Distribución y aspectos poblacionales del lobo Ibérico en la provincia de Ourense

Para determinar el área de distribución del lobo en la provincia de Ourense (noroeste de España) se realizaron prospecciones de campo consistentes en itinerarios de muestreo para localizar indicios y se enviaron cuestionarios a los Agentes del Servicio de Conservación de la Naturaleza de la Xunta de Galicia y a las Sociedades de Cazadores del área de estudio. Los resultados se registraron sobre cuadrículas U.T.M. 10x10 Km. Se constata presencia del lobo en el 79,2% de las cuadrículas estudiadas, estimando el área de distribución en la provincia en 6.400 km2. Para la localización de los grupos familiares inicialmente se prospectó el territorio a nivel de cuadrículas U.T.M. 10x10 Km y en función de los resultados y la información recibida se eligieron determinadas zonas para realizar estaciones de escucha y espera. Determinamos durante el periodo de estudio la existencia de 25 grupos familiares. La densidad estimada en la provincia es de 2,10 – 3,28 lobos /100 km2. De los casos de mortalidad conocidos entre enero de 1999 y abril de 2002 (n=37), un elevado porcentaje se debió a atropellos (70,27%) principalmente en dos vías concretas y un 8,10% correspondió a envenenamientos. Actualmente la densidad del lobo en Ourense es superior a la obtenida en provincias limítrofes, pero amenazas de origen antrópico tanto directas (veneno, persecución ilegal...) como indirectas (incendios forestales, grandes infraestructuras viales, parques eólicos...) pueden estar condicionando la existencia de grupos familiares e incluso la presencia de la especie en determinadas zonas

Distribución y aspectos poblacionales del lobo Ibérico (Canis lupus signatus) en las provincias de Pontevedra y A Coruña (Galicia)

Para determinar el área de distribución del lobo en las provincias de Pontevedra y A Coruña se realizaron itinerarios de muestreo y se enviaron cuestionarios a los Agentes de Medio Ambiente de la Xunta de Galicia y a las Sociedades de Cazadores del área de estudio. Los resultados se representaron en cuadrículas U.T.M. 10x10 Km. Se ha confirmado la presencia del lobo en el 67,05% de las cuadrículas del área de estudio. La especie se distribuye de forma continua en ambas provincias, donde estimamos un área de distribución de 6.400 km2 en la provincia de A Coruña y 3.200 km2 en la de Pontevedra, ocupando principalmente el área montañosa de la Dorsal Gallega y el occidente de A Coruña; esta última zona está conectada con el resto del área de distribución del lobo en Galicia a través del norte de la provincia de Pontevedra. Para la localización de las manadas se muestreó el territorio a nivel de cuadrícula U.T.M. 10x10 Km, y en las zonas donde se detectó una mayor concentración de indicios, se realizaron estaciones de escucha y espera con el fin de localizar la presencia de manadas (cachorros y adultos). Se determinó la presencia de 29 manadas (14 en la provincia de A Coruña y 15 en Pontevedra), de las cuales se confirmó la reproducción del 52%. Se ha estimado un tamaño poblacional para la provincia de A Coruña entre 87-129 lobos (1,36-2,02 lobos/100 Km2) y entre 95-140 para la provincia de Pontevedra (2,97-4,38 lobos/100 Km2). Las zonas de mayor densidad se localizaron en la Dorsal Gallega. Se han localizado algunas manadas en áreas muy humanizadas, lo que podría explicar que la principal causa de mortalidad conocida entre enero de 2000 y octubre de 2003 (n=29) sea el atropello (n=21)

A population-based controlled experiment assessing the epidemiological impact of digital contact tracing

While Digital contact tracing (DCT) has been argued to be a valuable complement to manual tracing in the containment of COVID-19, no empirical evidence of its effectiveness is available to date. Here, we report the results of a 4-week population-based controlled experiment that took place in La Gomera (Canary Islands, Spain) between June and July 2020, where we assessed the epidemiological impact of the Spanish DCT app Radar Covid. After a substantial communication campaign, we estimate that at least 33% of the population adopted the technology and further showed relatively high adherence and compliance as well as a quick turnaround time. The app detects about 6.3 close-contacts per primary simulated infection, a significant percentage being contacts with strangers, although the spontaneous follow-up rate of these notified cases is low. Overall, these results provide experimental evidence of the potential usefulness of DCT during an epidemic outbreak in a real population

Cryptic population structure reveals low dispersal in Iberian wolves

Abstract Highly mobile mammalian carnivores are expected to have the capability to maintain high levels of gene flow across large geographic scales. Nonetheless, surprising levels of genetic structure have been found in many such populations. We combined genetic and spatial behavioural information from wolves (Canis lupus) in the Iberian Peninsula (Western Europe) during the last two decades to present a particular case of low dispersal levels in a large carnivore population persisting in human-dominated landscapes. We found an exceptionally reticulated pattern of cryptic population structure emerging at two hierarchical levels, in which four or eleven meaningful genetic clusters can be recognized, respectively. These clusters were characterized by moderate-high levels of differentiation (average pairwise FST = 0.09–0.19), low levels of admixture and varying degrees of genetic diversity. The number of dispersers identified among the 11 clusters was very low (<4% out of 218 wolves). Spatial information of tracked wolves further confirmed the geographical genetic patterns (only 2 out of 85 collared wolves overlapped with more than one genetic cluster). The high levels of genetic structure in this population may be determined by the recent demographic history of this population, among other factors. The identification of meaningful genetic clusters has implications for the delineation of conservation units and, consequently, on the conservation and management actions for Iberian wolves

