Diseño de un nuevo test para evaluar las aptitudes cognitivas en el deporte : estudio de fiabilidad y validez

The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of a new test for assessing cognitive skills in sport from a psychometric perspective. In order to show different sports situations clearly and reduce the influence of verbal reasoning from written items, 64 sports situations that corresponded to real problems found in sport and represented basic, technical, and tactical skills were drawn. The items were presented in a software application that is userfriendly for subjects not familiar with computers. Each situation had 5 response options. The experts' opinion, Cronbach's a (a=.77), a test-retest correlation (r = .72; p < .01), a Pearson's correlation between the test result and the external criterion of the Physical Education teacher (r = .40; p < .01), a mean comparison between sample subgroups, and the factorial analysis showed reasonable evidence for assessing the test's reliability and validity

Modelling nitrogen and phosphorus loads in a Mediterranean river catchment (La Tordera, NE Spain)

Human activities have resulted in increased nutrient levels in many rivers all over Europe. Sustainable management of river basins demands an assessment of the causes and consequences of human alteration of nutrient flows, together with an evaluation of management options. In the context of an integrated and interdisciplinary environmental assessment (IEA) of nutrient flows, we present and discuss the application of the nutrient emission model MONERIS (MOdelling Nutrient Emissions into River Systems) to the Catalan river basin, La Tordera (north-east Spain), for the period 1996-2002. After a successful calibration and verification process (Nash-Sutcliffe efficiencies E=0.85 for phosphorus and E=0.86 for nitrogen), the application of the model MONERIS proved to be useful in estimating nutrient loads. Crucial for model calibration, in-stream retention was estimated to be about 50 % of nutrient emissions on an annual basis. Through this process, we identified the importance of point sources for phosphorus emissions (about 94% for 1996-2002), and diffuse sources, especially inputs via groundwater, for nitrogen emissions (about 31% for 1996-2002). Despite hurdles related to model structure, observed loads, and input data encountered during the modelling process, MONERIS provided a good representation of the major interannual and spatial patterns in nutrient emissions. An analysis of the model uncertainty and sensitivity to input data indicates that the model MONERIS, even in data-starved Mediterranean catchments, may be profitably used by water managers for evaluating quantitative nutrient emission scenarios for the purpose of managing river basins. As an example of scenario modelling, an analysis of the changes in nutrient emissions through two different future scenarios allowed the identification of a set of relevant measures to reduce nutrient loads

Modelling nitrogen and phosphorus loads in a Mediterranean river catchment (La Tordera, NE Spain)

Human activities have resulted in increased nutrient levels in many rivers all over Europe. Sustainable management of river basins demands an assessment of the causes and consequences of human alteration of nutrient flows, together with an evaluation of management options. In the context of an integrated and interdisciplinary environmental assessment (IEA) of nutrient flows, we present and discuss the application of the nutrient emission model MONERIS (MOdelling Nutrient Emissions into River Systems) to the Catalan river basin, La Tordera (north-east Spain), for the period 1996-2002. After a successful calibration and verification process (Nash-Sutcliffe efficiencies E=0.85 for phosphorus and E=0.86 for nitrogen), the application of the model MONERIS proved to be useful in estimating nutrient loads. Crucial for model calibration, in-stream retention was estimated to be about 50 % of nutrient emissions on an annual basis. Through this process, we identified the importance of point sources for phosphorus emissions (about 94% for 1996-2002), and diffuse sources, especially inputs via groundwater, for nitrogen emissions (about 31% for 1996-2002). Despite hurdles related to model structure, observed loads, and input data encountered during the modelling process, MONERIS provided a good representation of the major interannual and spatial patterns in nutrient emissions. An analysis of the model uncertainty and sensitivity to input data indicates that the model MONERIS, even in data-starved Mediterranean catchments, may be profitably used by water managers for evaluating quantitative nutrient emission scenarios for the purpose of managing river basins. As an example of scenario modelling, an analysis of the changes in nutrient emissions through two different future scenarios allowed the identification of a set of relevant measures to reduce nutrient loads

La naturalesa de la tàctica esportiva: aproximacions a la seva mesura

La tàctica esportiva, la relació de l’esportista amb els altres esportistes de l’entorn o les aptituds interactives dels individus fent esport centren la refl exió del present article. S’aprofundeix en el marc de referència i en la visió de diversos autors del fenomen tàctic a l’esport. S’aporta una anàlisi etimològica dels termes vinculats i es revisen les principals propostes que s’han utilitzat per mesurar les aptituds tàctiques i cognitives a l’esport. Finalment, s’apunten algunes línies de recerca futura centrades en la utilització de les noves tecnologies

Convergence of gut microbiotas in the adaptive radiations of African cichlid fishes

