Assessment of microbial plankton diversity as an ecological indicator in the NW Mediterranean coast

High-throughput sequencing of microbial assemblages has been proposed as an alternative methodology to the traditional ones used in marine monitoring and environmental assessment. Here, we evaluated pico- and nanoplankton diversity as ecological indicators in NW Mediterranean coastal waters by comparing their diversity in samples subjected to varying degrees of continental pressures. Using metabarcoding of the 16S and 18S rRNA genes, we explored whether alphadiversity indices, abundance of Operational Taxonomic Units and taxonomic groups (and their ratios) provide information on the ecological quality of coastal waters. Our results revealed that only eukaryotic diversity metrics and a limited number of prokaryotic and eukaryotic taxa displayed potential in assessing continental influences in our surveyed area, resulting thus in a restrained potential of microbial plankton diversity as an ecological indicator. Therefore, incorporating microbial plankton diversity in environmental assessment could not always result in a significant improvement of current marine monitoring strategies.Preprint2,35

Diversity, distribution and phenology of cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula)

Les cigales o cicàdids són insectes amb fase juvenil endogea, cicle vital llarg i cants audibles, importants a les xarxes tròfiques d’ecosistemes terrestres. Malgrat l’interès que han despertat arreu, la informació històrica a la península ibèrica, i en particular a Catalunya, és escassa. El catàleg d’hemípters de Martorell y Peña (1879) hi cita set espècies. Després d’aquesta data, les cigales van rebre molt poca atenció fins al segle XXI. La informació acumulada els darrers anys permet estudiar la diversitat, distribució i fenologia del grup. A tal efecte, es va realitzar una cerca bibliogràfica mitjançant cercadors acadèmics, i es van analitzar les dades del portal ornitho.cat pel període 2006-2020 (N=3468 registres). Es presenta el catàleg de cicàdids de Catalunya que conté 12 espècies, un nombre comparable al d’altres territoris europeus: les cigales grossa, del pi, de l’olivera i negra, respectivament Lyristes plebejus Scopoli, 1763, Cicada orni Linné, 1758, C. barbara Stal, 1866 (al·lòctona introduïda) i Cicadatra atra Olivier, 1790; les brunzidores ala-roja, sigil·lada, de garriga i cotonosa, respectivament Tibicina haematodes Scopoli, 1763, T. quadrisignata Hagen, 1855, T. garricola Boulard, 1983 i T. tomentosa Olivier, 1790; i les cigalelles europea occidental, vespera, culprima i argentada, respectivament Cicadetta petryi Schumacher, 1924, Hilaphura varipes Waltl, 1837, Euryphara dubia Rambur, 1840 i Tettigettalna argentata Olivier, 1790. Es mostren mapes de riquesa i distribució d’espècies en quadrícules UTM de 5 × 5 km, diagrames de distribució altitudinal i fenologia per les espècies més comunes, així com il·lustracions originals de suport a la identificació. Aquest treball il·lustra el potencial de la ciència ciutadana per ampliar el coneixement de grups d’insectes poc estudiats i estableix un escenari de referència sobre el que fonamentar futurs estudis de la distribució i ecologia dels cicàdids.True cicadas (Cicadidae) are insects with a juvenile phase spent belowground, a long life cycle and audible songs, that are important in the trophic networks of terrestrial ecosystems. Despite the interest they arouse, historical information in the Iberian Peninsula, and more specifically in Catalonia, is scarce. The catalogue of Hemipteran by Martorell y Peña (1879) cited seven species. After that date, cicadas received very little attention until the 21st century. The information accumulated in recent years allowed us to study the diversity, distribution and phenology of the group. To this end, a bibliographic search was carried out using the academic search engines, and the data hosted at ornitho.cat website was analysed for the period 2006-2020 (N= 3468 records). The catalogue of cicadas of Catalonia presented here contains 12 species, a number comparable to that of other European territories: Cicadinae Lyristes plebejus Scopoli, 1763, Cicada orni Linné, 1758, C. barbara Stal, 1866 (introduced non-native) and Cicadatra atra Olivier, 1790; Tibicininae Tibicina haematodes Scopoli, 1763, T. quadrisignata Hagen, 1855, T. garricola Boulard, 1983 and T. tomentosa Olivier, 1790; and Cicadettinae Cicadetta petryi Schumacher, 1924, Hilaphura varipes Waltl, 1837, Euryphara dubia Rambur, 1840 and Tettigettalna argentata Olivier, 1790. We provide species richness and distribution maps in 5 × 5 km UTM grids, altitudinal distribution and phenology diagrams for the most common species, as well as original illustrations to support identification. This work shows the potential of citizen science to expand the knowledge of a scarcely studied group of insects and establishes a baseline scenario on which to base future studies of the distribution and ecology of cicadas

Why Are Outcomes Different for Registry Patients Enrolled Prospectively and Retrospectively? Insights from the Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF).

