Hydrologic and landscape changes in the Middle Ebro River (NE Spain): implications for restoration and management

The changes of landscape (1927–2003), discharge regime and anthropic activities with the river-floodplain of one reach at the Middle Ebro River (NE Spain) were investigated with the objective to identify the factors that best explain the natural ecotope succession and propose a realistic restoration option with consideration of the landscape dynamics during the last century and the socio-economic context. Our results indicate that hydrological and landscape patterns have been dramatically changed during the last century as a consequence of human alteration of the fluvial dynamics within the studied reach. The magnitude and variability of river discharge events have decreased at the end of the last century, and flood protection structures have disrupted the river floodplain connectivity. As a result, the succesional pathways of riparian ecotopes have been heavily modified because natural rejuvenation no longer takes place, resulting in decreased landscape diversity. It is apparent from these data that floodplain restoration must be incorporated as a significant factor into river management plans if a more natural functioning wants to be retrieved. The ecotope structure and dynamics of the 1927–1957 period should be adopted as the guiding image, whereas current hydrologic and landscape (dykes, raised surfaces) patterns should be considered. Under the current socio-economic context, the more realistic option seems to create a dynamic river corridor reallocating dykes and lowering floodplain heights. The extent of this river corridor should adapt to the restored flow regime, although periodic economic investments could be an option if the desired self-sustained dynamism is not reached

Functional and Immunological Relevance of Anaplasma marginale Major Surface Protein 1a Sequence and Structural Analysis.

Bovine anaplasmosis is caused by cattle infection with the tick-borne bacterium, Anaplasma marginale. The major surface protein 1a (MSP1a) has been used as a genetic marker for identifying A. marginale strains based on N-terminal tandem repeats and a 5'-UTR microsatellite located in the msp1a gene. The MSP1a tandem repeats contain immune relevant elements and functional domains that bind to bovine erythrocytes and tick cells, thus providing information about the evolution of host-pathogen and vector-pathogen interactions. Here we propose one nomenclature for A. marginale strain classification based on MSP1a. All tandem repeats among A. marginale strains were classified and the amino acid variability/frequency in each position was determined. The sequence variation at immunodominant B cell epitopes was determined and the secondary (2D) structure of the tandem repeats was modeled. A total of 224 different strains of A. marginale were classified, showing 11 genotypes based on the 5'-UTR microsatellite and 193 different tandem repeats with high amino acid variability per position. Our results showed phylogenetic correlation between MSP1a sequence, secondary structure, B-cell epitope composition and tick transmissibility of A. marginale strains. The analysis of MSP1a sequences provides relevant information about the biology of A. marginale to design vaccines with a cross-protective capacity based on MSP1a B-cell epitopes

Varietal diversity within grapevine accessions of cv. Tempranillo

Intra-varietal diversity of 31 accessions named as Tempranillo or described as synonyms of this representative Spanish grapevine variety was assessed using 48 morphological descriptors and 95 AFLP markers obtained using 2 primer combinations. We could identify homonyms as well as accessions belonging to varieties which, depending on their regional origin, are incorrectly cited as Tempranillo synonyms. Genetic analysis revealed a high level of genetic similarity between Tempranillo accessions (SG >0.97), which could correspond to three highly related genotypes. This narrow genetic variation supports a monophyletic origin of Tempranillo, and could be the result of rapid multiplication and distribution of a very low number of clones.

Burrknots as food source for larval development of Grapholita molesta (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) on apple trees.

Grapholita molesta (Busck) is one of the main pests of apple trees, and lives on their shoots and fruits. In southern Brazil, the insect is also found on old branches and structures similar to aerial roots, so-called burrknots. This study evaluated the development and population growth potential of G. molesta fed on burrknots, compared with apple fruit cultivar. Fuji and a corn-based artiÞcial diet. The study was carried out in the laboratory under controlled temperature (25 1C), relative humidity (7010%), and photophase (16 h). The biological parameters of the immature and adult stages were determined, and a fertility life table was constructed. Insects fed on burrknots showed a longer duration and a lower survival for the egg-to-adult period (29.3 d and 22.5%) compared with those that fed on apples (25.1 d and 30.0%) and artiÞcial diet (23.9 d and 54.8%). Insects reared on aerial roots had a lower pupal weight (10.0 mg) compared with those reared on either artiÞcial diet (13.7 mg) or apple cultivar. Fuji (12.4 mg). The fecundity and longevity of males and females did not signiÞcantly differ for the three foods. Based on the fertility life table, insects reared on burrknots had the lowest net reproductive rate (Ro), intrinsic rate of population growth (rm) and finite rate of increase, compared with insects reared on artiÞcial diet and apple fruit. Burrknots support the development of the complete cycle of G. molesta, which allows populations of this pest to increase in orchards

