Spatio-temporal study of wood formation of Quercus robur L. and Q. pyrenaica Willd. in the Northwest of the Iberian Peninsula

This study on ecological wood anatomy contributes to the knowledge on the process of xylem formation and its associated climatic patterns, which are fundamental to establish a correct interpretation of the cause-effect relationships observed in dendrochronological retrospective analyses of ring-porous species. For this purpose, the process of wood formation (xylogenesis) and leaf phenology were monitored during two years at 14 sites of natural forests (nive for Quercus robur, and five for Q. pyrenaica). A retrospective (dendrochronological) study of tree rings and anatomical variables (earlywood vessels) was also carried out at four out of the 14 sites. Climate-growth relationships at the 14 sites were analyzed, the synchronicity between wood growth and leaf development was described, and the water content of crown organs (branches, buds, leaves) was quantified to minimize observer’s subjectivity for leaf phenology

Winter drought impairs xylem phenology, anatomy and growth in Mediterranean Scots pine forests

39 páginas, 5 tablas, 6 figuras, 2 figuras suplementarias. -- This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Tree Physiology following peer review. The version of record [J. J. Camarero, G. Guada, R. Sánchez-Salguero, E. Cervantes; Winter drought impairs xylem phenology, anatomy and growth in Mediterranean Scots pine forests. Tree Physiol 2016; 36 (12): 1536-1549] is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpw077Continental Mediterranean forests face drought and cold stress. Drought and cold spells are climate extremes which can impair the recovery and resilience capacity of some Mediterranean forests. Climate warming could amplify the negative effects on forests of climate extremes by altering phenology phases (premature dehardening) and by magnifying drought stress. Here we capitalize on a winter-drought induced dieback triggered by a cold spell which occurred in December 2001 and affected Scots pine forests in E. Spain. We assessed post-dieback recovery by quantifying and comparing radial growth and xylem anatomy of non-declining (crown cover > 50%) and declining (crown cover ≤ 50%) trees in two sites (VP, Villarroya de los Pinares; TO, Torrijas). We also characterized aboveground productivity in site VP and xylogenesis in both sites during 2005. Dieback caused legacy effects since needle loss, a 60% reduction in aboveground biomass and radial-growth decline characterized declining trees three years after these dieback symptoms started in spring 2002. Declining trees formed collapsed tracheids in the 2002-ring earlywood, particularly in the most affected VP site where xylogenesis differences between non-declining and declining trees were most noticeable. The lower growth rates of declining trees were explained by a shorter duration of their major xylogenesis phases. In the site VP the radial-enlargement and wall-thickening of tracheids were significantly reduced in declining trees as compared to non-declining trees, and this was because these phases tended to start earlier and end later in non-declining than in declining trees. Gompertz models fitted to tracheid production predicted that maximum growth rates occurred 11-12 days earlier in non-declining than in declining trees. The formation of radially-enlarging tracheids was enhanced by longer days in both study sites and also by wetter conditions in the driest TO site, but this xylogenesis sensitivity to climate was reduced in declining trees. Winter-drought induced dieback impairs xylem anatomy and phenology, aboveground productivity, xylogenesis and growth in Mediterranean Scots pine populations. Affected stands show a costly post-dieback recovery challenging their resilience ability.JJC acknowledges the support of the Excellence Network “Red de Ecología Terrestre para afrontar los retos del Cambio Global—ECOMETAS” (CGL2014-53840-REDT) of the Spanish Ministry of Economy.Peer reviewe

Puccinia spore concentrations in relation to weather factors and phenological development of a wheat crop in northwestern Spain

Rust is one of the main diseases affecting wheat crops in Spain, causing significant yield and quality losses. Research on its identification and quantification in the air is a worldwide priority due to the importance of this crop as a source of food and feed. The objective of this study is to determine the temporal variation of airborne spores of Puccinia and their relationship with meteorological variables and the phenological development of a wheat crop in Northwestern Spain during two growing seasons. The study was conducted in A Limia, Ourense, located in Northwestern Spain, during the wheat growing seasons of 2021 and 2022. The Lanzoni VPPS 2010 spore trap was used to collect airborne spores, which were identified using optical microscopy. The wheat growing season was less than 95 days during both years, and wheat rust spores were detected during all phenological stages of the crop. Concentrations were higher than 100 spores/m3 from the booting stage to senescence, mainly in 2021. Statistical analyses showed that temperature was the meteorological variable that most influenced Puccinia concentrations in the air in both years. The modification of a prediction model proposed by other authors for wheat rust, which takes into account mean temperature (10–25 °C), dew point temperature (<5 °C), and nighttime temperature (10–20 °C), allowed us to tentatively predict the increase in Puccinia concentrations in the year 2022 when these conditions occurred for four or five consecutive days. This research is the first in Spain to report the presence of rust-causing Puccinia spores in the air during all phenological stages of the wheat crop and provides useful information for designing management strategies, considering temperature values

