Dirección estratégica de la comunicación en la Iglesia

En los últimos años, un número cada vez mayor de instituciones de la Iglesia ha establecido su propio departamento de comunicación. Crece la conciencia de que su función es importante para dar a conocer la naturaleza y la actividad de la Iglesia en un contexto complejo y plural. Uno de los elementos clave para la eficacia de estas tareas es precisamente la organización del trabajo: una dirección adecuada de la comunicación permite aprovechar al máximo los recursos disponibles (normalmente escasos) y desarrollar un servicio profesional de calidad. El artículo expone las características esenciales de la comunicación institucional de la Iglesia, y propone algunos rasgos que caracterizan la dirección estratégica de sus departamentos de comunicación

First record of Pontederia cordata L. (Pontederiaceae) in southern Spain and risk assessment for Europe

Pontederia cordata L. (Pontederiaceae) is an emerging aquatic plant native to the American continent that has been introduced to various continents through longdistance commerce as an ornamental plant. Individuals growing in the wild belonging to Pontederia L. genus where found in South Spain. The analysis of diagnostic characters of the collected specimens and their comparison to those represented in herbarium vouchers allowed us to distinguish them from its closest relative, P. sagittata C. Presl and to assign all the specimens found at the locality to P. cordata L. This is the southernmost European record of the species. It was clear that the origin of the introduction was the use as ornamental aquatic plant in the area. Its invasion risk was assessed for Europe, firstly, by analysing the suitability of European climate for the species, secondly, by assessing the potential impact. Results showed that from 92.5 to 92.9% of the meteorological stations analysed showed climate conditions that were compatible with the species' climatic requirements. The ecological characteristics of the species and the climatic features of the area analysed suggest a great risk of invasion that could lead to the species' spread in Europe. These findings suggest that P. cordata could threaten European wetlands

Traps and netting, better together than alone: an innovative approach to improveProcambarus clarkiimanagement

The red swamp crayfishProcambarus clarkiiis the most widespread invasive crayfish in Europe, and responsible for a plethora of negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Most capture methods used for controlling crayfish populations have a bias towards the capture of adults, however, the removal of the young-of-the-year crayfish (YOY) may be essential for achieving effective control of invasive populations. This paper analysed the crayfish caught during a management campaign carried out in five permanent stream pools from southern Spain. We compared size structure, CPUE and sex-ratio obtained with two control methods: cylindrical traps (a method commonly used in crayfish management) and horizontal hauls using a fine-mesh net (inspired by zooplankton sampling techniques). Horizontal hauls showed a higher selectivity for catching YOY and higher efficiency (eight-fold) than traps. The combined use of both gears increased total catch by 46%. Our results suggest that YOY may be sharply underestimated if only cylindrical traps are used. The YOY cohort represented 60% of the total catch during the management campaign. Therefore, active netting with a fine mesh may be a complementary method to the use of traps in order to manage invasive populations ofP. clarkiiand may provide a better understanding of the structure and dynamics of invasive crayfish populations

Nuevas citas de los galápagos chinos Mauremys reevesii (Gray, 1831) y Mauremys sinensis (Gray, 1834) (Testudines, Geoemydidae) en España

The trade of freshwater turtles as pets and their eventual release or escape has led to new naturalized alien species that eventually form invasive populations in aquatic ecosystems. The import of alien Mauremys spp. species implies a new threat to the conservation of aquatic ecosystems, due to their ability to hybridise with the native species Mauremys leprosa. In this work, 16 new records of naturalised specimens of the Asian turtles Mauremys reevesii and Mauremys sinensis in Andalusia (southern Spain) are documented. Most of them (13) were found in artificial aquatic environments associated with urban areas, although the rest were found in protected natural areas sharing the habitat with natural populations of M. leprosa. These new records recreate the pattern of sale-release-naturalization-invasion that has already occurred with other alien turtle species. The number of alien Mauremys specimens imported into Spain (more than 100,000 since 2006) suggests that the current number of naturalised specimens could be much higher than reported in publications.El comercio de quelonios acuáticos como animales de compañía y su eventual liberación o escape ha conllevado la detección de especies exóticas naturalizadas o formando poblaciones invasoras en ecosistemas acuáticos. La importación de Mauremys spp. exóticos implica una nueva amenaza para la conservación de los ecosistemas acuáticos, debido a su capacidad de hibridarse con la especie nativa Mauremys leprosa. En este trabajo se documentan 16 nuevos registros de ejemplares asilvestrados de los galápagos asiáticos Mauremys reevesii y Mauremys sinensis en Andalucía (sur de España). La mayor parte de ellos (13) corresponden a ambientes acuáticos artificiales asociados a áreas urbanas y el resto se encontraron en espacios naturales protegidos con poblaciones naturales de M. leprosa. Estas nuevas citas ponen de manifiesto que los nuevos taxones comercializados reproducen el patrón de venta-abandono-naturalización-invasión ya acaecido con otras especies exóticas de galápagos. El número de ejemplares de Mauremys exóticos importados en España (más de 100.000 desde 2006) sugiere que el número real de ejemplares asilvestrados podría ser bastante mayor al documentado en los trabajos publicados

