Mountain hare transcriptome and diagnostic markers as resources to monitor hybridization with European hares

We report the first mountain hare (Lepus timidus) transcriptome, produced by de novo assembly of RNA-sequencing reads. Data were obtained from eight specimens sampled in two localities, Alps and Ireland. The mountain hare tends to be replaced by the invading European hare (Lepus europaeus) in their numerous contact zones where the species hybridize, which affects their gene pool to a yet unquantified degree. We characterize and annotate the mountain hare transcriptome, detect polymorphism in the two analysed populations and use previously published data on the European hare (three specimens, representing the European lineage of the species) to identify 4 672 putative diagnostic sites between the species. A subset of 85 random independent SNPs was successfully validated using PCR and Sanger sequencing. These valuable genomic resources can be used to design tools to assess population status and monitor hybridization between species

O sistema de gestão ambiental do ISCTE-IUL: um modelo de integração-qualidade-sustentabilidade

O artigo pretende partilhar a experiência do ISCTE - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL) na integração da sustentabilidade na cultura de qualidade. O ISCTE-IUL assumiu o compromisso com a Qualidade enquanto pilar do seu desenvolvimento estratégico, materializando-se num Sistema Interno de Garantia da Qualidade (SIGQ-IUL). Por seu lado, a sustentabilidade institucional – nas dimensões ambiental, social e económica – constitui também uma aposta estratégica e transversal que tem vindo a ser implementada nas práticas de gestão da instituição, no ensino, na investigação e na extensão universitária. O ISCTE-IUL é certificado de acordo com a Norma Portuguesa ISO 9001 desde 2008. O projeto da Sustentabilidade foi iniciado em 2016 e envolve um conjunto de ações para a melhoria do desempenho sustentável da instituição, das quais se destacam a implementação do Sistema de Gestão Ambiental (SGA) do ISCTE-IUL e a obtenção da respetiva certificação em 2018. Considerando a abrangência do SIGQ-IUL, um primeiro desafio prendia-se com o modelo previsto para a integração da Sustentabilidade, tendo sido adotada uma integração com relativa autonomia. Discutimos as implicações que o SGA colocou a diferentes níveis, com especial destaque para a necessidade de assumir a Sustentabilidade enquanto fator-chave da estratégia e da prática diária da Instituição, desde logo ao nível do campus, onde se procura a gestão eficiente dos recursos e a diminuição dos impactes ambientais negativos. Por outro lado, todo este processo tem-se traduzido em mais uma experiência de partilha, envolvimento e aprendizagem muito positivos para o ISCTE-IUL, com um contributo relevante para a melhoria da qualidade. A comunicação centra-se em dois aspetos: (i) a apresentação do modelo de integração da Sustentabilidade no SIGQ-IUL e (ii) o desenho e a implementação do SGA. Por último, uma nota conclusiva, resumindo os desafios particulares da Gestão da Sustentabilidade no ISCTE-IUL que presidem à conceção do Sistema de Gestão Ambiental.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Transcriptomic regulation of seasonal coat color change in hares

Color molts from summer brown to winter white coats have evolved in several species to maintain camouflage year-round in environments with seasonal snow. Despite the eco-evolutionary relevance of this key phenological adaptation, its molecular regulation has only recently begun to be addressed. Here, we analyze skin transcription changes during the autumn molt of the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) and integrate the results with an established model of gene regulation across the spring molt of the closely related snowshoe hare (L. americanus). We quantified differences in gene expression among three stages of molt progression-"brown" (early molt), "intermediate," and "white" (late molt). We found 632 differentially expressed genes, with a major pulse of expression early in the molt, followed by a milder one in late molt. The functional makeup of differentially expressed genes anchored the sampled molt stages to the developmental timeline of the hair growth cycle, associating anagen to early molt and the transition to catagen to late molt. The progression of color change was characterized by differential expression of genes involved in pigmentation, circadian, and behavioral regulation. We found significant overlap between differentially expressed genes across the seasonal molts of mountain and snowshoe hares, particularly at molt onset, suggesting conservatism of gene regulation across species and seasons. However, some discrepancies suggest seasonal differences in melanocyte differentiation and the integration of nutritional cues. Our established regulatory model of seasonal coat color molt provides an important mechanistic context to study the functional architecture and evolution of this crucial seasonal adaptation

Eco-physiological arguments on the functional impact of Lepus timidus mitochondrial DNA introgression in Iberian hares (Lepus granatensis)