Rasgos antropométricos craneofaciales de interés odontológico forense en la estimación de sexo, grupo étnico y edad. Revisión de la literatura

One of the main functions of anthropologists and forensic dentists is to identify subjects according to physical characteristics of the features presented using non-routine methods. These characteristics, especially bone, allow professional to determine the sex, age and racial origin of the remains or skeleton found. Dentists focus on features belonging to the stomatognathic system, while anthropologists study the bones that make up the human body. In this study, we describe the investigations of cranio-facial anthropometric features of dental interest carried out by anthropologists to identify the sex, race, and age of skeletal remains or skeletons. in addition, we describe the so-called dental anthropology that studies the elements of the stomatognathic system from an anthropological point of view. Electronic literature was reviewed through search engines such as PUBMED, Google Academic and SciELO with the search terms “Forensic Dentistry, Forensic Anthropology, Sex Determination, Ancestry Determination and Age Determination”. Knowledge of the craniofacial anthropological features from the forensic point of view is of great importance in individualized and multidisciplinary studies by forensic dentists and anthropologists in the identification of skeletal remains.Una de las funciones principales del antropólogo y del odontólogo forense es la de, mediante métodos no rutinarios, dar con la identidad de un sujeto gracias a sus características físicas observables. Esas características, especialmente las óseas, permiten al profesional identificar el sexo, la edad y la incidencia racial de los restos u osamentas que puedan hallar. El odontólogo centra su atención en rasgos pertenecientes al sistema estomatognático, mientras que el antropólogo estudio el conjunto de huesos que componen de forma general el cuerpo humano. En este estudio, se busca exponer los rasgos antropométricos craneofaciales propios del estudio del antropólogo para estimar sexo, grupo étnico y edad, que son de interés odontológico y útiles para la identificación de restos óseos u osamentas. Se analizan las investigaciones realizadas para la determinación del sexo, la incidencia racial y la edad, además de un aporte acerca de la denominada antropología dental, que estudia los elementos propios del sistema estomatognático desde el punto de vista antropológico. Se revisó literatura electrónica mediante buscadores como PubMed, Google Académico y SciELO, con las palabras “ForensicDentistry”, “ForensicAnthropology”, “Sex Determination”, “Ancestry Determination” y “Age Determination”. A partir de lo hallado, se concluyó que es de gran importancia para el odontólogo el conocimiento de los rasgos antropológicos craneofaciales desde el punto de vista forense para la individualización, así como la significancia de la interdisciplinariedad entre el trabajo del odontólogo y el del antropólogo para la labor de identificación

Alnus airborne pollen trends during the last 26 years for improving machine learning-based forecasting methods

Black alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.) is a species of tree widespread along Europe and belongs to mixed hardwood forests. In urban environments, the tree is usually located along watercourses, as is the case in the city of Ourense. This taxon belongs to the betulaceae family, so it has a high allergenic potential in sensitive people. Due to the high allergenic capacity of this pollen type and the increase in global temperature produced by climate change, which induces a greater allergenicity, the present study proposes the implementation of a Machine Learning (ML) model capable of accurately predicting high-risk periods for allergies among sensitive people. The study was carried out in the city of Ourense for 28 years and pollen data were collected by means of the Hirst trap model Lanzoni VPPS-2000. During the same period, meteorological data were obtained from the meteorological station of METEOGALICIA in Ourense. We observed that Alnus airborne pollen was present in the study area during winter months, mainly in January and February. We found statistically significant trends for the end of the main pollen season with a lag trend of 0.68 days per year, and an increase in the annual pollen integral of 112 pollen grains per year and approximately 12 pollen grains/m3 per year during the pollen peak. A Spearman correlation test was carried out in order to select the variables for the ML model. The best ML model was Random Forest, which was able to detect those days with medium and high labels.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431C 2022/03-GRCXunta de Galicia | Ref. CO-0034-2021 00V

