Salicaceae afforestations: advantage or disadvantage for Neotropical otter in its southernmost distribution?

Anthropogenic environmental changes may affect habitat suitability for wildlife. Currently, the commercial plantation of non-native trees is one of the most important types of land-use worldwide. The Lower Paraná River Delta in Argentina is a macromosaic of wetlands of high biodiversity value, which has been modified by the afforestation with Salicaceae species. In this context, the Neotropical otter, Lontra longicaudis (classified as Near Threatened at world level and as Endangered in Argentina), faces new challenges related to the colonization of these afforestation landscapes. On this basis, we investigated whether these human-made habitats could be a suitable habitat for the Neotropical otter. We analyzed habitat use and selection by this species at two scales of perception (micro- and macrohabitat) and in two contrasting seasons (winter and summer). Our results show that drainage channels within the afforestation landscape provide suitable conditions for this species during winter. The most important variables at macrohabitat level (dissolved oxygen, pH, and electric conductivity) and seasonally (temperature and pH) appeared to be related to prey availability in the watercourse stretches. At the microhabitat level, the primary factor for distinguishing between used and available sites was soil hardness, possibly related to favorable edaphic conditions for digging burrows. Therefore, the survival of this species in the area will depend on the afforestation management, mainly on those actions that decrease dissolved oxygen levels of waters and increase soil hardness of banks. Under the current wetland loss scenario in the region, afforestation systems may contribute to the conservation of this species.Fil: Krug, Cecilia Pamela. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental; ArgentinaFil: Cabrera, M. Sol. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Quintana, Ruben Dario. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental; Argentin

Can the intake of antiparasitic secondary metabolites explain the low prevalence of hemoparasites among wild Psittaciformes?

Background: Parasites can exert selection pressure on their hosts through effects on survival, on reproductive success, on sexually selected ornament, with important ecological and evolutionary consequences, such as changes in population viability. Consequently, hemoparasites have become the focus of recent avian studies. Infection varies significantly among taxa. Various factors might explain the differences in infection among taxa, including habitat, climate, host density, the presence of vectors, life history and immune defence. Feeding behaviour can also be relevant both through increased exposure to vectors and consumption of secondary metabolites with preventative or therapeutic effects that can reduce parasite load. However, the latter has been little investigated. Psittaciformes (parrots and cockatoos) are a good model to investigate these topics, as they are known to use biological control against ectoparasites and to feed on toxic food. We investigated the presence of avian malaria parasites (Plasmodium), intracellular haemosporidians (Haemoproteus, Leucocytozoon), unicellular flagellate protozoans (Trypanosoma) and microfilariae in 19 Psittaciformes species from a range of habitats in the Indo-Malayan, Australasian and Neotropical regions. We gathered additional data on hemoparasites in wild Psittaciformes from the literature. We considered factors that may control the presence of hemoparasites in the Psittaciformes, compiling information on diet, habitat, and climate. Furthermore, we investigated the role of diet in providing antiparasitic secondary metabolites that could be used as self-medication to reduce parasite load. Results: We found hemoparasites in only two of 19 species sampled. Among them, all species that consume at least one food item known for its secondary metabolites with antimalarial, trypanocidal or general antiparasitic properties, were free from hemoparasites. In contrast, the infected parrots do not consume food items with antimalarial or even general antiparasitic properties. We found that the two infected species in this study consumed omnivorous diets. When we combined our data with data from studies previously investigating blood parasites in wild parrots, the positive relationship between omnivorous diets and hemoparasite infestation was confirmed. Individuals from open habitats were less infected than those from forests. Conclusions: The consumption of food items known for their secondary metabolites with antimalarial, trypanocidal or general antiparasitic properties, as well as the higher proportion of infected species among omnivorous parrots, could explain the low prevalence of hemoparasites reported in many vertebrates

Permanent fistulation and cannulation of compartment 1 (Rumen) of the Llama (Lama glama) Fistulación y canulación permanente del compartimento 1 (Rumen) en Llamas (Lama glama)