Genetic exchanges between species provide valuable opportunities to dissect the relative importance of neutral and selective processes driving introgression events and to test their functional relevance. In the northern half of the Iberian Peninsula, the Iberian hare, Lepus granatensis, presents extensive patterns of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) introgression from the mountain hare, L. timidus, a species that disappeared from the region after the Last Glacial Maximum. Here, we test whether mtDNA introgression affects reproductive success and body condition of Iberian hare individuals. For that end, hares (n = 149) were sampled from populations along the mtDNA introgression gradient during the 2013–2014 and 2014–2015 hunting seasons. Reproductive performance indicators, including pregnancy status and testicular weight, were recorded, while body condition was measured as kidney fat (our response variables). Predictors included individual traits (sex and age), sampling period (month and hunting season), mtDNA introgression, occurrence or burden of different endoparasites and environmental factors. Our results showed that mtDNA introgression was negatively associated with pregnancy in females and body condition in males, while a positive association was found with body condition in females. These results suggest that carrying the mountain hare mtDNA has physiological effects in Iberian hares, but that the allospecific mtDNA type may not always be beneficial for the individual. This study shows that the patterns of mtDNA introgression seen in the Iberian hare today may result from a complex balance between deleterious and beneficial individual effects.This work was supported by the EXPL/AAG-MAA/1082/2013 project (ECOMITO – Unravelling the ecological impact of mitochondrial introgression) funded by FCT, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia. Further support was obtained from projects PTDC/BIA-EVL/1307/2020, funded by FCT, and NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000007 supported by the Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). BC was funded by FCT (grant number 2020.04872.BD). AJC is supported by a ‘Juan de la Cierva’ contract (IJC2020-042629-I) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Union Next Generation EU/PRTR. JMF and RC were supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, FCT, Portugal (2021.00150.CEECIND and DL57/2016/CP1341/CT0001 research contracts respectively).Peer reviewe

Building a Portuguese coalition for biodiversity genomics

The diverse physiography of the Portuguese land and marine territory, spanning from continental Europe to the Atlantic archipelagos, has made it an important repository of biodiversity throughout the Pleistocene glacial cycles, leading to a remarkable diversity of species and ecosystems. This rich biodiversity is under threat from anthropogenic drivers, such as climate change, invasive species, land use changes, overexploitation, or pathogen (re)emergence. The inventory, characterisation, and study of biodiversity at inter- and intra-specific levels using genomics is crucial to promote its preservation and recovery by informing biodiversity conservation policies, management measures, and research. The participation of researchers from Portuguese institutions in the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) initiative and its pilot effort to generate reference genomes for European biodiversity has reinforced the establishment of Biogenome Portugal. This nascent institutional network will connect the national community of researchers in genomics. Here, we describe the Portuguese contribution to ERGA’s pilot effort, which will generate high-quality reference genomes of six species from Portugal that are endemic, iconic, and/or endangered and include plants, insects, and vertebrates (fish, birds, and mammals) from mainland Portugal or the Azores islands. In addition, we outline the objectives of Biogenome Portugal, which aims to (i) promote scientific collaboration, (ii) contribute to advanced training, (iii) stimulate the participation of institutions and researchers based in Portugal in international biodiversity genomics initiatives, and (iv) contribute to the transfer of knowledge to stakeholders and engaging the public to preserve biodiversity. This initiative will strengthen biodiversity genomics research in Portugal and fuel the genomic inventory of Portuguese eukaryotic species. Such efforts will be critical to the conservation of the country’s rich biodiversity and will contribute to ERGA’s goal of generating reference genomes for European species.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Building a Portuguese Coalition for Biodiversity Genomics

The diverse physiography of the Portuguese land and marine territory, spanning from continental Europe to the Atlantic archipelagos, has made it an important repository of biodiversity throughout the Pleistocene glacial cycles, leading to a remarkable diversity of species and ecosystems. This rich biodiversity is under threat from anthropogenic drivers, such as climate change, invasive species, land use changes, overexploitation or pathogen (re)emergence. The inventory, characterization and study of biodiversity at inter- and intra-specific levels using genomics is crucial to promote its preservation and recovery by informing biodiversity conservation policies, management measures and research. The participation of researchers from Portuguese institutions in the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) initiative, and its pilot effort to generate reference genomes for European biodiversity, has reinforced the establishment of Biogenome Portugal. This nascent institutional network will connect the national community of researchers in genomics. Here, we describe the Portuguese contribution to ERGA’s pilot effort, which will generate high-quality reference genomes of six species from Portugal that are endemic, iconic and/or endangered, and include plants, insects and vertebrates (fish, birds and mammals) from mainland Portugal or the Azores islands. In addition, we outline the objectives of Biogenome Portugal, which aims to (i) promote scientific collaboration, (ii) contribute to advanced training, (iii) stimulate the participation of institutions and researchers based in Portugal in international biodiversity genomics initiatives, and (iv) contribute to the transfer of knowledge to stakeholders and engaging the public to preserve biodiversity. This initiative will strengthen biodiversity genomics research in Portugal and fuel the genomic inventory of Portuguese eukaryotic species. Such efforts will be critical to the conservation of the country’s rich biodiversity and will contribute to ERGA’s goal of generating reference genomes for European species.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Imago & mirabilia : les formes del prodigi a la Mediterrània medieval