Hematology and serum biochemistry values of free-ranging Iberian wolves (Canis lupus) trapped by leg-hold snares

Hematology and serum biochemistry are important tools in assessing the health and physiological status of wildlife populations. Nevertheless, studies on free-ranging wolves (Canis lupus) are scarce, and no reference values are available neither for Iberian wolves nor for wolves captured with leghold snares. We report 37 hematology and serum biochemistry variables obtained from 26 free-ranging Iberian wolves captured with leg-hold snares between 2007 and 2014, including variables previously not reported in the literature. The values obtained are similar to the published reference intervals for Scandinavian wolves captured by darting from a helicopter, except for higher values for mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), red blood cell distribution width (RDW), leukocyte count, creatinine kinase (CK), ?-globulins, and total bilirubin (TBIL) and lower values for alkaline phosphatase (ALP). We propose that differences in leukocyte count, CK, and TBIL are related to the method of capture, while differences in RDW, MCHC, ALP, and ?-globulins could reflect physiological adaptations to environmental conditions, sampling, or pre-analytical artifacts. Lymphocyte count was lower and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio was significantly higher in older, reproductive females, while ALP and phosphorus were higher in juvenile wolves. For the first time, we describe hematology and serum biochemistry values of free-ranging Iberian wolves captured with leg-hold snares. The data reported here is the first published reference for wolves captured with similar methods and for monitoring Iberian wolves populations’ physiological and health status.We thank Nuria Fandos and Carla Ferreira, rangers from Xunta de Galicia and Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa, and volunteers who helped during the trapping sessions. The wolves were captured under projects financed by Associacao de Conservacao do Habitat do Lobo Iberico (ACHLI) in Portugal and by Picos de Europa National Park, Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentacion y Medio Ambiente, and Xunta de Galicia in Spain. Sara Roque benefited from grant SFRH/BD/12291/2003 from Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia. Jose V. Lopez-Bao was supported by a postdoctoral contract from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. This is the paper no. 5 from the Iberian Wolf Research Team

CRAMER: A lightweight, highly customisable web-based genome browser supporting multiple visualisation instances

In recent years the ability to generate genomic data has increased dramatically along with the demand for easily personalised and customisable genome browsers for effective visualisation of diverse types of data. Despite the large number of web-based genome browsers available nowadays, none of the existing tools provide means for creating multiple visualisation instances without manual set up on the deployment server side. The Cranfield Genome Browser (CRAMER) is an open-source, lightweight and highly customisable web application for interactive visualisation of genomic data. Once deployed, CRAMER supports seamless creation of multiple visualisation instances in parallel while allowing users to control and customise multiple tracks. The application is deployed on a Node.js server and is supported by a MongoDB database which stored all customisations made by the users allowing quick navigation between instances. Currently, the browser supports visualising a large number of file formats for genome annotation, variant calling, reads coverage and gene expression. Additionally, the browser supports direct Javascript coding for personalised tracks, providing a whole new level of customisation both functionally and visually. Tracks can be added via direct file upload or processed in real-time via links to files stored remotely on an FTP repository. Furthermore, additional tracks can be added by users via simple drag and drop to an existing visualisation instance

Role of educational level in the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and health-related quality of life (HRQL) among rural Spanish women

BACKGROUND: The impact of obesity on health-related quality of life (HRQL) has been little explored in rural areas. The goal of this study is to ascertain the association between obesity and HRQL among Spanish women living in a rural area, and the influence of their educational level. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with personal interview of 1298 women (aged 18 to 60) randomly selected from the electoral rolls of 14 towns in Galicia, a region in the north-west of Spain. HRQL was assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire. The association between body mass index (BMI) and suboptimal scores in the different HRQL dimensions was summarised using odds ratios (ORs), obtained from multivariate logistic regression models. Separate analyses were conducted for women who had finished their education younger than 16 years old and women with secondary education to assess differences in the relationship between BMI and HRQL according to educational level. RESULTS: Among women with primary or lower education, obesity was associated with a higher prevalence of suboptimal values in the following dimensions: Physical functioning (OR: 1.97; 95%CI: 1.22-3.18); Role-physical (OR: 1.81; 95%CI: 1.04-3.14); General health (OR: 1.76; 95%CI: 1.10-2.81); and Role-emotional (OR: 2.52; 95%CI: 1.27-5.03). In women with higher education, physical functioning was the only dimension associated with obesity (OR: 2.02: 95%CI 0.83-4.97). CONCLUSION: The impact of obesity on women's HRQL is greater among those with a lower educational level. This group registered higher prevalence of obesity and poorer self-perceived health.This study was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (grant 001/05).S