Impacto económico de la crisis COVID-19 sobre la MIPYME en Ecuador

Este estudio, presentado ahora con el énfasis ecuatoriano, es parte de una investigación más amplia que, sobre la interacción promovida desde FAEDPYME —Red Iberoamericana de Investigación en MIPYME—, contribuye a la construcción de un escenario comparativo que permite ver cómo la pandemia, por su naturaleza, ha afectado la permanencia de las MIPYME. De manera especial en aquellas que, antes de la pandemia, no generaron las reservas de resiliencia que pudieron haberles ayudado a afrontar duros desafíos como los impuestos por un evento sanitario de cobertura global que no ha estado presente, desde hace varias décadas, en el radar de ningún país del mundo.La pandemia ha generado sendos coletazos al interior del tejido productivo de los países que, pensando en el futuro, se convierten en los focos directrices para las acciones que permitirán levantar a las pequeñas y medianas empresas (MIPYME) que integran este tejido. De ahí, la importancia de estudios como el presente Impacto económico de la crisis COVID-19 sobre la MIPYME en Ecuador que, gracias a la alianza de varias universidades ecuatorianas, permite conocer la realidad productiva de las MIPYME. Con ello, mediante la participación de multiactores, se pretende proponer un plan de acción integrado que, sobre la base del perfil de una crisis tridimensional - sanitaria, social y económica-, permita activar y/o reactivar la inversión, la producción y el empleo esperado por una sociedad que, desde antes de la pandemia, estaba ansiosa por encontrar soluciones laborales que le permitan generar un ingreso para mejorar su bienestar socioeconómico, personal y familiar

Estudio y análisis económico en la elaboración, producción, y distribución de embriones de ganado vacuno para la empresa El Rosario C.A. ERCA

El objetivo de este proyecto es comprobar que el empleo de la técnica de transferencia de embriones en ganado vacuno lechero, genera mayores ingresos económicos a corto plazo y un mejoramiento en la producción y entrega de leche a mediano plazo, de la empresa El Rosario C.A. “ERCA”, ubicada en la provincia de Pichincha en el sector de Machachi. El giro del negocio fundamental de esta empresa El Rosario C.A., es la producción lechera, y como se cuenta con vacas de alta calidad genética, se ha pensado en la elaboración de la transferencia de embriones. En el primer capítulo se realiza un estudio de que es la transferencia de embriones, y en que consiste dicha técnica, esto con la finalidad de tener claro el proyecto y las situaciones en las cuales nos podemos ver enfrentados al realizar dicha técnica. Adicionalmente se hace referencia a las ventajas y desventajas que ocasionan esta técnica. Finalmente, se hace mención a las medidas preventivas de higiene que se deben tomar en cuenta al momento de realizar una transferencia de embriones, ya que la higiene es un elemento muy importante para la realización de esta técnica, tanto en la extracción como en la colocación de los embriones. Así como también el manejo en el laboratorio.....

Limited Growth Recovery after Drought-Induced Forest Dieback in Very Defoliated Trees of Two Pine Species

Mediterranean pine forests display high resilience after extreme climatic events such as severe droughts. However, recent dry spells causing growth decline and triggering forest dieback challenge the capacity of some forests to recover following major disturbances. To describe how resilient the responses of forests to drought can be, we quantified growth dynamics in plantations of two pine species (Scots pine, black pine) located in south-eastern Spain and showing drought-triggered dieback. Radial growth was characterized at inter- (tree-ring width) and intra-annual (xylogenesis) scales in three defoliation levels. It was assumed that the higher defoliation the more negative the impact of drought on tree growth. Tree-ring width chronologies were built and xylogenesis was characterized 3 years after the last severe drought occurred. Annual growth data and the number of tracheids produced in different stages of xylem formation were related to climate data at several time scales. Drought negatively impacted growth of the most defoliated trees in both pine species. In Scots pine, xylem formation started earlier in the non-defoliated than in the most defoliated trees. Defoliated trees presented the shortest duration of the radial-enlargement phase in both species. On average the most defoliated trees formed 60% of the number of mature tracheids formed by the non-defoliated trees in both species. Since radial enlargement is the xylogenesis phase most tightly related to final growth, this explains why the most defoliated trees grew the least due to their altered xylogenesis phases. Our findings indicate a very limited resilience capacity of drought-defoliated Scots and black pines. Moreover, droughts produce legacy effects on xylogenesis of highly defoliated trees which could not recover previous growth rates and are thus more prone to die.We thank the support of Junta de Andalucía and project GESBOME (P06-RNM-1890) and AEMET (Agencia Estatal de Meteorología) for providing meteorological data. JC acknowledges the support of the Excellence Network “Red de Ecología Terrestre para afrontar los retos del Cambio Global—ECOMETAS” (CGL2014-53840-REDT) of the Spanish Ministry of Economy. RS thanks the support of project CoMo-ReAdapt (CGL2013-48843-C2-1-R) and postdoctoral fellowship of (FEDER-Programa de Fortalecimiento de las capacidades en I+D+i de las Universidades 2014-2015, Junta de Andalucía). RN acknowledges the support of the project LIFE13 ENV/ES/001384 “Development of technical guidelines for carbon sequestration and dynamization of carbon compensation in forests” and QUERCUSAT (CLG2013-40790-R). GG acknowledges the granting of a predoctoral fellowship from FPI program (BES-2011-050172) by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity (Project BFU 2010-21451). This work was carried out under the framework of the EU COST Action FP 1106 (Studying Tree Responses to extreme Events: a SyntheSis, STReESS).Peer reviewedPeer Reviewe