To carry out nutritional evaluation of potentially useful feedstuffs and related ruminal metabolic studies in Llama, we have performed permanent fistulations of compartment 1 (rumen) in this specie. Four adult female llamas with a mean weight of 100 kg were fistulated using the surgical technique described by Cabrera et al. (1980, 1997). They were kept without food for 72 hr., atropinized and anaesthetized with Ketamine (Ketostop®) i.m. 10 mg/k of body weight. Lidocaine (2%) was used for local blockage. A piece of skin 10 cm in diameter of the left upper lumbar fossa was removed and the subjacent muscular layers were separated by blunt dissection. The peritoneum was opened and the ruminal wall was sutured to the edge of the skin using "U" stitches, maintaining the peritoneum between the two layers. Finally, the part of ruminal wall limited by de suture was cut away and all the surgical zone area was disinfected with Quemispray®. The resulting opening was closed immediately with a natural rubber cannula (Bar Diamond, Inc., Parma, Idaho, U.S.A.). Antibiotics (i.m.) were used for five days and sutures were removed at the 7th day after surgery. All of the animals, except one, withstood quite well the surgical procedure and adapted well to the cannula. At present, the animals have completed 24 months after surgery without mayor problems. Some of the cannulas showed a minor leak, which is frequent in these procedure

Revista de logopedia, foniatría y audiología

La publicación recoge resumen en InglésEn la formación de las nuevas generaciones desde las más tempranas edades intervienen la familia, la escuela y la sociedad; a pesar de que la educación hogareña no está conscientemente organizada y dirigida, constituye el eslabón esencial e inicial en el desarrollo del niño. Entre los tres y cinco años en los niños ocurren ciertos procesos fisiopsicológicos que al no ser atendidos adecuadamente por la familia pueden desencadenar en transtornos del lenguaje, lo cual afectaría su comunicación oral y escrita. Tomando como referencia las formas de manifestación de las familias hacia el desarrollo del lenguaje del niño y las características fisiopsicológicas del mismo en este trabajo se propone un Programa de Intervención Temprana para los Transtornos del Lenguaje 'Hablando Juntos'. Con la aplicación del programa se demostró de forma experimental que se evita el surgimiento de trastornos del lenguaje en los infantes, siempre que las familias cumplan sistemáticamente las orientaciones recibidas, por lo que se realiza su generalización en la provincia de Villa Clara.CataluñaES

UNA MIRADA TERRITORIAL URBANA DESDE EL ENFOQUE INFRAESTRUCTURAL DE AGUAS, EL CASO DEL MUNICIPIO DE ZARATE | ACTAS - Jornadas de Investigación

La Región Metropolitana de Buenos Aires posee una configuración urbana con rupturas y discontinuidades, que dan cuenta de un crecimiento urbano disperso, que se acentúa en el intersticio entre los municipios del segundo y tercer cordón metropolitano. Tales territorios, parcialmente urbanizados, suelen carecer de cobertura de infraestructuras urbanas básicas servidas en red. Como los municipios del Pilar y Belén de Escobar, que presentan, la mayor cantidad de población de los municipios del tercer cordón con los porcentajes más altos de falta de cobertura en red de aguas en zonas urbanas (el 80% no posee cloacas y el 75% no posee agua de red). No obstante, se encuentran casos particulares, que a pesar de estar alejados de la ciudad cabecera metropolitana, cuentan con una relación más equilibrada entre los procesos de crecimiento, la cantidad de población y los porcentajes de cobertura de infraestructuras de aguas en red. El Municipio de Zárate ejemplifica esta relación potencialmente más armónica (con sólo un 11% de población sin agua de red y un 27% sin cloacas en zonas urbanas). El adecuado abastecimiento de agua y saneamiento en red es una cuestión que hasta el momento, no se ha logrado solucionar en esta región metropolitana, dado que la velocidad de ampliación de las redes no se equipara con la de crecimiento demográfico. En el marco general del Proyecto de Investigación UBACyT “Gestión Urbana Contemporánea y Justicia Socio-espacial”, y en el particular del Proyecto PIA15 “Las infraestructuras  urbanas  básicas como políticas de  inclusión en  los procesos  de  urbanización  en la Región Metropolitana de Buenos Aires”, este trabajo presenta el caso de Zárate, como objeto de estudio para reflexionar sobre el territorio desde un enfoque infraestructural, lo que será el motivo la indagación que se difunde en este póster, mediante imágenes específicamente seleccionadas y resignificadas y re-elaboradas a tal fin. En el campo disciplinar de la planificación y la gestión urbana el territorio se indaga desde diversas herramientas grafico-tecnológicas (teledetección, cartografías, geo-referenciación, fotos aéreas, restitución en planimetrías, etc.), las cuales colaboran en la interpretación de problemáticas o temas de investigación. En la medida que estas herramientas crucen su información, se evidencia el potencial que posee el manejo instrumental como soporte analítico gráfico y como medio de difusión de los resultados