Diez claves para la comunicación de la fe

Un elemento fundamental de la nueva evangelización es la comunicación de la fe teniendo muy presentes las circunstancias de la sociedad actual. Para ello es necesario tomar en cuenta las cualidades que deben acompañar a la comunicación para que esta sea eficaz. El autor ofrece una síntesis de diez principios que se han de tener en cuenta y que se refieren, respectivamente, al mensaje, a la persona que comunica y al modo de transmitir ese mensaje en la opinión pública.Communicating Faith in the present society is a fundamental element of the New Evangelization. Thus, some qualities of communication must be taken into account for the sake of effectiveness. The author offers a synthesis of ten principles that should be considered and that refer to the message, the person who communicates and the way that message is transmitted to the public opinion

La reputación de la universidad y los estudiantes

La mayor parte de los rankings internacionales de universidades usan tres criterios de valoración: las publicaciones científicas, la opinión de los académicos y el empleo. Son elementos que se pueden medir y comparar internacionalmente. Difíciles de medir y de comparar entre distintos países resultan sin embargo los indicadores de la calidad docente. Cada sistema universitario tiene su forma particular de organizarse. Por esa razón, los rankings nacionales, más que los internacionales, suelen incluir indicadores de calidad docente. Estas consideraciones sirven para preguntarse por el peso de los estudiantes en los rankings y, más en general, en el establecimiento del prestigio de una universidad. En mi opinión, conviene recuperar la idea de que el estudiante ocupa el centro de la universidad. Y pienso que se puede afirmar también que el trabajo del estudiante influye mucho en la reputación de la universidad

Management of coastal dunes affected by shrub encroachment: are rabbits an ally or an enemy of restoration?

In coastal dunes, shrub encroachment disrupts natural disturbance, and reduces habitat heterogeneity and species composition. In this paper, we implemented a pilot scale trial aimed at restoring coastal dunes affected by the encroachment by the shrub Retama monosperma (hereinafter Retama) as well as strengthening the populations of Thymus carnosus (regionally cataloged as ‘Critically Endangered’). A total 3 ha of Retama shrub was clearcut in two sites with different Retama cover (54 and 72%). The effect of rabbits on vegetation recovery was assessed by placing exclosures both in treated and untreated plots in Spring, 2015. Plant composition, species richness and diversity were evaluated two years after treatments (with and without Retama clearing, and with and without rabbit exclusion). Retama clearing alone did not allow the recovery of plant composition typical of gray dunes two-years after treatments, but resulted in a biodiversity loss within the Retama understorey when rabbits were present. However, Retama clearing resulted in a significant vigor improvement of T. carnosus in the site with the highest density of Retama. Rabbit exclusion significantly increased species richness and Shannon-Wiener diversity index, and allowed the recovery of plant composition typical of gray dunes. The results suggest that shrub encroachment caused by Retama has a long-lasting negative impact on dune vegetation and that periodic clearing should be combined with rabbit exclusion at least during early restoration stages of dune vegetation. To recover the population of T. carnosus, Retama should be prevented from reaching high cover and periodic clearing without rabbit exclusion is suggested

Nueva localidad de Bulinus truncatus (Audouin, 1827) (Gastropoda: Planorbidae), hospedador intermediario de Schistosoma haematobium, y su distribución en la península Ibérica

This paper reports a new population of Bulinus truncatus (Audouin, 1827) (Gastropoda, Planorbidae) found in the province of Almería (Southeast Spain). B. truncatus is an intermediate host of Schistosoma haematobium, the trematode which causes urinary schistosomiasis in humans. Individuals were identified to species level by double-nested PCR, resulting in 100% homology. This population is located under the driest climate conditions of the Iberian Peninsula. Data on the distribution of this species in the Iberian Peninsula was gathered and is provided in this paper. Improved knowledge of the distribution of Bulinus truncatus is key to assess the risk of new outbreaks of schistosomiasis in the Iberian Peninsula.En este trabajo se reporta una nueva población de Bulinus truncatus (Audouin, 1827) (Gastropoda, Planorbidae) en la provincia de Almería (Sureste de España). Se trata de una especie que presenta considerable interés tanto zoológico como epidemiológico por su papel como hospedador intermediario de Schistosoma haematobium, responsable de la esquistosomiasis urogenital humana. Los ejemplares fueron determinados a nivel específico mediante PCR doble anidada, con un 100% de homología. Se trata de la población localizada más al Sureste y en condiciones de mayor aridez en la península Ibérica. Se recopilaron los datos de presencia publicados para conocer su distribución en la península. El conocimiento de la distribución de Bulinus truncatus es una pieza clave para evaluar el riesgo de nuevos focos de esquistosomiasis en la península Ibérica

Insights into the Late Mesolithic toolkit: use-wear analysis of the notched blades. Case-studies from the Iberian Peninsula

During the last decades we have gained a considerable amount of data about the Mesolithic lithic toolkit in the Western Mediterranean. A large set of instruments probably existed for a variety of pur-poses: foraging practices (both hunting and fishing), food processing, crafting activities, etc. Dispos-able tools, scarcely elaborated, coexisted with formal and more complex instruments, often com-posed of multiple parts and realized on a variety of raw-materials (e.g. stone, shell or bone inserts; bone or wood hafts, etc.). In this paper we will consider one particular type of tool that appears in the Western Mediterranean starting from the Seventh-Sixth millennia BC: the notched and denticulated blades. We will consider and interpret from a functional viewpoint materials from five different Late Mesolithic contexts: the Cocina Cave and Vallmayor IX in the NE of the Peninsula, Artusia rock-shel-ters in Navarre and Atxoste and Mendandia rock-shelters in the Basque country