Anatomical tree-ring chronologies and seasonal patterns of cambial dynamics are valuable indicators of tree performance of two oak species at the Atlantic-Mediterranean boundary

Northwestern Iberia is characterized for being an Atlantic/Mediterranean transitional area, where the most natural forests contain certain species, typical from either biogeographic region, growing under limiting conditions due to their marginal location. In order to identify the main climatic factors controlling growth, and thus better understand how they impact wood formation processes of the key tree species in these ecosystems, we analyzed tree rings of two somehow contrasting oaks (Quercus robur, Atlantic; and Q. pyrenaica, sub-Mediterranean) at their distribution boundary towards the Mediterranean region. For this, two nearby sites with slightly different regime of water availability were selected for each species. We developed chronologies of radial increment (expressed as latewood width) and functional anatomical traits (size and number of earlywood vessels) for the last decades, and also monitored wood formation along two growing seasons. Our results suggest that the combination of anatomical traits and radial growth constitute a useful tool to understand the behavior of these species in boundary distribution areas. We found some differences between sites, especially for Q. pyrenaica, but the main factors controlling growth were clearly identified at all sites. Earlywood characteristics were mainly related to temperature, whereas latewood width responded to precipitation, regardless of the species. However, vessels of low-elevation Q. robur seemed to be controlled by factors affecting carbohydrate balance, while those of high-elevation Q. pyrenaica were associated to spring conditions for growth resumption. Summer water availability was linked to a wider latewood for both species. In addition, the analysis of xylogenesis carried out at all sites was essential to interpret climate responses by providing evidences for the existence of a cause-effect relationship

Limited Growth Recovery after Drought-Induced Forest Dieback in Very Defoliated Trees of Two Pine Species

Mediterranean pine forests display high resilience after extreme climatic events such as severe droughts. However, recent dry spells causing growth decline and triggering forest dieback challenge the capacity of some forests to recover following major disturbances. To describe how resilient the responses of forests to drought can be, we quantified growth dynamics in plantations of two pine species (Scots pine, black pine) located in south-eastern Spain and showing drought-triggered dieback. Radial growth was characterized at inter- (tree-ring width) and intra-annual (xylogenesis) scales in three defoliation levels. It was assumed that the higher defoliation the more negative the impact of drought on tree growth. Tree-ring width chronologies were built and xylogenesis was characterized three years after the last severe drought occurred. Annual growth data and the number of tracheids produced in different stages of xylem formation were related to climate data at several time scales. Drought negatively impacted growth of the most defoliated trees in both pine species. In Scots pine, xylem formation started earlier in the non-defoliated than in the most defoliated trees. Defoliated trees presented the shortest duration of the radial-enlargement phase in both species. On average the most defoliated trees formed 60% of the number of mature tracheids formed by the non-defoliated trees in both species. Since radial enlargement is the xylogenesis phase most tightly related to final growth, this explains why the most defoliated trees grew the least due to their altered xylogenesis phases. Our findings indicate a very limited resilience capacity of drought-defoliated Scots and black pines. Moreover, droughts produce legacy effects on xylogenesis of highly defoliated trees which could not recover previous growth rates and are thus more prone to die