Background: Retrospective and prospective observational studies are designed to reflect real-world evidence on clinical practice, but can yield conflicting results. The GARFIELD-AF Registry includes both methods of enrolment and allows analysis of differences in patient characteristics and outcomes that may result. Methods and Results: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ≥1 risk factor for stroke at diagnosis of AF were recruited either retrospectively (n = 5069) or prospectively (n = 5501) from 19 countries and then followed prospectively. The retrospectively enrolled cohort comprised patients with established AF (for a least 6, and up to 24 months before enrolment), who were identified retrospectively (and baseline and partial follow-up data were collected from the emedical records) and then followed prospectively between 0-18 months (such that the total time of follow-up was 24 months; data collection Dec-2009 and Oct-2010). In the prospectively enrolled cohort, patients with newly diagnosed AF (≤6 weeks after diagnosis) were recruited between Mar-2010 and Oct-2011 and were followed for 24 months after enrolment. Differences between the cohorts were observed in clinical characteristics, including type of AF, stroke prevention strategies, and event rates. More patients in the retrospectively identified cohort received vitamin K antagonists (62.1% vs. 53.2%) and fewer received non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (1.8% vs . 4.2%). All-cause mortality rates per 100 person-years during the prospective follow-up (starting the first study visit up to 1 year) were significantly lower in the retrospective than prospectively identified cohort (3.04 [95% CI 2.51 to 3.67] vs . 4.05 [95% CI 3.53 to 4.63]; p = 0.016). Conclusions: Interpretations of data from registries that aim to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with AF must take account of differences in registry design and the impact of recall bias and survivorship bias that is incurred with retrospective enrolment. Clinical Trial Registration: - URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier for GARFIELD-AF (NCT01090362)

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

Dynamiques écologiques des lacs du littoral aquitain – physico-chimie du lac de Parentis-Biscarrosse

International audienceLakes located along the western atlantic coast represent the largest lake ecosystems in France. These ecosystems are highly impacted by anthropogenic activities and have consequently be the target of numerous scientific studies aiming to evaluate their ecological quality during the last decades. Nevertheless, the long-term ecological dynamic of these lakes has never been investigated. In order to quantify the ecological dynamics of Aquitaines’ lakes and to evaluate the efficiency of managing actions, the Adour-Garonne water Agency and the INRAE centre of Cestas-Gazinet recently initiate a research program (DYLAQ) aiming to gather all historical scientific data and identify lakes ecological trajectories. For the present study, we focused on the Parentis-Biscarrosse lake and we investigated the temporal variation of physico-chemical parameters related to eutrophication since the 70s and quantified the impact of climate warming on surface water temperature since the end of the 50s. Results evidenced a low water quality in the 70-80s, but an improvement of water quality since the 90s. Watershed management operating since the 90s seems to have a significant effect on the long term, confirming a time-delay of ecosystem responses. The increase of water surface temperature (0.2°C per decade) and the increase of the number and length of heatwaves confirm the importance of climate warming on the Parentis-Biscarrosse lake. Although lake water quality is globally in a positive trajectory, the joint effect of recent history and climate warming are still an important threat for this lake ecosystem, that constantly need a sustained management on its whole watershed.Les lacs du littoral Aquitain représentent les plus grands écosystèmes lacustres de plaine en France. Ces écosystèmes sont soumis à une très forte pression anthropique et ont, en conséquence, fait l’objet de nombreuses études scientifiques permettant d’évaluer leur qualité écologique au cours des dernières décennies. Pour autant, une étude de la dynamique écologique de ces lacs sur le temps long n’a jamais été entreprise. Afin de pouvoir quantifier la dynamique écologique des lacs du littoral aquitain et d’évaluer les opérations de gestion actuellement mises en œuvre sur ces milieux, l’Agence de l’Eau Adour-Garonne et le centre INRAE de Cestas-Gazinet ont récemment lancé un programme de recherche (DYLAQ) visant à rassembler ces diverses données et identifier les trajectoires écologiques des lacs. Dans le cadre de cette étude, nous nous sommes intéressés à un lac modèle : le lac de Parentis-Biscarrosse. Nous avons étudié la variation des paramètres physico-chimiques liés à l’eutrophisation depuis les années 70 et quantifié l’impact du réchauffement climatique sur la température de l’eau de surface depuis la fin des années 50. Les résultats montrent qu’après une dégradation forte de la qualité de l’eau jusqu’aux années 90, l’état physico-chimique du lac semble s’améliorer. La gestion à l’échelle du bassin versant, menée entre les années 1990 et 2000, apparaît donc avoir porté ses fruits sur le long terme, témoignant d’un long délai de réponse de l’écosystème. L’augmentation de la température de l’eau de surface de 0,2°C par décennie et la forte augmentation de la durée des vagues de chaleurs sur la température de l’eau confirment l’importance du réchauffement climatique sur le lac de Parentis-Biscarrosse. Bien que globalement la trajectoire physico-chimique du lac soit dans une dynamique plutôt favorable, les effets joints de son histoire récente et du réchauffement des températures constitue encore une menace importante pour l’ensemble de l’écosystème, et nécessite un suivi et une gestion soutenue sur l’ensemble de son bassin versant

DYLAQ - Dynamiques écologiques temporelles des lacs et étangs du littoral Aquitain

International audienc

DYLAQ - Dynamiques écologiques temporelles des lacs et étangs du littoral Aquitain

International audienc

Un patrimoine unique à partager et à protéger

Dans son numéro double 43-44, la revue Dynamiques Environnementales propose un aperçu de la diversité des regards, des travaux de recherche et des opérations de gestion portés sur les lacs et étangs aquitains. In its double issue 43-44, Dynamiques Environnementales magazine offers an overview of the diversity of approaches, research work and management operations carried out on Aquitaine's lakes and ponds