Ecoevolutionary dynamics of the gut microbiota at the macroscale level, that is, in across-species comparisons, are largely driven by ecological variables and host genotype. The repeated explosive radiations of African cichlid fishes in distinct lakes, following a dietary diversification in a context of reduced genetic diversity, provide a natural setup to explore convergence, divergence and repeatability in patterns of microbiota dynamics as a function of the host diet, phylogeny and environment. Here we characterized by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing the gut microbiota of 29 cichlid species from two distinct lakes/radiations (Tanganyika and Barombi Mbo) and across a broad dietary and phylogenetic range. Within each lake, a significant deviation between a carnivorous and herbivorous lifestyle was found. Herbivore species were characterized by an increased bacterial taxonomic and functional diversity and converged in key compositional and functional community aspects. Despite a significant lake effect on the microbiota structure, this process has occurred with remarkable parallels in the two lakes. A metabolic signature most likely explains this trend, as indicated by a significant enrichment in herbivores/omnivores of bacterial taxa and functions associated with fiber degradation and detoxification of plant chemical compounds. Overall, compositional and functional aspects of the gut microbiota individually and altogether validate and predict main cichlid dietary habits, suggesting a fundamental role of gut bacteria in cichlid niche expansion and adaptation

Efectos de la actividad ganadera en los lagos del Parque Nacional de Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici: aportes de nitrógeno y riesgo de eutrofización

Este capítulo contiene 16 páginas, 2 tablas, 11 figuras.El proyecto EGALA estudió el efecto de la actividad ganadera en los lagos del Parque Nacional de Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici especialmente por los aportes de N que representa y el riesgo de eutrofización que éste puede provocar. La cuestión se planteó a tres escalas espacio-temporales distintas: a escala de paisaje lacustre (en un conjunto de 19 cuencas lacustres) a escala de cuenca lacustre (en un conjunto de 12 lagos de la Vall de Sant Nicolau) y a escala de lago (valorando los efectos a lo largo de un transecto horizontal de la orilla al centro del lago). La concentración de N de los lagos no depende de manera simple de unos pocos factores. Aunque las variables relacionadas con la ganadería explican una fracción marginal de la variancia de las concentraciones de N, no parecen tener un papel significativo en la biogeoquímica de los lagos a escala de paisaje lacustre. Los lagos de mayor altitud con cuencas pequeñas y poco desarrollo de la vegetación y el suelo, acumulan una mayor cantidad de nitrato proveniente del depósito atmosférico. De manera opuesta los lagos situados en el fondo de los valles, con cuencas mayores cubiertas de pastos donde se concentra el ganado, presentan una menor concentración de nitrato en sus aguas, debido a una mayor retención del depósito en los suelos y la vegetación. Aunque la estima de la carga de N que moviliza anualmente la actividad ganadera en las distintas cuencas raramente supera el 20% del depósito atmosférico, se comprobó que es de una magnitud similar a la carga que realmente entra al lago. Esto podría indicar la importancia de la presencia de ganado en la movilización de un N que permanece retenido en la cuenca. Los lagos son sumideros de N, retienen las formas más oxidadas y exportan en menor medida las formas reducidas. El efecto directo de la presencia de ganado es detectable en la orilla del lago, no solo por el impacto físico y la limitación del desarrollo de la comunidad de macrófitos propia del sistema; sino porque se localiza una zona con mayores concentraciones de N, composición isotópica diferenciada y elevadas actividades microbianas. Por dilución y por mezcla con la masa de agua del lago, el efecto se diluye rá- pidamente al aumentar la profundidad de la columna de agua. En este proyecto se han encontrado evidencias de que el ganado tiene influencia sobre el estado trófico de los lagos, y aunque actualmente en general sea baja, se conoce que hay ciertas masas de agua más sensibles y que en tiempos pasados la presencia humana fue mayor y pudo producir un mayor grado de eutrofización de las aguas.El proyecto EGALA ha estado financiado por el Organismo Autónomo Parques Nacionales (nú- mero de referencia 124/2010).Peer reviewe

Effective dispersal and density-dependence in mesophotic macroalgal forests: Insights from the Mediterranean species Cystoseira zosteroides

Dispersal and recruitment are fundamental processes for population recovery following disturbances in sessile species. While both processes are well understood for many terrestrial species, they still remain poorly resolved for some macroalgal species. Here we experimentally investigated the effective dispersal and recruit survival of a mesophotic Mediterranean fucoid, Cystoseira zosteroides. In three isolated populations, four sets of settlement collectors were placed at increasing distances (from 0 to 10 m) and different orientations (North, South, East and West). We observed that effective dispersal was restricted to populations' vicinity, with an average of 6.43 m and not further than 13.33 m, following a Weibull distribution. During their first year of life, survival was up to 50%, but it was lower underneath the adult canopy, suggesting a negative density-dependence. To put our results in a broader context we compared the effective dispersal of other fucoid and kelp species reported in the literature, which confirmed the low dispersal ability of brown algae, in particular for fucoids, with an effective dispersal of few meters. Given the importance of recruitment for the persistence and recovery of populations after disturbances, these results underline the vulnerability of C. zosteroides and other fucoid species to escalating threats