Hem organitzat el present volum a partir de tres àmbits que, sense cap pretensió totalitzadora ni teòrica, mostrin la vivacitat del prodigi medieval i la riquesa de la seva exploració. El primer àmbit és el titulat Geografies. El sagrat i el profà tracen una topografia del meravellós que omple la geografia d'indrets singulars, escenaris de tota mena de prodigis, alguns de remots o d'altres encara avinents. La tradicional història sagrada i l'heterogeni santoral, la literatura i els tractats pseudo-científics de l'antiguitat, les cròniques de viatgers i pelegrins o la mateixa cartografia, tot contribueix a fixar els indrets de la meravella com a lieux de mémoire. En efecte, el meravellós també respon a una topografia, a uns espais concrets on es troba, es reconeix i es difon; una memòria precisa on tothora són recordades les mirabilia. El segon àmbit del volum és Objectes. A l'edat mitjana, relíquies, objectes valuosos, rars o exòtics van ser buscats amb afany i els van creure portadors de virtuts prodigioses o reminiscències de criatures tan llunyanes com fabuloses. Presents a les corts, als tresors d'església o a les llars benestants, van esdevenir formes tangibles del sobrenatural. Alguns de procedents de l'Orient cristià van assolir una remarcable dimensió llegendària. I molts d'ells van desvetllar una arkhaiología, una «història de les coses antigues», amb la qual es va anar acompanyant l'objecte prodigiós d'una llegenda que reverberava la seva condició meravellosa i remota. Per últim, el tercer àmbit és Relats. Les narracions escrites i també els relats visuals van ser vehicles fonamentals per a la formació i la difusió del prodigi a l'edat mitjana. Les diverses formes de la meravella troben en la literatura profana o en l'hagiogràfica uns potents mitjans d'expressió i de la seva concreció. Cròniques, novel·les i relats hagiogràfics són portaveus de successos extraordinaris, i la seva enunciació o visualització és causa d'estupor. Miracle, llegenda i aventura esdevenen presències constants en la literatura i en les arts figuratives medievals

Range dynamics driven by Quaternary climate oscillations explain the distribution of introgressed mtDNA of Lepus timidus origin in hares from the Iberian Peninsula

[Aim]: A striking case of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) introgression occurs in the Iberian Peninsula: the mtDNA of Lepus timidus, a species that inhabited this territory during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), is almost fixed in the Iberian range of Lepus europaeus, is very frequent in the northern half of Iberia within Lepus granatensis, and is fixed in Lepus castroviejoi. Here, we used a transdisciplinary approach to understand the ecological drivers of the distribution of this introgressed mtDNA in the Iberian hare species. [Location]: Europe, with an emphasis on the Iberian Peninsula. [Methods]: First, we modelled the climatic niche of L. timidus to predict the favourability for the species during the LGM. Second, we gathered data regarding L. timidus mtDNA introgression for 1137 individuals (139 populations) from the Iberian Peninsula. We tested whether the climatic favourability for L. timidus during the LGM reflects the frequency of the introgressed mtDNA in the carrier hare populations. [Results]: The climatic favourability for the LGM is positively related to the presence of individuals with L. timidus mtDNA, and discriminates better than by chance between individuals with and without this lineage. At the population level, the favourability values relate to the observed frequencies of mtDNA introgression and discriminate between populations with and without L. timidus mtDNA. [Main conclusions]: The results suggest that the geographical distribution of L. timidus mtDNA introgression is linked to L. timidus distribution in Iberia during the LGM. Our study helps to improve our understanding of the role of climate in the reticulated evolutionary history of hares, and is a first step towards understanding the ecological impact of mtDNA introgression on Iberian hares.P.A. is currently supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) and Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) through a ‘Ramón y Cajal’ contract (RYC-2012-11970). J.M.-F. and R.C. hold FCT Investigator and postdoctoral grants, respectively, from the Fundaçao para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), funded by Programa Operacional Potencial Humano (POPH) – Quadro de Referencia Estrategico Nacional (QREN) from the European Social Fund and by the Portuguese Ministerio da Educacao e Ciencia (IF/00033/2014 and SFRH/BPD/64365/2009, respectively). This work is funded by FEDER funds through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness Factors – COMPETE and by National Funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology under the EXPL/AAG-MAA/1082/2013 and FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-041082. Partial funding was also obtained from FCT-ANR/BIA-EVF/0250/2012 and by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Spanish National Park’s Network (project 1098/2014).Peer Reviewe

Laparoscopia em Tumor Quístico Gigante do Ovário na Adolescência. A Propósito de um Caso Clínico

A eficácia e segurança da cirurgia laparoscópica na resolução dos tumores quísticos benignos do ovário tem sido demonstrada por inúmeros estudos. As dimensões do tumor quístico do ovário foi, até há algum tempo atrás, factor limitante na opção cirúrgica: se superior a 10 cm a laparotomia era a indicação. Actualmente, a cirurgia laparoscópica está associada a muitas vantagens: redução da hemorragia operatória, menos complicações pós-operatórias, menor tempo de hospitalização, mais rápida recuperação e melhor resultado estético. Os autores descrevem o caso de uma adolescente de 15 anos de idade, com um tumor quístico gigante do ovário (mais de 30 cm), ocupando todos os quadrantes do abdómen, e que foi tratado laparoscopicamente com sucesso após punção/drenagem aspirativa sob controle ecográfico. Conclusão: Com uma criteriosa selecção dos doentes, a laparoscopia cirúrgica é segura em doentes com quistos benignos gigantes do ovário