New species of Ehrlichia isolated from Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus shows an ortholog of the E. canis major immunogenic glycoprotein gp36 with a new sequence of tandem repeats

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.-- et al.[Background]: Ehrlichia species are the etiological agents of emerging and life-threatening tick-borne human zoonoses that inflict serious and fatal infections in companion animals and livestock. The aim of this paper was to phylogeneticaly characterise a new species of Ehrlichia isolated from Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus from Minas Gerais, Brazil. [Methods]: The agent was isolated from the hemolymph of Rhipicephalus (B.) microplus engorged females that had been collected from naturally infested cattle in a farm in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. This agent was then established and cultured in IDE8 tick cells. The molecular and phylogenetic analysis was based on 16S rRNA, groEL, dsb, gltA and gp36 genes. We used the maximum likelihood method to construct the phylogenetic trees. [Results]: The phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA, groEL, dsb and gltA showed that the Ehrlichia spp isolated in this study falls in a clade separated from any previously reported Ehrlichia spp. The molecular analysis of the ortholog of gp36, the major immunoreactive glycoproteins in E. canis and ortholog of the E. chaffeensis gp47, showed a unique tandem repeat of 9 amino acids (VPAASGDAQ) when compared with those reported for E. canis, E. chaffeensis and the related mucin-like protein in E. ruminantium. [Conclusions]: Based on the molecular and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA, groEL, dsb and gltA genes we concluded that this tick-derived microorganism isolated in Brazil is a new species, named E. mineirensis (UFMG-EV), with predicted novel antigenic properties in the gp36 ortholog glycoprotein. Further studies on this new Ehrlichia spp should address questions about its transmissibility by ticks and its pathogenicity for mammalian hosts.A. Cabezas Cruz is a Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher (ESR) supported by the POSTICK ITN (Post-graduate training network for capacity building to control ticks and tick-borne diseases) within the FP7- PEOPLE – ITN programme (EU Grant No. 238511).Peer Reviewe

Phloem-feeding herbivory on flowering melon plants enhances attraction of parasitoids by shifting floral to defensive volatiles.

Emission of herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) can differ according to the type of herbivory and the plant development stage, ultimately affecting recruitment of the natural enemy. Little is known about plant defenses induced at the flowering stage by phloem-feeding insects. We investigated the olfactory preference of Encarsia desantisi parasitoids and the chemical profile of flowering melon plants induced or not by the phloem-feeding of Bemisia tabaci whiteflies. In addition, we tested whether the parasitoids were attracted to synthetic defensive HIPVs, which mimicked whitefly-infested flowering melons. The parasitoids recognized volatiles from undamaged melons but preferred the scent of host-infested melons in olfactometry assays. Amounts of most individual volatiles did not differ between plant treatments; however, only whitefly-induced melons released methyl salicylate and tetradecane, compounds known to attract parasitoids. Interestingly, grouping volatiles by chemical classes revealed that whitefly-infested melon released larger amounts of monoterpenes and smaller amounts of benzenoids than undamaged melons, which might underlying the parasitoid attraction and indicate a possible trade-off between defensive and reproductive defenses at the melon flowering stage. Additionally, E. desantisi preferred the mix of synthetic and defensive HIPVs over hexane (control), opening a new avenue for further investigations in using olfactory lures for B. tabaci biological control. This study is the first report of induced defenses in melon plants and their mediation in a tritrophic interaction, as well as the first record of E. desantisi behavioral preference for HIPVs

Rethinking Hypothesis Tests

Null Hypothesis Significance Testing (NHST) have been a popular statistical tool across various scientific disciplines since the 1920s. However, the exclusive reliance on a p-value threshold of 0.05 has recently come under criticism; in particular, it is argued to have contributed significantly to the reproducibility crisis. We revisit some of the main issues associated with NHST and propose an alternative approach that is easy to implement and can address these concerns. Our proposed approach builds on equivalence tests and three-way decision procedures, which offer several advantages over the traditional NHST. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach on real-world examples and show that it has many desirable properties