Joint estimation of survival and dispersal effectively corrects the permanent emigration bias in mark‑recapture analyses

Robust and reliable estimates of demographic parameters are essential to understand population dynamics. Natal dispersal is a common process in monitored populations and can cause underestimations of survival and dispersal due to permanent emigration. Here, we present a multistate Bayesian capture-mark-recapture approach based on a joint estimation of natal dispersal kernel and detection probabilities to address biases in survival, dispersal, and related demographic parameters when dispersal information is limited. We implement this approach to long-term data of a threatened population: the Bonelli's eagle in Catalonia (SW Europe). To assess the method's performance, we compare demographic estimates structured by sex, age, and breeding status in cases of limited versus large data scales, with those of classical models where dispersal and detection probabilities are estimated separately. Results show substantial corrections of demographic estimates. Natal dispersal and permanent emigration probabilities were larger in females, and consequently, female non-breeder survival showed larger differences between separate and joint estimation models. Moreover, our results suggest that estimates are sensitive to the choice of the dispersal kernel, fat-tailed kernels providing larger values in cases of data limitation. This study provides a general multistate framework to model demographic parameters while correcting permanent emigration biases caused by natal dispersal

Functional diversity of macrophyte communities within and between Pyrenean lakes

Submersed vegetation is a common feature in about 70% Pyrene an high mountain (>1500 m a.s.l.) lakes. Isoetids and soft-water elodeids are common elements of this underw ater flora and can form distinct vegetation units (i.e. patches of vegetation dominated by different species) within complex mosaics of vegetation in shallow waters (<7 m). Since is oetids exert a strong influence on sediment biogeochemistry due to high radial oxygen loss, we examined the small scale characteristics of the lake environment (water and sediment) associated to vegetation patches in order to ascertain potential functional differences among them. To do so, we characterised the species composition and biomass of the main vegetation units from 11 lakes, defined plant communities based on biomass data, and then related each community with sediment properties (redox and dissolved nutrient concentration in the pore water) and water nutrient concentration within plant canopy. We also characterised lake water and sediment in areas without vegetation as a reference. A total of twenty-one vegetation units were identified, ranging from one to five per lake. A cluster analysis on biomass species composition suggested seven different macrophyte communities that were named after the most dominant species:Nitella sp.,Potamogeton praelongus, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Sparganium angustifolium , Isoetes echinospora,Isoetes lacustris and Carex rostrata . Coupling between macrophyte communities and their immediate environment (overlying water and sediment) was manifested mainly as variation in sediment redox conditions and the dominant form of inorganic nitrogen in pore-water. These effects depended on the specific compositi on of the community, and on the allocation between above- and belowground biomass, and could be predicted with a model relating the average and standard deviation of sediment redox potential from 0 down to -20 cm, across macrophyte communities. Differences in pore-water total dissolved phosphorus were related to the trophic state of the lakes. There was no correlation between sediment and water column dissolved nutrients. However, nitrate concentrations tended to be lower in the water overlaying isoetid communities, in apparent contradiction to the patterns of dissolved nitrates in the pore-water. These tendencies were robust even when comparing the water over laying communities within the same lake, thus pointing towards a potential effect of isoetids in reducing dissolved nitrogen in the lakes

Recovery of submersed vegetation in a high mountain oligotrophic soft-water lake over two decades after impoundment

Recovery of the submersed vegetation is a target for the management of soft-water shallow lakes if they are to meet water quality and biodiversity standards. Knowledge of patterns of macrophyte space occupation and time to recovery is poor and mostly restricted to free floating species or riparian vegetation. Here we use pre- and post-impact monitoring data over 20 years showing the evolution of submersed aquatic vegetation of lake Baciver (Pyrenees), and develop models to infer space occupation and time to recovery. We use pre-impact macrophyte distribution in relation to bathymetry-derived data to fit logistic models to further simulate lake equilibrium scenarios. Depth and slope were found to be the best predictors, and models suggested that an assemblage dominated by Sparganium angustifolium was, at time of this study, over 95% of its potential distribution area. A dense, newly grown monospecific Isoetes lacustris population occupied <10% of its potential area and model projections suggest that it will take decades to recover. An I. lacustris residual population remains below the estimated depth threshold for survival and is bound to disappear. The lake appears to evolve towards a new steady-state where the current lake hypsography promotes the expansion of algae (Nitella sp.) over angiosperms