Genetic diversity of two stingless bees, Trigona nigerrima (Cresson 1878) and Trigona corvina (Cockerell 1913), in coffee dominated landscapes in Southern Mexico

Stingless bees (Apidae, Meliponini) are key pollinators in natural and agricultural Pantropical environments. Current human activities, however, threaten their populations, making it urgent to assesstheir abundance and genetic status. By a population genetics approach, we calculated the genetic diversity and estimated the number of wild colonies of two stingless bee species, Trigona nigerrima (Cresson) and T. corvina (Cockerell) in southern Mexico. Allele richness ranged from 10 to 19 (mean ± SD = 14 ± 3.5) for both species. Expected heterozygosity ranged 0.88-0.93 for T. corvina and 0.82-0.92 for T. nigerrima. The estimated number of colonies estimated was 25 on average for T. corvina and 21 for T. nigerrima. According to our results populations of both species seem not to be in danger. We also show that genetic tools can be extremely useful for colony density estimation for stingless bees as it is for bumble bees and honey bees.Stingless bees (Apidae, Meliponini) are key pollinators in natural and agricultural Pantropical environments. Current human activities, however, threaten their populations, making it urgent to assesstheir abundance and genetic status. By a population genetics approach, we calculated the genetic diversity and estimated the number of wild colonies of two stingless bee species, Trigona nigerrima (Cresson) and T. corvina (Cockerell) in southern Mexico. Allele richness ranged from 10 to 19 (mean ± SD = 14 ± 3.5) for both species. Expected heterozygosity ranged 0.88-0.93 for T. corvina and 0.82-0.92 for T. nigerrima. The estimated number of colonies estimated was 25 on average for T. corvina and 21 for T. nigerrima. According to our results populations of both species seem not to be in danger. We also show that genetic tools can be extremely useful for colony density estimation for stingless bees as it is for bumble bees and honey bees

Herbivory makes major contributions to ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling in tropical forests

Abstract The functional role of herbivores in tropical rainforests remains poorly understood. We quantified the magnitude of, and underlying controls on, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycled by invertebrate herbivory along a 2800 m elevational gradient in the tropical Andes spanning 12°C mean annual temperature. We find, firstly, that leaf area loss is greater at warmer sites with lower foliar phosphorus, and secondly, that the estimated herbivore-mediated flux of foliar nitrogen and phosphorus from plants to soil via leaf area loss is similar to, or greater than, other major sources of these nutrients in tropical forests. Finally, we estimate that herbivores consume a significant portion of plant carbon, potentially causing major shifts in the pattern of plant and soil carbon cycling. We conclude that future shifts in herbivore abundance and activity as a result of environmental change could have major impacts on soil fertility and ecosystem carbon sequestration in tropical forests

Verbeia: Revista de estudios filológicos Nº0

Verbeia nace con la finalidad de contagiarnos con la pasión de la Filología. Durante este año hemos crecido, nuestro Comité Científico aumenta y con él las esperanzas de estabilidad. Todos sabemos lo que cuesta llegar hasta aquí, y hoy llegamos con artículos escritos por profesores e investigadores de distintas universidades del planeta