agraria y Pesquera (IFAPA), Junta de Andalucía, grant number AVA-AVA2019.020 cofounded at 80% by FEDER. C.M.A., J.S. and S.G.A. are members of the FiRCMe Network, funded by Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (AGL2016-81855-REDT). M.D.R.-R. was the recipient of a fellowship from the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (PRE2018-084037)